Volume XIX - Issue Six

the

University Observer

Features:

Comment:

Sport:

BROADENING HORIZONS

JUST ANOTHER BOYS’ CLUB

PLAYING HEAD GAMES

We ask whether Irish students are better off looking overseas for postgraduate options

Misogyny in the counter-cultural sphere

Kevin Beirne looks at the long-term effects of the more physical sports on show

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UCD students campaign for condemnation of the assault on Gaza

by BRÓNAGH CARVILL

UCD Students’ Union International Student Co-ordinator Karl Gill has strongly condemned ‘Operation Pillar of Cloud’, Israel’s recent assault on Gaza, which began on November 8th 2012. The campaign calls students to sign a petition demanding that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore, denounce these attacks. Gill also calls for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador from Ireland.

The petition comes alongside a call from Amnesty UCD for the United Nations to employ an international arms embargo and the immediate deployment of international monitors. They held an event last Thursday, November 22nd, at which a full list of the fatalities from both sides of the conflict were read, and a Gaza flag was hoisted on the flagpoles at the front gates of UCD for a number of minutes.

Gill says he considers this action “urgent” because “there have been talks of a ground invasion in Gaza, and for the last two weeks, Gaza has come under heavy rocket fire. The massive escalation of killings in the Gaza strip has led to the deaths of at least 125 innocent people.”

As well as the petition and Amnesty UCD’s efforts, Gill plans to bring a motion forward at the next UCDSU Council to call on the SU to condemn the attack. This motion will be voted on by the members of Council to determine whether or not the SU will take such an action.

The petition has been initiated in response to a statement made by Eamon Gilmore that indicated, according to Gill, that “the fault lies partially with the Palestinians.” The petition recognises that this attack isn’t a “conflict of two evils. Rather it’s a slaughter of innocent people.”

Gill states that: “The people of Gaza, and their democratically elected government [the Hamas party], have every right to resist these attacks and their on-going oppression.” Israel has been quick to justify their assault on Gaza as a response to Hamas aggression, but Gill notes that this justification is “rubbish…in the context of continued occupation.”

“Ireland is in the unique position where we just won a seat at the UN Council of Human Rights’ and will have the Presidency of the EU in January which again will give us another opportunity to raise this at an international level,” says Gill.

Gill also calls for the boycott of Israeli goods “as a way of showing international opposition to the actions of Israel.” He suggests that we follow the Students’ Unions in the UK and US who “have already passed motions in support of boycott campaigns. Concerned students should put motions into Students’ Unions to oppose this assault on human rights,” adding that he is in the process of doing so at the moment.

Signatures to the petition calling Gilmore to condemn Israel’s attacks will be collected at stalls in the UCD Student Centre over the next few weeks.

USI and UCD Students’ Union marching against cuts last Saturday in the anti-austerity march in Dublin.

Welfare Fund applications fast-tracked as SUSI delays continue by aoife valentine · deputy editor

As a result of the delays in processing the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant applications, there has been an “unprecedented rise” in the number of applications to the Student Welfare Fund, according to Students’ Union Welfare Officer Mícheál Gallagher.

The Student Welfare Fund is an emergency fund, designed for students who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of unforeseen circumstances such as illness, bereavement in the family, or sudden and unexpected unemployment.

The Student Welfare Fund committee and Dr Martin Butler, the VicePresident for Students, have decided students experiencing financial difficulties arising as a result of the delays in SUSI grant payments can now apply for the Student Welfare Fund, as “UCD is very concerned by the hardship caused.”

Applications made as a result of the

SUSI delays will be “fast-tracked” according to Gallagher, “to make sure students aren’t stressed financially during the most critical point of the year: exam time.” This money will be paid in the same manner as all Student Welfare Fund grants, and students will not be expected to pay back the money to the Fund once their SUSI grant payment is processed.

This decision was taken when those in charge of the SUSI system admitted that though they hope to have the majority of the applications processed and paid by the end of the year, a large number of them will be left unpaid into the New Year. Gallagher explained: “Several government ministers have already indicated now, including Minister Quinn, that a high number of SUSI applications won’t be processed until January… This money is for the students because they are experiencing direct financial hardship at the moment and it’s designed to help them get through their exams.”

As well as fast-tracking Welfare

Fund payments, the decision has been taken to reintroduce the Student Assistance Fund, which wasn’t due to run this year as there was no chairperson for the committee and there was a delay in allocating the money for the fund from the European Social Fund (ESF).

The money has, up until now, been administered through the Welfare Fund, however, this only allows for unexpected hardship.

This proved a problem for the committee who are now allocating a portion of the ESF money to a means-tested Student Assistance Fund. Gallagher explained: “We decided that the distinction needed to be brought back in because there are a lot of students who are facing hardship, not because of any unexpected circumstances. There was a need for a fund that’s there to assist students who are experiencing financial hardship just due to a direct reflection of their current economic situation; so expectedly having no money.”

The Student Assistance Fund will be operating and accepting applica-

tions from this week, with the information about the fund being circulated through an all-student email from Dr Butler as soon as applications open. It will be administered online, with applications being submitted through SIS Web, as has been the case for the last number of years. This is in contrast to the Welfare Fund, which accepts applications via the Welfare Officer.

UCD Students’ Union will be running a campaign in the first week of the second semester to help students learn to cope with financial strain, and to assist them in budgeting upon receiving their overdue grant payment in one single payment. Gallagher commented: “It’ll include a cheap lifestyle guide on how to spend money sensibly … Also we’re inviting MABS (Money, Advice and Budgeting Services) in to do workshops for these students who are getting their SUSI grants in one unexpected payment.”

USI maintain pressure on government over contribution charge

by YVANNE KENNEDY · Chief reporter

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and UCDSU joined an anti-austerity march held over the weekend in Dublin. The march was organised by the Dublin Council of Trade Unions in association with a number of anti-austerity groups. USI attended the protest as part of the education block, calling once again, for an end to the contribution charge increases and grant cuts.

USI and affiliated Students’ Unions attended the march as part of the ongoing ‘Fed Up? Stand Up’ campaign, which was the incentive behind the recent UCD/IADT march to the constituency offices of Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore. Students have called on Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, to

maintain the grant at its current level and to freeze planned increases in college fees.

USI President John Logue said that the students joined the protest “in solidarity with other sections of society who have been targeted unjustly by this government.” The USI is “calling on the Government to exhaust all saving measures before targeting students again.”

These demonstrations are part of a comprehensive pre-Budget campaign strategy. USI officers have been travelling the country for the past month to engage with students at events, from class rep training to public meetings.

They’re hoping to attract as much attention from both the media and politicians with the aim of getting as many

constituents and consequently TDs on board before Budget Day. The USI is confident that “the Government, and the Department of Education in particular, have monitored this campaign very closely” and Logue has met with the Minister for Education, as well as numerous TDs and Senators to discuss the issues he feels are at the heart of this campaign. USI were also in a position to prevent pre-Budget submissions to Government TDs at their annual Oireachtas lobby.

Further regional protests are scheduled to take place in Letterkenny, Waterford, Castlebar, Tralee and Carlow.

These protests will run right up to Budget Day to encourage as many students as possible to come out in support of the campaign.

Logue believes that “Labour TDs must ask themselves what they’re achieving in Government. Prior to the General Election, the Tanaiste said that third level fees were a ‘red line issue’ for his party. Yet now, Minister Quinn is acting recklessly with the lives of students.”

However, he believes that it’s not just Labour that must question their role in the fees and grants debacle. He says that “we as a people need to examine what it is we want from our education system.” He sees it as a question between “equality and fairness” and a “family’s means” being the guiding principles in access to education and hopes that we as a country stay on track with the former instead of “veering” towards the latter.

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The University Observer | 27 November 2012

News Plans Graduate Bursary Scheme to be introduced in Brief by jack walsh · Chief reporter

by jack walsh · Chief reporter

Trinity’s Gender Equality Society banned from marching on abortion The Central Societies Committee (CSC) halted all political advocacy activity by the Dublin University Gender Equality Society (DUGES).

The instruction, made over the weekend by the CSC, led to DUGES pulling out of the march in memory of Savita Halppanavar on Saturday.

The move comes after a DUGES representative group attended both the Wednesday night vigil for Halappanavar at the Dáil, and last month’s March for Choice.

Society chair Polly Dennison has stated that CSC was “cracking down” on the abortion issue. Further communication at the end of the week and weekend led DUGES to postpone all campaigning, including their engagement with the “Don’t Be That Guy Campaign”.

CSC secretary David Doyle said that the CSC had stated “that DUGES may advertise marches to its members” and that members, as individuals, “may attend such marches under the DUGES banner.” He confirmed, however, that the society may not “espouse a corporate opinion” on a political issue.

TCDSU does not currently have a mandate advocating a position on reproductive rights, although it does have a schedule ten, long-term policy about providing information on abortion.

Robbery at DCU bookstore Two men escaped with a sum of money following an armed robbery of a cash-in transit van outside a Hodges Figgis bookstore in DCU on Thursday afternoon, November 22nd.

Gardai have opened investigations into the robbery in which at least one of the men were armed and resulting with €1,000 in cash being stolen.

“A woman came running into the shop…saying ‘Has anybody taken security because there’s a robbery happening outside right now?’” an employee of the book store told DCU FM. The armed man is reported to have screamed “Shoot him” to his accomplice.

The incident occurred at around 1.45pm as shop takings were being moved from the campus bookshop to a secure cash-in-transit van, the bookshop confirmed.

No one is reported as having been injured. Gardaí and DCU security arrived on the scene shortly after the robbery occurred. Special Branch Gardaí are investigating the incident.

Bill Clinton presents UL students with scholarships Former U.S President Bill Clinton was invited to Limerick by businessman JP McManus as guest of honour at the All Ireland Scholarship Awards, where he presented 125 students from across Ireland with bursaries worth €6,750 for each year of their studies, sponsored by McManus.

Among the VIP guests were businessmen Denis O’Brien and Dermot Desmond; chairperson of the American Ireland Fund Loretta Brennan Glucksman; Northern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning Dr Stephen Farry; and Northern Ireland Minister for Education John O’Dowd.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan was also present, along with Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan, Fianna Fail Deputy Willie O’Dea, Dr. Martin McAleese, and Don Barry, President of the University of Limerick.

During his speech, Clinton recalled how he was a scholarship recipient himself, which he said had enabled him to study at Oxford and Yale universities. Clinton reminded the recipients that recession will come and go, but their education will endure, adding: “Nobody ever got anywhere by expecting tomorrow to be like yesterday.”

UCD Students’ Union Education Officer Shane Comer has announced his intentions to bring in a graduate bursary scheme for postgraduate students wishing to study at UCD. The scheme is in its infancy stage and is based on an existing model used by University College Cork. The Bursary would be expected in the region of €1,000-2,000 per successful applicant.

Comer described the origins of the project: “The idea with the UCC model is that any student in receipt of a higher education grant as an undergraduate becomes eligible for this, and what UCC does is, they don’t cover the fees but they do provide funds, either €2,000 or €3,000. There is all different criteria that the student must qualify for, and so what I have been doing is to try bring something like that into UCD, for the main reason that the postgraduate grant was abolished in the last budget, and UCD has seen a drop off of 17% in graduates this year compared to last year”.

Comer envisages the scheme operating with a committee established to assess each application as it comes in.

They will look for information such as if they have been in receipt of a grant previously, and their GPA from their undergraduate years.

A similar scheme was trialled in UCD’s School of History at the start of this year, however this scheme has now ceased to exist due to low application numbers. Comer believes that the scheme will be more successful when applied to a wider section of the University, though.

In relation to how much would be offered by the bursary, Comer stated: “First of all the intention is that they wouldn’t have to pay the money back.

Second of all, due to all the figures, this is where the tough part comes in looking for funding for it. So I have looked in various places for it, in the University itself, to the alumni foundation, so depending on what is established, the funding may vary. I will be looking for between €1,000-2,000.”

Concerning plans to implement the scheme, Comer is reluctant to set a date until a committee is established and funding is secure: “At this stage I need to find a collection of individuals who could take this task on and it is a tough thing to try and establish a new scheme like this. Being very hopeful, I would hopefully have it place for September of next year, or at the very least, have it in place for September of the year after next with my successor carrying it on, just to have the wheels in motion as this isn’t something that will not be done overnight.”

UCDSU and An Cumann Gaelach launch beginner Irish classes by sylvester phelan

UCD Students’ Union, in conjunction with An Cumann Gaelach, have begun running Irish classes for beginners and those wishing to learn the basics of the Irish language. These classes, still in their early stages, commenced on Tuesday November 20th in the Red Room of the new Student Centre.

Classes will be taught in an informal manner to teach Irish to those who wish to learn it or improve their knowledge of it in an enjoyable and relaxed

manner. According to UCDSU Irish Language Convenor Gabhán Ó Briain, the manner of teaching will be “in an informal manner, to stand up and say ‘Dia dhuit,’which means hello, and ‘Conas atá tú?’, meaning how are you. [We will] go through it to get them all more comfortable, then at the end of class have tea, a couple of biscuits and give them the chance to speak Irish to each other and get used to it.”

These classes will be specially run for beginners of Irish and those with little or no knowledge of the language.

“There are activities and events al-

ready taking place for more advanced speakers of Irish, so this is more aimed for beginners so they can have a chance to speak Irish for the first time and get to learn a bit of Gaeilge,” said Ó Briain.

According to Ó Briain, practical and realistic goals and objectives have been laid down for the classes. While not expecting fluent Irish speakers emerging from the classes, Ó Briain is optimistic for the course stating: “What will happen is that they’ll have a few phrases.

They’ll be more comfortable speaking the language, they’ll be more comfortable being able to say ‘Conas atá tú?

Dia dhuit. Cad is ainm duit?’ Just the basic principles of Irish so that people are more comfortable speaking it. That would be the main objective.” More information will become available about the classes in semester two.

Discussions will be held between Ó Briain, Aongais O Briain from the Campaigns Crew and the Reachtaire [Auditor] of An Cumann Gaelach, Shane O hAongaise, to decide whether there will be another class before the Christmas break. Classes are scheduled to resume next semester and will continue to be held in the Student Centre.

celebration of student endeavour, and contribution, and honourship... I’m very happy to have it. It’s great. It’s six

years in the works so happy days, done and dusted. Now the next part, the fun part.”

Taoiseach to officially open new Student Centre by emer sugrue · editor

The new Student Centre is set to officially open Thursday in a ceremony headed by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

Kenny is due to arrive in UCD at 11am on November 27th for a short tour of the Student Centre, followed by the opening ceremony which will involve speeches from the Taoiseach, UCD President Dr Hugh Brady, Vice President for Students Martin Butler and the Chair of the Governing Authority of UCD, Dermot Gallagher.

The new Student Centre has been open and available to students since August this year, however the official opening was delayed so the Taoiseach Enda Kenny could be available for the ceremony. Student Centre Manager Dominic O’Keeffe said about the timing of the ceremony: “We were dictated by the Taoiseach’s Office. The request

would have been made about a year ago so you’re just given a date. We looked for a date; we had a date sometime in early October, I think we had a fixture window in the first two weeks of October, but this is the date he came back with. So what do we do, tell him ‘No we don’t want you now’? You’re just given a date, that’s all it is.”

Part of the Taoiseach’s tour of the Student Centre will include an introduction to many students who are involved in UCD’s extracurricular life, with introductions to Auditors from the most active societies including L&H, Dramsoc, Music Soc, the LGBT Society and more, in addition to Sports Club Captains and representatives from UCD’s student media outlets.

O’Keeffe explained that the Taoiseach will meet mostly students on his tour rather than staff, as the life of Student Centre is down to the activities of student clubs, societies and teams: “It’s a

Stands cleared to be reinstated in Arts Block by daniel keenan · News editor

The re-introduction of stands for Students’ Union and other societies’ activities in the Newman Building is

expected this week. The stands had previously been banned in the Arts Block after construction last year led to Building and Services declaring them unsafe.

“Last year they redid the Arts block, they put fire doors everywhere, and with that the Safety Office barred the use of any stands in the Arts Block, and any student activities in the building with any tables, and barred the handing out of materials because it was supposedly a fire hazard,” said UCDSU Arts Convenor, Declan Clear. “[They said] the building had too many students and not enough space, and that it was unsafe. The reasons, in my opinion, weren’t very fair.”

With the removal of permission to set up tables and stands, Clear says that societies struggled to stage any activities in the Arts Block, citing class rep recruitment as particularly problematic.

“We started to lobby Services to get stands in the Arts Block so we could do tea mornings for students,” says Clear, who said it required long negotiations with Buildings and Services, as well as the support from the Vice-Principals of Arts, to have the permission to set up stands re-instated.

“Eventually they conceded and so we got permission to set up tables in the SUAS area of the Arts Block… Hopefully this week we’re going to be able to have a free tea session for Arts students in the Arts Block.”

Clear cites the lack of activity in the Arts Block as the reason events like this are important, with the Newman Building having seen the closure of The Trap, as well as the moving of the DramSoc theatre and society offices to the new Student Centre.

The Arts Block also has a public seating problem, with only 245 seats for the approximate 8,000 people who pass through daily, and with the new Student Centre on the opposite side of campus, Clear hopes that activities at the stalls will “bring a bit of life back into the building.”

Clear plans to have a free tea session in the Arts Block this week, something he says he will carry forward into semester two, along with a Book Appeal, where donated books will be sold, and the profits given to charity.

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

NEWS

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International

SUSI delays slammed as “shambolic” by Education News Officer as payments deferred until January in Brief

byseano’grady· deputynewseditor

by robert dunne

Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn last week stated that a number of Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grants will not be paid until the New Year. This comes just a week after both Quinn and Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that all grants which had been delayed as a result of the problems with the SUSI system would be in students’ bank accounts by Christmas.

UCD Students’ Union Education Officer Shane Comer has described the situation as “absolutely shambolic”, stating that this is “just another nail in the coffin of Ruairi Quinn’s standing among students.”

Comer said that the main reason given to students for the delays is students’ failure to include the proper documentation in their application, however he does not believe that this is the real problem. “I’ve had many students who said they sent the full documentation and been asked to send more when there’s nothing left to send. So I don’t think it’s fair of SUSI to put the blame with students. I do believe it’s mainly the inaction of SUSI and the Minister of Education that has led to the prob-

lems with SUSI.” The Minister for Education has admitted that the SUSI office is understaffed and while originally he had provided 20 extra staff, this has now been upped to 50 additional staff, but Comer stated that this is still not enough. “Unfortunately from what’s been said by Quinn and An Taoiseach, what they’re tying to do is look for a quick fix.

They’ve admitted they failed, they’ve admitted the system failed, but apologising isn’t going to do anything, it isn’t going to help students who can’t afford to eat, who can’t afford rent, who can’t afford necessary textbooks. The additional staff is only a stopgap measure.”

Quinn also stated that he would “be constantly monitoring that and monitoring the volume of processing that is taking place”. Within the past week 2000 applications were processed, however this would not be sufficient to clear the blockage before Christmas.

Only 400 grant payments have been approved in UCD, which means those students have had their student contribution charge covered by the grant, however there are no figures for those who have received their maintenance grants. There has been a massive backlog across the country, according to the

Dublin VEC Chief Executive Jacinta Stewart who said last week that of 66,0000 applications received, 20,350 are at reward stage, 25,310 are being processed and 20,500 applications are awaiting documentation from students.

Students nationwide have been affected by the SUSI delays, with USI President John Logue claiming that students are dropping out of college because they cannot afford to be there without their grant payment. In UCD, students were being blocked out of the library as their fees had not been paid as a result of the delays, however Comer has met with UCD and the library to come to an arrangement that these students will be granted access until their grant comes through.

“There’s normally a grace period with fees and that ends in the 5th week of term, and we’ve managed to extend that to the end of January. Students on SUSI will be granted access to the library because of that.”

Comer believes this is “just another example of Ruairi Quinn failing stu-

Students protest international student monitoring

dents” and cites the rising registration fees, cuts to the maintenance grant in the last budget, and the refusal to increase the amount of money allocated to the grant fund despite the number of applicants increasing each year, as a number of other factors contributing to Quinn’s failure in his duties to students.

Sexual assault awareness campaign to launch in UCD by megan stokes

UCD Students’ Union Gender Equality Co-ordinator Ciara Johnson, has announced that a new campaign targeting sexual assault will launch in the first week of semester two. The campaign, called “Don’t Be That Person”, follows the similar “Don’t Be That Guy” initiatives in North America and in Trinity College Dublin, in focusing on the issue of consent in sexual encounters and shifting the focus from the victim to the potential offender.

Johnson says the name was chosen to avoid further stigmatisation of male

rape and sexual assault, saying that the Union must “take into account that there is a growing number of men [who have been sexually assaulted], and it’s definitely something that has to be addressed.”

Posters and events on campus are to draw attention to the issue of consent and alcohol. In a press release issued in September, The Rape Crisis Network of Ireland was severely critical of attitudes surrounding rape where alcohol was involved, claiming that drunkenness was often used as an excuse for the rapist, or as a way to transfer blame to the victim. Johnson aims for the ‘Don’t Be That Person’ posters and events to

Christmas Concert billed as largest inter-society event in UCD by sean o’grady · deputy news Editor

The UCD Christmas Concert is due to take place this year on Tuesday, November 27th at 6:30pm in the Astra Hall. This year’s concert is being organised in conjunction with the Makea-Wish Foundation society in UCD, Wishmakers on Campus. The foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

UCD Students’ Union Welfare Officer Mícheál Gallagher said the occasion “is the biggest inter-society event in UCD this semester and it is all in aid of the Make-a-Wish foundation. The idea is that you are giving the gift of a wish to a child who is sick at Christmas time but you are also giving the gift of some good music and some good company.”

The night has been predominantly organised by Maria Adewusi, a UCD Student, and will be hosted by two committee members from CTN (Campus Television Network). Tickets to the event cost €2 on the door, with all proceeds going towards the Make-a-Wish foundation.

The deal with the Make-a-Wish foundation is an important aspect of this year’s Christmas Concert and raising funds for the charity is a priority for all those involved: “It was really from Maria Adewusi; she wanted to give back to the children who really were in need and children for whom this could

be their last Christmas, and she wanted to give something special back to them.

We are very lucky to have the wishmakers here on campus in UCD, the very first Make-a-Wish college society in the country. We worked very closely with them in setting it up and promoting it,” Gallagher said.

Numerous societies have gotten involved as the organisation process progressed, with ArtsSoc, DramSoc, EngSoc, ComedySoc and An Cumann Gaelach among others confirmed. The Students’ Union has been helping with the organisation and the night promises performances from the Choral Scholars and TradSoc, as well as UCD’s Symphony Orchestra, who recently performed a sold out show at the National Concert Hall.

The Orchestra performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony along with multi-award winning UCD Choral Scholars, the UCD Philharmonic Choir and a quartet of international soloists in a concert featuring over 200 performers, as part of its tenth anniversary celebrations Gallagher hopes that the concert will draw in a large crowd of students: “We are hoping for a big turn-out. It is only €2 on the door and every penny goes to Make-a-Wish Ireland. It is going to be great craic, it will get the festive cheer going, and there are only four more Tuesdays untill Christmas.

We are really hoping for a big turn-out for a good cause.”

impart the message that: “If they don’t say no, that doesn’t mean that they want to have sex,” and to urge potential offenders to “take responsibility.”

The campaign will kick off with a ‘Stay Safe Day’, with representatives from Amen (an organisation that provides support for male victims of sexual assault) and the Rape Crisis Centre giving talks. Johnson hopes that the event will help provide information and clarity.

“Sometimes people are confused, particularly with relationships, where consent isn’t given, whether they’ve done something wrong and whether that’s okay,” says Johnson. “Just to get

the message out there that this does happen, and it’s okay to speak out about it and there are people here who can help you.”

The 2011 annual report from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre showed that over 15% of calls received that year were from persons aged between 17 and 23. Almost 22% of those who used the organisation’s counselling service were in this age bracket. Johnson believes that UCD is no different: “I know particularly from talking to our Welfare Officer that it is an existing problem within UCD. Whether it’s outside relationships or within relationships I think the idea of consent has become an issue.”

It was reported in January that sexual assaults in Vancouver had decreased by 10% following the introduction of a similar educational campaign. Bar and nightclub staff also received extra training and were told to be watchful around women who had had too much to drink. Johnson believes such methods could and should be applied in Dublin: “It’s a really good message.

With the introduction of it in Trinity, I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction. We have the opportunity to do something like that and I think we should take it.”

Fourth annual Please Talk vigil held on campus by aoife valentine · deputy editor

UCDSU’s Welfare Officer Mícheál Gallagher along with the Please Talk committee held their annual Please Talk Candle Lit Vigil last Thursday outside the James Joyce Library. This marks the fourth time this event has taken place in UCD. Gallagher was extremely pleased with how the event went this year, stating: “The Please Talk candle lit vigil went really well, very pleased with the attendance. It was a very special event for marking those who passed away, who were very special to UCD students and staff.”

Volunteers laid down 525 candles in a chalk outline of the Please Talk Symbol, and they were lit as the ceremony took place. Gallagher explained: “Each one of the 525 candles was to represent someone who had passed by suicide in the last year in Ireland.”

Gallagher’s main aim with the event was to encourage students to raise awareness of the Please Talk slogan: “Talking is a sign of strength, not of weakness.” At the event, Gallagher and Chair of the Please Talk Committee Evan Heritage spoke about this message, along with what Please Talk meant to them both. Gallagher stated that with the release this year of Headstrong’s My World Survey in conjunction with the UCD School of Psychology, a survey of 14,000 young people,

profiling their mental health, this message is even more prominent than before.

Gallagher said: “The My World Survey was publicised and released, and it has proven that talking about your problems is directly related to coping better with your problems. It also has proven that not talking about your problems is related to suicidal behaviour. This campaign message that was started five and a half years ago is now coming across in studies as the most successful way to get across to students.”

Gallagher had hoped to get the event trending on Twitter, however didn’t quite reach the number of tweets needed at “peak social media time” to achieve this. His aim with this endeavour was not only to notify people of the event, but to spread the Please Talk message further, and he felt he still achieved that much. “We didn’t get it trending, we tried our hardest. But a lot of my friends did admit that it clogged up their news feeds and I’m happy with that.”

This event was one of the many to take place in Ireland, with a number other colleges expected to hold similar events on their campuses in the remaining days of November. Please Talk is currently on 34 campuses, with three colleges from Northern Ireland joining in the last year.

Around 30 students protested outside the Senate House at the University of Bristol last week against the University’s monitoring of its international students. The protest highlights the concerns of Bristol’s international students who are currently obliged to check in monthly with their faculty, a process not required of any students who are from the EU. The United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) makes universities monitor international students in order to ensure they are participating in their studies. Organisers of the protest at Bristol University said the monitoring was “a violation of these students’ basic human rights, an insult to their human dignity, and an intrusion on their private lives”.

David Adler, the University’s Director of Communications and Marketing said: “The main reason we are doing it is as a welfare activity and checking that students are not struggling in silence.”

However, Singapore student Kelvin Cheng said the process “made me feel like I was on parole; like I was a criminal. I felt as though the fact that I’m from a country outside the EU was being highlighted with a giant red marker…the whole process made me very uncomfortable.”

Student fines at Cambridge criticised The schools at Cambridge University have come under criticism for the level of fines imposed on students, as well as how the money from these fines is used. Since October 2011, £38,209 in fines has been collected from students which averages at £1,232 per college.

Downing College uses the money it receives in student fines to fund an annual coach trip for administrative staff, saying it is justified by the inconvenience put upon them by students’ misbehaviour.

As each college sets their own disciplinary rules, the system is ambiguous and students are confused as to what behaviour merits a fine.

Students are fined for such things as leaving their bikes unattended and if an act of vandalism is committed on campus, all students are fined. Students are also fined for ‘noise violations’ and setting off fire alarms, with the amount of the fine frequently changing.

“The University seems to have absolute power over its students and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it,” a Cambridge student said. The fining system confuses students and shows a failure in the University’s communication with students upon their matriculation.

Virginia student assaulted in anti-gay hate crime A second year student at the University of Virginia sustained head injuries after being punched in the face on campus after being called a homophobic slur. The student in question is being treated for bruising as well as popped blood vessels as well as a possible tear to the eye tissue.

The student was walking with a female friend when he was verbally abused by a male passer-by who then proceeded to physically assault him after he questioned the harasser, who then left with a group of male bystanders.

The student said he was frustrated no one helped him, saying: “A guy about twice the size of [the harasser] came up after and said ‘Oh, I feel really bad’, but he didn’t do anything about it.”

The LGBT Society, Queer Students’ Union, Co-president Katie Mayfield said of the incident “[Hate crimes] create an environment of fear that students have to live in…

We are working constantly to protect our community from situations like these.”

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The University Observer | 27 November 2012

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

Observer comment

COMMENT

5

comment@universityobserver.ie

Just another boys’ club

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eek culture is one that has always prided itself on acceptance. A large part of geek culture itself revolves around feeling marginalised by society. It is supposed to be a safe place where everyone is welcome, but does that invitation only extend to men? Recently, more and more accusations of misogyny have been levelled at certain areas of geek culture, with comic books being hit the hardest. For many on the outside, it comes as no surprise that people are beginning to make these complaints; in fact many are surprised with how long it has taken.

It is no secret that the majority of female comic book characters, at least in the mainstream, are overly sexualised. Most of them wear revealing and tight outfits that are largely impractical and are created to show off their impossible curves.

This causes a problem for female cosplayers. For those unaware of the hobby, cosplay is short for “costume play” and it basically involves dressing up as a certain character. It is particularly common at conventions, where women find themselves falling into one of two camps of cosplayers. The first group is for cosplayers who do not perfectly fit this impossible body type and appearance of the character they are cosplaying. They are accused of being attention seeking for wearing such revealing clothing in public and “preying” on the innocent male convention goers who are powerless to resist.

The second group is for those who cosplay and are considered attractive.

Basically, the complaints made about them is that they are “fakes” and do not actually care about the character they are cosplaying or even about the entire genre they are engaging with.

These complaints are indicative of a

culture in which women are treated as props rather than actual characters at certain times. It is all too common for a writer to kill off, seriously injure or depower a female character in order to further the emotional development of a male character.

This phenomenon was explained in the late ‘90s and the term “Women in Refrigerators” (WiR) was coined. The term takes its name from an incident in the Green Lantern in which Kyle Rayner, a serial-offender in this case, comes home to find his girlfriend stuffed into a refrigerator following her death at the hands of Major Force.

Gail Simone, the one who coined the WiR phrase, explains that “not every woman in comics has been killed, raped, depowered, crippled, turned evil, maimed, tortured, contracted a disease or had other life-derailing tragedies befall her, but … it’s hard to think up exceptions.” She then goes on to list all the female characters to fall foul to this phenomenon.

The main criticism of this theory is that women are primarily secondary characters in comic books, and that this phenomenon is one that affects secondary characters, not just women.

Even if this were the case, the fact that there are very few female protagonists is worrying. It also does not tell the full story.

There is another theory known as Dead Men Defrosting (DMD) that complements the WiR theory. The DMD theory explains that, although male characters are often injured, depowered or even killed, they tend to make a comeback and return to their original levels of power, whereas the repercussions for female characters are normally more permanent.

Why is it for example that Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) both suffer terrible spinal in-

Skin deep As several organisations move to out rightly ban visible tattoos in the workplace, Victoria Sewell looks at the place of body modification in our society

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ecently music retailing giants HMV made headlines when it was reported that they were banning “long hair and tattoos” on staff in their stores. While they later clarified that the move was meant to cover “extreme body art or extensive tattoos, to cover these with the uniform”. They were doing this in order to attract a broader range of customer, as the management felt that these “extreme” examples of body art and modification would put some customers off. This move was met with outrage by some, particularly those within the music industry, who felt that HMV should be cultivating an alternative, “rock n’ roll” image, and that this move may in fact out customers off the chain.

This move did not happen in isolation. During the summer, The London Metropolitan Police issued statements to its staff that visible tattoos on the face, hands and neck would no longer be acceptable, and all other tattoos must be covered at all times. Those officers with existing visible tattoos were required to register them, or face disciplinary action. This move was supposedly to avoid members of the public feeling off put or intimidated by so-called “thuggish” tattoos. However, both these incidences raise questions about the connotations, associations and attached to tattoos in modern society.

In the last 20 to 30 years, tattoos and other body modifications (piercings, scarification, sub-dermal implants among others) have become an increasingly popular form of expression, and indeed, fashion statement. A recent survey estimated that one fifth of the British population had at least

one tattoo, and the likelihood is that this number is even higher. Tattoos are remarkably prevalent in celebrity culture, with David Beckham,

With certain aspects of ‘Geek culture’ being deemed as anti-women, Kevin Beirne examines misogyny in the counter-cultural sphere

juries. But where Batman comes back bigger and better than ever, Batgirl never recovers and remains paraplegic, although she does go on to become Oracle. Both injuries are used as plot points to further Batman’s story.

But comic books are not the only part of geek culture, and they are not the only part of the culture that has been criticised for misogyny. Doctor Who, the popular BBC sci-fi series, has been accused of negatively potraying

women in the short time that Steven Moffat has been the head writer, taking over from Russell T. Davies. Doctor Who is a show that has always prided itself on its strong female characters, but recently many feel as if it is losing its touch. River Song, a seemingly strong character, has been criticised for being “sexy and flirty and clever and cool and she likes guns because guns are cool and all the stereotypes of a strong female character, without actually giving her any depth.”

In Song’s first appearance, the Doctor ‘saves’ her by downloading her consciousness to a computer, leaving her as the mother of some virtual children, who will literally never grow up, for all eternity. From what we learn about the character in her following appearances, this does not seem to fit her personality.

Furthermore, everything in River Song’s life is built around the Doctor.

She was literally raised to kill him, and when she succeeds in doing so, she gives up all her regenerations to save him, despite only knowing him for a few minutes at this stage.

She then spends an unspecified amount of time in prison for his murder, only leaving when the Doctor says so, although he never breaks her out or even reveals himself to be alive, which would force her release. With a new companion to be introduced at Christmas, it remains to be seen if this is a blip rather than a trend.

While certain aspects of geek culture, as with our society in general, suffer from a level of misogyny, there are still some sources of hope. For all the criticisms, there are still people like Joss Whedon who are putting forward strong female characters with some real depth. Let’s just hope that others follow suit and that we, the audience, will welcome their efforts.

Rhianna and Cheryl Cole being some of the most obvious examples. Indeed, the “Miami Ink” franchise and other related shows have been running for seven years now, and show no signs of stopping any time soon, making stars like Kat Von D household names.

While tattooing was once, in this culture anyway, seen as the preserve of sailors, bikers and outlaws, it has now very much become mainstream business, with tattoo studios moving from basements and back rooms to shopping centres and main streets in every large town in Ireland. Indeed, by their very nature, tattoos are permanent so the number of people with tattoos in any generation can only increase, rather than decrease. At its best, tattoo re-

moval is only an opportunity to dull an existing tattoo in order to cover it up with a new one, as opposed to removing it completely.

Tattoos are nothing new. The oldest known example of tattooing was discovered on a preserved Caveman, nicknamed “Ötzi”, who is thought to be at least 5,300 years old. Examples of tattooing can be found in almost all cultures, both ancient and modern, all across the world. Indeed, tattooing is seen as a necessary part of many cultures, as a rite of passage, and a protection against harm. However, there is conflict over the subject in other cultures as well. While many, particularly in the west, would view Japanese tattooing as a beautiful, ornate and distinctive form of art (Japanese pieces are often designed for the whole body, incorporating aspects of the individual and mythology), in Japan things are slightly different. In Japan, tattoos and tattooing are closely associated with the Yakuza and organised crime, and there are many public baths and gyms that ban entry to individuals with tattoos on their bodies.

The deeper issue here revolves around what is considered socially acceptable, and on cultural standards of beauty. Within Maori culture, for example, tattoos are seen as both attractive and desirable. However, the actions of HMV, and the Metropolitan Police show that, even with the high prevalence of tattoos on display in the street, there is still a stigma attached to them, and an idea that many people may be put off by looking at them.

In contrast, the recently opened Abercrombie and Fitch store in Dublin used half-naked male models to promote their store in the days leading

up to the opening. The brand has come under fire in other countries for their hiring policies, which have been described by some as discriminatory; requiring measurements for all staff, banning weight gain, and even removing a shop assistant from the shop floor when they discovered her prosthetic hand, as it did not match their aesthetic ideal, or “look policy”. They have accounted for this by referring to their staff as “models who serve” or similar, as opposed to shop assistants, in order to circumvent discrimination law, and hire staff based on their looks.

Abercrombie clearly have a pre-set notion of what is “attractive” and desirable for their brand, which they refer to as a “classic American look”.

However many may not agree with their definition of what is attractive.

Likewise, while HMV have felt that some of their customers would find tattoos and piercings off putting to look at, many more of their customers may enjoy the sight, and even prefer to see staff with body art. The Metropolitan Police felt that tattoos may look ‘thuggish’ and intimidate members of the public, however given the high number of British people who have tattoos, it is likely that there would be cases where members of the public may identify better with “decorated” officers, particularly in low-income and inner city areas, where attitudes toward the police force are of particular concern. And while these organisations are entitled to define their own notions of what is acceptable or what “presentable” means, in a general sense it is not for us to judge how others choose to look, as fashion, beauty and all things related are an entirely subjective ideal.

“The actions of HMV, and the Metropolitan Police show that, even with the high prevalence of tattoos on display in the street, there is still a stigma attached to them”

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COMMENT

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

A political affair With the most recent sex scandal in the US surrounding the former CIA director, Isobel Fergus examines the nature of sex scandals in politics

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he most recent scandal to shock the United States was that of CIA Director David Petraeus. The affair between Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus began as a friendship when Broadwell wrote a dissertation on General Petraeus’ leadership style, later turned into the book All In: The Education of General Petraeus. The affair reportedly began two months after Petraeus was sworn in as CIA Director and was brought to light when a family friend Jill Kelley received harassing emails from Broadwell. The FBI investigated the emails, resulting in Petraeus’ resignation.

It shouldn’t really matter what politicians and other public figures such as Petraeus do in their private lives as long as they have honesty and integrity in their role as a public servant.

However, dishonesty in one’s private life does beg the question, if these public figures cheat and lie to their loved ones, how far they are willing to cheat and lie in their political lives as well?

Sex scandals are extremely common in the United States. This seems quite strange for a country where a

allegations of sexual misconduct and adultery and later, Newt Gingrich was exposed for having a number of affairs with younger women during his two first marriages. One affair was said to have happened when his first wife was sick with cancer and his second wife claimed he had asked for an ‘open marriage.’

Members of the Democratic Party are no angels either. In the Democratic primaries of the 2008 presidency, Senator John Edwards denied claims by the National Enquirer that he was having an affair with a former campaign worker Rielle Hunter. After initially denying the affair, in 2008 he later admitted to the affair but denied fathering her child. A campaign aide released a statement that he has was the father but later retracted the statement saying that Edwards pleaded with him to take responsibility falsely.

In January 2010, Edwards finally admitted that he was the father, his wife of 33 years Elizabeth Edwards legally filed for separation and intended to divorce until she lost her long battle with breast cancer in December 2010.

Edwards was later found not guilty in court of using up to $1 million in politi-

“If a politician is doing his or her job correctly their private lives shouldn’t matter” non-religious person is extremely unlikely to be elected to office. In spite of this, they still have no shortage of politicians with wavering morals. During the Republican primaries in the most recent election, two candidates saw early defeats amid sex scandals.

Herman Cain had to end his campaign early in the primaries amongst

cal donations to hide his affair.

Not all are equally affected by scandal however. Who can forget the infamous words: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky, a white house intern, goes down as the most infamous affair of modern times.

The investigation led to the impeach-

ment of President Clinton, of which he was later acquitted. Yet Clinton left office with a 68% approval rating, one of the highest of a president in the modern era. Which leaves the question why do some survive political scandals and others are destroyed by them?

The Profumo affair in the early ‘60s took down an entire government. John Profumo, Secretary of State for War, had an affair with Christine Keeler, the supposed mistress of an alleged Soviet spy, which played out like something from a James Bond film. The Cold War was at its height and Profumo’s lying in the House of Common forced his resignation and damaged the reputation of the government, with Prime Minister Harold MacMillan resigning the following year. The Clinton outcome compared to the Profumo scandal showed the more tolerant

Taxing our way out

and to 10% for incomes over €100,000.

Tax relief on pensions and pension contributions is also predicted to fall from 41% to 20%, striking a blow to retirement incomes.

While the government may refrain from increasing income taxes directly, it may indirectly squeeze disposable income through these ancillary taxes. Experts at Grant Thornton have examined every possible scenario and conclude that an increased household tax bill of at least 10% is inevitable if the government is to fulfil targets set down by the Troika.

The ‘old reliables’ such as alcohol, tobacco and motor tax will inevitably also take a hit. The logic underlying heavy taxes on addictive substances such as alcohol and tobacco is that it aims to maximise revenue intake given that these products attract a high inelastic demand, while trying to achieve the social goal of discouraging their consumption by way of higher prices. What makes this form of taxation somewhat regressive is that lower income consumers tend to spend a higher proportion of their income on these addictives, and so they face a higher tax burden.

The tax on savings (DIRT) is also expected to rise, which may discourage domestic saving and encourage saving in foreign economies offering a more lucrative return. The Nationwide UK (Ireland) ESRI Saving Index recently reported that 42% of Irish people do not put any money away in banks or building societies; significantly ahead of the 36% level recorded a year ago. The proportion of people saving regularly has also decreased during 2012 and now stands at 34%.

Widespread uncertainty regarding the economic climate is likely to cause consumers to be more frugal and induce a higher reluctance to spend.

With interest rates hitting the floor and higher taxes on interest, is this government trying to discourage saving altogether?

With taxes for the middleclass expected to increase in the upcoming budget, Graeme O’Meara askes ‘Can we tax our way out of a recession?’

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ith Budget 2013 looming, it is anticipated that households could face an additional tax burden of over €3000 next year. Consultants at Grant Thornton predict a myriad of treats awaiting the taxpayer in the form of tax hikes right across the board. They forecast an increase in

PRSI, DIRT and the Universal Social Charge, as well as reduced pension relief and the introduction of the much debated property tax.

It is predicted that annual outlays for families will increase by somewhere between €3000 to €9000, depending on salary levels and family circumstances, while the USC is expected to increase from 7% to 8%,

attitudes of recent times.

In Europe, we are no strangers to such scandals either. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been embroiled in a number of sex and other scandals in his career. In 2011, Berlusconi was charged with paying a minor for sex. This type of misconducts often leaks into the professional life as shown when the affair led Berlusconi being charged with abuse of power, when he rang a police station for the girl’s release on charges of theft. Perhaps this proves suggestions that moral character should matter if you are in a high position in all aspects of private and professional life.

Affairs are not only confined to males in politics. Although women in power featuring in political sex scandals are less frequent than their male counterparts. In 2010 Iris Robinson’s

affair with a man 40 years her junior, forced her to resign as a member of the parliament in Northern Ireland and forced her husband to to step down as first minister temporarily.

Political life all over the world has no shortage of sex scandals and in the few mentioned the outcomes have all been different. If a politician is doing his or her job correctly their private lives shouldn’t matter. The problem is some of these sex scandals enter legal issues when cases of prostitutes and affairs with those under the age of consent enter the equation. Some manage to survive sex scandals, while others are not so fortunate. The safe bet you would assume is to avoid any such scandal at all costs and remain loyal to your spouse. When you choose to be a public servant you must know that no secret is sacred.

Given that the economy is near stagnation, boasting 14.8% unemployment, a debt to GDP ratio of 111.5%, on an upward trajectory through 2015, and real GDP growth of 0.4%, these measures would have an effect on the economy over the next year. The first impact of this Gestapo tax regime would be the Christmas shopping spree. When the budget is announced on December 5th, taxpayers would likely internalise the effect of higher taxes on their household spending for the next year, and start cutting back sooner rather than later. Retailers geared up for what is generally the

restore consumer demand, reversing the downward spiral. By creating jobs for the unemployed, economic activity would begin to gain motion again and the economy would start growing at a moderate pace. Unfortunately, this remedy is more likely to pertain to the US than Ireland, given that the US can freely borrow at low interest rates.

Other economists, such as Casey Mulligan at Chicago, the epicentre of the right wing school of economics, argue that the recession is a supply side problem: overly grandiose unemployment benefits are distorting people’s incentives to return to work. The prob-

“With a potential €3.5 billion to be scrounged from the Irish economy, these speculated tax hikes would serve to exacerbate the current situation” busiest season of the year may well find themselves at a party with no punch.

As with any government engaging in measures of austerity, this government is under the illusion that by imposing higher taxes on the slowly shrinking labour force, it can increase its revenues and improve the exchequer finances. This will only serve to aggravate what is already a very fragile situation: pulling money out of an ailing economy causes economic activity to contract even further. With less disposable income, consumers spend less and gradually put firms out of business, causing them to lay off workers and henceforth the economy is on a downward spiral.

Economists are sharply divided on the issue of austerity; on the one hand, fiscal tightening can signal economic stability and permit a return to international bond markets for raising funds; on the other, it inflicts pain on citizens and crowds out prospects for growth and employment. In his latest book, Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman argues that economists and politicians influenced by the selfrighteous allure of budget austerity are ignoring history and imperilling economic recovery. He passionately defends the Keynesian inheritance that a large fiscal stimulus would inject a boost into the economy and

lem is aggregate supply, not aggregate demand, and by cutting off support lines to unemployed workers by way of austerity, these lazy folk will be impelled to return to work. This theory does not fit the data, as last month the IMF publicly admitted its miscalculation of fiscal multipliers and the adverse effect of austerity on growth in 28 European countries. It was believed that for every $1 taken out of the economy, the loss of output was $0.50, when in fact the data showed the loss of output to be between $0.90 and $1.70.

With a potential €3.5 billion to be scrounged from the Irish economy, these speculated tax hikes would serve to exacerbate the current situation and promote greater tax evasion and longer queues at immigration and dole offices.

The answer to the question posed above is unequivocally no, but this is no ordinary recession: a country does not surrender financial sovereignty in recessionary times.

While austerity may represent a deficit of common sense for countries like the US or the UK, the Irish economy is near insolvency and part of the reason for our predicament stems from too narrow a tax base in the first place.

The government faces a trade-off: inflict pain today and gradually usher out the Troika, or do the honourable thing and let them wait.

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

COMMENT

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The price of liberty With the recent legal confusion following the release of Abu Qutada on bail, Evan O’Quigley casts a critical eye on how the West has responded to international terrorism

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ith all of Britain trying to figure out who exactly to blame for the disaster that has arisen since Abu Qutada, a radical jihadist cleric, was set free on bail, without being extradited to his home-country Jordan, or properly being put on trial in the United Kingdom, the country has been

ficially prosecuted for any criminal or conspiracy offence.

The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 was formally introduced into the parliament of the United Kingdom, just two months after the September 11th attacks on the United States, which had brought the fear and threat of terrorism to the international stage. The act itself

tory’ adding that the government have lobbied for the removal of Qatada for years, and done “everything it could to get rid of him”.

Just like the US, Britain has had extreme difficulty with balancing civil liberties and decisions of national security. There is also fear that should Abu Qatada be sent to Jordan, he would be subjected to torture, which

“Just like the US, Britain has had extreme difficulty with balancing civil liberties and decisions of national security” in upheaval for the past month over this issue.

The Guardian wrote earlier this month of this situation: “Government ministers blame the courts. The courts blame ministers. The Daily Mail and the Tory right blame Europe. Labour, as usual, blames the government. The police blame the lawyers. Much of the population blames the lot of them. In our view, much of the population is closest to the mark”.

The handling of this case has been a disaster, as has the handling of terror suspects, convicted and non-convicted, over the past decade. Over this decade, we’ve witnessed the muddled responses to acts of terror by Western governments.

Abu Qatada, a Palestinian-born Jordanian, who is believed to have had close connections to Osama Bin Laden and other senior al-Qaeda figures, was set free on bail after a ten-year court battle. Qatada was first imprisoned in Britain in 2002 under recently brought in anti-terrorism laws due to his alleged connections to al-Qaeda, but was never given a fair trial or of-

was heavily criticised at the time for bringing in draconian measures, which would be a threat to the liberty of British citizens, much like the US PATRIOT act, brought in at much the same time, which too has been accused of attacking the civil liberties of American citizens since 9/11.

Should Qatada be sent back to Jordan, he would be subjected to imprisonment, having been twice by his home country of Jordan in abstentia (meaning while he was not physically available to be prosecuted), for conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks, and for plotting to bomb tourists visiting Jordan for millennium celebrations, before he was first imprisoned in Britain in 2002.

Despite this, a British judge has refused so far to extradite Qatada to Jordan. The countries extradition policy itself is extremely unclear. Lately, there have been a great number of extradition cases, only some of which ultimately resulted in any extradition, while some have not as of yet. Home Secretary, Teresa May, has called the judge’s ruling ‘extremely unsatisfac-

according to the organisation Human Rights Watch is rife within the Hashemite Kingdom.

It is perhaps because of these ambiguities in the law regarding

anti-terrorism measures that Britain has found them in this situation in the first place. Had Britain granted him a fair trial in the first place and sentenced him properly, there would be no reason for the European Court of Human Rights to rule that he had been unfairly detained, thus giving rise of the terrorists types the feelings of injustice and giving them sympathy.

This also weakens the position of the West, making nonsense of the claim of superior human rights laws and a greater sense of justice.

Those on the right argue that it’s not important that we read terrorists their rights, but doing things fairly and justly has always been the Western way. After the Second World War, the US and Britain didn’t just bomb and detain anyone who vaguely seemed suspicious of being a Nazi collaborator, as has been done with suspected jihadists. Instead the Nuremburg trials took place, which showed that the forces of democracy and justice will always triumph authoritarian and anti-democratic forces. Since 9/11 this has not at all been the case.

This is why there are places like Guantamo Bay, filled with terror suspects, the vast majority of whom have not been given any sort of trial. In order to beat the terrorists, the West has acted not much better either. The post9/11 fear society has also led to the

detaining of innocent people, including five Muslim detainees from China’s western Xinjiang province, who have had no connections to terrorism, and have done no wrong. It seems as in a rush of jingoism and seeking revenge following the September 11th attacks the West forgot about these principles that allowed the free world to stand out. This latest case of the legal ambiguities surrounding the case of Abu Qatada only shows that overall that ignoring proper legal procedures have negative consequences, and ultimately cause more problems than they solve.

There’s a great speech at the end of Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator when the titular character, General Aladeen, in criticising democracy in favour of the authoritarian dictatorial rule prevalent in some middle-eastern states argues: “You could wiretap phones, you could torture prisoners, you could have rigged elections, you could lie about why you go to war, you could fill your prisons with one particular racial group and no one would complain,” seeming not to know that the US post-9/11 has done all of these things to some extent. One can only hope to avoid future legal abnormalities and miscarriages of justice, as we have seen this month, the West will get its act together, and renew our democracies.

The future of education With the continued commersialisation of universities being continually pushed as a means of combating the economic crisis, David Farrell examines how the University is and ought to be run

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ecent reports have noted UCD’s efforts to return to a balanced budget. With a higher than expected rise in revenue, UCD has seen its deficit fall, and by achieving this the University made some decisions that are rather untraditional and questionable. While no one can deny the need for reform and a re-evaluation of priorities, are the steps being taken by UCD and universities in the UK the right ones?

As the recession bites and funds dry up, those bodies funded by the public have lost financial support. The economic crash has seen just that happen.

Students’ Unions across the UK and Ireland would have you believe that this has been an unfair and unjustified fall in funding. The cut in funds has brought about a necessity, not only for cuts that in some instances may be essential, as things in the boom got bloated and money came easily. Beyond the cuts has come the necessity for new avenues to raise revenue. It is the imposition of cuts and the methodology used to raise funds that is just as

irksome as the punitive cuts that have become the norm.

One of the more noticeable changes for students has come in the form of the increased commercialisation of the campus. The first thing many students joining the university in 2010 noticed was the exclusivity deal with Britvic.

To cover the shortfall in funding, we invite private companies in to use the facilities and provide services that the university cannot. This, though sometimes a minor inconvenience, is not any real issue. It is merely reflective of the wider culture consuming third level institutions in the light of the economic climate.

The once overriding principles of universities: to come to consensus and become fonts of knowledge and debate providing solutions and leaders to society; have been replaced by those of profit and sustainability. The concerns over funding basic education essentials have taken a back seat. The optics of growth and prosperity are now the keys to running a university.

garner as much money from tuition or accommodation fees as possible. The international student, while offering much needed diversity of both culture and ideas, in the new era of university management they are customers in need of many more services than the domestic students.

This commercial end of the university now takes centre stage as the frontline and key services are slashed.

The onus to make up the shortfall sees commercial services exploring all sorts of tie-ins with institutions abroad and focusing courses and resources towards areas of research that are most profitable. This is part of the reason for the abnormally high salaries offered to deans and researchers there, as the

“We see no tangible investment in our future or the resources needed to help us, with increasing attention being paid to cutting corners in services to students and our lecturers” The deal saw the University follow the lead of American universities by offering the makers of Pepsi and Club Orange a monopoly on soft drinks in Ireland’s biggest University.

Following on from this, Kylemore was granted the exclusive rights for restaurants across the campus, excluding the main restaurant and all Students’ Union outlets. Such deals and increased tuition fees are more and more common across the UK too.

Instead of charging domestic students through the nose, which can happen in some of the higher end universities in the United Kingdom, middling universities just like UCD have hugely expanded their recruitment of international students. This serves dual benefits; it increases the prestige and draw of the university across the globe, and possibly more importantly, international students pay higher fees. This allows universities to

fields in which they specialise offer the greatest ability to make money.

The culture of profit is nowhere more evident than in UCD’s residences. An area covered in-depth by campus media, anyone with sense can see that the situation in UCD Residences is closer to a casino than a hospitality service. The rules are set in such a way that UCD garners the maximum profit from each student and milks them for every possible charge and infraction.

This culture is rampant throughout the University where each possible asset is used as part of a sales pitch to bring in paying students and they’re charged for every little thing.

All the while revenues grow whilst the focus on academic principles fall to the wayside. We see no tangible investment in our future or the resources needed to help us, with increasing attention being paid to cutting corners in services to students and our lecturers. In marked contrast through the contribution expected from students to the government is rising, albeit at low increments. This predicament is more marked in the UK’s top universities though with those at the pinnacle of learning allowed to charge whatever they see fit. This avenue seems a million miles away at present, but there is a belief that those at the highest levels of Irish universities wish for similar powers. The rationale being that we need to further increase contributions to grow the calibre of the institution and enabling them to compete.

Has the culture changed? Is the road leading us to for-profit colleges?

They say the proof is in the pudding if that’s the case, the cuts in library hours, book-buying falling, less and less contact hours, increasing administrative fees and a growing unwillingness to engage with the students make the answer very clear. We need to wake up and call a stop to it, however it may be too late.

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FEATURES

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

Observer Features features@universityobserver.ie

BROADENING HORIZONS

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any students nearing the end of their undergraduate studies are attracted to the idea of postgraduate study for a variety of reasons. With competition among graduates at an all time high, many students are seeking to go the extra mile to distinguish themselves from their peers and to gain a competitive edge in the job market. For many others, the opportunity to specialise within a chosen area of interest, or to deepen one’s academic knowledge is enough of a motivator alone. Whatever the motivation, the decision regarding which masters to choose is one that merits careful consideration, and with borders between EU countries now practically non-existent in terms of higher education, perhaps it is surprising that more of us do not examine our options on the continent.

One of the major considerations for students thinking about postgraduate study is cost. In Ireland, one can expect to pay anything from €5,000 upwards in tuition fees per year of postgraduate study. EU Law states that universities in EU countries cannot charge students from other EU states more than their own citizens - and this can mean good news for Irish students. In most EU states, higher education is financed much more heavily by the state than in Ireland. Countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, France and many more, offer a wide range of

Granada, Spain’s third largest University City Ireland is losing part of its appeal.

Head of Communications with the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Malcolm Byrne points to the fact that all Irish Universities remain within the “top 3% of internationally ranked Universities” and stresses the “quality, employability and ease of transfer” that our Universities still offer.

However, he goes on to recognise that “the economic circumstances have, of course, impacted the budgets of the higher education sector”, and mentions in particular “concern at the decision to remove postgraduate student supports”. Lewis Purser, Director of Academic Affairs of the Irish Universities Association (IUA), believes that in spite of the severe cutbacks, “postgraduate programmes have been relatively spared and the quality of offerings has not been too heavily affected”.

He points to the fact that the majority of funding for masters programmes in Ireland has traditionally “come from the student, and not the state”, and therefore the cutbacks have less of an impact on quality when compared with undergraduate programmes. While it is comforting to know that masters programmes have been more shielded from cuts than their undergraduate counterparts, it is still the case that cutbacks to general academic services, such as the library, affect no one more than graduate students. Furthermore, with many household budgets plummeting, and student loans difficult to come by, the

abroad, citing the “exorbitant cost of living in Nordic countries” as an example, despite the availability of tuitionfree postgraduate programmes. Purser goes on to say, however, that employers “will look very favourably upon someone who has taken the bold step of studying their masters abroad”, but stresses that it might not be possible for everyone, and that personal circumstances are crucial when considering such a move.

Aoife Coughlan, a UCD Law graduate currently studying a masters in European Constitutional Law at the University of Granada, Spain, explains how she chose her university: “The University is well regarded in Spain.

The course that I’m doing is exactly what I want to do and suits my academic strengths and needs perfectly”.

Coughlan also cites reasons beyond just the academic: “People in the south of Spain are famously friendly and open, [and] the weather of course!

And it’s very cheap to live here”. The tuition fees associated with Coughlan’s masters are €1,800 but she had a word of warning for any of those who are tempted by the bargain offering. “One thing I will say about doing a masters here in Spain is that, although it is very cheap, the quality is not guaranteed.

There are a lot of fantastic courses on offer all over Spain, but there are a lot of very poor ones too. It’s not enough to simply research the university. I would recommend researching the actual

“Even within Ireland itself, the process can be daunting, and this difficulty is only multiplied when we look further afield” tuition-free postgraduate options, and in some countries, such as in Scandinavia, almost every masters programme is tuition-free. Furthermore, many of the universities offering these programmes may be ranked higher than their Irish counterparts, in the much debated university world rankings.

The website of the Irish Universities’ Association encourages potential students to study at an Irish university because of their “energy filled lecture theatres… well-resourced libraries and exciting campuses”. Ireland undoubtedly has a proud tradition of offering high-quality education, but the hint of irony contained within this assertion will not be lost on many UCD students, who, up until recently, could no longer avail of library facilities on Sundays.

It is no secret that higher education in Ireland has been adversely affected by successive budget cutbacks in recent years. Reductions in staff numbers and cutbacks to academic services negatively impact on all students, but are particularly important to postgraduate students. When this is coupled with the recent government decision to abolish postgraduate maintenance grants, it could be argued that further study in

With cutbacks impacting on the quality of Irish Higher Education, Pat de Brún asks whether Irish Students would be better off looking overseas for postgraduate options

cost of tuition is likely to play a larger role in any decision regarding further study now, than it would have a few years ago.

Rory McDermott is a UCD graduate, studying a masters in Public International Law at Holland’s Leiden University. He comments: “Although there were masters courses in Ireland that interested me, in truth my choice was largely dictated by financial considerations. Whereas the average price of a [similar] masters in Ireland could be upwards of €8,000, the price here is €1,771. The Dutch system is based on the idea that everyone should be able to attend third level education and this is reflected not only in the tuition fees, but in the system of study financing grants and loans that are in place.”

Purser stresses that “choosing a particular masters programme is a weighty decision, and [one that should] not come down purely to financial reasons,” citing “life options, career options and social factors” as significant concerns that must also come into play in any such decision. He also warns that tuition fees are only one cost of many that need to be borne in mind when calculating the costs of studying

course itself, the teachers, etc. I did a lot of research into my masters before applying and a friend of mine did it last year so I was satisfied that it was a good course.”

Byrne echoes these concerns. While we may take the quality of our qualifications in Ireland for granted, it would appear that the same cannot be done for offerings in universities abroad.

Byrne praises the “clarity and transparency of our national framework of qualifications” as a major advantage of studying in Ireland, and warns of the “bureaucracy that some students are challenged with in foreign universities”. Additionally, interested students should be aware that the title of ‘university’ may not be as stringently applied to higher education institutions abroad as it is in Ireland, making it more difficult to distinguish between the quality of Universities available. For example, in 1992, the UK re-designated all of its ‘Polytechnic Institutions’, as Universities.

Byrne also reminds us that Ireland is “not living in a bubble when it comes to the impact of the recession” and that universities on the continent, too, are experiencing cutbacks. This is a valid

“There are a lot of fantastic courses on offer all over Spain, but there are a lot of very poor ones too. It’s not enough to simply research the university. I would recommend researching the actual course itself” Aoife Coughlan, a UCD Law graduate currently studying a masters in European Constitutional Law at the University of Granada, Spain

argument, and on the topic of tuition fees, Byrne reminds us: “That debate is happening right across Europe”.

In fact, in both France and Germany, tuition fees have already been introduced for some previously tuition-free postgraduate courses. The recent increase of the university fees ceiling in the UK is another relevant example.

The debate surrounding the funding of higher education rumbles, and there is a strong possibility that some EU States will introduce fees in the coming years.

For now, however, a wide selection of tuition free options remains in place across the continent.

Naturally, opting to study a masters

“Although there were masters courses in Ireland that interested me, in truth my choice was largely dictated by financial considerations” Rory McDermott, UCD graduate studying Public International Law at Holland’s Leiden University

abroad also has a wide-range of nonacademic implications that may need to be considered. One of the first potential stumbling blocks is the language barrier. Many students assume that opting for a masters abroad would mean studying in the native language of the host country, but this isn’t necessarily the case. A huge number of renowned European Universities offer a diverse range of programmes delivered completely though English, meaning that many of them have no foreign language requirement upon entry. Of course, an even broader range of options is available to those with another European language, but bilingualism is not necessarily a prerequisite for studying in continental Europe.

McDermott is studying completely through English, and could speak no Dutch at all when he made the leap and began his masters in September.

Leiden’s Law school is renowned as one of the best in Europe for this field of study, but McDermott warns that studying through English abroad can also have its disadvantages: “I had high expectations coming to Leiden as I had been told that it was one of the best universities in Europe for my course. To be perfectly honest though, I’ve been disappointed at times by the quality [here]. While the coursework is interesting and challenging, some non-native English speaking lecturers can be difficult to understand, so much so that I sometimes feel I’d be better off putting in a couple of hours in the library.

As a point of comparison that’s where Leiden falls down.”

One of the major difficulties in finding the masters that’s right for you is simply knowing where to start. Even within Ireland itself, the process can be daunting, and this difficulty is only multiplied when we look further afield.

“Use the career advisory services in your University. They’ll be more than willing to help,” is the advice offered

by Purser, and this under-utilised resource is a useful place to start your research. There is also information available online, and one resource which students may find particularly useful is the online database www.mastersportal.eu which offers a concise comparison of over 20,000 masters courses in over 950 European institutions, with information on tuition fees, university information, and details of study.

Weighing the advantages against the disadvantages of studying abroad merit careful consideration and require some research, but if you can tick all of the relevant boxes, there’s no reason why opting for an overseas masters shouldn’t be an enriching and worthwhile experience. The overwhelming advice from both experts in the field, and students with personal experience alike, is to do your research, and do it well. Choosing the right university and course of study for your masters should never be taken lightly, but it’s even more important when looking overseas.

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

FEATURES

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Tipping the scales With Budget 2013 on the horizon, Nicole Casey looks at the proposed sugar tax and whether it can save us from rising levels of obesity

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besity is a term lightly thrown around, but rarely comprehended by those of us who haven’t been directly affected by it. However, it is an ever growing problem, and has reached an all-time high in Ireland.

According to the World Health Organisation, obesity in 2007 reached a 41%

increase of 10% in excise duty occurring after the budget is published. Realistically, this means a fizzy drink that previously cost €1.23 will rise to €1.33.

Andrew Phelan, a Sports Studies & Physical Education graduate who works with second level students, agrees with the proposed tax: “There [has been] a complete lack of political

“The number of children significantly overweight has more than trebled in the past decade, reaching over 300,000” prevalence level in males aged 18-44, with a 57% for females of the same age group.

Adults aren’t the only ones at the hands of weight problems however.

Lack of education about healthy eating, along with reduced focus on physical education means Irish children are becomingly increasingly susceptible to early weight gain and eventual obesity.

The number of children significantly overweight has more than trebled in the past decade, reaching over 300,000 in Ireland alone. With 22% of Irish children seriously at risk, and an additional 10,000 children becoming overweight or obese every year, what are we actually doing to stop this spread of unhealthy eating habits?

In an effort to curb the rising levels of obesity in Ireland, Minister for Health James Reilly has recommended the introduction of a “sugar tax” in the upcoming December budget. This tax, the recommendation for which arose from a confidential report commissioned by Minister Reilly, would see an increase in the excise duty on fizzy drinks. A 23% VAT rate is already in place on fizzy drinks, with a possible

will to do anything about [obesity] in Ireland. The refusal of the government to implement… a tax on the companies producing and selling junk food… has played a role in the increase in childhood obesity.”

However, not everyone is as supportive of the proposed tax. The Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (IBEC) fears the implementation of such a tax will result in job losses and an inevitable backlash from the drinks industry in Ireland. Commenting on the issue, Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) Director Paul Kelly said: “Fiscal measures specifically aimed at altering behaviour are complex to design and can be highly unpredictable… An additional tax on sugar or soft drinks would leave Irish consumers out of pocket, paying one of the highest tax rates in Europe. The impact would be highly regressive, with a disproportionate impact on low-income families that spend a higher proportion of income on food.” Rather, IBEC and FDII believe that the government would be better to focus their efforts on a campaign of consumer awareness, increased focus on physical activity, and a programme

of childhood education.

W h i l e there is a clear link between fizzy drinks and weight problems, the link between a higher tax leading to a reduction in consumpt ion is unclear.

Much like ‘the old reliables’ of alcohol and cigarettes, tax might not actually affect Minister for Health James Reilly has recommended the introduction of a “sugar tax” consumpt ion of fizzy drinks, and sales may possibly stay at a level easier for children to become over- and a weekly “treat day” has become a consistent to present figures. Denmark, weight or in danger of becoming obese. staple term in every child’s vocabulary. who only recently implemented a simiAlthough we are currently experi- Healthy eating plans are no longer as lar initiative, have already disbanded encing a recession, it seems children strongly implemented in schools, both the tax as authorities found it to have have never had more disposable in- primary and secondary, and the numno direct effect on consumers spending bers of students engaging in physical patterns. activity is consistently falling. Phelan Alternatively, companies manufacexplains: “There are cuts to all school turing soft drinks may choose to bear and education budgets, instead of the the incidence of the tax in an attempt to investment that is needed in sports, ensure sales figures continue at a growand education on the importance of ing rate. Although the government aim healthy eating and exercise.” for the impact of the tax to be on the With Budget 2013 set to be just as consumers, manufacturers can somefrugal as previous years, is a sugar tax what overrule this, similar to compareally going to be the policy that saves nies who did not pass on the recent our economy as well as our increasVAT increase to consumers, choosing ingly overweight population? It seems instead to bear the burden themselves. unlikely that a tax which has already While there is no official measure failed in other countries would be a for childhood obesity in Ireland at pressuccess in the Irish economy, but only ent, the number of children considered time will tell. Perhaps, coupled with to be excessively overweight is conan increased focus on early childhood tinuously rising, which is exceedingly come. Fizzy drinks and sugary confec- education, Minister Reilly’s sugar tax worrying. Weight problems originating tionery are easily available and cheap could actually have a chance at success. during childhood are often carried into enough for children to afford. Shops adulthood, and sadly, it has never been are busiest at the end of the school day,

“Fiscal measures specifically aimed at altering behaviour are complex to design and can be highly unpredictable”

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FEATURES

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

Off-shore earnings With a major oil find off the cost of Cork, Sean Finnan examines if this is the beginning of Ireland’s oil industry

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ast month, Chief Executive of Providence Resources Tony O’Reilly Junior confirmed that over one billion barrels of oil exists at the Ballyroe oilfield, off the Cork coastline.

Providence Resources are also exploring the possibilities of the existence of large reserves of oil at Drombeg, also off the coast of Cork and have plans to begin exploring for oil off Dublin Bay from next year. With the possibilities of these finds bringing whispers of a beginning of an Irish oil industry, so far it seems that the impact of these finds are seeing little benefits to the Irish economy.

Currently, the base rate of taxation is 25% on the profits of oil companies,

“Exploration costs for the past 25 years can be written off against the taxes due, meaning in effect the Irish economy gains little from their own natural resources” rising to 40% depending on the size of the oil fields. This is one of the lowest tax rates in the world on oil, with countries like Norway, where a highly developed oil industry exists, having an 85% tax rate on profits. Bertie Ahern as Minister for Finance introduced the above tax rate in 1992 reducing it by

50%. Five years earlier, disgraced politician Ray Burke reduced the State’s share in offshore oil and gas from 50% to 0% while also abolishing royalties.

These changes were introduced in an effort to make what seemed like Ireland’s meagre resources more attractive for harvesting.

However, exploration costs for the past 25 years can be written off against the taxes due, meaning in effect the Irish economy gains little from their own natural resources. What then, if any, are the benefits for both local people and the Irish economy in the drilling of oil off the Irish shore, especially when it is the Irish people that will bare the environmental consequences if problems occur on the rig? According to Professor Frank Convery of the UCD School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy, the initial benefits for the economy will be minimal.

“The wider implication though is that if it turns out to be very successful, it will encourage more exploration as we’ve had a chicken and egg problem where there’s been literally hundreds of wells drilled in Ireland and hardly any oil has been found, and when you’re in that situation you have to have very attractive terms to get guys in. Each well costs several hundred million to drill. A potential big gain would be, if we could get a few more discoveries, then you could increase the tax take, probably quite dramatically… I don’t get as frantic about [low taxation rates] as others.

You basically have to have a low rate to get people to drill but as soon as you begin to discover oil you can begin to increase the minimum rate. But if you increase the rate and they don’t drill well then you’ve got a nice rate but no activity.”

However, Stephen Varde of the Dublin Bay Concern group that is lobbying

against the exploration for oil off the Dublin coast, believes that the economy is getting little benefit from the sale of its oil and gas. “If they were to be successful and find oil, the tax regime in Ireland for oil is the second lowest in the world… The reality is that we won’t see a penny tax.”

The building of an oil-rig just six kilometres from Dublin Bay is proving highly contentious. Recently Dublin City Council has started a campaign called Uniquely Dublin, aiming to hear from citizens of the city what makes Dublin special. Yet, it seems absurd that during this very period in which the city is aiming to promote itself to its own citizens and possible future tourists that it would consider granting planning permission for the building of a very intrusive landmark.

“The Norwegians would never put an oil rig in what they would call a sensitive area,” says Varde. “They do a three month consultation process where they ask people what do they think, they discuss the pros and cons, they check with all of the interest groups etc. and they will continue to get to the bottom of that and then it goes on a becomes a two or three years process but they examine it more care-

fully, they bring in experts etcetera.”

The lack of an independent enquiry into the suitability of placing an oil-rig on Dublin Bay raises eyebrows as to how the state interacts with citizens in the planning stages especially with the sensitivity surrounding local people and the possible impact that a nearby

revenues because… local communities obviously bare some costs.”

If, as the evidence so far suggests, Ireland sees further discoveries of oil and gas fields then it’s imperative that the government get more active in introducing legislation that will protect both our environment and ensure that

“It seems absurd that during this very period in which the city is aiming to promote itself to its own citizens and possible future tourists that it would consider granting planning permission for the building of a very intrusive landmark” oil rig will have on their day to day lives. Professor Convery believes that if any oil and gas industry is to become successful in Ireland, they will need to directly compensate the local people.

“The other thing that we have failed to do, which is a mistake and it arises very much in the Mayo case, is that there should be some automatic kind of sharing by the local community in the

our natural resources are not getting plundered by private hands. In some cases, the presence of an oil field may interfere with the natural beauty of an area, meaning a conflict of interests exist with no mechanism to deal with it.

As Varde said of Dublin Bay: “What’s the value … of that bay? How do you put a number on that?”

Little taxation, full representation In the wake of controversy in the UK over the low tax payments of some of the world’s largest companies, Yvanne Kennedy looks at whether we are getting our money’s worth from them this side of the Irish Sea

ple throughout the country. These can be of use to everyone from the student working part-time in a McDonald’s to the executives sitting on the boards of companies in the IFSC. There is something inherently good in the companies that have stuck out the downturn and

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oogle, Starbucks, Amazon: all multi-national corporations, all seemingly profitable and all paying some of the smallest tax bills in the United Kingdom. There are no allegations of illegality, wrongdoing, or of fixing the system. They are simply utilising a system that allows for tax avoidance for companies large enough to work it for the benefits. Tax avoidance, though with similarly low tax bills as tax evasion, is not illegal and as such, carries no penalty.

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable, has called this practice “completely unacceptable” but it has to be remembered that the legislature itself created an environment where this sort of behaviour can thrive. If the loopholes didn’t exist, they couldn’t be utilised, so why do they continue to be left open when obvious problems persist?

There is a certain element of ‘the times we live in’ entering the argument here and it makes no bones about taking a front row seat. For years, companies operating with similar practices went unchecked because, again, they were doing nothing illegal and in the process were creating thousands of jobs and still creating millions in revenue, despite the low rates. Now however, with the bubble burst, the idea that the best off in society have to contribute more has stretched to corporations. If they can reap the benefits of being so profitable, should they not also deal with some of the downfalls, such as the huge tax bills?

“There is an obvious worry that if these enterprises are asked to pay more tax than is currently being requested that they will flee to countries where this isn’t, and is not likely to become, an issue” In Ireland, there is a low 12.5% taxation for “trading income” which is much lower than the 20-42% paid on earnings for the average Irish employee. Even the 25% tax on “non-trading” income leaves a large gap between the so-called ‘99%’ and their famed 1% rivals.

The idea behind such low tax rates was a noble one; an idea to create foreign investment in the island and encourage job and enterprise growth.

However, there is an obvious worry that if these enterprises are asked to pay more tax than is currently being

requested that they will flee to countries where this isn’t, and is not likely to become, an issue. We value the input these corporations have, with Google and Starbucks having huge holdings in the State and employing hundreds of people but is the quid pro quo really being maintained? What exactly are the benefits to the average person from the presence of these multi-national corporations (MNCs) and how can we maximise them like they are us?

There are boundless opportunities given to us by MNCs. They provide jobs for thousands upon thousands of peo-

that there are certain of these companies that could have moved operations abroad but didn’t.

However, the dark side to that is exactly that, they could have moved and can at any point in the future. A study from the University of Limerick recently referred to MNCs as ‘nation-less’ companies. As a result, there is no particular link felt between these corporations and Ireland, or anywhere else for that matter. There is a worry that at any stage, a better offer could come along and they will up and leave. Plenty of national and international companies

have done this recently and all it could take is one good offer and thousands of jobs will once again be lost.

We give MNCs a lot, more than just our talent and skills. We have afforded them a haven from which to run their businesses with all the advantages that a country in the middle of an economic downturn can give. We have low property prices, great transport links and an obvious need for their help; a fact that no doubt can make us quite vulnerable.

Is there a general societal loss when companies can contribute less to the societies that they are ‘living’ in than the average person? UCD School of Sociology lecturer, Doctor Iarfhlaith Watson considers that “when it comes to MNCs, the societal impact is not restricted within the borders of one state because they operate in different states with a different impact depending on their role with R&D, sales or production.”

This impact can, in some cases, be very powerful in certain fields, again, job creation, but in others be very damaging, especially when we look at how an MNC can be treated compared with a small domestic retailer and how they can treat them personally.

However, there is an argument that all of these characteristics are simply in their nature due to the types of enterprises that they are. If we focus on the positives instead these is a lot to be said for these companies. They may pay low tax in this country but that is a small aspect of their existence and perhaps a small price to pay.

“Overall, I think that restricting our view to Irish society overlooks the full global impact of MNCs,” says Watson.

Whether we believe that, we have to at least consider the fair trade, the charitable initiatives, the donations and yes, the tax they do pay, before we launch a simple tyrade based on a single factor, no matter how significant it may be.

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

SCIENCE & HEALTH

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helps to produce energy. However, it becomes problematic when ingested in high concentrations, causing anxiety and irritability. While it is added in high quantities to energy drinks, these are side effects you may never feel as according to a study done by Dr Neil Harrison, a Pharmacology Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, Taurine is unable to pass through the membranes that protect the brain.

However, a study in the same college was performed on rodents and showed that if the taurine does in fact reach the brain it would imitate a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid, which actually slows down brain activity, causing a sedative effect as it works in regulatory area of the thalamus.

Manufacturers claim that energy drinks boost your endurance and performance, concentration and energy levels because of how they combine

numerous brainpower-enhancing ingredients. In fact, any ‘boost’ you get from drinking them is likely to solely come from the high concentrations of caffeine and sugar and not much else, which isn’t surprising as energy drinks contain often as much as three times the caffeine and sugar found in a normal soft drink. However, even these boosts are exaggerated compared with how they actually work, and in many cases, energy drinks have been proven not to have any direct effect on the amount of time a person will spend studying. With this in mind, before you reach for the four-pack of Red Bull this exam-time, perhaps it is worth considering whether or not the restlessness, headaches and poor concentration caused by over-use of energy drinks are really worth enduring for the sake of a short-lived buzz and a rather medicinal taste.

Observer Science Boosting concentration science@universityobserver.ie

As the lead up to exam time is upon us, Aoife Valentine considers whether science really backs up the boost energy drinks claim they’ll give you

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he energy drink business is a billion euro industry across the world each year, increasing in popularity in the last decade, particularly since the launch of Red Bull in 1997. Since then, there have been infinite versions of the energy drink introduced, and numerous variations on it developed such as energy drink shots.

The prime market for these drinks is children and young adults, and there’s no doubting that college students make up a large portion of that bracket, especially around this time of year.

The marketing teams at these drinks companies are fully aware of this and sell their products with the consumer’s desires in mind, promising increased concentration levels, alertness, focus and a boost in energy levels. With long nights in the library stretching ahead of most students during the exam period, turning to energy drinks is an understandable move. To what extent do these companies deliver on these promises, though?

Caffeine has been proven to increase wakefulness, concentration and focus.

Caffeine, as a stimulant, promotes increased activity in the anterior cingulated and anterior cingulated gyrus areas in the prefrontal lobe of the brain.

This part of your brain is associated with attention, concentration and planning, and because of this caffeine helps most in tasks requiring speed rather than original thought or actual brainpower. Whether it is actually a ‘boost’ being provided is arguable however, once you look at how caffeine acts in the brain.

Caffeine works by blocking the effects of a chemical in the brain related to sleep called adenosine. Adenosine levels are actively monitored in the brain by receptors, and once the levels of adenosine in the brain reach a certain point, it begins to push the body towards sleep, or at the very least, relaxation. Caffeine acts quite similarly to adenosine in the brain and it fools the receptors by binding to them; but rather than activating the receptors, it merely plugs them up. Once these receptors have been blocked, it causes neurons in the brain to fire, activating the body’s fight or flight response, causing your eyes to dilate and your heart to beat faster. This combined with the effect caffeine has on the body’s dopamine levels causes the body to feel boosted. However, what the caffeine has essentially done is halt sleepiness, rather than actually boost your energy levels.

However, almost all studies suggest that how long these effects last varies from person to person depending on their own tolerance, but they are usually pretty short-lived. This is combined with the effects the sheer amount of sugar in these drinks, that causes a rise in blood sugar levels, which creates an energised feeling, and you’ll find your mood slightly elevated. However, as soon as these levels begin to return to normal, you will feel fatigued, grumpy, and more often than not, completely unable to concentrate. A study by Loughborough University found that after an hour, a person who drank energy drinks showed much slower reactions, and far more lapses in concentra-

tion, when compared with someone who hadn’t had any energy drinks at all.

While caffeine and sugar are the main ingredients in these drinks, manufacturers have begun adding numerous other supposedly nutritionally beneficial supplements. The main additives touted by the companies as healthy additions are B vitamins, Guarana and Taurine, however these have no real health benefits when used as they are in energy drinks. According to a study in the Journal of American Pharmacists Association, these are added in too low quantities to actually provide the benefits as they are marketed to.

In the case of B vitamins, they are proven to help extract energy from food. However energy drinks such as the Five Hour Energy Shot exploit their proven health benefits, packing them full of thousands of times the recommended daily allowance of any combination of the eight B vitamins. Having this amount actually doesn’t help you at all however, as your body can only use a certain amount of any vitamin and then it just excretes the rest as waste.

Guarana is a herbal product that contains some caffeine as well as other stimulants such as theophylline and theobromine, which are said to boost energy and concentration levels.

However even if a sufficient quantity of guarana was present in energy drinks to make a difference, it remains unproven whether or not it actually has these effects in the first place.

This is particularly relevant when you consider many of the decaf versions of energy drinks use guarana as a caffeine replacement.

Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid, which

The Big Barnes Theory: The final frontier Will the human race up sticks and set out for the stars in our lifetime? Probably not, writes Ethan Troy-Barnes

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f a certain 1960s sci-fi series which may or may not have anything to do with The Swiss Family Robinson is to be believed, we should have space travel sorted by now. Instead of contenting ourselves with GPS satellites and Mars rovers, we should have sent the first deep space colonisation mission on its way over a decade ago.

“In that case, where’s my low budget spaceship complete with skin tight ski-spacesuits and an evil, moustachetwirling doctor?” I hear you demand.

Rest assured, the world of interstellar space exploration is not as Lost in Space would have you believe.

The Robinsons’ destination and the nearest star to our solar system visible to the naked eye is Alpha Centauri, located a distance of roughly 4.3 light years (the distance traversed by a beam of light in one year) from Earth.

If we were all ants, and the distance between Earth and the Sun were about the width of a doorframe, then the distance between our solar system and Alpha Centauri would be the equivalent of crawling all the way from Dublin to Manchester. No mean feat for an ant.

Assuming you’re not an ant, but rather a human in a spacecraft hurtling though space at a velocity equivalent, for example, to one tenth of the speed of light, it would take almost 80 Earth years to travel to Alpha Centauri and back. This illustrates one of the major snags when it comes to interstellar travel: distance and time. Things in space are simply very, very far away from each other. Getting anywhere is going to either take a long time, or require a very speedy spacecraft and vast amounts of energy.

One tenth of the speed of light was an arbitrary number, mind. At the moment, most rocket-based crafts cannot travel anything as fast. The main limiting factor in rocket propulsion is the fact that you need fuel to go fast. But, the more fuel you carry, the heavier your ship and the more fuel is needed to shift the mass and so on; a kind of catch 22 situation ensues.

One of the solutions to this problem is to build a vehicle that is more efficient at burning fuel, which exploits nuclear fusion or fission to create thrust. A ‘nuclear rocket’ would get more bang for its buck fuel-wise, but there would still be an upper limit to its speed.

“But wait,” you cry. “Travelling through space means travelling through a vacuum, which has the advantage of virtually zero friction. De-

“As a scientist or practical man, I see little purpose in sending people into space at all”

spite how slowly my rocket is accelerating, it could eventually reach quite high speeds, right?” True. However, the downside of a frictionless travel medium is that there is also nothing to slow you down once you get to your destination. So, you’re going need to bring with you double the amount of fuel you need to accelerate, if you expect to slow yourself down in time to reach your destination and not pass it by.

This means carrying even more mass, and so the idea of using a rocket becomes increasingly less appealing.

A light-sail might be worthy alternative. This is an extremely thin membrane (perhaps one atom thick) that can be set up at the head of the ship and propelled along by high-intensity laser beams directed towards the ship across interstellar distances from the planet of origin, in the same way that wind drives a sailboat.

When the ship needs to decelerate, the sail can be detached and a second rear sail can be erected. The free-flying front sail can then act as a mirror to reflect the laser beam back onto the rear sail and slow down the ship.

Astronomer Royal Martin Rees

However, regardless of your means of travel, speed will always be an issue.

The next obvious problem is travel time. At the moment, the average human lives for less than 100 years. Even in a very fast ship, a round-trip to the nearest star would lasts far longer than the average human lifespan.

Certain solutions have been offered to the human problem, such as ‘generation ships’, which carry whole families who work, live and die on board, though this only adds to the mass problem. Another idea is that of a kind of robot-operated space-ark, which carries frozen human embryos that undergo artificial gestation upon arrival.

These solutions aren’t exactly the definition of feasible. Therefore, many believe that the future of space exploration lies in the use of robotic probes rather than manned star ships.

A robotic pilot does not grow old and die. It would also weigh a lot less than a human pilot, and that’s without factoring in everything necessary to keep a human being alive in space such as water, air, a facility to grow food etc.

For example, in the early Russian mis-

“Certain solutions have been offered to the human problem, such as ‘generation ships’, which carry whole families who work, live and die on board” sions, Sputnik 2 that carried Laika the dog into space, weighed about six times more than the unmanned Sputnik.

Such an approach could permit increased travel speeds and allow for missions of indefinite duration. In fact, researchers at the University of Michigan are currently developing nano-particle thruster technology that would allow flotillas of microscopically-sized robots of negligible mass to travel through space at very high speeds, and interact together to act as a kind of data-gathering super-computer network.

So, do robotic probes spell the end for manned space flight?

Speaking at a recent guest lecture here in UCD, Astronomer Royal Martin Rees was both optimistic and realistic about the future: “The practical case for sending people into space gets ever-weaker with each advance in robots and miniaturisation.

Indeed as a scientist or practical man, I see little purpose in sending people into space at all. But as a human being, I’m an enthusiast for manned missions. I hope some people now living will walk on Mars.”

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SCIENCE & HEALTH

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

Village green preservation society As endangered species face increasing threat from changing environmental pressures, Emily Longworth examines cloning as a viable resort for species conservation

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onservation of species has been an international issue for centuries, and it is one of the key roles of our modern-day zoos and botanic gardens. Storing living collections of plant species and creating seed banks across continents has been practised for as long as biologists had means to transport their specimens. However, recent advances in genetic and molecular biology have founded a whole new type of conservation: cloning.

In the last few weeks, Embrapa, an agricultural research agency in Brazil, announced their plans to begin cloning eight species that are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of endangered species. In particular, it aims to clone the maned wolf, native to South America, in the next month. The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) has been classed as “near threatened” by IUCN. Only 13,000 maned wolves remain in the entirety of South America. Disease and habitat distruption have been the biggest threat to the welfare of the maned wolf, whose population has remained steadily in decline for years.

Very often, they are killed as pests, not unlike foxes are, as they are inclined to kill chickens on farmlands.

The initiative to clone them has its priorities set on increasing numbers of captive specimens, as opposed to repopulating natural habitats. This is because they feel that the cloned animals may be very vulnerable if released into wild habitats. The cloned species will be maintained in captivity as a way of a ‘reserve’, in case wild populations should collapse or experience more severe decline in the future.

The seven other species that have been listed for protection are black lion

cies was used as the surrogate mother.

This made the cloning process more of an apparent success, but another factor that contributed to the success of the sheep was the extent that researchers know about their life cycles.

“We know a lot about the reproductive cycles of cattle and sheep that we don’t know for species like the black

tamarins, bush dogs, coatis, collared anteaters, gray brocket deer and bison, which are also listed as endangered by the IUCN. Already, 420 wild tissue samples have been taken from maned wolves in Brazil.

This is not the first time that rare or endangered species have been cloned.

The European mouflon, a small wild sheep, was viably cloned in 2001. Having been classified as endangered in its original habitat, the mouflon clone survived for seven months. This made it the first clone that survived past infancy. Previously, attempts were made to clone the Pyrenean ibex, although this clone died merely 48 hours after its birth in 2000.

The cloning of the mouflon sheep was modelled on the same technology that was used to clone Dolly the sheep in 1997. This is comprised of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which is also often referred to as “therapeutic cloning”. It works by retaining the nucleus of a somatic cell from the cloning subject, which is then fused with an egg cell from a host animal. A surrogate mother then carries the embryo until birth.

One of the key differences in cloning of the European Moufflon after Dolly was that a different sheep spe-

“Any tool for saving endangered species is important, cloning is just another reproductive tool, like in-vitro fertilisation.”

With Hepatitis C and AIDS remaining seemingly without cure despite years of research, Michael O’ Sullivan investigates recent medical milestones in the fight against the two diseases

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rhotic, with many sufferers eventually needing a transplant.

Current methods of treatment are achieving a roughly 50%-80% cure rate, which is not bad in itself, but any improvement at all is welcome. The fact that a treatment has been developed that works in almost all cases has us one step closer to eradicating the illness completely, a giant leap forward in everybody’s books.

Hepatitis C, while serious, is not always fatal if caught early. The treatments as they stand at the moment have a good chance of eradicating the infection and allowing the patient to go

are not effective enough, cloning may be a last resort.

Betsy Dresser, director of the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, in New Orleans, says that: “Any tool for saving endangered species is important, cloning is just another reproductive tool, like in-vitro fertilisation.”

There are still many problems that face the long-term viability of cloning, however. In the case of the Pyrenean Ibex, there was only one female left in existence at the time of cloning, named Celia. This means that even if it were possible to successfully clone the last remaining female, there would have been no male species available to breed with the clone.

For a population of an extinct animal to be re-established, several requirements need to be met. Primarily, a range of genetic material from the natural population is required to create genetic diversity amongst a cloned population. Without genetic diversity, the gene pool of the species is severely narrowed, and their potential to survive is hugely mitigated.

In this way, there never would have been chance for Celia, the last ibex. But with this knowledge of what is necessary for the establishment of a new population done entirely with cloning, it is possible that researchers may succeed in repopulating the maned wolf and other South American species in captivity.

“The key is foresight, to just save a little piece of skin, blood or other living cells before the genes from these individuals are lost from the planet forever,” says Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

With the viability of cloning becoming a reality, there are chances that cloned animals can save species lines in the course of the next century. Cloned species will be allowed to repopulate wild habitats if the natural populations are threatened to near extinction, which will potential enable us to never repeat the mistake of the dodo loss.

Maned wolf: Only 13,000 remain

The cure odern medicine is the stuff of miracles. To ask what we would do without our many pills and liquids is to strike fear into the heart of humanity.

Dying at the age of 40 from an infected cut is nothing short of preposterous.

However, this statement is far from accurate. It is only in the last 200 years or so that modern medicine has reared its head. Before that, you were quite likely to drop off the face of the earth at the age of 10 after stubbing your toe.

Since then, life has improved considerably. People live longer, happier, healthier lives and don’t die of easily-treatable everyday ailments. Although this improvement has given rise to problems of its own; as we gained the ability to cure the simple illnesses, people lived long enough to contract the rather spectacularly horrendous illnesses that now afflict our populations.

Cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s; as we continue to live longer, diseases such as these become more prevalent in our society. The battle to quell the march of these behemoths has been raging for years and, while treatments are getting better all the time, we still can’t seem to find a definitive cure.

The tide may be beginning to change however, with the news that a working treatment for Hepatitis C has been discovered and that a vaccine against HIV has made it through the first round of clinical trials.

Abbot Laboratories recently announced that they had come up with a drug combination that cured Hepatitis C in 95% of cases after just 12 weeks of therapy.

Hepatitis C is a viral disease that causes inflammation and scarring on the liver. It is also asymptomatic, meaning that most people don’t even know they have it until it’s too late. The virus causes the liver to become cir-

rhino and the Sumatran tiger, which makes exotic species more difficult to clone,” says Oliver Ryder, of the Centre for Reproduction of Endangered Species in the San Diego Zoo, California.

This may impact negatively for the efforts to conserve the South American species such as the maned wolf. But in cases where efforts to preserve habitat

back to a normal life. HIV, on the other hand, is a whole other story.

HIV is a death sentence to all who contract it. It may kill them slowly, or it may cut their lifespan dramatically, but all sufferers will die from the disease, or related complications, eventually.

HIV attacks the immune system, drastically reducing its effectiveness.

It can be said that HIV itself is not a killer; infections that occur as a result of HIV are what kills sufferers. When HIV has compromised a person’s immune system to a certain degree, they are diagnosed with AIDS. If this is the case, even the smallest, simplest of in-

fections have the capacity to kill the patient, as their immune system is too weak to fight it off.

A group of Canadian researchers however, are hoping to change this. Researchers at Western University, London, Ontario announced recently that a HIV vaccine they developed made it through the first round of clinical trials, showing no adverse effects and significantly boosting the immunity of those it treated.

The vaccine itself was formed using a killed HIV virus that had been genetically modified. This, however, took ten years of hard graft to create and has been named SAV001-H. Despite its relatively unexciting name, the vaccine has exciting consequences. The drug significantly increased the level of HIV antibodies present in those it was tested on; in one case a 34-fold increase was measured.

These results are incredible, as antibodies are the base requirement for the eradication of all infections. Because HIV specifically targets the immune system, it has made it all the more dif-

“Researchers at Western University, London, Ontario announced recently that a HIV vaccine they developed made it through the first round of clinical trials, showing no adverse effects and significantly boosting the immunity of those it treated” ficult to treat, yet here we are hoping to completely eradicate it.

The second round of trials is to begin soon. If the drug makes it through all the trials, a working HIV vaccine could be on the market in less than ten years’ time.

Ten years, and we could have a cure for HIV. What else is the human race capable of in that time? Could we cure brain diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s? Modern medicine has worked its wonders once again. It has its detractors, conspiracy theorists who claim pharmaceutical companies are holding out on cures they already have in order to make more money off temporary fixes they have on the market, and others who favour the holistic approach.

Natural medicines are perfectly fine for most common complaints, but for diseases like HIV and Hepatitis, chewing roots just isn’t going to cut it.

And if we’re perfectly honest, pharmaceutical companies are businesses and businesses exist for the sole purpose of making money. But all of this negativity takes away from the true triumph here.

We, using only our own intelligence, have managed to extend our lifespan using simple brainpower and ingenuity. If eternal life exists, its secrets are locked away somewhere in our own heads.

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

Observer Gaeilge

GAEILGE

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gaelige@universityobserver.ie

Iriseoireacht na gaeilge i ré an idirlín Labhraíonn Molly O Keefe faoi iriseoireacht na gaeilge

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staid reatha na meáin cumarsáide, tá foilseacháin chlóite ag titim chun deirigh. Toisc go bhfuil an domhain ag bogadh ar aghaidh ó nuachtáin agus ag glacadh le forbairtí sna meáin ar líne, tá na meáin chlóite ar fad i mbaol, agus ní mór dóibh dul i dtaithí leis an ré nua iriseoireachta seo. Tá an méid seo fíor ach go háirithe i gcás iriseoireacht na Gaeilge.

Thánaigh an meath ar dhíolachán nuachtáin de dheasca úsáid suíomhanna idirlíne nuachta ag dul i méid.

Bhí litearthacht ríomhairí ag an formhór den phobal, agus bhí daoine ag caitheamh i bhfad níos mó ama ar líne.

Spreagtha ag na séirbhísí leathanbhanda níos fearr a bhí ar fáil, thosaigh daoine ag teacht ar an nuacht i rith an am a chaith siad ar an idirlín.

Is léir go bhfuil buntáistí eagsúla ag baint le háiseanna nuachta idirlíne. Is féidir foinsí ilmheánach a úsáid; físeanna a leabú isteach le hailt, nó naisc chun tuilleadh eolais a fháil ar an scéal.

Tá an léitheoir in ann an scéal a léamh níos tapúla agus an t-eolas a chuimhniú go heasca leis na hacmhainní seo. Is féidir nuacht an lae a léamh gan nuachtán a cheannach is gan costas ar bith, agus, rud atá fíor-thábhactach sa tsochaí neamhghníomhach seo, gan an teach a fhágáil fiú.

Dá bharr, chuaigh díolacháin nuachtáin in olcas, agus nuachtáin Ghaeilge san aireamh. Bhí na deacrachtaí seo, in éineacht leis na fadhbanna ar fad atá ag baint le foilsiú nuachtáin i mionteanga, marfach de cuid den mheáin Ghaeilge. I mí Nollag sa bhlian 2008, dúnadh an nuachtán laethúil Lá Nua,

toisc go raibh an ciorclaíocht ag titim, agus d’aontaigh Foras na Gaeilge chun deireadh a chur leis a chistiú. Ocht mí ina dhiaidh sin, i Meitheamh sa bhlian 2009, dúnadh Foinse nuachtá seachtainiúil, ar chúiseanna cosúil- ní raibh sé ag baint cóimheá airgid amach.

Ach bhí an t-ádh le Foinse agus i mí Samhain an bhlian céanna, bhí an nuachtán in ann preabadh ar áis ón méid seo, agus forbairtí nua-aimseartha a dhéanamh chun coimeád suas leis na meáin ar líne. Ón am sin, bhí Foinse dáilte leis an Irish Independent, ceann de na foilseacháin is mó sa tír. Gluais iontach cliste a bhí ann, is dóigh, le ciorclaíocht seachtainiúil de thart ar 150,000, léim ollmhór óna chiorclaíocht roimhe de 4,500, ag tabhairt na meáin Ghaeilge isteach i dteaghlaigh ar fud na tíre.

Ar ndóigh, níl na fírící seo go hiomlán cruinn. Fiú go bhfuil 150,000 chóip den pháipear scaipthe timpeall na tíre gach Céadaoin, ní ciallaíonn sé go bhfuil 150,000 dhaoine á léamh. Is fíor go gcaitheann go leor daoine amach é mar aon leis na forlíontaí eile nach bhfuil mórán suime acu iontu, ach ag an am céanna, má tá an nuachtán Ghaeilge ag teacht lena bpáipeár nuachta laethiúil, bíonn daoine á léamh nach gceannóidís é ar chuma eile.

Fadbh mór atá ag nuachtáin seachtainiúil mar Foinse ná go bhfuil sean-nuacht ina leathanacha. Tá nuacht an lae ar fáil ar líne, le nóimeádar-nóimead nuashonruithe. Ní féidir le nuachtáin laethúil dul in iomaíocht leis seo fiú, agus mar sin, tá a shuíomh idirlín féin ag an formhór de nuachtáin sa tír seo. An bhlian seo, d’aimsigh

suirbhé a bhí déanta ag an BBC go mbaineann 59.9% de dhaoine Éireannacha úsáid as suíomhanna nuachtán, níos mó ná an 57% ab fhearr nuachtáin chlóite a léamh. Baineann 54% de dhaoine úsáid as gutháin cliste chun seic a dhéanamh ar an nuacht go minic i rith an lae, ar aipeanna nó suíomhanna nuachta. Is léir nach bhfuil an phobal foighneach i dtaobh na cúrsaí seo. Mar sin, tá sé fíor-thábhactach do nuachtáin, nuachtáin Ghaeilge san áireamh, a bheith láithreach ar líne.

Nuair a bhí seachtanán Ghaeilge nua lainseáilte, Gaelscéal, sa bhlian 2010, bhí suíomh idirlín lainseáilte in éineacht leis. Ar an suíomh, is féidir súil a choimead ar chúrsaí reatha i rith an lae agus tá an chóip bhog ar fáil ann saor in aisce. Chruthaigh Foinse suíomh chomh maith, agus in éineacht laithreáin ar nós beo.ie, tá an Ghaeilge infheicthe ar líne anois.

Tá na fadhbanna céanna ag na meáin seo ó thaobh ábharaíocht de. Ní féidir chlúdach na scéalta nuachta céanna leis na meáin Béarla i gcónaí, toisc nach bhfuil na páipéair i gcló ach uair amháin sa tseachtain, agus dá bharr, ní féidir an lucht léitheora a mhealladh le chursaí reatha na tíre i gcinéaralta.

Mar sin, is minic a bhíonn scéalta den Ghaeltacht agus faoin Ghaeilge féin mar phríomhábhar sna nuachtáin. Mar shampla, san eagrán deiridh de Ghael-

scéal, tá na scéalta ar fad ar an gcéad ceithre leathanaigh faoi chúrsaí teanga maidir leis an Ghaeilge. Tá cuid mór ag deireadh na nuactáin le nuacht óna Ghaeltachta sna ceithre cúige den tír.

Chun déileáil le scéalta agus ceiste móra an seachtain, tá na nuachtáin seo lán le anailís agus plé. Tá an méid seo le fheiceál i gcolúin Ghaeilge san meáin Béarla go minic freisin, comhfhreagraithe ag plé na scéalta is mó, agus ag

spreagadh díospóireacht air i measc a lucht léitheora. Mar aon leis an manna TG4, déanann iriseoireacht na Gaeilge iarracht ‘súl eile’ a thabhairt don phobal.

Tá go leor forbairtí déanta ag na meáin Ghaeilge le fanacht fiúntach sa lá atá inniú ann, ach is léir go bhfuil dul chun cinn leanúnach riachtanach anois, i ré an idirlín.

Gluais

Meath.......................................................................Decline Leabú..................................................................embedment Ciorcalaíocht...............................................circulation Dáilte...............................................................distributed Foighneach..............................................................patient

An gcartlann náisúinta Leis an gCartlann Náisiúnta ag obair go chrua chun taifead nua a fhoilsiú, breathann Cian Ó Tuathaláin ar an eolas atá ar fáil dúinn faoi láthair

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n bhliain ná 1901. Faoin am seo, tá Éire faoi smacht an chóróin Bhriotanach, ní raibh cogadh domhanda ariamh agus ní dhearna Harman & Wolff an Titanic go fóill. Tá daoine áirithe gafa in oíche amháin sa bhliain seo, 111 bliain ó shin. Níl a fhios ag na daoine seo an tionchar a bheidh acu ormsa, agus, b’fhéidir, ar roinnt daoine eile go dtí seo.

I gCo Ciarraí, ar oileán beag ar imeall an domhain, tá bean spreagúil ag insint scéalta dá clann agus ag caint ar an daonáireamh reatha; an sceitimíní atá uirthi agus ar mhuintir an oileán go léir. Tá sí tríocha bliana d’aois, agus tá triúir ghasúir aici lena fear céile, a phós í tar éis cleamhnas. Tá a fhios agamsa go bhfuil sí thar a bheith sásta ar an oileán seo, cé go bhfuil aithne aici uirthi féin mar blow in. An bhean atá i gceist ná Peig Sayers, máthair an scéalaíocht sa Nua-Ghaeilge.

De réir Daonáireamh na hÉireann, 1901, Margaret Guiheen an t-ainm atá uirthi, ach, mar gheall go raibh an daonáireamh eagraithe ag na húdaráis Briotanach, ní tugtar deis don chóras Gaelach a úsáid maidir le hainmneacha.

Ní raibh aithne ag duine ar bith ar an mBlascaod Mhór ar Pheig mar Mhargaret Guiheen, mar choimeád mná a sloinnte roimh phósadh – nós amháin atá le feiceáil sna leabhair a scríobhfaidh an bhean seo sna blianta atá roimpi.

Nuair atáim ag breathnú ar an mbileog leis an eolas seo air, tá bród an domhain orm as an laoch seo, ach ní féidir liom a shéanadh go bhfuil brón áirithe orm ach an oiread. Níl a fhios ag Margaret Guiheen go bhfuil sí chun a bheith i measc na ndaoine is cáiliúil sa Ghaeilge, go mbeidh a leabhar beathaisnéise léite ag glúin iomlán agus, an pointe is bunúsaí, go mbeidh uirthi a

baile a fhágáil agus bás a fháil ar an mórthír, mar déanfar an t-oileán folamh i gceann caoga bliana.

Beidh Peig in ann scéal na Gaeltachta a thaispeáint don domhan, rud a bheidh fear óg ar thaobh eile na tíre ag iarraidh di a dhéanamh.

Tá an fear seo ocht mbliana déag d’aois, agus tá sé ag déanamh staidéar ar mhatamaitic i gColáiste na Carraige Duibhe i mBaile Átha Cliath, ina cónaí le tríocha mic léinn eile. Tá a fhios agamsa go bhfuil scoláireacht faighte aige chun staidéar a dhéanamh anseo.

Ceapaim féin go bhfuil sé suimiúil go leor, go bhfuil Edward ag iarraidh a bheith ina mhúinteoir, ach ní bheidh leagáid aige mar mhúinteoir go deo. I measc na poist a bheidh ag an reibiliúnach seo, beidh sé ina Theachta Dála, ansin ina Thaoiseach agus ansin toghfaidh Poblacht na hÉireann mar Uachtarán é. Tá aithne againn air mar Éamonn De Valera.

Is fear tírghrácha é Edward, agus is dóigh liom go bhfuil Luimneach scríofa aige mar áit bhreithe dá bhrí. Níl a fhios aige i gceann cúig bliana déag, áfach, go sabhláfaidh a shaol mar gheall gur Meiriceánach é i ndáiríre.

Ní gheobhaidh Edward vóta Nancy Rogers, mar beidh sí cleamhnaithe le Cumann na nGaedhal (Fine Gael níos déanaí), ar thaobh an Chonartha. Tá Nancy ina cónaí sna Temple Buildings i lár na cathrach i mBaile Átha Cliath.

Tá sí trí bliana d’aois, agus tá beirt deirfiúracha aici, Ellen (5 bliana d’aois) agus Elizabeth (aon bhliain d’aois). Is tiománaí hacnaí é a athair, Peter, agus is dócha ó na taifead go bhfuil sé trí bliana níos óige ná Ellen, a bhean chéile.

Tá a fhios agamsa go bhfuil náire uirthi as a toyboy, agus tá sé bliana aici air i ndáiríre - ní cheapaim go bhfuil sé sin ar eolas ag Peter, áfach.

Níl tuairim ag an mbean seo an tion-

char a bheidh aici orm. Níl a fhios aici go bhfuil sí chun Michael Kelly (12 bliana d’aois) ó Dhún Bóinne a phósadh, agus go bhfuil sí chun socrú síos leis ansin i gCo na Mí. Níl a fhios ag an gcailín bocht seo, go bhfuil a gariníon chun í a bhrú isteach i gcófra agus í a chur faoi ghlas isteach ann nuair atá sí ina seachtóidí, an scéal a spreagann gaire fós idir mo mháthair agus m’aintín, an coirpeach. Ba í mo sheanmháthair í.

Tá Nancy Rogers chun a bheith an duine is spreagúla don treibh atá againn, fós go dtí an lá atá inniu ann.

Carachtar ab ea í, agus choimeád sí suas na nósanna a fuair sí ó Bhaile Átha Cliath – na frásaí a bhí aici atá fós i gciorclaíocht i mo theaghlach féin.

Bíonn sé i gcónaí fíorspéisiúil dom; go raibh tionchar ollmhór ag an gcailín óg seo le trí bliana d’aois ar chlann iomlán, fiú nuair atá sí caillte tríocha bliain anuas - mise faoi ghlas ag an bpíosa páipéir lena hainm air, scríbhneoireacht a hathair agus a shíniú ag bun na mbileoige. Taisce atá inti.

Ceapaim go bhfuil sé fíorghreannmhar freisin, go mbeidh imeagla

uirthi nuair a fheiceann sí a deirfiúr, Bessy (Elizabeth: an leanbh beag d’aon bhliain d’aois) ag teacht, ‘an tseanbhitseach craiceáilte sin arís!’ a déarfaidh sí.

Tá an t-eolas a fuair mé ar fáil ag an gCartlann Náisiúnta, ag www.census.nationalarchives.ie. Scaoiltear na dtaifead céad bliain i ndiaidh na daonáirimh agus mar sin tá Daonáireamh na hÉireann 1911 le feiceáil chomh maith.

Rinneadh daonáireamh anuraidh agus tá súil agamsa go mbeidh mise fós

i mbeo i gceann nócha is a naoi bhliain chun iad a fheiceáil arís; na daoine a bheidh clú agus cáil orthu nach raibh siad ach ag líonadh isteach píosa pháipéar ar ghnáthoíche; na heachtraí atá rompu ar eolas agam.

Muna ndéanaim é go dtí 119 bliana d’aois, tá beagáinín dóchas orm go mbeidh duine eicínt sa bhliain 2112 ag breathnú ar an bpíosa pháipéar le m’ainm féin scríofa air. Tá rúin ár dtodhchaí ar eolas ag muintir na bliana 2112 agus tá súil agam go mbeidh cineál iontacha déanta or thu!

Gluais Speargúil..........................................................excited/stirring Cleamhnas................................................arranged marriage

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OPINION

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

Observer Opinion Kill.i.an: Oh Christmas tree

The Valentines: Movember

As Movember finally comes to a close, Aoife Valentine ponders what the point of it all really is

It’s nearly December and Killian Woods isn’t looking forward to Christmas tree shopping

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eeing every American person on my Instagram feed post filtered pictures of their delicious Thanksgiving dinners last week reminded me of two things. Firstly, ‘I’m hungry’ and secondly: ‘Crap! It’s nearly December’.

December means something different for everyone. For kids, it spells the start of a 25 day period where they can rationalise eating the chocolate from their advent calendar for breakfast. For most of us though, it means we can’t justify lying to ourselves any more that it’s going to be week ten forever.

However, as well as the chocolate for breakfast and exam stress, I get loaded with Christmas prep duties.

Supposedly I’m too old now to just reap the benefits of Christmas and not partake in its organisation.

That means, developing my present buying skills beyond seeking out the cheapest scented candle in Avoca, adding my own token dish to the allyou-can-eat Christmas day dinner, and doubling as a makeshift climbing frame on Christmas day for my cousins to hang out of until RTÉ pluck out a random Harry Potter movie from their family film pile.

Before all that stress though, there are much more important things to deal with. Such as writing out the same essay question 20 times before I have to regurgitate it on a piece of paper in the RDS Industries Hall and perfecting the secret recipe for my festive banana bread, topped off with a piece of plastic holly.

Yet without a doubt, the most stressful job I get landed in December with is heading up the Christmas tree committee because supposedly I have “a good rapport” with the Polish man who monopolises the Christmas tree industry in my hometown.

Since 2006, this man has been the Don of Christmas trees and his sale techniques are deeply unnerving. It is like he pilfered his merchant methods from a dummy’s guide to sales authored by Monsieur Thenardier.

Save for the fact you are surrounded

by Christmas trees in a church car park, you could be forgiven for assuming that this burly Polish man was trying to pimp out his smelly, fat, tall sister to you for 15 minutes around the back of his van.

Every year he welcomes me with the same carbon copy broken English greeting: “Ah my handsome friend, you have gotten even more taller than last year? I have perfect Christmas

tree for you.”

He has a whole spiel prepared for me, and it rarely changes. “Me and my brother Roman were cutting down trees last night and as I banged my axe into it I knew this was tree I would sell to the handsome man who comes back every year for his tree.”

I’ll try to interject and convey to him that I’d prefer to size up my own tree and pick it out, but any part of my dialogue is always drowned out by him yelling across the car park in Polish what I understand to translate as “ROMAN! Generic Irish guy wearing a scarf. Get a random tree to show him”.

“No, no, no. This is best tree,” he continues, “I save this tree for nice family guy like you. She is big fat tall tree. Smelly, fat, tall tree. Just how you like them. To the truck, come, you see her”.

I’ll reluctantly follow him and as always my technique is to buy the second tree he pulls out of the van. The first one is always a scrawny tree that he’s trying to pawn off on any loser.

This overgrown weed wouldn’t be strong enough to hold a single strand of tinsel, let alone my vast collection of flickering lights.

“Ah ha, I joke,” he’ll quickly say when he sees me put on my ‘Do I look like an idiot?’ face. He’ll wheel out another tree and say: “This is smelly, fat, tall tree; 25 years. You buy this one!”

After an inspection for a few seconds where I pretend I know what I’m looking for, I’ll hastily agree, hoping I can pay him enough to leave me alone and also get a Christmas tree out of the deal.

However, just before he seals the sale, he’ll feed me the same line that he always does. “I saved this smelly, fat tree especially for you. Favourite customer!” And instead of arguing with him that surely his favourite and longest existing customer should in fact get a discount, I’ll be stupidly guilt tripped into paying a bit extra.

Once my money graces his palm, his inner salesman instincts switch off immediately and I’m left there struggling to carry this huge tree which he removed from its compact packaging just to show me what it looks like.

This year, however, I’m going to be prepared. I’m not going to go to the back of his van. I’m not going to buy the second tree he shows me. And I’m definitely not going to get ripped off.

I’m going to make my Mum do it.

Happy Christmas.

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“Many men are taking part in Movember but aren’t aware there’s a campaign or just aren’t arsed raising money”

“Once my money graces his palm, his inner salesman instincts switch off immediately and I’m left there struggling to carry this huge tree”

olunteering, particularly when it comes to charitable causes, is something that is very important to me. Though I don’t have as much time as I used to anymore, I still endeavour to give as much of the time I have to volunteering in some capacity. While I used to be heavily involved in numerous organisations, recently I’ve found myself with barely enough time to devote to sitting on the See Change Youth Panel, which isn’t heavy on the hard graft; never mind keeping up with any of my other previous commitments.

Perhaps I would be better off just throwing money into the collection buckets each time another faculty day or Students’ Union campaign week comes around, rather than trying to keep up with and get involved in the numerous campaigns that catch my attention outside of campus, but I don’t think that would satisfy my need to at least try and actually help in some capacity. Perhaps this is why the Movember initiative annoys me so much every year.

So many of the men around me get involved, grow a big pile of hair on their face, and claim it’s for a good cause. This is despite the fact that the vast majority, at least of the men I know, have no intention of raising even a cent for the cause, nor do they have the first inkling where their prostate even is, never mind having plans to take part in any sort of awarenessraising campaign.

Once November is over, they won’t think about moustaches or their prostates for another 335 days, but still, for the duration of the month, they will bombard you with photos on Facebook of their moustache’s progress, no matter how weak their attempt, and get terribly outraged when you even think for a second of questioning the whole initiative and whether or not it’s actually achieving any of its goals.

Then again, the Movember movement themselves don’t seem to have the cause at the forefront of their efforts either. On their website, their foremost campaign strategic goal is: “We will get men to grow moustaches by creating an innovative, fun and engaging annual Movember campaign that raises funds and awareness globally.” Raising funds and awareness of what? Moustaches? Information is available about cancer and men’s health on the site, but surely the first step in raising awareness for something is to actually mention it?

Men’s health, especially in Ireland, is something that could do with a proper information campaign, and it has to be something that engages men, rather than just throwing facts around, but this isn’t it. Ignoring the fact that moustaches have literally nothing to do with prostate cancer, Movember as it is run at the moment screams of slactivism. Bragging about how great you are at not being able to keep up with basic facial maintenance is about the equivalent of sharing one of those statuses on Facebook that claims you’ll prevent child abuse by doing so. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t

stop child abuse, and I’m pretty sure having a handlebar moustache on your face doesn’t inspire people to inform themselves about their cancer risks.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month turns pretty much the entire country pink. What has pink got to do with breast cancer? Not a lot, but at least they thought to mention the condition in the title of the campaign. Over 2,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in Ireland, and about 650 women die because of it annually. An Irish woman has a one in 11 chance of developing the cancer. Compare this with over 3,000 diagnoses of prostate cancer and over 500 deaths because of it. An Irish man has a one in eight chance of developing it, which is the highest rate in Europe.

However, Prostate cancer is cured in over 90% of cases when it’s detected in its early stages, and that is why a large chunk of the information online simply asks men to go to a doctor and get checked out.

There’s no need for a campaign centred on men’s health to be morose, and in fact, the opposite clearly engages more people, but what’s the point if none of the participants are aware, or even care about the cause? A superficial contest of apparent manliness doesn’t get people thinking, and it definitely isn’t getting people talking.

Making the campaign solely about the silliest sort of ridiculous moustache you can grow trivialises the issues at hand. Team this with the fact that one of the main issues involved is that men feel awkward talking about their health issues, and this campaign is doing nothing to encourage them and you’ve got a wasted marketing budget.

You know why it’s trivial? Because cancer, particularly when it comes to cancer of hidden organs like the prostate, is scary and talking about how your moustache makes you look like Freddie Mercury is very much not scary, so people choose to do the latter.

Even that wasted budget doesn’t bring in the fact that many men are taking part in Movember but aren’t aware there’s a campaign or just aren’t arsed raising money. It’s engaging people with the fun, silly side, which is exactly what they hoped for, but it’s not doing as much money-raising as it could if it sounded like a charity campaign, and it’s raising even less awareness.

This is all an aside from the fact that I don’t like facial hair on men, and for a month every year, you can’t tell if men you don’t know are socially responsible or really creepy, but I wouldn’t mind putting up with the beard burn and mustachioed men looking too much like pedophiles, if I thought the campaign didn’t entirely seem like a gimmick.

However, now that Movember is finally coming to a close, perhaps you’ll find yourself not willing to put up with the stress of having to shave again every day again now, and should that be the case, at least no one will accuse you of just being lazy. Sure, aren’t you running a one-man yearlong cancer awareness campaign? Good man, keep up the good work.

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

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Observer Editorial editor @ universityobserver.ie

“Creating a martyr is not the right way to go about this. Both sides of the abortion campaign are relying on shameless manipulation, trying to get at the emotions of the public, trying to get a knee-jerk outrage at whatever is happening.”

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ith protests and vigils held all around Ireland, and another planned for Wednesday 28th in front of Leinster House during the Dáil debate on the issue, the whole world has been swept up by the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar.

I am both an atheist, and very prochoice, but the way this event has been used is a huge cause for concern. Savita has stopped being a person and become a political symbol. Pro-life groups have condemned pro-choice campaigners for exploiting Savita’s death and manipulating the public. While it feels ludicrous that the people behind the repulsive “Don’t Tear Her Life Apart” ads that blighted the country this summer could accuse anyone of being manipulative, the details of Savita’s case have increasingly little to do with the political movements that she is being made the face of.

The unfortunate fact about this case is that despite the surge of people calling for legislation on the ‘X Case’ on the back of Savita’s death, there’s not much evidence to believe this would have had any impact on this case. The X Case took place in 1992, when a 14-yearold girl was prevented from travelling to the UK for an abortion after being raped by her next-door neighbour.

The injunction against her travel was put in place after her family consulted the Gardai on whether DNA from the aborted foetus could be used to help in

prosecuting their neighbour for rape, as he was denying the charge. One of the key elements of the case was that the girl was threatening suicide should she be forced to carry her rapists baby to term, resulting in the ruling that in the established the right of Irish women to an abortion if a pregnant woman’s life was at risk because of pregnancy, including the risk of suicide.

One of the key things about the X case is the wording. It was decided that abortion was permissible when the mother’s life was in danger. Her life, not her health. Even if the legislation for this case was firmly in place, it seems likely that Savita would have been denied the procedure, as it was not until after the foetal heartbeat had stopped that it became clear she was in life-threatening danger. Many women have had similar situations where they got septicaemia and recovered, giving any doctor so inclined ample reason to deny an abortion if there were legislation in place following the X Case. She should have been given a termination when she requested one, she should have been given antibiotics to fight infection which she seemingly wasn’t until far too late, but none of these things fall under the X Case. Although we must wait for the result of the HSE investigation, as more details emerge it seems this tragedy may be due to malpractice, not a failure in our law.

It is still curious to see the degree to which this case has galvanised a na-

tion. The widespread anger and grief, protests and vigils show huge support for the cause of legalising abortion in Ireland, that has never been so evident before. People are understandably horrified that a young woman died in pain, but it was a very unusual event. The fact is, very few people die for want of abortion in the western world. To base an entire campaign on a freak event is incredibly foolish, particularly when there is a wealth of evidence as to the societal benefits they could be using to back it up.

The problem with these facts as far as campaigns go, is that they are complicated and often uncomfortable.

Reasons to support abortion range from allowing women to have complete control of their reproduction, to the case outlined in the pop economics book Freakonomics, which outlines the argument that the legalisation of abortion in America led to a huge fall in crime due the unwanted babies of poor, young women not being born to grow up and turn to crime. There are good, sound logical reasons to support abortion, but they are hard to fit on a placard.

In campaigns for any cause, organisers often turn to either martyrs or scapegoats. It simplifies your aims and makes it easier to gain followers. Turn your cause into a black and white issue, and it’ll be easy to shout about it at the Dáil. But this is not a good way to run a campaign in the long term, and the is-

sue of abortion in Ireland is not going to change overnight. It will take years of constant lobbying to change such a deep-rooted facet of Irish religious belief, and the Savita campaign has done everything to ensure it’s a flash in the pan. Creating a martyr is not the right way to go about this. Both sides of the abortion campaign are relying on shameless manipulation, trying to get at the emotions of the public, trying to get a knee-jerk outrage at whatever is happening. Neither side are truly arguing their case, neither are making the public aware of the facts.

Action needs to be taken on the X Case and reproductive rights. That has been clear for a long time; not only is the case 20 years old, but just two years ago the European Court of Human Rights demanded that the issue be solved after the ABC Cases. But whatever campaigns there are need to focus on facts, focus on the real reasons why there needs to be change. Otherwise, when the public hysteria of the Savita tragedy wears off, the pro-choice lobby will find themselves exactly where they started. Such a one-dimensional campaign cannot last, and as it stands, if the government brazen it out for another month, most people will forget their sudden anger and grief. Real change needs a real campaign, and I hope the pro-choice lobby has a more solid plan in place than martyrdom.

easy to find, and the heavily breathing GameSoc member in your class seated as far away as possible.

single organism in his quadrant of D4 has a card telling them exactly where to go when their gentleman’s gentleman turns green. Nothing wrong with sexual health, of course, nor wrong with education, but dear lord Mícheál, must our entire Facebook feeds be solely littered with cautionary tales of sexual misadventure? Surely we ‘like’ UCDSU, and that is more than enough.

Speaking of which, word has it that Shane “Mr Luva Luva” Comer has been, as his name suggests, combing the streets looking for miscellaneous poon-tang. He’s on the hunt for a lady, oh gentle females of Belfield, so look out.

He’s got a cigarette he doesn’t know how to inhale in one hand, and what he describes as “little Comer” in the other, and he won’t rest until there isn’t a female on campus who hasn’t tasted the sweet regret of a night with Sha(m)e.

As for our glorious leader, the Iron Lady, this week she hasn’t been for turning; standing as she is against the vile trespassers on Belfield sovereignty: the Ministry of Education. The UCD paper of record this week managed to take a quick sneak peek at her itinerary,

which included ‘get abortion legalised’, ‘end fees forever’, and ‘have that Ruairi “taken care of”’. Unfortunately, her best laid plans have fallen to ruin, as she once again ended up spending most of her week trying to ‘lose’ a trailing education officer in an underground car park.

As there are no open bars on campus, this week, Eoin “Too Cool for School” Heffernan has extended his recordchallenging streak of doing literally nothing. Keep it up Eoin; just a few more years and you can try and knock King Lynam off his podium.

Finally, Happy Christmas, fair students, and best wishes during your exam season.

May the Industries Hall be warm, your exam number

Talleyrand

Salut Simpletons!

What a raunchy week of sticking out your chest and blowing-hard we’ve had from our always protestant SU, and that’s just our President. Yes, that time is upon us again, when we pretend we actually do something in college, and that the taxpayer should be bloody well grateful that we’re doing it.

Protest has been the name of the ever-cyclical game this week, as literally tens of students took the streets to show the government what’s what. That’ll show them, Paddy “Cold, Dead Eyes” Guiney. Sure, the government won’t listen to tens of thousands of people of all ages and creeds marching on the abortion issue, but 500 English Lit students in a Revamp induced frenzy. That’ll have them quaking in their hereditarilyawarded Dáil seats.

But what have the rest of the Rachy Rach and the Funky Bunch been up to this week? Well, as Herodotus would put it, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can stop Mícheál “Flap Taps” Gallagher from his appointed rounds, making sure every

the

University Observer Volume XIX Issue VI Telephone: (01) 716 3835/3837 Email: info@universityobserver.ie www.universityobserver.ie

The University Observer is printed at Webprint Concepts Limited Mahon Retail Park Cork Ireland

Editor Emer Sugrue

Features Editor Sean Finnan

Deputy Editor Aoife Valentine

Science & Health Editor Emily Longworth

Art, Design and Technology Director Conor Kevin O’Nolan

Irish Editor Charlotte Ní Eatún

Chief Designer Gary Kealy News Editor Daniel Keenan Deputy News Editor Sean O’Grady Comment Editor Evan O’Quigley

Sports Editor Kevin Beirne Chief Writers Yvanne Kennedy Ethan Troy-Barnes Jack Walsh Killian Woods Staff Writers Bronagh Carvill David Farrell

Talley-ho!

Talleyrand

Quotes of the Fortnight “Those applications aren’t being prioritised over others, but they are being fast-tracked through” Mícheál Gallagher defining the word ‘prioritise’

“Certainly as a boy you just go around with a permanent erection, I mean, what are you going to do? What are you going to think about?”

Ian Fitzgibbon on adolescence

“This is the date he came back with. So what do we do, tell him ‘No we don’t want you now’?”

Dominic O’Keeffe on the Taoiseach’s visit to the new Student Centre

Clarifications & Corrections It is the policy of the University Observer to rectify any errors as soon as they arise.

Queries and clarifications can be addressed to info@universityobserver.ie.

Shane Hannon Micheal O’Sullivan Sylvester Phelan Victoria Sewell Contributors The Badger Pat de Brun Nicole Casey Seán Craddock Robert Dunne Isobel Fergus Sam Geoghegan Aaron Kennedy Megan Stokes Matthew Morrow Graeme O’Meara Cian Ó Tuathaláin Talleyrand Chief Photographer Caoimhe McDonnell

Photographers Luke Etherton Brian O’Leary Special Thanks Eilis O’Brien Dominic Martella Giselle Jiang Dominic, Grace, Charlie, Jason, Aifric, Mark, Sandra and all the Student Centre Staff Tony, Laura and all the Webprint staff Very Special Thanks Balazs Pete and all the robots at NetSoc, Teresa Alonso Cortes, Dave Connolly, Jon Hozier-Byrne, Mark Stokes.

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The University Observer | 27 November 2012

The Students’ Union Exam Shuttle Bus will operate for the Christmas exams this December. It will run every exam day.

It runs on the following timetable: Depart UCD 7.30am, Arrive RDS 7.55am Depart UCD 8.15am, Arrive RDS 8.40am Depart UCD 10.30am, Arrive RDS 10.50am Depart RDS 11am, Arrive UCD 11.25am Depart UCD 11.30am, Arrive RDS 11.50am Depart UCD 1.30pm, Arrive RDS 1.50pm Depart RDS 2pm, Arrive UCD 2.25pm Depart UCD 2.30pm, Arrive RDS 2.55pm Depart UCD 4.10pm, Arrive RDS 4.35pm Depart RDS 4.40pm, Arrive UCD 5.05pm Depart UCD 5.10pm, Arrive RDS 5.35pm

It departs from the 39A bus stop (beside Glenomena) and from outside the RDS entrance to the Exam Centre. Places are limited, so get there early...and best of all, it’s FREE!

There will be an exam drop in clinic in the library tunnel offices all during study week and exams so if you need any help drop by or email education@ucdsu.ie. You can also pick up somne stationary or a copy of the UCDSU Exam guide.

The SU are going to be down at the RDS to for any last minute queries you may have.

ATTENTION If you are experiencing financial hardship due to the delay of your SUSI grant, contact welfare@ucdsu.ie

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

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to cheap shots to the lower half of their body, with many of these offences going unpunished.

This year saw one of the league’s star linebackers, Brian Cushing, suffer a season-ending injury after he was “chop blocked” by Jets guard Matt Slauson. A chop block is basically when an offensive player makes a block throwing themselves at the defender’s legs, therefore taking out the threat.

It is an incredibly cynical and dangerous form of play, with many of the recipients of these blocks not expecting them. In Cushing’s case, it resulted in a torn anterior-cruciate ligament, which ended his year and could put his entire career in jeopardy.

Reports are coming out this week that the NFL competition committee is looking in to the possibility of banning chop blocks all together, a move that would surely be welcomed by defenders though not by the offensive side of the game, as chop blocks are sometimes seen as a small running back’s only defence against an onrushing defender.

ous set piece, especially for the front row, as a collapse can result in the weight of sixteen of the biggest people on the field falling upon one or two defenceless players. Indeed, many serious injuries have occurred during scrum time, including a few broken spines.

It would not be a surprise to see the IRB find itself in a similar situation to the NFL in a few years’ time, with players bringing a case against them due to the long-term effects the sport has had on their bodies.

Since professional rugby union is still relatively young, we do not know what the long-term effects of a professional career will have. The difference in intensity between the amateur era and the current era is immense, with players bigger and faster than ever before.

For example, one shudders to think of what Brian O’Driscoll’s body will look like in 20 years’ time. He appears to have gone through his entire year carrying at least one injury, but is still going despite turning 34 in January.

Playing head games With the issue of player safety being discussed now more than ever, Kevin Beirne looks at the long-term effects of some of the more physical sports on show

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any sports pride themselves on their physicality. For many, the main appeal of sports such as rugby or American football is the sight of impossibly giant men crashing into each other at full speed. In American football in particular, players go out in search of the “big hit” in the hopes of ending up on the weekly highlight reel.

Rugby Union turned professional in 1995, but even in the amateur era it was expected that players would throw caution to the wind and put their bodies on the line in the pursuit of glory.

Anyone who shies away from physical contact will, quite simply, not make it at the top level of the sport.

The situation in boxing and professional wrestling is even clearer. Even though pro wrestling is staged, the performers are required to take hit after hit. Collateral damage happens, with many moves being impossible to fake, such as the diving headbutt. In some instances, wrestlers are even expected to take shots directly to the head from steel chairs and other dangerous instruments.

Recently a question has been raised: is there enough being done to protect

of Famer.

Seau’s suicide was unusual because of the manner in which it was committed; by gunshot wound to the chest.

This was the same method used by Dave Duerson, a former NFL, who had chosen this way so that his brain would be intact for scientists to study it for signs of brain trauma.

The particular brain trauma which has been most strongly associated with concussions is known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It is a progressive degenerate disease which can only be diagnosed post-mortem, and is strongly linked to athletes who have suffered multiple concussions, as well as former soldiers.

CTE is manifested by the accumulation of tau protein in the brain, resulting in the degeneration of brain tissue.

Those who suffer from CTE are also more likely to show signs of illnesses such as dementia, symptoms which include memory-loss, aggression and depression.

One of the most famous cases of an athlete who suffered from CTE was the late Chris Benoit. Benoit was a Canadian wrestler in the WWE who, at the age of 40, murdered his wife and seven year-old son, before committing sui-

information connecting concussions with long-term brain injuries.

Some estimates of the total number of players interested in joining the case are as high as 20,000, although this number seems unlikely. It would not be a surprise to see all the cases brought together as a class-action suit against the league, although it is unlikely that the case will be heard before 2018.

It is believed by some that the NFL could lose up to $10 billion in this case, a staggering amount of money, even for the NFL. If the NFL were forced to pay out this much, it would seriously hurt the league, although it is unlikely the NFL would go bankrupt, as it is expected to take in $9.5 billion revenue this year alone.

There are many critics out there who believe that the hard stance taken

by Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, on dangerous play, with a special focus on hits on defenceless players and helmet-to-helmet hits, is merely a cynical measure taken to weaken the case of those players bringing the suit against them.

But even if the NFL is only increasing the emphasis on player safety in order to insure themselves against future losses, the end result is still a positive

“Benoit’s brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85 year-old Alzheimer’s patient” these athletes? It is so easy to watch a rugby match or a fight in boxing and forget that what you are witnessing can have long-term ramifications for those involved, even if the effects are not immediately apparent.

In America, there is a large movement among ex-NFL players who wish to protect those currently playing. They are calling on the league to change the rules when it comes to both dangerous play which could lead to a head injury, and in the way teams have to treat head injuries.

Now, when an NFL player is concussed, they must go through a series of evaluations from an independent doctor and cannot play until they are diagnosed as “symptom free”. We have seen something similar being introduced this season in rugby in the form of the “concussion bin”, in which players thought to have suffered a concussion are forced to leave the field of play for at least five minutes while they undergo a series of cognitive evaluations, only returning if they are cleared by the team doctor.

The NFL has been forced to radically change its stance on concussions, following the criticism of many former players. Perhaps the most significant moment in the concussion prevention movement was the suicide of former linebacker Junior Seau, a potential Hall

cide by hanging himself with his own gym equipment.

At the time of his death, Benoit was scheduled to fight for the ECW title, and had to be replaced at the last minute as he claimed to have missed his flight. Although the initial reports were that Benoit had snapped due to steroid abuse, a post-mortem examination on his body revealed the existence of CTE in his brain.

According to Julian Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University, where the tests on Benoit’s brain took place: “Benoit’s brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85 year-old Alzheimer’s patient.”

Unfortunately, it does not seem that the WWE is doing anything to prevent this sort of thing from happening again, as it dismisses the idea that Benoit’s obvious brain damage had anything to do with the murder of his family as “speculative”. In fact, the WWE is happy to simply brush this situation under the rug by removing almost all mention of Benoit from their official websites and DVD releases.

Unfortunately for the NFL, they do not have the luxury of pretending nothing is happening to current and former players, since 3,402 players are planning to file one single lawsuit against the league, accusing it of withholding

one. The NFL recently suspended one of the best head coaches in the game, Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints, for one year due to his involvement in the team’s bounty program.

Gregg Williams, the Saints’ defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2011, supposedly organised a system whereby Saints defenders would receive bonuses for injuring certain players on the opposing teams. When the scandal was made public, Goodell responded by suspending Williams indefinitely as well as handing out suspensions to some players and other coaches involved in the scheme.

The Saints organisation was also fined $500,000 and stripped of its second-round draft picks in the 2012 and 2013 drafts. These sanctions were among the harshest in the league’s 92 year history, as Goodell hoped to set a precedent in order to deter anyone from pushing the boundaries in the future.

Despite all the NFL has done to reduce the amount of head injuries over the past few years, they still come under criticism from some areas for focussing too much on head injuries and ignoring other areas; in particular the leg area.

Because blocking is legal in American football, there are many more opportunities for every player to fall foul

“The scrum is an incredibly dangerous set piece, especially for the front row, as a collapse can result in the weight of sixteen of the biggest people on the field falling upon one or two defenceless players” Back closer to home, we can see the changes being made in rugby to make the game safer for all involved. The previously mentioned concussion bin has been welcomed by most as a step forward for the game, much like the introduction of the blood substitution rule.

This season has also seen the implementation of yet another new call for setting the scrum. The old call of “crouch, touch, pause, engage” has been replaced with the monosyllabic “crouch, touch, set” in an attempt to make the scrum more efficient.

Again, this rule change has been seen more as an attempt to reduce the amount of time wasted in resetting scrums over and over and this improving the spectacle of the game, rather than as an injury-preventative measure.

The scrum is an incredibly danger-

It appears that the IRB has learnt from the NFL’s mistakes and is currently trying to stomp out these issues before they happen. It does, however, face the dilemma of maintaining the integrity of the game while making it safe for those who make it so great.

The IRB, and indeed any authority of a sport in which physical contact plays a major role, has a responsibility to look out for those playing the sport.

Fans, meanwhile, must accept that their sporting heroes are human and not just programmable robots, built to entertain us.

At the end of the day, these sports are just games, and no one wants to see anybody’s life destroyed by them. All we can do is trust that the powers that be will keep the players’ concerns at the front of their minds, while still retaining the physical intensity that keeps us coming back for more.

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The University Observer | 27 November 2012

Playoff picture begins to take shape With the race for the playoffs heating up, Sam Geoghehan takes a look at who will be competing for a place in the Superbowl XLVII

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hanksgiving is a day when families and friends in the United States gather together and enjoy each other’s company; consume a feast with a turkey and watch some football. Football is just as much a Thanksgiving tradition as the President ‘pardoning’ a turkey.

Thanksgiving is the unofficial beginning of the playoff push where contenders emerge and the pretenders fall flat. As is tradition, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys hosted a home game last Thursday against the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins respectively while the New England Patriots visited New Jersey to play the Jets. Unfortunately for all of the home teams, there was not a lot to be thankful for.

With six weeks to go until the playoffs begin, the New England Patriots are hitting their stride at exactly the

quarterback Tom Brady will be looking to add to their three Superbowl rings and it would be a foolish man who bets against them, should their young defence hold up.

New England’s biggest threats in the AFC are the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. The Texans are 10-1 and should wrap up the AFC South crown soon. Houston will have their eyes on the number 1 seed and the all-important home-field advantage.

Running back Arian Foster is integral to their offence and with the Wade Phillips-led defence, the Texans are a dangerous team. Still, shaky overtime victories in recent weeks against Detroit and Jacksonville, not to mention their playoff inexperience, will cause some to doubt their credentials.

Baltimore will be looking to avenge their AFC Championship defeat to New England last year, but they too lack the elite level of quarterback play. Balti-

“Peyton Manning’s new team, the Denver Broncos, look certain to make the postseason.

Manning has shaken off the rust of missing the entire of last season and dispelled any doubts” right time. Following an uneven 3-3 start to the season, the Pats have won five straight and sit comfortably atop the AFC East.

Their offence is among the league’s best and opposing defences not only have to worry about Wes Welker or dynamic tight-ends, but New England’s running game is proving hard to contain. Head Coach Bill Belichick and

more pride themselves on defence and it will be interesting to see if the season ending injury to linebacker and leader Ray Lewis, as well as the on-going injury problems for safety Ed Reed, can be overcome.

Peyton Manning’s new team, the Denver Broncos, look certain to make the postseason. Manning has shaken off the rust of missing the entire of last

season and dispelled any doubts about how he will cope with a new team and a new system, especially considering multiple neck surgeries and his advancing age. The future Hall of Famer has made his new franchise a Superbowl contender.

In Indianapolis, firstround draft pick Andrew Luck has inherited Manning’s former team and is just as good, if not better, as Manning was back in 1998 after he too was drafted number one overall. The Colts and Cincinnati Bengals will fight it out for the last playoff spot in the AFC. The NFC is just as tight. The defending champion New York Giants have stuttered so far, but still lead the NFC East at 6-4, mainly due to their rivals’ inconsistency, while in the South, the Atlanta Falcons look set to at least claim a first-round bye with their excellent performances this season.

Matt Ryan was posting MVP-like numbers up until a few weeks ago, and he will need to reach these heights once more in the playoffs as Atlanta won’t survive another five interception showing against a playoff calibre team.

Up North and the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are tied at 7-3, but both should make the postseason.

Led by excellent quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler, the Packers and Bears each have opportunistic defences and will be a difficult opponent for anyone in the playoffs, especially at home.

Jim Harbaugh has proved his rookie

Jim Harbaugh has coached the 49ers to there second best record to date season was no fluke and has coached his San Francisco 49ers to the second best record in the NFC to date. Despite missing starting Quarterback Alex Smith against the Bears, the 49ers flexed their championship muscle on Monday Night Football with an impressive victory and have a quarterback controversy on their hands with the talented Colin Kaepernick shining in Smith’s absence.

The 49ers’ main challengers for the NFC West crown are the Seattle Seahawks and Pete Carroll has coached his team to play mistake-free football.

This is all the more surprising as Seattle did not start big money free-agent acquisition quarterback Matt Flynn, but rookie Russell Wilson; a thirdround draft choice.

The wildcard places are still up for grabs, and the explosive New Orleans Saints will be fighting hard to get in to the playoffs. The Saints sit at 5-5 and

are shrouded in controversy following ‘Bounty-gate’ where their Head Coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the year. The Saints will have to hit an extra gear to jump ahead of the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the hunt for the NFC’s last place.

While the NFC is arguably more talented, it is difficult to predict who will be their representative on February 3rd. New York and Green Bay should never be discounted, yet Chicago and San Francisco are playing good football too. In the AFC, one might look at Houston or Baltimore but smart money would be on the two wily veterans, Tom Brady’s Patriots and Peyton Manning’s Broncos, who both seem to be hitting form at just the right time.

Regardless of who gets there, it should be an exciting game, with the NFL’s talent pool deeper than ever.

Walking in winter wonderland With Christmas on the horizon, Shane Hannon wonders if the Irish will ever warm up to winter sports

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ce hockey, snowboarding and figure skating are just a few of the 15 winter sports which will be on show during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. They are all extremely popular sports in their own right, but why are they not well-received here in the Emerald Isle?

A common response is that our weather isn’t suited to them, but, in this day and age, those excuses bear no validity whatsoever. What about the UK for example? How come the sudden and welcome rise of ice hockey there hasn’t materialised here?

Since the very first Winter Olympic Games were held at Chamonix, France in 1924, no country in the Southern Hemisphere has hosted the Games, so we are not alone in feeling isolated from the excitement of these sports.

But why does it seem our neighbours across the water in the UK are making strides in the development of winter sports, while we lie stagnant? Why must we wait for the annual temporary ice-rinks to pop up at Christmas time

for us to show even the most basic interest in such exciting sports?

Ice hockey, which has a huge following in North America and parts of Europe too, has never really caught on in Ireland. The Irish Ice Hockey League consists of only five teams, all of which play their regular season games at the Dundalk Ice Dome, the first permanent ice arena in Ireland. Irish interest in the sport is decidedly limited, unlike the relatively popular ‘Elite Ice Hockey League’ in the UK. The UK league was founded in 2003, following the demise of the ‘Ice Hockey Superleague’. It consists of ten teams, with representation from all four countries of the UK. The current champions are the Belfast Giants, so even across the border the interest is far greater than anything we have seen down South.

The logo of the Belfast Giants shows Fionn Mac Cumhaill, the famed hunter-warrior from Irish mythology, holding a hockey stick, which is perhaps a reference to the fact that most historians attribute the roots of hockey to

games played in North Europe like shinty and hurling. To some, it seems like a matter of time before ice hockey (and subsequently other winter sports) piques the interest of the Irish.

Perhaps we need a poster child to ignite the flare of winter passion? For a nearby example, just look at Amy Williams of the UK, who took gold in the skeleton at the 2010 Games in Vancouver and was the first British individual gold at the Winter Olympics for 30 years. Since then, she has been awarded an MBE by the Queen and been catapulted into the media spotlight.

For those unaware, the skeleton involves an individual riding a small sled down a frozen track lying face down, during which time the athlete experiences forces up to 5g, or speeds of up to 125km/h. With events as thrilling and daring as this, it is surely inevitable that the winter sports craze will soon arrive here.

Irish interest in the Winter Olympics began with the 1992 Albertville Games, when four Irish bobsledders competed.

Since then, it is fair to say that our progress has been slow. At the 2010 Games in Vancouver, Ireland

only had seven competitors taking part in four different sports.

While we are never going to come anywhere near the likes of Norway, who have won the most medals (263) at the Winter Games, the hope is that Irish enthusiasm for winter sports will develop steadily over the next few years.

Pat Hickey, the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, said before the Turin Games of 2006 that “more and more Irish people are taking winter sport holidays, and this has fuelled the interest in a major way.” Ski resorts are more accommodating for Irish people now than ever and take in thousands of Irish visitors every year, and this trend shows no signs of slowing up.

The usual temporary ice rinks are beginning to pop up in our major cities already, becoming a staple of the Christmas season. Although these rinks will only be used for recreational skating rather than anything competitive, the romantic aspect of these rinks in winter time cannot be ignored.

These rinks can help inspire a child’s interest in skating in general and in winter sports in particular. Let’s hope the possible ice rink being proposed for

the Santry National Ice Arena in Dublin will come to fruition so this fun can be experienced all year round in the capital.

The Winter Olympics have provided some truly memorable sporting moments that astound us as well as bring a smile to our faces. Many remember British Winter Olympians Torvill and Dean, who became the highest scoring figure skaters of all time at the 1984 Games in Sarajevo.

Who could forget the comically inept Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards? The ‘so bad he’s good’ British ski-jumper from the ’88 Games in Calgary was the Olympic spirit personified. Perhaps the most well-known stars of the Games are, of course, the Jamaican bobsleigh team who were the crowd favourites in Calgary inspired the 1993 Disney picture ‘Cool Runnings’ starring the great John Candy.

It is clear that winter sports can be incredibly entertaining. So come on Ireland, get out in the snow and have fun this winter. With such low levels of interest, who says you won’t be an Olympian?

“Irish interest in the Winter Olympics began with the 1992 Albertville Games, when four Irish bobsledders competed”

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

SPORT

SPORTS DIGEST

The Badger:

by jack walsh

In a special Christmas edition of The Badger, we are given some important career advice all the way from Azerbaijan

Wakeboarding UCD student David O’Caoimh has finished off a highly successful 2012 season on the wakeboarding circuit with a second appearance in the Wakeboard World Cup Series this year in Palembang, Indonesia.

The 18 year old, who began the sport at the age of 5, has just begun his studies in UCD this year and began his season with a gold in the Junior Men Division at the Europe/Africa Wakeboarding Championships in South Africa. O’Caoimh was then invited to the Wakeboard World Cup, where he eventually finished 5th overall.

After taking bronze in the US Wake Games, as well as defending his titles in Germany and Ireland, O’Caoimh looked back on his triumph and stated: “I am so happy to have had such a fantastic season and I’m really delighted with my titles.”

The only way is up for the boy from Down At the age of 23, Rory McIlroy is already the World Number One. Matthew Morrow wonders if he can become the greatest the sport has ever seen

Sailing On November 17-18th, UCD Sailing Club took part in the IUSA Southern Championships at the eastern tip of Valentia Island, County Kerry. With 23 teams competing in the event, UCD Sailing had 6 teams competing altogether.

UCD5 and UCD6 had successful outings on the water in the Bronze fleet with teams picking up enough wins to qualify for the Bronze Fleet finals the following day. In the Silver Fleet, UCD4 and UCD3 qualified with the promise of easy quarterfinal races on the Sunday.

UCD2 and UCD1 managed to retain their place in the Gold Fleet for the final series also.

A severe storm that lasted throughout Saturday and Sunday meant that the Final Series races could not be played out, which gradually lead to a count back resulting in a 2nd Place finish for UCD1 in the Gold Fleet overall.

GAA UCD 2-14; DCU 2-12 UCD withstood a second half flurry from DCU to win the Fresher’s ‘A’ Football League at Parnell Park on Wednesday afternoon. UCD shot out of the gates quickly and took a 1-6 lead after ten minutes of play.

Jack McCaffrey blasted in the opening goal for the Belfield outfit as UCD ended the first half four points the better, with a 1-7 to 0-6 score line.

The UCD side were just as promising at the beginning of the second half, with Kingston grabbing a second point straight after the restart, but DCU responded quickly, hitting back with a Niall Murphy point.

However, DCU went another goal down after Niall Kelly struck the ball home.

At this stage it appeared UCD had the game in the bag, but the DCU players had not yet given up. Two goals from McHugh gave DCU hope for the win, but it was UCD who finished the match on top in the end and rightly took the Fresher’s Football league trophy home with them.

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I

n all walks of sport there are players that stand out from the crowd. From Lionel Messi in football to Brian O’Driscoll in rugby, Roger Federer in tennis to LeBron James in basketball, there are those blessed with what commentators would call the ‘X factor’. In golf, few would argue that Rory McIlroy isn’t comfortably in this category after a meteoric rise to the top of the world golf rankings.

This comes as a result of an incredible year in 2012 for McIlroy, during

‘only’ managed one other win in 2011; the Hong Kong Open. Many began to criticise his focus following his appearances ringside at David Haye fights or in the Royal Box on Centre Court, where he watched his girlfriend, and former World Number One in tennis, Caroline Wozniacki.

McIlroy would go on to answer these critics with a breathtaking start to the 2012 season. He placed in the top four in five consecutive events on both sides of the Atlantic, including winning the Honda Classic. This victory finally

“McIlroy also helped Europe to possibly the most thrilling comeback in the history of sport and topped the money list on both the European and US Tours” which he won five times on the USPGA Tour, including his second major. McIlroy also helped Europe to possibly the most thrilling comeback in the history of sport and topped the money list on both the European and US Tours.

McIlroy’s rise began to gain public attention when he won the Silver Medal for the Best Amateur at the 2007 British Open. Indeed, after his bogeyfree first round of 69, people were wondering if he could win the whole tournament before Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia had their thrilling shootout, in which the Irishman prevailed.

McIlroy turned professional shortly after and secured his card with a third place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links. His first professional win would arrive at the prestigious Dubai Desert Classic in February 2009 and he would go on to record a third place finish in the final major of the year, the US PGA Championship.

McIlroy’s rise in 2010 continued with a win at the Honda Classic, which included an amazing four shot victory coming as a result of a final round of 62.

Now comfortably embedded in the top ten players in the world, comparisons to Tiger Woods were inevitably made.

McIlroy’s final round performance in the 2011 Masters put these comparisons on hold, but his exemplary performance at the 2011 US Open broke several of the records that Tiger had set at Pebble Beach in 2000. After this masterful week of play, golf fans around the world were asking when, not if, McIlroy would ascend to the top of the world rankings.

Some commentators were disappointed that he

elevated him to the World Number One ranking, and was particularly satisfying given that he held off a charging Tiger Woods in the final round.

McIlroy and Luke Donald would swap positions at the top of the rank-

BMW Invitational. His form was on a level that many commentators compared to Tiger Woods in his prime around ten years ago; relentless in his pursuit of victory and ruthless when he hit the front.

His form in the Ryder Cup was mixed, but he showed his true qualities in the remarkable Sunday comeback by the Europeans when he beat the previously unbeaten Keegan Bradley on the 17th green. A third place finish at the Singapore Open secured both the European and US Money Lists, a feat only ever previously achieved by Luke Donald in 2011.

The question that all golf fans are asking if McIlroy can emulate the achievements of his hero, Tiger Woods.

At this moment, all signs point to McIlroy winning many, many more titles and majors. His talent is prodigious, but, perhaps more importantly, he is comfortable with who he is and who he is surrounded by in terms of his management.

His split from manager Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler was a result of a dispute about what Tour he should join on a full-time basis. McIlroy vindicated

“His eight stroke margin of victory broke Jack Nicklaus’s record winning margin and confirmed that McIlroy has the potential to challenge even Woods and Nicklaus in terms of majors won” ing until McIlroy became the youngest person since Seve Ballesteros to win his second major, at the 2012 US PGA Championship. His eight stroke margin of victory broke Jack Nicklaus’s record winning margin and confirmed that McIlroy has the potential to challenge even Woods and Nicklaus in terms of majors won.

McIlroy failed to win the 2012 FedEx Cup, despite recording victories in two of the Playoffs four events; the Deutsche Bank Championship and the

his decision to switch to the PGA Tour with five wins this year. He continues to be the most exciting young name in golf, inspiring millions of young players to take up the game, and doing so in the most relaxed style possible.

There is one decision on the horizon for McIlroy though: who he will declare for at the Rio Olympics in 2016. McIlroy holds a British passport and has said that he feels more British than Irish, although he can choose to declare for either Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.

At only 23 years of age, McIlroy’s future is undoubtedly bright, regardless of which country he declares for. There is no doubt that the young man from County Down has the potential to bring golf to another level, and with Tiger Woods now back and playing near to his best again the 2013 season should be something to behold.

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hey say Premier League sackings are like lazy metaphors comparing everything to poor bus timetabling: none come for three months and then you get two at once. Chelsea fans have welcomed Rafael Benitez’s appointment in much the way you’d expect of a group of fans who know nothing about football to.

According to the head of the Glory Hunters Trust (also known as the Chelsea Supporters Group), Rafael Benitez is not a good manager. In fact, a spokesman for the fanzine CFCUK believes that certain managers were born to manage Chelsea, meaning that he believes Chelsea should be hiring a nine year-old, since that is how long Chelsea have been relevant as a title-contender.

What continues to amaze The Badger is how short a memory every football fan seems to have. Rafa Benitez is definitely not the greatest manager to ever live, but he was never sacked by West Brom, unlike the man he is replacing.

A quick look over Benitez’s CV shows two La Liga titles with Valencia, which is almost like winning the Scottish league with Aberdeen. Benitez also won the UEFA Cup with Valencia as well as a Champions League with Liverpool, as well as almost winning the Premier League too.

It amazes The Badger how few people seem to remember this when talking about whether or not Benitez is right for the job. Abramovich seems to think so, giving him a contract for the next two seasons (winter and spring).

The Badger finds some irony in Chelsea appointing their ninth manager under Abramovich in the same week that Manchester United unveiled a statue honouring Alex Ferguson’s time at the club. For some reason, The Badger doesn’t see Rafa lasting as long at Chelsea.

In another part of West London, ‘Arry Redknapp has taken over the mighty QPR. The Badger is possibly the only one not to welcome this news, as The Badger had hoped that Tony Fernandes would take a different approach and follows the example of FC Baku, the champions of Azerbaijan, who recently appointed a manager based on his achievements in the Football Manager games.

In fact, The Badger would argue that Mark Hughes’ transfer policy as QPR manager sometimes made it look like he was playing an old version of a Football Manager game, since that is the only way to justify buying so many players past their prime.

The Badger considered sending off a CV to the QPR headquarters, which includes three consecutive Champions Leagues titles with the UCD imitation team ‘Dublin FC’, but The Badger decided he didn’t have the heart to keep lying to the likes of Bobby Zamora and Anton Ferdinand by telling them they aren’t crap.

Maybe it would be better to just wait for the Manchester City job to open up again.

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OSbserver P O R T

The University Observer | 27 November 2012

UCD Marian: The season so far Jack Walsh talks to UCD Marian’s Cathal Finn and coach Sasa Punosevac about the team’s progress in the league this year

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new coach, a new season, and a sixth place position in their last league campaign were the challenges facing UCD Marian when they began their Superleague campaign back in September. At the time of writing, Marian stand in fourth in the league, posting a record of three wins and five losses.

The team are still hoping to build on their 2010 season, which culminated with a victory in the final of The National Superleague Cup. For Marian, it has been a methodical approach to reconstruction of the team and their ultimate destination within the league.

UCD are one of the youngest sides within the league. With patience and with years of planning, new coach Sasa Punosevac believes he has the blueprint to form a side to equal the likes of Bord Gáis Neptune, whom he has previously coached.

“We have created a programme of three years. In the first year we want to develop individual tactics from every player, we want to promote their individual defence and offence. In the second year the focus is on group tactics and group offence and defence work and the last year to bring it all together and fit like a team,” he explains.

As a four year veteran of the side, Cathal Finn understands the importance of every nuance of training and preparation, something that he believes has been strategically treated to adapt to the league.

He describes the chemistry between the new coach and his team by saying: “I think this year Sasa has worked a lot

on approaching it defensively, looking at each team individually and tactically, working on specific tactics for teams, whereas last year we would not have done all that. Our offence has changed and is still changing. Sasa brings in new offences every week. There is a huge variety in what we do compared to what we did.”

Finn, who plays at point guard, singles out a crucial part of the team’s evolution, with each member now aware of their position on the court. “I guess we’re taking on a different style this year and we’re more focusing on players playing to one position, as opposed to last year we had a more of a system where I guess everyone was rotating through. Now everyone is specified to a position, and you do have to work to get better at that position. Other than that, we’re training more often this year, where we have three sessions as opposed to the two that we had last year and we have extra sessions on Saturdays and Sundays.”

Finn also accepts that, as a University team, Marian is always going experience a large turnover of players every year. “We have, as happens every year, gotten in some new players. There was a new scholarship player; Liam Conroy has added a lot of strength to our offence and we have a new professional this year; a new American big inside player John Galvin. We’re the same core players, but we have added some strength and depth to it.”

These players represent a key advantage to the side, scholarship programs and a wealth of incoming international talent allow a full and diverse locker

room with which Punosevac can pick and choose, mould and reform.

When Punosevac joined the team in August, he was well aware of both the team’s capabilities, and shortcomings, claiming that: “When I arrived here there were some problems with the team’s ego. These players were the best at their age. Now, because they are so young, they have had problems adapting against senior teams”.

Punosevac quickly decided these negatives were outweighed by the positives, in particular the team’s work ethic. “The positives? Firstly, the fact that we are now a very athletic and fit team.

We have the best defence in the league, and we say at meets every time, nobody can work harder than us.”

Despite the rebuilt and refocused regime, the team’s record is the single

most important factor in the players’ minds. The team may be making leaps and bounds in training and strategy development, but the results have not been up to Finn’s high standards, with Marian losing over half their games to date.

Despite this, UCD remain in fourth position, although this is mainly due to the dominance so far of UL Eagles and UCC Demons. There is a clear sense of frustration evident in Finn’s tone when he talks about the league. “We would prefer to have a better record than three and five, but I mean what we have done defensively, we’ve kept teams to a lower score and I think were second in the league defensively in keeping teams to low points.”

In fact, Marian are first in this category, with an average of just under

64 points conceded a game, compared to an average of 72 for the rest of the league. “At the moment we are working on our offence to click and to be getting scores that back up our defence.

A lot of the games we’ve lost we have been competitive and is encouraging and we’ve just fallen down in the last couple of minutes offensively, but other than that we have formed well and we’re consistently playing defensively, but were just not quite there yet.”

The next few weeks remain decisive in the season for UCD, with a matchup against Bord Gáis Neptune in Cork on the 1st of December to occupy the team until the quarterfinal of the National Cup on the 8th of December, in which they face Moycullen in Leitir Mór, Galway.

Breen wins in Spain to clinch emotional title Seán Craddock looks back at how Craig Breen made a return to rallying after the death of his co-driver and close friend, Gareth Roberts, to claim the Super 2000 World Rally Championship

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raig Breen had tears in his eyes as he crossed the finish line in Spain over two minutes ahead of his nearest rival. Not only did it bring to end a dominant weekend for the young Waterford man, but it was enough for Breen to clinch the Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) title. He got out of the car, jumped on the bonnet, and pointed to the sky, dedicating the achievement to his late colleague.

In June this year, Breen and his 24 year old co-driver Gareth Roberts of Wales were competing in the Sicilian

round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge when their car left the road and hit a barrier. Roberts was killed in the accident, bringing the pair’s successful rally relationship to a tragic end.

The two joined together in 2008 at an early stage in their careers to enter two rallies on the same weekend, having built up a relationship over Facebook. They instantly clicked and were the fastest in their class in their first three rallies together; including a first win on the world stage for each of them in Portugal.

Their partnership grew over the next few years, peaking last season when they entered the inaugural World Rally Championship (WRC) Academy; a new series designed to find the best young driver. Their season got off to a rough start, but having claimed a victory in Germany, they entered the last round in Wales with a chance of winning the title.

They needed to make up a massive 20 point deficit over Egon Kaur; an unlikely feat, but Roberts had an advantage of being on home soil. Breen and Roberts claimed the title in spectacular fashion, winning almost all the stages to finish level on points with Kaur; with their superior number of stage wins allowing them to take the top prize.

This season, the pair moved up the ladder to the more powerful cars of the SWRC. The opening round was the legendary Rallye Monte Carlo, one of the longest rallies, which Roberts spent a lot of time researching for his pace notes.

It really was a case of slow and steady wins the race for the duo, as all their rivals were caught out by the tricky conditions of the Alps, allowing Breen and Roberts to pick up a win.

The championship lead was held with a second place in Sweden and, despite a non-finish in Portugal, Breen and Roberts were still leading the championship at the time of Roberts’ death.

Nobody would have blamed Breen for taking a break from the championship, losing a close friend can take a long time to come to terms with, but with the support of the Roberts family, he made a return to rallying in the way Gareth would have wanted. Not only did he have to deal with compet-

ing without the young Welshman, he had to get a new co-driver.

Every co-driver is different; from the way they read the notes, to what they call each corner. Paul Nagle, an experienced Irish navigator was the best man to lead Breen to the end of the season and keep his feet on the ground. It didn’t take long for them to fit together; they lead their first SWRC rally together until the last day when a crash ended their hopes of glory.

That was the only mistake in what became a heroic return for Breen. He won the final three rallies after that, including at Roberts’ home rally in Wales where the two won the championship last season. The last victory was one of the sweetest; a dominant win where he managed to finish sixth overall, ahead of many of the more powerful rally cars, something unheard of before this season.

Nobody can say Breen doesn’t deserve the championship, as even his rivals applauded his strength throughout the difficult season. The Waterford man is also a fan favourite, currently leading an official pole asking who the 2012 driver of the year was.

The next step up (WRC), should he make it, will be a much bigger challenge for Breen, both financially and competitively. This year’s SWRC campaign was funded largely from the €500,000 prize for winning the WRC Academy. Unfortunately for Breen, there’s no prize money for winning the SWRC and the cost of competing in the top flight is much higher.

For anybody who doesn’t have the backing of a manufacturer, the only option is to supply money and sponsorship to enter privately, an option which could cost upwards of €1.5million.

Both Ford and MINI have pulled out of the championship from next year, leaving only four manufacturer seats; all of which have been filled.

One option for Breen would be to join Hyundai, to develop their car and eventually become a full-time driver when they make their return to the sport in 2014. This is something which Sébastien Ogier did this season with Volkswagen. He will return full-time next season as one of the favourites to take the title.

Rallying is one of, if not the biggest motorsport in Ireland. Some of the top drivers consider Rally Ireland as the toughest rally event on the planet; so it’s only right that we should have a world champion. It would be a real shame if Craig Breen doesn’t make it into WRC, but given what he has gone through so far, it seems unlikely that he will be giving up any time soon.