Trinity News 09-10 Issue 5

Irish Student Newspaper of the Year 2009

THE LENIHAN INTERVIEW BUSINESS, P18

MARY AT KNOCK HANDS-ON HISTORY TRAVEL, P20

Tuesday November 17 2009

www.trinitynews.ie

College seeks power to seize publications Lisa Byrne News Editor STUDENT BODIES have opposed a move by members of College staff to introduce a new clause to the terms of reference of the Capitation Committee giving the Senior Dean power to remove student publications from circulation.

The proposed terms of reference document was prepared by a subcommittee composed of the the Senior Dean, Junior Dean, Dean of Students, and the College Secretary. The item was added to the agenda at the last minute: representatives were informed in an email that was sent the night before the meeting was due to be held.

It was decided at the meeting that a working group, comprising representatives from each of the Capitated Bodies and chaired by Joseph O’Gorman, Honorary Treasurer of the CSC, would be set up to redraft the document.

Chairperson of “The addition did not contain any student input” says Maishman Trinity Publications Luke Maishman remarked “I don’t think there were any expectations it would be passed.” He

Issue 5, Volume 56

ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE

added that the late addition did little to help it succeed saying it was a “further reason” for the result.

Students’ Union President Cónán Ó Bróin expressed concern over the matter saying that the Union felt “uncomfortable with not only the content” but the “manner in which it was deployed” According to Ó Bróin the Union is fearful that the power of censorship will be placed in the hands of one person and they are prepared to stand against “any form of censorship of student opinion” in the College.

APRIL IMAGE

PROPOSED ADDITION Article 4.6 read: “THE CAPITATION Committee delegates to the Chair of the Committee, the authority, in extreme cases, to remove from circulation in College, any publication prodcued by a Capitated Body, or one of its dependent organisations, should the publication be at risk of causing damage to any individauls(s) or be considered to be in breach of legislation, pending a full investigation by the Committee.”

The Giraffes– Danny Forde, Oli Welfare and Pats O’Leary– jazz it up in the Cancer Society’s 2010 calendar. Trinity students bare all for the calendar, on sale this Friday from the stand in the Arts Building and the Student’s Union shop. 100% of the proceeds of each sale go to cancer research, thanks to free printing from Reads Print & Design. Photo: Martin McKenna.

Rise in registration fees possible, says Lenihan Lisa Keenan Deputy Business & Careers Editor THE MINISTER for Finance, Mr Brian Lenihan, has refused to rule out a further increase in registration fees for third level students. In an exclusive interview last week with Trinity News (see Business and Careers Section) the Minister was asked what plans his government have with regard to the annual ‘student services’ registration fee which has increased substantially over the last few years. Mr Lenihan said he could not offer an assurance that it would not rise again in the coming academic year but hastened to add that the Government had by no means made up its mind. “I don’t want to give the impression that we’re going to increase it again,” he said. €4bn in cuts in government expenditure are expected to be announced in the forthcoming budget and it is doubtful that universities will escape unscathed with registration fee hikes most likely on the agenda.

The Minister’s refusal to comment on the issue one way or another means that students are still forced to deal with the uncertainty surrounding the issue.

Registration fees have risen to 17 times their 1994 levels, an increase which was initially associated with higher rates of inflation but became increasingly high due to reductions in government funding for third level institutions.

Up until recently the Minister for Education, Mr Batt O’Keeffe, had hoped to bring an end to the Free Fees Initiative which was introduced by the

NEWS FEATURES P8

Labour-Fine Gael coalition government in 1994. However heads of the colleges were disappointed when the new programme for government drawn up by coalition partners Fine Fáil and the Green Party specifically ruled out the introduction of college tuition fees.

They are now looking to the Higher Education Authority to increase the student service charge as a means of plugging the hole in the universities’ finances.

The Irish Independent reported that the HEA has estimated the colleges need to find €500m meet rising demand. The body also stated that the third level education system in Ireland was facing a funding crisis, something which the heads of the colleges have maintained for some time. The Irish universities are now looking to the HEA to approve a rise in registration fees as a means of staving off disaster. It is thought that the colleges will look for a significant increase in these charges as it has already been stated by the President of Dublin City University, Dr Ferdinand von Prondzynski, that the cost of providing services to students is over 50% higher than the income the colleges receive from the existing registration fee. University College Cork President Dr Michael Murphy has already said that although the colleges are disappointed with the government’s failure to introduce tuition fees, the student charges are effectively “fees by another name.”

This belief is shared by many and although the Minister has not declared himself to be in favour of an increase, the

Union of Students in Ireland is already gearing up for a fight. A protest held outside the Dáil on October 27 opposing any hike in student charges is a sign of things to come. USI President Peter Mannion has already stated that the student charge is too high already and that if it were increased to over €2000, as is feared, then many students would be priced out of college education.

Mr Lenihan however does not share the USI’s pessimistic view of the situation. He still continues to back the introduction of a student loan system at some future date as a viable alternative to the Free Fees Initiative but he was quick to reaffirm that “there was a decision not to introduce fees in the lifetime of the government - or student loans...it’s off the agenda.” The Minister also accepts that the registration fee represents a “substantial amount” for students and that while he cannot confirm that a hike is off the agenda he has “no great ambition to fleece students.” However, he maintains that the issue is not so much about raising revenue as empowering students. He believes that when students contribute directly towards the cost of their education there is a greater check on staff performance. “If the student is making a contribution it does mean that there is far more supervision of staff performance because the students want value for money...[they] are far more conscious of the cost of college education and are more critical of staff standards,” he said.

“The fact remains that the most pressing issue for Irish universities at

Strikes set to halt College Kate Palmer & Kris Wilson

Mr Brian Lenihan TD. the moment is their financial difficulties and that the quickest way to make up the shortfall is to increase revenue,” said Trinity Student’s Union President Conan O’Broin, reacting to the Minister’s remarks.

Full interview: Business & Careers, P 18

“INCOMPETENT, DISHONEST, feckers”. These are the words of one Trinity lecturer in response to government proposals to reduce public sector pay. The professor, who wishes to remain unnamed, will be among the numerous Trinity lecturers, security staff, librarians and shop assistants who plan to take part in a nationwide public sector strike next week.

Proposed by public sector unions, the 24-hour nationwide boycott will cause normal services at Trinity College to come to a grinding halt as public sector staff across the board stage protests in Dublin City. The strike is being held in protest against measures to reduce government-funded salaries across Ireland.

“I want to bomb the Dail, then I’d go in with a potato masher to make sure Brian Cowen was dead”, is just one reaction among Trinity staff to the proposed salary reductions. Although made in jest, the anger of this Security Staff member reflects the sentiment of opposition felt among College staff and teacher unions.

“I don’t understand why people are so outraged”, says one lecturer in an exclusive to Trinity News. “They vote in the same incompetent, dishonest feckers time and time again”. Needless to say, the aforementioned professor will not be attending work this coming Tuesday.

If the proposals take effect, almost all 2,676 of Trinity’s employees will be affected. It is understood the proposed pay cuts will save the government €300 million in a full year, and are part of a wider initiative to reduce the public “the cuts are nothing more than an illthought out recipe for social division” sector pay bill by €1.3 billion before 2010.

Among the Government’s measures to cut public sector costs include an increase in University registration fees and an embargo on the recruitment and promotion of all University staff.

A librarian speaking on behalf of the library staff says they feel “unfairly punished” as a result of government policy. “Almost all library staff will be gone as a result of the hiring freeze, staff have already decreased by 30 members this year, and we’re unable to employ any more.” It is understood that most library security staff and library staff members will be on Strike this Tuesday.

During the course of the strike, the University will have to employ a skeleton staff willing to cross the picket line in order to keep the University open. Trinity Staff Relations Manager, Ken O’Doherty says “College will have in place procedures to maintain continued on page 2

2

COLLEGE NEWS

“‘The US supports democracy if it only conforms to strategic and economic objectives.’”

Hist guest Noam Chomsky on American foreign policy.

“I don’t think there were any expectations it would be passed.”

Chairman of Trinity Publications, Luke Maishman, on the last minute attempt made by members of the College authority to regulate the College publications.

“An ill-thought out receipe for social divison” Mike Jennings, General Secretary of the IFUT on the proposed pay-cuts

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

THIS FORTNIGHT THEY SAID...

“I want to bomb the Dáil .. then I would go in with a potato masher to make sure Brian Cowen was dead” An unnamed Trinity security guard speaking in response to the governments proposed cuts to the public sector.

Compiled by Kate Palmer and Lisa Byrne

259,000

» The euro value of the energy savings made by the College last year

1

» The score difference in the mens under-20 rugby match against UCD last week

24

» The number of graduands who will be commencing this week from the College’s pioneering course for people with intellectual disabilities.

2,676

» The number of Trinity staff that will be affected if the proposed pay cuts go ahead.

300,000,000

» The amount in euro the government will save if pay cuts implemented

107

» How many students have received help from Trinity’s mental health service, Unilink, so far this year.

“Uncomfortable” Students’ Union President Cónán Ó’Broin describing the feelings of the Union on the proposed addition to the Capitation Committee’s terms of reference

“If they’re feeling generous” Ultimate frisbee on the money they receive from DUCAC.

“Talk it out, let it out, sort it out” The mantra of the recent Union of Students in Ireland Mental Health Week, according to USI Welfare Officer Ciarana Fitzpatrick.

Unions to strike over pay continued from page 1 essential services and to respond to any emergencies that may occur during the course of the strike. Once the details of the proposed action become known Heads and Managers in each area will give due consideration to the number of staff available for duty. This is in order to ensure that appropriate levels of supervision are in place across campus.”

O’Doherty states his main priority is “to adequately protect the health and safety

of students and others on campus”.

The proposed salary reductions will affect those receiving some of the lowest incomes in the public sector, causing one member of the canteen staff to say, “These cutbacks should have come from above. I will definitely be out on the streets on 24 November.” A Trinity Administrative employee describes how she has been feeling the pinch, “It’s hard because sometimes I feel as though I may as well be on the dole- I take home €200 less a week because

of this recession. I’m lucky I don’t have kids!”

Mike Jennings, General Secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, spoke out recently about the proposed pay cuts, describing them as “nothing more than an ill-thought out receipe for social division”. Speaking on behalf of the four Teacher Unions in Ireland, Jennings says, “We are dismayed that, all of a sudden, the Government seems to have come to the belief that cutting the pay of teachers

and other public servants is an easy and readily available option.”

“We want to send a crystal clear message to An Taoiseach and his Ministers that we will not accept the scape-goating of our members to pay for a financial crisis which we did not cause”, says Mr. Jennings, who describes the proposed cuts as “totally unacceptable”. When asked about the Unions’ response to the proposed measures, Jennings warns they “will be resisted”.

Bake sale “because DUCAC won’t give us any money” Kate Palmer Deputy News Editor DU ULTIMATE Frisbee Club (DUUFC) were forced to hold a bake sale the week before last “because DUCAC won’t give us any money”. The fundraiser, held November 5 in the Arts block and Hamilton, raised 530 Euro to subsidise basic expenses such as equipment, travel and entry to major tournaments.

Bystanders commented that DUCAC, the central body responsible for the allocation of funding to sports clubs, appears to be failing students interested in Frisbee as a sport.

“Sport is pretty under funded in general in Trinity and as you may imagine, Ultimate Frisbee is the last in the list of priorities for DUCAC, which hands out the money”, say the DUUFC

Social Committee. In the current system of allocating funds, the 4 Euro sign-up charged by Ultimate Frisbee automatically reverts back to DUCAC which then decides on its allocation.

DUUFC submits a budget estimate at the start of the season, and a proportion of this is paid by the central body with the rest coming out of the club’s own funds.

The DUCAC Honorary Treasurer, Cyril Smyth, comments there is an “element of subjective judgement” when it comes to deciding where funds should be allocated.

According to the Social Committee, DUCAC provides Ultimate Frisbee with enough money to cover entry to tournaments, “if they’re feeling generous”. It is understood the Club are forced to subsidise their expenses by holding fundraisers as a result of

Frisbee’s increasing popularity as a sport and the Club’s resultant expansion.

DUUFC has been growing ever since its formation in 1995, from just a few students to approximately forty active members and twelve committee members. The Club has held the Intervarsity Trophy annually since 2006 for Ultimate Frisbee, which is regulated by the Irish Flying Disc Association.

The sport, which is self-refereed, was invented by American students at Columbia High School in the 1960s.

When it comes to permitting bake sales in College, Trinity have surprisingly strict regulations, allowing only one stall in the Arts Block and Hamilton per day. Even clubs in the direst straits are allowed only to hold one bake sale per term, a money-making scheme many seem to be resorting to.

Speaking on behalf of the Club, DUUFC Treasurer David Perry says “we don’t necessarily consider DUCAC to be failing in the present situation.” When asked why DUCAC provided insufficient funds for DUUFC to purchase essential equipment and tournament fees, Perry comments: “with Ultimate Frisbee’s status in Ireland as a fringe sport, we understand why we get as much as we do”, referring to the “colossal demand” for DUCAC funding among sports clubs.

“We hope that in future, DUCAC will recognise the increasing development of the sport and the huge growth in Trinity, and increase financial support accordingly to make things easier to run”, says Perry. DUUFC are currently making ends meet as a result of their successful bake sale.

HE SAID, SHE SAID...

Compiled by Jean Morley

INFORMATION

Photographs: College News: National News: International News: News Features: Features: Opinion: World Review: Travel: Business: Science: College Sport: TN2 Editor: Film: Music: Fashion: Books: Theatre: Art: Food and Drink:

“Involvement in the capitated bodies is not encouraged or rewarded by the College” Students’ Union Education Officer Ashley Cooke on the recent drop in the number of Class Representatives.

Compiled by Lisa Byrne and Kate Palmer

NUMEROLOGY

Editor: Deputy Editor: Website: Business Manager: Copy Editors:

“They vote in the same incompetant, dishonest feckers” An unnamed College lecturer on the current government.

David Molloy Aoife Crowley Tom Lowe Jennifer Finn John Colthurst Aoife Fleming Bina Dangol Eleanor Friel Tess O’Leary Eoin Silke Yuliya Bespala, Jean Morley Lisa Byrne, Kate Palmer Fearghus Roulston James Coghill, Stuart Winchester Hugh Taylor Charles Baker, Sarah Fulham Claire Brett, Shane Quinn Grace Walsh, Paul McDonnell James Lee, Ralph Marnham Jason Somerville, Lisa Keenan Ronan Lyne Paul Galbraith, Alexandra Michael Armstrong Rebecca Long, Alex Towers Verity Simpson, Karl McDonald Patrice Murphy, Ana Kinsella Niall O’Brien, Cillian Murphy Rachel Parker, Kamie Leptien Theresa Ryan, Aisling Deng Kara Furr, Kiera Healy

All Trinity News staff can be contacted at firstname.lastname@trinitynews.ie.

Trinity News is funded by a grant from DU Publications Committee. This publication claims no special rights or privileges. Serious complaints should be addressed to: The Editor, Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. Appeals may be directed to the Press Council of Ireland.

Trinity News is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme, in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie

SHOULD THE SENIOR DEAN HAVE THE POWER TO REMOVE PUBLICATIONS FROM CIRCULATION IN COLLEGE?

3

1

GRAINNE MURRAY SF MEDICINE

“No, everyone is entitled to an opinion.”

2

VORUN KHANNA SF MEDICINE

“It’s about freedom of speech.

People should be able to say what they want, as long as it is not inflammatory to certain groups.

There may be certain valid reasons... but contrary opinions are important.”

1

4

3

JAMES SS MUSIC

“It’s a bit dodgy. I don’t think he should have absolute power but perhaps they have grounds for concern.”

4

MARGARET BRIDGE SF MUSIC

“No! It’s a bit like Umbridge in

Harry Potter. It’s a short step from Trinity to Azkaban.”

5

5

ANDREW MAARSCHALKERWEERD ERASMUS BESS

“In the academic world, people come up with new ideas by thinking freely, and stopping this may result in people getting new ideas and they would not be willing to express themselves anymore.”

6

AOIFE BEGLUN SCIENCE

JF

“No. Everyone has the right to put their views out there. Just because the Senior Dean does not agree,

2

6 this does not mean a publication should be cancelled. Especially if it’s about Trinity and the way it’s run. It would be one thing if it were a contentious issue, but even then it should be brought before a board and then it should be decided whether or not it should go to press. One person to have this power- it should not be allowed.”

COLLEGE NEWS

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Med day alive and kicking

3

SHORT CUTS AWARDS

PROFESSOR O’NEILL WINS RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR 2009

An eager crowd gether to watch the chairty waxing of Med Day 2009; one participant . Photos: Dominique English Andrea Marrinan Staff Reporter DESPITE THE heavy downpour, as many as 600 Trinity College medical students, joined by broadcaster, George Hook, roamed the streets of the capital on Friday, November 6 to gather funds and raise awareness for two vital health services, the Stroke Unit at St. James’s Hospital and Mental Health Rehabilitation services across Dublin.

In addition, Trinity Med Day has pledged its continued support to the Trinity Access Programme. After the triumph of last year when €60,000 was raised, the Med Day team, dressed in green t-shirts, were hoping to improve on all previous years by reaching their target of €100,000.

Year on year, Med Day has improved outcomes for patients in the Dublin locality by

helping to purchase new up-to-date equipment and increasing awareness of health issues.

George Hook, who has experienced depression, was enthusiastic in assisting the Med Day causes, commenting, “Mental health is an issue that has always been hidden away in Ireland. I want it publicly out there and that’s why I’ve become involved in Trinity Med Day 2009.”

Dr. Joe Harbison, one of Ireland’s principal stroke consultants spoke of the benefits of Med Day support, saying, “Stroke is the most common cause of severe physical disability among adults in Ireland. It will affect one in five of us in our lifetime and on any day of the year we care for about 50 people with stroke in St James’s Hospital. With the funds raised by the Med Day students we will be in a position to purchase valuable equipment to ensure we care for these patients with safety, dignity and comfort.”

The Med Day Team, made up of fourth year medical students, organised an action-packed event this year to ensure worthy causes benefit from the annual students’ day of fun, games and fundraising. Volunteers started their day by donning their white coats and taking to the streets of Dublin to collect contributions.

Also that morning, a free stroke health screening service, which had kindly been supported by Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, took place on campus and was open to members of college staff. The screening service was hugely successful, being completely booked out within one hour of its launch.

In the afternoon, activities took place on campus, including inflatable bungee running, gladiator jousting, sumo wresting and the ‘Super Cup’ soccer tournament in College Park.

At the end of the busy day an organised slave auction and talent show took place before the

participants headed to Dtwo nightclub.

St. James’s Hospital admits between 400 and 450 stroke patients from all over Ireland each year – more than any other hospital in the country. The hospital’s main focus is on supporting stroke patients by developing organised specialist care and, since 2006, has reduced the one-month mortality rate from 18% to 11%, and reduced the average length of stay by seven days.

The hospital wishes to fundraise €250,000 by the end of 2010 to offer a wider range of specialist facilities that will aid further improvements to the stroke service and ensure outcomes are consistent with the top practices throughout the world.

Since the first Trinity Med Day in 2002, students from Trinity College have collected over €400,000, making it one of the most significant fundraising days in the calendar.

Super Drug to fight against Leukaemia Martin McKenna Staff Reporter A GROUP of Trinity researchers have announced details of a novel treatment for leukaemia. The drug, called PBOX15, works by causing leukaemia cells to die. The new research is particularly significant because the drug appears to be effective on cancerous cells that are resistant to fludarabine, the currentlyused treatment.

The research was published in the journal Cancer Research on November 1, and was co-authored by Dr. Tony McElligott, a senior Research Fellow in the laboratory of Professor Mark Lawler in the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin.

PBOX-15 works by disrupting microtubules, which are key components of the internal structure or skeleton of the cancerous cells. This causes the cell to arrest its cycle of growth and subsequently induces apoptosis, or cell death, which is a normal process of healthy cells.Defects in apoptotic mechanisms are believed to be a primary cause of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the type of leukaemia that this drug targets.

The research is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, PBOX-15 was effective on cells with poor prognostic markers, which are molecular indicators of aggressive disease. In the journal article, the authors write that the clinical course of CLL varies in patients, “with some patients displaying stable disease, which often requires no treatment other than ‘watchful waiting,’ whereas other patients have aggressive disease necessitating early intervention.”

Secondly, PBOX-15 was effective

on cells that had developed resistance to fludarabine, the current “frontline”agent in CLL therapy. This is important according to the researchers because “the need for novel treatments is acute in CLL, especially for the subgroup of patients with poor clinical outcome and drug-resistant disease.”

Thirdly, the new drug was shown to be more potent at inducing apoptosis (cell death) than fludarabine in fludarabine-sensitive cells. Researchers administered just one-fiftieth the amount of PBOX-15 compared to fludarabine and saw significantly more potency in PBOX-15 inducing apoptosis than fludarabine, which has a different mode of action to PBOX-15. Fifty five patients from St. James’s Hospital were involved in the study, which represented collaboration between researchers both internationally and within Trinity.

Prof. Giuseppi Campiani (University of Siena, Italy) and Dr. Mark Catherwood (Belfast City Hospital, Northern Ireland) took part in the study, along with Dr. Daniela Zisterer (School of Biochemistry and Immunology), Prof.

Clive Williams (School of Biochemistry and Immunology) and Dr. Elizabeth Vandenberghe (St James’s Hospital).

“This important discovery is the result of a truly collaborative approach, involving researchers across the different disciplines of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular medicine at TCD, together with our colleagues in Siena and Belfast,” said Professor Mark Lawler, School of Medicine, lead investigator on the study. “The complimentary expertise allowed us to approach the problem of killing CLL cells from a number of angles,” he added.

Invited guest Noam Chomsky in conversation with interviewer Robert Fisk. Photo: Keith Grehan

Chomsky awarded Gold Medal Claire Acton Staff Reporter LAST WEEK saw Trinity College’s Historical Society honour Noam Chomsky, whom the New York Times called “the most important intellectual alive.”

He was awarded the Gold Medal for outstanding discourse, the highest honour awarded from the society.

Chomsky, who is a retired Professor of Linguistics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a strong critic of America’s foreign policy, was joined by the renowned award-winning journalist Robert Fisk. Trinity students were treated to an address by Chomsky, followed by an interview with Fisk in the packed Graduate Memorial Building.

Chomsky and Fisk were welcomed with a rapturous applause and standing ovation. Chomsky’s theme for this address was events and non-events, with the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall opening his talk.

He spoke of the non-event he called “the destruction of Christianity” which occurred just six days after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, when six Catholic priests were murdered in El Salvador

by US trained army units and which has never been spoken of or reported on in

the media.

Fisk asked him why statesmen must always have a relationship with God or compare themselves to Churchill or Roosevelt. Chomsky answered that you want to be close to the people who win. Historically, the British and the Americans have always had an obsession with being close to God; he called them “religious fanatics.”

Fisk then moved the focus of the discussion towards the Middle East asking Chomsky if he could unravel the reason for the indecision of the Brown and Obama administration in their initial refusal and then, their support of the recent Afghan elections. Chomsky summed up that everyone favours the notion of democracy promotion. He provided Russia as an example, as they felt the need to protect democracy in Eastern Europe from what they perceived as the fascist US. Chomsky said, “the US supports democracy if it only conforms to strategic and economic objectives.” All administrations want democracy which they can control, he claimed.

Staying with the Middle East, Fisk asked him if he thinks Israel will survive, to which Chomsky claimed there is always a dark side. Chomsky, who lived there in the early 50s, asserted that he

would have emigrated there if he had to, but now he thinks he would prefer Dublin. The social system has collapsed but there is a growing prosperity and high tech economy.

He controversially declared that “the worst enemies of Israel are those [who] would support it,” as they are supporting their own destruction.

Here he drew on past events: in 1971, through an Egyptian proposal, Israel had a choice between expansion or security. They chose expansion, refusing Egypt’s proposal. The rejection, which was backed by then US National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, led directly to the 1973 war, resulting in Kissinger calling for a nuclear alert.

The Israelis and Americans recognised that they could not write off Egypt, and accepted the Egyptian proposal in 1978.

The Americans hailed it as a political success, but it was really a political catastrophe; they had been forced to accept after major war.

Following questions from the floor, Chomsky commenting on the media coverage around Darfur, rather than the Congo because “it’s easier to highlight Darfur because “you can just blame it on the Arabs.” Chomsky and Fisk received another standing ovation and the thanks of a very satisfied audience.

THE COLLEGE’S Professor Luke O’Neill has been awarded the Science Foundation Ireland Researcher of the Year award for 2009.

The announcement was made by Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan, at the twoday SFI Science Summit in Athlone. Commending the College’s Professor of Biochemistry, Minister Lenihan said, “Professor O’Neill has achieved exceptional scientific research outputs in immunology, and has made a profound contribution to Ireland’s research community in the process.” The Minister added, “In addition to his ground breaking laboratory achievements, Professor O’Neill has also been a driving force in the commercialisation of research and an articulate and strong proponent of scientific research in the public domain.

His all-round contribution to science in Ireland makes him a thoroughly deserving recipient of this prestigious honour.”

Lisa Byrne BREAKFAST

ANNUAL BUSINESS BREAKFAST THE 38TH Session of the Foresight Business Group will be hosting their first Business Breakfast this year on Tuesday, December 1 with Colm Barrington of Aer Lingus as keynote speaker.

The Business Breakfast is a platform for students across disciplines to meet successful and influential members of the Irish business community. By choosing who you sit beside, students have the opportunity to network and will also be able to enjoy a full Irish breakfast for only 3 euro.

Tickets will be on sale this week in the Arts Building from 11am – 2pm, Monday 16th to Friday 20th.

Lisa Byrne EXHIBITION

VISUAL ARTS SOC INVITES EXHIBITIONS THE COLLEGE’S Visual Arts Society will be staging an exhibition of student and staff artwork in the Oisin Gallery this December. The Society is calling on all members of the College to submit their artwork, which will be put through a selection process that aims to “demonstrate the best and most varied representation of creativity on campus.”

The exhibition will be open to public viewing on December 9 and 10, with a special preview on the evening of Tuesday, December 8 from 6.30pm. Contributors will have the opportunity to display and sell their art in a professional manner without any related professional fees.

Those interested in taking part in the exhibition should contact the society at visarts@ csc.tcd.ie before Friday, November 20.

Lisa Byrne

4

COLLEGE NEWS

SHORT CUTS COLLEGE FUND

EQUALITY FUND REVIEWS APPLICATIONS Applications made to the Equality Fund are currently under review by the College’s Equality Committee.The Fund focuses on facilitating equal opportunity initiatives as well as celebrating and creating awareness of diversity in College. It aims to generate links and develop support networks across campus, challenging stereotypes and aims to build a positive image for Trinity’s varied academic society.

Each year the Equality Committee suggests a number of topics for applications relating to one of the nine grounds for discrimination prohibited under Irish legislation, including age, gender and race among others. The Fund will be granted to projects, events, workshops and other initiatives that attempt to raise awareness on such themes.

This year themes include enriching the complete College community, mental health and equality, men and women in College and challenging stereotypes.

The distribution of the financial support is made by an advisory sub-committee and funding is usually made annually in one or two instalments. The support accessible for the 2009–2010 Fund is €16,000. These funds are usually spread among several projects, with schemes seldom allocated in excess of €1,500–€2,000.

Andrea Marrinan RECOGNITION

STUDENT WINS HAMILTON PRIZE

A Trinity student is one of nine students nationwide to have received the Hamilton Award. University of California Professor Efim Zelmonovat presented the Award to third year student Christopher Blair at the recent Hamilton celebrations. Professor Zelmonov, who heads one of the world’s leading groups in algebraic research, later delivered the Irish Times/ Royal Irish Academy Hamilton Lecture in Trinity titled, “Noncommutative Algebra: from Hamilton to our Time.”

The Award was established to recognise the best undergraduate students in the country and to celebrate renowned Trinity graduate and Ireland’s greatest mathematician, William Rowan Hamilton (1805 – 1865). Mr. Blair will receive €1000 as part of his prize.

Lisa Byrne COURSES

COLLEGE OFFERS IRISH CULTURE COURSE THE STUDENT Counselling Service is offering exchange and foreign students the opportunity to learn skills to help them to “adapt to the learning and social environment at Trinity and in Dublin.” According to the Service, the free three week course will help students “understand the hidden cultural ‘rules’ that affect your social and academic interactions.” The course will focus on social conversation, seeking help, saying no and expressing disagreement and interacting with academic staff.

The course will take place on November 17, 24 and December 1 from 6–8pm in the Jonathan Swift Theatre.

Interested students should contact the Student Counselling Service at (01) 896 - 1407 to sign up for the course.

Lisa Byrne

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Uptake poor on class rep spots Conor James McKinney Staff Reporter ALMOST ONE third of Students’ Union Class Rep positions are unfilled and four out of twenty four School Convenor positions are lying vacant.

According to the Union’s own figures, there are a nominal 428 Class Rep positions available, spread through Trinity’s undergraduate courses. Each year within a degree programme is entitled to elect at least one representative, with up to four allocated to large courses such as Science or BESS. The Union provides training (in the four-star Carlton Hotel, as reported in our last issue) and asks these reps to

act as a link between students and their Union, and between their class and the College.

Class Reps are expected to attend SU Council, although anecdotal evidence suggests that many do not go to these meetings. They are also encouraged to attend meetings of their School to represent student interests, and have access to their class’s mailing list.

Of these 428 positions, approximately 130, or 30%, are currently unfilled.

There is a wide discrepancy across different faculties and year groups; very few Junior Freshman classes lack a Class Rep, whereas only 52 out of 110 Senior Sophister classes have one. Not one Greek or Latin class is represented.

For Mathematics and Theoretical

Physics, by contrast, there is a Class Rep for every year group.

Jilly Fleming, the Class Rep for SS Mathematics, is one of those who takes their role seriously, attending SU Council and faculty meetings regularly.

She says that those classes without a rep sometimes have somebody who takes it upon themselves to carry out most of a rep’s functions “without being officially elected.” As a rep for her JS class in 2008/09 as well, she finds that “a lot comes up at the start of the year with timetable issues and stuff like that,” but in general the job is not overly taxing.

Caroline Crowley was a rep for JS Law in the last academic year, but did not run again this year; SS Law is now

one of those classes without a rep. She says that “there’s not a lot required of you as a Class Rep, but to be honest I wouldn’t bother doing it again.”

She thinks that while reps have an important role to play for JF classes to encourage class bonding, in Sophister years “people are getting lazier.” She cites poor take-up on a class trip to Edinburgh she helped organise as a key reason for her disappointment with the Class Rep experience. “I didn’t consider the job very rewarding.”

According to SU Education Officer Ashley Cooke, “being a Class Rep is a very rewarding experience.” He claims that the number of reps this year is a new record for the Union, pointing out that “to suggest interest is low is to

ignore the huge numbers of students [around 500] that ran.”

He echoes the comments of Ms. Fleming as regards “unofficial” reps, saying that some Schools organise reps purely to attend School meetings.

Some SS classes are not represented for logistical reasons: “If you take JS and SS CMM you will find that there are only 2 students in each year.” Noting that an increase in academic workload is a key factor in a lack of SS representation, he also feels frustrated that “involvement in the capitated bodies is not encouraged or rewarded by the College.

“Nevertheless, final year can see a lot of challenges for students and it is important that every class is represented.”

Schols deadline extended as larger numbers apply Rachel Murphy Staff Reporter DESPITE THE elimination of exemptions from the annual Scholarship exams, the number of students who have registered has surpassed previous years.

The college has received 792 applications, of which 740 were received by the original deadline. Last year the College received 482 applications.

It was common belief that the removal of exemptions had dissuaded many students from applying. However

the College has responded, saying, “this year the examination will take place considerably earlier than was previously the case and therefore the deadline for applications to sit the examination was also correspondingly much earlier than in the past. Given the significant changes in dates, and the fact that a number of potential applicants had missed the deadline, the deadline was extended by a number of days.” They continued, “this was a one-off recognition of this year’s particular circumstances and will not be repeated in future years.”

There was disappointment among

students when it was announced that the exemptions were to be removed from the scholarship benefits. While the other benefits still remain, including rooms on campus and attending commons for free, the prospect of being exempt from summer exams were probably the most tempting invite to participate for many students who would not have considered this challenge otherwise.

The exam is a tradition as old as Trinity itself and is highly valued by both the College community and prospective employers as an example of students’ hard work and determination.

Junior Freshman Tamara Conyngham dressed as Dubie the Pig, DUBES’s mascot. Photo: Tom Lowe

DUBES study Smythe presents week well spent Discworld to College Lisa Byrne News Editor SIR TERRY Pratchett accompanied his literary agent, and College honorand, Colin Smythe, on a visit to the College last week to help present Smythes’ donation of the complete backcatalogue of the author’s works.

The catalogue, presented in all 33 of the languages they have been published in, was presented to the College Library and the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies. According to the College, the gift is intended to underpin research in contemporary fiction and translational studies.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Smythe commented, “It’s always nice to come back to my alma mater, even after

46 years,” adding, “and when two honorary doctors from Trinity have an opportunity to explore the Long Room in the Old Library and add to its prestigious collection, its doubly so.”

Commenting on Mr. Smythe’s donation, the Provost, Dr John Hegarty said that “Colin’s generous gift of this wonderful collection will inspire future generations of scholars for many years to come.” He added, “Trinity has links across the world in all walks of life. Our links to another world, the Discworld, were expanded last December through the addition of Sir Terry to our university’s alumni.

I’m always delighted to see the success of our graduates internationally, across all generations.”

Mr. Smythe graduated from the College in 1963 and went on to start his

own publishing company specialising in Irish literature three years later.

Mr. Smythe has published books by or about authors including W.B.Yeats, Lady Gregory and J.M.Synge, among others. He has published work on subjects such as the Irish epic myths, the fairy faith and Irish folklore.

He is also agent for the literary estates of a number of Irish authors, including George Moore, Lady Gregory and Oliver St John Gogarty.

Following their first meeting in 1968, Mr. Smythe went on to publish the Discworld author’s book, The Carpet People, in 1971, which he followed on with four other books. Mr. Smythe became Sir Terry’s agent in 1987 and now represents his client in his merchandising and all productions of his work.

Tom Lowe Web Editor THE DUBLIN University Business and Economics Society returned from their Study Week trip to Galway on Sunday. The annual trip habitually results in extreme japes, and this year was no exception: eight people were ejected from the hostel for smoking in their room. They later managed to regain entry; the degree to which the hostel management were aware of this development was not clear at the time of going to print.

In keeping with tradition, the students on the trip went out on the tiles in fancy dress on Saturday night; Galwegians were treated to a parade of strange sights including three blind

mice, King Arthur, and Dubie the Pig, the society’s mascot.

In the interests of preserving these hazy memories forever, DUBES teamed up with Nokia to organise a photography competition. Students are encouraged to upload their photos from the trip to Nokia’s new “Ovi” platform, which provides unlimited storage space for photos. All students who enter receive five free tracks from the Nokia Music Store, and the overall winner will receive a free Trinity Ball ticket.

There was but one casualty of the weekend’s shenanigans, unfortunate second year Lisa Morris, who fell over in high heels and broke her ankle.Having exhausted all the partying options in Ireland, DUBES will go international this spring with a trip to Berlin.

Mental health website launched to help students beat the winter blues Eamonn Bell Staff Reporter A NEW Irish website for the promotion of mental well being was launched last week at the Science Gallery in College.

Reachout.com is a free web-based service, catering for the mental health needs of young people aged 18-25 as they deal with the stresses and pressures of early adulthood.

The service is run by the charitable foundation Inspire Ireland, whose main goal is to “help young people lead happier lives.” Young adults can log in for free and anonymously and access a plethora of valuable information. In the midst of a recession and heading into the season of winter, this service could not have arrived too soon for the young people of Ireland.

Speaking about the launch of the Irish branch of Reachout.com, the CEO of Inspire Ireland, Jonathan Nicholas said, “the recession is a massive challenge for young people and is contributing to their anxieties.” Students’ Union Welfare Officer Cormac Cashman, in agreement, said, “I think the current financial crisis we’re in – with people’s parents being laid off, financial problems at home – it’s obviously going to bring more cases forward.”

Websites such as Reachout.com provide the antidote to recessionary blues, but also to the regular stresses and strains of starting a new life away from the comforts of a second-level education. According to Cashman, “It’s a great new resource for people facing mental health issues.” The website provides an easily accessible database

of short, simple fact sheets which offer advice to young people on how to deal with reams of mental welfare issues.

Problems with school and college, with stress and anger and also questions of sexual health are dealt with concisely and accurately.

This launch follows the recent news that the number of Trinity students availing of certain College mental health services has doubled in the last year. A report released by Unilink, the in-house service for occupational therapy for students with mental health difficulties, reveals that the service dealt with 107 students during the 2008/9 year, compared with 50 students in the previous period. Unilink provides for the development of key skills, such as those of time-management and communication that enable students

to succeed in the completion of their course in College. The services offered

by Unilink are available through a number of channels, including the College Disability Service and the Student Counselling Service.

In addition, last week saw Mental Health Awareness Week on campus, a coordinated effort by the Students’ Union to raise awareness of the importance of mental well-being, and also the wide variety of mental health care services available to students on campus. Through a series of events, including the appearance of comedian Jason Byrne, an army of campaigners across College worked to promote the services of the Welfare Office. From Cashman’s point of view the week was a resounding success: “Mental Health Awareness was last week and we

advertised the service like crazy. We had thousands of flyers, we had almost 130 people out campaigning and that definitely was picked up here in the Welfare Office. Because of that, there’s been a lot more students in here.”

Cashman also spoke of the pressing need for students to speak out about any problems they may have. “The main thing now is that we’ve got more people coming forward, if they don’t come forward you can’t know the problem.”

As winter approaches, the number of clients of the Welfare services is expected to rise, but with informational and advisory services in place such as Reachout.com and those of the Welfare Officer, there exists a solid infrastructure to help students to resolve their problems in a confidential and non-judgmental way.

5

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Trinity’s finest alumni return Siobhan Margolis Staff Reporter THE ANNUAL Trinity Alumni Awards ceremony, which took place on 6 November, was established to recognise and celebrate the monumental achievements of some of College’s most successful graduates. The calibre of this year’s esteemed Alumni is most impressive. Their illustrious list of accomplishments in a wide variety of fields is representative of the extremely diverse talents that are cultivated and encouraged in the Trinity community.

It would be a huge understatement to describe elite athlete Mark Pollock as anything short of inspirational.

Despite losing his sight during his final year of undergraduate studies in Trinity, he has gone on to achieve a level of monumental success in the world of sports that most of us can only dream of. A highly sought after motivational speaker, Mark speaks candidly about the difficulties he faced as an athlete and as a blind man, without a hint of self-pity or defeatism. This year, becoming the first blind man to reach the South Pole can be added to the list of remarkable triumphs that have characterised Mark’s life so far.

From extreme sports, we move to the arguably equally challenging and exhilarating world of academia where our second Alumni Award recipient, Dr. Louise Richardson has made her mark in the field of international relations. Recently appointed Principal of the University of St. Andrews, Louise has left Harvard University where she lectured for over a decade and was honoured with several awards recognising her dynamic style of teaching.

Specialising in research on international terrorism,

Louise is an excellent example of Trinity’s tendency to turn out academics of the highest quality. She remains involved in College life through her position on the Long Room Hub Advisory Board.

Peter Fallon, eminent poet and founder of the Gallery Press, is a past Trinity student who remains very closely linked with his alma mater, returning in 1994 as a Writer Fellow in the Department of English. During his time as an undergraduate, Peter was already exhibiting signs of the creativity and ingenuity that would characterise his life’s work in the publishing industry. An important literary figure in his own right, Fallon’s poetry has been praised by Seamus Heaney for its “singular combination of gravity, obliquity and tenderness.�

Perhaps the most recognisable face out of this year’s Alumni Award winners is chart-topping musician, Chris de Burgh who received his Master of Arts degree from College in 1990. The Irish press have been less than kind to Chris over the years, ridiculing him for, among other things, his claims to have supernatural healing powers. However, say what you want about the man, he is an international pop star who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and whose large fan base, particularly in South America and Continental Europe have remained utterly dedicated to him over the years.

Despite his dizzying heights of superstardom, Chris de Burgh remains connected with Trinity through his enthusiastic involvement in the Science Gallery.

Both collectively and individually, this year’s recipients of the Alumni Award represent an achievement of excellence that we all aspire towards and they serve as an optimistic reminder of the infinite opportunities facing Trinity graduates.

Weekly guide to entertainment

Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr Angel GurrĂ­a at the official launch of the OECD Environmental Performance Review of Ireland. Photo: Yuliya Bespala

College conserves to tune of â‚Ź260k Anna Sheane Staff Contributor

EFFICIENCY TIPS

THE BUILDINGS Office is celebrating energy savings of â‚Ź259,000 last year, while at the same time calling on all members of the college community to remain energy aware. Over 4.5 million kWh were saved, and carbon emissions reduced by 1100 tonnes through a combination of reduced energy consumption and by the purchase of ‘green’ electricity from Airtricity, a renewable wind energy supplier.

Following the success of last year’s energy reduction programme, College has reiterated the importance of energy efficiency with the aim of continued energy savings. Although some of the building and heating equipment in College buildings are controlled centrally, it must be recognised that a large control of energy using equipment lies within the control of building users.

Students are encouraged to follow the guidelines set out on the right.

Simple measures such as these can greatly contribute to energy savings. These measures – reduce, reuse, recycle – with the aim of energy reduction will be further discussed at College Green Week, which runs from 1–6 February 2010.

•

•

•

•

•

•

Close the window in your area before you leave at night. This will help ensure the building is warm the next morning.

Switch off lights in areas where it is safe to do so, particularly offices, classrooms, IT rooms, and plant rooms.

If you have a radiator with a thermostatic valve at its side, don’t turn it up fully because this prevents it controlling room temperature correctly. Turn it down to midpoint.

Use a blank screensaver, tune the powersave settings on your PC and monitor to enter standby after 15 minutes and switch off in the evening.

Avoid using electric heaters: these cost almost three times as much to run and result in twice the greenhouse gas emissions as central heating. They are also prone to being left on overnight and weekends.

Equipment in the office/workshop/laboratory should be turned off whenever possible.

First Contemporary Living graduands to commence Lisa Byrne News Editor OF THE many graduating ceremonies that have and will take place in the College this autumn, one will hold special significance for the graduands and staff alike.

The graduating ceremony of the College's pioneering course for people with intellectual disabilities is due to take place in the Public Theatre at 6.30pm on Tuesday, November 17. Twenty four graduands will be awarded

with Certificates in Contemporary Living at the formal ceremony in the College.

The two year course is the only full-time course of its kind in Ireland and is recognised internationally as being unique.

The course hopes to promote lifelong learning for people with intellectual disabilities, with students taking modules in English and Spoken Communication, Mathematics and Financial Management, Social Studies, International Awareness and Music, among other areas.

Every Friday with

Special student rate 80c

6

NATIONAL NEWS

SHORT CUTS WIT

WATERFORD STUDENT PRESENTS MTV AWARD 21 YEAR old Waterford IT design student, Gilian Deegan, presented the Best Newcomer Award to Lady Gaga at the MTV European Music Awards in Berlin last week.

She was amongst a group of 100 competitors challenged to walk 300 kilometres in 10 days, between Berlin and Hamburg, in order to win tickets to the show. Not only did she win tickets, but her fellow walkers voted for her to get the opportunity to present the Best Newcomer Award.

The competition was organized

by Sony Ericsson, the main sponsors of the show.

Gilian described her nerves before the event, saying, “Everyone keeps mentioning it to me, but I’m like, ‘Ah yeah, yeah, whatever! I’m just going to see a concert or something!’

“I don’t think I’m realising I’m actually going to be a part of itso I’ll have a bit of a freak out later on tonight!”

Gilian had the opportunity to mingle backstage with stars like Beyonce, Leona Lewis, Shakira and the Foo Fighters before stepping on stage at the O2 Arena in Berlin to present the award. She said, “It’s truly a dream come true. It was exciting enough just to be one of the seven Irish people chosen to come to Germany to do the Fanwalk but this is just incredible.”

Fearghus Roulston

DIT

DIT CAMPUS PLANS REMAIN UNCERTAIN PLANS TO locate Dublin Institute of Technology on a single campus at Grangegorman in Dublin’s north inner city appear increasingly likely to be shelved. Recent reports from the government suggest that the proposed €1.5 billion scheme may be scrapped altogether. Minister for Education Batt O’Keefe said he could not “make any guarantee that the project will or will not go ahead.”

DIT is currently located on a number of campuses throughout the city including Rathmines, Cathal Brugha Street, Bolton Street, Kevin Street and Aungier Street.

Plans to locate the IT on one campus had originally proposed by former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. To date it is believed that €14 million of taxpayers’ money has been spent on developing the plans through the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA).

The entire board of the GDA effectively retired last month, when their terms of office expired, and no new board was appointed. The GDA had been waiting for over ten months for permission to proceed to implement their draft plan and the Minister has not brought forward any plans for the government’s approval, in spite of promises to do so.

Plans forwarded to the government by economist Colm McCarthy in his An Bord Snip Nua report suggested the withdrawal of the GDA’s current €1.5 million annual funding. Mr McCarthy also suggested the amalgamation of DIT with Tallaght Institute of Technology and Blanchardstown Institute of Technology.

Seamus Donnelly

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Irish-American attacked because One in three students suffer of foreign accent with mental health issues Fearghus Roulston National News Editor

SEAN BOURKE, an Irish-American student from Ballyfermot College, claims he was savagely assaulted by a gang of youths because of his American accent.

The 21 year old student lives in County Kildare, and is studying for a national diploma in business. He was attacked in Nenagh, County Tipperary, after attending his grandfather’s Month’s Mind Mass.

Mr. Bourke, originally from New Jersey, suffered a broken nose, a swollen ear and cuts and bruises across his body after attempting to protect his younger brother from a gang of assailants.

He said the brothers were singled out because of their accents. “We were walking back to see my grandfather’s house, since he passed away. We were near the library – I was with my 16 year old brother – when eight youths, aged between 15 and 17, heard me talking and ran across the street at us. They were screaming, ‘You foreign bastard!’”

Mr. Bourke’s father is from Nenagh and his mother from Dublin. He has lived in Ireland for the last eleven years but retains “a pretty distinctive American accent.”

“They headbutted my brother on the nose and I tried to stop him getting hit.

That’s when they really got stuck into me.”

The business student described his harrowing three-hour wait for treatment at Limerick Regional Hospital. Officers in Nenagh are following a definite line of enquiry, and it is understood those responsible for the altercation have been identified. Mr. Bourke called for those involved to be punished to the full extent of the law.

“There has to be reform to laws here, the system isn’t good enough. The next time they do this, they could kill a person. The laws have to be changed.

“There is still blood coming from my left ear and I have two large bruises just above my kidneys. My parents are very upset by this. People like this have to be punished and punished hard, whether they are over 18 or not.”

John Donnelly Staff Writer MENTAL HEALTH issues came to the fore last week as the Union of Students in Ireland launched Mental Health Week by distributing free mental health information packs to students at third level colleges in the State. The initiative coincided with a report by UCD’s Geary Institute for the Irish Universities Association and the Higher Education Authority. This report indicated that the mental health of one in three university students is showing cause for concern, and warned that money worries may be part of the problem. The survey was conducted in 2008. It involved 3500 students, and found that one in three students run out of money on a regular basis.

Commenting on these statistics, USI President Peter Mannion said that with one third of university students struggling for cash, there is “no doubt

this is having a devastating effect on their mental health.” The packs distributed in third level colleges last week were created specifically for students, with information provided via a colourful presentation of postcards, stickers and bookmarks. With support from bodies such as the National Office of Suicide Prevention and the Department of Health, the packs contained information on suicide, depression, self-harm and the detrimental effects of alcohol abuse.

USI Welfare Officer Ciaran Fitzpatrick launched the campaign.

“At least one in four of us will suffer some form of mental health difficulty during our lifetime. Because of this it is vitally important that we learn to look after our own mental health and that of those around us. We want to reduce the stigma around mental health and let people know that it is good to talk about what is going on in our lives.” The mantra of the campaign was thus: “Talk it out, let it out, sort it out.”

Furthermore, Meteor and Rehab have united with the USI to provide a text service called HeadsUp offering students information on support services in their colleges. This will complement services already in existence such as Niteline, college-specific counselling services and SU Welfare Officers.

Meanwhile, Unilink, a special service here in Trinity which supports students experiencing mental health issues, just released its five-year report, revealing that the service helped 107 students in 2008-2009, compared with 50 students in the previous year. This large increase cannot be definitively linked to a rise in mental health issues, because factors such as increased awareness of the service and more willingness to discuss mental health issues may have played a part.

Nevertheless, it seems that there are many students dealing with mental health issues across Ireland, ensuring an important role for the USI’s campaign.

Women aspire Scientists recover tissue to boyish figure from ancient fossil Fearghus Roulston National News Editor A STUDY presented at a psychology conference in Wexford last week suggested young women today aim for a “more androgynous” and “tubular” body shape. The study was carried out

by Veronica Byrne of University College Cork, as part of her undergraduate thesis.

The thesis compared its results to those of a similar exercise focusing on young Americans in 1954. It found modern women wanted to be lighter than their 1950s counterparts, with the ideal body shape moving from the hourglass to the tube.

160 male and female students took part in the recent survey. Whilst women from both studies wanted to slim down, the ideal weight of modern women was considerably less.

In 1954, the average woman aimed to lose just 3lbs, in comparison to today’s women who wished to drop nearly 10lbs. 1950s women wished for hips measuring just over 35 inches, while modern women wanted hips of less than 31 inches.

Ms. Byrne said that “the increase in ideal waist size and decrease in ideal hip size reflects a change in the ideal female figure from the hourglass figure coveted in the 1950s to today’s leaner, more androgynous ideal, with little differentiation between the waist and hips.”

The study also showed that women’s conception of male preferences was skewed. On a scale of one to seven, with one representing the smallest figure and seven the largest, women were asked what number they thought men would prefer. They selected an average

of 3.7, whereas men selected an ideal figure of 4.38, almost identical to the average body shape amongst the female participants.

Though women aim to slim down, men rate curvy figures, such as Kim Kardashian’s, as most attractive

Mairead Casey Staff Writer SCIENTISTS HAVE succeeded in recovering organically preserved muscle tissue from an eighteen million year old fossilised salamander.

This new discovery, detailed in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, was the work of University College Dublin geologist Dr. Maria McNamara. Dr. McNamara compiled the report with the help of Dr. Patrick Orr, of UCD’s School of Geological Sciences, and their collaborating researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Spain.

Their work shows that soft tissue can be preserved under a broader group of conditions than previously understood.

This also raises the possibility of finding soft tissue on any fossilised bones, even dinosaurs.

The project analysed the preservation of several hundred fossil samples recovered from three ancient fossilised lake beds in, Southern Spain.

A fossil normally preserves only a portion of the deceased organism, usually that portion that was partially mineralised during life, such as the bones and teeth of vertebrates, or the chitinous exoskeletons of invertebrates or shell. Preservation of soft tissue is quite rare in the fossil record. Quiet water lake beds increase the likelihood of finding a fully-articulated skeleton and what is known as exceptional preservation. Lake sediments are ideal for maintaining dead organisms.

Over time, ten thousand years at least, sediment turns to rock, creating a fossil, the only physical evidence of the history of life and evolution on earth. Fossil sites with this exceptional preservation are known as “Lagerstätten.”

Soft tissue can be preserved under a broader group of conditions than previously understood.

This also raises the possibility of finding soft tissue on any fossilised bones, even dinosaurs.

Dr Patrick Orr explained that “because [the organism] decays so quickly it is either not preserved at all or is preserved with very good biological detail.” Previous specimens of fossilised soft tissues have been limited to samples extracted from amber or inside bone, circumstances which are rare in nature. This latest find, however, simply occurred within the body of the salamander, tucked in behind the spine.

The researchers claim that this discovery is evidence that high fidelity organic preservation of extremely decay-prone soft tissues is more common in fossils than was previously thought.

The discovery was made with the use of scanning electron microscopes and transmission electron microscopy.

This equipment renders 3-dimensional images of incomprehensibly small objects, with a resolution of 1-20 nm.

For an idea of scale, a virus is between 10-300 nm, which cannot be seen with most microscopes.

The UCD geologist Dr. Maria McNamara stated that “after first

Brian O’Driscoll honoured with UCD Foundation Day medal Fearghus Roulston National News Editor RUGBY HERO Brian O’Driscoll has been made the 2009 recipent of the UCD Foundation Day Medal for outstanding alumni. The Ireland captain graduated from the college in 1998 with a degree in Sports Management.

O’Driscoll captained the most successful Irish rugby team for a generation, leading his side to the Triple Crown, the Six Nations Championship and finally the Grand Slam in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on the 21st of March. This was the first time Ireland had won a Grand Slam in 61 years.

The successful Irish team included four other UCD players: graduate Paddy

Wallace and students Rob Kearney, Gordon D’Arcy and Jamie Heaslip.

Speaking at the presentation of the medal on 6th November 2009, An Taoiseach Brian Cowen said, “Throughout its evolution, UCD has been actively engaged in shaping the development of our society and economy and has played an unparalleled role in the creation of the modern, dynamic, vibrant society that is 21st Century Ireland. The University has also made a significant contribution to sports.

“Sporting achievement is a source of national pride and a source of inspiration. Brian O’Driscoll embodies this through his courage, commitment, creativity and determination on the field.

“He displays precisely the characteristics we want our young people to display whatever their field of endeavour and has stood out as one of the finest ambassadors not only for the game of rugby but for Irish sportsmanship generally.”

Recieving the medal, Brian O’Driscoll thanked the college and expressed his delight at the recognition.“I am greatly honoured to receive this prestigious award from my alma mater, UCD and to join such a distinguished group of previous recipients. It is fantastic to be back on campus without the burden of study, enjoying this evening, meeting people from all walks of life and catching up with old friends.”

TIMELINE BRIAN O’DRISCOLL made his debut for Ireland at the age of 20, during the 1999 summer tour of Australia.

He went on to win 93 caps for Ireland, with 53 of these coming as captain.

He has scored 36 tries during this time, making him the highest try scorer of all time in Irish rugby.

He is the highest scoring centre in Rugby Union history, and the joint-thirteenth highest scorer in the competition’s history.

sighting the material, we completed a series of highly detailed analyses to limit the possibility that it was simply an artefact of preservation or something unrelated to biology of the animal.”

There was little question of what was being observed as modern salamanders have the same types of tissues. This idea of close similarities between modern organisms and their fossilised ancestors, and to a larger extent the discoveries of “living fossils”, is often pounced upon and misunderstood by creationists as somehow undermining the theory of evolution. In actuality the physical and geological evidence within the fossil testifies the opposite.

In this important case, scientists were able to produce 3-dimensional images of the ancient salamander’s muscle tissues as well as the sheath covering these cells and small circulatory vessels complete with one stage blood. The blood cells themselves do not survive but the vessels are coated with a residue that may be their remains.

Dr McNamara explained more about their achievement. “We noticed that there had been very little degradation since it was fossilised about eighteen million years ago, making it the highest quality soft tissue preservation ever documented in the fossil record.”

Examples of soft tissue are expected to remain extraordinarily rare. However by using the same sampling methods and high-resolution imaging that led to this finding, palaeontologists and geologists will now commence investigating existing fossils in national museums and archived collections across the world for similar types of exceptional soft tissue preservation, to enlighten our perspective of original biodiversity and the age of the dinosaurs.

November 17, 2009

Family awaits verdict as Knox murder trial ends » Murder trial over student Meredit Kercher nearing verdict » Suspect’s DNA found on murder weapon Christopher McCann Staff Writer THE TRIAL of Amanda Knox, the American national accused of murdering student Meredith Kercher is nearing an end. On December 4 the jury is due to begin deliberations. However, the strength and veracity of the DNA evidence on which the prosecution’s case relies has been called into question by the defence.

Meredith Kercher was found dead on November 2 2007 in Perugia, Italy. Her partially-clothed body was discovered wrapped in a duvet on the floor of her student house. Kercher had been strangled and her throat had been cut. Above where she lay, a bloody handprint had been smeared on the wall.

Within weeks, the Italian police had declared the case closed. A search for the murder weapon had uncovered two knives and they claimed to have a confession from a suspect.

Those accused of involvement were American Amanda Knox, Italian national and Knox’s former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and Ivorian Rudy Guede whom the media have labelled a “drifter” known in the area. Guede, who protests his innocence, was sentenced to 30 years for murder and attempted sexual assault after opting for a fast track trial.

The case has been a media sensation in Italy and throughout the world. Alleged facts suggest that Kercher died after refusing to partake in a sex game. The salacious and sordid nature of these allegations have led the media to nickname Knox “Foxy Knoxy.” Her sexual history has been scrutinised and even the clothes she wears in court are game for discussion. Support groups such as Friends of Amanda

contest that the media’s involvement has contributed to a presupposition of guilt on Knox’s part.

More seriously, Knox’s family and supporters believe that an unscrupulous prosecutor, contentious evidence and a botched investigation have marred the case. Prosecuting on behalf of Perugia is Giuliano Mignini. Knox’s supporters have accused Mignini of being “mentally unstable.” They believe his courtroom behaviour to be “overzealous,” citing previous charges of prosecutorial misconduct as evidence of their claims.

The purported murder weapon is a 6-inch kitchen knife which was found in Sollectio’s apartment. Knox’s DNA has been found on the handle and Kercher’s on the blade.

The prosecution see this as indelible evidence of Knox’s involvement. However, experts who testified on behalf of Knox have described such conclusions as “Fellini forensics.”

The defence have highlighted that Knox’s DNA could have been transferred on a previous occasion, as her and Sollecito sometimes ate together at his apartment. Furthermore, Dr. Carlo Torre, a leading forensics expert in Italy, testified that the knife wouldn’t have made the wounds on Kercher’s body.

It has now been over two years since Meredith Kercher’s death but her family feel they have no closure. A statement from the Kercher family lawyer read: “The two years since Meredith’s death have passed very quickly. But we still miss her more than ever.” The family feel that in concluding the case Kercher will be remembered “for the person that all of us knew and not as a victim or as a news item.”

The trial is delicately poised, with both the prosecution and defence believing that the answer is in the evidence.

FRANCE

“JE SUIS ERASMUS”

Meredith Kercher, found dead two years ago.

Iraqi PM orders long overdue crackdown on student gangs Stuart Winchester Deputy International News Editor IN THE midst of a conflict obscured by grand foreign policy and deep-seated religious fundamentalism, a new source of violence has developed in Iraq: student gangs. The action of one of the most vicious and public of these gangs, the Students League, has lead to the temporary closure of the Mustansiriya School by order of Prime Minister al-Maliki.

The Mustansiriya School, located in Baghdad, is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in 1233, and remains one of Iraq’s most prestigious institutions of higher education.

However, its extensive history binds it deeply to Islam, a fact that has made it susceptible to dangerous movements of radical fundamentalism. Even while other neighbourhoods and institutions of Baghdad – and Iraq as a whole – start the slow process of extricating themselves from years of sectarian violence, the Mustansiriya School remains under the control of an intimidating armed militia.

Though the Students League is composed of a diverse mix of faculties and occupations – students of all disciplines, professors and security guards are all allegedly involved – every member has one thing in common: they are Shi’ites.

Unsurprisingly, the armed militia uses the majority of its influence to intimidate Sunni and Kurdish students; however, professors and students who have spoken out against the Students League also accuse them of controlling most other

elements of the school, from grading to campus security.

The violence committed by the Students League was forcibly thrust into the public spotlight on October 13th of this year, after being largely ignored by both the Iraqi government and the world at large. The catalyst was the decision of education professor Abdullah al-Bayati to visit Prime Minister al-Maliki’s office after a very personal attack.

Professor al-Bayati, who has been very critical of the Students League, was beaten and pistol-whipped by members of the League, after one instance in which he had been particularly critical of their methods. Instead of seeking treatment for the deep gashes in his head and on his face, he chose to visit Prime Minister al-Maliki, with his open wounds still bleeding. On October 14, the next day, the school was closed for one week, by order of the Prime Minister.

Though the Students League’s abuses were brought into the spotlight by virtue of Professor al-Bayati’s actions, they have never been particularly subtle. Since 2005, three professors have been murdered, all of whom were publicly critical of the group. In addition, there have been countless reports of robbery, extortion and rape from the students of the university, as well as charges of public contract bid-rigging, in lieu of outright bribery, all of which have apparently fallen on deaf ears in the Iraqi Government until late last month.

Abed Thiab al-Ajili, the Minister of Higher Education under al-Maliki, has publicly implied that there is a very concrete, if corrupt reason for the continuous nature of the violence at Mustansiriya. In interviews Minister al-Ajili alluded to ties

between officials in Dawa, the Prime Minister’s political party, and the Students League, thus accounting for the ignorance that the government has claimed until this past month.

The stories of violence at Mustansiriya seem endless. One of the first women to be appointed an assistant school dean, Professor Sana al-Tamini, who is Professor al-Bayati’s wife, claims that on the day of her appointment to the position she was threatened and told to quit, which she did three weeks later. However before she left she, like her husband, became very outspoken about the violent grip that the Students League had on the University. As a result, a number of League members tried to break into her office, threatening to kill her. She was only saved when a party of male professors intervened and jammed her door shut with a refrigerator.

It seems Some change may be on the way, though: the Baghdad Operations Command, a military corps commanded by the Prime Minister has commenced independent campus security patrols and the Prime Minister has banished all student groups and political activity on campus.

It remains to be seen if these measures will be effective or instead force the Students League underground and perhaps to even more violent tactics. The Prime Minister himself was once a student at Mustansiriya and experienced the loss of life that occurred there during the most recent Iraqi national conflicts, with a total of 335 casualties. The fight that he faces now is to remove a much more elusive enemy which is, as one anonymous professor stated, the ever present “atmosphere of terror at the university.”

Students mark 20 years since the fall Monika Urbanski Staff Writer

People crossing into West Berlin after the Wall’s fall

TO CELEBRATE the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall a Festival of Freedom was organised at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin last Monday, November 9. The former German Foreign Minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, and the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Kofi Annan, Muhammad Yunus and Mikhail Gorbachev were among the guests. Part of the celebrations are also the exhibition “Peaceful Revolution,” which tells the story of the fall of the Berlin Wall and its main participants.

Beginning with just a few people, opposition activities in East Germany quickly became a widespread movement.

Dissatisfaction became evident and demands for freedom of travel and free elections were raised, particularly amongst young people and students. According to Mauerfall09.de, the official Festival website, “the exhibition illustrates how groups and networks increasingly succeeded in reaching the public, raising awareness of subjects such as human rights, militarisation, environmental destruction, education policy and urban decay.” Student movements like the Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth) were very much involved in the protests and demonstrations that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Even today students in Germany are aware of the strong impact the changes in those turbulent years had on East Germany and human rights.

To emphasise the strong symbolism of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was toppled in Berlin all over again. Over 1000 eightfoot tall styrofoam domino tiles were stacked along a 1.2 mile section of the former border between Potsdamer Platz and the iconic Brandenburg Gate and toppled during celebrations.

7

Campus Watch

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TRINITY NEWS

Students and young artists from Berlin and around the world decorated the dominoes, with motifs relating to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Festival of Freedom was not only set up to commemorate the course of events in 1989, but also to remember the effects it had and still has on the rest of Europe.

Back in 1989 students were demonstrating for a German reunification, shouting, “Our home is called Europe.” But although the fall of the Berlin Wall led to the freedom of millions of people, more than two billion people still live under oppressive regimes today. Therefore, artists and students from other parts of the world where closed borders and divisions have been part of everyday life decorated about twenty of the toppled dominoes. The General Secretary of the Goethe Institute, Hans Georg Kopp argues, “The ‘Travelling Wall’ points symbolically to the global realities of isolation and divisions.”

All over the world student organisations were remembering the historic moment celebrated on November 9. More than 100 campuses in the US participated in Freedom Week, an initiative started by the Young America’s Foundation (YAF).

According to their website, “Freedom Week encourages young Americans to support those who seek to lead their people towards freedom and out of oppression. From Burma to Cuba, North Korea to Sudan, citizens of many countries still suffer under repressive governments.” The German Goethe Institute has been at the forefront organising talks and lectures on the fall of the Berlin Wall all over the world.

Even here in Dublin, the German Department of the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies at Dublin City University presented a film series about the “Berlin Wall 19611989.” Finally, to those who are interested, the exhibition in Berlin will be open for visitors until October 2010.

MOVING OUT of home for the first time is always a daunting experience, half terrifying and half exhilarating. But when it involves moving country, to a place where you only just speak the language and are expected to converse with gas and electricity companies and no mother to bail you out, the terrifying side seems to take precedence.

So began my year of Erasmus in Bordeaux.

I won't go into the details of apartment hunting in France – the memory is still too painful and I wouldn't want to scare you. I will suggest for future students: bring a good pair of walking shoes and some sleeping pills!

Arriving in Bordeaux airport late one Wednesday afternoon, my friend, struggling with her two bags, and I, with my lopsided equilibrium of one big case, dragged ourselves out into the warm air to get the airport bus. Having taken the bus to Place Gambetta, and almost dying in the luggage hold, what next ensued was an epic march through Bordeaux, the arms nearly falling off us as we attempted to walk to our apartment. We reached it eventually and after making sure the gas and electricity worked (thankfully yes), we definitely deserved a cold beer.

After our first night in Bordeaux, we dragged ourselves into the less then appealing university for a ‘petit déjeuner’ welcome party. A lot of sheets of paper were then handed out, and long speeches given on classes that clearly no one really understood. We found ourselves surrounded by Germans and English people, all who seemed to have nice little Erasmus guides from their home universities – what luxury! The fellow Irish were easy to spot: the only pale faces in the room in the midst of a sea of tan. Next we went off to the bank where we would spend a lot of time in the next week.

Opening the accounts was shockingly simple – sign here, here and here and take this huge pile of paper. Definitely the easiest thing so far, as long as you don't try and understand the contracts.

Bordeaux’s famous opera house After nice Mr. Ruell escorted us out of the bank (we were infringing on precious lunchtime), we treated ourselves to pillows, tea towels and some unbelievably cheap shopping.

Our first experience of Bordeaux nightlife was in the form of an 'archi' party for architecture first years, easily wilder then anything I have seen in Dublin. We got to experience some very interesting 80s pop as well as the French idea of dancing, which is so very different from the Irish – lots of salsa, hip movements and extreme bodily contact – then on the way home at 4.30 a bucket of water was thrown on our heads. Bienvenue!

We spent our first weekend getting to know the city and culture. Bordeaux is an incredibly beautiful place. Thanks to a rejuvenation project, the quays by the river have been completely refurbished, most notably with a giant water feature, le miroir d'eau, where all the local children play. The good weather stretched until the end of October, which gave us the opportunity to explore the wine chateaux that surround the city.

The next few weeks involved many more entertaining experiences: long conversations with the gas company, complicated emails with Trinity over learning agreements and the accidental ordering of a salmon pizza – who puts fish on pizza? We have begun to adjust to the two-hour lectures and occasional 8.30 starts, which as Arts students came as a great shock to the system.

Thankfully, having now perfected our napping skills, the time seems to go much faster. In the classes, an announcement of, “je suis erasmus” is usually sufficient to get you out of anything you don't feel up to doing, and the professors just give us an essay and send us on our way. Happy days!

With all the complicated forms aside, Erasmus year just keeps getting better. With something on every night of the week and no reason to get up in the morning, the only downsides are having to do the washing and the occasional bout of selfinflicted food poisoning.

With only a four-day college week, we spend the weekend recharging from all the hard work, and restocking the cupboards from the Holy Grail that is Carrefour.

Contrary to their international reputation, the French people are very nice and helpful, only occasionally laughing at our accents! So having fought tooth and nail to get here, I think I can conclude that Erasmus is definitely worth it!

Caitriona Murphy

8

NEWS FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

The Virgin Knocks at Joe’s door The shrine in Knock has been swamped by thousands after two ‘seers’ claimed visitations from the Virgin Mary. John O’Rourke is bemused by a potent mix of prophets and visions.

John O’Rourke Staff Writer WOULD-BE CLAIRVOYANT Joe Coleman is a man facing many battles.

Beleaguered with sceptical criticism from both sides of the ever-widening divide he seems to be attempting to bridge, he has found himself recently in the very centre of the maelstrom that is the debate about the place of faith and belief in modern Irish society. His visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the messages of peace and love that the great Lady has discreetly communicated to him have managed to incur the asexpected derision from media sources as well as very vocal attempts at distancing from high-ranking Catholic prelates. Nevertheless he still managed to drive the hordes of faithful to Co. Mayo’s Marian shrine in Knock at the end of October and will doubtlessly do so again for Our Lady’s next scheduled appearance there, December 5.

His enigmatic ideology and his vertiginous rise to prominence has left many scratching their heads about how to deal with this modern-day prophet from Ballyfermot, with commentators trying to figure out exactly how representative of our country this person is, who appears to approximate a character from Father Ted more than anything actually from real life. A recent profile of the seer in The Irish Times’ Weekend supplement was notable for its

almost desperate attempts not to lapse into a grotesque caricature as it sparsely narrated the salient idiosyncrasies and web of contradictions that make up Coleman’s life.

Though most often rooted in his hometown of Ballyfermot, Coleman has been offering his services up and down the country over the past number of years as a spiritual reader/healer, typically requesting a €60 donation for an hour-long session, although that is a detail he has been heartily denying since the recent press attention. He supplements his dogmatic revelations with spiritual guidance not only from Catholic teachings, but also with wisdom garnered from Buddhism as well as Native American religions, and his readings are embellished with such new-age accoutrements as joss sticks and tarot cards.

This zeal for helping others stems from his first alleged encounter with Our Lady, during a near-death experience on the operating table in 1986, which also led to the disability allowance he has claimed from the government as his sole method of sustenance ever since. From that point onwards, it’s Mary herself who has been Coleman’s most frequent apparent inter-communicator, though there was an encounter with Christ himself in Egypt four years ago, as well as several brushes with the Archangel Michael too, who often appears clad in blue denim jeans. In his more recently

claimed visions in the Knock shrine itself, the statue of Our Lady has come alive in front of Coleman’s eyes, before morphing into Padre Pio, and then turning back again into Mary.

With a resumé like that, it would be difficult for most people to approach t h i s topic without e v e n the tiniest hint of a metaphorical pinch of salt. However it still didn’t manage to deter any one of the circa 10000 people who crowded around the Knock basilica on October 31, a congregation – if depictions in the media are to be believed – consisting mostly of terrifically fervent believers and terrifically bored travellers, with bemused locals and sanguinely smug journalists making up the rest of the numbers.

Tongue-in-cheek would be the best way of describing the media coverage of this strange sequence of events, starting with the first pre-reported apparition on October 11 to a crowd of 2000, developing on recently to the much bigger happenings at the end of October and more than likely set to escalate even

Illustration: Sinead Mercier

further when the appearances resume at the beginning of December. It must be stated of course that it is only Coleman and his sidekick Keith Henderson who have so far had the capacity to “see” the Virgin Mary. Miriam Lord, in a particularly vibrant depiction of the carnival atmosphere surrounding the gatherings, allegorises the movement with her typically blasé summary: “It’s all change in Ireland. A few years ago, the country was busy lauding and worshipping ‘visionaries’ like Seán FitzPatrick of Anglo Irish Bank. Now we have Joe and Keith.”

Conclusions like the above do of course try to subtly shift the focus away

from the real question about where to locate all this within the continuum of faith and belief in modern-day Ireland.

Despite how much we may try to ignore these goings-on, a significant amount of people will gather yet again in a few weeks time to try and feel a sense of fulfilment and fellowship, plugging in the gaps in their lives with these half-remembered components of an intermittent faith. If this movement manages to help the masses achieve some sense of happiness, why should we then deride it?

The issue is of course an invariably thorny one and the position of the clergy on this doesn’t manage to make matters any less obscure, obviously because of the wildly tangential relationship most of this has with true Catholic doctrine.

Those familiar with the exact teachings

of the church will tell you that personal revelation is just that, and that any attempt to capitalise in any way on this will automatically cast a grave shadow of d o u b t on such affairs.

Coleman responded to a recent discrediting from the Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary, with a quote from the Gospel of St. Luke, reminding us of Christ’s prophecy that the Son of Man “must first suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation,” (17.25) likening Coleman’s own situation to that of Jesus in a badly thought out comparison. He would do well to think long and hard about the words that come just beforehand, advocating against false interpretations of fraudulent signs and wonders. Or perhaps that page in his Bible is pasted over by his words and quotations from his mishmash of other spiritual sources, his pick’n’mix approach to religion that is achieving real currency in modern day Ireland.

Degree grades out: report cards in Recent ruminations by university academics suggest replacing the final degree grade with a broader ‘report card’. Good idea or simply barmy?

VICE-CHANCELLORS HAVE begun a move away from the venerable degree classifications system toward a ‘report card’ model with strong resemblance to the American high-school grading system. For over two hundred years, Trinity College has subscribed to a grading method that some now deem out of date and inappropriate.

For these past centuries students have expected all of their brow-sweat and elbow grease to be boiled down into one number, one classification. Overwhelmingly, students graduate universities in the UK and Ireland with a 2:1 or a First. Last summer, doubt over this system of classification peaked when Buckingham University Professor Geoffrey Alderman suggested that lecturers are now under huge pressure to inflate grades.

Vice-chancellor of King’s College London, Professor Rick Trainor, goes on to argue that while “patterns of degree classification have not changed that much,” there appears to be “significant differences among universities in

the extent to which we give firsts and 2:1s.”

No doubt, there are fundamental differences between the higher education system that produced the degree classifications and the system through which students attain their degrees today.

Higher education has become more diversified and more available, with millions of students pursuing university degrees. So the problem then exists: with all of these students passing through university, how might their achievements best be quantified?

If most students graduate with a 2:1 or a First, it stands to reason that varying shades of personal and perhaps non-academic achievement are not being represented in a single classification.

Fir s

Johnathan Creasy Staff Writer

The solution being proffered is one very similar to the way in which American high school students are evaluated. In lieu of a single numerical valuation, students would receive what are being called ‘achievement reports.’

The reports would include an academic grade, lists of extra-curricular activities (societies, sports, etc.) along with an explanation of any extenuating circumstances relevant to the individual student.

As with anything, there exist economic motivations behind the switch. (Who ever said anything about learning for learning’s sake!) As Carl Gilleard of the Association of Graduate Recruiters puts it, “in an economic climate where there are increased

ss honors a l ? tc

N.S

applications for graduate jobs, anything that gives employers a fuller picture of a graduate applicant has to be welcomed. The issue of reclassification is complex, but we agree that the current system – used in isolation – has outgrown its usefulness.” He argues that the achievement reports would “help employers to form a more comprehensive judgment of a graduate’s overall performance, while providing vital information about broader skills and achievements.”

Of course, Mr. Gilleard has a compelling point. At a time in which so many students are being assessed as comparable using an outdated system, how are employers to search out the stars from the lemons? A grading system that would allow a more nuanced and person evaluation of a student’s academic career seems to be a necessary step to take.

Another issue has arisen from the debate.

Are degree classifications from every university comparable? The answer: of course not. But any assessment of academic achievement inevitably falls into the realm of subjectivity. As hard as university departments may try, there will always be problems in attempting to mark with total objectivity, especially in the arts. What this

means for employers is hard to say. But is one largely subjective marking system really that much better than another?

The answers from academicians run the gamut, with most falling into the camp urging at least some kind of reform. Indeed, our university graduates deserve the chance to be adequately represented to employers. However, the move to (well let’s just say it) an Americanised system may not be the answer to the problems inherent in grade classification. The move signals yet another shift away from tradition. While higher education must lean toward the liberal end of the spectrum rather than the conservative, must we always buck history and tradition in favor of unproven ‘progressive’ formulas?

In fact, the difficulties with changing the status quo are pretty apparent. A more nuanced grading assessment does not necessarily encourage broader learning, nor will it necessarily provide a truer sense of a student’s achievements. As is common in the United States, students may well begin to gear their entire academic careers towards filling in an impressive report card rather than doing what they are meant to at university... Learning, right?

THE BACKGROUND WITH KASIA MYCHAJLOWYCZ & KATJA CRONNOLLY

WOMEN MISS OUT IN THE DÁIL WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION in Irish politics is going from bad to worse. That’s what Senator Ivana Bacik’s recent report for the Oireachtas Committee on Justice revealed. The report found that not only did Ireland rank 84th in the world for female representation in the single or lower House of Parliament in October of this year (better than Afghanistan, but still worse than the rest of the Western World), but that, in 1990 (when Mary Robinson was elected) Ireland ranked 37th. A lack of financial resources was highlighted as a major obstacle to women running as candidates, despite the representational downturn coinciding with the rise of the Celtic Tiger.

Ms. Bacik suggests quotas be implemented to try and turn around this 47-place plummet, forcing each party to back a minimum percentage of female candidates at each election. Not all the women of

government are in agreement; Fianna Fáil TD Mary O’Rourke has called quotas “discrimination of another kind”, failing to acknowledge that this ‘other’ kind is in fact the opposite kind, which aims to right the tilted playing field that has perpetuated such a paucity of women in the political sphere.

Though quota legislation will not single-handedly redress the imbalance between the genders which goes far beyond the realm of politics, it has been shown to help.

With the majority of the electorate, the majority of university graduates, and the majority of the highestranking university graduates all women, there seems little doubt that there are qualified women in Ireland who could serve this country at least as well as old Bertie and his cronies have. It’s time for a new approach to politics in Ireland: competence over cash.

GLOBAL CLIMATE DEAL STALLS AS SUCCESSOR to the 1997 Kyoto protocol, the much awaited UN climate change conference in Copenhagen next month is intended to produce a legally binding treaty to combat the increasingly grave threat of global warming. After the recent series of complex negotiations in Barcelona, however, it has been revealed that the ideal outcome of a legally binding treaty is highly unlikely.

The main obstacle lies in the discrepancy between the world’s developed and developing nations and the seemingly inextricable link between tackling poverty and climate change. Developing nations need G-20 funding to enable their vital contributory cuts in greenhouse emissions, as well as an exemplary commitment from the US and the EU to ensure that changes will take place. Despite Hillary Clinton’s appreciated recognition that the US is no longer

“absent without leave” when it comes to saving our planet, the Senate is failing to pass the bill that is required to secure their vital involvement in a treaty, crushing hope that they will be ready to commit by December.

As the world’s largest carbon emitter, China is also under the spotlight of blame, yet their justification for environmentally unfriendly mass production is that Western countries are their principal customers.

This illustrates the intricacy of the vicious circle that is hindering progress and is likely to impede an official solution.

Copenhagen is now expected to produce a nonbinding political agreement without the legal component that was initially hoped for, but this can be regarded as a crucial milestone towards a binding treaty next year.

FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Looking good to do good

9

Many of the models had never performed before and had pre-show worries, (left) but performed excellently on the night (above). Photos: Daniel Wu

Sarah Fulham-McQuillan takes you behind the scenes of her recent fashion show in aid of the charity Medical Overseas Voluntary Electives, or M.O.V.E.

T

HE SCENE was set. Ready to raise money for charity were the worried faces of the organisers, the concentrated frowns of the make up artists, the unsure expressions of excitement and self-consciousness splayed across the model’s visages, the rails and bags overflowing with clothes and shoes all combined in a heady fog of hairspray and perfume. The runway poised, the lights positioned, the DJ hovering, the band sound checking and the comedian waiting confidently in the wings. The audience sipping cocktails whilst being enveloped in a cloud of suspense. And there it began. The inaugural fashion show for the Trinity charity M.O.V.E was in full swing, and swing it did.

The pendulum representing the many moods within the room stopped at its peak, as the opening chords of Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z boomed from the speakers. No longer were the worries of hosting and make up and model orders at the forefront of my mind, I actually

began to enjoy myself. Student models from many walks of academic life strutted down the runway in time to the beat of the tunes. Individualistic clothes from designers such as Aisling Farinella from Circus were showcased to their full potential on the long-limbed guys and girls. Vero Moda, Tommy Hilfiger and Quiksilver all displayed their latest offerings under the auspicious lights of Spy’s high ceilinged decorative chamber.

The models breathed a sigh of relief as they pouted their way thorugh their last pose. We who were organising, relaxed our tense muscles as the final act made their way onto the stage. We had arrived at our goal. Money was raised, fun was had, laughs were heard, fashion was shown and dancing ensued.

The idea to run a fashion show in aid of charity may seem like an unusual fundraiser. One may think that the idea of fashion and findraising are at polar opposites, one being selfish, the other selfless. However they became entwined in such an inseparable manner on the evening of November 5 that it would be

... the rails and bags overflowing with clothes and shoes all combined in a heady fog of hairspray and perfume. ludicrous to suggest such a thing. The selflessness of all involved was a tribute to today’s young society. The comedian, Abie Philbin-Bowman, the DJ, David Collins, and the band, Killer Chloe all performed on the evening without charge, contributing greatly to the spirit of the event. All of the M.O.V.E committee and other helpers carried out trojan work in the run up and on the night. The stunning girls pointed their sharp stilettos, and the handsome boys flexed their muscles without hesitation, to support the cause. Anyone who believes that students are the spongers in today’s world, may be forced to think

again.

M.O.V.E is a registered charity that has been in operation for more than 30 years. It is run by Trinity Junior Sophistor Medical students. They have ambitious aims: last year they raised €77,000, and this year the aim is to reach €200,000. The work they do is admirable; every year the money raised is brought to under-privileged, understaffed and under-financed hospitals in the developing world. The money is used to buy equipment, supplies or medications for these hospitals, and in the summer after Senior Sophister year, the Med students involved travel to the countries involved to study medicine further, and help to care for patients.

Having experienced first hand the dedication that is pouring forth from the students involved in this charity, one can only feel humbled.

Today’s economic climate was evident in the majority of company’s responses to being asked to support such a show. There were emails upon emails apologizing profusely that whilst

the company wished the event every success, they had prior commitments, or had exhausted their marketing budget for the year. Although students have the bad reputation of being takers and not givers, it is true to say that in this case, it was some major reputable companies that would better fit that category. We students know what it is like to be cash strapped as much as, if not more so, than the current population. One of the collections being showcased was that of Hayworth Vintage, an online store. The reaction to this segment proved the old adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, or woman’s in this case.

However, it was necessary to appeal to those who may usually be fashion fiends, if not quite philanthropists. We put on a show to entertain, keep the crowd’s eyes enticed whilst collecting the cash – surely more rewarding than dropping coins from pocket to bucket?

One can see from the success of the fashion show, that it is most important to look good to do good, and not to do good to look good.

Science lights up the chalice Ever since Galileo, the world of science has been in conflict with politics. The British government’s sacking of leading scientific advisor Prof. David Nutt for providing statements contrary to official policy on recreational drug use is the latest controversial example. Tom Bird looks at the reasons behind the action.

W

HEN THE British Home Secretary asked the chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, Professor Nutt, to clear his desk, there was a predictable reaction. The hippies lamented the inevitable passing of a man who dared to speak the truth, and the red tops celebrated their victory against a madman out to corrupt our kids.

One side told us, with pie charts and representative samples, that ecstasy was statistically no more dangerous than horse riding. The other side told us, with a snarl and a tear in the eye, that horse riding wasn’t much of a problem on the local estate and never made a friend rob the local corner shop. Here was a classic match between science and story-telling, analysis and anecdote. The same person who is not afraid to call a Nutt a nut will most likely ask on the comments section beneath an online article, “If climate change is true, Mr. Gore, why is there frost on my car?”

Because it wasn’t really about drugs.

It was about a way of looking at the world. There were dissenting voices within each camp –scientists who did consider ecstasy more harmful than equestrianism, and users who thought “nothing bad ever happened to me and

If science is to play a valuable role in society, it is important that it can tell us things we might not want to hear: that the world is getting warmer, that cannabis is less harmful than tobacco, or that the world wasn’t created 4000 years ago.

I’ve tried every drug except heroin” – but broadly speaking the debate was about how decisions should be made and how much weight, if any, should be given to unscientific opinions.

To mask the fundamental clash, the Home Secretary drew a distinction between advice and policy, and declared that Professor Nutt had overstepped the line.

Advice and policy in this context are misleading terms. The classification of

drugs is expressly based upon a relative scale of harm, assessed scientifically.

The UK government has appointed an Advisory Council to carry out the scientific assessment. It follows that the policy is wholly determined by the advice. In other words, when the Professor gives advice, he is by definition giving policy advice.

In fact the word ‘policy’ was used by the Home Secretary to hide a cacophony of additional voices. It was a convenient euphemism to allow the non-scientists – the bored housewife, the man with a van, the passerby – to have their say. It was a way that the government could ostensibly found their agenda on science but then let stupidity, or non-science, in through the back door in the hope that no one would notice.

So the debate is not an opportunity to rehearse the arguments for and against the legalisation of drugs. It is an opportunity to discuss the role that science should play in governance and in society.

The chairman of the Science Museum, Lord Waldegrave, worries about the marginalisation of science, fearing that it is becoming shunned by an intelligentsia who prefer poetry to particle theory. He suggests that an explanation lies in the intense

cooperation necessary in much of science and medicine: these are group activities which require ‘long and often extremely challenging training, at the end of which people share a powerful common culture and language that excludes others’. On completion, ‘you are part of a priesthood’. Meanwhile, for those who do not speak the language, science is only accessible through newspapers and popular books. It is taken on trust.

If science is to play a valuable role in society, it is important that it can tell us things we might not want to hear: that the world is getting warmer, that cannabis is less harmful than tobacco, or that the world wasn’t created 4000 years ago.

But it is also important that science maintains its integrity and independence.

That is why the dismissal of Professor Nutt is so concerning. Not because it deals a blow to those who take a liberal stance on drugs, but because it undermines

the very possibility of sound scientific advice.

When the Home Secretary took issue with the content of advice, he set a dangerous precedent. His only concern should have been the standard of advice and whether it conformed to the highest scientific standards.

Otherwise science is reduced to a source of authority in the hands of the speech writer. It is does not drive policy, as independent science should, but follows it, blindly, to provide justification.

Politicians look to science, on this model, not to inform opinion but to reinforce it with the inevitable result that trust in science is lost.

The British government declares its commitment to independent scientific advice, but then rejects that advice if it does not accord with the ‘right’ answer.

It cannot make up its mind. The risks of skunk aside, the Home Secretary seems to be suffering from a form of schizophrenia.

10

FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Everyone’s Going To Get A First New alertness drugs like Modafinil offers students new opportunities, according to Charlie Baker, who believes concerns are all in the mind

F

ROM ABOUT 1811 to 1817, a group of skilled English labourers, mostly textile workers, formed secret bands under the leadership of “General Ludd”, or “King Ludd” as he was sometimes known. The Luddites were neither quixotic dissidents nor champions of a the simpler, natural life.

Instead, members would systematically smash any kinds of machinery which they saw as a threat to their craft and trade. Their struggle had nothing to do with romantic ideals, but everything to do with self-interest. The Luddites opposed progress because it threatened their way of life. A skill that was once the preserve of the guild was now available to the masses. Today, mindenhancing drugs are the equivalent of those mechanised looms.

Drugs like Modafinil deliver a level of concentration that is usually conferred exclusively and capriciously on that person who is in the library all day, everyday, and of course gets a first at the end of the year. This level of alertness is a gift. And Cephalon, the pharmaceutical company behind the pills, wants to share that gift with the world.

Perhaps though it is a gift that you don’t want to accept. Or maybe you’ve found something that already does the trick: “Sorry Cephalon, I’m with Costa Coffee”. Or, maybe you are that person who is in the library all day, everyday.

That person who, in fact, come to think

of it (and fortunately thinking comes easily to you), quite likes the advantage that exclusivity entails.

While the case against Modafinil is often expressed in medical language, “there must be long-term side effects; we just can’t take the risk”, this can often be used to disguise the true obstacle - a prejudice against progress.

At the heart of the debate is a fierce classroom war. Those who profess to accept nurture over nature, those who celebrate an educational system that underpins a meritocracy, are unwilling, on the whole, to bless a drug that might yet level the playing field further. But liberals should not be Luddites.

Many concerns about these drugs are all in the mind. In November 2002, Cambridge University was proud to announce its part in the breakthrough: “Cambridge researchers have identified a stimulant, Modafinil, that improves mental ability without tiredness side effects.” Since then, clinical trials have established the safety of the drug. It is now prescribed for a wide range of conditions such as narcolepsy and shift work sleep disorder. Negative side effects are rare. And while Modafinil is currently available only on prescription in the UK, it is legal to purchase from foreign companies and is not listed in the Misuse of Drugs Act. As Barbara Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at Cambridge, states, “This is one of the first drugs where it

doesn’t seem to have abuse potential.

It seems to be a good enhancing agent with minimal side-effects.”

Given that Modafinil is a safe drug (and no more dangerous than the addictive, psychoactive stimulant, caffeine) it seems only fair that people should be able to use it. A ban might be justified if the drug had detrimental effects, but the real gripe opponents have with the drug is precisely that it works. It might raise your alertness, but by God they hope it stifles your creativity; it might keep you working right up until midnight, but they’re praying you’re going to have to pay for it the next day.

Modafinil will not make Einsteins of us all. But it might allow some to fulfil a potential, which may usually be frustrated by a short attention span or poor short term memory. Whether to deprive students of the ability to take the drug will be a decision that will ultimately, be taken by people who did not need Modafinil to get to the top.

Yet when the question is raised, as it inevitably will be, as to whether society should sanction the use of “smart drugs”, it is important that the neoLuddites are shown up for what they are.

If society is to progress, and if equality of opportunity is not to be reduced, then a judgment must be made based on the evidence alone. Otherwise, the blind will be leading the dumb, even if the latter aren’t really paying attention.

How to earn funny money Comedian Abie Philbin Bowman met Sarah Fulham-McQuillan, and explained to her how comedy can be a fruitful career

A

bie Philbin Bowman – the writer and performer of one of the most successful Irish one-man shows of the decade. He describes stand-up comedy as a way of being your own boss, expressing your creativity and travelling the world, and most importantly, making people laugh.

He believes that the skills involved are of such an asset that he has even designed an intensive weekend course aimed at helping students develop their comedy skills. The course, run at the Irish Writers Centre, promises to cover everything from performing in comedy clubs to devising, marketing and touring your own one-person show.

“Realistically, budding comedians aren’t going to become rich and famous within a couple of years,” according to Abie.

“But the hours are pretty attractive, the skills are highly transferable and there’s no prospect of your job being outsourced to Eastern Europe or Asia.”

Abie has himself been touring successfully for a number of years.

He wrote his debut show “Jesus: The Guantanamo Years” while studying History and English at Trinity – it debuted in Players. Within two years it had taken the Edinburgh Fringe by storm, sold out across Ireland, and toured London’s West End, the USA and Pakistan. “I think I’m the only Western stand-up stupid enough to do a religious, political comedy in a Muslim country during a State of Emergency.”

“Jesus: The Guantanamo Years” later became a top 10 hit on iTunes, was featured in The New York Times, Le Monde and Time, and was boycotted by Ian Paisley’s DUP. Abie is still amused by irony of Ulster Protestants attacking him “for dressing up in orange and talking about Jesus.”

Given this experience, it’s not surprising that Abie believes writing a one-person show is the best way for comedians, and actors, to take control of their career. “It puts you in charge.

Instead of relying on casting directors and comedy club owners to give you work, you can contact venues and festivals yourself with something to offer. Plus, the costs of touring solo are much lower, so economically it is far

Like acting, modelling, music and football, comedy suffers from the usual problem of glamorous professions.

All the money is at the top, while most of the people are at the bottom. more sustainable.” It’s not all good news, however, as he admits: “the after-show cast parties are pretty disappointing.”

Comedy – like acting, modelling, music and football – suffers from the usual problem of glamorous professions.

All the money is at the top, while most of the people are at the bottom. But even for those who don’t make it as professional comedians, Abie believes that the skills acquired through standup have much wider applications in the business world – from job interviews to industry presentations. “I met a successful comedy writer recently, who got fed up and transferred into banking.

Within five years, using the same skill set, he had become a senior manager – he’s 10 years younger than most of the guys at his level. The confidence, presentation and charisma you pick up in comedy are valuable commodities in the jobs market.”

The Edinburgh Fringe – where over 2,000 shows compete every year in the world’s biggest arts festival – is perhaps the ultimate crash course in

marketing. “What they don’t tell you about Edinburgh is that this incredible festival is financed by ambitious young actors and comedians hoping to hit the big time, and losing three or four grand apiece to play in empty rooms.”

Abie, he believes, has been one of the lucky ones. Between his two shows, “Jesus: The Guantanamo Years” and “Eco-Friendly Jihad” he has succeeded in selling out, and turning a profit, at Edinburgh for three years running. He teaches a separate course on how to crack Edinburgh, for more established actors and comedians, at the Irish Writers Centre.

Abie hopes to instil in all his students an understanding of the financial and marketing realities of comedy in general and Edinburgh in particular. “I’m wary about making any promises concerning money, but to anyone who is determined to perform at Edinburgh, I can safely say that this course will pay for itself a couple of times over. Although that might only mean that you’ll lose a grand less than you otherwise would have.”

Of course, the ultimate question is, can you really teach someone to be funny? “No, but you can certainly teach them to be funnier. For example, you can teach someone how to present themselves on stage, how to win over an audience and how to structure a joke for maximum impact. And you can certainly teach people how to devise and market a one-person show. As much as possible, I want to avoid theories and lectures, and build the class around individual student’s performance style. The truth is, in our own way, we’re all funny.”

“Stand-up Comedy with Abie Philbin Bowman” - An intensive weekend for experienced comedians and writers – takes place on December 5/6th, from 10.30 – 4.30, in The Irish Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square Dublin 1. Full details at www.AbieLaughs.com

Twenty years on, Berlin remains divided

Ciarán McCollum goes to party in Berlin at the anniversary of the fall of the Wall, but finds that behind the euphoria, the divide is still apparent

“A

C E L E B R AT I O N W I T H O U T BORDERS!” was the euphoric headline of Das Bild last week, Germany’s slightly lesser version of The Daily Sport. Finally, the so-called “memorial-marathon” had come to an end - a heavily orchestrated campaign of constant celebration that could match Obama’s election run for sickening fervour. Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin wall, and after twenty-eight years of division preceding that, it was time to party. Again. And yet, there seemed to be an awful lot amiss in unified Berlin on Monday night, quite apart from the fact that parts of it were quite forcibly divided. Predicted to be, and promoted by low-cost airlines, as the party of the decade thus far, the lack of Germans enjoying their recent freedom, unusually invisible even in this denationalised city, created an empty atmosphere.

The itinerary was full and more hyped than Lars Trier’s Antichrist. The main concert began with classical music pieces taken from both former sides of Germany before many dignitaries including Koffi Anan. Representing the world of contemporary music a twee Jon Bon Jovi stormed the stage, as well as Nobel Peace Prize winners

from across the world. Politicians from over thirty countries gathered in the old Friedrichs Stadt, rallying to the call of freedom: Sarkozy, who made a point of jogging on stage, Gordon Brown read more script from The West Wing, making one of his last major international public appearances, and Russia’s Medvedew. The latter’s slice of the limelight was smashed hammerand-sickle, repudiated by renewed “Gorbimania”, as Mikhail “Gore-tex”

suddenly resumed the regular Mondaynight lethargy. We were in the capital city of reckless carousal on a day that should represent the triumph of fair and open and free society. Where was the party? And where were all the Germans?

In view of the near global destruction of free-marketing and the unending threats of war and terrorism, perhaps it’s that 1989 and the incredible days of the Wendezeit seem a long time

Anything bearing the blotch of nationalism will be seen as distasteful in a country not comfortable with being a country, or the idea of general unity.

Gorbachev returned to Berlin with Lech Walesa, in an 80’s reunion to beat the newly romantically revived Spandau Ballet.

This veneer of mass merriment quickly faded, however, when irony of all farcical ironies the authorities were forced to close the Brandenburg gate on the twentieth anniversary of its reopening. In an example of untended hilarity we found ourselves separated from friends by volunteers in reflector jackets. And as the shockingly nonTeutonic crowd dispersed, the city

ago to most Germans and the reticent Berliners. Jakob Burckhards once stated that leading a revolution is like “going over the Niagra falls”, one is flashing forward and can never see what’s below before plunging into the disorientating clouds of foam.

Germans are increasingly aggravated with the cost of unity, currently taxed and dubbed the “Wiedervereinigungskrise”.

Despite the media success of born Ossi’s such as Angela Merkel and Michael Ballack, former East Germany maintains a reputation as impoverished,

inefficient, and a drag on Western resources. Berlin’s position in the former East does little to dispel these feelings due to its former special division. There are feelings of nostalgia for the East, or Ostalgi, taking form in the mild worship of the Ampelmaennchen traffic light men or pining for that time when jobs were more secure than a Stasi prison.

This conflicts with the stereotyped gurning “Jammerossis” and the socialist “Trabifahrer”, a poor unfashionable proletarian with bad hair and comically rubbish taste in everything, named after the famously puddle-coloured East German automobile - the only one available in the strictly controlled former state.

Of course, anything that bears the blotch of nationalism will be regarded as distasteful in a country not comfortable with being a country, or the idea of general unity. Young Germans particularly will brashly declare their lack of national pride, if it is not already fully eschewed for a growing European identity.

The powerful student Anti-Fascist movement discourages Germanic nationalism. “I am not proud to be German” stickers adorn the furniture of my flat share here. These are aged issues, some more ancient than the German Republic. As the revolutionary

Juergern Habermas admitted, the fall of the wall “threw no new light on our old problems”. In 1999 a poll by current affairs magazine Stern stated that 20% of West and 14% of East Berliners would have been happy if the wall had remained standing.

I chose instead to attend a separate event to the “Freedom Fest”, with friends who had travelled, like all of us easily pleased Irish, looking for an excuse to drink. “The Mauer Mob”, a brave attempt to imitate the wall with a 33,000 strong and boisterous flash mob. Partakers were asked to take fifteen minutes while linked across roads and rivers, to dwell on the power of separation and also to remember Kristallnacht, largely forgotten among the fireworks. The sombre tone of the city contrasted with the baying of car horns, as we stood by the beautiful Sauelen Bruecke crossing between Western Kreuzberg and my new home of Eastern Friedrichshain, resolutely blocking traffic.

Bottles of Sekt burst open at the final ecstatic moment and the murals of the East Side Gallery, a preserved and painted section of the wall, were washed umber with burning torches.

I had a drunken

conversation later on that night as we stumbled from one empty pub to the next, something to do with “freedom” as a meaningless term. The word freedom no longer inspires hope or pride or good will. This was not profound commentary, but it is interesting that this particular anniversarial celebration, a festival of freedom, should engender such thought. As Chancellor Merkel said in her speech, German unity is not complete. It is obvious that there is much work to be done in Berlin, I did not realise how much.

WORLD REVIEW

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

11

Genocide on trial: Karadzic’s last stand Justice continues to elude the grieving families of victims as the trial of Radovan Karadzic, who stands accused of masterminding genocide and war crimes, is postponed further until March 2010.

Debra Wigglesworth Contributing Writer ON 5 November 2009, Mr. Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader, was given a further four months to prepare his defence on genocide charges when his trial was adjourned until March 2010. Mr. Karadzic is accused of leading the slaughter of thousands of Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) and Croats and he faces two counts of genocide, nine of war crimes and crimes against humanity and other atrocities in the Bosnian war of the 1990s. Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague in the Netherlands will appoint a lawyer who will use that time to prepare to stand in for Mr. Karadzic if he continues to boycott proceedings. Mr. Karadzic, 64, who was arrested in Belgrade 15 months ago after nearly 13 years on the run, boycotted the first three days of his trial claiming he needed more time to prepare. The Trial Chamber, presided over by Judge O-Gon Kwon, issued a written decision stating that Mr. Karadzic would retain the right to represent himself if he turned up

KARADZIC’S CASE IN BRIEF » 1992: War breaks out between Bosnia-Herzegovina as Bosnia declares its independence. » 1995: The Srebrenica massacre sees the murder of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys under the direction of Karadzic who subsequently flees into hiding. » 2008: Karadzic is arrested in Belgrade posing as a doctor of alternative medicine » November 2009: Karadzic is given four further months to prepare his case as the trial is re-scheduled until March 2010.

on March 1 and the trial resumed.

Otherwise, his defence team will be dismissed and the court-appointed lawyer will take over.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 people were killed and two million people, more than half the population, were forced to flee their homes as a result of the war in Bosnia-

Collections of bones are bagged up and stacked on shelves like books in a library

Herzegovina from April 1992 to November 1995. During this time a 44 month siege of Sarajevo took place in which some 12,000 civilians died from the shelling attacks. The war ended with the signing of the Dayton peace accords. Since then numerous atrocities have been documented, including the systematic rape of 20,000 Bosniak women and girls which has become known as the parallel “slow-genocide” of the war for the crippling effect it has had on the lives of so many Bosniak women. Bosnian-Serb detention centres were discovered in Prijedor, Omarska, Dretelj and other locations where Bosniak and Bosnian-Croat men were starved, tortured and many murdered.

The most horrific atrocity of the war took place in July 1995 when BosnianSerb forces took over the town of Srebrenica. Srebrenica was categorised as a Muslim enclave in Serb-held territory. It was declared a United Nation’s “safe area” in April 1993 and was under the protection of a Dutch infantry force. Bosnian Serb forces

entered the area on 11 July 1995.

At the time, Mr. Karadzic spoke of the responsible nature of his army and that no harm would come to civilians or the UN personnel, General Ratko Mladic also endeavoured to allay fears pictured giving out sweets to the Bosniak people and asking for calm co-operation.

Without the requested close air support from the UN, Colonel Karremans was powerless to prevent the takeover. On 12 July 1995, buses arrived to take women and children to Muslim territory, while the Serbs began separating out all men aged 12 to 77 for “questioning”. It is estimated that 23,000 women and children were deported in the next 30 hours. Hundreds of men were held in trucks and warehouses. About 15,000 Bosnian Muslim fighters had attempted to escape from Srebrenica overnight and were shelled as they fled through the mountains. The first killings of unarmed Muslims took place in a warehouse in the nearby village of Kravica. The UN’s ‘Blue Helmets’ handed over about 5,000 Muslims who had been sheltering at the Dutch base at Potocari. In return, the Bosnian Serbs released 14 Dutch peacekeepers who had been held at the Nova Kasaba base.

Following negotiations between the UN and the Bosnian Serbs, the Dutch were permitted to leave Srebrenica.

Thousands of Muslim men and boys were herded into warehouses, beaten and tortured, transported to fields where they were sprayed with machinegun fire and bulldozed into mass graves. In the five days after Bosnian Serb forces overran Srebrenica, 8,000 Muslim men are thought to have been killed.

On the recent anniversary on 11 July 2009 the remains of 534 newly identified Bosniak Muslim victims were buried 14 years after the Srebrenica massacre. Out of the 8,000 men and boys who were killed, 2,000 still remain unidentified. Mass graves are still being found today, this is due to the Bosnian

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic on trial in The Hague. Photo: Serb attempts shortly after the war to cover up their crimes by disinterring the buried bodies and reburying them elsewhere. Speaking at the latest burial ceremony, US Ambassador to BosniaHerzegovina Mr. Charles English, said, “We must again acknowledge that the world failed to act, failed to prevent the slaughter of innocence of Srebrenica.”

Today there is an ossuary in the Bosnian town of Tuzla, which is grim enough to look at but reportedly worse still to smell. Collections of bones are bagged up and stacked on shelves like books in a library. Such reports call to mind the desperate footage of family members trying to identify their lost husbands, brothers and fathers, weeping while covering their mouths and noses from the stench coming from the rows and rows of decaying dead bodies around them.

The inconsistency of the UN Security Council in their protection of the people of Srebrenica and the wider Bosniak population provoked a bleak joke about UN peacekeeping “if the UN had been around in 1939, we would all be speaking German.” It is now known that two Security Council members had the

intelligence that an attack on Srebrenica was coming and yet no pre-emptive action was taken. Geoffrey Robertson QC believes the fall of Srebrenica exemplifies the dangers of a fashionable human rights policy when it is decreed by states unwilling to lose a single life in its enforcement. The ability of the UN to prevent the massacre in Srebrenica and the fall of Zepa is attested to by how the UN forces later saved the nearby enclave at Gorazde by the use of airstrikes. Many questions remain unanswered.

However nothing detracts from the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing lead by Mr. Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic against the Bosniak people and non-Serbs in their pursuit of a Greater Serbia. Today, General Mladic remains a fugitive and Serbia’s application to the EU in 2010 is unlikely to be successful until he is handed over.

Recently the relatives of the victims of Srebrenica lost a compensation case against the Serbian government; these relatives were dealt another blow by Mr. Karadzic thumbing his nose at the Hague tribunal. They will return to The Hague in four months in their weary pursuit of some kind of justice.

China clamps down on corruption in the people’s republic Catherine Alice Nichols Contributing Writer IT IS no great truth that corruption in China harbours unsavoury secrets, but the extent to which top government officials have become involved in undercover dealings is slowly becoming more obvious.

Recently, a web of illicit relationships between prominent businessmen, government officials and police officers has been exposed. The arrest of the so-called ‘Godmother of Chongqing underworld’ Ms Xie Caiping, who ran 30 illegal casinos, began a public trial which authorities hope will unearth the illegal actions of thousands, including 50 public officials. In what is due to be a high-profile visit, President Obama will visit China next week and coupled with its recent crusade against corruption, China will be seeking to restore some of its international credibility.

The media frenzy surrounding the events shine the spotlight on one man, Mr. Bo Xilai, who seems to have emerged as somewhat of demigod in China. Mr. Xilai is a new Communist party boss who has earned himself a reputation for cracking down on the country’s rampant problem of corruption. Public opinion on this matter is split down the middle.

The recent tough stance in the war against corruption has an aura of familiarity about it and for many it is hard to tell whether this is part of another propaganda campaign.

Indeed, the frantic filming of events by the Chinese media has turned the trial into something of a spectacle, with the paparazzi relishing the lurid details of the underground world.

These actions are seen as nothing more than a publicity stunt, designed to pull the wool over the citizen’s eyes and to elevate Mr. Xilai’s status to that of a leading corruption fighter in an attempt to cement his ascent to a top leadership position in the coming years. These fears are not allayed by his boastful demeanour and swagger. But others have praised this seemingly new era of action for giving hope and justice to the Chinese. “Whatever his motives, the impact is not local but national,” says political analyst Wenran Jiang Crucially, there is one major difference in these trials and the trials of past years. The clampdown in Congquing has uncovered the shady dealings of a number of wealthy businessmen and Communist Party officials, as opposed to criminal bosses, exposing the depth of corruption that has resulted from the mixing of state control and free-market economics in

China. It goes some way to confirming the real commitment of the Communist Party in fighting corruption.

The Communist Party, which has for years tolerated and cooperated with such individuals, is of central importance in bringing down these top ranking corrupt officials. Pressure has mounted on the government in recent years with an ever increasing volume of horror stories of actions implemented by these local leaders. A local citizen of Congquing, Ms. Hong Guibi claims that a Communist Party chief became enraged when she and her husband refused to give him part of their orchard and watched as thugs killed her husband with cleavers. Her desperate hope has led her to believe that she is sure Mr. Xilai would solve her problem if she could only just kneel down in front of him.

Throughout the country, the Chinese public have recognised the rise of socioeconomic inequality and negative implications for foreign investment caused by widespread corruption and voted the problem of entrenched corruption as the biggest threat to future political and economic stability.

Yet there are also indirect costs of corruption with the misallocation of resources taking much needed funds away from public health, education and

Allegations of corruption continue to dog China’s ruling elites. Photo

the environment. What may emerge as a much deeper worry is reports by some analysts that the prosecution of those accused of corruption is often the outcome of power struggles within

“The life or death of the party depends on whether or not we have a strong will to punish and prevent corruption”.

the Communist Party with corruption being used as a tool to eliminate rivals and their supporters.

Historically, corruption is symptomatic of deeper stresses and underlying tensions between old forces and new development in a regime and in China this can only be effectively challenged by major institutional reform. Reports from a range of

sources claim corruption is caused by poorly organised, politicised banking practice, partial economic reforms, lax enforcement efforts and reluctance by the Communist Party to adopt political reforms.

A major area of concern for citizens is the absence of an independent police force or judicial system. So far China has been teetering on the political edge by enacting limited economic reforms while conserving the current institutional framework, but with the rise of the new economy well under way, it seems logical to assume that China’s growth will be affected in the long-term. However, Professor Gao at the Chinese Academy says, “Corruption has not derailed China’s economic rise, but it is rotting the establishment of a rule of law.”

Unfortunately, protests and social unrest have remained brief and localised and it seems likely that until the economic development is severely threatened no major overhauls will take place.

Opening up legitimate reciprocal channels of interaction between entrepreneurs and bureaucrats while drawing clearer boundaries and

distinctions between the realms of state and society would reduce opportunities for official rent-seeking and entrepreneurial bribery of officials.

Alas, this does not sit well with traditional Communist values because it would begin to differentiate the state from the government. For now, it appears that that the Communist Party is aware of the tension with Chinese President, Hu Jintao declaring that “the life or death of the party depends on whether or not we have a strong will to punish and prevent corruption.”

With the Chinese government facing difficult decisions in the months ahead, the latest corruption charges are just one crack in a crumbling political wall. Whether the government will continue its current policy of repairing the wall from the inside rather than sandpapering over defects remains to be seen. For many it is becoming increasingly obvious that the stalemate between the economy and government cannot continue indefinitely and the current poor performance of the economy may just provide the social lubricant needed to throw the failings of the current administration into the spotlight.

12

WORLD REVIEW

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Olympic efforts in Rio for peace Paul McDonnell Deputy World Review Editor THE NEXT decade will see the eyes of the world fall upon the vibrant Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Hosts of an unprecedented twin World Cup and Olympic Games in 2014 and 2016 respectively, the land of Carnival will host the leaders of the free world in the renowned criminal haven.

The announcement of Rio as the host city of the Olympics was met with jubilant scenes on the infamous opulent beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.

It marked a milestone in Olympic history: the inaugural South American games and a continuation of what many commentators view as a shift from the old world in global sports events – with the notable exception of London in 2012. This shift sees a Winter Olympics in Sochi, a Commonwealth games in Delhi and the two Rio events. The celebrations were short-lived however and stood starkly juxtaposed with the chaotic scenes in the favelas the following week.

In the worst gang violence in years heavily armed drug traffickers confronted local authorities who they saw as interfering in the hierarchy of power within favela life. A police helicopter was shot down killing three officers, and landing less than a mile from the Maracana Stadium, site of the proposed opening and closing ceremonies. In retaliation the police adopted a heavy handed approach, storming twenty slums and arrested numerous suspects. The death toll of this operation currently stands at thirty two.

With two million residents the Rio favelas make up a significant part of the greater metropolitan area of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The vast majority of crime is focused in this epicenter with minor scuffles overflowing into the adjoining middle- and upperincome neighborhoods. A significant statistic which will no doubt give the International Olympics Committee

food for thought is the mind boggling 5717 homicides in 2008. In comparison, Vancouver, host of the 2010 winter Olympics saw 58 slayings in the same time frame.

Violent atrocities marring the pre-Olympic gaiety are, of course, not confined to the Brazilian case.

The Munich massacre in 1972 where eleven Israeli athletes were murdered remains perhaps the most prolific case of extinguishing the Olympic ethos of peace and understanding. In recent years the terrorist threat has focused on the broader anarchic structure rather than being aimed at specific nations. Athens officials managed a timely dismantlement of several bombs in 2002 while the IOC announcement of the London Games was met with the underground bombings only hours later. In the London case the solution to the terrorist threat has been to pump seemingly endless funds into security, funds simply unavailable to Rio. The recent events which have caught the attention of the global media represent a wholly different threat than encountered in past Games in that they have secured their nominations while currently facing fierce domestic violence, let alone international threats. IOC members were implored to disregard crime as a serious factor in their decision of the host nation. While this was the main hurdle over which Rio must leap, it now faces the very real challenge of cleaning the streets to accommodate the throngs of tourists and media which will descend in the coming years.

Policing the mini-states which have developed within the slum-life has become increasingly futile. The latest police ‘pacification’ operation has had relative success but is also blamed with aiding the free movement of traffickers between districts. Two key propositions have galvanized public opinion in an effort to create a sustainable combatant to the reign of the drug lords: reform of infrastructure and public amenities and unification of defence forces.

Unlike other cities which have easily accommodated the vigorous demands of the IOC, Rio remains drastically ill-equipped to support a substantial influx of traveling tourists and sports entourages. Rio, unlike Beijing and to a lesser extent, London, is in no position to amass substantial debts in an attempt to impress the international community. Financial loss at the Games will only exacerbate the political and economic struggles plaguing this city. A proposed $14bn overhaul plan has been

A significant statistic which will no doubt give the International Olympics committee food for thought is the mind boggling 5717 homicides in 2008. promised but questions immediately arise as to whether this is for the benefit of the Brazilian people or mere window dressing for visitors.

Coupled with this, a disorganized and corrupt police force continues to scupper and attempts to revitalize public trust and reverse the trend of gang culture. In 2002, President Lula de Silva vowed to reform the constitution to merge the civil and military branches of police force in an effort to launch a viable attack on the ringleaders. To date this remains a pipe dream which he has a year to realise. Camilla Ribeiro of Global Justice states, “The entire p police ing for a force is inverted. Before searching solution using armed police, the state rnatives, has to create economic alternatives, invest in education and health.”” ct fierce The Brazilians can expect ign of an media retribution at the first sign act of violence against a foreign dignitary. ijing last Such exposure was seen in Beijing gnificant year when the otherwise insignifi

abbing bbi off stabbing rshadowed an American tourist overshadowed cial forces the games for days. Special based in the slums declared victory over the militia groups of ry of this the City of God in January hey may year. However while they ttle the have won this prolific battle impassioned war reigns strong throughout. The small victory dowed is dramatically overshadowed gs of by the mass muggings tourists during the event how billed as the biggest show on earth, Carnival. In his ula address to the IOC, Lula nor was joined by the governor nk of the Brazil National Bank 6 whose claim that by 2016 ll Brazilian economy will n be the fifth strongest in the world, clinched the nomination for many.

Now the government is met with the task of striking a harmonious balance between staging a successful ssing the olympics whilst addressing tizens. long term needs of its citizens. y p will inevitablyy be The 2016 Olympics spectacular; the question n of whether they end in boom, in the form m of an explosion in foreign direct investment or bust, with a drift back into protectionism for Latin America’s biggest nation, remains a delicate gamble.

WORLD REVIEW ROUND-UP SRI LANKA

SARATH RESIGNS AS MILITARY CHIEF GENERAL SARATH Fonseka has resigned from his post as Chief of the Armed Forces just months after defeating the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The General declared his defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as the crowning achievement of his career. General Fonseka is reportedly in talks with the leader of the opposition party, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, about the possibility of his running for president against the incumbent Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa. Speculation has been rife that a rift has cooled relations between the current Sri Lankan president and General Fonseka, who was reportedly dissatisfied with his promotion to the largely ceremonial role of Chief of the Armed Forces. Many political commentators do not support the General’s foray into politics but cannot think of anyone else

who could beat President Rajapaksa in the April 2010 elections.

PHILLIPINES

REBELS RELEASE IRISH PRIEST FATHER MICHAEL Sinnott, the 79 year old Irish priest held hostage by rebels in the Philippines has been released. Fr. Sinnott was kidnapped by gunmen from his office in Pagadian on Mindanao island in early October. Philippine authorities believed Fr. Sinnott was being held by rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an Islamic rebel group active in the southern Philippines who are demanding freedom for the Mindanao Muslim community. Fr. Sinnott, who is originally from County Wexford, underwent a heart bypass operation four years ago and there were severe concerns for his health during the course of his detainment by the rebel group. The Irish government said it had not paid a ransom for the release of the Columban missionary. There had been reports of a ransom demand but the Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin insisted no money had been paid. “To do so would only have jeopardised the vital work of aid workers and missionaries around the world – it would also place other Irish citizens in danger,” Mr. Martin said.

KOREA

RUSSIA

NORTH A MODERN AND SOUTH RUSSIA EXCHANGE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Dmitry Medvedev has effectively denounced the Soviet model and called for FIRE

A SOUTH Korean warship has exchanged fire with a North Korean naval vessel, reports from both countries say. Officials in Seoul say the South Korean vessel opened fire when the Northern ship crossed a disputed sea border. The North Korean vessel then fired back. North Korea insists its ship did not cross the border, and has demanded an apology, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The incident comes days before US President Barack Obama visits Asia, with North Korea seeking direct talks on its nuclear programme. In the North’s version of events, a patrol boat was on a mission to confirm “an unidentified object” on the North’s side of the border, and while it was sailing back, South Korean ships chased it and opened fire in a “grave armed provocation.” The disputed sea border is the Northern Limit Line, drawn unilaterally by the United Nations Command at the end of the 1950–1953 Korean War. This border has not to date been accepted by North Korea.

a new era of democratic change, in his annual state of the nation speech. Calling for a profound reform of the economy, Mr. Medvedev declared that Russia’s survival depended on rapid modernisation based on democratic institutions. He said that inefficient state companies could be overhauled and issues of accountability and transparency should be addressed.

“Instead of a primitive economy based on raw materials, we shall create a smart economy, producing unique knowledge, new goods and technologies, goods and technologies useful for people,” Mr Medvedev said. “Instead of an archaic society, in which leaders think and decide for everybody, we shall become a society of intelligent, free and responsible people.” “We can’t wait any longer…

We need to launch modernisation of the entire industrial base. Our nation’s survival in the modern world will depend on that,” Mr Medvedev said. Other suggestions to modernize the Russian economy included reducing the number of time zones in Russia from eleven to a more business-friendly number.

EDITORIAL

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

TRINITY NEWS Issue 5, Volume 56 Tuesday, 17 Novemsber 2009 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2 www.trinitynews.ie

ON HULKING CONCRETE MONSTROSITIES IN THE UNIVERSITY GROUNDS The Long Room Hub, currently under construction between the Old Library and the Arts Building, has made an effort to hide the eyesore of an active building site by erecting colourful barriers featuring information about the project while obscuring its lower areas from view. Unfortunately, the artist’s rendition printed across these barriers is, for the first time, showing the student body at large what kind of monolithic eyesore the completed building will be.

While any effort to construct a new building in line with the preexisting architecture which surrounds it should be applauded, it is impossible to understand the mentality which ignores the 1937 Reading Room and the Old Library as inspiration, and instead feels drawn towards the appalling concrete monstrosity that is the Arts Building.

A project of this size does not happen overnight. Rather, there is a complex and lengthy series of meetings and committees that can stretch on for an interminable length of time. Somehow, at each stage, the plans for this building were happily approved by the university. It is difficult to say what is more shocking; that a professional architects office submitted the plan for this project, considering it a fair representation of their art; or that the college, one can imagine, paid them handsomely for their services.

Sadly, though the plans for the building have been long in the making, it takes the sight of its ongoing formation for us to realise that it will soon become a permanent fixture in the college. Perhaps upon completion it will be more pleasant than its current bulky half-conpleted form suggests– unfortunately the exact opposite is more likely.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, INNOVATORS IN ADVANCED SCIENCES There’s no doubt that Trinity is a place where lots of big ideas happen. The Long Room Hub seeks “to encourage and foster innovative interdisciplinary research across the entire spectrum of the arts and humanities at Trinity”. The Science Gallery is “a place where ideas meet and opinions collide.” TrinityHaus “is a new venture at Trinity College Dublin that crosses traditional boundaries in engineering, sciences and the arts. It is a catalyst for change and innovation”.

This newspaper is sure that all this innovation won’t wane in the future, regardless of the financial uncertainty around, since Trinity is packed with some of the finest minds in the country. But for all these grand ideas and their even grander realizations, it’s worth quietly mentioning a simple fact: undergraduates are taught here.

And one can’t help but feel, sometimes, that for every bright PRTLI or HEA or ARAM funded endeavour, for every Communications Office-penned press release about the TCD/UCD Innovation Alliance, it becomes easier and easier to forget about the absolute basics of teaching undergraduates.

Students need reasonably equipped, reasonably accessible study space; reasonably focused teachers; reasonable timetables and other organisation – and that’s about it. These requirements are so blindingly obvious that for far too many, they hardly exist on their radar at all. And why should they? Surely for the best university in Ireland manages to actually teach people without any trouble.

But does it? Have you ever spent far longer than necessary trying to track down some lecture notes on the sprawling website (Webct? School website? Lecturer’s page?) Were you able to open the Powerpoint file on your laptop, even though there exists a policy decreeing PDF the standard for lecture notes? Have you ever unwillingly become an expert in paper jam C, that affliction of photocopiers? Have you ever been required to be in two places at once due to a timetabling clash? Have you ever waited weeks for an assignment to be returned to you? Have you ever stood outside a College office, having missed every one of the slivers of the day during which it is open?

Every day, students in this university fight tiny battles against unnecessary obstacles to learning. Many of these obstacles could easily be removed; some less easily. But their priority cannot be disputed. And the next time a new “catalyst for change and innovation” is announced, perhaps in these pages, consider carefully if its luxury can be justified and if there isn’t a less glamorous need in the student’s life which couldn’t benefit from a “diligence process to maximise the partnership’s joint potential to foster innovation” – fixing the photocopiers, say.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

13

LETTERS TO THE Editor should be sent to letters@trinitynews.ie or to Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. The Editor reserves the right to edit submissions for style and length.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Trinity News, its staff or its Editor.

letters@trinitynews.ie

Provostial pay increase put on hold Sir– I refer to a front page article which appeared in Trinity News, dated November 3rd, 2009, entitled ‘Provost set to receive 19 per cent pay increase’ and continued on page 2 in an article entitled ‘Provost’s pay package set to rise to €270k’ which was factually inaccurate and which the College now wishes to correct. The Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the

Public Service, in its last general review (report 42 of September 2007) made recommendations in respect of a wide range of senior posts in the public service, including senior university posts. On the foot of those recommendations which were considered by the Government, and approved through the Department of Education and Science, all university heads received a 5% increase in their salaries from September

2007 and not a 19% increase as stated in your article. The Provost’s salary which is currently €237,785 p.a is inclusive of that 5% increase and is not set to rise to €270, 000.

Yours, etc Tony McMahon Interim Chief Operating Officer

The current BA hood, left, and right, two girls wearing the BDentSc hood after taking their degrees in 2007.

Incorrect by degrees OLD TRINITY

by PETER HENRY

THE FATE of most Trinity students is to graduate with the Baccalaureus in Artibus degree. Whether you take a first-class Moderatorship or get a third at the end of the Junior Sophister year, the BA hood – black, lined with white fur – is prescribed for you on Commencements day.

Draping a furry garment down one’s back is an old university tradition, not limited to Dublin. Those graduating with a BA at Oxford, Cambridge and Durham also wear a black hood with white fur, and BAs of the defunct Royal University of Ireland wore the same combination. We share the white fur with these other universities, but the hood of each institution has a unique shape.

All Dublin University degrees have a hood of the same shape, the Dublin full shape; their differences are in the colours of the hood itself and its lining and edging. The BA, as mentioned, is black, lined with white fur. Some of the other hoods you might spot in Parliament Square include the include the bachelor in dental science (BDentSc: myrtle green, lined with black, edged in crimson), the master of arts (MA: black, lined with blue) and the doctor in letters (LittD: crimson, lined and edged blue).

A full list is given in the Calendar on page E9.

Many will be indifferent, but others will be displeased: BA graduands are not currently supplied with the correct hood at Commencements. When the BA hood which is currently available for rental is compared with the hoods supplied for every other degree one can see a noticeable difference. This BA hood consists only of a fur-lined cowl, and lacks the distinctive square cape of the Dublin hood, which you can see in the illustrations on this page.

One could assume that this hood is correct, and that our BA hood is special not only in its use of white fur but also in its shape. A consultation of authoritative reference books does not bear out such an assumption. Shaw includes a drawing of the Dublin hood, and mentions no difference in the shape of the BA hood, and a depiction of the BA hood itself can be seen in Haycraft, with the fur-lined cape clearly visible.

Armstrong & Oxford, the company which supplies academic dress to the university, sent me a polite letter in response to an enquiry on this subject. “We would imagine,” I was informed, “that at some point in the past, somebody within the university decided to alter the design slightly for reasons that they must have felt were justified at the time.”

This occurred, said the letter writer, before Armstrong & Oxford became Trinity’s official robemaker.

There is possible but unlikely explanation for what is almost certainly a blunder. Trinity had another hood shape until at least 1909.

This simple shape hood is can be seen in a set of Wills’s cigarette cards (these were reproduced in Trinity News in February this year) and in

The Dublin University BA, MA and LittD hoods; these drawings, from Haycraft’s 1948 Degrees and Hoods of the World’s Universities and Colleges, clearly show the square cape which the current BA hood is lacking.

Haycraft’s Degrees and Hoods book. The same shape is also still used for Queen’s Belfast hoods. If someone did try to return the Trinity BA hood to this shape (it’s not very likely) then he got it wrong: the fur lining is different on the old simple shape hood.

I find the following the mostly likely explanation: a batch of BA hoods was ordered at some time in the past. The producer, to save on materials (perhaps there was a lack of fake fur) or due to ignorance or carelessness, came up with this new BA hood. The batch was delivered, no one noticed or cared, and subsequent Trinity BA hoods were made to this new pattern.

One could claim that this new hood is the de facto BA hood, pointing out that many Trinity men have taken their first degree wearing it. This, however, is not enough to justify maintaining a break in a long tradition.

Thousands of Dublin University graduates have indeed taken their BAs wearing the incorrect academic dress – and they continue to do so. There is no reason for the hood to be in this strange shape. It would be laudable if the supplier would begin to reintroduce BA hoods of the correct shape. Until that happens the only solution for the fastidious candidate bachelor is to have a BA hood of the correct shape specially made.

EDWARD GAFFNEY, a 2008 graduate, took his degree wearing this strange hood. He wrote to me on an unrelated matter, to point out that the word jib, an old Trinity word referring, slightly pejoratively, to Junior Freshman students, survives elsewhere. The members of the NUI Galway Literary and Debating Society call their neophytes gibs. This variant spelling occurs in the 1791 Advice to the University of Dublin and in verses in the 19th-century Trinity periodical Kottabos: A College Miscellany.

Perhaps the Galwegians’ use of gib dates back all the way to the founding of the “Lit & Deb” in 1846. It became a society of Queen’s College, Galway, a few years later.

Another Kottabos poem mentions both jibs and the Queen’s University of Ireland, of which the Galway institution was a constituent college.

A failing Trinity student is considering going up to one of the so-called “godless colleges”: “So my heart leaps up within me, beating strong against my ribs/To be in some sort of college, in among the throng of jibs.”

But he gives up the idea, not esteeming the Queen’s colleges highly enough: “Fool! again the dream, the fancy, what I’ve said is all a fib/ For I count the Queen’s Professor lower than the Dublin jib.”

Apologies, Galway, for this ancient insult!

And congratulations to the Lit & Deb for holding fast to tradition. pehenry@tcd.ie

14

OPINION

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

What’s Europe feeling? Left out David Barret Staff writer ONE OF the most pervasive trends in European politics in the last few years, across almost every country and seemingly without regard for the individual circumstances of the country, is the decline of the European left, and more specifically, the European centreleft.

At the minute – of all twenty-seven EU member states – only seven have governments that can be classified as leftist. Of those seven, two of them are trailing badly in polls. Barring an unprecedented turnaround for Gordon Brown or a revelation something along the lines that the opposition Hungarian Conservatives engage in ritual cannibalism and plans on taking the entire population’s first born for that purpose (they have a quite astonishing lead of 51% over the governing Socialists) both governments will likely lose. Furthermore only the Czechs have a left wing opposition decisively leading a conservative government (Sweden and Denmark are close, but the mere fact that the left are even out of power there is ominous).

There seems to not even be a mitigating factor for the left in all

“

those figures, some common line of incompetence or just simply bad electioneering. The very highly regarded Dutch Labour-led government lost by a landslide in 2002, the supposedly highly popular socialist PM Lionel Jospin failed to make the second round of the French presidential election of the same year and despite everything the Italian left is stilling trailing Berlusconi in polls by double-digits.

But is this part of a long-term trend or a temporary blip – albeit one that has occurred in almost the entire EU at the same time? One must take into account the rise of Green Parties in virtually every European country, most of whom enter coalition with the left as a matter of course. In addition the far-left, after a low in the 1990s, appears to be polling well again, and in this is the left’s route back into power. Most polls on this topic show that the broad left and right still command the loyalty of roughly the same proportions of the population as they ever, this imply that the traditional left’s malaise is a result of splintering support with greens and extremists.

However not all signs point to this being a temporary phenomenon and there is reason to believe that the traditional left may need to get used to relying their new coalition partners.

The big long-term trend against the left is the virtual disappearance of the their traditional voter base. All European Left Wing parties can trace their origins to the rise of trade unions and class conflict at the turn of the 20th century and consequently positioned themselves as the defenders of the “working man” against bourgeois liberals and aristocratic conservatives.

The problem with this is that the proportions of people identifying themselves as working class is declining sharply, even if someone is actually a member of the working class in practice if they don’t define themselves as such the middle-class appeals of the right can find receptive ground.

The centrist “third way” of Blair, Schroeder and Kok seemed to find a way around this but this in turn produces problems with the party’s base, perceiving such centrist platforms as a betrayal of what the party stands for often leading to infighting. If the party can’t muster up members to actually do the campaigning on the ground it will not get elected either.

Hypothetically what would happen if the decline of these parties was actually a long term trend?There is actually a case of this in Europe – Luxembourg – and what happened there should frighten

those all interested in the future of the pendulum” rule democracy. The situation there is that of governments one large Conservative party (about just rotating out of 45% of the vote) contests elections tiredness with the with three much smaller parties (who incumbents. Even average about 15 percent), one of whom in Luxembourg the is the formerly powerful Socialist Party. right can lose to a Elections becoming essentially a beauty united coalition of pageant for a Conservative coalition the small parties partner, who have been in power since (even if that has 1976. There cannot be meaningful never happened). So choice or accountable government if politics as normal there is no meaningful choice for an will continue if the alternative to the status quo. This also traditional left is suggests that a major opposition party willing to accept may not necessarily emerge to replace a smaller role in the hypothetically disappearing centre- governments, but of left. Whatever one’s faults with Europe’s course never doubt a left one appreciates the fact that they politician’s capacity to provide a genuine choice. seek more power than So we have a lot to lose if this she or he has a right continues, and long term prospects for to. the traditional centre-left are bleak, but this doesn’t mean that the left is finished – coalitions with new leftish groups will inevitable emerge – and there is no reason to think that the right have escaped the “swing of Lionel Jospin’s failure in the 2002 French elections is representative of a Europe-wide phenomenon

HEAD TO HEAD: ILLEGAL FILE SHARING

FILE-SHARING CAN INCREASE SALES showed that many people who download illegally do so on a “try before you buy” basis. This leads to people listening to and buying music they may never have otherwise and thus increasing the consumer base. On average, the study found that people who file-share illegally spend £77 per month downloading music legally, which is about £30 more than those interviewed who don’t file-share. From this Demos estimated that illegal file-sharing can bring £200 million in extra revenue.

The argument that file-sharing rips off the artist is outdated and false. Artists receive only a tiny percentage of royalties from records, and only the top ten percent of artists make any real amount of money from record sales. Artists make most of their money from touring and merchandise. So if someone illegally downloads an album that they would never buy worth €15 and subsequently go to the artist’s gig which costs €40, the artist is making money. Filesharing helps bring in a lot of money to the artists themselves and as Shakira has said, brings the fans closer to the artist.

Remember when people used to tape songs off the radio? Remember when that was supposed to be the end of the music industry?

Well, it wasn’t and in fact it helped bring about the advent of the CD. The music industry was kickstarted into taking action to improve their technology. Right now the music industry is dragging its heels in coming up with a viable alternative to file-sharing and the more people file-share, the quicker the industry will wake and see how it has changed and will make the necessary technological advances, which would benefit everyone.

The file-sharing argument is not as clear cut as some would have you believe. There are many facets to it and it is a debate that will rage on for the forseable future.

FILE SHARING, or the process of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, while may not be in itself be illegal, is undoubtedly morally and economically wrong.

In most cases, it facilitates illegal activity.

The escalating popularity of the Apple i-pod and other copycat mp3 players from the late 1990s led to the release and growth of software that, while primarily designed to merely support the sharing of electronic files, in reality contributed to the colossal growth in illegal file sharing of copyright protected files without permission.

During the early 2000s, the fight against copyright infringement expanded into lawsuits against individual users of file sharing software, and many illegal file sharing networks have been shut down. Yet this has not done much with regard to limiting the economic impact of file sharing on media industries. We need only to refer to recent studies concluding that unauthorized downloading of movies, music and software is unequivocally damaging the economy, and is inarguably strongly related to declining sale figures.

It is generally accepted that music sales dropped universally from almost $40 billion at the turn of the millennium, to just over $30 billion in the space of four years.

The Motion Picture Association of America had reported that American studios lost $2.3 billion to Internet piracy in 2005, but it is thought that this figure represents only a third

in agreement as Nestor spoke to me of the importance of larger societies supporting smaller ones in the early years of their involvement on the CSC scene. However, I couldn’t help asking myself whether the Thrillah concept, despite being referred to as a means of improving the cooperation between societies, was at the same time doing an impressive job of promoting the profile of the small and somewhat unknown Jazz Society.

I use the term unknown in a very loose sense as it is only in recent years that the Jazz Society had retreated to its small, dark room at the back of Goldsmith Hall.

When founded in 1996 it grew quickly to become a prominent society within Trinity with the recognisable name of David O’Doherty becoming chair sometime around the 1999/2000 mark. It was O’Doherty who helped develop the society and create the high profile of this small musical group. But creating a community which celebrates a genre of music which has a very small audience in this country was not an easy task and very soon into the noughties the society began to disappear from the student stage.

Is Thrillah the event which will lift Jazz Society out of the shadowed area it’s been residing in for the past few years? Let’s step back to freshers’ week for one moment when the rumour began to circulate that a certain Jamie Cullum would be playing in Trinity.

Nobody was very sure where the gig would happen or who was behind it but, as is the custom, in a university as small as Trinity, very soon the rumour had spread that this stylish, young, jazz musician would be singing

for a small privileged group. However, it was a surprise to hear that the gig had been organised by the small and inconspicuous Jazz Society, thanks to the tireless phone calls made by the society’s chairperson, Oliver Welfare. Combined with the collaboration of DU Players, an extremely enthusiastic Mr Cullum turned up to play on the Friday of Freshers’ week entertaining a select group of 200 who definitely enjoyed the funky beat!

It didn’t surprise me to find out that the membership of the Jazz Society had increased noticeably this year. Are events such as Jamie Cullum and Thrillah bringing in the new members or is it just the fact that the Jazz society is made up of a really nice bunch of people? It’s interesting to note that this small society is one of the first to take the decision to ask for support from so many other societies with its event.

They’re working with a total of 10 societies in fact. With groups such as Cancer Soc, The Phil and Players being actively involved with ‘Thrillah’ the profile of Jazz Soc is sky-rocketing.

Nevertheless, I have to ask, what is it that the society has been doing in recent years which caused it to withdraw from the college stage after having such success with David O’Doherty as chair? Was it waiting for another personality to come along and dig it out of that cold room in Goldsmith hall, someone who could once again raise the profile of the group and create an interesting club of music lovers? Nestor has definitely caused a stir with his plan to draw musicians, actors, dancers and artistic skills together. Maybe he is the

JAMES KELLY

THE FILE-SHARING debate is one that has grown in importance over the past few years and no where is it more relevant than here in Ireland. As of the first of September this year, Eircom gave into the demands of the IRMA (Irish Recorded Music Association) to block any of their users from Pirate Bay, the biggest torrent tracking website in the world. Other network providers, such as UPC and BT have resisted the threats of the IRMA, but it is a growing problem. Recently, Lily Allen has hit out at those who file-share illegally, launching an anti-piracy blog and an attack against the FAC (Featured Artists Coalition) for not doing enough to stop the problem. On the other hand, international popstars like Shakira and Joss Stone have voiced more positive views, with Shakira going as far to say “filesharing is a gift”.

On the whole, it is a very messy issue and one where loaded terms like “moral” are bandied about liberally. But is file sharing actually a bad thing? Will it hurt the industry in the long term?

No, it is not a crisis. It might just be the very thing that saves the flagging music industry.

A recent study reports that file-sharing can actually lead to an increase in record sales, claiming that piracy brings £200 million pounds a year to the music industry. In the study carried out by Demos, those who admitted to regularly downloading music illegally said that they purchased the same amount or more material from legal sites. Another finding of the report

SOCIETY DIARY SARAH POLLAK

A JUMP FOR JAZZ IT IS currently impossible to walk into any shop in this country without hearing the voice of Michael Jackson, serenading the customers as they go about their day’s shopping. It’s because of this that when I received an invitation on Facebook to an event called ‘Thrillah’ last August I passed it off as another one of the numerous tribute nights to the singer. Little did I know that this was in fact an invite to what was to become one of the biggest events of this academic year.

So what is this Thrillah phenomenon which has taken over every advertisement space in Trinity since the beginning of term? As I recently found out from talking to the brains behind the idea, Richard Nestor, this is not something which was dreamt up in order to promote a certain society; it was actually an idea to create a more active collaboration between the different societies in college. I found myself nodding

THEIVING AND SKULLDUGGERY SARAH CLARKIN

of the total cost of film piracy in the United States.

The MPAA’s estimate has been doubted by commentators since it is based on the assumption that one download was equivalent to one lost sale, and that those who download may not purchase the movie even if illegal downloading were not an option. The fact that these numbers were realised through a private study and can therefore not be cannot be publicly checked for methodology or validity adds further suspicion that the figure representing the billions lost by the MPAA is in fact much higher.

Even in countries and regions with strong intellectual property enforcement, such as the US or the EU, piracy rates of up to a quarter are common for popular software and operating systems.

Access to music and films is a right that should be subject to distributors’ oligopoly. File sharing, when it is illegal, amounts to theft. This is not a case of a child stealing an apple from a vast orchard, or a peasant robbing a loaf of bread to steal his starving family; it is thieving and skullduggery of the highest order and there is no excuse for it.

The argument that because of music and film’s intrinsic cultural value, it should be free to the public, just does not sit. Food is an intrinsic nutritional value, this doesn’t enable us to walk into a supermarket and take our pick of the finest cut of meat without completing a money transaction.

Whether we like it or not, we live in a capitalist world where we pay for what we use, and any rebellion of ignoring of such a practice threatens our society as a whole. It’s about time we stood up and labeled the file sharing for what it is, a thieving threat to our moral and economic fibre, and even more importantly, desist from its practice.

”

bright spark the society has been waiting for to dig it out of its rut of recent years. That said, in the past two years Jazz Society has seen two far more innovative chairs than previous years, taking up the reins and coming up with different ideas to help the growth of jazz in this university.

I do accept the difficulty any small jazz group in Ireland would be faced with. Knowledge of jazz is minimal here in comparison to nearby cities such as London or Paris where a smoky jazz bar can be found on every street corner. This is why I have gained a respect for those behind jazz society. It still has potential to become something a lot bigger and one would hope that the impressive events and ideas which have surfaced this year are only the beginning of the growth of this group of musicians.

So, to finish off I want to take a look once more at ‘Thrillah’ and what changes it could really mean for the jazz society. With the support of the SU’s Mick Birmingham and The Phil, Nestor has been lucky enough to advertise his idea throughout all walks of life in Trinity. He’s created a plan which could support Jazz Society in bringing it out of its slightly cluttered existence in a small room onto the bigger brighter CSC stage of prominent, larger societies. Jazz Society has the ability; it just needs its talented musicians to move away from the instruments for a few moments in order to perhaps discuss the organisation of the group in a clearer sense. They’ve already got the music; they just need the coordination and organization to complement this.

OPINION

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

15

IN PROFILE: TONY QUINN

£100,000 for happiness Sarah Clarkin IF YOU feel that the real you is entangled somewhere deep inside you, screaming hysterically to be set free from your inner chains and not-sosecret demons, look no further than Bahamas based Tony Quinn, a former Mr. Ireland bodybuilder most famous for coaching Steve Collins to the world title in 1995 against Chris Eubank.

Quinn is the heaven-sent self motivator who promises to sort out your life and make you a better person.

Tony Quinn understands you; he knows that deep down you can be a better person. That new job you’ve long sought after? The new house that calls out to you at night? Or maybe it’s your relationship with the person you know is the One, however unsmooth the path of true love is? Fear no more, this self motivator knows that it just boils down to knowing to the many ideals unrealised due to lack of teaching.

You may not be aware of it yet, but Tony Quinn can tell you that your way of thinking is severely outdated, and this can drastically limit your understanding of life. Luckily Tony Quinn understands your life better than you do; there’s nothing like a second opinion! As long as you’re prepared to unearth the problems of your life, with the help of this perma-tanned former Mr. Ireland, you’ll find yourself on the path to selffulfilment.

The inner you is engaged in a Civil War, you see, swinging backward and forward in a “Jekyll and Hyde manner,” and this disconcerting motion is holding you back. However as we now know, there are peaceful communes where we

can live in a yogic state of being.

Tony Quinn was once a scrawny boy from Stonybatter in Dublin, a far cry from his Christmas home in Martello Tower, Malahide. A taxi driver’s son, the onetime scrawny butcher, developed a love for Charles Atlas, and himself became a spiritualist, messianic character, endowed with the godly powers of persuasion and influence, despite his limited education.

It was during the 1980s and 1990s that the “lifestyle guru” flourished.

Ensuring longevity, Quinn successfully distanced himself from some hippy associates. After mastering the art of hypnotism, he developed his now infamous Educo system, the ‘good word’ being spread through his bible, Blueprint for Successful Living. This newspaper was delivered to homes and contained otherworldly interviews

“We are a small group of people who have made a vital difference to every man, woman and child in a whole country.” with Quinn regarding his most intimate “insights.”

Quinn’s big break came for him on the Late Late Show which showed footage of him successfully employing hypnotic anesthesia.

Yet, for an individual who claims to have the recipe for triumph over all else,

his positivist approach has come in for a serious battering lately. Even Collins has simply played down Quinn’s role, by spooking Eubank into believing he could feel no pain.

We mere mortals are to blame if Quinn’s methods do not work for us; if they fail, it is because we do not believe.

His programmes are not for the faint hearted, it is not called the system of true believers for nothing! Though, they’re not for the faint pocketed either: small master classes could cost up to £62,000 while one-on-one coaching could leave you more than £100,000 out of pocket.

Clearly, if you are not faithful enough to understand how his methods work, his home on the well-to-do Hamhaugh Island in Surrey, his house in Malahide, his property in Los Angeles and apartments on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, where Far Niente, his yacht, is moored will rub you up the wrong way – as will his fondness for James Bond movies and busty 23 year old blondes like his wife. What we need to comprehend is how successful we can be if we cough up enough dough!

Clearly the psychology professor in UCD who called the Educo system “simplistic in the extreme and without any acceptable research” could do with enrolling in a Tony Quinn master class.

Joe Duffy is another one who urgently needs to fight his inner negativity that threatens to consume. Tony Quinn was recently said to be shocked by RTÉ Liveline’s “witch-hunt” that alluded to his organisation as a “cult,” and attacked him for the vast amounts he charges for seminars. (In a court case in 2000, a woman was forced to go before a judge to gain control over her

finances, claiming her husband was acting under an “external influence” following one such seminar.)

Quinn’s pitch is that the money spent will be dwarfed by the amount you will earn following the discovery of your successful self.

“Here’s the bottom line,” Quinn said last week. “We are a small group of people who have made a vital difference to every man, w o m a n and child in a whole country.

Maybe even for future generations as well. Tell me who else can lay claim to that kind of achievement, to really be able to say they made a difference.” Indeed!

With the decline of religion in Ireland, our saviour, Tony Quinn, has stepped up to the mark once again. Perhaps he can offer Dialogue Ireland, the organistation that gathers information on new religious movements, some cut price seminars so they too can repeal their negativity regarding the personal and financial problems of participants on previous seminars in favour of the all too bright Tony Quinn light.

Illustration by Sinead Mercier

USI strike support strikes at students Martin James Melvin UNEMPLOYMENT AMONGST 18–25 year olds now stands at over 27.6%.

The rate is even higher for men with over 1 in 3 under the age of 25 being unemployed. This figure is likely to rise.

Noting this shocking and unfortunate statistic one wonders about causes of such unemployment and of course the emergence of a potential “lost generation”. Clearly one of the factors responsible for our high unemployment even by current European and world standards is the competitiveness crisis the Irish economy faces. We have the most overpaid civil service in Europe.

In fact the civil service is so overpaid it is now creating stress in our ability to attract foreign multinationals. A notable example is the decision by Amgen in 2007 to move its biopharma plant due to be built in Cork to Puerto Rico due to costs.

Foreign multinationals, the likes of Abbott and Wyeth, are the cornerstone of Irish economic development and are important and perhaps the largest employers of graduates from the Irish universities. Noting this and that the entry salary of graduates tends to start in the range of 22–26k. The starting salary of a clerical officer at the lowest

pay bracket is close to 26.5k, with the associated benefits of being in the public sector like a generous pension scheme and practical invulnerably from being fired once made permanent. Such generous conditions put pressure on companies in the private sector to pay comparable salaries. This negatively affects our ability to compete with other

Is activation of public sector workers and galvanising them towards protesting and effectively striking in students best interests?

Of course not.

European countries.

Our recovery, according to the OECD will be export driven. But that recovery is put in jeopardy by the unsustainable level of expenditure which the public sector is demanding. Companies such as Dell, who employed 1900 people in Limerick have already voted with their feet and pulled out of this country. How many families has this affected?

USI has frequently come under attack from its own members: this piece fo street Graffiti was drawn on the path of the anti-fees march of February 2009.

Photo: David Molloy Yet it is sheer nerve of the public sector unions to try and manipulate these jobs losses as being the fault of bankers and property developers is astounding.

The cause of these job losses have nothing to do with banks, but do have a strong correlation with salaries which have become unsustainable, partially on account of unrealistic pay demands from public sector unions. If we are to recover from the economic crash we must re-instate the competitiveness of the Irish economy. That requires the current unconscionable salaries paid to public sector workers to fall.

Minister Lenihan cannot bow to union pressure. The cuts in salaries, which must come, must be savage and the sharpest cuts should be the first. It will be far more difficult in future years to cut civil service salaries. A cut of 5% or 6% simply isn’t enough. A far steeper cut of at least 12% is required and should be sought, in order to start to restore some of our lost competitiveness. A similar cut in social welfare payments is required. What people don’t seem to realize is that its not €4 billion the

budget needs to be cut by, but €26 billion. Instead of borrowing money for capital projects we are borrowing money to pay the salaries of civil servants.

There are thousands of builders and construction workers unemployed.

Many would work for a quarter of the salaries they enjoyed during the boom.

Crucial infrastructural projects such as Metro North are at a standstill. Instead of building the infrastructure of the country and building a more sustainable Ireland, the Unions seem to have the government in a headlock.

So why is USI supporting the ICTU day of action? The civil service is clearly overpaid. Cuts are absolutely necessary to stabilise government finances which are careening towards disaster.

Department of Finance figures for the last 10 months alone show a deficit of close to €26 billion. They’re not even the figures for the full year and don’t include returns made by sole trader businesses, whose bad results are likely to further plunge the government finances into the red.

Noting the situation, ICTU’s “day

of action” really is ridiculous. The government is currently borrowing billions which are being spent on paying the public sector. The actually terms of the cuts for this years Budget have not been released. I doubt they are even finalised. So being clear, these strikes are nothing more than a show of power in advance of the Budget. If the country was a house on fire, ICTU would be protesting against the actions of firemen trying to put the fire out. Hopefully the Government will realize for everyone’s good – including the civil servants’ – the blaze is better put out, firmly.

USI also is de facto supporting college staff who are due to protest as part of the “day of action”. Is activation of public sector workers and galvanising them towards protesting and effectively striking in students best interests?

Of course not. These strikes can and will ultimately negatively impact on students.

So what is USI playing at? Students first and foremost want jobs in the future and the ability to use what they have learnt as part of their education to earn

a living rather than face unemployment.

USI, by siding with the other trade unions, is supporting a high cost base and high salaries for civil servants. A recovery cannot happen when Poland and other Eastern European countries are attracting companies which once based themselves in Ireland such as Dell. USI should instead call on the main trade unions to realise that previous Celtic tiger salary levels are completely unsustainable, given the size and scope of the government deficit.

USI is the Union of Students in Ireland. It is not the Union of Civil Servants, and most students want jobs when we finish college. Most of those jobs will not be in the civil service.

Furthermore, until costs come down more jobs won’t be created in the public service anyways. The resources simply aren’t there. Let’s hope USI recognises why most students work hard in college and recognises perhaps the most important mandate USI has is to look after student interests. These interests are not served by supporting ICTU’s day of action.

16

OPINION

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

ROUND UP SHANE QUINN

$10M PROJECT FOR SOUTH DONEGAL COASTAL PACIFIC Mining is undertaking a joint exploration venture in the Laghey / Ballintra area of the county where rock samples were found to have ‘Rare Earth Elements’ mineralisation.

Lenagold Ltd holds the prospecting licence for the area of property which is mid-way between Donegal Town and Ballyshannon.

Canada based coastal pacific has reached a deal which will see Lenagold paid one million dollars over a four year period and spend a further nine million on exploration costs.

Recent tests were carried out in the area and rock samples gathered recorded higher than standard levels of certain, undisclosed, Rare Earth Elements.

A report is now being compiled to set out the necessary steps to develop the R.E.E and gold project in Donegal.

The Coastal Pacific Mining Corp. says it now intends to further its exploration interests in South Donegal for Gold, Silver and Rare Earth Elements.

TOP REPUBLICAN HAS ASSETS FROZEN THE SERIOUS Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has frozen the assets of a leading republican in South Armagh.

It has been granted a court order to take control of properties and bank accounts belonging to Sean Gerard Hughes of Aghadavoyle Road, Dromintee.

The agency claimed the assets came from laundering the proceeds of mortgage fraud, tax evasion and benefit fraud.

In 2002, Mr Hughes was named in parliament as a member of the IRA’s Army Council, an allegation he denied.

The assets frozen include eight houses in south Armagh, an apartment in south Belfast, the proceeds of the sale of three other houses in south Armagh and a number of bank accounts.

STUDENTS STILL WAITING FOR LOANS THOUSANDS OF students in England have still not received their loans and grants weeks after the start of term, according to latest figures.

Statistics from the Student Loans Company (SLC) indicate that as many as 70,000 students could still be waiting for financial support.

The SLC says it has not broken any pledges on the level of payments to be completed by the end of October.

The Conservatives said it was time the government “got a grip” on the system.

The updated figures, showing the position up to November 1, reveal that the SLC is still processing 23,000 applications and 13,000 maintenance applicants who have been approved.

A further 34,000 students are being asked to provide further information.

KOALAS UNDER THREAT AUSTRALIA’S KOALAS could be wiped out within 30 years unless urgent action is taken to halt a decline in population, according to researchers.

They say development, climate change and bushfires have all combined to send the numbers of wild koalas plummeting.

The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey showed the population could have dropped by more than half in the past six years.

Many have been killed by the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia.

Previous estimates put the number of koalas at more than 100,000 - but the latest calculations suggest there could now be as few as 43,000.

In one area in northern Queensland estimated to have 20,000 koalas a decade ago, a team of eight people could not find a single animal in four days of searching.

The foundation said as well as problems caused by deforestation, hotter, drier conditions attributed to global warming had reduced the nutritional value of their staple food, eucalyptus leaves, leading to malnutrition.

Koalas, which are confined to forests in Australia’s east and south, are notoriously fussy about what types of the leaves they eat.

Foundation chief Deborah Tabart said: “The koalas are missing everywhere we look. It’s really no tree, no me. If you keep cutting down trees you don’t have any koalas.”

Sanctimony and the good cause Seeking society recognition while battling student apathy, Habitat for Humanity is trying to find a foothold in Trinity, and explain the difference between a house and a home.

Cathal Wogan Staff Writer WE’RE GENERALLY given a carte blanche for articles in this section.

Rightly so. This is opinion, not news.

You take your subject and write what you wish in a manner that you think to be suitable in light of what you want to opine. This time though, I received some quiet advice. A little tongue-in-cheek caveat was attached. That editorial nudge was to try to avoid sounding too sanctimonious for once.

“That shouldn’t be too difficult,” said my hyperactive index fingers, the lonely soldiers that know their way around computer keys. Bizarre. I didn’t know my fingers could speak. Obviously, I decided to go with it. As I stared at a blank page though, it seemed as if my fingers were all talk and no action.

Avoiding sanctimony might be more difficult than they first assumed.

Habitat For Humanity (HFH) might now be familiar to a considerable number across our ever more wintery campus.

Since the start of the academic year, HFH has tried to gather momentum for their cause. This has been a surprisingly difficult process - even making allowances for the apathy of the everyday student - so it is understandable if you are not quite familiar with that cause as of yet. Indeed, for every student aware of the organization there are a dozen who think that it is a type of long lasting milk, a new fertility treatment or a rather uncomfortable STI. For

those who haven’t seen the stand, got the pen or got involved, HFH might just be another bunch of letters to add to the already saturated list of useless acronyms clattering around Trinity.

If it were to be granted society status, Trinity’s HFH would be established as a branch of an international organisation that stretches all around the globe. The commen aim of the group is to replace substandard housing across the world with decent, affordable homes. In order to achieve this, funds need to be raised and teams are invited to travel around the world to work to build homes alongside those who will eventually be living in them.

“I think HFH can be a really exciting charity to get involved with for so many reasons,” says Anna Williams, a second year arts student who is at the fore of Habitat For Humanity’s quest to establish itself in Trinity. “I think the key word is home; when you say house, it sounds so basic but a home provides so much more than just shelter. A Habitat home provides clean water, sanitation, a place to bring up your children… When you think about the bigger picture of a home, I think you can begin to appreciate how important it is that we eradicate substandard housing across the world.”

Every HFH branch has been founded as a response to and a growth from an original. Millard Fuller, who passed away earlier this year, was the father of the movement in America and it is his original ethos that carries through today.

The unfortunately rare Christian notions

Student and volunteer workers build homes under the supervision of trained professionals, which helps maintain quality control.

Photo: flickr.com/ hamron

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY H-f-H is a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian charity Its aims to aleviate poverty housing and homelessness worldwide Established in 1976 by Millard Fuller and his wife Linda Habitat has built and renovated more than 300,000 homes around the world which are sold to low-income families through no-interest loans.

A group of Trinity students have recently sucseeded in having a branch of the charity recognzed as a student society

“I’m a Christian but I’m not really into most Christian charities, which seem to think that telling people about God is enough.” of praxis and social responsibility are to the forefront of what Fuller wanted to do and, without shoving Christianity down anyone’s throat, HFH wish to bring that responsibility and awareness to Trinity. Anna sees this as a key to the organisation.

“HFH doesn’t only build houses for Christians or only take Christians on teams; it just does what it does because of Christian principles, if that makes sense. I’m a Christian but I’m not really into most Christian charities, which seem to think that telling people about God is enough. HFH recognises the practical side of things and tries to do something about it.”

There is hope for Anna and Habitat For Humanity; the template is there. As you have probably seen, rarely a week goes by where the arts block isn’t a hive of activity for Trinity’s Vincent de Paul society. One of the most active and successful societies in the college, VdP seems only to prosper. If HFH could even come close to emulating such positive strides, it is difficult to argue

that the world wouldn’t be a slightly better place. Mmmm. That’s good sanctimony.

So what is the problem? Well, HFH have one major obstacle to overcome.

That is the previously mentioned apathy of the average student. A conceited cynicism is what puts the label of sanctimony upon a party (often correctly but sometimes mistakenly).

There is usually only a tiny gap between doing something good for the world and being preachy to an annoying degree.

Unfortunately, that line is only drawn in sand and can be kicked out and redrawn in a completely different position depending on the motivations of the socially lethargic; students in this case.

HFH’s mission is admirable. It is a wonderful cause. That is my personal opinion. I’m not a Christian. I don’t subscribe to what I see as religious mumbo jumbo nor believe in any kind of higher power. What I do believe in is Humanism. To bring that to a terribly basic level, I believe in a principal of soundness. Be sound.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that you should fly straight to Sri Lanka and start building (although I’m sure that would be welcome). When you see HFH on campus, you don’t even have to get the pen and see how they’re getting on. As long as you don’t unduly put the noose of preachy sanctimony around their necks, then that is a good start to observing the principal of soundness, and then, hopefully, Habitat for Humanity can start to build for the world.

Property rights, the simple solution to the Taliban’s authority in Afghanistan Johnathan Wyse Staff Writer THE PERUVIAN economist Hernando de Soto recently addressed the University Philosophical Society here in Trinity. With US forces having begun to express doubt m over whether a policy to damage the opium trade will really hurt the Taliban’s finances,, I asked him whether his work had any relevance to the situation in Afghanistan. m Surprisingly, lessons can be learned from Peru’s experience fighting the drug trade and the ‘Shining Path’ guerilla movement in the early 1990s - a battle in which de Soto’s policy recommendations featured d prominently. In that case, the forces aligned against the government drew their power from an unlikely source.

As principal advisor to the President at the time, de Soto went about creating a system of formalising property rights in Peru. He realised that a major source of income for the Shining Path was their ability to enforce these rights, and arbitratee disputes between individuals. But once the government of Peru established the o necessary institutions, they were able to do so as well.

In many developing countries, property rights are extremely informal. The people in ch a village know who owns what, but not much ate beyond that. This informality can precipitate

d nt disagreements, which a central government ccan find difficult to settle. eir As the government of Peru extended their rrule of law around the nation, their people n no longer found it necessary to house and ssupport the Shining Path. Since the guerillaa g group relied on both financial and popular ssupport, they were forced to respect the p people’s wishes.

The knock-on effects of this included thee eelimination of the drug trade. Now they were ere jjust working for themselves, the citizens o of Peru seemed relatively happy to move o onto legal crops. The government graduallyy eextended its sphere of control. Meanwhile,, llacking their major source of income in thee d lly drug trade, the Shining Path were financially ccrippled and eventually defeated.

The situation sounds very similar to p n post-conflict situations, in the absence of an eeffective rule of law, insurgencies supplant g government in exchange for a fee – all the w y. while, this anarchy is fueled by drug money.

Could the same lessons be applied in A Afghanistan then? The formalisation of p property rights and proper enforcement byy g ete government could make the Taliban obsolete iin the eyes of the many citizens who are ccurrently reliant on them. De Soto argued as m much on his recent visit.

Indeed, President Hamid Karzai of A Afhganistan actually approached the P Peruvian economist a few years ago and a

jjoint summit was held with his think-tank in n P Peru. As it happens, their plan fell through – despite the positive results experienced iin Peru and elsewhere under similar ccircumstances.

It seems to external observers that the ssituation is not exactly similar, though.

T The problem in Afghanistan don’t seem to sstem from the absence of property rights, b but the absence of government to enforce aany order at all. Consider the American m mafias in the 1920s. It didn’t matter if the g government respected property rights or not – they were just powerless to stop Al Capone ne sshaking down some poor business owner for or p protection money. If the government forcess iin Afghanistan weren’t similarly powerless,, eeverything else could follow quite easily.

But de Soto claims that the political eelement changes everything. If Al Capone w was in charge of the Taliban, we would havee a serious problem. But although the Taliban n rroutinely intimidates the citizens of that ccountry, they have to treat their supporterss w with some degree of respect. The Taliban n needs to maintain enough consent and ssupport amongst the populace, or else risk a ssimilar fate to that suffered by Al-Qaeda in IIraq (where a disgruntled population finallyy tturned on them and initiated what became k known as the Sunni Rising).

Thus, if the Afghani government fformalised property rights and went about

eenforcing them for citizens, they could eeat into the Taliban’s base of support.

R Remember that much of the nostalgia for tthe Taliban has its roots in their ability to eenforce the rule of law – something which tthe corrupt government in Kabul has so far ssystematically failed to do.

Will people be averse to the government’s iinvolvement, preferring the Taliban and the m more profitable drug crops? Empirically eelsewhere, they seem not to. But de Soto n notes the costs associated with the drug ttrade – the chance that your son might b be recruited to the insurgency and killed, tthe possibility that your daughter might b be carried off by some mujahideen. Life is eeasier when you earn an honest living.

As noted in the article above, the opium ttrade is not the Taliban’s only source of iincome. But it is a considerable source, and iit’s critically linked to its support amongst tthe population. This plan seems much better tthan taking drug crops from the people by fforce and fostering resentment.

Unfortunately, it relies on the same g government which recently rigged an eelection. If he’s unwilling to respect the d democratic rights, how likely is President H Hamid Karzai to be bothered about rrespecting their property rights? More likely, h he’ll continue to corruptly and poorly govern iin the absence of a credible alternative.

A Another wasted opportunity.

SCIENCE

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

A portrait of the gamer as a young lady

17

IN BRIEF RONAN LYNE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

RABBIT PENIS GIVES HOPE SCIENTISTS HAVE created functional artificial penile erectile tissue that, when transplanted into rabbits who had their penises surgically removed, allowed them to mate with and inseminate females. The corpus cavernoa – spongy erectile tissue – is crucial to the process of erection, and damage can cause erectile dysfunction or Peyronie’s disease (permanent bending of the penis shaft), so this discovery offers hope for future therapies. The penises were created by spraying cells taken from healthy donors over a collagen scaffold, then growing them under specialised conditions. The tissue, when grafted into rabbits that had their penises surgically removed, allowed the rabbits to copulate again with females. The copulations were successful, and 4 out of 12 females were successfully impregnated.

PSYCHIATRY

BOTOX THE BLUES AWAY Joanna McHugh investigates the changing face of gamers in recent times.

Joanna McHugh Staff Writer THE PROFILE of an average video gamer has certainly changed over the years. Twenty years ago, the office worker with a Bill Gates physique waved the flag for archetypal video game culture. Some time later, with the advent of shoot-em-ups, the cliché moved on to the teenaged male gamer, pwning n00bs and LAN-partying. If Nintendo has its way, the newest average Joe Gamer is your mother.

It’s hard to imagine a more difficult marketing coup than this. The movement has been led in part by Dr Kawashima, he of Brain Training fame. A game aimed towards an older market than the gaming norm, Brain Training operates on the premise that the brain is like the body: the more exercise it receives, the more efficient it will become. The game works by estimating one’s ‘brain age’ based on cognitive performance. When this performance improves, one’s brain

age drops. The release of the game was a major selling point for Nintendo’s portable console, the DS, which has become wildly successful in the 40+ age range, particularly with women.

However, is there any truth in Kawashima’s claims? This debate has been raging for the past ten years in cognitive neuroscience research.

Swathes of recent research concludes that consistent playing of video games can induce beneficial changes in the brain, such as improved memory, attention span, spatial reasoning, to name but a few. Video games have even been used as a rehabilitative tool for people recovering from neurological damage. Teenage girls put on a strict diet of Tetris developed a thicker cerebral cortex, which is linked to improved brain efficiency. A recent study even found that playing video games improved visual acuity to a magnitude comparable to that of wearing corrective glasses. Dr Hisao Ishigaki of the Aichi Institute of Technology in Japan has also jumped

Game systems such as Ninendo’s DS and Wii consoles have, in recent years, focused on a much broader demographic than tradtional gamers: something which is evident in their promotional material.

VIDEOGAMES AND VIOLENT CRIMES - A BRIEF HISTORY » June 2003 – two American step brothers, Joshua and William Buckner, aged 14 and 16 respectively, used a rifle to fire at vehicles on Interstate 40 in Tennessee, killing a 45-year-old man and wounding a 19-year-old woman. The two shooters told investigators they had been inspired by Grand Theft Auto III. » June 2003 – 18-year-old American Devin Moore shot and killed two policemen and a dispatcher after grabbing one of the officers’ weapons following an arrest for the possession of a stolen vehicle. At trial, the defense claimed that Moore had been inspired by the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. » October 2004 – a 41-year-old Chinese man named Qiu Chengwei stabbed 26-year-old Zhu Caoyuan to death over a dispute regarding the sale of a virtual weapon the two had jointly won in the game Legend of Mir 3. » December 2007 – a Russian man is beaten to death over an argument in the MMORPG Lineage II. The man was killed when his guild and a rival guild challenged each other to a brawl in the real world. » October 2007 – Daniel Petric, after being banned from playing Halo 3 by his parents, stole his father’s handgun and the confiscated game from a locked box in his parents’ room. He then entered the living room of his house and shot both parents in the head, killing his mother and wounding his father.

on this bandwagon, developing a very popular DS game entitled Sight Training, which claims to improve “visual ability”.

Then again, video games also have a history of bad press. Games such as Silent Hill, Grand Theft Auto, and more recently, the astonishingly gory Manhunt 2 have received media attention due to the amount of violence they contain.

Worried parents have been claiming for years now that the despicable acts that their little darlings are virtually performing in these games are affecting their moral and social development, blurring the line between what’s acceptable in virtual reality and actual reality. A Texan teenager was expelled in 2007 for creating a map of his school in the modifiable game Counter-strike.

This expulsion was in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacres, where student Seung-Chi Ho killed 32 fellow students before committing suicide. Violent video games were also implicated in his actions.

Video games are also blamed for a failure to develop social skills in teens.

The popularity of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) such as “World of Warcraft” has led to worries that the virtualising of social interaction will lead to a decrease in the real thing.

“...the despicable acts that their little darlings are virtually performing in these games are affecting their moral and social development...”

Researchers Ming Liu and Wei Ping recently conducted an analysis of the psychosocial issues related to regular MMOG use, and found that dependence on these games is associated with a preference for a virtual than real social life. Another issue often linked to excessive game use is obesity; this link arises from the fact that increased gaming means decreased time spent exercising. This issue is a complex one, not to be squarely blamed upon the games themselves, but it is apparent that individuals involved in these games do appear to have a higher incidence

“...consistent playing of video games can induce beneficial changes in the brain, such as improved memory, attention span and spatial reasoning...” of social issues than non-players.

Furthermore, it is difficult to see what the relevance of video games is in this argument. Previous generations contained youths less social than others; prior to the advent of video games they would most likely have been known as “bookish”.

The controversy surrounding video games and their apparent benefits and negative attributes may partly be due to a generational gap in knowledge.

Video games are known inside out by children, and often remain a total mystery to parents. Any cautious parent will be wary of the box in the sitting room when they do not know what it contains, particularly with the media frenzies surrounding the more violent games.

However, it may be that with this new advent of games appealing to the older generation, parents will begin to lose their gaming reservations and interact with their children as fellow gamers. It would appear that this is inevitable, since current gamers are future parents. In this generation, it is apparent that games themselves are not the problem; video games undergo censorship, just as movies do.

Surely it would be advisable then to view video games as similar to movies; the medium is not the message and different games offer different experiences. Furthermore, the issues delineated above are common to most other media forms also: obesity and social development were once linked to watching too much TV. Like any medium, video games have the potential to benefit many facets of life, played in moderation. Over time, and in future generations, parents will inevitably become more savvy about their children’s gaming habits, and perhaps embrace the cognitive benefits to be gotten from a reasonable amount of time spent bonding with the Xbox.

OPINION

AN ISSUE that has always been contentious both inside and out of University science departments is that of animal testing, and once again, the time of year has come for animal rights protestors to set up outside College. This raises the question: is it right, or, more appropriately, is it justifiable to use animals for scientific experiments? And to what extent?

As a bioscience student nearing the end of my degree, I find myself struggling with this question. Most of today’s biomedical research does involve the use of animals to

NEUROLOGY

BRAINFREEZE FOR SOLDIERS DARPA, THE unconventional research wing of the US military, is seeking research into a “therapeutic hypothermia device” to cool the brain, to delay the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI accounts for a large percentage of injuries from the War on Terror, and occurs when impact or pressure waves to the head causes the tissues and blood vessels of the brain to stretch and bruise, leading to long-term secondary damage that can take days and even weeks to manifest in cognitive terms. However, by reducing the temperature of the brain, and thus metabolic rate, it may be possible to delay these irreversible secondary effects, and studies in animal models and stroke patients have supported this theory. The device DARPA seek would be deployable on the battlefield, and delay the secondary effects long enough for the patient to be brought to a surgery unit.

TRINITY RESEARCH FIONA NEWELL

Animal testing: a necessary evil?

Karen Williams SS Neuroscience

A PILOT study has shown that Botox may act as an effective antidepressant – by preventing people from frowning or scowling. It has been known for some time that facial expression can influence mood; researchers showed that people who held a pen between their teeth, thus forcing their faces into a “smile,” whilst viewing a cartoon found it funnier than those who didn’t. It is thought that by preventing people from frowning, Botox treatment elevates their mood. The beneficial effects, which have been anecdotally observed by dermatologists for some time, are visible even in patients who do not notice or seek a cosmetic improvement.

some extent; it is a seemingly unavoidable reality. I know that the scientists out there will be quick to say that it is justifiable, albeit not ideal, since the benefits to human health and knowledge are unquestionable. I’m not questioning whether using animals in scientific experiments gets results; it is wellaccepted that it does. However, the lack of any alternative is frustrating and leads to an inevitable ethical dilemma for most people – excluding only those with cold hearts. After speaking to several graduate students and post-doctoral researchers who experiment on animals on a daily basis, the consensus appears to be that “It’s not very nice, but you get used to it,” and “There really is no

adequate alternative at the moment.” I’m unsure as to whether I would want to “get used to it.” I feel conflicting emotions whenever I see animal rights protestors outside College.

On the one hand, their arguments can be quite misguided, and I think it is unfair that the scientists themselves are the ones being targeted. Often the people protesting, upon falling ill, have no problem using drugs that were developed using animal testing, or making use of vaccines.

At the end of the day the scientists are just doing their job and should be able to do it without being personally threatened by protestors. On the other hand, I feel that the protestors constantly challenge the status

quo, and without them, there is little incentive for scientists to find alternative means of experimentation. At a time when everybody is unsure of employment opportunities after graduation, the PhD option is becoming more and more appealing.

As someone who was never really sure what they wanted to do post-degree, I must now weigh up the pros and cons of pursuing a PhD, and one of the major cons in my case would be having to personally use and kill animals in my research, regardless of the possible medical or career advancement to be gained. I don’t think the animal testing moral conundrum is going to solve itself any time soon.

GIVEN THAT over a third of our brain is devoted to processing of information from each of the senses, very little is known about how this ‘multisensory’ information influences what we perceive around us. In the real world, we make perceptual decisions every moment by recognising the things and people around us and knowing where they are located. These decisions are not based on one sensory system alone as all our senses can contribute to these decisions.

Since we maintain a coherent perception of the world around us it is clear that each sense does not work in isolation for the purpose of perception and recognition. The main goal of my research, therefore, is to provide a better understanding of how information is shared across the senses and to elucidate the brain processes involved in the perception of objects, faces and places across the main human sensory systems.

18

BUSINESS & CAREERS

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Brian Lenihan: man of the moment Alex Hamilton and Jason Somerville sit down with the man who holds the country’s immediate future in his hands Alex Hamilton & Jason Somerville THEY SAY in politics that either the times make the man, or the man makes the times. Whatever the truth, the mettle and resolve of a politician is tested during troubled times as he or she tries to outmaneuver oncoming obstacles. Our government has been hit by bad news, sagging public support and a much-maligned economy and everybody is looking to the Minister of Finance, arguably the most important man in the country, to lead us out of recession. This is the unenvied situation in which Mr Brian Lenihan finds himself, and it is one which he is attacking with gusto.

For all that he must be struggling to cope with the weight of the responsibility that this relatively new Minister for Finance finds himself saddled with, he shows no sign of strain when we meet him on a wet and blustery Friday morning in his constituency office.

We are third in line, waiting behind a disgruntled banker and a woman who is having problems with her pension.

As we wait, we share a joke about the fact that adjacent to his office are those of a construction firm and a property company, industries which are hurting inexorably and played a huge part in creating the mess in which we find ourselves.

When our time comes he greets us with a smile and leads us into a tiny office overlooking a sports field. Throughout

being incompatible with in the economic reality that we are faced with. The cost of living in Ireland has gone down by about 7% in the last year and as a result of this “there have to be pay reductions and we have to look at our social welfare costs. We cannot have individuals on the public payroll who are receiving increases,” Mr. Lenihan stated.

Falling prices have also meant that the college registration fee for students, which increased by 67% last year, represents an even greater proportion of disposable income for families. At a time when education has never been so vital to maintain Ireland’s reputation as a

grounds that he didn’t want to give the impression that an increase would be pushed through again. He added that his department “hasn’t actually decided what we’re doing with it this year.” However, it is more likely that such measures will be announced in the Budget which would explain why the Minister is keeping mum.

There are mounting concerns about soon-to-be graduates’ ability to find employment. Indeed, the numbers signing onto the Live Register have more than doubled since the recession hit and there are fears that there will be a resumption of the type of

think isn’t understood is that what we’re doing exactly what is being done in every other country. In other words in the United Kingdom, France, United States it’s not just billions, it’s trillions are being pumped into the banks because they fear that if the banks collapse their whole underlying economy will collapse.” The Minister is unwavering in his view that we need a coordinated international approach to dealing with the immense economic challenges of our times.

And while certain banks have recently been posting record profits, unemployment in some countries is decreasing a n d

“... we’re doing exactly what is being done in every other country.

In other words in the United Kingdom, France, United States it’s not just billions, it’s trillions are being pumped into the banks.”

the Minister seems to be enjoying the controversy and takes delight in wrongfooting his political opponents. our conversation we are taken with his relaxed manner and how he seems to take criticism in his stride. Indeed the Minister seems to be enjoying the controversy and takes delight in wrongfooting his political opponents.

This passion for a good debate is something he no doubt learned during his undergraduate years. A Foundation Scholar and a graduate of Cambridge, he was a keen debater within the walls of Trinity. “The Noble Savage of the Rubrics” (a title given to him by Piranha magazine) recalls his time at Trinity. We exchange pleasantries and anecdotes about the college before delving into its present financial difficulties.

With the eyes of a nation fixed on what will be one of the most aggressive cost saving budgets in our nation’s history, Brian Lenihan will leave no stone left unturned in the search for savings. With €1.3 billion of the expected €4 billion in cuts set to come from the public sector, education will undoubtedly be hit.

The Minister has repeatedly stated that pay cuts are “essential” for the economy to get back on track. In light of this, the Provost’s mooted pay increase, as reported in the last edition of this paper, gains new significance.

Commenting on this report the Minister reaffirmed his views on cuts in the education sector stating that “very bluntly, we all have to take reductions in our pay, especially those on the higher level base.” A commission has already been set up to report on those on pay within the public sector. While Mr. Lenihan could not say for certain whether the review includes the heads of universities also, the Minister has given his word that the matter will be investigated in full.

Indeed, the Minister views pay increases in the current environment as

knowledge e c o n o m y, there is widespread concern amongst the student population that any further increase in the registration fee could push those at the margin out of third level education.

While “conscious of the burden” that has been placed on families, the Minister raised his concerns about the free provision of education.

He pointed to the issue of staff performance when you don’t have the consumer paying. “If the student is making a contribution it does mean that there is far more supervision of staff performance because the students want value for money. If the state pays for everything you have no check on the staff performances in the college.”

Defending his position, the Minister said that he had no “great ambition to fleece students” and pointed to colleges such as Hibernia and Griffith which provide a “full, top class university education” without any public subsidy.

When asked if the registration fee would remain at its existing level, Mr. Lenihan refused to be drawn on the issue. He declined to comment on the

NOTHING BUT THE FACTS 1959: Born in Dublin.

Belvedere student.

Studied law at Trinity and became a Foundation Scholar and graduated with First Class Honours.

Also studied at Cambridge and Kings Inns.

1984: Started lecturing at TCD (commercial and banking law).

1996: Held his first political office when he stood in the Dublin West by-election which was held due to his father’s death, Brian Lenihan Sr. Politics is in his blood. His father held the post of Tainiste, his grandfather was once a TD, his aunt is Mary O’Rourke, and his brother is also a Minister of State.

2002: Appointed Minister of State for Children.

2007: Appointed Minister for Justice 2008: Succeeded Brian Cowen as Minister for Finance. He inherited a rapidly

not getting €150 billion [from the banks in return for taking bad loans off their balance books] you’re being robbed.”

“The view that there are no alternatives is wrong,” he added in closing.

The Minister for Finance raised the issue of his opponents’ alternative proposals. He was very critical of Fine Gael’s alternative of setting up a new ‘good’ bank. Such a plan “wouldn’t provide very much credit to the economy for a long time. It would be in its infancy for the first few years so it’s difficult to see how such a bank could work.” While he didn’t believe this proposal was a credible alternative to NAMA, he did give some consideration

worsening economic situation. Lenihan rolls out spending and public service cuts in the budget. He is later forced to backtrack over issues such as the medical cards. He also announces a deposit guarantee scheme in order to reassure the public and avoid a run on Irish banks.

January 2009: Nationalizes the ailing Anglo-Irish Bank.

March-May 2009: Introduces an emergency budget based on tax increases and cuts in social welfare payments. These measures earn him the nickname “Mr. Austerity” in the Guardian newspaper.

2009-2010: Looks to be a busy period for the Minister. The budget is approaching and he has already indicated that the spending cuts need to be severe. The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) will also be set up.

widespread emigration that forced a talented Irish workforce abroad in the 1980s. Minister Lenihan is adamant that the situation today is very different from what was twenty years ago. “One of the great difficulties with the current world economy position is that every country is in recession. Ireland is not unique.” Back in the 1980s it was a different story with both the US and Britain experiencing a return to high growth. Moreover he is critical of successive governments “of all political colour... [who] postponed the decisions and as a result the country stagnated for a long period of time in the 1980s.” As the Minister puts it, “Ireland was an economic basket case.” He points to the fact that, this time around, Britain and Germany are heading towards contractions of 5-6%, although it must be said that Ireland’s fall of 8% in economic growth is far worse than that in many other countries.

His main fear, and indeed he tells us the it is shared by the whole cabinet, is the inordinate size of those highly qualified workers on job-seekers benefit, or allowance. However, he cites the case of his constituency where many of those who have lost their jobs are seeking unpaid internships in order to get valuable work experience.

The issue of a worldwide recession coupled with the interconnectedness of the world is obviously of primary concern to Mr Lenihan. He speaks passionately about coordination and indeed defends the recent actions of his department. While he acknowledges that students and the people of Ireland alike are often critical when it comes to issues like NAMA, he points to other countries and their actions: “What I

business in many industries is picking up ever so slightly, Mr. Lenihan is quick to remind us that “one swallow doesn’t make a summer”, referring in particular to recent news indicating a decrease in the Live Register figures for the month of October. While other more optimistic analysts such as Chief Economist at Bank of Ireland, Dr. Dan McLaughlin, are trumpeting the end of the global recession, Mr. Lenihan is waiting on a sustained period of growth and lower unemployment; “I wouldn’t call it over… [recent figures] are encouraging but it is too early to tell.”

Furthermore there has been growing criticism over the NAMA

Sean Barrett, Senior Lecturer in Economics at Trinity, denounced NAMA as “a macroeconomic threecard trick to refinance incompetent bankers” legislation. Some of the most damning criticisms have come from his alma mater. Dr Sean Barrett, Senior Lecturer in Economics at Trinity, denounced NAMA as “a macroeconomic three-card trick to refinance incompetent bankers and reflate a property bubble without addressing reform in the property market, banks, or bank regulation.”

Moreover, in a recent debate organised

by Trinity’s Historical Society, Nobel Laureate of economics Joseph Stiglitz slammed NAMA saying that “if you’re

to the Labour party’s suggestion that the state temporarily nationalise the banking sector. So why was it not accepted? He pointed at the difficulty a “vast statutory monopoly of banking services” would have in obtaining credit from international financial markets. He highlights the negative implications that would arise from an absence of competition. “If we did a total nationalisation of the domestically owned banks the signal it would send to the markets is that the Irish banks are essentially in fierce difficulty,” he added.

Beyond the financial implications, the Minister alluded to the fact that at a time when Irish citizens are becoming increasingly disillusioned with their elected representatives’ ability to lead them out of the financial crisis, it would not necessarily be a good idea to extend political control over a huge section of the economy.

With next month’s budget expected to tighten all of our belts, there have been calls for more fiscally expansive measures. In particular David Blanchflower, a former Bank of England policy maker and notorious dove, in a talk hosted by UCD criticised the government’s planned cuts warning that the €4bn in spending cuts “could send the economy over a cliff.”

Mr. Lenihan was quick to respond to what he termed “the David Blanchflowers of this world,” stating that “we have a very fiscally expansive policy here in Ireland already and I think that’s what he’s ignoring.” He warns that if we continue spending the way we do then the fiscal deficit would swell to 15% of GDP next year placing “an unsustainable burden on students, and future generations.”

In these times of recession, everyone wants to weigh in with their opinions, and the Minister and the government have many a critic to counter. But amid all the fuss and debate, it is clear that the Minister is quietly determined to get on with running the country, and ensuring that we reach recovery as soon as possible in a fiscally responsible manner.

One can’t help but admire his calmness and composure amid downbeat spirits and forlorn hopes. He remains absolutely resolute that Ireland is still a good place to do business and points to the buoyancy of Irish exports and to the fact that our balance of payments is on course to for a surplus next year.

Coupled with this, “our workforce is both educated and flexible.”

Given the current crisis, it heartening to see that the Minister still has cause for good cheer; “We have built up a fantastic talent bank of entrepreneurial ability in Ireland the last twenty years.

I see in my own constituency how enterprise-driven it is.

People want to set up businesses, people want to take risks in setting up businesses and that’s there now. There is far more flare in business in Ireland now and that’s why we’re exporting so many services for example.” While the government and the state can point the way out of this quagmire, ultimately our ability to move from recession to prosperity will depend on its citizens’ ability to adapt and innovate under difficult circumstances. If any man can be said to be in touch with this reality it is Mr Lenihan, and we left his office optimistic that he can help Ireland to weather the storm.

BUSINESS & CAREERS

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

19

JOKE OF THE FORTNIGHT Q: Why did God create economists?

A: In order to make weather forecasters look good.

Book Review BOOKS

It’s tough at the top Jason Somerville Business & Careers Editor IN AN industry rife with job losses, deferred aircraft orders and capacity cut backs, Ryanair’s half-year results are a clear indication that this airline is bucking the trend. For the first six months of its financial year to the end of September, Ryanair reported a net profit of €387 million, an 80 percent increase compared with the same period in 2008. It was fed by a 15 percent rise in passenger volumes and a 17 percent drop in yields.

Ryanair’s ability to capitalise on the worst recession in 80 years centres on the company’s ethos of driving costs to a minimum at every opportunity. At the end of 2008, CEO Michael O’Leary took advantage of the downturn and used it to secure a pay freeze for the company’s 7000 plus employees.

There have also been aggressive negotiations with airports to secure lower landing fees. As Ryanair is one of the only airlines expanding at a time when passenger volumes are collapsing throughout Europe, airports have found themselves with little choice but to accept the airlines terms. Those

who resisted have been subject to the wrath of O’Leary’s ruthless bargaining power and highly mobile fleet. Cardiff, Cork, Manchester and Valencia airports refused to lower landing charges and bow to the demands of the airline and consequently Ryanair pulled most of its aircraft from these airports.

These measures contributed to a 27 percent fall in unit costs, with fuel per passenger expenses down 5 percent. However, ‘these results are heavily distorted by a 42 percent fall in fuel costs, which has masked a significant 17 percent decline in average fares,’ warned CEO Michael O’Leary. But why such a cautious tone? And why have investors not been convinced by these results?

A €15 per passenger profit and 18 percent growth in volume should be cause to celebrate. Amid unprecedented yield declines and consumer weakness, the low cost leader continues to be highly profitable while protecting its bullet proof balance sheet of €2.5 billion in gross cash. However, according to Director of Research at Bloxham Stockbrokers Joe Gill ‘consensus remains simply too high. Fading ancillary revenues and built-in unit fuel cost inflation next year demands highly conservative forecasts.’

Indeed, Ryanair have maintained final year

guidance ‘towards low end of €200-300m range.’ Clearly analysts’ expectations have become detached from the facts and this has been built into the share value.

Maintaining this final year profit guidance ‘implies sharp losses in the second half of the year of about €180 million as the company drives yields down by 20%’ added Mr. Gill.

The company has also taken a number of steps to maintain its competitive edge over rivals. The airline is imposing a pay freeze for the next two years and has locked away 50 percent of its fuel requirements for the first half of 2011 at $662 in the first quarter and $741 in second. This will help manage costs into next year by keeping per passenger fuel inflation to about 10 percent.

That said, there still remains a great deal of uncertainty around the future of the airline.

The most critical of these is the company’s plans for future expansion. Already Europe’s biggest budget carrier, Ryanair has plenty of scope to grow in short-haul Europe and having the industries lowest unit costs will secure competitive advantage and profitability on the way through. However the airline has said its negotiations with Boeing on an order for 200 aircraft had not progressed much, adding that it could end its long-standing

relationship with the aircraft maker. If the talks between Boeing and Ryanair collapse it would place serious constraints on the airline’s future growth.

Ryanair’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary added that ‘we [Ryanair] see no point in continuing to grow rapidly in a declining yield environment, where our main aircraft partner is unwilling to play its part in our cost reduction programme.’

Government measures have also proven to be incompatible with this ‘cost reduction plan’ and the airline again called on the Government to scrap what it describes as the ‘stupid’ and ‘misguided’ €10 passenger tax introduced in April.

Ryanair continues to perform strongly in a brutal environment that has forced contraction, closures and emergency funding among its competitors. However given the challenges that remain, profit expectations for this airline are set to remain conservative as yields continue to be negatively impacted by the weakness of sterling. But looking at the bigger picture, if Ryanair and Boeing fail to reach a deal, then we can expect capacity to be capped and yields to stabilise, translating into higher average fares for the consumer.

Social partnership is dead Ciara Smith Staff Writer THERE IS a clear link between our dire financial situation and the growth in the cost of the public sector, and its roots are to be found in social partnership. The original thinking behind the partnership formed in 1987 was simple: unions delivered industrial peace and wage moderation in return for tax cuts and guaranteed pay rises. But what was first created as a sensible vehicle for economic recovery has transformed into a bonanza for the state’s most protected workers.

Richard Bruton of Fine Gael has recently opened up an interesting debate as to whether the social partnership model has departed. It is apparent there is national concern regarding the social partners’ ability to embrace the change that is necessary if we are to face the challenging period ahead.

Perhaps it is time for the government to implement a national recovery plan, abandon the cooperative movement and look into a National Representative Forum (NRF), while it still has the change to take the lead in the drive to recovery.

Last week, business group ISME called for the current Social Partnership process to be

cast aside immediately and instead establish an NRF which would ensure a return to “national long-term competitiveness”. According to the company, the previous beneficial aspects of the early partnership agreements were “cost competitiveness, predictability and industrial peace”. With the unions, IBEC and the government all in disarray, it is quite obvious that the process is now obsolete and that ISME have a valid argument. You would have to wonder if the prolonged existence of the social partnership regime is a result of it being part of an unorthodox system of institutional harmonies, that triggered a spectacular period of economic and employment growth.

Once more, following the Taoiseach’s comments on further spending cuts of €4 billion, the weakness of the partnership model is again in question. Union leaders argued that the solution to the problems affecting the public finances had to involve increases in taxation rather than public sector pay cuts. The Department of Finance must cut its budget deficit substantially for next year and this means it needs sure-fire cash savers, not waffling proposals.

Mr. Cowen has responded by saying: “The Government will engage fully in discussions over coming weeks and will

respond in a considered way to the views put forward by the social partners. However, the Government must take decisions in the context of the forthcoming budget which it believes to be necessary to secure the future of the economy”. It is hard to believe public servants are going to spring forward with magical ways to make the public sector more efficient. Then again, these are the people who received an average special pay award of 8.9% not so long ago for their increasing efficiency- granted by Mr. Cowen himself while he was finance minister.

Unions are whipping up discontent among their members, claiming that they alone are being asked to make sacrifices in the battle to reduce the ballooning budget deficit, now estimated at €22 billion. They are right when they claim that their members are being targeted, but wrong when they argue that this is unfair. It is evident that easiest way for the government to cut spending is to focus on pay cuts, with or without the social partners’ consent.

It is up to the political system to forge a new social contract that would make partnership ultimately worthwhile. Unfortunately it is a complex system with many weaknesses and these weaknesses have been cruelly exposed

by this recession. Ordinary workers and businesses are suffering the brunt of the pain in an uncompetitive economy without the support to help them manage the risks.

Unions attempts to divert attention away from the public sector ignores the fact that Cowen and Brian Lenihan have been trying to soak the rich since the middle of last year. Despite this, they are still no closer to curing our €20 billion-a-year fiscal deficit.

Weak substitutes for wage cuts such as “productivity commitments” just will not suffice. Solutions such as these are a recipe for disaster and would burn up our credibility with the European Union and Central Bank, who are currently paying for Ireland’s fiscal sins.

In the end, it will come back to pay and unpopular decisions will have to be made.

Mr. Cowen and Mr. Lenihan will be forced eventually to do what is necessary: to cut the public sector pay and face the consequences.

It shall be the first truly unpleasant decision they have made since they inherited their seats in Dáil Eireann. As the pressure builds ahead of December’s budget, we will soon find out whether it is the democratically elected government or unaccountable public-service unions who are running this country.

FORTNIGHT IN FIGURES

3000 The number of people who left the dole ques in October

€979M The before tax loss reported by the Bank of Ireland group for the first six months of the year.

6.6%

€2BN

The year-on-year decline in consumer prices in October

The shortfall in tax receipts announced by the Irish Government.

WITH ALL this talk of recession, and the inevitable nostalgia for easier and more prosperous times, it is easy to forget that for many people the ‘business cycle’ is just an empty phrase. Not everyone shares in the wealth generated by higher growth rates; as Barbra Ehrenreich puts it in her book, Going to Extremes: Notes from a Divided Nation, the US has become so unequal that citizens are beginning to occupy two different economies “one for the rich and one for everyone else – and the latter economy has been in a recession, if not a depression for a very long time.”

A prolific author, Ehrenreich has produced over a dozen books which deal primarily with inequality in its various forms. However, two of her more recent offerings take on new significance in the current economic climate.

The first is Going to Extremes, a collection of essays which gives an overview of life in a fractured economy; the second, Bait and Switch, is a first-hand account of the difficulties which middle-class jobseekers experience when they try to re-insert themselves into the corporate jungle. Together these two books provide a clear picture of what life is like for those at the top, middle and bottom rungs of the economic ladder.

Going to Extremes is composed of a series of observations on the growing inequality between rich and poor in the US. Sometimes her articles are triggered by a statistic; sometimes they spring from a news story or an anecdote. But whatever their inspiration, they are always perceptive, thought-provoking and deeply personal.

Although other areas of inequality are invoked, it is the stark contrast between the richest and the poorest in American society that is most striking. Characters leap out us: the temporary lecturer who had to commute to his job every day – from a homeless shelter in Manhattan; Lorraine, a friend of the author, who had no health insurance and found out too late that she had end-stage breast cancer; the Wal-Mart employee who couldn’t afford to buy his uniform on his $7-an-hour wage. The list goes on. Going to Extremes is a catalogue of the social and economic injustices heaped on the working classes by a system which has no real place for them.

And lest we think that the college-educated middles-class has been prospering, Ehrenreich gives us Bait and Switch a darkly comic tale of her quest to find employment in corporate America. The author meets a plethora of career coaches, CV doctors, and motivational speakers all of whom seem more interested in getting the most amount of money out of her than in actually helping her find employment. She also attends various ‘networking’ events with newly- and long-term unemployed people. Some of their stories are truly tragic, and it is unsettling to read about the dark fate of so many college-educated and highly skilled corporate employees who did everything ‘right’ but, in the words of one informant, find themselves “working for $7/hr., having their student loans in perpetual deferment, living at home with their parents, and generally existing in debt which they feel they may never get out of.” At the end of the author’s almost year-long period of job hunting, she was $6000 poorer and all she had to show for her efforts were a jazzed-up résumé and a lone job offer which would have required that she work from home, provide her own materials and – strangely enough for someone who would have been selling it – buy her own health insurance.

If her tales are bleak, her message is simple: whatever the US economic system is, it is not working for millions of people who should be benefiting from it. At times tragic, sometimes sarcastic, always passionate, Ehrenreich relies on humour to get her point across. She is at her funniest when she unleashes her righteous anger on a broad range of targets from scheming HMOs and greedy life-coaches, to incompetent CEOs. Although the situation of many of the people Ehrenreich meets is wretched, the tone of her books is not one of hopelessness. Rather she is highlighting that something is very wrong in the US (and, by extension, across Western developed economies) and that it has been wrong for a very long time. Although some of her proposals are not meant to be taken seriously (for example, that children with no health insurance should take out pet insurance instead and, for a mere $33, they will be covered for minor and major procedures, up to and including chemotherapy), her insights are valuable – particularly at this time. The fact that the world has been going through a global recession means that the status quo has been disturbed. The state of flux will not last but it will last long enough for us to decide what kind of economic system we want in the future.

There has never been a better time for pushing through radical change: conservative special interest groups have been weakened, and more and more people are looking to their governments to provide a solution to the problems with which their economies are confronted.

The American example is a case in point. Ehrenreich’s research was carried out during the Bush years when tax cuts for the rich and increased military spending was the norm. Today, President Obama is pushing a mildly progressive social agenda and may very well succeed in getting his plan for universal healthcare passed. If he does succeed, it will make a huge difference for millions of Americans like the ones described by Ehrenreich.

America is a test case. If radical change to the economic system can be brought about in that most liberal of economies, then it is just possible that it could take root in other developed nations too.

20

TRAVEL

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

LESSONS IN WORLD HISTORY

Chasing the ghosts of war-time past With history books rather than travel guides in hand, Jonathan Cauchi toured the haunts of World War II throughout Europe.

By Jonathan Cauchi Staff Writer WE WERE southeast of Rome, on the edge of the Liri valley, when we spotted the abbey perched atop Monte Cassino.

Some 60 years before, my companion’s grandfather had gone to that very abbey as part of a Canadian tank regiment involved with the Allied invasion of Italy. A genuine Alamo to entrenched Germans, the battle of Monte Cassino was a bitter endeavor that cost the Allies dearly for every foot gained towards the hilltop. The abbey was completely destroyed during the battle; bombed by allied aircraft to prevent German occupation. The monastery was rebuilt after the war and is one of the Catholic Church’s few remaining ecclesial community of monks. Besides familial reasons to visit Cassino, my friend and I are World War II aficionados that have an admiration for those that met Hitler at high noon. If it weren’t for them, we’d all be speaking schnitzel.

Just off the train, my friend and I began to approach the hillside, intent on finding a bus that would ferry us to the monastery. Instead, I suggested ridiculously that we dismiss the quick ride and hoof it up. So there we were,

The Hofbrauhaus is a famous beer hall still serving customers and was the “Cheers” to Hitler’s regular party meetings – apparently where every Nazi knew your name. in the middle of the worst heat wave to hit Europe in recent memory, pounding the asphalt for over two hours towards the hillcrest. But this act of lunacy did have one favorable outcome. We came across several German bunkers buried under thick foliage in the hillside during our assent that we would have otherwise missed.

Even though my primary reason for visiting Cassino was the connection with WWII and visiting the memorials erected there, the abbey itself was more enjoyable than my atheist status cared to admit. Beautifully manicured rose gardens, stunning architecture and artwork held our attention for hours.

But even more remarkable was the breathtaking view of the surrounding Liri valley and the town of Cassino nestled below.

We were blessed with clear weather, so my friend and I relaxed on the steps leading to the entrance to the abbey and watched the approaching sunset through the magnificent archways that encircle the perimeter of the abbey’s atrium. With dusk approaching, we decided it was getting late and left the abbey once again on foot. Already exhausted from the assent, we decided to try our luck hitchhiking to the bottom.

Luckily, a passing driver took pity on us and hesitantly offered us a ride to the train station. But only after I agreed to put my shirt back on my bare, sweatglistened torso.

Our next destination took us to Munich, Germany with the intention of visiting a number of sites related to the rise of the Nazi Political Party. Not one to use The Lonely Planet, I wanted to find an informal guided tour that wasn’t populated with old people and families dragging their tortured kids with them.

The ideal place to look for this ended up being at the Marienplatz – the medieval center of the city and current location of the Munich city hall.

There were a dozen tours advertised for a gaggle of destinations in Munich and around the Bavarian countryside.

Apparently we weren’t the only ones with a morbid fascination because the “Third Reich Tour” offered several daily-walking expeditions of the city.

Our guide led us along the streets towards our first destination and explained that Allied bombing had destroyed the majority of Munich.

The new buildings were designed with a façade intended to mimic the prewar appearance of the city. Despite the degree of bombing, a number of locations survived the war. The former Nazi Party Offices and Hitler’s Munich

St Laurent Cemetary in Normandy, France. Photo: flickr.com/storm-crypt headquarters have been converted into the State University of Music. But you can still see the swastikas inlaid in the ceiling marble. The Hofbrauhaus is a famous beer hall still serving customers and was the “Cheers” to Hitler’s regular party meetings – apparently where every Nazi knew your name. We ended the tour here to raise a stein of beer in sarcastic salute to Hitler and his ghastly compatriots. In a fashion typical to all the beer halls I visited in Munich, there were dozens of brands of German beer to choose from and abundant quantities of roasted haunches of meat that made

my inner carnivore salivate.

Connected with the tour was a trip outside of Munich to the Dachau concentration camp.

The first concentration camp to be opened by the Nazi Party, it was officially described as a camp for “political prisoners” a euphemism akin to such terms as “collateral damage” and “friendly fire”. Although I was well read and had seen numerous documentaries about the atrocities committed during the holocaust I suppose I had convinced myself that death on that kind of scale was a fantasy. When my imaginings of

concentration camps became congruent with the reality that only sensation can provide, Dachau became overwhelming in its moral perversion. Although the continued existence of these camps remains abhorrent to some, I think they serve as a grim warning to the level of cruelty that humanity is capable and offer a glimpse at an infamous historical event.

After the seriousness of this attraction a little levity was in order. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the nightlife in Munich in several other beer halls. I found that Bavarian drinking establishments exhibited all the stereotypes typically applied to Germany complete with polka bands, lederhosen and pigtail-wearing barmaids holding four beer steins in each hand.

After recovering from our hangover, we made our way towards Holland.

My friend again had a personal reason for choosing this location because his grandfather was part of the Canadian force that liberated the Netherlands at the closing of the war. Canadians were principally involved with this aspect of the war and their efforts have earned the undying gratitude of the Dutch. There are several memorials scattered around the Dutch countryside but we were looking for one in particular. A replica of the tank my friend’s grandfather had fought in was supposedly located in a very small town called Ede, located outside of Amsterdam. It took us ages to find the town and memorial – very few people apparently speak English outside of the major cities. My friend suggested that we spend the remainder of the day visiting neighboring towns and villages scattered in the area. I protested at first, wanting to return to the sordid atmosphere of Amsterdam, but I soon found that the small towns had a number of really interesting attractions that I would have otherwise overlooked.

There were several specialty shops that sold a selection of local wines and novel liqueurs, bike rental shops to tour the beautiful countryside and many of the towns are dedicated to selling particular cheeses – Edam is one recognizable example. Having a great fondness for the fermented milk-product, this was

a personal slice of heaven. We also managed to stumble onto a cheese farm in the area and the owner allowed us to see how the different cheese were made and packed into wax encasings. I went a little overboard with how much cheese I purchased foolishly believing that the wax would keep it fresh in the 35 degree heat.

The final stop on our WWII inspired itinerary is considered by many to be the defining moment of the 20th century and the turning point of the war. The Allies landed on the shores of Normandy, France and didn’t slow their momentum until they reached Germany.

Most people book their tours months in advance because of the demand but my friend and I figured we’d just wing it. We got off the train from Paris and managed to find a tour service not far from the train station that would take us to all the places of note around Normandy. We stopped at the Omaha beachhead, one of five of Allied landing beaches used during the D-Day invasion.

The German bunkers and gun batteries that met the Allied soldiers leaving their landing craft still remain on the cliffs at the top of the beach. Following the beaches, we concluded our visit at the Normandy war museum and the beautifully maintained St. Laurent Cemetery. The latter location has been glorified in countless movies but none more poignant than at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. I’m not one for tears but seeing that old soldier break down among the endless row of crosses almost brings down my macho façade every time I see it.

After visiting Cassino, Normandy, Holland and Munich my companion and I managed to momentarily sate our fascination for all things WWII flavored.

There still remains an innumerable of related destinations to visit - the benefits of having an interest in a field so vast. Naturally, war isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I think everyone has a certain appreciation for its historical significance and impact on posterity.

Even the most poorly motivated WWII dabbler can find something to hold their attention for at least a short while. Besides, it’s not like any of these locations are in Timbuktu.

The Silent Generation With the opportunity of a lifetime, Ralph Marnham trailed a famous Chinese journalist on her mission to explore China’s People’s Revolution from the viewpoint of the Chinese people themselves.

By Ralph Marnham Deputy Travel Editor XINRAN XUE first came to prominence in the West with her book The Good Women of China. In this, she recounts her time as a journalist and a radio presenter in her homeland. Words on the Night Breeze became famous around the country for its unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a woman in modern China. She had invited me to follow a film crew around the Chinese countryside for 2 weeks, chronicling survivors’ experiences of the Cultural Revolution instigated by the now infamous Chairman Mao. Before setting off on my first ever trip to China, I had read Jung Chang and John Halliday’s biography of Mao Tse-Tung in which they highlighted the major role that he had played in the famine that caused the death of millions of his countrymen.

With this image of him, firmly engrained in my mind, I was now anxious to meet the people who had suffered under his regime.

I was very warmly greeted at the airport of Tsingtao by Xinran and her son Pan Pan. As we drove into the centre of this busy seaside city, Xinran explained to me in more detail what her project was all about. She told me that due to the destruction of the past wrought by the Cultural Revolution, and ongoing censorship of the media and control of school textbooks, she felt

that China’s younger generations were losing touch with their recent history.

She was working on a compilation of ordinary people’s perspectives and experiences of one of China’s most turbulent periods. After almost twenty years of research she had compiled a list of individuals, each with stories to tell. I was to accompany her on her trip around Nanjing, to witness the stories of this generation.

We flew to Nanjing the next day, a city which was to be our base as we went around the surrounding countryside. I spent several nights there and received unprecedented kindness and hospitality from my new friends. Our first trip took us on a long drive into Nanjing province, through the countryside, to a small town called Laohuzao. As we arrived in the town, the difference in scenery to the city that we had just come from was awe-inspiring. I could have been in a different country. Up to this point, I had only experienced a modernised version of China, with its four star hotels and clean streets. Here, the people were very clearly living in abject poverty and instead of a road, there was a dirt track. We met at the town’s hub, the tea shop, where an elderly gentleman was awaiting our arrival. He was called Mr Wu. As the interview started, I took in my surroundings and what was unveiling in front of my eyes. In front of me was a row of tables with around two dozen

REQUIRED READINGS Mao: The Unknown Story.

By Jung Chang and John Halliday. Published by Vintage (2007) China Witness: Voices from a Silent Generation.

By Xinran. Published by Vintage (2007) The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices.

By Xinran. Published by Vintage (2003)

men, sipping tea and smoking pipes, observing this unusual spectacle. To my left, a rather heated game of what seemed to be dominoes was taking place. As it was the morning of market day, various food sellers were setting up their stalls and displaying an incredible array of fruit and vegetables. As I walked around the market I was struck by the sheer number of people milling around and bargaining for various different products. That night we stayed at the local hotel, after tasting a Laohuzao delicacy, bull’s testicles, at the main restaurant.

The next morning, the old gentleman from the tea shop, Mr Wu, invited us to his house to conduct the second part of the interview. As we walked in through his front door, I immediately caught sight of the shrine that was taking up most of the front room. What surprised me most were the pictures of Mao hanging above it. Was this the same man that I had read about in Jung Chang’s biography? Why, after all that Mao had done, would this man have him hanging up as the main attraction in his house? There are many different answers that one could reach and I would not be rash enough to tackle such a complex question, but it did strike me that the answer would not be as clear cut as I had previously thought. The most interesting part that came out of the interview was how this elderly man seemed to miss the Communist regimes of the past and criticised the current one for going back on its promises and refusing to pay him money that the State had given him years ago. In this household it seemed to me that Mao was still revered as a saint. Although I am not about to embark on a defence of this terrible man, it does seem that at the very least, some of his land reforms managed to make a difference in this town. Another aspect of his rule, which is omitted from the western interpretation, is that he managed to

Mr Wu reflecting on his life during the cultural revolution. Photo by Ralph Marnham unite this vast country, a feat that had never previously been achieved.

The next person that we interviewed was one of the local notables of the communist party (maybe even perhaps the mayor). As Xinran talked to him in his courtyard, I looked up and caught sight of a very tall radio mast jutting out of the roof. After further inquiries I found out that this was the case in every town in China and was their direct link to Beijing. Any party broadcast would be received and distributed into the population through this tower.

Although Xinran did not reveal much that had taken place between herself and this local party member, I found out that he too had been critical of the current government, complaining that his opposition to a main road being built through his village was falling on deaf ears. As we walked through the town I could not help but admire Xinran’s skill in her interaction with the locals.

Everyone seemed to respect and admire her. She seemed to have a radiating kindness that would rub off on others and if there was anyone who could unlock these extraordinary personal accounts of this silent generation, it was her.

Over the next ten days I learned a great deal about the lives of country people in modern China. For example, Fifty years ago, none of this town’s

population was able to read or write.

I learnt about self-censorship; this is deeply rooted in Chinese culture.

It comes from a sense of strong clan consciousness and the concept of guilt by association. Traditionally, a criminal’s family was punished as harshly as the criminal himself. As my host had explained to me, the Chinese people still seem to lack the individual confidence to speak about what they really think, even after the post-Mao reforms. It seemed to Xinran that the fiercest censorship often occurred within individuals, as silence about the past has become a part of Chinese life. I also learnt about some Chinese customs. For instance, instead of making polite conversation by commenting on the weather (as we do in the West), the Chinese would enquire about how much the person earns.

Another example, which emphasises the difference in our customs, is calling an older person very weak and tired.

This is a sign of respect as it shows that they have been working so hard and yet still have the time to spend with others.

I could not help but feel sad as we arrived back in Nanjing. My travels with these extraordinary people ended there. Pan Pan took me round the city’s historical sites; it is probably best known as the place where hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians were slaughtered by invading Japanese

troops. The resentment towards their neighbours can still be felt to this day.

I then took a train to Shanghai, a city which was like a third country. However even there, after a 5 minute walk from one of the most expensive shopping streets, in one of the wealthiest looking cities in the world, one would stumble upon a shanty town.

Although it is very easy to look upon the last 100 years of China through a western lens of Mao’s rise and rule, the experience of this same period for the Chinese themselves has been more complex. Instead of concentrating on a tyrant’s life, Xinran has tried to tell a different kind of story, something that has been forgotten and left out of books such as the most recent biography of Mao. What came out of this incredible experience was how resilient and tough the Chinese people are. The stories of the nations grandparents and great grand-parents were crying out to be told, above all I struggle to think of any other country that is similar to China and its intricate past. As I flew back to Europe, I could only wonder at the generosity and kindness that had been extended towards me during my visit. After all, I could not think of any other country that had survived such a turbulent history and rebuilt itself as an internationally recognised power in such a short time.

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

21

Arsenal Wenger: magical man Kate Rowan Staff Writer HAVING WORKED in primary schools, I have had the privilege of hearing children say some weird and wonderful things out of innocence. One of my favourite remarks was said by an eightyear old boy to a fellow third class pupil in a heated exchange over their packed lunches about the merits of Arsenal versus Manchester United.

The young United fan was winning the argument hands down, until they got on to the subject of managers. His classmate said “Well, they didn’t call Man U after Alex Ferguson but they called Arsenal after Arsenal Wenger!”

I’ve heard several other children over the past few years refer to the Gunners’ manager Arsène Wenger as “Arsenal” Wenger. You can’t really blame them though. The enigmatic Frenchman arrived in North London in 1996, so for those children; Arsenal and Wenger have always been inseparable.

I was only nine myself when Wenger first made his splash in the Premier League. I remember asking my parents if he became Arsenal manager because of his christian name, this was when I learnt what a coincidence was!

It may have been then club vicechairman David Dein that brought Arsène and Arsenal together rather than a linguistic similarity. However, over the past thirteen years, the Strasbourg man has so strongly imprinted his footballing philosophy on the Gunners, that long after he leaves the Emirates Stadium, he will be always thought of when the side are mentioned.

Both the Arsenal and the Premier

League that Wenger came upon in 1996 are very different to today. At that time Arsenal were going through a tough transitional period after Scot George Graham, who had been manager since 1986, was sacked in February 1995 when it was discovered he accepted an illegal payment from an agent. Under caretaker manager Stewart Houston, the Gunners had their worst ever Premiership campaign to date finishing 12th.

Wenger made his entrance on the 30th of September 1996 with cries of “Arsène Who?” from the British tabloids.

Arsenal’s fortunes improved climbing up to fifth under Bruce Ricoh in the 1995/1996 season but he then also departed in controversial circumstances because of an alleged dispute over transfer funds with the club’s hierarchy.

Wenger made his entrance on the 30th of September 1996 with cries of “Arsène Who?” from the British tabloids.

He was a relatively unknown entity in the Premier League after coming from managing Japanese J. League team Nagoya Grampus Eight. Previously he had held the reigns at Nancy and AS Monaco in his homeland.

However the aging defence of Tony

Adams, Lee Dixon, Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn and Martin Keown he inherited were both legendary and infamous. It is a far cry from today’s Arsenal who are most renowned for their posse of attacking starlets.

Upon his arrival Wenger was shocked by the diets and lifestyles of his Arsenal players. The professionals themselves didn’t know what to make of the Alsace native. Famously full back Dixon remarked that his first impression of the new coach was that he reminded him of “A geography teacher”. Perhaps this is where the plethora of metaphors and similes describing Wenger as a professor first originated!

Wenger certainly possesses a dignified professorial air but the best and probably most creative Wenger related metaphor was penned by flamboyant ladies man and recent visitor to our shores Russell Brand when he wrote “ I consider him a mystic, a shaman, an alchemist, speaking from somewhere far behind his inky eyes” in his Guardian football column in 2007.

The comparison between Wenger and an alchemist seems very apt to me.

The medieval scientists-come-magicians tried to transform metals into gold or find an elixir for youth. The Arsenal manager has succeeded with his own particular brand of footballing alchemy.

One just has to look at the amount of young and relatively unknown players who transformed into stars under his keen tutelage f r o m Nicolas Anelka t o

Thierry Henry and nurturing Arsenal academy players such as Ashley Cole to the highest level.

This a fascinating glimpse into Wenger’s formative years, although it would be naive to say that because of that missed opportunity he has dedicated himself to the development of brilliant young footballers.

In his earlier days at Highbury, Wenger was also successful when it came to turning back the years and

extending the careers of his players.

Dixon and Adams were in their thirties while playing under him.

Their manager persuaded them to dramatically change their lifestyles and cut out junk food from their diets in order to add longevity to their careers.

He stood by Adams during his battle with alcoholism and he rewarded Wenger by captaining the side to two Premiership and FA Cup doubles in 1997-1998 and 2001-2002.

Wenger made history with his celebrated “Invincibles” by winning the 2003- 2004 Premier League title without a single loss. They were the first top-flight team to manage this feat since Preston North End in 1888-1889. A year earlier, Wenger had received scathing criticism from the press for saying it was possible Arsenal could go unbeaten in an entire season.

Since reclaiming the FA Cup in 2005, the Gunners have failed to collect any more silver wear.

The move to the Emirates Stadium at the start of the 2006-2007 season was seen as a big upheaval and it looks as if it is only this season that the players seem comfortable on the wider pitch.

It also shows, the influence Wenger has in Arsenal that he made specific design contributions to the new stadium and training ground in Hertfordshire Over the past three seasons despite m u c h praise being

heaped on Wenger and his young side for their attractive attacking mode of play, there has been a slight shadow cast by the lack of trophies and a perceived lack of a mature back bone in the team.

At the start of this season many football “experts” spoke that by May 2010 the mixture of red and blue in the top four Premier League places would be changed with Arsenal’s red most likely to give way to moneyed Manchester City’s sky blue.

North London’s football philosopher has the pundits munching their own words with his side’s tantalizing displays so far this season. Wenger’s side were electrifying against their fiercest rivals and nearest neighbours Tottenham Hotspur in their derby match last month. They had Harry Redknapp’s men “gone in 11 seconds” after two goals from Robin Van Persie and captain Cesc Fàbregas.

Both players seem to be in the form of their lives. The 22- year old Spaniard is the highest scoring Premier League midfielder so far this term with six goals to his name.

Even Ireland’s favourite curmudgeon Eamon Dunphy (who infamously and much to the annoyance of Liam Brady compared Wenger to Basil Fawlty after being knocked out of the 2008 Champions League) is convinced that the young Gunners can go all the way to snatching that elusive first Champions’ League trophy.

Dunphy’s predictions may be just a tad premature but this looks like the season Wenger may just bedazzle all the cynics and may finally prove that you can win playing an exciting and pure form of the game.

Business is a beautiful game Kate Rowan Staff Writer AS WE approach the end of this decade BBC Three commissioned a two-part series entitled “The Noughties… Was that it?” The programme’s gave the top 100 biggest cultural, social, political, technological and sporting influences since 2000.

One entry that caught my attention was about the increased popularity of celebrity endorsed products over the past few years. Notable amongst the vast quantities of fragrances were Kylie Minnogue’s bed linen collection and Katie “Jordan” Price’s line of equestrian ware; for both the rider and horse!

This got me thinking about what will be popular as we enter the next decade, the “teenies” as some are labeling it. I think celebrity endorsed lifestyle products will continue to grow in popularity but most at the moment seemed to be aimed at the female market.

Even David Beckham’s fragrance seems to be a product marketed at to women buy for their boyfriends.

I have a feeling that the “teenies” will see the emergence of lots of products “designed” by male celebrities, particularly sports stars aimed at men.

Out of the current pack of Premier League footballers Rio Ferdinand seems

to be the leading light when it comes to lifestyle products with the launch of his “#5” online magazine earlier this year.

Ferdinand’s magazine is free to subscribe to online and its content a

... the “teenies” will see the emergence of lots of products “designed” by male celebrities, particularly sports stars aimed at men mixture sports, entertainment, fashion and gadgets. Instead of a letter from the editor, there is a video message from the Manchester United centre-back outlining the issue’s highlights. The magazine name is in reference to his shirt number. To spice things up there is a feature where a Playboy or glamour model gives readers tips on what types of gifts to purchase for the lady in their life! “#5” has a highly aspirational tone.

This is very apparent in my favourite section “Gadgets”. I was particularly struck by the £80,000 Audi designed

grand piano and the Nike Jordan portable trainer storage cabinet designed by luxury luggage company Pinel&Pinel at a cool £25,000!

Of course Ferdinand and his editorial team don’t assume everyone is earning Premiership wages so more modest items such as the latest iPod Shuffle are also included.

The fashion section contains a wide selection clothes available from high street retailers such as Topman. This mixture of high end luxury goods and affordable products mirrors the format of many fashion magazines aimed towards a female readership where one can lust after a handbag costing a couple of thousand euro while seeing the latest high street fashions.

I think “#5” will really appeal to teenage boys who dream of the life of a professional footballer as they can catch a glimpse of the perks of that lifestyle and the magazine will also show how they can have their own slice of that world.

Ferdinand seems to be building himself a burgeoning media empire with his White Chalk Music record label and in 2006 he presented a “Punk’d” style prank show “Rio’s World Cup WindUps”. He was in the Ashton Kutcher role playing pranks on England team mates such as Wayne Rooney, David

Beckham and Ashley Cole. However with England manager Fabio Capello adamant to avoid the media circus that followed the England team at the World Cup in Germany, it looks unlikely that there will be a South Africa 2010 edition of the show.

This year Ferdinand and former prank victim and Premiership rival Cole teamed up as executive producers of British gangster film “Dead Man Running” starring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Danny Dyer.

Ferdinand’s recent foray into entertainment and lifestyle products is more than matched by his Italian footballing counterparts. Quite a stir was caused earlier this year when the now retired AC Milan legend and Italy defender Paolo Maldini and the eccentric Atalanta striker Christian Vieri used their fashion label “Sweet Years” to launch their own brand of condoms “Akuel Blues Sweet Years Limited Edition”.

Maldini and Vieri donated all proceeds from the sale of their condoms to a youth sex education project. As a result “Sweet Years” which they founded in 2005 got huge publicity. The brand is hugely popular in former Yugoslav republics such as Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina thanks to the Italian duo going into business with

Serbian international team captain D e j a n Stankovic.

As football has become such an international business d there would be endlesss opportunitiess o for players to ss go into business m with club team mates from all rld over the world he to follow in the of footsteps eri Maldini, Vieri and Stankovi in ose order to expose their products to kets as many markets as possible.

With reports that many professional footballers such as Chelsea’s Frank Lampard lost large sums of money through investments that went wrong during the financial crisis it may be time for their them to start thinking creatively about ways of increasing their already generous

salaries.

The possibilities are endless and could be rather amusing. Players could use this business opportunity to poke fun at themselves and endear themselves to more fans. Imagine if Didier Drogba or Cristiano Ronaldo launched their own range of diving equipment?

SPORTS INTERVIEW John Nash of DUAFC (Dublin University American Football Club) also known as Trinity Football, took time out to answer some questions on the prospects for the team moving forward, where his love of the game came from and what stood out for him after last season’s success.

What do you love about the game of football?

I love the team nature of the sport.

That’s a cliche that’s used a lot when people talk about American Football but its applicable nonetheless. You are only as strong as your weakest player.

One mistake by a player can halt the entire team. However, you can also rely on your team-mates as well to put you in more favourable positions at times on the field. The sport is very fast paced with players relying on pure speed, pure strength or a mix of both which make for some very exciting moments on the field.

What position do you play?

Wide receiver primarily but also cornerback when needed.

A jack of all trades, then?

I guess you could say that. I’m happy to help the team any way I can.

What are your responsibilities on the team?

Wide receivers are routinely involved on offense and there is almost always at least one on the field at any time.

Blocking defenders for teammates and catching the ball from my quarterback are easily the biggest responsibilities for

any wide receiver.

What was the single toughest thing about your first full season with the team?

It’s tough to pick just one thing. I can only call it learning to play my position, wide receiver. Wide receiver is a highly skilled position and it’s very tough to be effective in your first year. People can have an easier time having played rugby or soccer prior, but the position demands some serious practice. Being an effective wide receiver demands concentration on catching the ball which players all the way from high school to the National Football League (NFL) can struggle with and I struggled with it in my first year.

Another underrated aspect to American Football which applies to players on offense somewhat more, is learning the playbook and having a complete understanding of it. To put it simply, it is the terminology required for all players on the team to play together and know what everybody is doing without having to mention every single detail in plain English. A code system is used amongst the players and it can be tough initially to keep track of.

How did the loss to UCD change the attitude of the team?

That loss, we felt, was mostly self inflicted. It gave us a new focus on what we need to do, what we can change and ultimately, propelled us into the rest of our season. Losing can teach you a lot, like in many sports.

What challenges will switching from eight-a-side to eleven-a-side pose for the team and how will they deal with the change?

The main challenge for the team will be adjusting from the developmental league, which used eight players on the field from each team to eleven players, the standard number of players.

The strategy is somewhat different with the three extra players, but the bigger challenge is fulfilling the need of extra players. Being a minority sport in Ireland and with the cost of the sport, recruitment can be difficult. The team has been advertising the opportunity to play during Fresher’s Week for the past two years, often hosts society events, and posts fliers about games often which help with getting the club noticed.

Who is the most valuable player on the team?

Hey I don’t really want to answer this. It was Justin last year and I don’t know what the story is with Hal this

year. Sorry about that, I just don’t want to give an answer. Don’t want to say Hal if he’s not playing this year, don’t know about Justin either. I’m fairly sure Hal is, but better be safe than sorry.

Who is the emotional leader of the team and what makes him the leader he is?

Connor Logue is the leader on defence without a doubt. What makes players become leaders in football is, without a doubt, knowing what everybody is doing, helping to organise people and producing themselves on the field. Once they have the players respect around them, other players will follow them and trust in them. Connor has far more football experience than many of our current players and is like a coach on the field.

Do you see the game growing in college and continuing to prosper in the future?

It’s tough to say. Playing our home games in Santry did not help in publicizing the sport among other Trinity students due to be being so far away. I’d say it will remain similar to previous years until we can get more common exposure.

Are you confident that exposure

will come as the team grows in stature and enhances its reputation on campus?

Definitely. We have a hard working group of guys on the team who put in a lot of extra hours of their time to promote the sport. It’s only going to get bigger.

What would you say to those who are considering taking on a new challenge in the form of American football?

If you want a challenge; if you want to be part of a great team core and if you want to learn the sport; you will not be disappointed. I joined the team having no previous playing experience and not even knowing the players at all prior.

We have great coaches and players that will not turn away people who express an interest in joining the team.

Football demands a lot of time, not only on the field, but in playbook sessions and frequenting the gym is also encouraged.

It takes dedication to make a difference and it’s not easy. However, the rewards are great. No better feeling than making a good play for your team in a game situation. Try it, even if you are only slightly interested. One of the best decisions I made last year.

Is it difficult to devote so much time to the preparatory work that

goes on for the season when you are also studying for your degree? How do you deal with that?

It is difficult for anyone studying in college who also plays sport, particularly one that demands so much time and preparation like football. We are all students of course and as it comes to exam time, the club keeps this in mind so it is not impossible by any means. I always have fun at practice and I use it as a study break and not something that has to be done. So I welcome it. A lot more effective as a study break than TV. What was your best memory from last year with the team?

Too many great memories. Beating UCD in UCD on a Wednesday night in a shutout, then celebrating in their student union bar has to be up there...

Do you have a nickname?

No. I’d welcome one!

John, thank you.

My pleasure.

If you are interested in taking up a new sport at college, why not give American Football a try? Go to americanfootball.tcdlife.ie to find out how you can get involved.

22

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

Anything can happen Frederik Rasmussen Staff Writer FOLLOWING THE NFL, it never ceases to amaze one how quickly things can turn around, and how teams can go unnoticed through early parts of the season, and suddenly emerge as legitimate contenders, while others all of a sudden find themselves in terminal decline.

A team that has surprised a few spectators so far this season is the Cincinnati Bengals, a team revitalized by the return to form of its two most spectacular players: QB Carson Palmer and WR Chad Ochocinco (formerly known as Chad Johnson). After a number of mediocre seasons, Palmer looks to be back to some of his best form. January 8th, 2006 is a forgettable date for Palmer as he went down with a serious, and potentially careerthreatening, injury on the first pass play a first-round playoff game against AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers, after he was tackled below the knee

by Steelers defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen. The Steelers won the game 31-17 and went on to win the Super Bowl. That season Palmer had a stellar individual season, throwing a leaguehigh 32 touchdown passes and leading the league in completion percentage, while leading his team to an 11-5 regular season record. The subsequent seasons have been relatively successful for Palmer as he was named Pro Bowl MVP the season after his injury, but the team has failed to make the playoffs since the 2005 season. Last season was cut short by an elbow injury, playing only 4 games. In 2009 he is on course for another productive season, currently at 14 TD passes, 7 interceptions and almost 2,000 yards of passing.

Another significant reason why the Bengals are currently joint top in the AFC North, posting a 6-2 record, is the rejuvenation of the charismatic, and equally erratic, Chad Ochocinco. From 2002-2007 Ochocinco had receptions for over 1,000 yards until last season when he only had a meager 540 yards in receiving for the season. The pre-season was marked by unrest on the behalf of Ochocinco, publicly declaring that he wanted to leave the team, Subsequently, Ochocinco had his worst season since his rookie year. So far this season he has passed his total in receiving yards

and TD receptions for last season.

The key to the Bengals playoff hopes is keeping Palmer fit and Ochocinco happy. The most surprising element to the revival of the Bengals this season is the performance of the defense. Despite the loss of pass-rusher Antwan Odom to an October Achilles tear, the Bengals currently have the 4th best in the entire league, in points allowed. For a team not known for its defensive capabilities, this is quite an accomplishment. The Bengals will also be hoping that RB Cedric Benson can continue his fantastic form, averaging 104.7 yards per game, as his production will lessen the load on Palmer. The Steelers will give their playoff credentials a stern test in their next game, when the two battle for AFC North supremacy in Pittsburgh. If the Bengals win the game, they will hold a 2-game tiebreaker advantage over the Steelers, and a subsequent 4-0 division mark. So far the Bengals have surpassed expectations, but there can be no letdown in the race for a playoff berth, and possibly a first-round bye.

From a team positively surpassing expectations, to a team finding itself in the opposite category. The New York

Seems all it takes is a bad month, somewhat of an understatement concerning the Giants, especially if you as their defense.

Giants (5-4) have now lost 4 games in a row, and their once fearsome defense, is not a serious concern and threatening to undermine their whole season. It is astonishing how quickly a good season can turn on its head, even if one has grown accustomed to the alarming pace in which things can turn on their head in the NFL. Seems all it takes is a bad month, somewhat of an understatement concerning the Giants, especially if you as their defense. It all started with the blow-out loss at the Saints (8-0) 4 weeks ago, where QB Drew Brees and his offense jumped early, scoring touchdowns on 5 of their 6 first-half possessions, cruising to a 48-27 win.

AIL DIVISION 2 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

TOP 5 GRUDGE MATCHES

5

COWBOYS VS. REDSKINS

THE MOST heated rivalries are usually characterized by the fact that the two teams are division rivals, and this one is no exception. The two teams have hated each other ever since the series began in 1960, and the rivalry has in no way diminished by the fact that both franchises have taken turns in dominating the sport: the Cowboys were a power in the ‘70s and ‘90s, while the Redskins won three Super Bowls in the stretch from 1983-92 under Joe Gibbs. No matter what the standings tell you, this is always a marquee match up.

4

JETS VS. PATRIOTS

THIS WOULD seem to be an extremely lop-sided rivalry if it was purely based on championships and head-to-head wins. Their history involves stealing players, reneging on contracts, tattling to the commissioner, suing their bosses and then playing some football. If this does not have the makings of a rivalry, then what does? It all began when Bill Parcells defected the Jets from the Patriots at the end of the 1996 season to take the job as head coach. After Parcells left in 1999 he made way for Bill Belichick, who turned down the job at the last moment, where after he becomes head coach of the Patriots in 2000. In 2006, Patriots defensive coordinator Mangini leaves to become Jets head coach. Finally, the Jets were the team that reported the Patriots videotaping violations to the NFL in 2007, and ‘Spygate’ became an obsession well into the offseason. No matter what, there is always much at stake in the games between these two.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

MEN’S RUGBY

Team Lansdowne Thomond DLSP Bruff Belfast Harlequins UCD Old Wesley Bective Rangers Corinthians Terenure College Dublin University Malone Old Crescent Highfield Clonakilty Greystones

That horrific loss was followed by a home loss to the Arizona Cardinals (5-3), then a loss to the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) 40-17 that begat that loss to the Saints, and lastly the late meltdown at home to the San Diego Chargers (5-3), which resulted in a 21-20 loss. Everything seems to have gone wrong for the Giants lately, and everything all at once. The feared passrush, led by DE Osi Umenyiora, has seemingly been rendered ineffective.

What is most damaging about this is the fact that the pass-rush was hiding the flaws of the secondary, now without standout safety Kenny Phillips for the rest of the season after only two games. This has gone a long way toward sinking the once-dominant defense of the New York Giants, All of a sudden QB Eli Manning cannot make the big plays when it matters, and RB Brandon Jacobs is not the full-throttle power runner that he is known for. New Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was the man responsible for the success of the defense in the beginning of the season, but is now equally the man to blame, taking the heat mainly for not being Steve Spagnuolo, the previous defensive coordinator and now head coach of the St. Louis Rams (1-7). Of course not all is lost, as the Giants are just a half-game behind the wild-card leading Falcons and division foes Eagles (both 5-3). Clearly, everything is still wide open, but how quickly a team can go from Super Bowl candidate to a playoff question mark.

Week 10 marks the meeting of two of the best teams, not only this year, but also in the last decade. The New England Patriots (6-2) will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts (8-0) in a game that could go a long way to deciding the allocation of first-round byes, and possibly home-field advantage in the playoffs. These two teams, although not in the same division since 2001, have met annually ever since, including 3 times in the playoffs (2003, 2004, 2006 seasons). It is deemed one of the best rivalries in the NFL, and what better way to look into this rivalry by making a list of the top 5 current rivalries in the NFL.

P 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

14/11/09 Dublin University 5/12/09 Corinthians

W 5 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

D 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

L 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 3 4 4

24 – 12 v

F 179 123 125 103 94 124 97 105 90 90 87 60 83 83 44 53

A 49 78 82 95 74 78 102 105 112 94 101 92 120 133 102 123

TB 4 2 1 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

LB 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 3 2 2 0 2 1

Pts 24 17 17 17 15 14 14 13 13 10 7 6 6 6 6 5

LEINSTER DIVISION 2 P 4 4 5 5 4 4

W 4 3 3 2 1 0

14/11/09 Weston 05/12/09 Dublin Univseristy

D 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 2 v

L 0 1 2 3 3 4

F 8 11 9 6 5 5

A 4 3 8 7 9 13

Pts 12 9 9 6 3 0

Dublin University Suttonians

Greystones Dublin University LADIES HOCKEY

ALL IRELAND DIVISION 2N Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Team Old Belvedere City of Derry Cill Dara RFC Belfast Harlequins Portlaoise RFC Makahide RFC Dublin University Cavan Carrickfergus

P 5 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 5

W 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0

D 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1

L 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 4

F 84 98 63 19 110 20 10 8 5

A 45 31 27 25 21 30 53 53 132

Pts 18 14 14 11 7 5 5 4 0

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Railway Union Trinity College Corinthian Hermes Pembroke WanderOld Alexandra Bray UCD Glenanne

25/11/09

3 4 4 3 4 3 5 3 5

Old Alexandra

3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 v

THIS IS neither the longeststanding or fiercest rivalry in the NFL, and the two teams have not been division rivals since 2001. However, this is one of the most eagerly anticipated games in the NFL each year, and they have met at least once a year since they were separated prior to the 2002 season. The reason why this has become such a massive rivalry is due to the fact that seasons have been ended after these games, The Patriots used to own the Colts, winning six straight match-ups, including two playoff showdowns, the AFC championship game in 2003 and the Divisional playoff game the following year. However,

Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Team St Patrick’s CYFC Postal United Dublin University FC Alpine Express Sacred Heart FC Prtmarnock FC Larkview Boys Templeogue United Newbridge Town Swords Celtic Ballyfermot United St James Athletic Fairview CYM

31/10/09

DUAFC

P 12 11 8 9 9 6 9 9 7 10 6 7 5

W 8 6 5 4 4 3 2 1 2 2 2 1 0 2 2

MEN’S TENNIS

LEINSTER DIVISION 1

WOMEN’S RUGBY

2

PATRIOTS VS. COLTS.

the Colts have won four of the last five meetings with New England, including the 2006 AFC championship game when the Colts fought back from a 21-3 halftime deficit. The great games between these two teams are largely down to the fact that the teams sport arguably the two best quarterbacks ever to play the game, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. It is said that the road to the Super Bowl goes through New England or Indianapolis, not literally, but it signifies the caliber of these two teams.

1

BEARS VS. PACKERS

THIS IS the oldest rivalry in the NFL, as the series began all the way back in 1921 when the Chicago Staleys (now the Bears) hammered the Packers 20-0.

These two have met more times than any other football teams (175 times) since their first meeting.

The Bears have had led the series tiebreaker in the past, winning more than half the games, but the Packers have closed the gap in the last decade. Just because of the longevity of the series makes this one of the best rivalries in the NFL, but the Bears and Packers are also the NFL’s two most successful franchises. The two clubs have won a combined 21 championships, including 4 Super Bowls, in the league’s 87 year history. As with many other great NFL rivalries the two teams are division rivals, and face each other twice a year, so there is no let up in the hatred between the two. The addition of QB Jay Cutler to the Bears will only make for an even more intriguing rivalry, as the Packers already have the talented Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

SAT MAJOR 1C

MENS HOCKEY

Team Suttonians Avoca Weston Dublin University Navan Bray

THIS IS one of the most hard-hitting, headsnapping, thrilling rivalries in the NFL today. There is no loveloss between these two division foes. It is the meeting of two of the most physical teams in the league over number of decades.

Since the formation of the AFC North in 2002, the two teams have combined for 7 divisional titles, with the Steelers winning or tying for five divisional titles (as of 2008) and the Ravens taking the other two. A memorable moment from the rivalry was when Ravens LB Terrell Suggs was once quoted as saying that a “bounty” was put out of Steelers WR Hines Ward. The NFL investigated the case, and Suggs was later cleared of any wrongdoing. The rivalry reached new heights when the two teams met in the AFC championship game last year, a game the Steelers won 23-14. The Steelers won all three match-ups that year, all by extremely close margins.

MEN’S SOCCER

Results and fixtures

Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

3

RAVENS VS STEELERS

FLOODLIGHT C2 SC 0 2 2 1 2 1 3 2 4

14 3 7 4 7 2 5 4 4

1 4 12 4 8 4 5 6 16

9 6 6 4 4 4 3 3 3

Trinity College

Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Team Blackrock A Carrickmines B Castleknock B Co Wicklow A Naas B Trinity A

02/11/09 Naas B 2 – 1 Trinity A

D 2 2 3 3 2 2 3 5 2 2 0 2 0

L 2 3 0 2 3 1 4 3 3 6 4 4 5

F 32 31 20 19 15 17 15 21 16 1 5 13 4

A 15 20 8 20 16 10 16 21 19 20 8 22 27

Pts 26 20 18 15 14 11 9 8 8 8 6 5 0

Templeogue United

LADIES TENNIS

FLOODLIGHT C1 SA Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Team Castleknock A Mt Pleasant A Naas A Templeogue A Trinity A Westwood Leop A

27/10/09 Castleknock A 2 – 1 Trinity A

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS November 17, 2009

23

THE COMMENTARY BOX DARE WE STOP LES BLEUS? I WAS sitting in the first floor of the Ussher library trying to get some much needed work done, but the hum of laptops and the crinkling of paper proved too much for me. I simply couldn’t concentrate on my Literary Theory textbook and found my eyes continuously drawn to College Park. It was Wednesday and as most Trinity sports fans should know, Wednesday means soccer. Maybe it was the overt-heated Ussher or the recent memory of lunch in the Pav, but my mind was set off as I watched the game unfold and I was transported through the years to a world of soccer a long time ago, on a television far, far away....

It was a balmy evening during the summer of 1998 in Tuscany and I was sitting down for dinner in a quaint trattoria, overlooking an idyllic, picturesque village amidst the rolling hills. However, my eyes weren’t fixed on the beauty of the scene around me, they were engaged by a small television set, ten feet from our table. This in itself sounds like a philistine’s choice but when the World Cup final comes along, beauty can wait. The excitement of a nation gripped the globe that evening, as two behemoths of international soccer collided in the decider of what had been a riveting competition. It was that night that I, and the world, were re-educated on the art of French football.

The sweeping movements and incredible, pinpoint passes. The flair. The passion and panache that oozed from the team in blue. Brazil were destroyed by a far superior side containing such luminaries as the genius Zidane, the work horse Desailly, the Napoleonic Deschamps and the evergreen Thuram.

There was nothing quite like that match, nothing quite like that team.

Eleven years have changed many things in global soccer and France must now humbly make their way to the World Cup through the play-off system.

Ireland stand in the way of a country who feels that being in the finals is a birthright. Our little island, which has dared to dream for so long about taking the superpowers down and progressing to fulfil our true potential. We, who to stand up to the might of Italy and go unbeaten during the group qualifying, who, in the past, had the tenacity to beat the Dutch and draw with a German team en route to the ultimate stage in international football. It is us, the Irish, who are the last obstacle for France. Or, to put it another way, is France the last obstacle for Ireland?

On paper, this match seems clear cut. Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema and their companions easily outclass their counterparts in green on an individual basis, but scratch the surface and you will find that, as a team, France underperform. The strong line of old through the centre of the pitch is missing for Les Bleus and cohesion is a massive problem. The madcap tactics and decisions of their eccentric manager, Raymond Domenech, also calls into question the strength of a team who are vehemently criticised in their home country. Realistically, I’m not saying that Irish fans should book their flights to Cape Town or Johannesburg now to get lower fares but we must be optimistic about our chances against France. Yes, we may be looking for too much from Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle. Maybe we’ll learn that pressure can’t be piled on John O Shea’s shoulders per Newton metre squared. Maybe, (it’s a long shot) Zinedine Kilbane will shine up the boots and forget his limitations for two nights only. For now however, Ireland dares to dream one more time, standing with bated breath. Suddenly, watching French football in balmy Tuscany seems further away than ever despite the best efforts of the library heating system.

History Society and GAA club help celebrate 125th THE HISTORY Society and the GAA club came together recently to mark the Gaelic Athletic Associations 125th anniversary. The event hosted three time All Ireland winning manager Mickey Harte of Tyrone; Michael Foley deputy sports editor of the Sunday Times and Dr. Arlene Crampsie of the GAA Oral History Project based in Boston College. The occasion afforded Trinity students the chance to quiz one of the most influential figures in the GAA today.

Dr. Crampsie spoke at length about the

GAA Oral History Project, a five year initiative set up by the GAA to examine and document the social history of the GAA and how the organisation has shaped everyday life in many parts of Ireland.

Mike Foley addressed his own personal experience of the GAA as a child growing up in rural Cork and how it shaped his formative years and later his career. Mickey Harte delivered his address to the large assembled crowd, speaking on a range of issues including how the GAA shaped his own

life. He also addressed many of the more prominent issues in the GAA today, namely his thoughts on the growing professionalism within the GAA, the under selling of the Railway Cup competition and the lack of marketing of the GAA to a worldwide market.

The panel then fielded questions from the audience on a range of topics. With well over one hundred people present on the night, many availed of the chance to share a few words with the assembled guests and pick up signed copies of Harte’s autobiography.

student-oriented graphic design

Graphic design by students, for students. (at student prices) Check out our portfolio at

www.fatcatdesign.org Posters/flyers €50 for societies

Reigning champion Kauto Star and his team will be a strong contender against Denaham and Hurrican Fly in 2010. Photo: Charles Fred

Racing ahead to next season Eric Cullinane casts an eager eye over the 2010 ante-post Cheltenham Festival market.

Eric Cullinane Staff Writer AS THE 2009 flat season has drawn to a close, the eyes of the racing fraternity have turned to the fervently anticipated National Hunt season. The Cheltenham Paddypower meeting last weekend echoed this transition from flat to jumps racing and there is no shortage of potential duels which are sure to keep us warm over the winter months.

It may seem a bit early to delve into the great spectacle that is the Cheltenham Festival, March 16th – March 19th 2010, but as ante post markets have already opened it is worth looking at the early prices on offer.

The first race of the famous meeting, the Supreme Novices Hurdles, sees its market completely dominated by one horse. Philip Fenton’s Dunguib proved to be one of last season’s stars when sweeping all before him in the Champion Bumper in March. The manner of his victory, eased down to win by 10l, was visually so impressive that he is now as short as 5/2 for the Supreme. He made a winning debut over hurdles in Galway in October, and at this moment in time he looks a certainty to go off favourite

at Cheltenham. If the Presenting colt can avoid injury throughout the season he may well go off odds-on so an investment in his current odds should be considered.

The most competitive race of the meeting is likely to be the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle. The feature hurdle race of the season was won by Punjabi in 2009 with stable mate and short priced favourite Binocular back in the third. Binoculars defeat proved a costly one for many punters, none more so than myself. However, with an extra year to mature, Nicky Henderson’s stable star will be well primed for this year’s renewal.

Celestial Halo has started this season in excellent style, destroying some decent types at Wincanton recently when defying top weight. It should also be noted that the TrainerJockey combination of Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh should always be respected around the hallowed ground of Cheltenham.

On this side of the water, there will be a strong challenge for this coveted prize. Solwhit, trained by Charles Bynres, ran up a succession of victories last season, including the defeat of the

highly regarded Fiveforthree. Solwhit has undoubted claims on the form he has shown so far in his career but may lack the class and finishing kick to get up the Cheltenham hill.

One horse that definitely does not lack the necessary talent is the Irish trained Hurricane Fly. The Willie Mullins trained colt sits atop of the ante post market at 3/1 and was breathtaking last season in all three of his victories and was unlucky to miss the Cheltenham Festival in 09’ through injury. Being a son of Montjeu, usually a flat sire, he possesses bundles of speed and acceleration but should handle the deviations of the Cheltenham hill. He oozes class and his style of running is not too unlike the great Istabraq, who won this race in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

At this stage it is difficult to separate the aforementioned horses but the immensely talented Hurricane Fly looks the most likely winner at this early stage. One thing that is for certain is that we have a classic Champion Hurdle on our hands.

Another mouth-watering matchup will be evident in the Gold Cup between the fit again Denman and the reigning champion Kauto Star. The latter is

currently the highest rated national hunt horse, and dispelled all notions that he was a spent force when emphatically slamming his rivals by 13l in March. He then established himself as one of the top chasers of his generation but with Denman recovering from a serious heart condition, he may not get things his own way come March. The Paul Nicholls pair dictates the ante-post market and do not represent much value so the Irish trained Cooldine looks a tasty each way option for the Grade 1 race. He was an extremely progressive type last season which culminated in an impressive RSA chase victory at Cheltenham. He will have to improve considerably to match the Nicholls pair but at 12/1, an ante post flutter is worth a look.

More closer to the present, the Betfair Chase takes place this coming weekend at Haydock, a race which may see the seasonal reappearances of Kauto Star, Barbers Shop, Imperial Commander and Madison du Berlais. It is advised to keep a close eye on this race as it will present significant pointers for the coming season, a season of highs and lows, agonies and ecstasies, but undoubtedly one that we can all look forward to.

SPORT

TOP 5 US GRUDGE MATCHES SPORT, P22

MEN’S U20 RUGBY

MATCH STATS

UCD leave Trinity out in the cold » UCD clinch victory by a point with a wellstruck penalty » Cold wet conditions bring wind advantage into play SCORE

UCD TRINITY

5 6

Felix Bolton Staff Writer FRIDAY THE 13th. For some, it’s considered the unluckiest day of the year. Others believe 13 brings them luck.

So when the fixture list read: Trinity vs.

UCD Friday 13th November; Lady Luck could not lie on both sides.

A rain-soaked UCD Bowl played host to the U20s first colours match of the season last Friday night. Trinity players and coaches alike travelled to their Belfield rivals knowing that anything other than a win would leave them tantalisingly close to missing out on qualification for the Super 6. Trinity went into the match with a game in hand over UCD and the importance of getting an advantage over their bitter rivals was stressed from the outset.

Form going into the game told very little as both sides had shown only glimpses of their true potential. Trinity’s previous performances had produced a mixed bag of results. An emphatic thumping of a depleted Wanderers side was followed a fortnight later by a disappointing narrow loss to a strong St Mary’s side. In contrast, UCD disposed of a Barnhall and St Mary’s before suffering a surprise defeat to a revitalised Terenure side.

With the rain pouring down onto the sodden green field, the blustery winter conditions were always going to be a major feature of the game. The contest began with the expected boot to ball approach and despite playing against the wind in the first half, Trinity enjoyed large parts of the opening quarter in the UCD half. Hooker Gary Blackburn connected well with jumpers Connor McDermott and Darragh Kiely in the Trinity lineout which led to dynamic driving mauls. The UCD pack crumbled under constant pressure leading to

Fresher’s squad put in convincing performance TRINITY BLANCHARDSTOWN

UCD TRINITY

6 5

SQUAD

Strong wind and rain was to UCD’s advantage in the end in a tough game. Photo: Emma Fox a penalty opportunity. Fly-Half Paul Galbraith was unable to direct the ball over the black dot, far out on the left hand side.

Mid-way through the first half UCD eventually began to utilize the wind to their advantage. Yet defensively, Trinity never looked under threat of conceding anything more than three points. An infringement at the breakdown led to a second chance at goal for UCD. After missing an earlier kick, UCD Fly-Half broke the deadlock giving his side an important lead.

The remainder of the first half produced some ferocious defending from both sides. The Trinity back-row of Hugh Kelleher, Dominic Gallagher and Jack Dilger were omnipresent at the breakdown and frustrated the UCD pack with their lung-busting efforts.

As the sides sprinted back into the shelter of the changing rooms for a well earned half time break, the score remained 3-0 to the home side. With the wind at their backs in the second

half, Trinity must have felt this game was theirs for the taking. However, as it has been shown time and time before, having the conditions on your side is one thing, utilizing them to win games is quite another.

With 40 minutes left on the clock, Trinity embarked on chipping away at the UCD lead. After countless surges in defence from the tenacious Trinity pack, Centre Peter Finnigan was first to react to a charged down kick, gathering the ball and offloading to the energetic Michael McLoughlin who sprinted clear of the UCD cover defence to the delight of the Trinity Faithful. Galbraith looked likely to have added the extra two point’s wide out on the left touchline until an unpredictable gust of wind shunted the ball just wide.

With the scores locked at 5-3 to Trinity, the boys in red and black looked set to achieve a well earned away victory.

Yet in the end, poor discipline combined with an inability to convert territory into points, gave UCD a last gasp chance to

strike a penalty from 40m out. Fullback Terry Jones stepped up and thumped the ball over to break Trinity hearts.

A shrill blast of the referees whistle called an end to the contest with UCD winning by a single point 6-5. Despite Trinity team feeling somewhat hard done by, the margins of winning and losing at this level often come down to fortune. Perhaps the number 13 on this occasion favoured UCD. The beauty of this sport is that it gives the defeated and disheartened an instant opportunity of redemption with the format of the weekly fixture.

This weekend, Trinity look to get their campaign back on the road with a tough away test against Terenure.

In what is essentially an all or nothing match this weekend, now Trinity must learn from the disappointments of the last few weeks and improve in order to fulfil their undoubted potential.

1. IAN HIRST 2. GARY BLACKBURN 3. IVAN CAMPBELL 4. DARRAGH KIELY 5. CONNOR MCDERMOTT 6. HUGH KELLEHER 7. DOMINIC GALLAGHER 8. JACK DILGER 9. MICHAEL MCLOUGHLIN 10. PAUL GALBRAITH (C) 11. NIYI ADEOLUKAN 12. ROB CRUESS-CALLAGHAN 13. PETER FINNIGAN 14. ARIEL ROBLES 15. JAMES O’DONOGHUE 16. DEREK WHISTON 17. PAUL MCFEELY 18. MAX WATERS 19. BRENDAN O’CONNELL 20. DYLAN GREEN 21. HOWARD JONES 22. COLM BRADY

MEN’S RUGBY

MEN’S GAA

SCORE

SCORE

4–16 0–06

Shane Finn Staff Writer SANTRY PLAYED host to a Blanchardstown side looking to inflict defeat on the out of form Trinity.

With relegation looming large for the Trinity Freshers, a win was essential to keep them in contention for safety.

Blanchardstown have started their campagn well so Trinity knew they had a battle on their hands.

Both teams started well with an early exchange of points. Tomas Corrigan and David Carolan both on target for Trinity. The game soon began to tilt in the home side’s favour with two quickfire goals from Corrigan and Carolan and points from Senan Coughlan, and Cormac McMahon. The Trinity midfield combination of Ryan Craig and James Bingham asserted their control on the

game, and with Adian O’Halloran quick to pick up breaks the Blanchardstown forwards quickly became deprived of the ball. Trinity finished the half well with a spree of scores with Andy Anston, Coughlan, and the impressive Corrigan.

The second half began much the same as the first left off with the Trinity backs continuing to control the Blanchardstown forwards. The midfield held posession well and supplied the forwards with quality passses, allowing them to score with ease. Carolan added another well taken goal to his tally, while Coughlan and Corrigan added two points a piece. Blanchardstown heads dropped and the game slowly began to deteroriate.

A cracking goal from twenty yards and two well taken points from Corrigan marked the end of a good win for the Trinity Freshers.

Best for Trinity was Tomas Corrigan, David Carolan, Senan Coughlan and Adian O’Halloran.

Seniors back on form following clear win against Greystones SCORE

TRINITY GREYSTONES

28 12

Paul Galbraith College Sport Editor TRINITY PLAYED host to Greystones last Saturday afternoon at a wet and windy Santry. The students came into the game knowing nothing less than a victory would suffice after narrowly missing out on a number of close games.

Losing bonus points were all the students had to show for their efforts in previous performances. Captain Jonny Ilif explained, “We feel as though we have been unlucky at times so far this season, but this is rugby, and our match against Greystones today is a huge opportunity to get our campaign back on track”.

Trinity began the game in a dominant

fashion, displaying energy and intensity from the kick-off. Trinity Fly-Half David Joyce nudged his side deep into the Greystones 22. Wave after wave of Trinity pressure eventually lead to a penalty 5m from the Greystones line. Choosing to go for the corner rather than the posts may have raised a few eyebrows, but a solid catch and drive from the Trinity pack resulted in 5 points from Mark Murdock. The conversion was narrowly missed from the boot of Joyce.

Off the restart, Trinity regained possession. A hanging box kick from Trinity Scrum-half Sam Bell was collected by the electric Neil Hanratty and the pressure began to mount once more. A number of phases later, Ilif slipped through the Greystones defence to run under the posts giving Trinity their second try of the day. Joyce added the extras to give his side a 12 point lead.

Just before the half time break, a poor Trinity kick chase gave Greystones an opportunity to get back into the game.

An individual try from the Greystones fullback was followed by a successful conversion attempt. The sides went in at the break with the scores fixed at 12-7.

The second half saw Trinity regaining territorial dominance. Crucially the students converted this territory into points with Joyce kicking a straight forward penalty from the 22 to increase their lead to 8 points. Trinity continued to keep the scoreboard ticking with two more penalties from the boot of Joyce following ill-discipline at the breakdown from a discouraged Greystones pack.

With the game not out of Greystones hands, Trinity felt the next score would be pivotal. Following a series of dynamic surges from second row Scot Lavalla and prop forward James Gethings, Trinity earned a penalty on the Greystones 10m

line. Captain Ilif chose again to opt for the lineout option rather than three points, and for a second time proved successful with centre Conor Mills crashing over.

Joyce added the conversion to make the score 28-7.

Pushing for a late bonus point, the students embarked on running the ball from deep inside their 22. Aggressive Greystones defence resulted in a turnover. Clinical running from the Greystones winger led to a second try of the day for the visitors. The unsuccessful conversion attempt meant the score at the end of the game read Trinity 28 Greystones 12.

The morale boosting victory is timely for the students. The annual tour to Oxford this weekend will further test this teams capability and provide coach Smeeth with another opportunity to improve on Saturdays performance.