Volume XX – Broadsheet – Issue 7

uo The University Observer

january 21st 2014 Volume XX issue viI universityobserver.ie

bombay bicycle club The indie rock band address their awkward beginnings

SPECIAL NEEDS The needs of mentally challenged students are not being met Nicole Casey p8

HOMOSEXUALITY Attitudes in football are lagging behind other sports

LGBT OUTREACH Pride parades have been key to spreading the philosophy of the LGBT

above The cygnets settle into their new home at the upper lake

Anthony Strogen P19

Caitriona O’Sullivan P14

photo Conor O’Toole

Rebekah Rennick otwo p12

HEA impose sanctions on UCD after unauthorised top-ups Kevin Beirne editor UCD students are to see an increase of €1.64million in spending on student-related activities after the University made unauthorised top-ups totalling around €3.3million to senior staff from 2005 to 2011.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has told UCD that it can keep half of the money on the condition that it uses it to improve student services in the college.

The University has elected to spread this out over five years, meaning an additional €328,000 will be spent on student services a year during this time. The sanctions resulted in UCD’s overall budget being reduced to €64.67million for 2013.

UCD Director of Student Services & Facilities, Dominic O’Keeffe, said, “It’s great to work in partnership with the student

leadership to identify projects that are worthy of such funding.”

Meanwhile, UCDSU President Mícheál Gallagher confirmed that “€310,000 of funding for student services was agreed between UCD Students’ Union and UCD Management, of which €87,000 was spent in the last financial year, in addition to the €152,000 additional funding agreed this year.”

It is believed that over €30,000 was used to provide additional counselling support during 2013 in an attempt to combat the long waiting lists that students face in order to see a counselor through the Student Health Service. The funding will also help students who are suffering from addictions find the correct type of counselling.

In addition, there are plans to

use the extra funding in 2014 to provide “a peer support and awareness service for students to promote positive mental health.”

Services such as the late-night study area in the Astra Hall also benefitted from the redirection of the money towards student services, while there are plans to make improvements to the Newman building, although it has not yet been decided exactly what will be done.

Some of the funding is also being used to stage a Dragons’ Den for UCD students, in conjunction with the UCD Student Innovation Fund, which is currently accepting applicants.

UCD student entrepreneurs and UCD student-run startups will be given the opportunity to

» UCD punished for over €3million in unauthorised top-ups to senior staff » The sanctions will see UCD spend an average of €328,000 a year more on student-related activities

Professor Deeks begins tenure as UCD President Professor Andrew Deeks has begun his tenure as President of UCD, assuming the role from Dr Hugh Brady after his term ended in December 2013.

The appointment of Prof.

Deeks was initially announced last July when UCD Governing Authority approved his appointment as UCD President elect.

Prof. Deeks left his role as Pro Vice-Chancellor in the Faculty of Science in Durham Univeristy to take the role of President of UCD. During his time in this role at Durham University, Prof.

Deeks focused on developing the international presence of the University by setting up global partnerships in China and Brazil.

The selection of Prof. Deeks as the ninth President of UCD

» First time an external applicant has been appointed President » Prof. Deeks: ‘Dr Brady was key to boosting UCD’s international reputation’

represents the first instance of the University appointing an external candidate to the position. He is also the first non-Irish head of UCD. Prof. Deeks was the only applicant for the role that reached the panel phase of the appointment process as the sole other candidate on the shortlist, also from overseas, withdrew from contention.

Prof. Deeks was born in the United Kingdom, 1963, but was his family relocated to Perth, Western Australia, when he was 6-years-old. In 1984, he graduated from his civil engineering degree at the University of Western Australia (UWA). By 1992, he had earned a Masters of Engineering Science (1987) and Doctorate in Philosophy (1992) from UWA. In 2009, he moved back to the

United Kingdom to take on the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor in the Faculty of Science at Durham University, where he was praised for improving the University’s international presence.

It was noted by Governing Authority that his role in securing Durham University a consistent presence in the QS and Times Higher Education university rankings top 100 was a deciding factor behind appointing him to the role.

Following his appointment in July, Prof. Deeks expressed his eagerness to take on the role of President at UCD. “UCD plays a unique role in Irish society and economy, and, under the stewardship of Dr Hugh Brady, has made impressive inroads into becoming a truly international university.

be awarded funding from the UCD Student Innovation Fund to subsidise their business ventures. The competition, which is open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, has an overall sum of €15,000 to contribute towards aspiring students looking for investment.

There will also be some investment in improving sports facilities and equipment, as well as the purchasing of entertainment equipment, such as the soundproofing of the Astra Hall in order to stage gigs such as the Halloween Freak Show in October and the upcoming Duke Dumont and Neil Delamere shows.

CIPHER PRIME Developer Andrei Marks talks about blending games and music

Niall Gosker Otwo P7

STEPH GREEN

The Oscar Nominated director tells how she benefitted from Roddy Doyle’s generosity

Killian Woods deputy editor

Laura Bell Otwo P9

“I will bring ideas and approaches learnt from my experiences in the UK and Australia and blend these with the undoubted ambition and energy I see among the high calibre people at UCD to ensure UCD is recognised throughout Ireland and the world as an international and intercultural place of learning and scholarship of the highest standard, benefiting local, national and global communities.”

Prof. Deeks succeeds Dr Hugh Brady as President of UCD. The latter figure played a key role in UCD over the past ten years overseeing the introduction of UCD Horizons modular and credits based curriculum. Dr Brady is also credited with boosting the international recognition of UCD during his tenure.

ucd weather

GROUPLOVE

Christian Zucconi talks to Otwo about how they harness their energy off stage Sean Hayes Otwo P16 by cathal nolan

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Wet & Windy Morning

Windy. No Wet.

Wind Easing

Wind Coming Back

Wind Staying

Much Rain. So Wind. january 21st 2014

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News

News in Brief Aoife Cunningham

New UCD campus set to open in China It has been announced that UCD is extending its international reach by establishing a campus in China. The government in the city of Yantai is set to provide €300 million and a 300-acre campus to set up the campus.

The deal was completed during the tenure of former UCD President Dr Hugh Brady, who was succeeded by Prof. Andrew Deeks on January 1st. The new project is set to launch in 2015.

The campus will be a joint project with China Agricultural University (CAU) and elements of the Belfield campus will be taken into account in the design of the new campus, with one centre based on the design of NovaUCD. The new campus aims to meet the needs of 10,000 students, with 1,000 set to study in Ireland as part of their degree.

It is hoped the initiative will boost the UCD brand and according to Gary Fallon, director of Enterprise Ireland’s Chinese office, will dramatically enhance Ireland’s profile in the region.

“The UCD Yantai development is a potential game-changer for companies looking to do business in China. It will dramatically enhance Ireland’s profile in the world’s second largest economy.”

UCD spin-out Logentries wins coveted NovaUCD Innovation Award Dr Viliam Holub and Dr Trevor Parsons have been awarded with the prestigious NovaUCD Innovation award, to acknowledge the worldwide success of UCD spin-out Logentries, which is a management service that analyzes and collects log event data, ensuring the data is easily accessible, whilst improving the IT sector and businesses.

2014 marks the fourth year of the company, having been set up in 2010, that has since then raised $11 million in funding.

The service has helped analysts to further their understanding of log data to improve their operations.

Dr Trevors has said he is “honoured” to accept the award at the UCD awards ceremony on behalf of Logentries after tenyears of joint research with Dr Holub and IBM. “In the coming months we will be seeking to fill 20 open engineering positions in Dublin where the company is looking for software developers, data scientists and engineers.”

The company is hoping to attract skilled software developers, data scientists and engineers. Logentries will also continue to work closely with UCD’s Performance Engineering Laboratory on research projects.

James Joyce App released for centennial year of ‘The Dead’ Oisin Tegeler The UCD Humanities Institute released an iPad application centring on James Joyce’s celebrated short story The Dead. This year marks 100 years since its publication and the app will serve as a fitting dedication to one of the University’s most prolific graduates.

The release saws the UCD’s Humanities Institute collaborate with Vermillion Design and Athena Media to create an interactive

experience that is downloadable for free in the Apple App Store.

Joyce’s story follows Gabriel Conroy as he attends a dinner dance held annually by Kate and Julia Morkan.

It follows his thoughts relating to himself and his wife and is particularly memorable for the insights it provides.

The app includes a recording of a dance performed to ‘The Lass of Aughrim’, the song that triggers a host of memories for Gabriel’s wife, Gretta.

The release reflects the established move in academic circles that advocates the use of technology to enhance the learning experience. It follows a number of literary apps that have been dedicated to literary classics.

The app has been created with extensive input from University professors and contains features that extoll the literary genius that was Joyce. It includes podcast commentaries from UCD professors, images of Dublin in Joyce’s

time, architectural drawings and actor Barry McGovern reading the full story.

Bringing The Dead to this platform aims to help people of younger generations interact with the famous short story and bring into context the far-removed events of 100 years ago.

Gerardine Meaney said that the launch of the app will help give people of younger generations access to a classic Irish short story. “The app demonstrates what can be achieved by

creatively combining cultural heritage, scholarship and technology to bring classic texts alive for a new generation.”

Speaking about what people can expect from the short story, Meaney said, “There’s the brightly-lit festive room of the Christmas path, the dark hinterland of Galway, and loss and death. This is a story that is about acknowledging the inevitability of death and what that can do to you.”

USI launches Vision for Post-Bailout initiative Claudine Murphy

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has launched their Vision for a Post-Bailout Ireland campaign, which envisages the steps the government should take in order for the country to tackle the remaining challenges it faces in recovery.

In their outline, USI have stated, “The Ireland of tomorrow must be built on visionary thinking today. Our vision is of citizens committed to a fair, prosperous and optimistic society, where lasting and sustainable economic development occurs alongside a commitment to social equity.”

Included in the vision statement are ten actions which must be undertaken. The first change which the USI desires is regarding the proper funding of higher education.

The report outlines that “we must now in a post-bailout environment see that we cannot afford not to adequately fund Higher Education,” and that “resources allocated to Higher Education are not merely public spending, but public investment with a historically guaranteed return.”

USI ultimately believes that proper state investment is the only answer

to ensure “fairness, growth in our skill-based economy and equity of access to Higher Education” and to create an education system that is free at the point of entry while also providing for grants.

USI encourages the government to tackle the issue of youth unemployment, which currently stands at almost 30%. The National Youth Council of Ireland estimates that the total investment required to decrease this amount is €273 million, while USI recommends firm investment to prevent the “brain drain of our best and brightest.”

The student representative body are also looking for a guaranteed day’s pay for a day’s work. USI believes a “living wage” should be introduced in order to ensure a fair standard of living for all workers, and the end of zero hour contracts.

Other issues outlined in the USI report include equality budgeting, reducing mortgage debt on hard-pressed families and also pushes for the government to legislate for collective bargaining in all industries, stating that every worker should have the option to join and be represented by a trade

union without victimisation.

This issue is particularly relevant to students involved in part-time work and unpaid internships, as some can be unaware of their rights as workers and are thus likely to be exploited.

The report recommends that the government invest in community mental health services, tackle the cost of living by controlling rent and improve social housing and that they scrap the waste in public spending.

USI believes that an independent taxpayer lobby group needs to be established in Ireland, acting in the best interests of the Irish taxpayer.

Equinome launches new website Lucy Ryan

UCD to offer scholarship funds to Indian students Over 100 scholarships are to be provided by UCD to both undergraduate and graduate students from India, wishing to pursue their studies in Ireland.

The scholarships are to be divided into various categories based on the applicants school of study, with five €5,000 tuition fees for science programmes, and four €2,500 tuition fees for Business, Social Science and Arts Programmes.

Collectively, these will amount to €250,000, and most notably, four full scholarships will be in recognition of Varahagiri Venkata Giri (also known as V V Giri), a UCD alumnus and fourth president of India, who studied law at UCD from 1913-16.

The recently announced scholarship programme is hoped to enhance the UCD’s cultural aesthetic. Students who wish to learn more about the new scheme can find further details on the UCD International website. Alternatively students can email the UCD International Student Scholarships and Funding Coordinator, Kate O’Hanlon, at kate.ohanlon@ ucd.ie. Applications must be made before the closing date on the 17th of April 2014. january 21st 2014

Equinome, an Irish equine genomics and UCD spin-out company, has launched its new website www.equinomesales.com earlier this month. It aims to equip prospective bloodstock buyers with genetic profiles of horses prior to upcoming auctions, which will aid them in future acquisitions.

The project was first started at NovaUCD and has been securing thoroughbred breeding and training clientele in Europe, North America, Australasia and Hong Kong, with precise genetic analysis since its commercial launch in 2010.

It was established in 2009 by

Dr Emmeline Hill, a UCD genomics scientist, in collaboration with Mr Jim Bolger, the infamous Irish racehorse breeder and trainer. Additionally in 2012, Equinome opened its first international office in response to the surging demand for its services across Australia and New Zealand.

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Leo Varadkar said, “The company’s genetic tests for thoroughbred horses are truly innovative and have the potential to make a significant contribution to the further development of the thoroughbred industry.”

UCD Vice-President for Innovation,

Professor Peter Clinch said “The continuing success of Equinome demonstrates the quality and international reach of start-up companies emerging from UCD.” The Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in Queensland, Australia, was the first market to take advantage of such genetic data made available in advance of its sales stock. This is the largest annual event of its kind in Australia.

Managing Director Donal Ryan said, “We are delighted that the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in Queensland is the first auction to have this information

available. Australia has been at the forefront in the adoption of Equinome’s technologies in the past four years and we were delighted by the response of so many breeders and purchasers when we first proposed this idea earlier this year.”

The tests offered by Equinome can look at the optimal race performance characteristics of a particular horse, assess its potential to function at an elite level and test for the potential height of the animal.

The announcement of the potential to test for height in horses coincided with the launch of the new website.

Height projections in horses involves

the identification of an inherent indicator in the animal for the trait.

The mature stature of a pure-bred horse can be calculated to within 2.54 cm, with a 70% achievement rate.

Ryan emphasised their excitement over “this latest development in the utilisation of genetic information made available from Equinome tests.

We believe that genetic information is an essential component of a balanced selection strategy that considers new and traditional assessment tools…

We will continue to add the genetic profiles of horses in advance of other upcoming auctions in Australia and Europe, including Ireland.”

UCDSVP, L&H and Amnesty UCD to organise UCD Jailbreak Sinead Conroy Following up from their successful fundraising efforts in the first half of the academic year, UCD St. Vincent de Paul (UCDSVP) has many events planned for semester two.

The society will be partly organising the UCD Jailbreak competition along with the L&H and Amnesty UCD. UCD Jailbreak is a competition that will see contestants set a challenge of travelling as far as they can without spending any of

their own money, while also collecting funds for charity on their travels.

Students who want to take part in UCD Jailbreak need to pay a fee of €30 by the January 24th and can find more details about the event on the UCD Jailbreak Facebook page.

In the run up to Christmas the UCDSVP continued their fundraising efforts and ran a “Generosi-tree” Campaign, which according to the UCDSVP Auditor, Clare Cryan, “yielded a huge response.” The campaign involved students buy-

ing Christmas gifts for children in Dublin and was very successful.

UCDSVP also collaborated with the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) during the Christmas break to raise further funds for the charity. Before Christmas, ESN hosted a charity collection that exchange students could donate their belongings they weren’t bringing home once their time in UCD was up.

ESN received a great response to the drive as clothing, bedding, blankets, pillows, food, books, stationery

and kitchen utensils were donated and then sold on to incoming exchange students at over the holidays.

The sale generated €1,545 over the course of two days, with all donated goods selling out.

Upcoming events UCDSVP are organising include Valentine de Paul on the February 14th, where love songs will be played in various locations around campus along with the sale of red roses.

On April 11th, 70 people will take to the skies for the charity Sky

Dive that is being run in association with the ArtSoc and will help to fund SVP’s activities for the year.

In semester one of this year, the society raised in excess of €5,000, but also gathered a collection of clothes during Homeless Week, which were then distributed on one of their soup runs.

The clothes drive saw a huge donation of much needed hats, scarfs, gloves, sleeping bags and jackets.

During the same week the society raised awareness by hosting lectures

by Alice Leahy and Fr. Peter McVerry.

UCD Professor secures €2m in funding from ERC

News

killian woods

3

national

News in Brief Ciaran Sweeney

UCD’s Director of Research and Innovation in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Professor Martin Albrecht, has been awarded a grant to the sum of €2 million after his successful application to the European Research Council (ERC).

The grant will be put towards his continued research into finding safe and cost effective ways of synthesising drugs.

The aim of Prof. Albrecht’s research is to cultivate a new catalytic system that will improve the catalytic activity levels of the commons metals, allowing for their

potential use in drug production.

Speaking to the University Observer, Prof. Albrecht described the research he has been conducting in UCD for the last five years.

“As chemists we are interested in changing materials and getting materials with new properties.

That could be drugs, materials for your cell phone, materials for synthetics. Any type really.”

Elaborating specifically on the exact processes that they are researching, Albrecht commented, “Our research aims to develop catalysts that speed up transformations. That speed up

changes of material’s properties.

“If you have some raw materials and you want to make a pharmaceutical drug… in order to make those materials stick together, catalysis helps a lot because you can often put a couple of steps together and you can make challenging transformations under very challenging conditions and get loads of benefits ecologically and economically.”

Albrecht believes this funding will help open new possibilities in their research and keep UCD’s chemistry students interacting with the latest discoveries in this field.

“It will open up new avenues for us to explore. It will make resources available for a very exciting, topical field that is emerging globally and allow us to contribute to leading the field. And that is exciting on many levels, [such as] attracting students, attracting post doctoral students, and as well in conveying to students very topical lecture material.”

Speaking in relation to the grant application process, Prof.

Albrecht highlighted that only 7% of applications were successful. “It was a severe [application process]

with very low success rate. I think there were 3,500 applications and 250 grants of that kind.”

Over the next five years, Prof.

Albrecht feels that this funding will be the crucial platform they need to keep UCD at the forefront of this specific area of research.

“I think the fact that we got that money shows that the review panel recognised our approach as a solid rationale. So, we have a solid foundation and what we have done over the past five years, we have insights that will allow us to boost onto the next level with our research.”

Peter Clinch to step down as VP Claudine Murphy UCD’s vice-president for Innovation and Corporate Partnerships, Peter Clinch, is stepping down in March to move to a new position heading a research programme in the UCD Smurfit Graduate School of Business in Blackrock.

The focus of this programme is on Ireland’s competitive position as it emerges from the recent financial crisis. The school will build upon economist Clinch’s current affiliation with the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School.

Clinch is Jean Monnet chair of European Economic Integration as well as UCD Professor of Public Policy in the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy and was also recently appointed by the government to the National Competitiveness Council.

Speaking to the University Observer, he said that he highly enjoyed working in innovation and corporate partnerships over the last three years and that it is “a great credit to the quality of UCD students and researchers that UCD has positioned itself as a key component of Ireland’s innovation ecosystem and is an engine of growth with a global reach.”

He also said, “Innovation, and the role of higher-education institutions therein, is critical to the future success of the Irish economy, but also in determining the future success of Irish society.”

Clinch feels that as Ireland’s largest university, UCD must continue to make a strong contribution in not only scientific and

technological innovation, but also in social and cultural innovation.

A significant strategic project over the last three years has been to broaden the concept of innovation, which he defines simply as “creating value from knowledge”, from the traditional areas of scientific and technological innovation to encompass also the arts and humanities.

UCD innovation has also expanded through NovaUCD to encompasses industry, public-sector and nonprofit partnerships. NovaUCD has a range of comprehensive support programmes and a peer-system that has developed and nurtured an enthusiastic and dynamic community of highly talented entrepreneurs.

Professor Clinch also commented on the recent independent study of NovaUCD’s economic impact over the last 10-years. He remarked that based on current activity alone, entrepreneurial and commercialisation activities at NovaUCD will be supporting a total of 2,527 jobs by 2016, of which 1,934 will be in Ireland, and will be contributing an annual economic impact of €87.7 million worldwide, including €66.1 million which will be contributed to the Irish economy.

In his new position, Prof. Clinch aims to focus on maintaining and improving the educational offerings to students and also to balance engaging in world class research in a “shrinking funding environment,” while also is looking forward to bringing his research and experiences of working with the policy process and with industry into the classroom.

Calling all Student Entrepreneurs Applications Now Open for

UCD Student Innovation Fund - Dragons Den

Application forms are available online via www.ucd.ie/studentcentre/dragonsden, where you will also be able to find out further information about the competition.

STUART MANGAN SCHOLASHIP ESTABLISHED IN UL Stuart Mangan, a young man who died as a result of rugby-related paralysis, has had a scholarship established in his name which hopes to make it feasible for those who suffered sport-related paralysis to participate in educational programmes at University of Limerick for periods of up to four years.

The scholarship includes the support of a number of mentors, such as Keith Wood, Denis O’Brien and Stuart’s brother Keith, who will take a personal interest in the welfare of the scholarship winner.

In a rugby match on April 5th, 2009; Stuart, aged 25, was injured and was paralysed from the neck down. He relied on a ventilator to breathe and needed carers 24 hours a day. The scholarship is part-funded by the W2, a consultancy firm that Keith Wood established to support sport related projects for young people.

The UL Foundations and the Disability Support Services at UL currently support over 600 UL students with various and wide-ranging disabilities.

QUEEN’S UNIVERISTY IN €1.6 MILLION BID TO DEVELOP NEW ANIMAL DOPING TEST It has just been announced that Queen’s University Belfast and the Irish Equine Centre will implement a new strategy to test for illegal drugs in horses and cattle. It will operate by detecting the biological effects of the illegal substance instead of the presence of the drug itself. As a result, it has the potential to screen large numbers of animals quicker and more efficiently than at present.

Dr Mark Mooney, from the Institute for Global Food Security has noted, “Current tests are expensive, time consuming and have failed to keep pace with black market developments in producing, distributing and administering banned substances.

The danger is that these substances go undetected and find their way into the food chain. The new test will help mitigate that risk.”

Project co-ordinator Mark Sherry has said that the new test will lead to faster detection and give testers the upper-hand in upholding the law in the continuous battle against dopers.

NEW HEALTH RESEARCH BOARD (HRB) LEADERS APPOINTED

UCD Ents turns a profit Conor McLean The UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) Entertainments Office has turned a profit of €26,000 for the year ending the 31st of December.

This surplus will be, in part, utilised to make the UCD Ball “bigger and better,” said UCDSU President Mícheál Gallagher. More information for the UCD Ball will be available soon, which has traditionally been held on the last day of semester two.

In recent years, the UCD Ball has been a controversial topic, as threats of the Ball’s cancellation due to police objections about the difficulty of UCD as a location surfacing year-after-year. As a compromise, last year’s UCD Ball was held in the O2, formerly known as the Point.

Gallagher puts a large portion of the success of Ents thus far on the shoulders of Entertainments Manager, Paul Killgillon, who stepped into the newly created position with last September.

The move to appoint an Entertainments Manager came after a decision was made in the middle of semester two of last year to remove Ents and Campaigns

as individual UCDSU sabbatical positions. The decision was made in order to make the Entertainments Office of UCDSU a more professional and streamlined operation.

Gallagher has said he hopes to ensure that the Union maintains a “dedication to all types of entertainment” with comedy gigs and other non-alcohol based events also being planned for semester two.

Comedian Neil Delamere will return to the Astra Hall for the second year in a row for a gig in mid-February, while the hall will also be used for electro act Duke Dumont on the January 30th, with tickets on sale now.

The variety of activities organised

by UCD Ents was something that was also seen last semester with events also ranging from the Halloween Freak Show fancy dress ball to the formal Domino’s Ball earlier in the year. The Fresher’s Ball was also a popular event at the beginning of the semester, which contributed to UCD Ents turning a profit at the end of last year.

University College Cork (UCC) Professor Patricia Kearney has just been named one of six new HRB Leaders. Professor Kearney’s main aim will be to prevent and minimise all the effects of diabetes, including financial, clinical and societal.

Kearney stated, “In Ireland, nearly one in ten adults have diabetes, many of whom are undiagnosed. Currently diabetes costs the states almost €580 million per annum… This programme of work will address specific gaps by determining the real prevalence and incidence of diabetes in Ireland, define the costs of current care models and develop a lifestyle intervention for prevention of diabetes during pregnancy.”

The six new HRB leaders will establish an internationally recognised research group, which will evaluate and design behavioural interventions that will improve our health.

They will improve the national infrastructure to accurately compare the cost-effectiveness of non-acute Irish health services and will identify the necessity for the prevention and treatment of serious illnesses such as diabetes as well as analyse the effect of online psychological interventions for those with multiple conditions such as chronic pain.

They will use cost-benefit analysis to help decision making in an area of resource constraints for personalised healthcare interventions and will use statistical techniques to integrate large health information datasets to improve decision making in relation to healthcare interventions. january 21st 2014

4

news analysis

international

News in Brief

No honeymoon without engagement As he wonders what kind of president Professor Deeks will be, Killian Woods writes that it is time UCD students have a figure that engages with them

Siobhan Copeland

Riots in Egypt’s Universities Universities in Egypt have been experiencing violence and unrest that has caused military-backed authorities to order police deployment on campuses to maintain order during the mid-year examinations that run until late January.

Several universities have experienced violent protests by students backing ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The students have been accused of torching several campus buildings of Egypt’s Islamic seminary and attacking lecturers believed to be supporting the military.

At least three students have been killed in the unrest, while more than 100 others have been arrested on charges of involvement in violence.

The Higher Council for Universities, which is in charge of academic institutions in Egypt, has said that the decision to deploy police on campuses is aimed at “foiling” an alleged plan by pro-Morsi students to disrupt the mid-year exams.

According to President of the stateowned Zagazig University, Ashraf el-Sheehi, and a member of the council, the council has also decided to ban demonstrations in universities during the exam period. Despite this ban, the protests still continue.

Changes across Europe for 2014 2013 proved to be a difficult year for higher education particularly in Southern and Eastern Europe with significant cuts to academic funding widespread and a general decline in third level students.

This year governments are also imposing strict laws and fees on immigration that will see a further decline in the flow of third level students into Europe. Head of the Higher Education Funding Council Janet Ilieva, predicts that most of the growth in international enrolments in 2013/14 will be driven by undergraduate students from China, Malaysia and Brazil and from international scholarships.

Africa is set to experience the highest growth in third level education in the medium to long term.

Thanks to the last minute agreement by the European Parliament to the EU budget for 2014 to 2020, the higher education sector in the European Union can look forward to a more comfortable start to 2014.

Hope came in the form of a new programme, Horizon 2020, which will see a €79 billion budget and a €14.7 billion for Erasmus+ over the next seven years. The 40% increase in the budget for Erasmus+ will provide opportunities for more than four million Europeans to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad.

Professor Andrew Deeks starts his tenure as UCD president very much as an unknown quantity.

The biography on the UCD website of the former Pro Vice-Chancellor in the Faculty of Science at Durham University sums up our limited knowledge of the former Western Australia resident, and while this gives us a rough timeline of his life, it reveals very little of what his short and long term plans are for this university.

While trying to unearth supplementary information about Prof.

Deeks that isn’t solely sourced from his new biography on UCD.ie, it becomes apparent that there is very

little information available about the new President. Therefore all we know is currently being channeled from the UCD Communications Office, which will be focused primarily on promoting and protecting the UCD brand.

Prof. Deeks’ maiden months as President of UCD will be interesting to observe. Will he continue Dr Hugh Brady’s standoffish trend and limit his involvement in student activity to the odd appearance at a UCD Rugby game and obligatory attendance of graduation ceremonies? Or perhaps he may engage with the student populace that are the backbone of the University, whether certain academics are willing to acknowledge it or not.

in otwo

the naked & Famous & more

The early signs show that Prof.

Deeks is keen to be a presence in UCD student life. His attendance at the L&H event that bestowed a James Joyce Award on Nobel Prizewinning economist, Paul Krugman, was welcomed by a crowd of mostly students who were pleased to have the head of this University making time to join them on a Monday evening outside of term time.

Hopefully Prof. Deeks doesn’t limit his engagement with students to simply showing his face around assorted student-related activities for the opening few months of his tenure. He shouldn’t resort to the attitude that his predecessor had over the course of his reign.

Dr Brady became too detached from UCD students over his ten-year stint as President and grew very much oblivious to the challenges they face on numerous fronts.

His detachment from UCD students was very much obvious in his passing comments he made during his final few days as UCD President. In an interview with the Irish Independent, Dr Brady stated that there is an immediate need for the reintroduction of third-level fees in Ireland.

This is a view that Dr Brady has clearly harboured for some time. The issue with funding third-level institutions in Ireland did not drastically change last December to such an extent that he would have been forced to reform his opinion on third-level fees overnight in order to proclaim that fees are urgently needed to maintain Irish university’s standings worldwide.

In that interview, Dr Brady had the option to call upon the state to increase their third-level funding and use his authority and experience as a president of a university for ten years to sway opinion towards putting this sort of reform on the agenda. Instead, he chose to suggest an alternative solution that would persecute against a portion Irish society that cannot afford to take

january 21st 2014

the full brunt of third-level fees.

It is impossible to define when Dr Brady lost touch with the student populace he was meant to be representing, but it is clear that a lack of engagement on his part in student-related activities caused this disconnect.

This is why it is very important for students in all of Ireland that Prof.

Deeks engages with UCD students from the start of his tenure. All current and future third-level students need figures like Prof. Deeks on our side if we are to avoid the reintroduction of third-level fees. His voice could possibly speak louder than any rally gathering by USI on Kildare Street and in the future, his allegiance could mean the difference between your friends, your siblings, or even your children attending college.

Broadly speaking about Prof. Deeks’ appointment, there is no doubt this is a progressive appointment in certain respects for UCD. Prof. Deeks is the first UCD President to have been appointed externally; meaning he wasn’t already on UCD payroll before he took seat in the President’s office.

Consistently selecting candidates for President of the University from within the academic clusters of Belfield may not necessarily have been the incorrect decision in the past. Promoting from within shows willingness to reward loyalty to experienced academics and also allows for a certain level of continuity to be maintained.

Although, when it is considered that UCD was established in 1884, it beggars belief that there hasn’t been a more suitable external candidate for president vying for the role in 130 years.

Student engagement is the key word that will define what kind of president Prof. Deeks will be. What UCD needs right now is a president that understands the future of this University may somewhat rely on the brand’s recognition worldwide, but that it also needs its students first and foremost.

Digital Arts and Humanities (DAH) structured PhD programme Information Evening 6-7pm Tuesday, 4th February 2014 ATRL building (corner of Macken St and Pearse St, Dublin 2) •

If you have completed an undergraduate degree in arts or humanities and would like to step into the digital world come along and speak to current DAH students and staff

•

Part-time options will be available for full time employees who wish to take part in this programme

•

Part-time schedules can be discussed with management (private and public sector) who may consider placing an employee on the programme

Kenyan university affected by riots The University of Nairobi in Kenya was shut last weekend following two days of rioting sparked by the death of a student in a police cell. Erastus Abok, a second year engineering student, was arrested after allegedly attempting to commit arson at the university. Police Inspector General David Kimaiyo described the incident as death by suicide.

During the protests students stoned motorists and set about destroying property in the central business district of the capital. ”We want the police to explain the circumstances under which the student died. The explanation that he committed suicide cannot be true,” says University of Nairobi student leader James Kinuthiah Police claimed that Abok was facing disciplinary action at the university after he was found cheating in an exam the day before he died and that he had been arrested after allegedly trying to bomb the office where his papers were stored. Parents and lecturers who are unhappy with the disruptions have labelled it as an excuse for students to get time off.

Dr Brady had the option to call upon the state to increase their third-level funding and use his authority and experience as a president of a university for ten years to sway opinion towards putting this sort of reform on the agenda

For more information please visit www.tcd.ie/longroomhub/DAH/

European Regional Development Fund

The Digital Arts and Humanities structured PhD programme is funded by the HEA Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI Cycle V) and co funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

‘Investing in your future’

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Head to Head—Has This Government Been Bad For Health? against Arguing that the Dr James Reilly is doing the best it can considering the circumstances, Liz O’Malley asks if anyone else could do a better job Ireland has many challenges ahead of it in the area of health. Our population is ageing, which presents a number of different issues. The strain on the economy has meant that more people require medical cards (now 40% of the country), and less people can afford private health insurance. Our population is growing, meaning we have more people to cater for with fewer resources.

This government also inherited the HSE (Health Service Executive) from Fianna Fáil, an authority that became synonymous with a culture of giving jobs to friends of politicians and a lack of transparency, as well as a dire economic situation.

Despite this, the numbers seem largely positive. We have the highest levels of self-rated good health in Europe. Death rates fell by 1.6% in the last year alone, with deaths from suicide down 10%. The length of hospital stays has fallen and the number of patients discharged on the same day has increased due to less invasive and ‘key-hole’ procedures.

Obviously having to cut the health budget by €3 billion was not going to be painless. However, many of the cuts to the health budget did not come from primary care facilities, but firstly, cutting the number of people working in the HSE, and secondly, reforming the state system for drug subsidisation.

Holders of medical cards only have to pay a nominal fee of €2.50 per item for medicines, which otherwise would be many times more expensive. The government have reduced the costs of providing this scheme by using more generic, instead of brand name drugs.

There has also been a firm commitment to reducing waiting lists, with a 98% decrease in the number of people who were required to wait more than nine months for inpatient or day procedures from 2012 to 2013. There was also a reduction in the number of people waiting on trolleys, down 24% from 2011 to 2012.

The main focus of Minister Reilly has been in preventative medicine. He has extended cervical cancer vaccine to all girls in secondary school. His initiative ‘Healthy Ireland’ focuses, among other things, on reducing smoking, obesity and alcohol consumption, all of which create avoidable costs to the health system.

Cuts and spending have been smart, partly because they really needed to be, unlike the days when it was easy just to throw money at the problem.

Amongst other things, the health department has also put forward opt-out system for organ donations, legislated for the X case and is trying to reform the HSE. There have been delays and objectives that have been frustrated, but the groundwork is there to make a more equitable health system. For example, while the cost of health insurance has been steadily increasing over the last couple of years, the cost to consumers has remained steady ever since the government came into power.

The government is beginning to introduce Universal Primary Care, first by rolling out free GP care for children under 6.

It is a move in the right direction.

When assessing whether this government has done a good job on health it is important to be realistic. The government inherited a bailout plan from the troika which it had to follow, or risk defaulting on its loans.

Health is the second biggest spender in our budget and therefore there had to be cuts.

But despite having to cut billions from the health budget, the core services have stayed roughly the same, or have gotten better.

We may wish that the government had been

rebuttal Firstly, a 2% increase in the number of people waiting on trolleys in the last few months pales in comparison to the fact that the number on trolleys has been cut in half overall since this Reilly took over the Health Department. The increase may be attributable to the fact that more people get sick at the end of the year as the weather gets worse.

Secondly, it is claimed that the cuts are inequitable, but the examples put forward do not primarily affect the poorest or the sickest people. For example, it makes sense to increase the costs for private rooms, rather than putting them on the 40% of people who currently hold a medical card.

The length of hospital stays has fallen and the number of patients discharged on the same day has increased due to less invasive and ‘key-hole’ procedures

As the empirical evidence points to a lack of progress concerning reform of the health system, Dr Reilly’s term has also been blighted with scandals that have raised questions over his suitability for the position of Minister for Health

FOR Despite his medical background, James Reilly has under-performed as Health Minister, says David Reddy

The current Irish government and specifically the Health Minister James Reilly, through austerity measures and ill-conceived policies, are further damaging the nation’s health.

The EU-IMF bailout of 2010 heralded unprecedented government cost saving measures and the troika’s demand for cuts in health spending has pushed the health system to the brink of collapse.

There is little doubt that the HSE is in dire need of reform; however, Dr Reilly’s ambitious plan for a complete overhaul able to roll out universal health care in two and a half years, but it would have been pretty of the healthcare system coupled with a government who have refused to stand much impossible, even if this government up to the troika on the subject of health was fiscally able to do so. The question you spending cuts, means that the much need to ask yourself is whether it is likely needed reforms are failing to materialise anyone else could have done a better job. and the healthcare crisis is deepening.

Previous ministers Micheál Martin Despite Dr Reilly’s claim that “reform and Mary Harney found the ministry of the health service is progressing”, frustrating even when they weren’t short analysis suggests that aspects of the of resources, with both known for leaving reform programmes are stagnatsick people on trolleys, scandals involving ing while others are increasing the x-rays that hadn’t even been viewed level of inequality in the system. by a radiologist, and standing over a Such programmes include the Universal system drowning in vested interests.

Hospital Care initiative. This initiative Minister Reilly has gotten a lot of flak, aims to create a single tier health system but he is trying to reform the system in and to provide reductions in the cost an equitable way and has come closer of providing public and private health to doing it than anyone before him. care. At the halfway point of the government’s reform plan, it is clear that the programme’s objective of providing equality has yet to bear fruition and the health system is now more unequal then ever.

A group of people over 70 are losing their medical cards, while still retaining free GP care, because they earn enough that they don’t require them. At a time when savings have to be made this makes sense.

There has also been a cut of €32 a week in maternity benefit, a payment given regardless of income. It will probably mean more to mothers that their young children will receive free GP care until the age of six.

It’s important to examine Minister Reilly’s actual job performance rather than putting forward personal attacks as evidence of something else.

Several factors have contributed to the perpetuation of inequality. The reduction of tax relief on health insurance produced by last October’s budget, a government increase in stamp duty and Dr Reilly’s ambition of increasing private patient fees are set to inflate insurance premiums. Deloitte estimates that this will cost insurance firms €115.5 million, a figure which will lead to a predicted rise of 15% per subscription.

The Special Delivery Unit, whose purpose is to reduce waiting lists, is also failing along with Dr Reilly’s assertion that 12 month waiting lists would be eradicated by the end of 2013. Figures from the Department of Health for September 2013 highlight that 8,125 children are currently on outpatient waiting lists of one to four years.

As the empirical evidence points to a lack of progress concerning reform of the health system, Dr Reilly’s term has also been blighted with scandals that have raised questions over his suitability for the position of Minister for Health.

In July 2012, Dr Reilly was part of a group who defaulted on a €1.9m debt accrued from a failed nursing home venture. The incident calls into question Dr Reilly’s eligibility to manage the massive debts amassed by the HSE. Health budget overspend became a constant area of contention between the troika and the government during the bailout and the department’s wasteful use of funds appears to be continuing. Presently, the cost

of the new Children’s Hospital totals €41m.

A figure generated with work not yet begun and completion not expected until 2018.

October 2012 heralded yet another scandal that engulfed the minister. On this occasion he was accused of adding two towns located in his constituency to a list of locations for primary care centres.

Dr Reilly’s actions are an unseemly example of stroke politics. Of course stroke politics are nothing new to the Irish political landscape, but the Reilly case raises serious questions.

So what does 2014 hold for the health system? The 2014 National Service Plan provides grim reading. The HSE will cut a further 3,600 whole time equivalents in 2014 and there is still €108 million unspecified pay savings to be accounted for.

The nation’s mental health is also under threat. The financial burden generated by cutbacks to medical cards and prescription prices will add further pressure to households already feeling the squeeze due to the recession.

From 2011 onwards, there has been a battle between the austerity measures of the troika and the reform needs of the health service. At the centre is the health minister who has lurched from one scandal to the next. It is a conflict that is set to continue for the foreseeable future and its biggest casualty will continue to be the physical and mental health of the nation.

2013 figures from the Trolley and Ward Watch Analysis show a 2% increase in the number of additional patients on beds, trolleys or chairs above the official number attributed to the ward.

To say Minister Reilly’s reforms are being implemented in an equitable way is simply untrue. Cuts that target the most vulnerable sections of society are a testament to this.

The government’s much-hyped plan for free GP care for children under the age of

six will come at the expense of infants and the elderly. 35,000 people over 70 years of age will lose their medical cards and prescription charges are set to rake in another €43 million. This will be accompanied by a €32 cut in maternity payment.

It is apparent that all available evidence points to a further increase in the degree of inequality generated by the health minister’s reform manifesto.

rebuttal It is true that, even with the required fiscal package, implementing Universal Primary Care in two and a half years was an unattainable goal. This begs the question, was the government correct to pursue a complete reform of the health system with the level of austerity demanded by the troika?

The reduction of people waiting on trolleys from 2011 to 2012 has been touted as a success, but the latest statistics show a renewed increase. The 2012 to

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University College Dublin

President’s Awards for Excellence in Student Activities

You are invited to make a nomination for the President’s Awards for Excellence in Student Activities. The award scheme aims to provide recognition for those students who excel in extracurricular activities of a kind which make UCD a more exciting, interesting and humane place to live and to work.

Nomination Forms: available from Forum Office (Ext. 3100), Students' Union and Services Desks.

Any member of the College - either student or staff - can make a nomination.

They should write, giving the nominee’s name and a short explanation of why they believe the nominee is worthy of an award. It is not necessary that the person nominated is aware of the nomination.

Nominations, preferably typed, should be sent to:

The Director The Student Consultative Forum Student Centre They should be in an envelope marked ‘STUDENTS AWARDS’ and should reach the Forum office before: 4.00pm, Friday, 14th of February, 2014 january 21st 2014

A clear and present danger

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With China increasingly asserting its claims in the Pacific, Steven Balbirnie looks at why China’s neighbours are becoming increasingly alarmed

China’s announcement in late November of an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea has caused considerable alarm globally, but this is only the latest incident in an ongoing geopolitical struggle that has significantly escalated in recent years.

Under the new rules for this zone, China must be supplied with the flight plans of all aircraft passing through the zone, and these aircraft are obliged to maintain two-way radio communication with the Chinese at all times.

This may be China’s first declared ADIZ, but it is one of roughly twenty globally, with other such zones having been declared by the United States, Britain, Norway, South Korea and Japan. So why is China’s so controversial?

This ADIZ includes a chain of disputed islands known as the Diaoyus to China and the Senkakus to Japan. This has been a long running low-level dispute that has escalated since Japan officially nationalised the islands in September 2012 by purchasing them from their private owners.

This action greatly angered China, which considers these islands Chinese territory. This dispute has led to a mounting wave of nationalism in both countries seemingly encouraged by their respective governments.

The newly declared ADIZ is only the tip of the iceberg in China’s efforts to pursue what it regards as its legitimate maritime aspirations. China’s defence budget has expanded five times in the last decade and it has become even more assertive since surpassing Japan in 2010 to become the world’s second largest economy.

China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, began sea trials in 2011 and China has also announced an expansion of its drone programme to include the construction of eleven coastal drone bases by 2015.

While the ADIZ may have been deliberately flouted by military

reconnaissance flights by American, Japanese and South Korean planes, its very existence could set a potentially dangerous precedent and it also represents the boldest move yet in a broader pattern of Chinese expansion in the Pacific.

While most focus has been on the tensions between China and Japan, China’s ongoing disputes over the South China Sea with many of its southern neighbours reveal much more obvious motives for its claims.

China claims virtually the entirety of the South China Sea. $5 trillion of cargo shipping pass through these waters annually. The Paracel islands which are disputed with Vietnam are surrounded by bountiful fishing waters, while the Spratly islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, may hold reserves of 5.4 billion barrels of oil and 55.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas beneath them.

This is clearly a dispute that goes beyond mere jingoistic nationalism. It is in this region that the Chinese navy have decided to conduct the first sea trials of the Liaoning, and it is feared that if the East China Sea ADIZ is not contested then an ADIZ for the South China Sea is bound to follow.

The gravest significance, however, may be found not in the actions of China, but in the reactions they have been provoked among the other key parties in the world who have interests in the Pacific.

Not only have the US, Japan and South Korea called for the repeal of the Chinese ADIZ over the East China Sea, the European Union and Australia have also criticised the move.

Official statements would indicate, however, that China has little intention to heed this international pressure. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang responded to European concerns by asking “European countries can have air defence identification zones. Why can’t China?”

These responses, coupled with

Under the new rules for this zone, China must be supplied with the flight plans of all aircraft passing through the zone, and these aircraft are obliged to maintain two-way radio communication…

China’s refusal to participate in UN arbitration sought by the Philippines over the area of the South China Sea claimed by both countries, has undermined the faith of other nations in being able to take a moderate diplomatic approach towards China’s maritime expansion. China is currently the only state to ever refuse to participate in inter-state arbitration under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. What we now see instead is an increasingly broadening naval arms race which bears more than a passing resemblance to that which occurred between Britain and

Germany before the First World War. Under the Obama administration’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ strategy, by 2020, 60% of the US Fleet will be deployed in the Pacific rather than the 50/50 balance which currently exists between the Pacific and the Atlantic.

The US already has over 70,000 troops stationed in South Korea and Japan and has confirmed that it will stand by its treaty obligations to defend Japan.

The Japanese reaction has been even more alarming, with an astonishing increase in militarisation being pursued by the

constitutionally pacifist country.

Japan has increased its defence budget for the first time in eleven years and has launched a new defence programme which has resulted in the setting up of a national security council, and envisages the establishment of a new amphibious military force in the style of the marines, the construction of new army bases in their southwestern islands, the purchase of up to three drones from the US and an expanded Navy with an additional seven destroyers and six submarines.

Even India has been alarmed by Chinese maritime expansion, in

particular the construction of ports with Chinese assistance in Burma, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In response India’s Navy has expanded from possessing a single battle-ready aircraft carrier at the beginning of 2013 to three by the end of the year.

With so many substantially armed countries, three of which possess nuclear weapons, seemingly being dragged into this vortex, some efforts towards de-escalation and negotiation are imperative before a minor incident potentially sparks a regional conflict. Such a conflict is surely an outcome that none of these countries wish to see.

The great white pope With Pope Francis winning Time Person of the Year for 2013, Ronan Schutte considers whether this Pope is really doing anything different from his predecessors

The one area where Pope Francis seems to have changed the Church is in relation to atheists. He has said that if you do good deeds and have a conscience, they may go to Heaven

The Pope, as many of you will know, was elected nearly a year ago in a papal enclave. Many were stunned. It seemed an outsider and a liberal had been elected pope. Were things changing in the Vatican?

When John Paul II was elected many saw this as yielding a change for the Church. However, he consistently reined in reforms.

It seems too early to actually call which way Francis will go.

An important job for him is to be the main PR person for the Church. Decisions to live in a small apartment instead of the usual papal quarters, as well as toning down

the ceremony of the Church, have made him seem humble and have given the Pope a lot of good press.

Last November he issued an “apostolic exhortation”, denouncing modern capitalism. He condemned “a financial system which rules rather than serves.” This combined with his reshuffle of the Vatican Bank, shows that Francis is trying to tackle the Church’s problems and the economic crisis.

It is a departure from anticommunism to anti-capitalism and what some may see as a support for liberation theology, which sees Jesus’ teachings as denouncing unjust

poverty and inequality. It seems that Francis is hugely concerned about the world’s poor and he has encouraged people to help those less fortunate than themselves.

An important factor is the distribution of Catholics throughout the world. 73% of Catholics live in Africa, Asia and the Americas (about 770 million). This has policy implications, or it should have, about where the Church puts its focus.

In many of these areas, the spread of evangelical churches and other religions has greatly affected the influence of the Church in these areas. These

countries also face a number of different problems to the west.

This exhortation outlined the failings of modern capitalism and its effect on marginalised groups.

It has received huge backlash from religious conservatives, most notably in the US, as an unwelcome foray into politics and economics from a religious institution.

This is despite Pope Francis not suggesting any sort of socialist or other policies, rather merely asking modern day governments to examine their consciences.

While he has some liberal leanings, he also endorses many Church teachings. Given that he was elected by representatives of the Church, it would have been highly unlikely that he wouldn’t.

LGBT rights are one of the major concerns for civil rights campaigners and many hope the Church will change the current attitude; the new pontiff seemed likely to be that change. Yet, as far as LGBT rights go, he reaffirmed the Church’s position that homosexual acts were sinful, but homosexual orientation was not. Hate the sin, not the sinner.

At the same time, on returning from Brazil, he said, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” It’s not exactly free love but it’s as close as the Catholic Church is likely to get.

At the very least, it suggests that the days of refusing giving Communion to LGBT people should be over, and that persecuting LGBT people for their own sake is not part of the doctrine of the Church.

Just as the Pope doesn’t necessarily speak to the more liberal elements of the Church on these sorts of issues, this will probably do little to rein in homophobic religious extremists, such as those who pushed for the death penalty for gay people in Uganda.

So has this Pope said anything new, or has he merely repackaged old doctrine in a more attractive form?

The one area where Pope Francis seems to have changed the Church is in relation to atheists. He has said that if you do good deeds and have a conscience, they may go to Heaven. Given the Church of old firmly held that you had to adhere to the Catholic doctrine, this is a specific step forward. It signals a refreshing take from the highest ranking person in the Church.

However, all the publicity about Pope Francis has not been positive. He has spoken out against abortion, maintained that divorced Catholics do not receive Holy Communion and urged another Bishop to speak out against same-sex adoption.

He also excommunicated a priest for his position that women should be able to be ordained.

The main change has been the Pope’s decision to change the conversation with regards to the Catholic Church. While he has for the most part affirmed the Church’s positions on issues like abortion, contraception and homosexual acts, he has stated that a specific concentrated focus on these issues has been damaging. The Church, he argues, should be forgiving, compassionate and healing.

It really does seem too short a time to make a fully correct analysis of Francis’ time as pontiff. What he says now might not be at all relevant in a few short years. What we can surmise is that this Pope, within the constraints of Catholic doctrine, is trying to make the Church more open and embracing, and he legitimately believes the Church has an important role in trying to make the world a better place. january 21st 2014

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Features

A matter of life and death With road fatalities rising for the first time in eight years, Grainne Loughran takes an in-depth look at the complacency that has set in among Irish road users

Breathalysers, penalty points, designated drivers, NCTs: in less than fifteen years, the language as well as the landscape of Irish motoring has been altered irreversibly. It wasn’t long ago that having a few drinks before sitting at the wheel of a car was commonplace, and seatbelts were more of an optional extra than a safety essential.

Despite this increased awareness of the dangers of the road, the number of fatalities on Irish roads is on the rise again for the first time since 2005, increasing by 17.5% from 162 in 2012 to 190 in 2013.

Although numbers are not nearly as high as the 279 killed in 2005, the question of complacency among Irish motorists must be interrogated.

For the past number of years the people of Ireland need only turn on the television to be immersed in images of destruction on our roads and crashed lives. Is it possible that we are finally becoming desensitized to images of carnage on our roads? Or is it that the cracks in the implementation of Gardaí forces are just beginning to show?

It appears that everybody is somewhat in the dark as to the reasons behind the surprising increase in road fatalities, following a steady decline for many years. No particularly severe weather conditions occurred throughout 2013 that could impact road traffic accidents.

While the number of drivers who were breathalysed in 2013 decreased, the number of Garda MAT random breath test checkpoints up until December actually increased, indicating that drivers appear less likely to be drinking and driving.

“We can’t put our finger on it,” says Arwen Foley of AA Roadwatch.

“Ireland has been improving for the past couple of years. In 2012, Dublin was named the safest of all EU cities for road deaths. But there are a number of factors that could be having an impact.”

Gay Byrne, Chairman of the Road Safety Authority, highlighted complacency as the cause. “We

have consistently warned that the greatest danger we face on the roads is complacency and unfortunately in 2013 we have, as a society, dropped our guard.

“As a result we have managed to kill 27 more people this year compared to last. It’s a stark way to put it but it’s the truth. It represents a very worrying development and highlights the need for all road users to be more vigilant.”

Foley also noted a sense of complacency among road users.

“The AA ran a poll last year which showed that around 72% of the 26,000 people surveyed believed that there were less Gardaí on the roads in 2012 than 2011.

“If people believe there are less Gardaí present, they are less worried about there being a speed camera around the next bend. People will be more complacent if they think

there are less Gardaí on the roads.”

Cuts in Garda resources, funding and numbers appear to impact the mentality of road users more so than the increase in advertising campaigns and education with regard to both positive and negative behaviour on the road. However, there are other issues that could have an effect on the number of road fatalities.

According to Foley: “Irish cars on the road are getting older, the sales of new cars are getting smaller and the number of second hand cars is increasing. People are tight for money, they might not be looking after their cars as well as they were.”

She also noted that the deterioration of Irish roads over the past few years may be a possible factor. Though a stimulus package proposed in October’s budget will allow some maintenance to be carried out on Irish roads, the cut

of €66 million to the roads capital budget will undoubtedly be a blow to the Road Safety Authority.

The government’s Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020, which is currently being implemented, aims to reduce road deaths to 25 per million of the population or less by 2020. This will hopefully result in a final figure of 124 or fewer deaths per year. A larger than expected 2013 fatality number will result in a more difficult challenge for those working to implement this strategy.

Byrne says that, “we must get back on track and reverse the increase in deaths. This means all agencies responsible for road safety must push harder to implement all 144 actions contained in the new Government Road Safety Strategy, which was launched earlier in 2013. But critically it means that all of us must accept

Ireland has been improving for the past couple of years.

In 2012, Dublin was named the safest of all EU cities for road deaths

greater responsibility by becoming custodians and champions for safety on the road. By doing this we can save lives and prevent injuries.”

It appears that 2014 will only bring further challenges to the Road Safety Strategy’s aim of reducing the number of fatalities on Irish roads.

With little or no increase on spending and no precise trend for the increase in deaths in 2013, responsibility must lie with the motorists and road users to change their behaviour.

Chief Superintendent of the Gardaí, Michael O’Sullivan said, “We know from our analysis that 4 out of 5 fatal road traffic collisions are occurring on roads with a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour or more. Reducing your speed and ensuring you and all your passengers wear a seatbelt could be the difference between life and death.”

A lack of policing can only be blamed to a certain extent for the increase in road fatalities this year. Rather, Irish drivers became comfortable in our decreasing death toll and complacent that our current efforts could maintain the trend. In 2014, with continued effort on the part of all road users, we will hopefully see our fatality numbers begin to fall once more.

A special need The needs of students with special needs are extensive, but are not being met at present. Although SNA numbers remain the same this year, Nicole Casey examines if this is really enough

Single parents, the elderly, social welfare recipients, and even students. These are all groups of people we routinely view as the most harshly affected by the current economic climate. But a group we never cast a thought towards at budget time, and year round, are the children with special needs.

The term Special Needs Children encompasses everyone from babies to teens, and refers to an array of diagnoses, including (but not limited to) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, and Asperger’s syndrome.

The educational requirements of children with special needs can range from needing a helping hand in certain subjects, to requiring full time supervision and assistance by a qualified Special Needs Assistant (SNA). Some children suffer with such severity that they must attend an entirely separate school.

Not only are special needs children suffering the effects of the harsh economic downturn on their own merits, with reduced grants, but when areas such as education are targeted by the government, children with special needs suffer more than the average student.

The number of SNAs in schools is being reduced and waiting times for assessment are increasing.

But the average class size is also increasing, with adverse effects on students with special needs who may require more specific attention than the average schoolchild.

Although total spending on special education rose from €468 million in 2004 to €1.3 billion in 2011, this was never enough to satisfy the needs of special needs students, and now that dramatic reductions are taking place, these students are left even worse off.

A 15% reduction in resource teaching hours for children with rarer conditions coupled with a cap on full-time SNA posts has seen a detrimental effect on the educational experience for special needs children. january 21st 2014

Thirty years ago, you didn’t hear of ADHD or Asperger’s syndrome.

Older teachers don’t want SNAs in their classrooms, and some don’t even want special needs students there

Education Officer for Down Syndrome Ireland, Patricia Griffin, believes the reductions are more severe than publicised, especially when taken off paper and applied to real life situations. “Though staff numbers are not being reduced [this year], pupil numbers have increased by approximately 10% [meaning] resources have been cut by a further 10%.”

Special Needs Assistant in Coláiste Phradraig Lucan, Patrice Burchael believes students with special needs are suffering in ways most people don’t even realise. “When the number of SNAs allowed in schools was reduced, the workload for the remaining SNAs rose. There are still the same number of children

requiring special attention, but a reduced number of SNAs.” Burchael also believes the reduction in SNAs is having a knock on effect on resource teachers.

“There are so many children to work with and split your time between that resource teachers have had to take on some of the burden.

“They now have to do some of the work SNAs don’t have time to complete, while also teaching resource classes with a larger number of students present. Now, there are more children in the room than a resource teacher can readily cope with.”

Conditions such as ADHD and autism are only really coming to the forefront in recent decades, and this

be provided with one, and it is hoped that additional SNA posts will be advertised for the coming school year.

This prospect will be welcomed by parents and teachers who have been consistently lobbying for an increase.

However, the role of an SNA can only provide so much for students with special needs, and an overwhelming workload is only one of many issues SNAs must overcome.

According to Burchael, resistance within the school can be a major issue for many SNAs. “In any school I’ve ever worked in, there are teachers who don’t agree with SNAs…who don’t believe in special needs. Thirty years ago, you didn’t hear of ADHD or Asperger’s syndrome. Older teachers don’t want SNAs in their classrooms, and some don’t even want special needs students there.”

With this closed mindedness of some older generation teachers, can students with special needs ever hope to reach their full potential?

Burchael thinks not. “Take, for example, subjects that involve a lot of note taking. Students with autism have so many other things going on in their head, they can’t keep up with the note taking. Without help, they can’t possibly hope to keep up with the other students in can be seen through government their class. Even with the help of an policy. In was as recent as the early SNA, working at the same pace as 1990s that government policy relating the average student is difficult.” to special education changed, moving Parents of children with away from segregated schools towards special needs are banding providing education for special needs together through the internet students in mainstream schools. and social media and fighting Burchael is not a fan of the harder than ever before to segregation of students with special ensure their children get the needs. “It’s wrong. Every child is same entitlements as any other entitled to go to mainstream school, child attending school. providing the resources are there to With SNA numbers remaining cater for their needs. It is up to the the same for this year, and a hopeful government to provide these resources increase for the next school year, and allow children with special things are looking up for these education requirements the same students and their parents. However, experiences as the average student.” it will take a lot more time, money, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and SNAs, to bring the rights of has held the consistent position that students with special needs up every child who needs an SNA should to par with their counterparts.

New Year, Same Resolutions

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As we use the new year as an excuse to better ourselves onces more, Aoife Cunningham wonders if we destined to fail or if we’re just trying to take on too much

A new year inevitably brings with it a slew of people making New Year’s resolutions, either in an attempt to expel bad habits or in an effort to improve their lives.

But is the new year really worth all the hype that surrounds it?

For students, there are two types of new year. The first is the traditional, January 1st New Year, while the other is the beginning of a new academic year. Many students make the bulk of their resolutions on September 1st, and use January as a time to reattempt their (usually) failed efforts.

According to Orla Hayes, an Arts student, failure is inevitable for most resolutions: “There hasn’t been a year where I’ve stuck by resolutions, so I’ve made some that are realistic [this year]. I know [that will keep me] disciplined enough to stay motivated.”

And realism is most definitely the key to successful resolutions.

Many students generalise, and make sweeping declarations about the things they plan to achieve. Attending every lecture, studying for two hours every night, and actually reading the additional texts for a module are all resolutions most students are guilty of making at one stage or another.

Usually, such dramatic plans for change come after difficult exams, or once the deadline for an important assignment passes, and we promise ourselves we won’t see a repeat performance in semester two.

But making too broad a resolution is a recipe for disaster and eventual failure. Be realistic in your goals. If you didn’t manage to even read the required texts in the first semester, how can you possibly hope to read the additional articles? Resolutions that take too much time and effort will be given up before they even truly start.

Hayes believes people make resolutions for the same general reasons each year. “I guess people view the new year as a clean slate because it’s the one time of the year everyone takes time to think about new resolutions and changes that can be made.

“Sometimes people reflect

on the past when a new year is approaching and think how they can change aspects of themselves or life in general. For some people, they can let go of regrets…and look forward to new beginnings.”

For students, January is the perfect time to start afresh, according to Student Adviser Aisling O’Grady.

“For the most part, students will be taking new modules and starting off again with a clean slate, new

lecturers, and the opportunity to get the best possible grades. If things have gone wrong in the past, you can learn from your mistakes and do things differently.”

All this being said, sometimes people make a resolution simply because they feel like they have to. O’Grady explains that “part of why we don’t keep our resolutions is because we make them according to the notion that we should. It’s better

to commit to something based on your desire and ability to do so and not on some silly new year custom.

Hayes agrees, claiming that, “In previous years, I’ve made so many resolutions that I didn’t keep…

When you’re not 100% committed it’s so much easier to break them.”

Staying motivated is the key to success, especially for students. A lot of our goals may be academically focused, meaning it’s easy to lose interest quickly or just give up.

According to O’Grady,“It’s a matter or prioritising, having good time management skills, and being flexible whilst still meeting your goals. Plan for the semester, and then plan for each week, but it’s important to allow for some deviations from the plan.”

Motivation, or lack thereof, can run a lot deeper than pure lack of interest for some people. “Take some time to reflect on why you might feel [unmotivated]. Is it due to the difficulty of the task? Or are there other issues?” O’Grady advises.

“Trying to give some meaning to a feeling of low motivation can help…And you can always talk to a member of staff or fellow student.”

Of course, most of the student population have already made their academic resolutions for 2014, and will hopefully stay motivated long enough to complete them. But UCD offers many other activities and opportunities for students looking for a different type of resolution.

Refreshers day, taking place on Wednesday, January 29th, provides another opportunity to join one of the many clubs and societies in UCD. Students will have another chance to take up a new sport or join a society relating to their degree subject or an outside area of interest.

Many schools will also start recruiting peer mentors in the coming months, offering students from all years the opportunity to help and guide incoming first years in September 2014.

So no matter whether or not you make a resolution, it’s never too late to make a change.

For the most part, students will be taking new modules and starting off again with a clean slate, new lecturers, and the opportunity to get the best possible grades… You can learn from your mistakes

Postcards from Abroad—Paris In the latest instalment of Postcards from Abroad, Robert MacCarthy struggles with French bureaucracy and enjoys the romance of Paris

Ah Paris, the city of love. Upon hearing its name, romantic images bountifully unspool from the most sex-starved corners of our minds.

Charming avenues stream from imposing boulevards and trickle down quaint alleyways. Ornate moustaches unfurl beneath the upturned noses of stand-offish locals, offended to their core by the twang of American accents failing to pronounce “bonjour.” But is all this overwrought romanticism reality?

As a third year law student studying in Paris, I have been plunged headfirst into what you might call the real Parisian mode de vie. From the offset, reality tends to come crashing down fairly hard, particularly so when dealing with French administration.

Upon my arrival I was greeted by a bureaucratic system that appeared to take an almost perverse amount of pleasure in being as officious as possible. Registration for courses must be done solely through paperwork, which must be stamped by every administrative officer under the sun, accompanied by an infinite amount of personal identification. Comparatively, the French would surely see UCD’s userfriendly online system as a terrifying Bladerunner-esque dystopia.

One particular instance stands out. Having queued for what felt like hours, I found myself sitting in a co-ordinator’s office, attempting to explain en Français that I would like to join a French language class.

The man, clearly bored with my mixture of hand gestures and poorly conjugated verbs, informed me that it was impossible for him to add me to “the system,” punctuating his disinterest by pointing at his computer. Upon looking at the screen I noticed that “the system” was literally just a Microsoft spreadsheet.

Any chance of sticking my name on the end there mate? “Non.” Universities in France are virtually free to all, the fees being nominal

Universities in France are virtually free to all, the fees being nominal compared to the ever-increasing amount demanded in Ireland. As a result, thirdlevel education is not a consumer-driven process

compared to the ever-increasing amount demanded in Ireland. As a result, third-level education is not a consumer-driven process.

A particularly apt synopsis I heard while out here was that “in French universities, you are not a client, you are a student.”

In France, once you accept that people of all backgrounds should be capable of going to university, you have to accept certain consequences.

Your university won’t bend over backwards for you. You may not necessarily have the same scale of amenities or student societies you might otherwise have had were you paying more. Perhaps that’s fair.

Personally, despite the challenge of trying to learn through French, I found the quality of the lecturing to be particularly high. To call the

system imperfect may be accurate and there are many areas where I would prefer Ireland’s approach, but to call it inferior would be disingenuous, hey, you might even say it’d be downright bourgeois.

Of course, as any student will tell you, there’s more to life than university. I live in the 18th arrondissement of Paris by Montemarte, a fairly groovy part of the city that is home to the Sacré Coeur, the Moulin Rouge and a hive of sex shops. I know; I ought to wash my Irish Catholic eyes out with vinegar. My landlord genuinely described the area as “ooh la la.”

How painfully French, indeed.

If my advice is worth anything, I’d suggest avoiding student accommodation out here. Though certainly cheaper, the government-

built apartment blocks for students tend to be located well outside the city and so you’re unlikely to get any real feel for Paris.

Rent is, unsurprisingly, very high in central Paris but you can claw a chunk of that back through the CAF (Caisse d’Allocations familiales) student accommodation grant from the French government. Easier said than done, French administration being the miasma of hate that it is, but it helps.

So, what do I live on? Suffice it to say I am now officially eurotrash, with both cheese and wine being staples of my diet. When you can get a bottle of red for €1.50 in a supermarket, you’d be mad not to exploit it.

Admittedly, at that price the stuff tastes like, looks like and possibly is nail varnish, but with everything else out here costing an arm and

a leg, if you shop conservatively you’re practically beating austerity.

Going out is a different beast entirely. Your bottle of wine that was such good value in the shop is eye-wateringly pricey in the club. A pint of beer in a pub usually costs anywhere between €7 and the price of a small family home in Leitrim.

It’s best to gather round with friends at your apartment for drinks before heading out. If you do as the French do and call pre-drinks “aperitifs” you feel far less pathetic.

Naturally, over time, you develop your own relationship with the city.

It’ll irritate you and it’ll make you feel foolish, but you can’t help falling a little bit in love as you stroll through such iconic streets. Such extremes of emotion. Such highs and lows.

Well then, is that not true romance? january 21st 2014

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Features

january 21st 2014

science

Moonboy

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From Marine Corps fighter pilot to NASA astronaut, to the global warming debate, Walt Cunningham speaks to Shane Hannon about his adventures

Walter Cunningham possesses that composed, tanned look that epitomises the stereotypical former astronaut. Yet, Cunningham, now 81-years-old, certainly looks younger than any of his biographies say he is.

Born in 1932 in the small town of Creston, Iowa; the Houston resident has had quite a life. Known for his honesty, Cunningham’s website is littered with articles he has written on topics such as climate change and the future of American manned space travel. It is certain, if he has something to say, he’ll say it.

After finishing high school, Cunningham decided to join the U.S. Navy in 1951, beginning flight training the following year. He ultimately served as a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps, a job that truly required the “right stuff.”

Asked about this period in his life, Cunningham notes “Once a Marine, always a Marine. And that was what defined my life, not being an astronaut. In fact I wouldn’t have been an astronaut had I not been a Marine Corps fighter pilot.”

Having accumulated over 4,500 hours of flying time, including more than 3,400 in jet aircraft, it is safe to say Cunningham was one of the finest pilots of his day. It was because of his piloting and physics background at University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned his Masters in this field, that Cunningham was ultimately chosen as an astronaut by NASA. He doesn’t, however, remember ever feeling unsettled in the air, saying flying was “the most natural thing I ever did, I don’t ever remember being in a position in an airplane that bothered me, even when I was young and relatively inexperienced and I did anything that was in front of me.”

Perhaps this daring attitude was something he inherited from his childhood hero Charles Lindbergh, the first to fly solo and non-stop across the Atlantic in 1927.

Cunningham notes that he “only remembers one boyhood hero and that was Charles Lindbergh, so I just took it for granted that what I wanted to do was fly someday.”

Selected as one of fourteen members of the third group of NASA astronauts in October 1963, Cunningham’s first crew assignment was as prime lunar module pilot on Apollo 2. However, time issues arose and as Cunningham recalls, “When we got behind schedule they cancelled Apollo 2 and we’d been training on that for seven or eight months. And when they did, they moved us on as backup crew for Apollo 1 because they had the same kind of spacecraft.”

But this plan too would eventually be compromised, albeit in an altogether more tragic fashion.

January 27th, 1967 is a day which all those associated with the American space enterprise in the 1960s will remember with great sorrow. It was on that day during a routine plugs-out test inside the spacecraft, a month before Apollo 1 was due to launch, that a spark ignited in the command module’s 100% oxygen environment.

The ensuing fire resulted in the deaths of the prime crew, Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, and threw Kennedy’s plans to get Americans to the moon and back by the end of the decade into disarray.

When asked if the fire made the astronauts and others at NASA doubt whether that goal was achievable, Cunningham responds, “We were just concerned we lost some friends we lived with for a long time, other pilots, but for us it never caused any hesitation about flying and going on.”

In January 1967 there were many problems with the Apollo command module that the astronauts were worried about, and ironically enough the fire can be said to have sped up the process of getting to the moon. Cunningham observes, “[The fire] gave us added strength with the contractor to fix the vehicle.

“There were a lot of things that we as operators wanted to get into the development, but sometimes if it was going to delay the program it couldn’t get approved or it would cost too much, things like that. And when they had the delay for the fire a lot of those things got incorporated.”

A month after the fire, Cunningham, along with veteran Commander Wally Schirra and fellow rookie Donn Eisele, inherited the Apollo 1 mission. Apollo 2-6 were unmanned test missions, and

When I went there I was promised the first Skylab mission. I was supposed to be Commander of the first Skylab mission

True believers in human-caused global warming cannot be reasoned out of their position, because it wasn’t reason which got them there in the first place

Cunningham’s flight was therefore renumbered and designated Apollo 7.

After the year and a half delay to allow for the fire investigation, the crew of Apollo 7 launched on a Saturn IB booster on October 11, 1968 and began what would be an eventful 11day mission in Earth orbit.

During the mission, the crew performed various experiments and proved the Apollo Command and Service Module’s flight worthiness, paving the way for the Apollo 8 flight around the moon two months later. The mission wasn’t without its hitches however, with Commander Schirra, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and veteran of two previous spaceflights, suffering with a cold and becoming increasingly agitated and irritable towards Mission Control back in Houston.

Eisele tended to follow his Commander’s example and Cunningham says ,“Donn was the kind of guy who would join up.

It was just his personality that if somebody was behaving a certain way he’d behave that way.”

Cunningham describes Schirra in his memoirs, The All-American Boys, as “The Happy Warrior,” although he does admit that “Wally was such a personality that if he had a cold, everybody had a cold.”

There is often the impression that the entire crew came down with cold-like symptoms at some stage during the 11-day mission, however, Cunningham asserts this wasn’t the case. “We did not all have colds.

Wally only had a cold by day two, Donn had a couple of indications,

and I never had any sense of a cold.”

With Schirra, Cunningham claims, “It was always a case of who was in charge. He was a Navy guy, he was a Navy Captain.

Captain’s in charge of the ship, so Wally was always insisting that it was what he had to say.”

All in all, Apollo 7 was a successful flight, and although it would be the only time both Cunningham and Eisele would fly, the mission achieved its objectives and then some. The 263-hour, 4.5 million mile shakedown flight came to an end with a splashdown in the same Atlantic Ocean Lindbergh had flown solo over forty years previously.

After the flight, Cunningham was transferred to the Skylab program and for a while served as Chief Skylab astronaut. But things didn’t work out quite like he had hoped; when quizzed as to whether he had held ambitions about flying on a Skylab mission himself Cunningham reveals, “When I went there I was promised the first Skylab mission.

I was supposed to be Commander of the first Skylab mission.”

A year and a half later, spaceflight veteran and the third man to walk on the Moon, Pete Conrad “decided he wasn’t gonna leave NASA yet and they put him in charge of Skylab.

So all of a sudden I was gonna be backup to Pete. That’s about the time I decided to get out.” Cunningham resigned from NASA in 1971.

Of course, Cunningham has other interests outside of space travel. His views on global warming are well known, and he has quite a bit to say on the matter. He is a physicist by

The incidence of heart disease in people under the age of 50 in America is 1 in 100 amongst African-American men; 20 times higher than in their caucasian counterparts

education, was a founder of The Earth Awareness Foundation in 1970, has been on the board of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for five years, and has been writing articles on the environment since 2000.

He is an advocate against the theory of Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW); in other words, he is a global warming skeptic.

In September of this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their latest report in which they state there is now a 95% probability that humans are responsible for global warming.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the study is a call for governments to work to reach a planned UN accord in 2015 to combat global warming, while US Secretary of State John Kerry described it as “a wake-up call.”

IPCC chairperson Rajendra Pachauri claims the report is “of very high quality, totally credible and robust in every sense of the scientific content.”Cunningham, however, does not agree, saying this latest report “is no more accurate than their earlier ones. This one is just a bit more toned down on its claims.”

He says the IPCC are still making “false claims that computer models prove recent global warming is due to human CO2 emissions, and that they are able to forecast future global temperatures, climates and events. In reality, the models greatly exaggerate climate sensitivity to carbon dioxide levels.”

Cunningham sums up his opinion by stating that he has “yet to see data supporting the claim that humans are responsible for controlling the world’s temperature.”

He even argued his case in person at the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Warsaw in November.

Although greatly outnumbered by the global-warming alarmists, Cunningham made a compelling argument at a press briefing during the conference, making the claim that “true believers in humancaused global warming cannot be reasoned out of their position, because it wasn’t reason which got them there in the first place.”

When asked about the current administration and where NASA is at today, Cunningham is equally as scathing. He claims, “Obama doesn’t have any interest in [space] at all, but politicians have to go along with something.” It was Obama who, in 2010, cancelled the Constellation program to take humans back to the Moon by 2019.

Cunningham claims the young people of today have to be more daring if humans are going to once more stretch the frontiers and continue manned deep space exploration. “In our day it was something we felt was worth doing, to go out and push the frontier. Today is a risk-averse society, young people don’t wanna take chances doing anything. We thought that was part of living, it was part of how you improve, it was part of how you move society forward.”

Cunningham says this risk avoidance is a far cry from the days of John F Kennedy, fifty years dead this year, who “challenged to do the impossible and we made it work. And we would have done anything, and as a matter of fact people died to make it work. Today, even within NASA, it’s almost a cult of avoiding risk in any way.”

When it comes to his many accomplishments, it is clear Cunningham’s time at NASA isn’t all he’s proud of, “I’m the first one in my family to go to college, and I’m the first one in my family to join the military.”

Cunningham is now the only surviving crew-member from Apollo 7; Eisele died of a heart attack in 1987 while ‘The Happy Warrior’, Wally Schirra, passed in 2007. Cunningham celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 7 launch in October just gone with a cocktail, and a much-deserved one at that.

Walter Cunningham: fighter pilot, physicist, astronaut, and above all else, an All-American Boy. The above interview with Col. Walter Cunningham (Apollo 7) was exclusively conducted during the Autographica event held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham, UK on September 21st, 2013.

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science The skinny on January dieting After the season of over-indulgence has come to an end and left many of us with turkey thighs, Karen Emerson is here to talk about our desperate attempts to jump back on the health bandwagon New Year’s resolutions are often made in an attempt to counteract the unhealthy behaviours we’ve exhibited in the previous four weeks. That empty box of Roses, the devoured Christmas pudding with some brandy butter, and the litres of your favourite poison that cause the traditional yuletide memory loss, all come back to haunt us in January when we look in the mirror and are horrified at the picture of unhealth that stares back at us.

Over-indulgence throughout the Christmas period can cause our stomachs to stretch, enabling us to eat and crave more food than normal. The high sugar content in chocolates, Christmas cake and alcoholic beverages stimulate rapid insulin responses in our bodies in a bid to reduce our blood glucose levels. When this energy is not used up by means of physical activity, it is stored in our fat cells as triglycerides.

Fat storage, however, is only part of the festive feeding frenzy.

The consumption of these high sugary foods and beverages stimulate a reward complex in our brain resulting in secretion of dopamine, the feel good hormone.

This is the same metabolic pathway that is stimulated by the consumption of drugs and alcohol.

In a similar fashion to drugs and alcohol, our tolerance to highsugar foods can be increased and greater quantities are needed to illicit the comfort food response.

Unwittingly, many of us exit the December month with a case of sugar addiction and a significant decrease in our metabolic health. Often it is not until the buttons on our jeans fail to close or we cramp up mid training session or match that we realise just how far we’ve let ourselves go.

Desperate measures are needed, we tell ourselves. Some put into effect plans for a dry January, while others splurge on new trainers and gym memberships. It is this fleeting motivation that ensures

Diet pills or anti-obesity medication have been around since the 1930s.

The fact that the obesity epidemic hit our shores regardless may give a clue as to the level of their effectiveness

January as the most profitable time for gyms; signing-up new members whose drive will surely dwindle in the coming months and their only presence in the gym will be seen from their monthly direct debit.

Consequently, gym memberships are at an all time high in the country, coinciding unfortunately, with the highest levels of obesity, heart disease and type II diabetes Ireland has ever seen.

It is perhaps the lack of immediate results during our period of penance in January that is to blame for our lack of long-term drive. A handful of hunger pangs do not equate to a six-pack and our often misinformed dieting techniques and food choices can have deleterious health effects.

Common dieting errors include skipping meals, over-restriction of caloric intake, omission of entire food groups and unsupervised use

of weight loss supplements or pills.

Meal skipping is an obvious choice to the avid dieter. The calorie deficit caused by skipping breakfast or lunch daily can amount to at least 4,200 calories a week. One lb of fat releases 3,500kcal when measured in a bomb calorimeter so in theory, a calorie deficit of 4,200kcal should equate to a weight loss of 1.2lbs per week.

These figures may seem enticing in the short-term, but the long-term

effects of skipping nutrient-rich foods can result in nutrient deficiencies and disorders. These include complications such as low immune response from insufficient Vitamin C, anaemia through iron (also vitamin B12 and folate) deficiency or malabsorption and the development of osteoporosis through a failure to reach peak bone mass in adult life brought on by insufficient Vitamin D and calcium intakes.

Diet pills or anti-obesity medication have been around since the 1930s.

The fact that the obesity epidemic hit our shores regardless may give a clue as to the level of their effectiveness.

Some of the drugs suppress appetite, increase the respondent’s metabolism, or block the absorption of fats and carbohydrates in the intestine.

In recent years much research has gone into the hormone leptin in the hope that it would hold the key to solving the western world’s expanding waistlines.

Leptin is the “feeling full” hormone made and released by fat cells. It signals to the hypothalamus that enough nutrients have been ingested and give us that satisfying full feeling. Scientists were hopeful that leptin replacement therapy would help obese individuals and rid them of their insatiable hunger.

Unfortunately the majority of the obese population of the world are not leptin deficient, but instead are regarded as leptin insensitive. The hypothalamus has become blunted by the constant leptin signalling from their fat cells that increasing leptin concentrations will not result in long-term weight loss.

Indeed it seems that there are no short-term fixes that will improve our waistlines and health simultaneously. If we shift our goals from instant weight-loss to longevity of health and well-being, this time next year when looking in the mirror we’re sure to find a happier and better proportioned version of ourselves staring back at us.

Newman Fund

Have you a great idea for an event on campus?

Why not try the Newman Fund for funding?

Useful Esperanto Phrases Hello—Saluton

The Newman Fund is a sum of money arising from that part of the How Student Registration are you?—Kiel vi fartas? Charge which you speak Esperanto?—Ĉu vi parolas Esperaton? the university allocates to support organised student activities. It isDodesigned to fund activities which are Where are you from?—De kie vi estas? organised by individuals or groups, other than the recognised clubsHow and societies in the University, whose much is this?—Kiom tio kostas? aim is to improve student life on campus. Any individual or group ofMystudents for kusenveturilo financial support hovercraft may is full apply of eels—Mia estas plena da angiloj for their project. The Newman Fund is administered by a committee of the Student Consultative Forum The University Observer is the best paper in Ireland—La Universitato Observanto estas la plej bona gazeto en Irlando

Last year, the Fund provided substantial support for the UCD Fashion Show, for a sports blitz for Res students, for Belfield FM, for a reception for postgrad Engineering students in Newstead, for an Entrepreneurship Forum and for a Vet student Rugby event. So far this year we have awarded grants for three student-organised academic events, for a Christmas concert and for an athletic fitness programme.

Applications are now invited for a second round of grants from the Fund. There is no standard format for applications but they should include full details of the applicants, the use to which any funds granted will be put and detailed costings. Applications for support must be submitted by February 4th at 5.30pm to: Elizabeth Cronin, Student Consultative Forum, Student Centre, UCD or by email to: Elizabeth.cronin@ucd.ie. Further information may be obtained from Liz or from Paddy O’Flynn at 1patrickoflynn@eircom.net.

january 21st 2014

War of the buttons

science

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Almost two months after the European release of the next generation of consoles, Michael O’Sullivan looks at who is winning the war so far

Xbox’s need for an internet connection in order to function correctly has left some critics distressed, as they assume the camera can be hacked and as a result, they may become the victims of living room voyeurism from afar

The console war was re-ignited before Christmas with the almost simultaneous launch of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PS4. Initial indications had both consoles performing almost exactly the same, though by the new year it was apparent that the PS4 had the edge in terms of sales.

For non-gamers, this event must have appeared somewhat bizarre. Massive queues formed the world over as people scrambled to throw large sums of money at tech manufacturers just to have the latest new gadget. However, the latest generation of consoles are much more than simple gadgets, especially in the case of the Xbox.

These new consoles are billed as multimedia powerhouses, with internet, TV and app capabilities built in to the systems to give a complete and immersive multimedia experience. At least that’s what the blurb from both companies stated. The reality is, however, that most people

will buy a console for the games that console allows them to play and the rest is simply a bonus.

The validity of Microsoft’s push into complete multimedia packages is coming under question as a result. As many people already have smart TVs, tablets, and laptops, the need for an all-purpose system seems slightly redundant. There is also the slightly uncomfortable fact that the Kinect attachment is always on.

This, coupled with the Xbox’s need for an internet connection in order to function correctly has left some critics distressed as they assume the camera can be hacked and as a result, they may become the victims of living room voyeurism from afar.

How many people will actually spend time hacking into Xbox systems to watch people scream furiously at their television while hammering at plastic buttons like their lives depend on it remains to be seen, though this would surely

start a new trend of internet prank videos to keep the seething masses entertained for three days or so.

The problem with the console war is the lack of console exclusive games on the market at the moment.

It is almost impossible to say which console is better when both have almost the exact same game roster and no version exclusives to increase their selling power. Until this fact changes, and it’s soon going to, it is almost impossible to say which console is going to win outright in the long term.

The release of Titanfall, one of the years most hotly anticipated first-person shooters (FPS), may finally give an indication as to who may be winning the console war. Sony has no massive FPS release to compete with Microsoft here, instead opting for the release of RPG sequel Infamous: Second Son around the same time.

The popularity of the FPS in general would suggest that Titanfall is quite simply going

to bring in money faster than it can be printed, which will most likely dwarf Infamous’ profit margins by comparison.

There are other factors at work, however. Sony’s willingness to allow indie game developers free reign to create and sell content through the Playstation Network has given them a serious edge over Microsoft in the indie game market. Microsoft have been notably much stiffer and far less accommodating of the growing indie scene, turning many people off their product as they feel the company is far too focused on media rather than gaming itself.

The console war will continue to rage on for another year or two yet, as only time will tell which console comes out on top as more version exclusive games appear and new features like Sony’s Playstation Now come online.

Though it may seem at present that Sony is winning the battle, they are far from winning the war.

Young Scientist 2014 Roundup Celebrating 50 years, the BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition attracts exceptional students and their projects from all over the country, says Conor de Paor

The Young Scientist of the Year for 2014 is Paul Clarke, a fifth-year student from St Paul’s College, in Dublin. His project, “Contributions to cyclic graph theory”, found answers to previously unsolved problems in the area.

This branch of mathematics concerns itself with the properties and uses of graphs. Graph theory has applications in fields as diverse as biochemistry (analysing DNA) and electrical engineering (communication networks). He received the BT Young Scientist of the Year trophy, a cheque for

€5,000 and a chance to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists.

This year’s best group was awarded to Eve Casey and Cathy Hynes, both first-year students from Cork.

The team looked at the changing attitudes of people towards working with an older workforce due to the increasing retirement age. Stemming directly from their project it seems that while many are in favour of a more elderly workforce, they would not support this happening in their own working environment.

The runner-up individual was

Shane Curran, a second year student from Terenure College in Dublin. In 2012 Shane was termed Ireland’s “youngest chief executive” when he launched his cloud-based library catalogue, Libramatic.

The young programmer has applied his skills to another cloud-based project, Chemical.io: The cloud-based lab management solution. The idea is to allow laboratories to keep track of all their chemicals, apparatus and experiments on the cloud.

If certain chemicals are found to be running low, Shane’s

solution can automatically reorder them for the lab.

The runners-up in the group category were Evan Heneghan, Conor Gillardy and Callum Kyne, transition year students from St Gerald’s College in Mayo.

The team designed a wireless gumshield communications device for managers and players. The device uses bone conduction whereby sound travels to the inner ear through the skull. This allows the coach to stay in direct contact with the players from the sidelines.

Psycollegey —Willpower Considering the science behind willpower, Louise Dolphin offers a healthier option for achieving your New Year’s resolutions

Willpower, rather than being a strength or a skill, is actually a finite resource that can be depleted There is something unsettling about this time of the year. The new year brings promise of new beginnings and fresh starts, that this year is going to be different. However, before we know it, the mid-January voice starts flexing its vocal cords.

Why would you go out for a jog tonight if it looks like it’s going to rain? What’s another biscuit when you’ve been good all week?

I know you said you’d spend more time with X this year, but you’re tired this evening. The habits and routines of last year, those you were sure you were well shot of, suddenly creep back and you start to think, perhaps this won’t be the year the resolutions work out.

Maybe it won’t be any different.

A New Year’s resolution is generally a promise many of us make to ourselves to do an act of self-improvement. However, a 2007 study from the University of Bristol involving over 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year’s resolutions fail. In 2012, TIME magazine suggested that the top five most commonly broken resolutions were, lose weight and get fit, quit smoking, learn something new, eat healthier and diet, get out of debt and save money.

Dr Claire Hayes, Clinical Director of AWARE, chose to address the concept of New Year’s resolutions recently. She highlights the harsh thoughts that can enter people’s minds when resolutions are broken, “You’re pathetic, you’re useless, you’re a failure, you can’t even manage to stick to your resolutions for more than two weeks.”

Dr Hayes believes a key reason these thoughts can torment us is that many people believe there is no hope in improving their lives. She talks about recognising and overcoming self doubt about keeping New Year’s goals.

Why do so many fail? Are some people just more strong-willed than others? Are some people just better at resisting temptation? Some of the earliest research on this came from the lab of Roy Baumeister in his Chocolate-and-Radish experiment.

Baumeister brought 67 undergraduate students into a laboratory filled with the delicious aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The table before them held a plate of the cookies and a bowl of radishes. Some students were asked to sample the cookies, others were asked to eat the radishes.

Subsequently, participants were given 30 minutes to complete a geometric tracing task (which, unbeknownst to the subjects, was impossible).

So, which group do you think persisted for longer with the task? Easy, I thought to myself on reading about the experiment. The radish group, have been primed for a harder situation, will last longer. The cookie group, having been gratified, will be lazier.

But I couldn’t be more wrong.

Baumeister and his colleagues found that those who ate the radishes gave up on the puzzle after about approximately eight minutes, while the lucky cookie-eaters persevered for an average of almost 19 minutes.

It seemed that drawing on selfcontrol to resist the cookies drained the radish group’s willpower for subsequent situations. In other words, those who had to resist the cookies and force themselves to eat pungent vegetables could no longer find the will to fully engage in another torturous task.

They were already too tired.

Resisting temptation comes with a cost, in the sense that the radish group were more inclined to give up easily in the face of frustration. It was not that eating chocolate improved performance. Rather, wanting chocolate but eating radishes instead, and controlling these impulses, impaired successive persistence.

This may seem like a silly experiment, but in 1998 it told psychologists something groundbreaking: willpower, rather than being a strength or a skill, is actually a finite resource that can be depleted. These findings have been replicated in many studies and been cited in almost 2000 scientific publications.

This gets me thinking about how we frame the idea of change in our minds. Instigating change, for me, is often two steps forward and one step back. Particularly when attempting to implement difficult changes into stubborn human routines, there must be room for error and relapse.

Just because you break your resolution, it does not make the effort void. It does not change the fact that there were also successful attempts. Change is gradual and no effort is useless or futile. We all relapse in our resolutions. The key is in how we address those lapses.

If willpower is, as the Chocolateand-Radish experiment suggests, a finite resource, we must be careful about when we choose to employ it.

Therefore, New Year’s resolutions are exactly the wrong way to change our behaviour. Rather than lumping our desired changes into one month, we should spread them out over time.

Plans to address important issues in our lives can be made on any day, at any time of the year. Change happens gradually, but, as the saying goes “the smallest deed is better than the greatest intention.” january 21st 2014

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opinion

A mile in our shoes Pride parades have been key to spreading the philosophy of the LGBT movement worldwide, but where did the orginal idea for a parade come from, asks Caitriona O’Sullivan

The first time I heard someone questioning why there wasn’t a Straight Pride Parade, I simply huffed and thought, “because there’s no need for one.” However, later I mulled over the question again (as I tend to do, deep thinker). Why isn’t there a parade for Straight Pride?

Because there’s no need for one?

Yes. So, why is there a need for an LGBT+ Pride Parade? Why did they start? What do they accomplish?

Is it just an excuse to have fun?

Is it a celebration of identity?

I had no idea, which is why I googled it. I learned so much about the history of pride parades and marches, which seem to have originated in North America. There was a surge of LGBT activism and protests in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, which culminated in the Stonewall riots.

This was a difficult time for members of the LGBT community as they faced many challenges in their daily lives, something that I think made them more involved, more active in the fight for their civil rights.

This fight took place in the form of picket lines, general gatherings, protest marches, sit-ins, leaflets and annual reminders that LGBT people did not receive the same basic civil rights protections.

They protested against police harassment, refusals of service, police raids and actions, international LGBT issues such as Cuban labour camps, homosexuality being portrayed as a mental illness, religious persecution and governmental policies. I, for one, see a lot in common with the issues that face members of the LGBT+ community today.

On May 21st, 1966, to protest the exclusion of homosexuals from the United States armed forces, a Los Angeles group held a 15 car motorcade. In other cities, activists held pickets. This has been identified as the nation’s first gay pride parade.

On June 28th, 1969, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and

questioning persons rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in New York City. This was a gay bar that catered to a wide variety of people, but was popular with the most marginalised people in the gay community: for instance transgender people, hustlers, and homeless youth. This riot and further protests and rioting over the following nights were an important moment in the modern LGBT rights movement helped to inspire the organisation of LGBT pride marches on a much larger public scale.

Craig Rodwell, his partner Fred Sargeant, Ellen Broidy, and Linda Rhodes proposed the first pride march to be held in New York City on November 2th, 1969 by way of a resolution at an ERCHO meeting in Philadelphia. Brenda Howard helped to co-ordinate the march and it was her idea to have Pride events take place over the span of a week. She is sometimes referred to as the Mother of Pride.

Howard is also one of the LGBT rights activists credited with popularising the word “Pride” to describe these festivities. As LGBT rights activist Tom Limoncelli put it, “The next time someone asks you why LGBT Pride marches exist or why Pride Month is June tell them ‘A bisexual woman named Brenda Howard thought it should be.’”

By the 1980s the loosely organised, grassroots marches and parades that had commemorated the Stonewall Riots were replaced by more organised and less radical events.

In many places, the marches began dropping “Liberation” and “Freedom” from their names, replacing them with the philosophy of LGBT “Pride”.

Although I’ve heard complaints that the parades and marches and Pride Month in general have grown overcommercialised and become more about partying than politics, at least it has gained more recognition as an event and a celebration of history.

President Bill Clinton declared June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in 2000. Then President Barack

Brenda Howard helped to coordinate the march and it was her idea to have Pride events take place over the span of a week.

She is sometimes referred to as the Mother of Pride Obama declared June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, stating, “I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.” Google marked any LGBT-related search results in June 2012 with a rainbow coloured pattern underneath search results.

Pride events have taken place in every corner of the globe, from Mauritius to India, from Israel to Serbia, from Canada to Argentina.

Some of the symbols for Pride are the rainbow or pride flag, the pink and black star, which were used as marks of shame during the Holocaust, in Nazi concentration camps.

These days, the language used in relation to Pride Month has become more accurate and inclusive, though these changes may have met with initial resistance from some.

Changing first to Lesbian and Gay, today most are called Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) or simply “Pride”.

Even the most festive parades usually dedicate some aspect to remembering victims of AIDS and anti-LGBT violence and many parades still have at least some of the original political or activist character, especially in less accepting settings.

It varies depending on the political, economic and religious settings of an area. In more accepting cities,

parades take on a festive or even character, like Mardi Gras, where even the political aspects are colours with celebration. Floats, dancers, drag queens, and amplified music can be involved in large parades.

Some particularly important pride parades are promoted as tourist attractions for the cities that host them, and are funded by governments and corporate sponsors. Some pride parades are also called Pride Festivals. Some of these festivals provide a carnival-like atmosphere

in a nearby park or city provided closed off street, with information booths, concerts, barbecues, beer stands, contests, sports, and games.

When I began researching this topic, I wondered what the original purpose of a Pride Parade was, and what significance it held in today’s society. So, why is there a need for an LGBT+ Pride Parade? Why did they start? What do they accomplish?

Is it just an excuse to have fun?

Is it a celebration of identity? I think it’s all of these things.

Everyone knows the phrase, “Walk a mile in my shoes.” This means that you should try to understand someone before you criticise them.

Isn’t that the whole point? The issues, the identities, the happiness.

In a single march, or parade, the LGBT+ community can show some of what it’s like to be in their shoes.

I’m extremely happy to have been given the chance to contribute to this column. I hope you learned as much as I did. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for June.

How to be cool with Conor O’Toole: my locked-out-of-my-house hell The Art, Design & Technology Director has a hard day and everyone feels sorry for him

When you think of your home, what comes to mind? Security?

Comfort? Nutella? Well you’ll be shocked and appalled to hear that when I got back to Greenhills at 4am one night last week, I came home to none of that. Instead, all I got was a locked door, cold hands, and a copy of the Irish Times that my neighbour apparently has delivered every night.

Let me explain. My best friend Gary, who, in order to protect his identity I will refer to in this article as Assface, recently moved in with me. I gave him a set of keys to the house, some roast veg, and a bed and he was officially ‘moved in’.

Little did I know that one of the keys I had given to Assface was a key that even I did not have …

So after a night of working hard, watching Robot Wars and knitting, I cycled from UCD through Dartry, Rathgar, Kimmage, Whitehall and some other bits that connected those bits, I got home [that sentence

january 21st 2014

conveyed how long the journey was, so you should be sympathetic to what happens next]. I put my bike in the garage and walked up to the door, key raised in anticipation.

Soon, the moment of ecstasy. That sweet moment when my electric blanket screams, as I dump my freezing body on it. “Cold! Cold!

Cold!” It yells. “Get off!” But it is too late. I am asleep. The key goes in. Click. Turn. Push. Push?

The door isn’t opening. That’s silly.

What’re you at, door? Oh. Oh no.

Fiddlesticks. Assface had put the chubb lock on. But the milkman had delivered his load on my doorstep. I had half a litre of that white gold just sitting there. What if I didn’t get it to a fridge in time? Right. More pressing issues. I’m outside and it’s 4am. I have work in the morning/afternoon/ early evening. I need some sleep.

I wonder can I get in any other way. I know my house pretty well, if anyone can break into it, I surely

can. The windows are all closed.

Bugger. Assface is pretty careful.

Can I jimmy open the locks on the kitchen door? No. Nope, that’s not working. Fuck, I can’t believe I didn’t go to that beginners lock picking night last week. It seems way less like a waste of time now.

I find my old tent from the scouts in the garage and half heartedly pitch it under the washing line, about four seconds, as the crow flies from my actual bed.

I got out an old sleeping bag, complete with AWOL socks from many years ago down the bottom, and threw some blankets into the tent to keep me warm. And it was there, without even a teddy bear for company that I lay until some jerk birds woke me five hours later.

My toes were so cold I couldn’t even feel my toenails. I know, right? Luckily my neighbour had a spare key and I lived happily ever after the end.

Editorial

Editorial

As we return to UCD in the new year, there are two things at the forefront of my mind to write here, so apologies if this seems a little disjointed. The first is a local issue; the fact that Dr Hugh Brady has been replaced by Prof. Andrew Deeks as the President of UCD. For all the good that happened during Brady’s tenure, there are a lot of areas in which Prof. Deeks could look to improve. I was a student at UCD for three years, and the only time I ever spoke directly to Hugh Brady was at my graduation. Even then, the only words I got out were “thank you” as he handed me a piece of paper.

Don’t get me wrong, being the president of the largest university in the country is definitely a timeconsuming job. It’s not a role in which leaves much free time to interact with

students, but it never felt like there was ever much effort from Brady to engage the students who are the reason UCD exists in the first place.

Based on his comments to the Irish Independent in December, while he was still technically the UCD President, it seems that Brady had lost touch with UCD students by the end of his tenure.

By calling for third-level fees to be reintroduced, Brady betrayed the people he was supposed to be looking out for most: the students. While it’s true that some people would be able to afford full fees, the reality of the situation is that most people cannot afford such an expense, especially considering the current financial standing of the country.

People are already struggling to find the money to pay their registration fees, which is itself set

to rise by €250 per year until it reaches €3,000 in September 2015.

While there are grants in place to help those who can’t afford this, we all know that the grant system is terribly flawed and are usually paid out well into the academic year.

It is rich (all the puns intended) of Dr Hugh Brady to call for full fees to be introduced, seeing as he has been earning six figures for the past few years and is probably earning a healthy enough pension to be able to pay the fees.

Do we really want to go down the road of the US? Back in August, Forbes estimated that Americans owed $1.2trillion in student debts. That’s right, American students owe around $1,200,000,000,000 for the privilege of going to university. On average, Forbes estimated that students

graduated with $26,600 of debt.

That’s just shy of €20,000. Per person. It’s just something to consider when the topic of fees comes up.

Apologies now for completely changing course, but there were two things with regards to the LGBT community that caught my eye in the last week. Funnily enough, both involved RTÉ. The first incident was the removal of part of an interview with Irish drag queen Panti Bliss from their website in which she criticised certain writers who she felt had made a career out of perpetuating homophobia.

The second incident was when the official Twitter account of the radio program The God Slot posed the question “Can gays be cured?” and then asked us to tune in and find out. When people responded with a resounding no, The God

Slot replied with accusations of fascism, before removing the tweet and publishing an apology that had the sincerity of a six-year-old who had been forced to apologise after being scolded by a parent.

These two incidents brought to the surface an uncomfortable fact about Irish society, and particularly about our views towards members of the LGBT community, that we’re not “there” yet when it comes to LGBT rights.

As liberal as we like to think we are as a nation, and we certainly have made huge strides considering the fact that the act of homosexuality was a criminal offence until 1993, the fight for equality is not yet over.

Part of the problem is that people don’t actually understand what equality is. When you say you want equal rights for yourself

15

and your fellow LGBT folk, most people will jump straight to the marriage thing. While that is a good example of a clear oppression of LGBT people, it is by no means the only oppression we face.

The fact that a show that appears on the state broadcaster feels it is acceptable to even pose the question of “Can gays be cured?” means that there is something seriously wrong.

Even if the show goes onto explain why you can’t turn someone straight, the fact that it is entertaining the other side of the debate is ridiculous.

We need to stop accepting bigotry and homophobia under the pretence of “balancing the debate”.

Sometimes debates are one-sided, and that’s a good thing. Sometimes there is a right and wrong answer, especially when it comes to the oppression of a group of people.

the university observer

talleyrand

Editor Kevin Beirne Deputy Editor Killian Woods Art, Design & Technology Director Conor O’Toole

Happy après Navidad slags,

Talleyrand has it on good authority that Mícheál “You Can Another year dawns on the horizon Call Me Mickey” Gallagher spent over the Belfield vista and with his Christmas break at his personal the year barely ready to make its SU-branded tailor, trying to find the baby steps, Talleyrand is left with perfect SU-branded t-shirt to wow a head in hands situation before the new actual UCD President with. he can say “illegal top up”.

According to those present, You will all be happy to learn that Gallagher looked stunning in an your heroes in the SU came back ill-fitted blue t-shirt with a large, to work a week earlier than their yellow UCDSU adorning the front. summer blood oath required them Apparently he took the Belgrove to. Although they didn’t actually diet, eating nothing but pasta get any work done as they spent with pesto, for a whole month the entire week ensuring they ran in order to fit into the outfit. into as many people as possible It is with a heavy heart, however, in order to point out the fact they that Talleyrand must apologise to were working when they didn’t Gallagher. While getting lunch in technically have to. Inspiring stuff. Q-Bar, Talleyrand ran into Phoenix.

Talleyrand doesn’t remember much from the eight or so hours that followed, but he can only apologise for whatever it was that he said to Phoenix that made him want to put big Mickey on his front page.

To say that the rest of the group had a productive Christmas would be the grossest of overstatements.

Cian “Beyoncé” Dowling swapped his flexi-fit caps for a Santa hat, but Talleyrand has been told that it was totally just ironic, like.

Lorcan “Kelly Rowland” Gray, meanwhile, spent his time snowboarding across Europe, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. Talleyrand can’t help but feel sorry for Kelly, as

he must leave behind his James Bond lifestyle to once again babysit for his “colleagues”.

Last, but least important, Adam “Whatever The Other One’s Name Was” Carroll passed the time playing with his many Christmas presents. His favourite, of course, was the Don Conroy Paint Drying Simulator for the Dreamcast. …

Sorry, Talleyrand dozed off there for a bit.

News Editor Yvanne Kennedy Comment Editor Elizabeth O’Malley Features Editor Nicole Casey Science, Health & Technology Editor Michael O’Sullivan Sports Editor Shane Hannon

…

Tally out?

Chief Sports Writer Amy Eustace Otwo Co-Editors Steven Balbirnie Jack Walsh Games Editor Niall Gosker Film & TV Editor Laura Bell Music Editor Rebekah Rennick

letters to the editor Send your letters to editor@ universityobserver.ie

Fashion Editor Emily Mullen Chief Otwo Writer Emily Longworth Staff meterologist Michael O’Sullivan Chief Stylist Christin McWeeney

Staff Writers Louise Dolphin Aaron Murphy Claudine Murphy Laura Woulfe Contributors Sinead Conroy Siobhan Copeland Aoife Cunningham Aisling Daly Sadbh Deegan Karen Emerson Sean Finegan Sean Flanagan Ellie Gehlert Matthew Hanrahan Sean Hayes Jamie Headon Martin Healy Dónal Keane Stephen Larkin Niamh Linehan Patrick Mann Robert MacCarthy Jack McCann Conor McKenna Conor McLean Gráinne Loughran Ellen Murray Cormac O’Connor Cian O’Neill Sean O’Neill Caitriona O’Sullivan Conor Power David Reddy Lucy Ryan Ronan Schutte Krishna Srikumar Anthony Strogen Ciaran Sweeney Oisin Tegeler Illustrations Emily Longworth Rory Mullen Michael Vance Photographers James Brady Erica Coburn James Healy Joanna O’Malley

Thanks Alex, Sorcha and everyone at the L&H. Orla Gartland. Foil, Arms and Hog. Orla and Rory at MCD. Eugene, Maeve and Stephen at Smurfit Kappa. Santa. Touchdown Tom. All the Student Centre staff. The various recycling centres in south Dublin.

Special Thanks Those girls who helped us pick all the papers off the ground when the trolley fell over by the new lake back in November.

Longzo McTwoNaggins. UCD Synergy & Innovation³

january 21st 2014

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Six Nations Preview

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As a lacklustre season draws to a close, Fergus Carroll asks whether Formula One can revitalise interest

Like every Six Nations, before the competition starts, we are left with a lot of unanswered questions that will unfold over the five gameweeks. Will the French and English manage to gain some consistency and see out the tournament? Will the Italians under Brunel be build upon their steady rise? Can Ireland bring that passion from the New Zealand game into the championship?

The Welsh have been on an upward trajectory since the World Cup that is showing no signs of abating. Under Warren Gatland the team appear to have formulated the right mix of power and panache that is working for them. If George North and Leigh Halfpenny continue in the rich vein of form that they are both on for club and country they’ll be hard to stop.

The French squad announced for the tournament included notable absentees due to injury. Morgan Parra and Vincent Clerc, who is a Six Nations try machine, won’t feature, but they still have Wesley Fofana who is a definite game changer.

While and Louis Picamoles will have to lead from the front for 80 plus minutes in Thierry Dusautoir’s absence. The French ability is there, whether they can get the right mindset is a whole different matter.

Under Stuart Lancaster, England are serious title contenders and they have forwards who can bully any tight-five in the world. However, their squad has been beset by injuries with eight regulars out including Manu Tuilagi and Tom Croft, both of whom are usually reliable figures.

Ireland are somewhat of an unknown entity as this is Joe Schmidt’s first tournament in charge.

Even with the loss of Sean O’Brien, who has been in terrific form for Leinster, Ireland do have the quality and experience to mount a serious challenge. It comes down to whether the players believe that or not.

Italy and Scotland have both improved markedly over the past few years and will challenge any team that either underestimates them or has a bad game as they have good enough players to potentially win their home games. The away games are a bridge too far at the moment.

Winner Wales Player of the Tournament Leigh Halfpenny Top Try-Scorer Chris Ashton Jack McCann

With Wales and England in such flying form of late, and finishing off 2013 with some excellent results in the autumn internationals against very impressive southern hemisphere opposition, it is very hard to look past either of them to win this year’s competition.

England had a very impressive Six Nations campaign in 2013, winning their first four games but having the Grand Slam snatched from their hands in the last game of the tournament by Wales in Cardiff.

As 2013 came to a close, they pushed on from an excellent win against Australia by comfortably beating Argentina and were then very unlucky not to come away with a second consecutive win against the All Blacks having been leading by five points with 20 minutes left.

With leaders such as Chris Robshaw in the England pack, and exciting backs such as Billy Twelvetrees and Chris Ashton to add to the constant threat that is the boot of Owen Farrell, any team that finishes above England will have a huge chance of winning this year’s 6 Nations.

England’s biggest threat is undoubtedly Wales. The amount of Welsh players in last summer’s Lions squad was a testament to the strength and talent of their squad. Wales have a very talented pack with players such as captain Sam Warburton and Toby Faletau key to their success.

In the backs, scrum-half Mike Philips and the obviously threatening George North provide Wales with an added capability to punish teams from any position on the pitch.

For Ireland the display against the All Blacks was an amazing 80 minutes of rugby. However, in order to win any title, a team must do so playing badly in some games as it will be impossible to match the intensity shown against New Zealand five times in a row.

While that performance was indeed heroic, one must only venture back to the week before that where a dismal Ireland performance resulted in a defeat at the hands of Australia. This is the problem with the consistency of the current Irish team and will make it difficult for them to string a run of impressive performances together this year.

While France are always a huge threat in this competition, their current form, despite only losing narrowly to South Africa and New Zealand, doesn’t suggest that they’re capable of producing performances that will consecutively beat teams such as England or Wales.

This year’s Six Nations Championship appears as if it will be one of the most highly contested tournaments in years. The theory that any side can beat anybody else on a given day was epitomised in last year’s championship when Ireland beat eventual champions Wales in an enthralling match in Cardiff but subsequently went on to lose to Scotland and Italy, the perennial wooden spoon contenders.

Uncertainty surrounds the heavyweights of England and France.

England have improved gradually over the last two seasons, but their mental frailties were exposed when losing to Ireland in 2011 and Wales last year, with Grand Slams at stake. France’s form has stagnated since the 2011 World Cup Final and this is emphasised by two losses to Italy in three meetings resulting in an embarrassing last place finish in 2013.

The autumn internationals highlighted the southern hemisphere’s dominance over Europe. Despite Ireland’s inconsistent form, which included the disappointing Australian defeat followed by the dramatic loss to the All Blacks, the team will enter the Six Nations in a positive mindset after a brave display against the world champions.

Ireland may be showing improvement from last year’s disastrous defeats to the Italians and Scots, but the two European minnows will both seek to continue their gradual improvement.

Credible displays in November will give both nations the impetus to improve on their respective 3rd and 4th place finishes last year.

The two favourites for this year’s Six Nations appear to be England and Wales. The English had a positive November series, defeating Australia and Argentina before narrowly losing to the recordbreaking New Zealanders. With an ever-improving young pack, along with a potent back line, led by Owen Farrell and Danny Care at halfback, this England side seems destined to secure silverware. The question is, will it be this season?

The trump card that the Welsh hold over their English counterparts is experience. The majority of the current squad have won at least one Grand Slam, if not a couple.

Players such as Leigh Halfpenny, George North, Sam Warburton and Dan Lydiate all played a vital part in a Wales-dominated Lions team that won a first series in 16 years.

Wales possess undoubted quality, but a Grand Slam seems improbable as they have to travel to both the Aviva Stadium and Twickenham.

Despite France’s questionable application and eccentricity at times, they possess the skill set to defeat any team. Among their pool of talent lies Wesley Fofana. The Clermont Auvergne centre has the pace to destroy any defence. His try-scoring prowess was displayed at Twickenham last February with an incredible touchdown. With Fofana leading the back-line, France could find their form at the right time.

This Six Nations will be a special tournament as Brian O’Driscoll, arguably its greatest player, bows out of the international stage. The Irish team will be determined to give the competition’s record try-scorer a fitting send-off.

Winner Wales Player of the Tournament Leigh Halfpenny Top Try-Scorer Wesley Fofana

With the Six Nations looming, intriguing battles lie on the horizon.

Wales have the potential to achieve an unprecedented three titles in a row. France have an uncanny ability to achieve Grand Slams after Lions tours (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010) so this omen bodes well even after their last dismal campaign.

England and Ireland both share a relatively depleted squad through injuries, which can only hurt their title ambitions. Scotland’s blunt firepower and trips to Dublin and Cardiff would suggest another disappointing spring. If one was to look at Italy from a statistical point of view, they have lost 84% of the games they’ve played in the Six Nations; you’d shudder to think how confident anyone could be with this side.

The impending departure of Ireland’s greatest ever player, Brian O’Driscoll, has added extra spice to what is perhaps Ireland’s pivotal game, as he seeks redemption against Wales in Dublin. Joe Schmidt’s men will undoubtedly be psychologically hurt from last autumn, on top of injuries to key men in Sean O’Brien, Tommy Bowe and Donnacha Ryan. Don’t rule out a good showing, but consistency is paramount for this team.

With only Jonathan Davies set to miss the first few rounds of games, Wales have the opportunity to create history by being the first team to win the Six Nations three times in a row. Away matches to both Ireland and England will be crucial in deciding their fate. Who would bet against them having beaten both teams away in 2008 and 2012 to claim the title? Wales must start as favourites and deservedly so.

England arise as Wales’ most potent rivals and are in a somewhat similar position to Ireland regarding psychological scars due to their extraordinary collapse at the final hurdle of last year’s tournament with their heaviest defeat ever to Wales.

The fixture list will determine if this English team has overcome such difficulties with France and Scotland away to start. If they can get wins in both these games then momentum will firmly swing back in their favour. The loss of Tom Croft and Manu Tuilagi will severely hurt their chances, however.

France are wounded in a different sense to Ireland and England due to last season’s shameful showing for a squad with talent including the likes of Wesley Fofana and Thierry Dusautoir. Philip Saint-Andre showed signs of improvement, but he must select a team consistently.

Again, the omens bode well for this side due to the traditional Home Nations’ post-Lion’s tour lull.

Meanwhile, teams like Scotland and Italy are just looking to stay competitive, which is vital for the Scottish team who have away trips to Dublin, Cardiff and Rome.

This, coupled with a toothless backline, indicates it will be a dark spring for the Scotsmen.

Injuries and statistics point to another depressing tournament for the Azzurri though. Sergio Parisse can do a lot… but this might just be a step too far.

Winner wales Player of the Tournament George North Top Try-Scorer Alex Cuthbert Patrick Mann

Sean O’Neill

Winner England Player of the Tournament Leigh Halfpenny Top Try-Scorer George North Ciaran Sweeney

january 21st 2014

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sport

Amy Given Tuesday— Awards Season

A view from the top With Vincent Tan’s recent antics as owner of Cardiff City making the headlines, Cormac O’Connor takes a look at various owners, shareholders, chairpersons and chief executives who have been ever-present on the back pages

Questioning the efficacy of the Ballon d’Or, Amy Eustace argues that it’s impossible to pick the best overall player in any team sport

Individual plaudits in team sports are strange beasts. In judging sportspersons as distinct from sports teams, the clear-cut rubrics of tournaments, league tables, cups and playoffs are reluctantly abandoned in favour of the shaky ground of subjective opinions. ‘Best’ is a term you can at least attempt to quantify in trophies. It doesn’t lend itself quite so conveniently to comparing the merits of one athlete versus another.

You can compare goal tallies and the likes until the cows come home, but statistics will ignore the numerous players who created the chances a striker despatched, for example, alongside various other contextual elements.

Teams are a sum of their parts.

Individual awards try to reduce these multi-layered chemical reactions to simple arithmetic. Whilst the awarding body will gloss over its obvious shortcomings with ample amounts of pomp and circumstance, it’s crucial to remember that they are simply sport’s opinion polls. They are characterised by inherent, thinly veiled national and institutional bias, and shouldn’t be taken nearly as seriously as they are.

The official publicised voting results for the Ballon d’Or are littered with examples of cronyism.

Gianluigi Buffon gave his first preference to Andrea Pirlo. Diego Lugano, captain of Uruguay voted for teammates Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani. Vincent Kompany voted for his Manchester City colleague Yaya Touré, and his fellow Belgian teammate, Eden Hazard.

Steven Gerrard voted for Suárez in third. Unsurprisingly, both the coach and media representative from Argentina voted Messi in first, Portugal preferred Ronaldo and France named Ribery. The only hard and fast rule the voters seem to follow is to always stick to what they know.

There’s no real problem with the award as long as people don’t forget what it is, based entirely on the opinions of a selection of players (some of whom have ties with the nominees, or in the case of Messi and Ronaldo, are the nominees), coaches (who are also likely to be biased) and the media.

Questions of whether or not Ronaldo was the correct eventual winner are essentially moot. It doesn’t really matter if he actually deserved it and no one will ever know if he did. The wide-ranging Ballon d’Or electorate decided that, in their collective opinion, he did. If it was formulaic, there wouldn’t be a vote at all.

Context is critical. We’ll never know for certain who was the ‘best ever’ in sports or indeed in anything.

The standard of competition is ever-evolving and the media is ever more circus-like. Could Pelé or Maradona have coped with the excesses and pressure of modern football in the way their contemporary counterparts have done?

Equally, are Ronaldo and Messi worthy of singling out, or only as good as the players around them?

You could argue that they would both perform just as well, if not better, by contrast, playing for Yeovil Town as they have done for Real Madrid and Barcelona, but they win medals as a team. Even if you’re a striker scoring 30 odd goals a season, if the men around you aren’t good enough to win trophies, you can forget about a Ballon d’Or. january 21st 2014

The official publicised voting results for the Ballon d’Or are littered with examples of cronyism.

Gianluigi Buffon gave his first preference to Andrea Pirlo.

Diego Lugano, captain of Uruguay voted for teammates Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani In some disciplines nowadays, we find ourselves unsure of whether the achievements we witnessed with our own eyes were real, and for that we tip our hats to performanceenhancing drugs. The debate, then, revolves around ‘what ifs’.

For example, what if Lance Armstrong hadn’t dosed up? Would he still have been good enough to win cycling’s highest accolade, the Velo d’Or, five times? The awards have now been stripped from him and handed to the second placed cyclist in each instance, but while these will appear on those individuals’ historical tally of honours, they’ll probably feel hollow and disputed.

Major League Baseball has had its own steroid shake-up recently, with so much paranoia on the use of performance-enhancing drugs that, last year, the Baseball Writers Association of America declined to nominate anyone to the Hall of Fame.

This year, hyper-critical and super-caustic US sports blog Deadspin bought a vote from a BWAA member and turned his ballot over to a public poll on their website to expose the farcical hypocrisy of the process.

Whether it was valiant protest or a publicity stunt, it took a lot of shine off the inductions of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas into the national baseball museum in Cooperstown, New York.

The sticking point with these awards is that people act like they represent the ultimate answer to unanswerable questions, as if it’s an exact science.

The PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2009 went to Ryan Giggs even though he had made only 12 starts that season.

David Ginola won the same award (and the Football Writer’s Player of the Year) in 1999, when he was up against members of Manchester United’s Champions League winning team.

Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and Dwight Yorke split the vote, allowing the Frenchman’s fantastic domestic season with Spurs to steal the glory. Where’s the justice in that?

So, how about we all stop fretting over whether Ronaldo is better than Messi, or if Luis Suárez’s name can even be uttered in the same breath, and enjoy the fact that we can watch all of these players, who are, even objectively speaking, at least superlatively talented, week in week out?

Once in a while, Andy Murray will win an award with the word ‘personality’ in it. Life isn’t fair and sport doesn’t make any sense. Deal with it.

A good football owner should be seen and not heard.

There every Saturday to support the team, but avoiding boosting their own profile by talking to the press or by acting in a way which makes it impossible for journalists to ignore. If you’re not sure who your club’s owner even is, then rest assured; they are doing a good job. Some of them though just can’t avoid the dipping their toes in the limelight.

Roman Abramovich—Chelsea Having poured over a billion pounds into Chelsea in just over ten years, one could argue that Mr Abramovich is quite entitled to sack whoever he wants at the club. After all, three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, a Champions League and a Europa League have made this the most successful era in Chelsea’s history.

Abramovich has spent close to £90 million simply paying off sacked managers.

However, sometimes Abramovich just can’t resist meddling with the football side of things, sometimes landing his managers with players they clearly didn’t want. See Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack under Mourinho and Fernando Torres and David Luiz under Ancelotti.

Such is the depth of Abramovich’s pockets that he has managed to keep the fans onside despite sacking the ‘Special One’ who was idolized by the Stamford Bridge faithful. Even axing another fan favourite, Roberto Di Matteo, eight months after the Italian had lifted the Champions League, didn’t draw the fans ire directly upon himself.

Instead it was the Oligarch’s choice of replacement, Rafa Benitez, who took the flack. The Russian has sacked ten managers at Chelsea and he is now back with the one he first appointed.

Daniel Levy— Tottenham Hotspur Often lauded for his tough negotiating, Daniel Levy has a reputation for being an extremely difficult man to deal with when it comes to transfers.

“We’re not selling our best players,” insisted Levy when Chelsea bid for Luka Modric in the summer of 2011.

The Spurs chairman stuck to his guns and Modric stayed for another season. In 2012, however, Levy decided that selling their best players was actually something Tottenham did do as long it came with a ‘partnership’ with Real Madrid.

The partnership seemingly meant that Spurs would sell their best players to Real Madrid as Gareth Bale soon followed Modric to the Bernabeu. Having spent over £100m in the summer, Tottenham were early favourites for a Champions League spot with some pundits even tipping the North Londoners for a title challenge.

That title challenge failed to materialise and, after a positive start, Tottenham’s form began to deteriorate as a 0-5 home defeat to Liverpool prompted Levy to sack manager Andre Villas-Boas. The Portuguese was the ninth manager to be shown the door by Levy since his reign began in 2001.

Towards the end of AVB’s stint he began to distance himself from the players recruited during the summer transfer window. Rumours began to circulate that it was in fact Franco Baldini, the clubs technical director, appointed by Levy, who had spent the money.

Baldini, however, kept his job as sacking the Italian would be akin to admitting that the whole structure was wrong which in turn would be admitting that Levy was wrong; something chairmen rarely do. Sacking the man in the limelight and leaving all the blame at his door is by far the preferred choice.

Ken Bates—Leeds United and Chelsea Bates bought Chelsea for £1 and sold the club for £150 million. By any stretch of the imagination, that is good business. However, Chelsea also had £80 million in debt and were close to, if not on the brink of, ‘doing a Leeds’ and tumbling down the divisions.

So, his time at Chelsea cannot go down as a complete success. It was at Leeds where Bates really put his name forth for the crazy chairman award. He claimed to have saved the club money by signing a half-million pound deal with a private jet firm to transport him from his home in Monaco to Leeds.

The savings seemingly coming from the fact that it, was a sterling deal, not euros. Surprisingly the board at Leeds didn’t think that spending half a million pounds was a good way of saving money and promptly sacked Bates.

Delia Smith—Norwich City Smith insists she wasn’t drunk during her message to “the best football supporters in the world,” a speech in which she stumbled and slurred her words. The now infamous “Let’s be ‘avin you” rallying call was greeted with awkward applause and a half-hearted cheer by the fans; the applause one suspects was issued solely to stop Smith actually hearing the collective cringe.

This was not the only speech the celebrity chef has delivered to the Norwich faithful. Having achieved promotion back to the Premier League in 2011 she thanked manager Paul ‘Langbert’ whose name is actually Paul Lambert.

Vincent Tan—Cardiff City Cardiff’s Malaysian owner has made himself such an easy target for ridicule it’s hard to rule out the likelihood that this is deliberate effort on Tan’s part to be cast as the next Bond villain. His no-matterthe-weather shades, brown leather gloves and high-waist trousers outfit is without doubt the worst in football.

Tan recommended Cardiff sign players with an ‘8’ in the birthday, as this is apparently a lucky number.

He sacked his head of recruitment and replaced him with a 23-year-old friend of his son. He also changed the colour of the home jersey to red instead of blue. Tan was angry with David Marshall’s lack of goals despite Marshall being a goalkeeper.

Honorable mentions Mike Ashley—Newcastle United The Sports Direct mogul appointed Joe Kinnear as director of football. Enough said.

Assam Allem—Hull City Tigers Allem added ‘Tigers’ to the end of Hull City’s name. Also, when angry fans chanted ‘City till we die’ Allem told them “they can die as soon as they want.” Quaint.

sport

Football’s ignorant present

19

After coming out earlier this month, Thomas Hitzlsperger has yet again cast light on how football is lagging behind other sports in acceptance of homosexual players, writes Anthony Strogen

Part and parcel of being a modern day football fan is defending the game you love from its critics. It could be someone decrying the lack of passion in football and the way money has become so important, or a scathing attack on the levels of diving and cheating to be seen in the sport’s premier competitions.

Most football followers can easily rebut these criticisms with no more than playful banter. Events earlier this month, however, brought a much more endemic and serious problem back into the public focus, that of the attitude towards homosexuality within the game.

Thomas Hitzlsperger is not a name that would have resonated strongly outside of football circles before this month. A talented and solid midfielder best known for his spells with Aston Villa and Stuttgart, and capped 52 times for Germany, he was a bright spot on mid-table sides without ever setting the world on fire. This all changed on the 8th of January, when he was thrust into the wider public spotlight after coming out as gay.

This was the first coming out of a player of any sort of stature since Justin Fashanu, and Hitzlsperger

Perhaps it’s down to the moral compass of the predominantly white working class background of its fans and players, or a residual stereotype of gay men being effeminate and the antithesis of the manly ideals football supposedly represents

was immediately praised across the board for the potentially groundbreaking step. Players, both past and present, sent messages of support and commendation.

Tabloid newspapers both in Britain and his native Germany praised his bravery, with The Sun somewhat surprisingly giving the story front-page coverage, using Hitzlspergers’ bravery to contrast with the perceived boorish and selfcentred behaviour of many players.

While the overwhelming positivity towards the announcement was fantastic for both Hitzlsperger and society at large, his coming out also sparked a discussion of football’s willingness to accept gay footballers. Not since the suicide of Fashanu, who killed himself out of fear of not getting a fair trial over a sexual assault allegation, had the footballing world examined how homosexuality fitted within the sport.

In the midst of the debate, an extract from the autobiography of former Chelsea and England international Graeme Le Saux began circulating once again, a chilling account of the ostracism and psychological abuse he suffered simply because some within his

profession suspected him of being gay.

Taunted by even his own teammates for his university lifestyle and holiday preferences, Le Saux painted a picture where any deviation from the formulaic laddish personality perpetuated within the dressing room would lead to questions over one’s sexuality.

He also gave his account of the abhorrent instances of abuse he suffered on the field of play from supposed role models Paul Ince and Robbie Fowler, not to mention the years of homophobic chants directed towards him by opposition fans.

The raw insight given by Le Saux showed how severe a problem football has with homosexuality, a stark contrast to the apparent enlightenment Hitzlsperger’s coming out had birthed. That said, it would be naïve to suggest that most people wouldn’t have suspected a homophobic element within the game before Le Saux’s account had been published.

Homophobic slurs have for decades been a firm derogatory favourite of both crowds and players, leaving an outside viewer with no question as to how homosexuality is regarded in the game. The question must then

be asked: how does football compare with other sports in terms of accepting gay competitors and players?

The answer does not make for pleasant reading for ardent fans.

Comparing football with almost any other sport in this area sees football lagging woefully behind.

Tennis, basketball, rugby, GAA and athletics have all welcomed gay athletes, and while the number of athletes willing to come out may not be much greater than in football, at least the potential backlash from supporters and colleagues is not as vitriolic or potentially damaging as it is within the “beautiful game.”

Even in women’s football, lesbian players have been championed as stars and heroes, an irony saddening in nature, with their male counterparts so closely connected yet so far removed from their culture of tolerance and universal respect.

The acceptance of homosexual athletes is a debate that has been raging in America too, ever since Jason Collins of the NBA became the first male athlete from one of the main professional sports to come out.

The overall consensus was positive, although a number of basketball players expressed a certain wariness

over accepting a gay teammate.

This perhaps can be linked back to a potential cause of football’s problem, with the perceived need to have a dressing room teaming with masculinity and a unity of persona to thrive.

It might be correct to say that the issues surrounding football being accepting of homosexuality stem from more deep-rooted causes than a look at anecdotal evidence might reveal. Perhaps it’s down to the moral compass of the predominantly white, working-class background of its fans and players, or a residual stereotype of gay men being effeminate and the antithesis of the manly ideals football supposedly represents.

A practical answer, though, is that football’s difficulty assimilating itself with homosexuality is too complex an issue to be simplified down to any single root cause.

The courageous actions of Thomas Hitzlsperger in coming out are a huge positive step forward, but as has been remarked by countless LGBT groups in the immediate aftermath, until a footballer coming out becomes a non-descript and unremarkable piece of news, the problem within football will remain.

The Badger is so excited to be back giving off steam in his column.

The Christmas season isn’t easy for us badgers. Granted we live underground, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to stay warm. Far from it.

That being said, living in cold conditions allows the Badger to appreciate sports such as the Winter Olympics even more as a freezes his little bum. On his 3D television with mono sound, the Badger make believe he’s actually in Russia.

So, these games get underway on February 6th in Sochi and the Badger thinks it will be a fantastic spectacle.

In preparation for the Games, the Badger has been watching the 1993 film Cool Runnings starring John Candy and the Jamaican bobsled team. It will be fantastic if Usain Bolt could make an appearance in Russia, but something tells me he’d be adding to his gold medals from last year’s Summer Games.

Last year? Wait, that was actually two years ago. It’s hard to believe that it’s now 2014 and that 2012 was two years ago. Min-boggling. The Badger feels like nothing has changed.

Well, except for Lionel Messi not

being the best player anymore.

The Badger is delighted that Cristiano Ronaldo picked up the Ballon d’Or award last week. That little Argentinian lad has been stealing the limelight from poor old Ronny since 2009 and the Badger feels he deserved to be this year’s World Player of the Year once again.

It was obvious from his tears how much the award meant to the Portuguese considering Ronaldo is usually the one making his opponents cry, it’s also nice that he got a taste of his own medicine.

Speaking of hot men by the way, The Badger has been keeping a close eye on all the hot men at the Australian Open in Melbourne and he’s considering taking the wife over to Oz for a holiday sometime because the heat looks incredible.

The Badger has no idea why the likes of Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal are complaining about the scorching temperatures. Sure it could be worse, they could have been in Lahinch when the wind and waves were doing their worst on the Irish west coast recently.

Much like the decimated west coast of Ireland, things aren’t

looking too good at Old Trafford.

Yes it’s true, the Badger has been worried at the poor performances of the Red Devils of late.

David Moyes sure does look a bit out of his depth but the Badger thinks he should be given a bit of time to work his magic. After all Fergie needed time back in the 1980s to mould a team. The Badger has a fair amount of experience with moulding. Well, house mould. He’s had to clear all the furntinture out of all the damp rooms in his sett because mould ruins anything it can get its dirty mouldy hands on.

If anyone could lend the Badger a de-moulding machine, that’d be great. At this stage you’re probably expecting the Badger to make a joke about mould because it seemed like he’s been setting up for a joke about mould, possibly about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s old team. However, mould is no joke.

If you have mould in your home, get it sorted quick because that stuff can get on your clothes and exacerbate pre-existing airway diseases. Don’t be a mole, sort out your mould.

Badger Out.

competitions. John Divilly’s footballers face Athlone IT away on the 28th January in the Sigerson Cup first round, while the hurlers have been drawn in Group B of the Fitzgibbon along with UL and Mary Immaculate College. Their opening fixture sees them travel to the Treaty City to take on University of Limerick.

Having not won the competition since 1996, the footballers will be hoping to make amends for last year’s quarter-final exit at the hands of Dublin City University (DCU). With victory last in 2001, it hasn’t been quite as long since the Fitzgibbon Cup last resided in Belfield, nonethe-

less, UCD’s hurlers will be looking to go one better than last year’s semifinal defeat to University College Cork (UCC) and reach the final of hurling’s most prestigious third-level competition for the first time since 2006.

Should they progress, Scott Margetson’s side will face the winners of the other semi-final between Three Rock Rovers and Rathgar in what will be an all-Dublin decider. Five of the squad’s members have also received international recognition within the past month with Shane O’Donoghue, Nick Burns, Ross Canning, Peter Brown and Jeremy Duncan receiving call-ups to the national team’s mid-January training camp in Spain. In ladies hockey, UCD firsts continue to set the pace at the top of the Leinster Senior League Division 1 table with a three-point cushion over nearest challengers Hermes.

The Badger

Sports Digest Jamie Headon

UCD AFC manager’s future uncertain Manager Martin Russell’s future with the club has descended into what is now an extremely precarious position. Russell, appointed in 2009 following a number of years on the coaching staff, has

taken legal action against the club in the hope of being awarded either financial compensation or a new contract for the coming season.

With the former St Patrick’s Athletic manager’s departure seeming an increasingly likely proposition, Aaron Callaghan has been widely tipped to take over at the Belfield Bowl. Should Callaghan be appointed, his opening league game in charge will be at

home to his former employers from Dalymount Park on the 7th of March.

The Students have also been hit with the loss of a number of high profile players over the off-season.

Defender and 2013 Player of the Year, Dave O’Connor, joins Shamrock Rovers, midfielder Craig Walsh crosses the city to sign for Bohemians while captain Michael Leahy has linked up with Stuart Taylor in Limerick.

gaa The draws have been made for the 2014 Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cup

Rowing UCD men’s hockey 1st team, currently sitting fourth in the Leinster Senior League top flight, will contest the semi-final of the prestigious Mills Cup with Rathfarnham outfit Corinthians on Saturday January 26th following a 7-1 quarter-final thrashing of Kilkenny.

january 21st 2014

20

sport UCD set up Bateman Cup final showdown

with Cork Con

UCD RFC will meet Cork Constitution in the final of the Bateman Cup in April after their narrow 21-20 victory over Galwegians in their semi-final clash at the Belfield Bowl.

Collidge went into the game with a depleted squad due to a number of their first-string players being called up to the Leinster A team that faced Ealing Trailfinders in the British and Irish Cup on Friday evening.

Despite being deprived of key players such as full back Andrew Boyle and winger Sam CoghlanMurray, UCD RFC overcame their opponents thanks to two well-taken tries and a determined defensive display up until the final minute.

The pitch was very wet under foot for the entire game, as conditions were difficult for both sides throughout. UCD started the game strong and despite the weather, still strived to play their characteristic attacking style of rugby, with plenty of offloads.

Jordan Coghlan was lively throughout the entire game at inside centre and was a constant threat that Galwegians had to worry about when he had ball in hand. He served as a constant outlet to carry the ball for flyhalf James Thornton and seemed to break the gain line every time he touched the ball.

The first score of the game came after 16 minutes when Thornton slotted over a penalty from close range. UCD had looked likely to take the lead since kick off with Galwegians struggling to get into the game and giving away three penalties at the breakdown in ten minutes as they tried to contain UCD just outside their own twenty-two.

Galwegians erupted to life when UCD uncharacteristically gave away an unnecessary penalty on attack for not releasing the ball and the visitors kicked for the corner.

Another penalty came quickly after they secured their own lineout deep in the UCD half and they elected to kick at goal, but Ross Shaughnessy missed from the left touchline.

The visitors gathered more confidence after pressing their way into UCD territory and a few minutes later Shaughnessy levelled with a penalty, this time from the 45 metre line.

UCD responded with fury and from the kick off, pressure from home number eight, Eoin Joyce, forced a Galwegians player to fumble the ball back in their own twenty-two.

UCD gathered the spilled ball and didn’t waste anytime trying to force

their way into a try scoring position.

Collidge continued to batter their way forward through the props, with Kieran Moloney and Liam Hyland carrying very effectively. Both props and lock Brian Cawley were vital in setting up the platform for scrumhalf, Jamie Glynn, to take on the ball and step the first defender and then the second before diving for the line from five metres with the slippery pitch carrying him over the rest of the way and giving Thornton an easy conversion to make it 10-3.

Despite conceding the try quickly after getting their first points, Galwegians had firmly caught up with the pace of the game. UCD then gifted them a chance to close the gap after illegally playing the ball at the breakdown in a dangerous position. Cawley was yellow carded and Shaughnessy made it 10-6.

Galwegians were very clinical throughout the ten minute period that Cawley was in the sin bin, leaving UCD’s defence just about holding on before half time and eventually getting reward for all their pressure as the referee was ready to blow his whistle.

Persistence down UCD’s right wing gave the visitors their first try as a series of offloads ultimately saw

Galwegians’ winger, Ronan Moore, dive over after picking the ball up from close range. With the final action of the half, Shaughnessy kicked the conversion making the score 10-13 to Galwegians at the break.

The second half was an interesting affair as the pace of the game was killed by numerous stoppages in play and the bad weather causing handling errors for both sides.

The game sprung back to life in the 55th minute when UCD created an overlap and opened up the Galwegians defence. Glynn fed Thornton from the base of a ruck and the flyhalf picked out his onrushing outside centre, Alex Kelly, who took the ball on and straightened before stepping inside to beat the last defender.

As he stepped his opponent, Kelly fell to his knees as the tryline beckoned, but easily offloaded to full back Tom Fletcher who came in off the wing to take the ball on and score the try under limited pressure. Thornton converted, giving UCD the lead again at 15-13.

From here on, Galwegians piled on the pressure looking to grab a second try that would give them the lead again. UCD were under significant pressure for much of the rest of the second half, but made two

breaks into the Galwegians half and won two penalties, which Thornton slotted over with ease. The vital kick came in the 78th minute when Thornton gave his side an eightpoint lead over their opposition.

With the score at 21-13, Galwegians were still relentless up until the final whistle and eventually got their second try of the game through Conor Muldoon well past the 80 minute mark, which brought them within one point of UCD. Galwegians had one final chance to try and score the winning points, but UCD contained their visitors just on halfway and eventually forced an error that saw possession switch back to UCD and the final whistle blown.

Despite earning some breathing space, Dublin University didn’t relent and quickly after the lineout, they retrieved the ball in the UCD 22.

UCD committed significant numbers to each Dublin University pick and drive towards the try-line, desperately attempting to stifle their opponent’s chance to snatch a late victory, but eventually the pressure told as UCD conceded a try in the final minute of the game.

UCD RFC 21 Galwegians 20 UCD

15 Tom Fletcher 14 Barry Daly 13 Alex Kelly 12 Jordan Coghlan 11 Stephen Murphy 10 James Thornton 9 Jamie Glynn 1 Kieran Moloney 2 Adam Clarkin 3 Liam Hyland 4 Brian Cawley 5 Emmet Mac Mahon

6 Shane Grannell 7 Josh van der Flier 8 Eoin Joyce Replacements

16 Rory Harrison 17 Sean McNulty 18 Gordon Frayne 19 Donagh Lawler 20 Bobby Holland 21 James Murray 22 Adam Byrne

Galwegians

15 John Cleary 14 Ciaran Gaffney 13 Colin Conroy 12 Jerome Harimate 11 Ronan Moore 10 Ross Shaughnessy 9 Barry Lee 1 Jason East 2 Ross Fitzgerald 3 Doron Mc Hugh 4 Anthony Ryan 5 Brian Mc Clearn

6 Eoin Rooney 7 Eddie Earle 8 Jack Dinneen Replacements

16 Conor Lowndes 17 David Clarke 18 Matt Dever 19 Jarlath Naughton 20 Conor Muldoon 21 Matthew Towey 22 Jordon Healys

KILLIAN WOODS

Students Lilywhite-washed by Kildare UCD bowed out of the O’Byrne Cup last Sunday with a crushing 5-17 to 2-11 defeat away to Kildare.

Despite threatening to reverse the Lillywhites’ lead mid-way through the first-half, the Students failed to stay with the defending champions beyond the first 35 minutes. In the end they were outclassed by a fitter, stronger, and more prolific side.

The game began at a frantic pace with the scoreboard reading 1-4 to 1-1 in favour of Kildare after just ten minutes. It was Kildare who opened the scoring with Podge Fogarty fielding Darroch Mulhall’s cross-field ball before turning and firing over the opener from close range. Paddy Brophy added to his tally a minute later before Eoghan O’Flaherty tapped over to give Kildare a threepoint cushion. Paul Mannion then registered the Students’ first after five minutes with a close range free.

Soon after, UCD were to take the lead courtesy of a John Heslin goal after the Westmeath man found himself on the end of a sweeping move involving Ryan Basquell and Mark Hughes. Kildare weren’t slow in returning the favour with Cathal McNally punching the ball home from close range.

Indeed it was McNally who started the move by clipping the ball into the path of Paddy Brophy. He then embarked on a mazy run before handpassing across the square to leave january 21st 2014

McNally with the simplest of finishes.

Scores from Sean Hurley and Eoghan O’Flaherty in addition to a Darroch Mulhall brace saw Kildare tag on three points without reply to leave the score 1-7 to 1-1.

Subsequently the tide of the game began to change, albeit temporarily.

A ten-minute spell followed whereby both sides exchanged points to leave the hosts with 1-8 to 1-4 advantage before UCD narrowed Kildare’s lead to a single point courtesy of a well-worked move that saw Ryan Basquell raise a green flag at the town end of St. Conleth’s Park.

The opposition’s raising of a green flag seemed to be exactly the thing to spark Jason Ryan’s charges into life with them again responding to a UCD goal with one of their own.

This time Podge Fogarty was the scorer, giving Eoghan Keogh no chance in the UCD goal after being picked out by Paddy Brophy’s exquisite cross-field pass. With the UCD midfield duo of John Heslin and Con Sheridan beginning to assert their influence on the game, the students racked up three points without reply via Brian Fenton and a brace from Heslin himself to narrow the margin to one point.

Kildare made sure their lead wasn’t so slender at the interval with Fogarty grabbing his second goal after being teed up by Tommy Moolick and Paddy Brophy pointing

from a narrow angle to leave the score 3-8 to 2-7 at half-time.

The home side started the second half in the same vein as they ended the first with Gary White hitting a sublime 40-yard effort after a move that started with Moolick winning the throw-in.

O’Flaherty and the menacing Fogarty added two more points to the Short Grass County men’s tally before UCD opened their second half account through John Heslin who twisted and turned before splitting the posts with his right boot.

Following a Darroch Mullhall pointed free for Kildare, the Students hit two on the trot with Mark Hughes curling the ball over the bar and substitute Con Downey tapping over from the 21 yards after bursting onto Dublin star Paul Mannion’s handpass. Subsequently, the Lilywhites were to increase their lead by five to 4-13 to 2-10 with Keith Cribbin and Eoghan O’Flaherty pointing either side of Padraig Fogarty sealing his hat-trick after fielding Brophy’s pin-point diagonal pass.

John Heslin, without a doubt UCD’s most impressive performer on the day, got the university outfit’s final score of the game with a pointed free after substitute Simon Cadden was adjudged to have been fouled. With UCD legs tiring, Kildare pressed home their already substantial advantage even further.

Substitute James Gately got his name on the score sheet for the hosts before O’Flaherty tapped over another free from twenty one yards just two minutes later. On a day when the St Laurence’s clubman was undoubtedly the star of the show, it was befitting that Padraig Fogarty got the last two scores of the game.

Following a point from the narrowest of angles, Fogarty put the icing on the cake by palming the ball to net after being teed up by teammate James Gately to give himself a final tally of 4-3 and leave the final score at 5-17 to 2-11 in favour of Kildare.

Although UCD will be disappointed by the extent of their losing margin, they can reflect on a respectable O’Byrne Cup showing in 2014 following victories over Wexford and Laois.

With a number of significant O’Byrne Cup challenges against inter-county sides under their belt, John Divilly’s charges can now look ahead to the Sigerson Cup opener away to Athlone IT on the 28th of January feeling sufficiently prepared to improve on last year’s feeble quarter-final exit at the hands of fellow Dubliners DCU. Jamie Headon

kildare 5-17 ucd 2-11 kildare

Shane Connolly; Mick O’Grady, Mick Foley, Hugh McGrillen; David Hyland, Fergal Conway, Emmet Bolton; Tommy Moolick, Gary White; Cathal McNally, Eoghan O’Flaherty, Paul Cribbin; Paddy Brophy, Darroch Mulhall, Podge Fogarty.

Subs: Mark Donnelan, Sean Campbell, Ciaran Fitzpatrick, Willie Groome, Kevin Murnaghan, Conor Tiernan, Sean Hurley, Daryl Flynn, James Gately, Conor Canning, Robbie Dunne.

ucd

Eoghan Keogh; Oran Fitzpatrick, David Byrne, Rob Tierney; Ciaran Lenehan, Paraic O’Harnan, Jack McCaffrey; Con Sheridan, John Heslin (c); Brian Fenton, Matt O’Hanlon, Rob McDaid; Ryan Basquell, Mark Hughes, Paul Mannion.

Subs: J.B Carty, Aidan Cullinane, Shane Flanagan, Ross Bergin, Conor Downey, John Turbritt, Simon Cadden, Andrew English, Paddy Reilly, Paul Kingston, Shane McCentee, James Toher, Colm Driver, Eoin Monaghan, Liam Connerton, David Devereux, John Maloney, Ryan Wylie, Jeremy Mahon, Rob Tone, Niall Kelly.