The Print Volume 3, Issue 7

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The official publication of Maynooth Students’ Union

Tuesday 31st January 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

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Maynooth students among members of successful La Senza Occupation LYNDSEY FARRELL

Entertainments & Culture Co-Editor @TheLyndog On Monday 9th January, employees of lingerie chain La Senza gathered from across the country and began what would be a five-day sit-in in the Liffey Valley branch, demanding unpaid wages from their former employers. Three among them were students currently enrolled within NUI Maynooth.

The lingerie company went into administration that very day, and staff were informed in a rather heartless letter that they no longer had jobs. David Standish, one of the appointed administrators wrote, “Following the appointment and the closure of the La Senza outlets we wish to confirm that your employment with the company has been terminated with effect from 9th January 2012.” The letter had been dated 11th January. Many staff members who had not yet received their letters were informed of the news upon arrival at work.

At this point, the employees had still not been paid for working over-time at Christmas and were told they would have to wait for up to a year for statutory redundancy entitlements. Lynn HigginsGill, former supervisor at the Liffey Valley branch, claimed that the staff were continuously lied to about the future of the shop and the company itself.

When “Closing Down” signs were put up on shop windows, staff were informed that they were simply “procedural”.

Outraged by how they were being treated, the employees of the Liffey Valley store decided to stage a sit-in. Evelyn Gaynor, a former employee of this store spoke to the Irish Times about the sit-in, “It’s not just about the money. It’s about how workers are

being treated by these big companies who think they can come in and then trample over workers when they’ve no more use for them. We have to stand up for ourselves because it doesn’t look like the Government is going to.”

The workers also received a lot of support from people across the country. Maynooth Students’ Union were just some of many who visited the workers throughout the week, bringing with them supplies such as coffee, money, dry shampoo and the occasional Big Mac. A Facebook page was also set up by those staging the sit-in, as a means to get their story across. The page, entitled “Full Support for La Senza sit-in”, included a simple statement: “Our aim is simple; To get what we are entitled to for the hard work we put in.” This page alone managed to receive over four thousand “likes” supporting the employees.

The Mandate Trade Union, which represented the workers, orchestrated meetings between the administrators and the workers. These meetings would eventually lead to victory for the staff members. On Friday 13th January, after five days of sitting in the empty store, the workers were informed that they would finally be paid the money they were owed as soon as possible.

La Senza was first opened in Dorval, Quebec, Canada in 1990. Since then it had grown to include more than 300 stores in Canada and a further 487 stores in 45 other countries worldwide. Included in these were eight shops across Ireland, including concessions in Debenhams department stores and of course their Liffy Vally outlet. The company is wholly owned by Limited Brands of Columbus, Ohio.

The storefront of La Senza Liffey Valley during the sit-in protest

Maynooth named Ireland’s ‘Friendliest College’ ÁINE KIRWAN News Co-Editor @kirwanaine

In a recent poll among 10,000 third level students, the results have shown that NUI Maynooth was voted the friendliest college in Ireland. The poll also concluded that University of Limerick to be the most sociable university and that 32% of Trinity students describe the atmosphere on campus as “pretentious”.

Coursehub.ie continues to give NUI Maynooth a positive name by giving Social Life, Academics, Campus, Sports and Entertainment a rating of 4 stars out of a possible 5.

Possibly a new fact to some, the site mentions that the University is populated by 55% Male’s and 45% Female’s, with 5,453 of 8,000 students being undergraduate students.

The page is generated by current and alumni students’ feedback. One third year student comments on how he would recommend NUI

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Maynooth to a friend by stating, “I’d just tell them how great it is really”, with another 4th year student adding that “It’s a very friendly, small cosy place to go to college with a great nightlife.” Although, the small University town was not up to standard for one student as he mentions the cost of transport as an issue. “Getting out to Maynooth from Dublin is expensive and the town is fairly barren. You need to make friends out there for it to be tolerable (or enjoyable even) because there is nothing else out there to pass the time besides the college PC’s.”

This is not the first time that NUI Maynooth has been highly regarded by education critiques. In 2008, NUI Maynooth had been named “University of the Year” in the Sunday Times University Guide.

The title was given due to a record number of CAO first preferences along and the best access programme for disadvantaged schools in the country. Within the 12 months of the previous award been given by the Sunday Times University Guide, NUI Maynooth had launched five new

degrees including Law & Arts, Business & Law and Science Education. NUIM President at the time, Prof John Hughes, praised the award as “a great accolade for the university. The award recognises the priority we place on ensuring the best student experience.” The outlook is even bleaker for postgraduate students, whose muchneeded grants have been axed altogether, forcing future masters/PhD students to fund their studies entirely from their own coffers.

Previously, postgraduate students could avail of grants ranging from €315 - €3,120 depending on income, family size and the distance they live from their college, much like their undergraduate counterparts.

Given the cost of pastgraduate courses, the scrapping of this scheme will have dire consequences for many future graduates seeking to further their education.

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Maynooth students having their famed banter

Printed in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford via Datascope and Impression LTD.

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Technological University Oifigeach na Gaeilge ar ais i to be formed in Southeast ndréacht-bhunreacht AMLÉ CONOR O’BRIEN

John Ó Liodáin

This month saw a landmark in Irish third level education as the Republic’s eight current universities prepare to welcome a newcomer among their ranks.

The southeast of the country – after many years of political wrangling – has finally won its case, and will attain a university of its own thanks to the strong support of influential public figures such as Minister for Public Spending and Reform, Brendan Howlin.

The new technological university will combine the current Waterford and Carlow institutes into a single conglomerate, a process that will commence in February of this year.

If successful, it will pave the way for a similar university to be forged out of the amalgamation of DIT with other institutes of technology in Tallaght and Blanchardstown. This will ensure two technological universities – the first of their kind in the country – could be up and running within the coming years.

However, the proposed change has not been without its detractors, with some senior figures within the existing university circuit arguing that it could further reduce the already depleted standing of Irish colleges in international rankings by further decreasing the standard of education across the expanded university scene.

Their trump card is the difference in PhD attainment between university and institute staff; over 75% of university lecturers in Ireland have a PhD, compared to less than 20% for institutes of technology. Not surprisingly, this has been countered by accusations of snobbery and elitism from those institutions.

The criteria used to allocate university status

Tá Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (USI) i mbun athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an mbunreacht ‘s atá acu faoi láthair agus an aidhm atá acu ná aontas níos fearr a chur le chéile. Bhí moladh chun fail réidh le roinnt oifigigh dheonacha nó páirt aimseartha ar a mbord na Oifigeach. Tá naonúr ar bhord na nOifigeach i láthair na huaire atá fostaithe go lánaimseartha; an tUachtarán, an Leas-Uachtarán, an tOifigeach oideachais, oifigeach comhionannais, oifigeach limistéir thoir, oifigeach limistéir thiar, oifigeach limistéir theas agus oifigeach limistéir thuaidh. Tá ceathrar ag obair go pháirtaimseartha gan íocaíocht, an tOifigeach Gaeilge san áireamh.

Bhí moladh ag AMLÉ chun ról an oifigeach gaeilge a chur faoin chúram an Oifigeach Chomhionannais chun Oifigeach nua a chruthú.

Sheol an tOifigeach Gaeilge Peadar De Blúit ríomhphost chuig na cumainn uilig chun tacaíocht a fháil i gcoinne an moladh seo. Tá tábhacht faoi leith ag baint le ról an toifigeach gaeilge AMLÉ i saol na gaeilge; bíonn deireadh seachtaine traenalá comheagraithe ag Conradh na Gaeilge agus Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn le blianta anuas, is ócáid ríthábhachtach é an deireadh seachtaine seo toisc go bhuaileann muintir na gaeilge le chéile chun cursaí gaeilge a phlé agus plean a chur le chéile chun an ghaeilge a spreagadh ag na coláistí tríú-leibhéal.

Cuireann AMLÉ ceardlanna ar siúl chun comhoibriú a spreagadh idir na cumainn gaelach agus tá feabhas tagtha ar scéal na gaeilge dá bharr.

Eagraíonn an tOifigeach Gaeilge “oíche na mic léinn” mar chuid den Oireachtas na Samhna gach uile bhliain, léiríonn an oíche seo go bhfuil muintir na tríú-leibhéal báúil leis an Ghaeilge agus tugann sé misneach do mhuintir na gaeilge. An rud ba mhó atá déanta ag AMLÉ ó thaobh na Gaeilge de

News Co-Editor @ConorWOBrien

@johnoliodain

Waterford Institude of Technology (WIT)

has also proved a major bone of contention, an issues which Education Minister Ruairi Quinn must shore up if the planned changes are to get the go-ahead.

Some of these rules could dictate that institutes of technology put an end to the arts and humanities programmes that they have grown to incorporate in more recent times, focussing instead on the traditional technological areas of academia intended to support industry.

As such, any new technological university would possess a primarily scientific, engineering and technological focus tailored to suit the skill requirements of the country’s labour market.

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PRINT Issue #7 Contents

NEWS 1 FEATURES 8 WELFARE 10 ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE 12 OPINION & COMMENT 23 TECHNOLOGY 24 PROCRASINATION 25 SPORTS 26

Former USI Irish Officer Aodhán Ó Deá le blianta anuas ná an Agóid Chiúin anuraidh. Bhí 1,000 mac léinn tríú leibhéal i láthair ag an agóid agus iad ag cur a míshásamh in iúl faoi sheasamh Fhine Gael maidir le Gaeilge a bheith ‘roghnach’ ag leibhéal na hArdteiste. Níor ghlac Fine Gael leis an moladh mar gheall ar an agóid agus an feachtas.

Thosaigh Cuallacht na Gaeilge feachtas chun dul i gcoinne leis an moladh a bhí ag USI. Sheol siad ríomh phostanna chuig a mbaill uilig agus iad siúd atá ag déanamh stáidéar ar an nGaeilge san Ollscoil.

Bhí urlabhraí ón gCuallacht ar an gclár raidió Glór Anoir ar Raidió na Gaeltacht chun an moladh a chur in iúil do mhuintir na gaeilge agus ar Raidió na Life an lá dar gcionn. Bheartaigh Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn gan glacadh leis an moladh seo mar gheall ar an bhfeachtas agus tá Oifigeach na Gaeilge ar ais i ndréacht-bhunreacht AMLÉ.

Glacadh an tromladh leis an mbunreacht nua ag comhdháil speisialta Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn ar an tochtú lá déag den mhí seo.

Editor In Chief / Production Editor: Keith Broni News Editors: Conor O’Brien & Áine Kirwan Features Editor: Grainne Hallinan Entertainments & Culture Editors: Lyndsey Farrell & Christina Murphy Opinion & Comment Editor: Kate Phelan Technology Editor: Shane Kiernan Sports Editor: Conor Phelan Additional Liable Proofing: Rebecca Broni, Robert Munnelly, Marion O’Keefe, Órla Tobin Contributors: Conor Booth, Dylan Colley, Mark Dillon, Dara Folan, Rob Gilmour, Dean Healy, Sam Holt, Sute Iwar, Maeve Kavanagh, Michael Kelly, Shauna Louise Kelly, Ally Kerr, John Ó Liodáin, Fiach O’Neill, Michael O’Toole, Peter Manning, Rory McCormack, Shane McNally, Declan Meenagh, Matthew Mulligan, Majella Rogers, Cillian Shields, Mark Tierney.

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Death of jouranlist Mary Raftery

MICHAEL O’TOOLE @bassmastashadez

Renowned Irish journalist and broadcaster Mary Raftery has died aged 54. She died in the early hours of Tuesday the 10th of January at St Vincent’s Hospital Dublin following an illness.

Ms Raftery was one of the most renowned and influential journalists of her generation and was best known for her 1999 documentary series States of Fear. This series revealed the extent of the abuse and suffering of the children in industrial schools which were run by religious orders on behalf of the State in Ireland.

Her work led to not only an official apology from the State, made by Bertie Ahern, to the victims of this abuse but also led to the setting up of the Ryan Commission and a confidential committee for victims to tell their stories.

Ms Raftery’s work continued to make a huge impact when in 2002 her programme Cardinal Secrets investigated and exposed the cover-up of child sex-abuse allegations within Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese. The programme led to the passing of the Commission of Investigation Act 2004 and the setting up of the Murphy Commission, which along with the Ryan Commission reported in 2009.

Ms Raftery was born in Dublin as one of a family of four children and spent much of her young life

living abroad due to her father’s work with the State’s diplomatic service. The family returned to Ireland when Mary was 12 and she began to attend Sacred Heart Nuns on Leeson St. and then Mount Anville before moving to Pembroke School in the Dublin.

From school Ms Raftery went on to study engineering but soon discovered that the course wasn’t right for her and became more involved in journalism and politics. She began her journalistic in the late 70s with In Dublin magazine as a reporter and sub-editor and in 1984 joined RTE working on a number of programmes such as Black Box and Evening Extra before moving onto current affairs series Today Tonight.

Throughout her career from her work on Today Tonight (1986-1993), Check Up (1993-1995) to her work on both States of Fear and Cardinal Secrets Ms Raftery investigated, uncovered and exposed some of the most influential scandals in the Irish State.

This not only included the child sex-abuse and cover-up scandals but also deaths in Garda custody, medical negligence and the shenanigans of property developers.

Following her programme, Cardinal Secrets, she left RTE in 2002 and began writing a column for the Irish Times and also began teaching in the Media Studies Dept. in NUI Maynooth. In April 2010 The Peacock Theatre staged a play written by Ms Raftery called No Escape which was based on the Ryan Report.

Tributes to the journalist were led by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and have been plentiful. RTE Director-General said of Ms Raftery that “she has left an important legacy for Irish society, particularly for some of our most vulnerable citizens.” Colm O’Gorman, a survivor who set up

Mary Raftery: 1958 - 2012 the One in Four group paid tribute by saying that Ireland has lost one of its finest journalists and that “she has done this society and this country

an extraordinary service.” A large number of people also paid tribute to Ms Raftery on the social network Twitter.

UCC to sue the ESB over Cigarette cartons to display flood damages from 2009 images of effects of smoking KEITH BRONI

SHANE KIERNAN

Editor-In-Chief @keithbroni

It was revealed earlier this month that University College Cork (UCC) is suing the ESB for €18 million. The university is seeking reparations for damages inflicted to the university and its property during flooding which occurred on 19th of November 2009.

It has been reported that during the flood roughly 30 of the Cork campus’ 80 acres were submerged and a total of 29 buildings suffered notable damage, including the Glucksman Gallery, the Western Gateway Building, the Maltings Complex, several student accommodation blocks and the Mardyke Sports Complex.

Representatives of UCC are accusing the electricity supplier of rapidly releasing substantial volume of water from two of the dams it operates upon the River Lee after a period of significant rainfall. The dams in question are located at Inishcarra and Carrigadrohid, 13km and 27km upstream from Cork city respectively.

The university claims that despite weather warnings issued by Met Éireann for the River Lee catchment area on the 12th, 15th and 18th of November, the ESB failed to increase the discharge

Technology Editor @shanezor101 Area of the UCC campus during the flooding of water in appropriate manner. Instead they released the excess build-up of water solely on the 19th of November, leading to the surge of water that would flood the university grounds. Finally, they university claims the ESB were aware of their mistake come the 19th but failed to declare the situation an emergency.

The ESB have, however, denied all of these charges against them.

Aviva Insurance, the ESB’s insurance company which will bare the brunt of these charges if the university’s case is successful, have already lost over €34 million due the flooding. The company has states that it intends to pursue the balance of its lossess once the court has made a judgement on the UCC’s claims.

The ESB was founded in 1927 by the Irish government. Although historically holding a monopoly on the country’s electricity supply, the company now operates as a commercial semi-state entity.

In an attempt to hinder the number of people smoking in Ireland, Minister for Health, James Reilly, has called for graphic images displaying the health outcomes for smoking upon cigarette cartons. This step in trying to deter people from continuing or taking up smoking is a development which employs a scare tactic to consider how they truly damaging themselves in the long run.

While, for some years, there have been verbal warnings on cigarette cartons, these have obviously not proven effective enough with the general public and more extreme precautions have to be taken. As over 7,000 people are killed each year due to smoking–related illnesses, it is clear that this number is too high and given the infamous history of smoking in Ireland, that people really need to see the internal risks of smoking. In addition to the health damage being displayed on the cartons, the implications of second hand smoke risks are also in place, with pictures of infants and young children who have been affected by smokers around them.

This step in decreasing the number of the population smoking comes at a time in which

Cigarettes kill over 7,000 people a year in Ireland

thousands of people are paying somewhere in the region of €295 a month to fund their habit.

It was also found that the average Irish smoker consumes a daily averge of 23 cigarettes. In 2010, this figure was 13 cigarettes, and it is clear that the financial burden of smoking is not a strong enough motivator to stop people from smoking. Moreover, this initiative to deter smokers may yield positive results in the long term due to the graphic nature of the images, depicting lung and throat cancer and dental damage. We can only hope that this truly puts a stop to one of the most dangerous habits in Ireland.

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Blackout Protest Against S.O.P.A. RORY McCORMACK On January 18th, Wikipedia, Reddit and websites of other online figureheads went dark in protest at the controversial SOPA and PIPA bills.

Introduced to the US House of Representatives

by Texas Republican Lamar Smith, SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) would give copyright holders the power to go through the Department of Justice to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling copyright infringement. These orders can range from cutting off advertising revenue, to simply shutting the offending website down completely. Under this bill, the maximum penalty for streaming copyrighted content could be up to five years, if a number of infringements occur within a six month period. Sponsors of the bill say that it helps to protect jobs and revenue streams within the technology and entertainment industries, though many have argued that the real cause of piracy is the failure of the music and film industries to adapt properly to the internet age.

Opponents of the bill state that it is a violation of the First Amendment (the right to free speech and freedom of the press) and that it will destroy the internet as we know it. Critics such as Google and Facebook have said that they will be held

accountable for any content uploaded by their users. The former protested the bills by pasting a black bar over their iconic homepage logo.

Wikipedia, however, protested by displaying a page with the caption “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge,” with a link to learn more about the bills and options to share the message on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

Speaking to the Telegraph, founder Jimmy Wales said: “The general sentiment seemed to be that US law, as it impacts the internet, can affect everyone.

As for me, what I am hoping is that people outside the US who have friends or family who are voters in the US, will ask them to make a call to their senator or representative, and I hope we send a broad global message that the internet as a whole will not tolerate censorship in response to mere allegations of copyright infringement.” He referred to how the bills do not simply affect American websites, and if an American copyright holder has issues with a foreign website over content, it can seek to have the website deactivated. The media aggregator Reddit also went dark for 12 hours, as did the Irish satire/tabloid website Broadsheet.ie. The biggest threat posed by these bills is that corporations and organisations could purge politically unfavourable websites under the guise of removing content seen to be infringing on copyright. Following the online protests and a lack of support from the White House, the controversial bills seem to have been shelved for now.

The internet has won this battle, but the war is far from over.

The blocker page that would appear and restrict access to Wikipedia during the blackout

“Mistakenly” Deported New Island emerges after Teen Returns to Houston volanic activity in Red Sea MATTHEW MULLIGAN @sususummertime

LYNDSEY FARRELL

Entertainments & Culture Co-Editor @TheLyndog A fifteen-year old girl who was “mistakenly” deported to Colombia in May 2011 has returned to her home country and was reunited with her family on January 6th of this year.

American teenager Jakadrien Turner was arrested in Houston in April of last year for misdemeanour theft. Turner gave police a false identity during questioning, claiming she was twenty-one-year old Tika Lanay Cortez of Colombia. Unable to find any records of a woman of this description, U.S. authorities were led to believe that this woman was living in the United States illegally, and so Turner was later deported “back” to Colombia. According to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turner was enrolled in a “Welcome Home” program when she entered the country. She was given a place to live and a job at a call centre.

Turner had run away from home in Dallas, Texas, in November 2010. Her family had no idea she had left the country, thinking she was still working in a bar in Houston. It was thanks to her Facebook page that her family and the Dallas Police Department could track down her whereabouts in Colombia.

The lost teen after her return to the United States The family were said to be “ecstatic” at the teenager’s return, yet are still furious at how authorities could have her deported so easily. They do not believe the proper procedures were carried out when determining the girl’s identity, “She looks like a kid, she acts like a kid. How could they think she wasn’t a kid?”. However, immigration attorney Albert Armendariz of El Paso was quick to defend the authorities that were in charge of the case, “If she looked like an adult, and she told them she was a 21-year-old, and she didn’t show up in their databases, this was inevitable.”

A small new island was born mid-December in the Red Sea, following a violent underwater volcano eruption. The island as of yet has no name, and according to NASA is between Haycock Island and Rugged Island, located in the Zubair Archipelago, a small group of islands about 60 kilometers off of the west coast of Yemen. The eruption was the first in the region since 1824. The existing ten islands in the archipelago poke above the sea surface, rising from a shield volcano, and were also created by volcanic activity.

The volcano which created the island emanated from the Red Sea Rift where the African and Arabian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart and causing violent activity. Yemeni fishermen reported seeing lava spew 30 metres into the air on December 19th and this was later confirmed by satellite images released by NASA’s Advanced Land Imager aboard its Earth Observing One satellite. The images highlighted the plume of white steam and black ash billowing outwards across the sea from the volcano.

“The image from December 2011 shows an apparent island where there had previously been an unbroken water surface” said a NASA spokesperson.

The island formed as soon as lava from the submerged volcano hit the surface of the sea, cooling rapidly. Later it was revealed in satellite imagery issued by NASA on January 15th that the volcano itself had risen up from the sea floor and was now visibly an island.

In order for volcano debris to lay down a permanent, stable location and form into an island it must build up faster than waves can erode it; the new island grew at such a rate. According to NASA,

The new island shown emerging from the Red Sea “past eruptions in the Zubair Islands were primarily effusive, with relatively runny lava forming thin lava flows. In contrast to the fragmented rock that forms when lava interacts with water, lava that solidifies on land is tough, so this new island is likely to stick around.” The new island measures 1,700 feet by 2,300 feet (530 m by 710 m), giving it an area of about 75 acres.

Volcanic activity in the Red Sea region appears to be on the rise. This volcano follows recent eruptions in the Afar Triangle in Eritrea and Ethiopia and the volcanic fields of southern Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

In 2007, the nearby Jabal al-Tair volcanic island also erupted for the first time in over a century, killing 8 people.

New islands born as a result of volcanic activity are unusual rarities but not unheard of. Examples include Surtsey, off the coast of Iceland, which formed over the course of a four-year volcanic eruption that began in 1963, and Anak Krakatau, in the caldera of Krakatoa in Indonesia, which was formed in 1930.

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Increase in British third level fees adversely affecting Irish enrollment in English university tuition fees, which could see students paying anywhere from £6,000-£9,000 (€7,200 - €10,900) a year for education, up to four times that charged on registration by an Irish university.

Notably, universities in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are not imposing similar hikes, ensuring that all three countries are now also perceived as lower-cost alternatives for aspiring CONOR O’BRIEN college goers.

News Co-Editor This will not see enrolment in Irish universities @ConorWOBrien drop for the foreseeable future, leaving the already overstretched and underfinanced university sector The imminent hike in University at British to ponder how it can further accommodate an everuniversities is set to have its toll on these shores in 2012, with fewer and fewer Irish students applying to increasing quantity of students, both from Ireland and beyond. study at third level institutions in the UK. At present rates, the university’s model of According to the latest statistics, the numbers of Irish people opting to pursue third level education in funding is unsustainable in the long term even with the €500 increase, and this news will only provide British universities has fallen by 20% since January more worries over how already overstretched and 2011. under-resourced third level institutions will cope This is estimated to have a two-fold impact on with the spiralling influx of students.

Irish universities, with an increase in Leaving Cert Given that indigenous registration charges are students staying at home to study coupled with an likely to increase at a fairly steady rate under the influx of English and Welsh counterparts seeking current coalition – despite Labour’s much touted cheaper education on these shores, despite the €500 increase levied by Budget 2012. This guarantees total promise to defend and uphold free education – aspiring college goers with limited finances could fees of €2,500 from September of this year, a hike many speculated would drive droves of Irish students likely face further heartache over the coming years as they struggle to afford degrees both at home and overseas to further their education at a lower cost.

Even this, however, is mild compared to increases abroad.

Hybrid shark discovered Irish Governments seeking off the coast of Australia minimum price for alcohol GRAINNE HALLINAN

KEITH BRONI

The world’s first ever hybrid shark has been discovered off the east coast of Australia. The new breed combines the Australian black-tip, which live only in northern tropical waters, and the common black-tip, which is found in the sub-tropical waters of the south eastern coastline. The discovery was made by a research team during cataloguing work, when genetic testing revealed certain sharks to be one species when the physically looked like another.

Lead researcher Jess Morgan from the University of Queensland revealed that the findings were “not a common occurrence by any stretch of the imagination”. Morgan believes that the sharks could possibly be adapting to survive as sea temperatures change as a result of global warming, and that hybridization has “enabled a species restricted to the tropics to move into temperate waters.” It also may be a response to changes in fishing patterns. She dubbed the incident “evolution in action.”

Dr. Colin Simpfendorfer, a partner in Morgan’s research team from James Cook University, disclosed that 57 specimens have been discovered so far and that initial studies have shown the new breed to be relatively robust. He believes the discovery could challenge traditional ideas of how sharks have and are continuing to evolve -”We thought we understood how species of sharks

Speaking to various media outlets earlier this month, a member of the Department of Health announced that the Government is looking into introducing a minimum price for alcohol in an attempt to combat its misuse. The legislation would affect supermarkets and off licences, making the sale of various alcoholic beverages below a certain price illegal. The plan has the support of current Minister for Health James Reilly as well as Edwin Poots, Reilly’s Northern Ireland equivalent.

The legislation, being proposed by Minister for State Róisín Shortall, is reported to contain a 55c per unit minimum, similar to the 45p minimum introduced in Scotland in November of last year.

This would make the minimum price of a 500ml can of lager €1.10.

As well as this it would introduce a minimum price of €15.40 for a 70cl bottle of vodka or other similar spirits. This would result in a roughly €4 increase on outlet’s own-brand spirits. Red wine would also not be sold for less than €4.40 per wine, with white wine then no less than €3.60 due to its lower average alcohol content.

Mr Poots has said he will be co-operating with Dr Reilly and Ms Shortall to co-ordinate the introduction of the proposed new measures across

Features Editor

Editor-In-Chief @keithbroni

Is nature en route to sharktopus? have separated, but what this is telling us is that in reality we probably don’t fully understand the mechanisms that keep species of shark separate”. Dr. Simpfendorfer acknowledged that hybrids are often sterile, but evidence has shown that the new sharks are not only breeding with each other but with separate black-tip species. He also suggested that the phenomenon may be happening in more shark breeds than these two.

The new hybrid breed of shark is not considered to be dangerous, but scientists warn that the interbreeding could make sharks stronger.

A typical Irish Off Licence the entire island of Ireland: “We want to make sure we don’t have a disparity where alcohol is one price north of the Border and considerably more expensive south of the Border, or vice versa.”

“Problem drinkers and young drinkers are very price-sensitive and for them there is a very direct correlation between price and levels of consumption,” Ms Shortall was quoted saying by The Irish Times.

Figures cited by both Health Ministers claim that the yearly cost of alcohol abuse on the island of Ireland costs both states about €4.7 billion per year in terms of healthcare, crime and loss of economic output.

However, critics of the legistation aruge that it will no greatly affect those most prone to abusing alcohol. A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) claims that harmful drinkers only reduce their habit by around two pints a week due to the proposed increases.

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Samoa skips a day into the future

Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, spoke to the Samoan Observer, “While it’s Friday here, it’s Saturday in New Zealand and when we’re at church Sunday, they’re already conducting business in Sydney and Brisbane. We’ve got to remember that over 90 per cent of our people emigrate to New Zealand and Australia.” The Samoan government promised a full day’s pay for those scheduled to work LYNDSEY FARRELL Friday 30th.

Entertainments & Culture Co-Editor The move was cause for much celebration on the @TheLyndog island. Samoans gathered around the clock tower in the capital Apia and cheered as the clock struck On Friday 30th December 2011, people across the midnight, instantly bringing them from Thursday globe were preparing for celebrations to reel in the night to Saturday morning. Firework displays were New Year. For the people of Samoa, however, this day observed and police, ambulance and fire trucks didn’t even exist.

At midnight on Thursday 29th turned their sirens on to celebrate the jump. A December, the nation simply “skipped” Friday as it postage stamp with the phrase “Into the Future” was moved to the western side of the international date also created to mark the big switch. line.

Although many celebrated the move, Samoans The international date line runs north-to-south knew that it would not run as smoothly as they through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, separating hoped. Digicel, the country’s most popular mobile one calendar day from another. The law to move phone network, had no phone service for fifteen Samoa west of the line was passed in June 2011. minutes after the stroke of midnight, as the company Before the switch, Samoa was ten hours behind had to update its systems as soon as the jump took London, five hours behind New York, and almost place. The CEO of the company, Pepe Fiaailetoa an entire day behind Australia and New Zealand.

Fruean spoke of the adjustments for the jump on Thanks to the switch, the nation is now three hours CBC News, “The interruption will only take a few ahead of Sydney. minutes so we can adjust our system. So I would like The switch was made to make business and trade to inform all of our customers to have alternative easier with Australia and New Zealand. Prime communication means available in case of an

A diagram of the changes to the Samoan time zone emergency.

The move also, initially, angered tourism operators, as they could no longer boast to potential tourists of Samoa that it was the last place on earth to see the sunset. But now they advertise the island as an opportunity for double birthday or anniversary celebrations for those who fly from the island to American Samoa, which has remained on the eastern side of the international date line.income for the Government. If we look at the figures Portugal

had over the last 10 years and assume a similar result if it is decriminalised in Ireland, that is potentially €325 million a year taxable for the Government and would bring in far more capital than the 65% budget cut on the Irish drugs task force, and would have a much higher success rate in tackling the drug problem. So, the question is; do we confront the problem of drug abuse, or simply drive it into the hands of the modern day Al Capone?

Greece classifies Paedophilia Pedestrian Travel Encouraged as a disability with new Law in Dublin Development Plan MATTHEW MULLIGAN @sususummertime

KEITH BRONI Editor-In-Chief @keithbroni

On the 9th of January the Greek government announced plans to include pyromania, kleptomania, compulsive gambing and, most controversially, paedophilia within the nation’s list of legally recognised disabilities. The proposal has been met with grave concern by various disability awareness groups across the country.

The leader of Greece’s National Confederation of Disabled People, Yannis Vardakastanis, told BBC News that the proposal was “incomprehensible” and that it would be possible for pedophiles to be eligible for a higher disability pay than some people who had received organ transplants. Mr. Vardakastanis also told the BBC that he was concerned that the legislation would be used to “cut the number of disabled people with a right to disability benefits”.

The Greek Labour Ministry said a panel of medical experts had decided to include such

Disabled Greek citizens protesting behavioural disorders on the list, but the new categories did not automatically signify benefit entitlement. However, documentation shows that the proposal would give pyromaniacs and pedophiles disability pay up to 35 percent.

Greece, who’s been fighting to avoid bankruptcy since 2009, has had to severely cut spending on health and welfare programs.

Dublin City Centre will soon be predominantly for pedestrian traffic, bicycles and public transport users, according to a new strategy report by city planners. The report, entitled “Your City, Your Space”, puts forward the City Council’s plans for the development of Dublin City’s roads, paths, public spaces and public furniture. City manager John Tirney says that the report proposes measures that are “about working together to create better ways to carry out the work that goes on daily in the city.”

The report says that over half a million people currently access the city centre each day. This figure is made up of approximately 235,000 workers, 45,000 students and 120,000 shoppers or leisure visitors and the 116,000 people who live in the city centre.

Dublin City Council expects these numbers to increase by 2020, suggesting a rise to 350,000 workers, 70,000 students and 180,000 residents.

This added demand for mobility amongst city users means that the need for open space and access to pedestrian routes is something that needs to be looked at. This would “put pressure on the public realm” and lead to a relocation of road space.

The report states that the “predominant movement pattern in the city centre will be on foot”, while cars passing through the city centre

Dublin City Centre to more so favour pedestrians

travelling to other destinations will be “pro-actively discouraged”. The increase in safety measures to protect pedestrians is noted in the plans. The report cites the closing off of the city to HGV trucks, the Dublin Bikes scheme in as a stepping stone towards achieving this balance. It is hoped, in the report, that “By 2017 the aim is that 25-30% of all commutes within the city will be by bike because people of all ages will have the confidence, incentive and facilities to cycle”.

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

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UCD Students’ Union under fire for Photocoping Bureau Redundancies approximate loss of €30,000 according to recent figures. A letter from De Brún was left to circulate around campus in order to explain to the students why they were losing such a crucial service. The letter read, “The copy bureau had to be closed as a result of the unsustainable losses it was making”.

To try and keep redundancies as a last resort, the Students Union Council took to vote on whether to re-open the Copy Buerau on Friday 20th. The motion ÁINE KIRWAN was carried but failed as only four representatives News Co-Editor voted in favour of the proposal. Student activist, @kirwanaine Karl Gill tried to stress the importance of the Copy UCD have been making headlines in the past week Buerau for students by highlighting how cuts could possibly be made elsewhere, “Our priority is to regarding the closure of the Student’s Union Copy safeguard education. As for everything else, we can Bureau. This closure resulted in two staff members being made redundant and in echo to this, an appeal have a smaller ball this year if needs be…we have to protect education above everything else.” from the UCD Student Union and student body to In response to the closure of the bureau and the combat the decision, has been witnessed in the forms rejected proposal by the Students Union Council, a of a vote and protest. campus protest took place on Wednesday the 25th.

The Students Union Copy Bureau is a critical Led by Gill, the protest saw staff members from the service provided by UCD. The Copy Bureau runs a UCD canteen and past employees of the SU emerge photocopying service for students and has been a and confront De Brún on the recent redundancy staple of the UCD Students Union for many years. decisions. The protestors were armed with student Prior to the Christmas holidays, UCD President, outcry in the form of a petition of signatures Pat De Brún, made the decision to close the opposing the redundancies. De Brún reluctantly Bureau, meaning that two women were to lose their addressed the crowd stating that however tough the jobs. The reasoning behind this was put down to decision was, he is going to stick by it. the unforeseen costs the Bureau was costing, an

Protestor Karl Gill (left) and UCDSU President Pat de Brún

Universities spend over Rare type of conjoined €750,000 on taxi fares twins born in Brazil ÁINE KIRWAN News Co-Editor @kirwanaine

CONOR O’BRIEN News Co-Editor @ConorWOBrien

Financial inefficiencies within Ireland’s university system were blatantly laid clear recently, when it was announced that the country’s seven universities spent a colossal €750,000 on taxi fares over a recent two year period, coming to an average of €107,143 per university.

UCC –recipient of the most recent Irish Times ‘University of the Year’ award - was the biggest spender on taxi fares, totalling €263,000 on transportation costs. This massive figure drew criticism from local TD’s upon its revelation, believing it to be a blatant waste of money and constitutes unnecessary spending, given the current economic climate and tight operating budget of the university, as well as its proximity to other means of transportation.

NUI Maynooth, meanwhile, weighed in at €128,083 spent over the same two year timeframe.

The findings reflect badly on the nation’s university hierarchy, having spent ludicrous sums to transport lecturers and guest speakers to and from campus while complaining about a shortage of funding for the overstretched and under resourced university sector. They will also come to the annoyance of students who starting September will have to spend an extra €500 per year on registration fees for colleges nationwide.

As such, the latest revelations have caused many to question both the universities themselves and the

Student money squanderd on taxi fares Department of Education for funding errors as well as shirking responsibility when such unnecessary spending is exposed, fostering feelings of hypocrisy towards the presiding powers in Irish education.

This disparity has been further widened in recent months by the revelations of the salaries collected by many of Ireland’s academic elite (among the highest of any professors worldwide) as well as the strong advocacy among many of those same university heads (most notably UCC’s Michael Murphy) for increased student fees.

Given government officials’ commitment to minimize transport expenses as a cost-saving measure, it looks likely that university staff nationwide will have to do likewise to regain some lost credibility with regards to this issue.

Days before Christmas, Brazil native Maria de Nazare (25), mother of three, gave birth to a rare form of conjoined twins. It was not until a scan minutes before the birth that it showed that the babies had one single heart, one set of lungs, one liver and one pelvis; yet two brains and two backbones. With this being brought to the attention to the medical staff, Ms. De Nazare underwent a caesarean birth, from which the babies appeared in good health, weighing a combined 9.9lbs (4.5kg).

In a celebration of religious sentiment at Christmas, the twins were named Emanoel and Jesus.

Effectively being classed as a baby with two heads to the public, the twins have a condition known as dicephalic parapagus. This rare form of conjoinment means that it will not be possible to separate them. Conjoined twins are said to be born once every 200,000 live births, and again, dicephalic parapagus births are rarer.

Speaking at a press conference at Santa Casa hospital where the twins were born, Neila Dahas, the director of the hospital said, “if both their brains are functioning, how are we going to choose which head to remove?”. She continued to mention that an operation on the twins will not happen immediately or possibly at all because it is such a rare condition, “We are not considering the possibility of surgery. What we’ve got to think about at this moment is to maintain the children in good condition and see how they develop.”

Following the birth of the twins, the hospital staff took into account that Ms. De Nazare did not appear distraught by the outcome of her twins.

She was noted to be “happy and content” with her newborns, wanting nothing more than to fed both mouths and take them home as soon as possible. In

Conjoined twins Emanoel and Jesus

a recent report on the twins progress, it is said that one baby is having respiratory problems, yet both have begun nursing.

Although this occurance may be extremely rare to come across in Europe, south-west Asia and Africa, this is remarkably the second time a two-headed baby has been born in Brazil this year alone. Sueli Ferreira, 27, gave birth to twins also conjoined in dicephalic parapagus form in Paraiba State, but unfortunately died hours later because of lack of oxygen to one of the baby’s heads. With this form of birth also brings heightened media attention. In the U.S., Abigail and Britanny Hensel are noted as the longest living dicephalic parapagus twins, aged 21. Each twin controls one leg and one arm each. Despite their abnormalities, the girl state that they live “a normal balanced life, with some difficulties.”, and even obtain drivers licenses.

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

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The Life and Death of Christopher Hitchens CONOR O’BRIEN News Co-Editor @ConorWOBrien

The closing weeks of 2011 were blighted by the sad passing of one of the world’s foremost intellectuals, Christopher Hitchens, passing away at the age of 62.

Hitchens – an author, commentator and journalist of worldwide repute – enjoyed a long and varied career in public life, beginning in earnest at Oxford University while studying for a degree in philosophy, politics and economics. There, Hitchens – a Trotskyist – gained a reputation for his outspokenness, which would often see him arrested at political rallies.

Graduating with a third class honours degree, Hitchens impeccable journalistic abilities nonetheless saw a glittering career in that profession ensue over the coming decades, over which he wrote for a sleuth of major publications, most famously becoming a contributing editor of Vanity Fair after emigrating to the US, eventually acquiring citizenship of that country on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. His contribution to that magazine was such that editor Graydon Carter would later comment in a BBC interview that an intoxicated Hitchens in half an hour could produce a thousand words better than those any other living journalist.

At first a noted leftist, a major watershed in Hitchens career occurred upon the issuing of a fatwa by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini for the British author Salman Rushdie following the controversy surrounding his novel The Satanic Verses. The mainstream reaction to this saw Hitchens – never afraid to hold or voice an unpopular opinion famously part ways with the left on a bitter note, and since then such views as his support the Iraq war and George W. Bush placed him in stern opposition with

Christopher Hitchens: 1949 - 2011 many of his former left-leaning comrades.

Among the many targets of Hitchens’ derision where otherwise popular historical figures such as Bill Clinton and (most notoriously) Mother Theresa.

Hitchens’ detest for the latter was written large in his 1995 book The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice, in which he portrayed her as a cynical opportunist, relishing the suffering of those she intended to help as a means of generating revenue, far from the selfless care-giver she sought to portray. Such was his conviction in this view that another of Hitchens’ foes – the Catholic Church – even hired him in 2002 for the position of “Devils’ advocate”, to argue against Mother Teresa’s canonization. The two previously come to blows on these shores in the 1990’s, arguing for opposite sides of the Irish divorce referendum.

In the decade preceding his death, Hitchens would accrue further fame and notoriety – and yet

more enemies – as an outspoken atheist and staunch critic of organised religion, voicing his opinions in the 2007 best-seller God is not Great: How religion poisons everything, which soon became a core text of the New Atheist movement. Hitchens, together with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, philosopher Daniel Dennett and neuroscientist Sam Harris, is considered one of the “Four Horsemen” of New Atheism, a movement which has continued to gather momentum in recent times, spurred since his death by Hitchens’ defiant lack of any deathbed conversion.

However, although a noted critic with an unmatched talent to slay opponents both by the written word and in debate, Hitchens was also generous in his praises, proving a prudent defender of writers and thinkers such as Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, as well as Irish figures such as Oscar Wilde and James Joyce (Hitchens’ was also

supporter of Irish reunification). In particular, his admiration for George Orwell was especially well known, leading him to pen (among many others) an introduction to Animal Farm longer then the book itself!

Arguably superseding his extensive and varied literary catalogue was Hitchens’ infamous love for cigarettes and alcohol, both of which comprised key pillars of his public image. They would also prove pivotal tenets of his undoing, leading to the oesophageal cancer which he would be diagnosed with in 2010. Hithcens’, despite combating his agonizing illness to the end, resigned himself to his fate with dignity, passing away peacefully in a Texas hospital on December 16. With him the world lost one of its truly great literary and journalistic talents, as well as an unrivalled advocate of free speech, scepticism and rational thought whose words will continue to hold resonance for a long time to come.

Graffiti: Artistic Display or Criminal Damage?

SUTE IWAR

for instance, Banksy’s piece above which depicts the removal of graffiti. Could the argument be made by Are graffiti writers’ artists or vandals? It seems Banksy that he did voluntarily create the artwork on that because of graffiti’s ambiguous status between that wall, but he believed his work constituted ‘art’ art and crime, its artistic value has not been as and not ‘damage’? Perhaps these laws would have to appreciated as it should be. Graffiti’s social and be re-assessed to create provision for more freedom cultural status is still unclear and this is mainly for graffiti writers, or maybe these restrictions are because of the judicial system’s approach to graffiti. what a graffiti writer thrives under and is what makes While the act of graffiti is celebrated in many graffiti what it is in the first place. circles and popular graffiti writers such as Banksy The importance of graffiti is more evident in enjoy cult status amongst the social mainstream, modern society than ever. Artists such as Banksy the average graffiti writer caught in the act would would consider themselves a part of what is generally probably be prosecuted for criminal damage due to referred to as ‘post-graffiti’ of ‘neo-graffiti’. These criminal law’s somewhat ambivalent approach to names basically refer to their style of graffiti, which the liability of graffiti writers. For example, English has a couple of specific facets to it. For one, there is law provides in section 1 of the Criminal Damage a distinct change in the appearance of graffiti in this Act, 1971 that “A person who without lawful excuse post graffiti period. While the simple reason for this destroys or damages any property belonging to is the use of materials beyond the standard spray another intending to destroy or damage any such can, there are also reasons such as a shift in form property or being reckless as to whether any such of graffiti writing. The generic ‘tag’ that is a major property would be destroyed or damaged shall component of graffiti writing is being replaced by be guilty of an offence.” There is no defence of the ‘street logo’. Perhaps this is a critical reaction to ‘aesthetic value’ for the writer provided within the growing popularity of signage and advertising. this law. Even if he were to argue that he lacks Graffiti is a constant conversation with society and mens rea – a guilty mind -or that his work is not therefore is always affected by changes in the urban in fact ‘damage’, his argument seems bound to fail landscape. This public dialogue is an essential part of since damage in this law is understood objectively Banksy’s work and in many ways his stencil written without context or provision for aesthetic graffiti has inspired a new understanding of the significance. The simplicity of these laws might be to importance of graffiti as not just an aesthetic tool but the detriment of the graffiti writers. Let’s consider, for critical observation. With apparent changes in the

A piece of graffiti which poses the question nature of graffiti comes a clear need to develop new perspectives on the relationships between practices of urban inscription, art and the city. It is now more important than ever to create laws that allow graffiti to be nurtured as more that just anti-establishment ‘art terrorism’.

Ultimately, the question may still be asked - what gives graffiti writers the right to impose

their visual art on the public? Government might declare that their actions are in fact public damage since they have not been given any permission by either government or individuals to present the aestheticism on their walls. What to do with these men who have chosen the world as their canvas?

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

Is it time to stop the war on Drugs?

by Irish authorities in 2010 had an estimated value of €30.9 million, that’s less than 5% of the total drug trade. Over the last 18 months, the Gardaí have performed over 35 large-scale raids under “Operation Nitrogen”; an operation based solely on the cannabis trade. Each operation required many hours of man-power, hundreds of thousands of euros in tracking and communications equipment CONOR PHELAN and risking the lives of Gardaí involved in the drug Sports Editor stings. These operations have been deemed a success @conorphelan1 as they took in €11 million, up €4 million from 2010. However, the most recent budget cut the Drug Think of prohibition, speakeasys and suit-wearing Task force’s funding by 63%, bringing it’s budget to gangsters. The 13 years that alcohol was illegal in a meagre €11.5 million. With this income, the force the United States showed that driving an industry won’t be able to take as much action as it did last underground is to give a monopoly to the black year, meaning that Ireland could potentially become market. The greatest mob leader of them all was an even easier target than before. the infamous Al Capone who ran the bootlegging Richard Branson claim’s that over the last 50 business in Chicago. This smuggling led to Capone’s years over $1 trillion has been spent fighting against “Chicago Outfit”, who controlled the sale and the drugs trade. In a report he made to the Home distribution of alcohol to Speakeasys all around Affairs select committee inquiry into drug policy Chicago. Capone became a well known public in Britain, the business mogul pointed to countries figure, famous for donating his ill-wrought money to like Switzerland and Portugal where drugs have charitable organisations, wearing pinstripe suits and been decriminalised. These countries have found wide-brimmed fedoras, and of course, his dubious that drug use declined and freed-up crime fighting source of income. President Roosevelt repealed the resources. In his report, he also pointed out that amendment that banned the distilling and sale of users are more likely to come forward if they are alcohol in 1933, and Capone’s power, and health, offered help rather than face a criminal offence. went with it.

Branson claims that law-makers are too scared The black market, as markets do, evolved and to take this step and “end the war on drugs.” He adapted to stay alive. Drugs have become the also points to the advantages for the jail system, lifeblood of the new gangsters as alcohol is regulated as treatment costs considerably less than keeping and subject to stringent regulations and laws. It is people in prison. Branson isn’t the only notable estimated that the drugs trade in Ireland is worth person to raise this point, British Prime Minister over €650 million annually, a figure that has been David Cameron recently received advice from sixty growing steadily every year. A report from the Irish major thinkers, including seven former presidents Drug Intelligence agency claims that Ireland is an and 12 Nobel Prize winners, advising him to start easy target for drug smugglers as they take advantage a public debate to treat drug use as “a medical of the multitudes of small inlets and beaches along problem rather than a criminal one” The Portuguese the South and West coasts. The report admits that government decriminalised all drugs in 2001, and the coastline is almost impossible to patrol, especially since then, drug abuse has halved. In fact, more without millions of Euros in funding. Drugs seized Americans per capita have used cocaine than

Legalising and controlling the distribution of drugs would impact their funding of organised crime Portuguese have used marijuana.

Many worry that the decriminalising of drugs will lead to “drug tourism” and the commonplace use of recreational drugs by the public. However, decriminalising drugs does not mean making them widely available to everyone. It means regulating them to ensure that users are not a risk of becoming heavily addicted for fear of seeking help and protect them against disease such as HIV. Looking at this real-world example of Portugal’s success we can see that drugs, when regulated properly, can be controlled and reduce organised crime’s income.

The savings are not just made in law enforcement areas as new HIV infections in drug users fell by 17% between 1999 and 2003, keeping people out of the medical system. A report from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, states categorically “decriminalization does not result in increased drug

use.”

If the Irish drugs trade is worth €650 million per annum, economically speaking, it makes sense for the Irish Government to decriminalise it. Aside from the other factors of health and crime fighting resources, that €650 million would be a taxable income for the Government. If we look at the figures Portugal had over the last 10 years and assume a similar result if it is decriminalised in Ireland, that is potentially €325 million a year taxable for the Government and would bring in far more capital than the 65% budget cut on the Irish drugs task force, and would have a much higher success rate in tackling the drug problem. So, the question is; do we confront the problem of drug abuse, or simply drive it into the hands of the modern day Al Capone?

Jeremy Clarkson: A Cracked Car Crank? presenter’s fan-base and the commercial success of the Top Gear franchise as reason. When Clarkson eventually spoke to the press 19 days after his controversial appearance on The One Show, he poked fun at the newspapers, reporters and the media at large, taunting them over their love of his ‘’controversial outbursts’’. He did not, however, apologise to the public for his comments on the programme.

MAJELLA ROGERS This is not the first time that the television @majrog presenter had raised a few eyebrows. The 51 year old, who has been a presenter of Top Gear since Following Jeremy Clarkson’s appearance on The 1988, has offended everyone from individual One Show on November 30, more than 21,000 viewers to entire countries. Previously, Clarkson people complained to the BBC and almost 800 to hit the headlines over his behaviour at the British Ofcom. Clarkson, when asked of his opinion on Press Award in 2004, where he infamously punched Public Sector strikers, replied: “I’d have them all Piers Morgan following a long running feud, shot. I would take them outside and execute them which was apparently sparked by the publication in front of their families.” He then continued, of pictures showing Clarkson kissing his producer. declaring that people who committed suicide at After the scuffle, Morgan was left with a scar above railway stations caused ‘’immense’’ disruption to his left eyebrow. In November 2005, Clarkson was commuters. Undoubtedly, Clarkson’s comments rapped after making a mock-Nazi salute during caused uproar amongst the media and the public. a segment in a Top Gear show about a new Mini.

The general secretary for the Trade Union ‘Unison’ German diplomats sternly pointed out that had his Dave Prentis argued that “Whilst he is driving salute been on German television, he would have round in fast cars for a living, public sector workers faced criminal charges and a possible six-month are busy holding our society together - they save prison term. In April 2007, he was criticised in the others’ lives on a daily basis, they care for the sick, Malaysian parliament for having described one of the vulnerable, the elderly.” Top Gear became the their cars, the Perodua Kelisa, as the worst in the third most complained about show last year. world. Clarkson remarked that the name of the Despite huge backlash and the barrage of Malaysian-manufactured vehicle was “like a disease’’ complaints against Clarkson, the BBC director and suggested it was ‘’built in jungles by people general Mark Thompson revealed that he had ‘’no who wear leaves for shoes”. He then proceeded to intention of sacking Clarkson’’, pointing to the smash the car, hang it up on a crane and blow it

Should Clarkson learn when to hold his tongue? up. In November 2008, Clarkson commented on one of the Top Gear shows that lorry drivers killed prostitutes. At a press conference in 2009, Clarkson called the then-prime minister Gordon Brown a ‘’one-eyed Scottish idiot.’’ He also angered many of the Welsh population in September 2011, when he claimed that the Welsh language should be completely abolished. The outspoken TV presenter was once again accused of racism after mocking Indian culture in a Top Gear Christmas Special in December 2011. Some viewers were furious after Clarkson staged a series of Carry-On style digs at the country’s clothing, trains, toilets, food and history. He ridiculed the unhygienic conditions and lack of sanitation among the poor by driving

around the slums in a Jaguar fitted with a toilet and is seen taking off his trousers in front of two Indian dignitaries to show them how to use a trouser press.

The Top Gear team also placed banners promoting British industry on trains reading ‘British IT is Good for your Company’, and ‘Eat English Muffins’.

The BBC continues to defend Clarkson, stating that his ‘entertaining’ comments are often said with a ‘’twinkle in his eye.’’ The presenter certainty pushes the boundaries with this comments both on-screen and off, but the show is still going strong despite his behaviour. Although his statements offend many, viewers are still hooked on both the show and the controversy Clarkson brings to it.

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

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Understanding Equality & Diversity FIACH O’NEILL MSU Vice President for Welfare & Equality The Equal Status Act 2000 came into force on the 25th of October 2000 and was amended by the Equality Act 2004 on the 19th of July 2004. The Acts relate to discrimination based on the following 9 grounds: Gender, Marital Status, Family Status, Age, Race, Religion, Disability, Sexual Orientation and membership of the Traveller community.

When used in a legal, policy or political sense, equality is shorthand for equality of opportunity or equality of rights. It is therefore best interpreted as meaning equal fairness rather than uniformity (2+2=4, 2 when added to 2 is the same as 4).

If we do treat everybody the same (giving the same exam time to students with dyslexia), then we are reinforcing existing inequalities, and if we focus on sameness, then the difference becomes a problem.

Valuing diversity means avoiding falling into the trap of seeing difference as a problem to be solved.

Diversity is an asset to be celebrated, rather than something to be worried about.

If we adopt this broader view of equality as being about equal fairness, then we can see that equality and diversity are entirely compatible. Equality involves treating people fairly regardless of any differences between them.

Diversity involves valuing difference and the specific contributions people make. This strengthens equality, in the same sense that recognizing differences are not necessary problems means that we can treat people differently, without necessarily being unfair to them.

In effect, the move from a narrow, predominantly negative and defensive equal opportunities approach to a broader and positive diversity approach amounts to focusing on developing a culture of commitment rather than compliance.

That is, issues of treating people fairly and with respect and dignity should not be seen as compliance issues (How do we avoid breaking the law?), but rather as commitment issues (How do we generate commitment to valuing people for the rich diversity of what they bring to the workplace, community and to society more broadly?).

GENDER INEQUALITY: + Women continue to earn on average 17.8% less than men for every hour worked and this figure remains stable. + Women are still very under-represented in economic and political decision-making positions, although their share has increased over the last decade. + The division of family responsibilities is still very unequal between women and men. + The risk of poverty is higher for women than for men. + Women are the main victims of gender-based violence and women and girls are more vulnerable to trafficking of human beings.

The point can be made that men and women are often very different, however, it is also important to point out that difference should not be equated with inferiority and gender differences can easily become stereotypes and we have to be careful not to fall into this trap.

We should not over generalise gender patterns, nor should we treat them as prescriptions of how people should behave. Often the lines between the male and female gender stereotypes are blurred.

Men and women aren’t always treated equally in our society e.g. representation in decision making structures at local, regional and national levels, and discrepancies in salaries between men and women still exist.

Women need to be promoted in decision making positions and empowered to run for election.

The differences in pay between men and women in

Irish workplaces need to be eradicated.

The government and relevant organisations need to work on the issue of recognising gender reassignment.

Further online resources include: + Amen: amen.ie + Feminist Open Forum: feministopenforum.com + National Womens Council of Ireland: nwci.ie +Womens Aid: womensaid.ie + The Women’s Health Council: whc.ie INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: 3rd & 4th level institutions take in thousands of international students every year and yet these students are horribly underrepresented both at a local, and national level, meaning that many of the problems they face are scarcely dealt with.

As it stands at the moment the government is more interested in the economic benefit these students can provide, than the skills and experience they can offer.

The focus should not be on the amount of money these students bring to the Irish economy, but rather promoting Ireland as a study destination.

For example non EEA students face increasing barriers in seeking employment in Ireland after graduation as the period for finding employment after exam results is only 6 months, therefore deterring students from considering Ireland as a worthwhile place of study.

The international student population needs to be represented to all relevant bodies in the drafting, monitoring and changing of new immigration and visa proposals, including lobbying for positive changes where needed.

A better deal for international graduates under the third level graduate scheme for non EEA members needs to be lobbied.

The costings of all fees charged to international students need to be transparent, and advertised well in advance of students arriving in Ireland. Where possible, a lobby is also required for a decrease in the amount charged to international students.

Necessary supports need to be provided to ensure International students have a positive student experience.

Further online resources include: + Integrating Ireland: integratingireland.ie + Irish Council for International Students: icosirl.ie + Love Music Hate Racism Ireland: lmhrireland.com + Migrant Rights Centre Ireland: mrci.ie + Refugee Information Service: risi.ie MATURE STUDENTS: Similarly to the point made above with International students, 3rd & 4th level institutions take in vast amounts of mature students who are horribly underrepresented both at a local, and national level, meaning that their voices are scarcely heard.

Ageism is in many ways a hidden form of discrimination, as it tends to receive far less attention than the more established ‘isms’.

We are still, sadly, in the early days of the antiageist practice and therefore still have a long way to go.

The National Access Office, NIMSO and AONTAS links need to be strengthened between the Access Programmes around the country.

An increase in affordable accessible childcare and day care for mature students needs to be lobbied for.

The myths and misunderstandings associated with age need to be challenged and a platform from which to challenge age discrimination needs to be provided.

All 3rd & 4th level institutions need to fulfill the recommended intake of mature students.

Further online resources include: + AONTAS - National Adult Learning: aontas.com + One Parent Equality Network: oneparent.ie + One Family: onefamily.ie + Age & Opportunity: olderinireland.ie + Age Action Ireland: ageaction.ie + Friends of the Elderly: friendsoftheelderly.ie/ DISABILITY: Disability discrimination has become a legal issue in recent years and organisations may see the issues primarily in terms of compliance with legislation.

Disability is a subject that generally evokes a

Equality & Diversity: We’re all in this together sympathetic response – and this can be a significant part of the problem, people’s caring response can be a potential barrier.

This needs to be challenged and the foundations for a more fair and enjoyable learning experience need to be laid to encourage people to perceive disability issues from a different perspective.

Awareness needs to be raised among students of their rights and among lecturers of their responsibilities under current legislation and to publicise services which are available to students with disabilities.

The government and HEIs need to be lobbied to oppose the cuts that are and will be effecting students with disabilities.

More funding needs to be lobbied for to be allocated to the fund for Students with Disabilities; More campaigns need to be put in place on ‘hidden disabilities’. Awareness needs to be raised in 2nd level of the disclosure of disabilities on the CAO form.

Further online resources include: + Higher Education Access & Disability: ahead.ie + Disability Action N. Ireland: disabilityaction.org + Disability Federation: disability-federation.ie + Dyslexia Association of Ireland: dyslexia.ie + National Forum for Graduates with Disabilities: www.getaheadblog.wordpress.com + Irish Deaf Society: irishdeafsociety.ie + Irish Wheelchair Association: iwa.ie + National Council for the Blind in Ireland: ncbi.ie + National Disability Authority: nda.ie + Arts and Disability Directory: artsanddisability. com

+ National Lesbian & Gay Federation: nlgf.ie + Gay Switchboard: gayswitchboard.ie/ + GLEN (Gay and Leasbian Equality Network): glen. ie + Lesbian Education and Awareness:

angelfire.com/oh/leanow/ TRAVELLING COMMUNITY: Work needs to be done with ITM and Pavee Point to focus on problems facing students belonging to the travelling community in particular to opportunity, participation, integration and the stigma they face when entering and participating in 3rd or 4th level education.

Further online resources include: + National Association of Travellers’ Centres: natc.ie + ‘Voice of the Traveller’: natc.ie/vot RELIGION: Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any religion.

Freedom of religion is considered by many people and nations to be a fundamental human right. It is enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Awareness needs to be raised of the legal requirements relating to religion and to promote a better understanding of religious equality.

POVERTY: Work needs to be done on campaigning on the student support bill, access programs and grant systems to ensure that everyone has the opportunity SEXUAL ORIENTATION: to attend and remain in 3rd and 4th level.

This has only relatively recently featured as a legal + Combat Poverty Agency: combatpoverty.ie matter, the implementation of the Employment + DG Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Equality Regulations 2004 has raised awareness of the need to take more seriously problems associated with Opportunities: ec.europa.eu/social/ Irish Business and Employers Confederation: ibec. discrimination on the grounds of a person’s sexual identity, however it will be important to establish that ie/ Irish Congress of Trade Unions: ictu.ie/ good practice in relation to this issue is not just about Work Life Balance Website: worklifebalance.ie legal compliance.

The focus need not to be solely on the law, a FURTHER GENERAL ONLINE RESOURCES: broader perspective focusing on the complexities + Acts of the Oireacthas (1922 - 1998) on the website involved provides a sounder foundation for valuing diversity rather than simply seeking legal compliance. of the Attorney General: irlgov.ie/ag/ +Acts of the Oireachtas on the website of the Houses The introduction of civil marriage for lesbian and of the Oireachtas: oireachtas.ie gay couples needs to be lobbied for, which includes + Changing Ireland: changingireland.ie the right to raise a family and protection rights to + Citizens Information Board: their children.

The issue of increasing mental health issues among citizensinformationboard.ie + Equality Tribunal: equalitytribunal.ie/ the LGBT community needs to be highlighted and + Finding A Balance Project: findingabalance.org informing the LGBT Community of the issues + For Diversity Against Discrimination: surrounding illegal drug use and abuse of alcohol. stop-discrimination.inf A safe space on campus needs to be ensured + Irish Council for Civil Liberties: iccl.ie/ for all LGBT students e.g. LGBT societies, LGBT + Irish State Services: irlgov.ie/ Rights Officers, or Welfare Officers, to provide an + National Employment Rights Authority: opportunity for staff and students to reflect on how employmentrights.ie to promote equality in this area. + National Youth Council of Ireland: nyci.ie The issues of homophobia need to be highlighted + Rape Crisis Network Ireland: rcni.ie but in particular bi-phobia and trans-phobia on + Summerhill Active Retirement Group: campus. thirdage-ireland.com Further online resources include: + EQUAL Community Initiative: equal-ci.ie + Belong to: belongto.org + Equality Commission for N. Ireland: + Gay & Lesbian Equality Network: glen.ie equalityni.org + LGBT Noise: lgbtnoise.ie + MarriagEquality: marriagequality.ie

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Etta James: The Loss of an Icon CONOR BOOTH The music industry suffered a great loss on Friday January 20th with the death of legendary soul singer Etta James. James, who lost her battle with leukaemia, also suffered from Alzheimer’s disease which she was diagnosed with in 2008. James is survived by her two sons. Despite her death, her musical influence will live on for generations as she was a huge influence for singers such as Beyoncé Knowles who covered James’ most famous song ‘At Last’, which she performed at the inauguration of Barack Obama. In a statement Beyoncé said “This is a huge loss. Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime”.

Beyoncé was correct in saying that her musical contributions will live for a lifetime, but Etta James lived a difficult life including an addiction to heroin.

As a result of her addiction, James encountered a string of legal problems during the early 1970s.

She was continuously in and out of rehabilitation centres. In 1974, James was sentenced to drug treatment instead of serving time in prison after being arrested for possession of heroin. She was in the Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital for 17 months, at age 36. She later stated in her autobiography that the time she spent in the hospital changed her life.

However, after leaving treatment, her substance abuse continued into the 1980s. In 1988, at the age of 50, she entered the Betty Ford Center, in Palm Springs, California, for further treatment.

It is certain, however, that James will be remembered for her amazing contributions to the music industry. It is argued that James bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll.

Etta James: 1938 - 2012 James is the winner of 17 Blues Music Awards and six Grammy awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. One of her greatest achievements is being inducted into the Rolling Stone magazine’ list of the 100 greatest singers of all time, ranked at number 22 on their list. James’ discography consists of 28 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 6 compilations. She has also issued a total of 58 singles.

Of course James’ musical statistics speak for

themselves but James will be remembered for more than just her amazing vocal abilities, but for her ability to transfer raw emotion to a song and make the listener feel the music. James was a rare artist who, long after her commercial peak in the ’60s, still made terrific albums that are overlooked today. Like Nina Simone and Johnny Cash, James turned out at least one masterpiece every decade, right until the end.

However as with any of our most talented musicians, they receive more attention for their offstage antics such as in recent years when we

tended to hear about James for the wrong reasons.

But in a life filled with drug addiction, controversy, illness and early death, one thing is certain about the iconic artist, her music and legacy will live on forever and although we may not hear her music played daily on radios, whenever we hear a singer like Adele hit those high notes and mix genres in a way made famous by James, we can be certain that her star will shine on just as her star will remain on the Hollywood walk of fame forever.

Oxegen Festival Cancelled for 2012

LYNDSEY FARRELL

Entertainments & Culture Co-Editor @TheLyndog Irish music festival Oxegen has been cancelled this year. The festival, voted Best European Festival for two consecutive years, will not be taking place again until July 2013.

Promoters of the event, MCD, made a statement on the Oxegen website on Wednesday 21st December announcing the cancellation, “Oxegen, like Glastonbury, is taking a year off in 2012 and will be back July 2013. Keep Rockin’ in 2012 and we will see you n 2013.

Rumours of whether the festival would be taking place this year or not had been circulating for quite some time, and suspicions were put into overdrive when the Oxegen website failed to advertise early bird tickets for the three-day event. Suspected reasons for the cancellation include our good friend, the recession. The targeted generation for

the festival, eighteen to twenty-five year olds, have been considered unable to afford the festival for the last few years, bringing overall figures down.

It was reported in the Irish Times that a total of 128,000 people attended last year’s event, which seems to be significantly lower than previous years.

It was also reported in the Irish Times that MCD are going ahead with a series of concerts in Phoenix Park in July of this year, and have applied for a licence to stage up to six shows.

Unlike Oxegen, these will be standalone concerts played over a number of weeks. It has already been confirmed that the Stone Roses will be playing in Phoenix Park on July 5th, the day before Oxegen would have been due to start.

The news of Oxegen’s cancellation came a few weeks after reports that English music festival Glastonbury would not take place this summer due to a lack of police officers and, ahem, portaloos.

Michael Eavis, the man responsible for organising Glastonbury stated in The Telegraph, “Avon and Somerset [police] told us no police officers will be available as they will all be at the Olympics (taking place in London at the end of July.) and we only own half the loos we actually need every year.

There will be a huge demand for portaloo toilets in London, so [companies] will push up their prices and I can see it getting very expensive” Oxegen was first held in 2004 and has taken

Irish band Ash performing at the Oxegen Festival

place in Punchestown Racecourse every July. It is considered a “rite of passage” for young Irish adults and has hosted some of the biggest names in

the music industry, including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Muse.

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Lost Thin Lizzy Tapes Featuring Over 700 Recordings To Be Released Later This Year MICHAEL O’TOOLE @bassmastashadez

The 26th anniversary of the death of Thin Lizzy frontman Philip Lynott was marked by the discovery of large haul of “lost tapes”. It is understood that the tapes were stashed away by the Dublin rocker himself and, following their discovery, will be released to the public for the first time as a box-set.

It is believed that Lynott gave the cache of 150 tapes to a third-party shortly before his death in January 1986. The tapes which contain over 700 tracks have finally, after twenty-six years, been handed over to record company Universal Music.

The production of this new box-set will be overseen

by Thin Lizzy members Brian Downey and Scott Gorham, and is scheduled for release in June of this year.

The news of this new release is sure to excite Lizzy fans all over the world and will continue the revival of support which the band has recently been enjoying. 2011, being the 25th year since Lynott’s death, saw the formation of a new Thin Lizzy line-up including original members, Brian Downey and Scott Gorham, who took to the road for a European tour. It also saw the dedication of a

highly successful exhibition to Philip Lynott which was held by Hot Press magazine in St Stephens Green Shopping Centre.

This new box-set will also follow on from last year’s release of Live At The BBC, another set of works from the Lizzy archives. However it is believed that this newly discovered stash contains recordings from right throughout the band’s history, from the early Decca recordings in 1971 right up until the Renegade album of 1981.

“This is an absolutely stunning find,” Steve Hammonds, the box-set’s project manager told the Irish Independent. “In every group there’s a member who lovingly collects their recordings and in Thin Lizzy that was Phil Lynott, because Lizzy was his baby and his band.” Brian Downey expressed his own opinion of what the ‘lost’ tapes might contain on Radio Nova “700 songs could be a mixture of the same material rehashed over and over again…I suspect a lot of them are things that have been lying around, out-takes; maybe a couple of minutes of a take that never materialised”. He also expressed how he doesn’t yet know the person whom Lynott gave these tapes to.

In fact, label bosses are declining to give any more information on why the material has taken over 30 years to surface. Mr Hammond simply told the Irish Independent that the person who had the material “really didn’t trust anyone enough to release it properly.”

Whatever the story behind these tapes, their release later this year is sure to excite fans of the band worldwide.

An incarnation of Thin Lizzy during their haydays

Beach Boys’ 50th Anniversary Reunion

DYLAN COLLEY @dylancolley

Fifty years after they first entered the music scene, surf rock legends The Beach Boys shall embark on a fifty-show reunion tour including chief songwriter and leader Brian Wilson. The reunion was declared in mid-December, hushing the months of speculation and rumours about their return. Beginning in late April at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the tour will include fifty shows around the world. The line-up will include three original members - Brian Wilson (the only remaining Wilson brother of three in the band), his cousin Mike Love and Al Jardine, alongside Bruce Johnston and David Marks. Their backing band shall consist mainly of a band pieced together by Wilson.

After breaking through to the mainstream with their radio hit ‘Surfin’’ in 1961, The Beach Boys became famous for laid back close vocal harmonies and the depiction of 60’s teen Americana in their lyrics. They achieved huge acclaim, they played under such acts as Ike & Tina Turner, feeling out of place, but paid all the same. In 1966, they released their most famous and influential LP, Pet Sounds.

Thought to be one of the forerunners of the psychedelic era, it perhaps had its most important influence on The Beatles - in particular, John and Paul, who claimed to be influenced directly by this album more than anything else in the world. After this record, Wilson started to feel extreme pressure and his dependence on drugs started to take effect.

After shelving what was to be the album “Smile”, he stepped back, no longer as big a force in the Beach Boys until his return in 1976.

Since the 80’s, the Beach Boys have toured regularly without Brian Wilson, though in 2011, they recorded a charity single to aid the victims of the earthquake in Japan called Don’t Fight The Sea. The amount of time since the public could watch the Beach Boys play with Wilson is one of the reasons this tour is so highly anticipated.

In a statement released by the band, Wilson said “This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys, and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again”.

The excitement is not solely belonging to Wilson; the rest of the band share his enthusiasm, Mike Love also calling it a “thrill”. This tour is expected to exceed any others the band have embarked on for years, though no tour of theirs has ever been unsuccessful. This is mainly due to Wilson’s involvement and word of a new album to emerge, which the band have already entered the studio to start recording.

So far the only dates to announced of the tour are in New Orleans and Germany. However, fifty shows in all are to be announced throughout the world.

From boys to elder gentlemen: The Beach Boys Reunite

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Goldfrapp Release Singles Retrospective that we really didn’t want to repeat what we had done...we kind of wanted to do something that felt equally as fresh to us as the first one felt fresh to us.”

This album received great reviews and did relatively well in the charts.

Goldfrapp’s third album –Supernature- was released in August 2005. It includes the singles ‘Ride on a White Horse’, ‘Number 1’ and their most famous song ‘Ooh La La’. Supernature is a more ALLY KERR synth-pop/ glam-rock influenced album and sold @AllyKerr_ over one million copies worldwide.

Their fourth album – Seventh Tree, was released After thirteen years and five albums, the genrein February 2008 which features the singles ‘A & smashing pioneers Goldfrapp are set to release E’, ‘Clowns’ and Happiness’. This time, the band The Singles album. The album is a career-spanning abandoned their electro-pop roots and adopted overview featuring tracks from their five critically a more folky sound and features ambient and acclaimed albums, alongside two brand new songs downtempo music. Goldfrapp described the album written especially for this release: ‘Yellow Halo’ a slow building synth-pop track, and the introspective, as a “sensual counterpoint to the glitterball glamour of Supernature”. They claimed that the inspiration new wave ballad ‘Melancholy Sky‘. came from paganism and surreal English children’s The duo have explored a wide range of musical books. The album received rave reviews and became styles in their songs, although many songs are the band’s most critically acclaimed album since Felt characterized by Alison Goldfrapp’s breathy, soft Mountain. soprano vocals and Will Gregory’s multi-layered Head First was released March 2010. In this synthesizer and string arrangements. album, Goldfrapp go back to their electro-pop roots Goldfrapp’s debut album Felt Mountain was released in September 2000 and featured the singles and adopted an 80’s synth style. The album received a nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album at ‘Lovely Head’, ‘Utopia’, ‘Pilots (On a Star)’ and the 2011 Grammy Awards.

‘Human’. The album featured Alison’s synthesized The band also recently composed the soundtrack vocals over cinematic soundscapes and was for Nowhere Boy, a well-received early biopic of influenced by a variety of music styles including cabaret, folk and electronic music. Felt Mountain is John Lennon. Also Hans Zimmer has reportedly been listening to a lot of Goldfrapp during the considered their ‘trip-hop’ album. composition of The Dark Knight Rises. Goldfrapp: Black Cherry: In April 2003, Goldfrapp released The Singles is a stunning collection of songs that their second album Black Cherry which included brings together some of their best work in one neat the singles: ‘Strict Machine’, ‘Train’ and ‘Twist’. package. The Singles doesn’t represent the end but This time, the band adopted a more electro-pop just one milestone in their glittering career. The style. Alison Goldfrapp commented that the album Singles album is released from February 6th. differed from Felt Mountain because the band “felt

Goldfrapp performing on stage

Bloc Party To Reunite Katy Perry & Russell Brand To Divorce SHANE KIERNAN Technology Editor @shanezor101

Alternative indie heavyweights, Bloc Party have gotten their arses in gear for their long-awaited fourth album, with frontman Kele Okereke satisfied with his egotistical solo project, returning to the group with full intentions of releasing a new album this year.

This was met after months of uncertain speculation that Kele had been fired from the band and that the remaining members were undergoing a search for a new frontman. These rumours were quashed in January as the band were interviewed for BBC Radio 6 and confirmed their four year hiatus would end. The bands most recent release came in the form of the single, ‘One More Chance’, released as an extra single that did not feature on their third album, “Intimacy”. While the single was the end of Bloc Party for an indefinite amount of time, Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack both established their own side-projects, the former in a solo career, the latter in a electronic-indie duo.

Kele has had two releases in from his solo project; The Boxer album was released in 2010 to moderate commercial and critical success, while his followup EP was released last year to minimal media attention. Lissack’s side-project, Pin Me Down,

LYNDSEY FARRELL

Entertainments & Culture Co-Editor @TheLyndog

The hunting is over: Bloc Party to reform

were a generally underground affair with very little releases, yet a departure from his signature angular guitar sound.

In light of many rumours last year of Kele being sacked from the group, neither parties had much to comment on, lending credence to their disdain for interviews. All rumours were then swept aside as the bad reunited for the first time in more than a year to state that they were going to begin working on their follow-up to 2009’s Intimacy. A planned released date has not been stated as of yet, but the band have said they want to see it released this year. All we can do now is hope that Kele’s ego stays out of the way of the band’s originality and unique sound.

After fourteen months of marriage and nearly a year of rumours and speculation, Russell Brand and Katy Perry are calling it a day.

On December 30th of 2011, the 36yr old comedian filed for divorce against his 27yr old wife citing “irreconcilable differences.” Brand publicly announced the split that day, “Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends.”

Brand and Perry first started dating in September 2009 and were engaged by New Year’s Eve just four months later. They tied the knot in a traditional Hindu ceremony in India in October of 2010. Brand, who was once a notorious ladies’ man, believed that Perry was the reason he changed his womanizing ways, “I knew I’d marry her on that first date… I changed. No more women.”

Despite Brand’s regular declarations of love for his wife, rumours of the couple’s deteriorating marriage had been circulating since mid-2011, with magazines and newspapers noting the amount of time they spent apart. Both Brand and Perry

Perry & Brand at the height of their romance

brushed rumours aside, putting their time apart down to busy work schedules. While rumours failed to go away, Brand defended his marriage on the Ellen deGeneres Show on December 2nd, just four weeks before filing for divorce, “I’m married to Katy. Perpetually, ‘Until death to us part’ was the pledge. I’m still alive.”

However, news of the couple’s split was not a shock to the world, as it had been brought to the public’s attention that the Brand and Perry spent the Christmas holidays apart. They had a “massive row,” which led to celebrations thousand of miles away from each other. Brand stayed in Cornwall, while Perry relaxed on a beach in Hawaii with friends.

Perry has yet to comment on the split, but has thanked her fans on her for their support through Twitter.

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At The Drive-In Reunite For Coachella RORY McCORMACK “Attention! To whom it may concern: At the Drive-In will be breaking their 11 year silence THIS STATION IS ...NOW...OPERATIONAL” said the Twitter account of the cult Texas posthardcore outfit early last month. The members have reconvened to play two sets at California’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April.

There had been hints of a possible reunion several years ago, with both frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez speaking of how they had made amends with their former bandmates and that a musical reunion could potentially be on the horizon. Fans, however, were forced to wait another two years and it seems that the band are now set to play their first gig together since their parting in 2001. Formed in 1993 in El Paso, Texas by guitarist Jim Ward and BixlerZavala, the band were heavily influenced by the 80s hardcore scene, releasing their debut EP Hell Paso a year after formation. They garnered acclaim as an underground act for several years before releasing their breakthrough LP Relationship Of Command in 2000, but they sadly split a year later.

Bixler-Zavala is often credited with the break-

up, claiming that the band were holding him back artistically when he wanted them to evolve towards a more progressive sound, while the rest preferred something a little more conservative. Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopez would go on to form the experimental group known as The Mars Volta, while the remaining members - Ward, Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos – became the alternative rock band Sparta. The Mars Volta released their debut De-Loused in the Comatorium to much critical acclaim in 2003, a year after Sparta announced their own existence with Wiretap Scars to a comparatively muted reception. The Mars Volta became renowned for their highly charged live shows and their intricate blend of progressive rock, jazz and Latin American music, going on to release a further four albums, with a sixth, entitled Noctourniquet, scheduled to hit shelves in March.

At the Drive-In’s diverse range of influences will be reflected when they take to the stage in April.

This Coachella line-up appears to be the most impressive in its short history, with headline sets from Radiohead, the Black Keys and Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, the latter also celebrating a return to live music after a lengthy hiatus. This year is the first time the festival will take place over successive weekends with each act playing two dates, but one hopes that At the Drive-In can put their differences aside long enough to play for the fans flocking to see them on both dates, and long enough to play for their many thousands of fans yet to have such a privilege.

JRR Tolkien Snubbed for 1961 Nobel Prize

DYLAN COLLEY

KEITH BRONI

@dylancolley

Editor-In-Chief @keithbroni

Since its staggered publication between 1954 and 1955, JRR Tolkien’s epic fantasy trilogy The Lord Of The Rings has become one of the world’s most beloved pieces of fiction. It is currently the third best-selling novel ever written, has had a highly successful cinematic trilogy between 2001 and 2003 and is credited with creating the high fantasy genre which features other beloved series such as The Wheel of Time and A Song of Fire and Ice (the latter of which is currently being adapted into the highly successful HBO series A Game of Thrones).

However, according to recently released documents which have become declassified after 50 years, Tolkien was snubbed for the 1961 Nobel Prize for Literature. In fact, the Nobel jury evidentially did not hold Tolkien’s masterwork in very high esteem – commenting that “the result has not in any way measured up to storytelling of the highest quality.” This was discovered by Swedish journalist Andreas Ekstorm, who after studying the released documents wrote about the findings in the ‘Sydsvenska Dagbladet’ newspaper. The documents also reveal that it was CS Lewis, the writer of the fantasy and pseudo-Christian parable series The Chronicles of Narnia, who originally put forward

Shelved Captain Beefheart album to finally be released

JRR Tolkien: the master of high fantasy

Tolkien’s nomination.

The released documents also reveal interesting details about another famed British writer. Graham Greene, who never won the Nobel prize despite being one of the most revered authors in history, is listed as the Nobel jury’s runner up for the 1961 award. Yet it was the Yugoslavian writer Ivo Andric who took home the prize for what the jury described as the “epic force with which he has traced themes and depicted human destinies”.

Other prominent literary figures put forward in 1961 included Karen Blixen Britons EM Forster, author of works including Howards End, and The Alexandria Quartet writer Lawrence Durrell.

In 1976 Captain Beefheart (known to some as Don Van Vliet, known to less as Don Vliet, and known to fewer still by his birth name Don Glen Vliet) recorded the album Bat Chain Puller with the involvement of friend and fellow psychedeliac Frank Zappa, much to the albums demise. The album unfortunately got shelved after getting wrapped up in Zappa’s legal issues with the cofounder of his record label Herb Cohen. However, after 35 years, the much bootlegged LP Bat Chain Puller was announced to be released on what would be Beefheart’s 71st birthday, the 15th of January 2012.

Set to be his 13th studio album, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band recorded Bat Chain Puller with Frank Zappa’s DiscReet Records and planned to release it under Virgin Records.

Enthusiastic over his latest studio effort, the Captain had sent copies of tapes to publications for it to be reviewed before issues started to surface between the DiscReet founders. Zappa discovered that partner Herb Cohen had in fact funded production on Bat Chain Puller using royalty cheques earned by Frank. The partnership was ended between the two, and demanding to be paid in advance by Virgin who were to take on the record, Zappa withheld the master tapes from

A devilishly angelic Captation Beefheart

the record company. This meant that Cohen could not then receive pay himself, causing him to sue Zappa. The court case that ensued forced Beefheart to ditch Bat Chain Puller and re-record many of the tracks for 1978’s Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) instead.

Some tracks from the original Bat Chain Puller made it on to Shiny Beast, some even got onto 1980’s Doc At the Radar Station, however Zappa refused to allow Beefheart to use the remaining tracks on 1982’s Ice Cream For Crow. After his troublesome attempts with this record, Beefheart was so disillusioned he subsequently insisted this album never see the light of day during his lifetime.

The album has seen many bootleg copies, though production had not been completed until recently, when Magic Band drummer John French and guitarist Denny Walley mixed it for release. Now, just over a year after Don Van Vliet’s life ended, Bat Chain Puller shall finally be released through Zappa Records.

Due to manufacturing issues, the record will now see its official release on the 13th of February instead.

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The Oscars Take An Unusual Turn

PETER MANNING

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced in Los Angeles on January 24. ‘Hugo,’ Martin Scorcese’s 3D family film, leads the race with 11 nominations, with ‘The Artist’ (widely considered to be the favourite) following with 10 nods. Both films will battle it out in most of the top categories including Best Director, Best Screenplay and of course the coveted Best Picture award category, in which there are nine nominees this year.

‘The Descendants’ has received multiple nods including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for its star, George Clooney, who is tipped to win his second statuette.

If ‘The Artist’ performs a sweep, however, its leading man, Jean Dujardin could claim the Best Actor prize in favour of Hollywood’s heartthrob.

Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt and Demián Bichir fill the remaining Best Actor slots.

‘The Help,’ a touching drama concerning racial prejudice in 1960s America, received nominations for Best Actress (Viola Davis), and Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain).

Spencer looks set to win her first Oscar for her scene-stealing performance, although her fellow nominees, Chastain, Bérénice Bejo, Melissa McCarthy and Janet McTeer deserve equal mention.

McCarthy garnered a well-deserved surprise nod here for what was truly the breakthrough performance of the year, in the sidesplitting comedy ‘Bridesmaids.’ Its star, Kristen Wiig, failed to receive a Best Actress nomination, but managed to gain an equally impressive Best Original Screenplay nod for her work on the script with co-writer Annie Mumolo.

In a year of biopics, it is not surprising that Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams both have been nominated in the Best Actress category for their portrayals of Margaret Thatcher and Marilyn Monroe, respectively. Williams’ co-star,

A scene from Martin Scorcese’s ‘Hugo’

Kenneth Brannagh has also received a nod for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Sir Laurence Olivier. Brannagh’s contenders include 82-year old Christopher Plummer, who is nominated for his performance in ‘Beginners,’ Jonah Hill for ‘Moneyball,’ Nick Nolte for ‘Warrior,’ and Max von Sydow for ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.’

Plummer will undoubtedly take home the gold in

this category.

Although the Best Picture and Best Director awards usually go hand in hand, there have been some exceptions in recent years, most recently in 2005, when ‘Brokeback Mountain’ claimed the Director’s award and ‘Crash’ was awarded Best Picture. It seems likely, however, that ‘The Artist’ will claim both titles in 2012. So, where does that

leave poor ‘Hugo’? It appears that this adventure film’s confident sweep of nominations will most likely be swept under the Oscar rug, come February, for in Hollywood, all eyes are on ‘The Artist.’

The 84th Academy Awards will take place at a formal ceremony in Los Angeles on February 26.

Trent Reznor: From Woodstock to Oscar to Snub KEITH BRONI Editor-In-Chief @keithbroni

Saturday, August 13th, 1994. The second day of the 25th anniversary Woodstock Festival and the day that a mud-clad Trent Reznor would enter the world’s mainstream musical consciousness under the moniker of Nine Inch Nails. Alongside his motley live band (all effectively session musicians due to Reznor’s prolific song writing), Reznor raged through a set full of smashed guitars, shattered microphone stands and roars of “fuck” on Pay-PerView. Although at that moment it was clear that Reznor was destined to become an angst-ridden musical anti-hero, few could have ever guessed that almost twenty years later he would be the proud owner of an Academy Award, let alone be controversially snubbed for a second nomination to the surprise of many.

Come mid 2009 Reznor was rapidly approaching physical and mental exhaustion. After returning successfully from an extended stint of rehab in 2004 with the album With Teeth, Reznor entered arguably the most fruitful phase of his career, released a

further two albums and a four-disc instrumental collection in the time it had traditionally taken him to write a single LP. Yet following these releases and waves upon waves of touring, Reznor felt it was time to ‘Wave Goodbye’ for the foreseeable future, performing a final stripped-down world tour which climaxed in a handful of three hour plus performances. He then began his sabbatical, retracting from the public eye with wife Mariqueen and began to start a family. So when David Fincher approached Reznor about writing a full-length score for his founding-of-Facebook story, The Social Network, Reznor polity declined the offer. However, after several months Reznor came to regret this decision and called Fincher to apologise and ask him to keep him in mind for future projects. Fincher replied “That’s fine. I was still waiting on you to say yes.” Thus began Reznor’s journey to winning the 2011 Academy Award for Best Soundtrack with his partner Atticus Ross, beating our seasoned movie score veterans such as Hans Zimmer.

This effort, however, was not technically Reznor’s first foray into the world of cinema. During the 1990s Reznor had compiled berserk bric-a-brac scores for both Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers and David Lynch’s Lost Highway. These soundtracks comprised of other artists’ material and a handful of tracks from Nine Inch Nails. As well as this, Reznor was originally asked by Mark Romanek to produce a score of original material for his feature film debut, the thriller One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams. Yet before tracks had even developed beyond the demo stage, Romanek made an apologetic call to Reznor and explained that the studio were demanding he employ “a real composer”.

Trent Reznor (right) and Atticus Ross One can only assume all that could have been if this score had come to fruition. However, Reznor has since confessed to have been wallowing in a nadir of depression and addiction at time of the request, struggling to complete the seething double album The Fragile. As composing a score likely would have negatively impacted on both the record and Reznor’s health, it’s probably for the best that he was released from the project.

Even before the Oscar win for The Social Network’s soundtrack, Ficher and Reznor had agreed to work together once more on finished next project, a Hollywood adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s Sweedish thriller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Both the film and the score were released to high levels of acclaim, with the soundtracks CD / mp3 release spanning over three hours. Yet despite this critical

acclaim, the score was mysteriously snubbed come the release of the 2012 Academy Award nominees last week. It was also not the only controversial snub, with the critically acclaimed score for Drive by Cliff Martinez also failing to be mentioned on the shortlist.

Yet with a new Nine Inch Nails record on the horizon, it seems unlikely that Reznor will wallow over his exclusion. With the 2011 Oscar win, Reznor completed what has been referred to as the least awkward career transition in history, proving the worth of his moody and often jagged compositions beyond the realm of the industrial music genre.

Although not present on the shortlist this year, I have no doubt that he will be listed there once more sooner rather than later.

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Video Gaming Preview for 2012

MARK TIERNEY

2011 was undoubtedly a great year for video games, big budget titles like Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 captured national attention, whilst others like Portal 2 and L.A Noire wowed gamers with their compelling, narrative driven gameplay.

However, if the 2012 line-up of games is anything to go by, we are set for an even better year this year. Often a slow month for releases, January kick starts the year with two hotly anticipated Japanese titles. SquareEnix’s latest in their seemingly never ending roleplaying series, Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, Xbox 360, 31/1) along with the next instalment of Namco’s critically acclaimed fighting game series, SoulCalibur V (PS3, Xbox 360, 31/1).

February sees the introduction of a new pretender to the role playing crown in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, 7/2). PlayStation 3 owners can look forward to some vehicle on vehicle destruction in Twisted Metal (PS3, 14/2). Other titles scheduled to hit store shelves in February include: The Darkness II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, 7/2), UFC Undisputed (PS3, Xbox 360, 14/2) and the First-Person reboot of old favourite Syndicate (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, 21/2). February also sees the introduction of Sony’s new handheld, the PS Vita, whether it can be a commercial success unlike its predecessor remains to be seen.

March brings us one of the most anticipated titles of the year, Bioware’s final title in their universally acclaimed sci-fi trilogy, Mass Effect 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, 6/3) which will for the first time include co-op multiplayer. Also set for release in March is the next game in Team Ninjas notoriously difficult action-adventure series, Ninja Gaiden 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, 20/3). Continuing the strong presence of the number three in March, Max Payne returns in Max Payne 3 albeit this time in the much sunnier climes of Rio de Janeiro (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, TBD March). Other titles set for release in March include the intriguing Street Fighter X Tekken (PS3, Xbox 360, 6/3), Resident Evil Operation: Raccoon City (PS3, Xbox 360, 20/3), and just to show I haven’t

Promotional artwork for Mass Effect 3 completely forgotten about the Wii, Mario Party 9 is also set for release during March (Wii, 11/3).

After March things become decidedly less certain, with very few games pencilled in for definite release dates beyond the third month of the year. What we do know however is that by the end of 2012 we should have our hands on E3 2011 Game of the Show, BioShock Infinite, Assassin’s

Creed III which will feature a brand new hero and setting, and Halo 4 which will most likely hit stores in November. Microsoft hopes to release Star Wars Kinect and Fable: The Journey to bolster its Kinect line-up whilst Sony has its sci-fi combat game Staehawk, ready for release. The oft delayed Diablo III should make an appearance in 2012 as could the next Grand Theft Auto which was announced

towards the end of 2011, and who knows, with Nintendo’s next console the Wii U due for release in 2012, we may just hear the first details emerge concerning both Microsoft’s and Sony’s next generation of hardware. Whatever the case may be 2012 promises to be a great year for gaming. Hold on to your wallets folks!

Séamus Ó Fianghusa & Teanga na bhFiann an chláir go ndúradh leis arís is arís nuair a bhí sé ag fás aníos gur Éireannaigh a bhí iontu agus tá a chlann thar a bheith bródúil as a gcultúr; “Bhí náire orm nach rabh teangaidh mo shinsear agam agus dúirt mé liom fhéin go gcaithfidh mé í a fhoghlaim gan mhoill” D’fhoghláim sé an ghaeilge ar líne agus ó teipeanna na sraithe “Now You’re Talking”, agus JOHN Ó LIONÁN chaith sé tamaill ag freastal ar ranganna i nGleann @johnoliodain Cholmcille i dTír Chonaill. Chaith Séamus na Gaeilge naoi mí ar camchuairt sa chuige Logar, Is gnáthrud é a bheith i do chónaí in Éirinn gan agus thainig sé thar n-ais go hÉireann agus é ar sos an Ghaeilge a bheith agat ina dhiadh blianta ag ó gníomhaíochtaí míleata . foghlaim an teanga sa scoil ach is iontach an rud Duirt sé go raibh siad i mbaol beagnach achan é nuair atá gaeilge ag daoine agus gan cónaí orthu lá agus ba mhór an faoiseamh é an tréimhse a anseo riamh. Bhí an Gael Meiriceánach Séamus chaith sé i dTír Chonaill. Rinne an chlár cur síos ar Ó Fianghusa faoi chaibidil sa chlár faisnéise Seamus Na Gaeilge agus é ag freastal ar oireachtas “Dúshlán” ar TG4 le gairid, mar chuid de sraith de na samhna fosta. Is féile cultúrtha é Oireachtas na chláir a dhéanann cur síos ar an saol dúshlánach samhna ina eagraíonn conradh na gaeilge raon atá ag Gaeil áirithe. Maolaisnéis a bheadh ann a rá leathan imeachtaí i rith na bliana chun na healaíona go bhfuil saol dúshlánach ag Séamus Ó Fianghusa, dúchasacha, trí mhean na gaeilge, a cheiliúradh. nó Seamus na Gaeilge mar a thugtar air. Is sairsint Ní amháin go bhfuil Gaeilge aige ach is é Séamus in Arm Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá agus ceoltoir sean nóis é agus tá ard aithne ag lucht an déanann an chéad clár de sraith cur síos ar an oireachtais air leis na blianta fada. Tá dóchas ag tréimhse a chaith sé ag troid in Afganastáin.

Séamus don Ghaeilge agus tá na deachrachtaí ar Is as Brooklyn Nua Eabhrac dó ach cheapfá óna eolas aige fosta; chanúint Ultach gur ó Tír Chonaill dó. Is as Éire dá “Tá an Ghaeilge lag agus láidir san aon am Athair agus as an Chóire dá mháthair, agus togadh amháin. Ar an drochuair, níl sí tábhachtach leis an le Bearla agus an Choréis é ach bheartaigh sé cupla ghnáthdhuine i nÉirinn, cé go bhfuil fhios gur seo bliain ó shin chun an Ghaeilge a fhoghláinn agus teangaidh stairiúil an phobail. Ach tá gluaiseacht tá Gaeilge ar a thoil anois aige. Deir Séamus le linn Gaeilge láidir ann atá ag dul ó neart go neart”

United States soldier Séamus Ó Fianghusa

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A Blog from Abroad: Wardrobe Essentials: Perth, Australia Handbag Heaven MAEVE KAVANAGH @maevekxxx

A content Michael in Perth, Australia

MICHAEL KELLY @kellymike87

First things first. Going to Australia is a major life decision, but if you get here you will see that it is the best decision you could make!

My girlfriend and I have been in Australia for 7 months now. We arrived on July 4th 2011.

Stepping off the plane in Perth International airport was a series of mixed emotions. Delight at finally making it this far, trepidation at being so far away from home and relief at having gotten off a plane after 24 hours of travelling.

We were very lucky when we arrived as I have relatives in Perth who were able to put us up while we found our feet. Many people, however, have to stay in backpacker hostels for the first few weeks.

Many of you reading this will be finishing college in a few months and may be worrying about finding work at home.

Finding work in Australia, particularly Perth, can be alot easier than in Ireland. I’m sure many of you reading this will be delighted to hear that. But, more often than not you will find work easier in a field that you have not qualified in.

For example, I qualified as a journalist but have found journalism work tough to come by. However, I have worked in an Irish bar, on a construction site and as a landscape labourer while here.

So while there are jobs to be found, you need to be willing to do work outside of your comfort zone.

Perth, as with most of Australia, can be quite expensive to live in. We have found that between rent and food it can seem like it is more expensive than even Ireland or the UK. Thankfully though, the wages in Australia are quite high compared to Ireland. In the hospitality industry the minimum wage is about $20 and overtime and public holiday rates can bring you up

to almost $40 an hour if your in the right job.

Now for the really important information.... travellin and seeing the country!

Since we arrived here we have seen Sydney for New Years Eve, Perth and south-west Australia.

Every one of these places is amazing! We even made it over to New Zealand for the Ireland-Italy game in the rugby world cup.

Sydney obviously has all the highlights you would expect from a major city. The Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and Manly beach were just some of the amazing things to see there.

We have seen south-west Australia because we are in the middle of doing our regional work. This is 88 days of working in rural Australia in order to get a second year visa and extend your time in Australia.

But be warned, regional work is far from easy. We have been picking flowers for the past 3 weeks and it is tough. The pay is usually piece rate, which means we get 12 cent for every flower picked.

But regional work is not about money, it’s all about getting the days done and getting back to normality and civilisation.

I should also warn any of you who don’t like creepy crawlies that Australia, particularly regional Australia, is full of snakes and spiders.

The top 10 most poisonous snakes in the world are all in Australia and 9 of the top 10 poisonous spiders are here too.

Some of them are harmless but huge, eg. huntsman spiders, whereas some small spiders are highly venomous, eg. Redback spiders.

Australia is definitely the adventure of a lifetime.

There are so many things to see and do that you will never experience in Ireland or anywhere else.

If nothing else I highly recommend going to Oz for at least a year. Just for the experience of a lifetime!

#1: The Big Bag An everyday essential. Handy for running into town, meeting the girls for lunch, popping a pair of flats in/carrying your make up kit around. It’s our real world equivalent of the ‘Mary Poppins Bag’. Take a look at this one from Guess - or a really reasonable alternative tote bag from Penneys. #2: The Black Bag Everyone has/should have one at least! Goes with nearly everything, can be adapted for day/evening looks. Medium size. My favourites are my Guess bag bought in Venice, and my baby- The Channel quilted bag. Check out this new one from Pauls Boutique. #3: The Cute Clutch A must have for nigths out/evening wear. Match it with your shoes to tie the whole outfit together.

When buying clutches, I love looking out for glitz or crazy prints. check out this mirrored bow one from ASOS . #4: Trendy Travel Bag Whether you’re jetting off for a weekend away, traveling for business or just going down the country to see some relatives, your bag can attract a lot of attention. Ever watch the luggage carrousel in the airport and envy that amazing Louis Vuitton travel set? Exactly. So make sure you have

something show stoppingly similar to hand ! Check out Jasper Conrans new range for TRIPP luggage! #5: Cool & Casual Something you can put with most outfits, not too glitzy or outrageous. A chilled out chick carrying books around in college, or perhaps an overnight bag.. New look have started carrying a Gola rang of casual bags - take a peek! #6: Fantastically Funky If your anyway like me, you like to have some really quirky pieces in your wardrobe. And why not? Show off your inner passion for fashion and let your bag do the talking. I came across this sparkling strawberry on http://crystalsandco.com/zencart/ amongst other amazing pieces.

The Empty Glass Guide ROB GILMOUR & SHANE McNALLY Seifried, Gewurztraminer, 2010

Score: (A) 92, Price: €19.99, Mill Wine Cellar

Clean, and rather pronounced, a deep and intense dark black cherry opened up the nose game. A really refreshing nose and some great notes of thyme, adding some herbal freshness, which considering the freshness of the wine already could seem needless, yet, needless it was not, the refreshing nose added so much liveliness. Dry, with surprising tannic structure to the front of the mouth. High acidity as you’d expect from an Italian, just begging pizza or pasta. Full body of the black cherry, which exploded as the cherry cola you may so covet, everywhere on the palate, fruits like strawberry would hold tightly for their lives as the cherry hammered at them. As red currant opened so too did what seemed to be a slight oak influence. character.

Amazing wine.

O’Hara’s Leann Folláin

Dark Arts Porter

Carlow Brewing Company has been around for awhile now and represents one of the most successful microbreweries in the Irish beer revival.

Their Leann Folláin is exactly as named, a big rich stout that has a hefty alcohol content to boot (6%). Rich flavours of espresso coffee and a hint of chocolate are complemented by a slight spice to the finish. While the higher alcohol content gave it a slightly too bitter finish, this is certainly more interesting than Guinness, with a heap load more

This black stuff stylishly owns bitterness, hiding it away and not offering a hint of it up until a fear grasps you that the porter is tipping over to sickly, an austere streak of refreshing and cleaning bitterness rides in to clean everything away and leave you standing in nothing short of awe. Now add this to the preceding chocolate, caramel and coffee Molotov cocktail already causing taste buds to rupture, and you have nothing short of a small display of art.

Score: (B+) 80, Price: €3.45, Mill Wine Cellar

Score: (A) 92, Price: €2.99, Mill Wine Cellar

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A Gnarly Dose of ‘90s Nostalgia

MAJELLA ROGERS @majrog

The 1990s ushered in a flurry of new films, toys, sweets and TV programmes that defined a decade for a generation of children. Batman:The Animated Series, which originally aired in 1992, became one of the best loved cartoons of the 1990s. Based on the 1939 comics, the series won four Emmy Awards for its dark subject matter and high artistic quality. The cartoon series was equally as sinister and adventurous; provoking GN to refer to it the series the best cartoon of all time. Rugrats aired from 1991-2004 and was the longest ever running cartoon series on Nickelodeon. It not only earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but the series was also expanded into three films. The Pokemon cartoon was also hugely popular in the 1990s. The programme evolved into fourteen films and the additional games, toys, cards and stickers are collectable items today. The first episode of The Simpsons originally aired in December 1989 but the popularity of the show grew dramatically in the 1990s. It is now the longest-running scripted show in television history. The Simpsons explores modern day families, society and television with

its trademark humour. Since it first aired, the show has broadcast 497 episodes and is in its twentythird season. Other popular cartoons in the 1990s included Pinky and the Brain, Teenage Mutan Ninja Turtles, Hey Arnold, Earthworm Jim and Dragon Ball Z. Home Alone (1990) was one of the greatest films of the decade and is the third highest grossing film of all time. The adventures of Kevin McAllister and the two gullible robbers have been enjoyed by children throughout the nineties and right up to today. Beauty and the Beast (1991) was another remarkable movie of the 1990’s. The magical songs and stunning picture led to the film becoming the first animated film to ever be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Beauty and the Beast went on to spawn a TV series, video sequels and a Broadway musical. The Lion King (1994), considered one of the greatest childhood films of the 1990s, is still equally as popular today. The film, praised for its evocative music and striking visuals, received numerous awards. The Lion King is also the highest-grossing hand-drawn film in history. Toy Story (1995) is also one of the greatest animated films of all time and the toys are still available in shops today. The film is bursting with likeable characters, funny scenes and giddy adventures.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) was voted one of the most hilarious movies of all time and is one of the top 100 Funniest Films of the century. Jumanji (1995), The Mighty Ducks (1992) and Free Willy (1993) are other notable films of the 1990s.

Mario is probably one of the most famous characters in video-game history. He emerged in

the 1990s as the main character in the video game franchise of the same name, and it went on to become the best-selling video games of all time.

Polly Pockets, Barbie, Action Man, Mr. Stretch and Game Boys were among the most popular toys that kept children entertained that decade.

The Tamagotchi phenomenon began in 1996 and enjoyed huge popularity. Scooters, Yo-Yos, Lego, Pogs, Slinkies, Furby and frisbies were staple toys for both boys and girls. Play Station emerged in 1994 with exciting new games such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon and Resident Evil, many of which are still popular today.

Some of the most popular bands of the 1990s included The Spice Girls, S Club 7, Steps, The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, N*Sync and Boyzone. The music charts were filled up-beat, catchy tunes such as the Macarena, Mambo No.5 and Barbie Girl. Pocket money could be spent on Frosties, Dan Bars, Black Jacks, Big Time Bars and Dip-Dabs, Mr. Freezy, Fat Frog ice-creams and Sunny D. There were endless entertaining children’s TV shows such as Sister Sister, Mr. Bean, Art Attack, Blue Peter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Xena Warrior Princess, Saved by the Bell and Keenan and Kel, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even as children, adult programmes such as Friends, Baywatch, Glenroe and Blind Date were unmissable. The decade also saw great comics such as The Beano, The Dandy and Batman. Many cereal boxes often included toys, spoons and straws associated with cartoons and films. Much of the merchandise associated with the great films and

Batman: The Animated Series cartoons from this period are considered collectable items today. Pokemon toys from the 1990s can be worth up to €50 each, and many comics and cards are collectable items also.

The 1990s saw an explosion of new cartoons and TV shows, music, sweets, toys and films. Our childhood would not have been the same without them.

EU removes copyright Beyonce & Jay-Z name on works of James Joyce new baby girl Blue Ivy SHAUNA LOUISE KELLY

KEITH BRONI

@YourTextHere

Editor-In-Chief @keithbroni

On the first day of 2012, the European Union’s copyright on the works by famed Irish author James Joyce was removed. Therefore since the beginning of this year, works such as Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and the infamous Ulysses have been available for publication, quotation and adaptation without any required reference or payment to the author’s Irish estate, currently run by his grandson and only living descendent, Stephen Joyce. Prior to this year even the annual Bloomsday festival was restricted in the materials it could utilise.

The current term for copyrighted material under EU law is 70 years from the death of the author.

When Joyce died on the 13th of January 1941, the copyright of his works was for only 50 years within Britain and Ireland. However, come 1943, the EU’s copyright laws were synched in line with Germany’s period seven decades.

The current organiser of the Dublin Bloomday Festival, Stacey Herbert, has welcomed the removal of the EU copyright and the added freedom it will give the festival. In 2011 she told The Irish Times that she hopes to feature a collection of flashmobs performing each chapter of Ulysses.

The infamous author James Joyce

However, there are still some grey areas regarding the unpublished works of Joyce.

Although many of Joyce’s manuscripts were reproduced in 1979 for the James Joyce Archive, many have remained private and unpublished.

The National Library of Ireland holds the largest collection of Joyce’s unpublished manuscripts and correspondence in the world, yet at the time of writing the institution has not yet released any statement regarding whether or not they will allow the works into the public domain. Indeed, whether or not they have any legal obligation to remains unclear. Well-known Joycean scholar and former Irish Presidential candidate David Norris requested discussion in the Seanad regarding the issue.

Joyce was not the only famed author whose material entered the public domain at the start of this year – Virginia Woolf ’s material is now available without need for permission or fee.

Saturday January 7th saw the long awaited arrival of Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of singer Beyoncé Knowles and her husband, rapper Jay-Z. The couple, worth a reported $750 million, are rumoured to have spent over one million dollars on ensuring privacy for the birth of their baby, booking an entire floor of an Upper East Side New York private hospital and bringing in extra security.

This appears to have paid off, as no pictures of either baby, parents, or relatives entering and leaving the hospital have been leaked to the press as yet.

Celebrities and fans flocked to Twitter to send congratulations to the new parents with Beyoncé’s sister Solange describing Blue as “the most beautiful little girl in the world”. Baby Blue has also had her first taste of the music business, as her cries are featured on a song written and recorded

by Jay-Z just days after her birth. ‘Glory’ features lyrics from Jay-Z informing us that his daughter is his “greatest creation”, and also confirms that Beyoncé suffered a miscarriage before having Blue, something which was previously unknown.

Rumours had been circulating about everything possible related to Beyoncé’s pregnancy since she announced it at last August’s MTV VMAs. At one stage, these rumours went as far to say that

Jay-Z & Beyonce: power couple to power parents

she was not actually pregnant at all, an idea that came about from an appearance on an Australian TV chat show, in which Beyonce’s bump seemed to disappear when she sat down. This was emphatically denied by Ms Knowles, who labelled the stories as ridiculous. There had also been gossip on Twitter that the singer had given birth a few weeks before the baby’s actual arrival, which were later proved as false when paparazzi snapped Beyonce, still with a sizable baby bump, out and about over Christmas.

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THE IRON LADY

daughter Carol, played by Olivia Colman, brings a sense of being the dutiful daughter mixed with resentment of her mother to the screen.

Film. 105 minutes. Directed by Phyllida It is easy to see why Thatcher’s family were not overly Llyod. Starring Meryl Streep, Jim happy with the way their mother is portrayed in the film.

Broadbent, Richard E. Grand. Released 6th Emotive scenes, such as the one regarding her first day in the House of Commons, paint a picture of Mrs Thatcher January 2012. as an extremely cold woman who shows little regard for her young children. A home video of the family on holiday also shows us that work was more important than family to her. One wonders whether this movie places career and family on a scale of binary opposition Margaret Thatcher was certainly a controversial figure during her spell as leader of the Conservative Party and as on purpose, or whether that is how it really was for British Prime Minister. I have never been a fan of the now Thatcher. There has often been an anti-feminist bias in mainstream Hollywood; women have been portrayed Baronness so it would be true to say that I was going into watch The Iron Lady with a few preconceptions. However, many times as not being able to have both a fulfilling career and family life, they must choose one whilst the as a student of history I was curious to see in what way Mrs Thatcher would be portrayed: would an overly positive other suffers.

All in all, The Iron Lady is an enjoyable way to spend or negative picture be painted of her in this biopic? After a few hours, and it certainly gives a different insight into seeing it, I’m still unsure of the answer to that question. the life of one of the most powerful women in history.

It has to be said that the acting in this film is very The use of actual footage of events such as the trade good. Meryl Streep is extremely believable in the main union disputes and the Poll Tax riots brings a sense role, which has led to an Oscar nod and a Golden Globes of realism to the film, which I feel was needed due to win for Best Actress in a Drama. To be fair, it would be unusual to see Streep put in a bad performance; this is the the rather unbelievable story structure. However, as agreeable as this film was, it is not hard to wonder why woman who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Mamma Mia after all. This time, however, she did not have the world needed a biopic about Margaret Thatcher, especially when she is still alive. to share the screen with Pierce Brosnan’s ear-splittingly SHAUNA LOUISE KELLY awful singing. The male lead, Thatcher’s husband Dennis, @YourTextHere is played by Jim Broadbent, who excels in the role. Their

HAYWIRE

Film. 93 minutes. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Starring Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGergor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas. Released 20th January 2012.

I have been mulling it over for some time, and I’ve come to the conclusion that “Haywire” might actually be the most faithful portrayal of Dublin in contemporary international cinema. Granted, our capital features for only about 40 minutes, but these scenes are the focal point of the film and there isn’t a leprechaun or a fiddle in sight. Rather we are treated to scenes of suspect phone shops, soggy strollways, grotty hoodies and a lovely shot of Neary’s pub. In addition to our fairest and best city, director Steven Soderbergh zips between a number of other locales, from Barcelona to Upstate New York to New Mexico. The premise here is fairly standard: Mallory Kane (Gina Carano), a black ops specialist, turns rogue after discovering that she has been double-crossed by her employers and must fight to both survive and uncover the intricacies of the conspiracy.

THE ARTIST

Film. 100 minutes. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius. Starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo. Released 30th December 2011.

The Artist is a film unlike any other that has been released in the last number of decades. Set between the years 1927 and 1932, shown in black and white and mainly silent, it conjures up memories of an era long past in Hollywood. This nod to a simpler time may be one of the reasons why the film has received so much recognition from awards bodies. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards – the most of any film this year - including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Jean Dujardin. The Artist has already won many awards, including three Golden Globes and also at film festivals such as Cannes.

The film focuses on actor George Valentin, a star of silent movies. He is always accompanied, both on screen and off it, by his little dog Jack. During the movie, we follow Valentin’s life from the height of fame to the depths of obscurity and drunkenness. We also meet young actress

Nothing new. The main press focus however, has been on Carano, a mixed martial artist, in her first leading role. Some criticism has been levied at the perceived woodenness of her performance, but it is quite a bright spotlight under which to make one’s debut and besides, her deadpan delivery often lends itself well to the more blackly comic one-liners. Though her acting ability may disappoint some, Carano shines when it comes to the fight scenes. For one, they have been tailored to suit Carano’s Muay Thai fighting style. Soderbergh himself explicitly stated that he wanted to avoid wirework during the making of this film and that audiences needed to believe that it was physically possible for a person to fight like the characters here, an aim achieved thanks to beautifully framed static shots of the battlegrounds, rather than the disorienting flurry of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” movies. Carano is accompanied by an impressive supporting cast, including Ireland’s new favourite son Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas and a near-unrecognisable Antonio Banderas. As a pastiche of spy movies, “Haywire” is effective, marrying the traditional Soderbergh irony with a spy soundtrack and violence bordering on the slapstick. It isn’t really anything more than 93 minutes of highly stylized entertainment, but then it never claims to be. Think of it as a tongue-in-cheek successor to the Bourne trilogy, but if you prefer your espionage to take itself a bit more seriously then I would suggest that you sit this one out.

RORY McCORMACK

Peppy Miller, played by Bejo, whose rise to fame mirrors Valentin’s fall from grace. Dujardin and Bejo are both brilliant in their roles, and really bring their characters to life, not necessarily an easy thing to do in a silent film. The final scene of the movie has to be one of the best I have seen in the last few years, and although it might be a bit early to say it, I think it will become one of cinema’s most iconic endings. A special mention also has to be given to the animal actor who plays Valentin’s dog, who won the equivalent of Best Actor for an animal at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Jack, played by Uggie, steals every scene he is in.

There are a number of references to early cinema history throughout The Artist. For example, the name of the main character, George Valentin, is reminiscent of cinema’s first big star and heartthrob, Rudolph Valentino. However, not all of these references have been met with acceptance.

The use of Bernard Hermann’s `Scene D’Amour` from the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo, led to a scathing reaction from actress Kim Novak, who starred in Vertigo.

The Artist’s writer/director Michel Hazanavicius disagreed, saying that the film “is a love letter to cinema” and that he was proud Hermann’s music featured in The Artist.

Hazanavicius can now also be proud that he has helped in bringing one of the most original and utterly charming films of recent years to our screens.

SHAUNA LOUISE KELLY @YourTextHere

MAN ON A LEDGE

girlfriend Angie (Génesis Rodríguez, offering little more than eye candy and mild comic relief) are in the middle Film. 102 minutes. Directed by Asger Leth. of a diamond heist, hoping to prove Nick’s innocence and the guilt of the corrupt David Englander (Ed Harris), Starring Ed Harris, Sam Worthington, the man who framed Nick and had him put away for 25 years. Such a fresh and interesting plot is let down by a Elizabeth Banks, Anthiny Mackie, Jamie tepid script, during the introductory scenes I had trouble Bell, Genesis Rodriguez. Released 27th working out if “Man On A Ledge” was merely a send-up of heist movies, so clichéd was the dialogue. Though as one January 2012. settles in to the film, it starts to play around with tradition (“Cut the red wire.” “They’re all red wires!” “Then cut the reddest one.”). While Worthington is disappointing as a leading man (the visuals in Avatar carried that film), Ed Those coming to “Man On A Ledge” expecting a Harris shines as the despicable Englander, a character spiritual successor to Spike Lee’s excellent “Inside Man” which lands somewhere close to his role in “A History may be sorely disappointed. The premise is there, but the Of Violence.” His smug authority and brown enveloping execution leaves much to be desired. Sam Worthington of NYPD officers will have audiences clamouring for his stars as Nick Cassidy, a fugitive who checks into the downfall, just as the callous New Yorkers did for Nick’s.

Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, before climbing Kyra Sedgwick, in particular, relishes the silliness of the out on to the ledge and threatening to jump. He specifically script, playing a cynical TV reporter, Suzie Morales, requests the services of negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth ridiculously rolling the ‘r’ in her surname whenever Banks), a woman troubled by guilt ever since the last guy the script calls for it. While the action picks up in the she tried to help threw himself off a bridge. The crowd latter half, the script is somewhat predictable and far below seem to be split between a morbid cameraphone too expositionary and is only saved from ridicule by lust for a soupy pavement and anger at the 1% whom impressive turns from Harris, Bell and Sedgwick. they believe to have forced Nick into this dire situation.

RORY McCORMACK Meanwhile, on the opposite building, Cassidy’s brother Joey (Jamie Bell, often amusingly exasperated) and his

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

PRINT ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE

THE

theprint@nuimsu.com Facebook.com/ThePrintMSU

THE DOORS - L.A. WOMAN (RE-RELEASE)

Album. 57:17 minutes. Fricton, Interscope.

Released 11th November 2011.

L.A. Woman, released April 1971, was the Doors sixth and final album. Recorded and mixed in only two weeks, the album was an instant commercial and critical success upon its release. Rolling Stone’s Robert Meltzer called it “The Doors’ greatest album…A landmark worthy of dancing in the streets.” The album’s style is the most blues rock-oriented of the band’s entire catalogue.

L.A. Woman, with the signature hits “L.A. Woman,” “Love Her Madly” and “Riders on The Storm”, is being celebrated with a special 40th anniversary two-CD release along with a behind-the-scenes DVD/Blu-ray, complete with long-lost outtakes and covers.

The album opens with “The Changling” with Morrison howling excitedly. This is a great opener, as this album is something to get excited about. ‘Riders on the Storm’ alternate track sounds less polished and doesn’t have the iconic “storm” sound effect included on the track.

Before the songs starts we hear Morrison rambling until

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS SPRC 2011 Collected Releases. EMI. Released April - December 2011.

In April of 2011, The Smashing Pumpkins ringleader Billy Corgan announced that after a lengthy series of discussions with former record label EMI an album reissue policy had been established which would finally reintroduce Smashing Pumpkins records to the world again, but this time by releasing freshly re-mastered versions which included accompanying b-sides and alternative song takes. The campaign was to begin with the band’s 1991 debut Gish, followed by Siamese Dream.

In 2012, EMI plans to reissue the compilation album Pisces Iscariot, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, The Aeroplane Flies High and Adore. Finally, Machina/The Machines of God and Machina II: The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music is to be released for the first time as one unique package in 2013. The band however left out one further surprise in this announcement; the release of Smashing Pumpkins Record Club.

SPRC is a collection of internet only song releases which have not previously been available and which won’t be making it onto the completed re-releases. They are a collection of free tracks rewarded to fans who sign up to the Smashing Pumpkins Record Club. The 2011 collection included six tracks, beginning with “Drown 8-Track Demo”. The first release demonstrated all that was

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS GISH (Deluxe)

he suggests that there sound be a “storm” sound effect overdubbed on the song. The album also includes a long lost track– “She Smells So Good” which was only just recently recovered. The song is catchy, psychedelic and instantly demonstrates the Doors definitive sound. In addition to “She Smells So Nice,” the second disc of the L.A. Woman reissue includes eight never-before-heard versions of songs from the album. Alternate takes of “L.A. Woman,” “Love Her Madly” offer a fresh view on this landmark album. It also includes bonus tracks such as “Orange County Suite,” and Willie Dixon’s”(You Need Meat) Don’t Go No Further” - along with a cover of Barrett Strong’s Motown hit “Money (That’s What I Want),” There’s also studio chatter between the band members and producer Bruce Botnick which is fascinating to listen to.

Unfortunately, less than three months after the release of L.A. Woman, Jim Morrison died of an alleged over-dose in Paris, aged just twenty-seven. L.A. Woman marked the final chapter of Jim Morrison’s music career. The Doors have influenced a wide range of artists, including Iggy Pop, Danzig and Marilyn Manson and remain one of the most influential bands in Rock history. Along with the covers and alternate tracks, actually hearing the band coming up with suggestions on what made the album makes this edition incredibly interesting. Whether you own the original or not, this album is a must-have.

ALLY KERR @AllyKerr_

good about early Pumpkins with the nine minute song bringing you through a selection of unique riffs which are layered under Corgan’s youthful early vocals. The drumming is as enthusiastic and confident as any early Pumpkins song could be. It is the guitar solos though that will keep you coming back for more. Second song “Suicide Kiss Geek No Vox” is an early version of “Geek USA” from second album Siamese Dream and features an extensive palm muting section not present in any other iteration of the song. The instrumental track lays bare the guitar and drumming sections to be scrutinised by fans, but it still does stand up to the later incarnation of the song pretty well.

“Barb Wire” is another early unreleased track which takes you through a combination of fuzzed up guitar work and clear drumming. The track is a studio jam which never got successfully worked into a fully completed song. Although not as good in quality as the previously released songs, it was the first original track to come through the Record Club. “Rhinoceros Version Two (Reel Time Session)” is a re-mastered live alternative version of Gish’s “Rhinoceros”; the song contains less significant backing vocals by Corgan, increased echo and is a minute shorter than the official version. The best track to come from the Record Club is “Frail and Bedazzled BC Instrumental Home Demo”, a rough and dirty track showcasing Billy Corgans solo work. The delivery is a lot more brutal and hard hitting than the full band released version and is almost industrial sounding. To round off SPRC 2011, the Christmas ballad “Have Faithe, Be Merrie” was released into the world.

DEAN HEALY

Debut single “Siva” similarly doesn’t sound too different but the production does for the first time place each of the instruments on an equal footing. This is demonstrated a lot better on efforts like the dreamy “Tristessa” and the D’arcy led “Daydream”. “Daydream” comes across Album. 45:45 minutes. Virgin Records. as a complete overhall with the track being closer to a Released 29th Novmeber 2011. polished shoegaze version: the violin streams are now a lot more intimate and simultaneously important to the track. “Bury Me” is still dirty, “Rhinoceros” is still clean and “Crush” is now a headphone essential track.

The beginning; again. The Smashing Pumpkins always The deluxe edition includes 18 previously never wanted to make self indulgent music; filled with guitar/ heard or widely available in one place tracks. Opener drumming solos, and prophetic lyrics. But from their point of “Starla (2011 Mix)” drawls on for eleven minutes. view they didn’t quite have the skills to successfully undertake Newcomers to the track will surely be blown away by their aims just yet. Billy Corgan (equipped with hair) set out the quality of a Smashing Pumpkins b-side. Some live/ with their debut Gish to moan his way to superstardom; and alternative versions of most album tracks do appear here it happened pretty quickly for this alternative band once the too, but they always bring something new to the table. vibe was picked up on and truly realised. Having failed to Billy Corgan was extremely meticulous when picking initially ignite with the use of a drum track, Billy Corgan, these efforts and it truly shows. Other notable track James Iha and D’arcy Wretzky completed the infamous line up editions include “La Dolly Vita”, “Pulseczar”, “Blue” and when they were finally joined by trained jazz drummer Jimmy “Honeyspider” which were early fan live favourites from Chamberlin. Gish however was by no means a game changer the time. “Drown” closes off the bonus cd with an eight for the music industry in 1991, and only with time has it gained minute experience that is hard to describe as anything the significance it deserves. else other than pure unadulterated pleasure. If these reAlbum opener “I Am One” with its always impressive releases continue along this line of quality for the entirety drumming intro sounds no different initially, but once the of the project, then current Smashing Pumpkins fans are strumming begins you will quickly realise that these re-masters honestly about to be the most rewarded fans possibly are a welcome addition to the Smashing Pumpkins repertoire. ever from a re-release campaign. This edition is flawless.

Corgan’s vocal delivery is eternally a matter for discussion, DEAN HEALY and on these early tracks it sounds as fresh as it ever could be.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS SIAMESE DREAM (Deluxe) Album. 62:17 minutes. Virgin Records.

Released 29th Novmeber 2011.

If Gish was the infant prodigy, then Siamese Dream is the college success story. Smashing Pumpkins roared back to life with their sophomore album in 1993 delivering an album that would single-handedly change the direction of successful mainstream alternative music. This 13 track album emerged from the studio after a recording process that nearly brought about the Smashing Pumpkins demise and essentially initiated the beginning of a process towards the bands first official break up. Despite this Siamese Dream debuted at number ten on the U.S. Billboard chart, going on to sell over four million copies in the U.S. and over six million worldwide, essentially cementing the Smashing Pumpkins as one of the major forces in alternative rock. Four hit singles came from the album: “Cherub Rock”, “Today”, “Disarm”, and “Rocket” all of which receive the remaster and re-release treatment with this 2011 version.

Opener “Cherub Rock” rumbles in with its distinctive guitar trembles, and Billy Corgan’s now maturing voice instantly sets the tone for the largely chilled out guitar led album to come. The guitar solos on this album sound particularly sweetened with

the re-mastered edition. The Pumpkins largest hit to date came with single “Today”, which still sounds as fresh today as it ever did. The lyrics are simple but effective, “Today is the greatest day I’ve ever known, can’t live for tomorrow, tomorrows much too long”. Other notable standout tracks include the dreamy “Mayonaise”, the kick in the teeth that is “Geek U.S.A.” and the grunge championed “Quiet”. The album itself combines instances of psychedelic rock, grunge, shoegaze and progressive rock. The drumming and guitar alone makes Siamese Dream an album which every true music lover should listen to at least once in their life.

The b-side collection from the Siamese Dream era is of such quality that deciding on a final track listing for the final cut must have been a torturous process for the pedantic Billy Corgan. The albums namesake song “Siamese Dream” gets its first release here; it is a fast paced track which gets through a lot in its six minutes, even if Corgans voice is terribly whiney. “Frail and Bedazzled” is a rough plough-truck of a tune with “Never Let Me Down Again” taking a page out of the dream-pop songbook to become the most intimate track on the album. An early version of album track “Silverfuck” appears in the form of “Ache”, a very rough around the edges but re-mastered mix. There are a handful of alternative versions of album songs, and these are essentially all of the hit singles with “Disarm (Acoustic)” deserving a mention due to its terrific inclusion of even more bells and strings. The artist certainly strives here, but on this 2011 version it is the fan that is the champion.

DEAN HEALY

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

PRINT OPINION & COMMENT

THE

theprint@nuimsu.com Facebook.com/ThePrintMSU

“Woman could rule the world if they didn’t hate each other” considered me her friend, because she didn’t trust me. What left me confused was why she’d arrange for us to live together in the first place!

Throughout the years I have been told that these kind of situations are the cause of one thing. That little green-eyed monster we all know and love, jealousy. Women are incredibly jealous of one another. Not all women, thankfully. There are a handful of sane girls scattered around the place, LYNDSEY FARRELL otherwise I’d have lost faith in the female gender Entertainments & Culture Co-Editor a long time ago. But no one can deny that most @TheLyndog women see life as some sort of competition. They want to be better than each other, more attractive, The title for this article is a quote I found on more successful, more popular, even with their the internet and keep coming back to. I’ve never understood why women are so critical of each other. own friends in some cases! I personally think a lot of this boils down to insecurity. Take, for example, It truly baffles me. Growing up in a social group wanting to be the most attractive. The amount of that consisted mostly of boys, I developed the mind male attention a girl gets can be seen as a kind of frame that disagreements could be sorted directly “measurement” of attraction; the more attention she and efficiently, and that if you disliked someone within your group you remained civil for the sake of gets, the more attractive she feels. This is all fantastic, the others, but other than that you had nothing to do until she sees another girl on a night out chatting to a group of lads. Straight away this girl, probably with them. It wasn’t until around the age of sixteen, the soundest lass you’d ever meet, is labelled a slut after moving to a different school, that I realised or a tramp, just to boost the first girl’s own ego. how different it was in ‘Girls World’. I’d witnessed Unfortunately this kind of label spreads like wild cases where best friends would spread disgusting fire, and has stories and comments added to it like rumours about each other because of an argument, would “never speak again” over a boy neither of them a five-year-old’s game of Chinese Whispers. Pretty were even dating, and, my personal favourite, would soon this girl that we know nothing about is seen as dirty and up for anything, not just by women. remove each other from their Top Friends on Bebo But by men. Then we have the issue of men being because one of them didn’t text the other back. I’ve objectifying pigs! even had the personal experience of having an old What I want to know is did it ever occur to housemate, whom I considered a good friend at the time, confess to a mutual acquaintance that she never women that the reason a guy might objectify a

She’s not best pleased, in case you hadn’t noticed girl could be because they themselves have given her the title of an easy target? Could it be a case of monkey-see, monkey-do? As Tina Fey says in Mean Girls, “You have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores!” Whatever happened to sisters doin’ it for themselves? Or have they taking this to

the extreme? I’m no feminist by any means (always seemed a bit too bias for me), but was the consistent and determined battle for women’s equality by women like Woolf and de Beauvoir a success just so we could trample over each other to get to first place? How do women expect respect from men, when they can’t even respect each other?

Republican Candidate Why I’m fighting against Race Becomes Farce S.O.P.A. and A.C.T.A. MARK DILLON The race to determine the Republican candidate for the 2012 US Presidential election has begun to descend to farce. To start, Texas Congressman Ron Paul has been blatantly ignored by the mainstream American media throughout his campaign. At the launch of the contenders various campaigns, while the ‘political experts’ in America discussed the front runners for the Republican nomination, Pauls’ name was not mentioned by any of the main media outlets, despite the fact he consistently polled. When they started choosing their various ‘flavours of the month’, ranging from Rick Perry to Hermain Cain, Paul was never mentioned. During debates and interviews, various questioners have taken an aggressive, hostile stance towards him asking him hard questions and not allowing him space to air his ideas while giving the other candidates an easy time. When the media has talked about him, they have rarely given him any praise. He has been described as “wildly racist and conspiratorial”, “hateful”, “satanic” and “an extremist”, as well as being labeled with various other damaging tags. To be fair, many of these statements have been made in connection with a racist newsletter supposedly written by Paul. However, Paul has denied writing these newsletters and has said that he did not even read them. He has been attacked

on his position on military intervention in foreign countries (Iran especially), disregarding the fact that he has received 71% of all donations from US military personnel to Republican candidates during the course of the campaign. He has been harassed about his stance towards Israel, despite the fact that his stance reflects the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s views on US-Israeli relations. Some have even suggested that the bias against Paul runs so deep that it has led to vote rigging, for example in the Iowa caucus. These accusations have come about as various onlookers point to a previous incident of possible vote rigging in Dubuque, Iowa in the 1996 Republican caucus, eyewitness accounts of fraudulent practices at various polling centres, the fact that counting was moved to a secret location for the first time ever and large discrepancies between Paul’s entrance and exit poll numbers and his final tally.

Whatever the case may be, Rick Santorum may look back at the caucus as an opportunity missed. On the night, the 3rd of January, Mitt Romney was declared victorious by eight votes. However, on the 19th of January, Santorum was announced as the winner by 34. Apparently, there had been irregularities and mistakes during the counting process which led to mix-up. The change does not really change anything as the delegates for the state are divided proportionally, but Santorum may feel bitter at the media coverage afforded to Romney on the night, and his campaign has stalled somewhat since the caucus.

Romney went on to capture the the New Hampshire primary, while Newt Gringich won in South Carolina.

Though it hard to calculate their exact numbers at this point in time, it is estimated that Romney currently leads in total delegates, with the three remaining candidates, Gringich, Paul and Santorum, in second, third and fourth place, respectively.

DECLAN MEENAGH @dagda

There’s a lot of confusion about the Irish SOPA and ACTA, but they are dangerous. First of all, Irish SOPA is a bit like the American one, but not as bad.

It proposes to amend our copyright law so a music company can go to the court to block sights by an ISP. The problem here is that the language is so vague that a judge could do anything. There’s nothing to stop a judge from blocking YouTube, there’s nothing to stop a judge from blocking a newspaper website or blogging platform like wordpress, there’s nothing to prevent the court blocking an academic journal. This is simply a bad law. The other problem is that it will have absolutely no affect at all - a 10 year old could get around it.

ACTA is a much more sinister thing. It was negotiated in secret. It will stop cheap drugs and seeds from getting to poor countries and will make accessing content you bought legally on different devices a crime. ACTA must be stopped.

This treaty bans contravention measures. This means that if a digital lock exists, than breaking it, talking about breaking it, or in some cases saying where you can find information about breaking it are all crimes. So, let’s say you baught an expensive game, and scratched the disk. Copying your friends

A protest sign against S.O.P.A. one would be illegal and backing it up would be illegal. Do you have a Kindle? Count the cost of all the books you bought on it. If Amazon went out of business, then copying those books onto another device would be a crime! If you have a disability, breaking a digital lock so you can access the content would also break this law!

Guttenberg changed the world with the printing press, but it’s nothing to how the Internet has revolutionized our lives. The fact is that ACTA is an attempt by vested interest to destroy the progress we have made, burn free speech and smother creativity.

If you want to join the fight on both of these issues, go to stopsopaireland.com and sign the petition.

For more information on the copyfight, check out CONTENT: Selected Essays onTechnology, Creativity, Copyright and the Future of the Future, By Cory Doctorow, which you can read for free online.

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

PRINT TECHNOLOGY

THE

theprint@nuimsu.com Facebook.com/ThePrintMSU

Netflix now available to Irish internet users CONOR PHELAN Sports Editor @conorphelan1

The world’s largest video streaming service is now available in Ireland and the UK after a long wait by many. Netflix is a subscription service that costs €6.99 a month and gives the user access to unlimited access to thousands of TV shows and movies and they are offering the first month free as a trial. The crucial point about this service is that it is completely legal and not in any danger of being taken offline for copyright infringement. The quality of the stream is akin to what regular TV users are used to seeing at home and a far cry from grainy illegal streaming sites. The service has moved far to make sure that no matter where a person is they can have access to their favourite TV shows and movies.

Users are not restricted to viewing video on your laptop, they can stream it through their PS3, Xbox or Wii, not forgetting of course that there’s also an app for that, so they can take their movies with them.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for Nexflix to launch in the UK and Ireland as sites like MegaUpload are being taken down and people may be willing to pay the relatively small price tag to be entertained online. Digital TV provider Sky’s basic package costs €16 a month, a package that leaves out many of the hundreds of channels available, a price that is more than double what users would have access to in the full Netflix library. The shows are not of a lower quality either, most popular TV shows like Scrubs, 24, The Office and Breaking Bad are available to stream instantly along with movies from major film studios MGM, Paramount and Lionsgate, to name but a few.

With all these titles available on the site, Netflix has categorised everything into distinct groups so that you can find shows easily. It also remembers what your recently watched films and shows and suggests shows that you haven’t watched but are similar to what you have watched. If you need to leave before a video you are watching is over, Netflix will remember where it is that you last stopped watching it and play from that point the next time you view it.

Streaming online has become more popular recently with higher quality Internet connections and more people looking to fit TV around their schedule rather than the other way around. The highground held by TV was the quality available on TV was infinitely higher than what was available online, however Netflix has breached that gap,

The Netflix Ireland hompage however High Definition video is still quite limited on the site. However this hasn’t stopped 23.6 million people signing up to the service as of April last year.

According to the Neflix homepage, the site sees 100,000 people a day signup.

When Radio was losing it’s popularity to TV not too long ago, radio responded by specializing its station types into music, news and current affairs,

now it is TV’s turn to react to Netflix’s growing customer base who want personal, on-demand and online services. This is a testing time for the traditional media who have to figure out what they can offer that Netflix can’t, why people should continue paying for Digital TV and TV licences and what the need for traditional broadcasting is at all.

The inside scoop on Andriod Phone App the Playstation Vita Recommendations

SHANE KIERNAN

DECLAN MEENAGH

Technology Editor @shanezor101

With the entire post-Christmas buzz finally settling in the sales, Sony’s latest handheld console, Playstation Vita, is to be released in Ireland on 22 February, to the price of €240. The quite highly priced piece of gaming machinery does come with its perks, a quad-core processor to render game graphic to an extraordinarily high level for a handheld, a touchscreen, and rear and front facing cameras.

Given the anniversary of Sony’s original handheld, the Playstation Portable, just clocked in at seven years, it must be considered that Sony really haven’t changed much about the external appeal of the console, while Nintendo’s DS has undergone more facelifts than Mickey Rourke. This, however, is not to say that what’s under the hood isn’t up to scratch. With smoother processing, the PSV is bound to outdo any competitors with graphics, sound and gameplay over the next twelve months.

With games such as FIFA Football, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and Marvel vs. Capcom 3, it’s clear that Sony has big plans for the gaming experience, as opposed to Nintendo’s 3D experience.

Although the gaming capabilities are far beyond that of the competitors, that cannot be said for sales in the Japanese and Asian release before Christmas, with sales of just over 300,000 units. This can be generally contributed to the relatively high price (you can actually get a PS3, which includes

@dagda

So you’re one of the best and brightest, and you joined the ranks of Android users. Our logo is a lot cooler, our apps are better, and we have the best selection of devices that won’t break the bank.

So let’s look at said apps; here’s a list of my free and favourite apps for your Android:

The new Sony Playstation Vita

+ Calendar, the best of which is Jorte: a very customizable option which allows you to have widgets, and sync with Google calendars,

a Blu-Ray player, for €250), and the burgeoning popularity of mobile-gaming, which is more often than not, free of charge. Despite this, if you are a serious gamer, it would be unwise to even try out the PSV, its appeal extends that of a 3DS, with a high resolution screen, a user-friendly interface and a long list of games to be release before summer. Go on, just give the little guy a chance.

+ Catch: lets you take notes (text, voice, or picture) very easily.

Are you a lover of all things that go bleep and bloop? Why not write about ‘em for your Students’ Union newspaper! Drop us a line via e-mail or Facebook:

+ TweetDeck: good on desktop, good on Android, simples. Access Facebook, Twitter, and Foresquare from one app.

theprint@nuimsu.com Facebook.com/ThePrintMSU

+ Facebook: the quintessential app should come pre-installed on your phone, but if not, download it immediately. It’s great, and lets you update your profile, post photos, and keep in touch with your friends.

Sharing is a feature which allows users to share links and photos between different applications at once. In other words, take a snap and it gives you the option to send it to Facebook or TweetDeck And for some distraction here are some enjoyable games:

Android apps to make you go mmm + Plummer: a fun and easy pipe puzzle game that should keep you occupied. + Jewels Maze: one of many jewel linking games, but perhaps the best. Dozens of levels, and very challenging and quite addictive. + Angry Birds: no Android is complete without it.

There are several version, including a seasonal one which has Christmas and Halloween versions, as well as a Rio version which coincided with the film Rio. + Speeder: a car racing game where you control the car by motion sensing in the phone.

I’d also like to give Audible an honourable mention. It’s a free audio reader app and although you have to purchase books for it, it’s still great to be able to download them to your phone and listen to them. But take care! Don’t do this on your phone’s data if you can help it - it costs a lot, believe me, I know. Kindle is also available, so if you have one, or just want to buy e-books, that is also an option.

On a concluding note, be careful of data, check how much you’re charged for it and make sure your apps aren’t running background downloads.

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The Condescending Fox: Quickmeme.com/Condescending-Fox/

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

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Pats and Giants to clash in Superbowl XLVI CILLIAN SHIELDS Since we were last in lectures, the NFL regular season has concluded and the playoffs have come and gone, leaving us with only four quarters of American football to feast our eyes on for another seven long, hard months. However the final game with which we are left is the grand spectacle of the sport, a marquee day in all sports calendars – the Superbowl.

Contesting for this year’s NFL grand title on February 5th will be the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. The fixture will be mouth watering to everybody who remembers Superbowl XLII in February 2008, where the same two teams met. In that encounter, the Patriots were huge favourites to win the game after the perfect season they had before then – played 18, won 18. The Giants on the other hand only made the playoffs in a wildcard berth, but that didn’t bother Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

That Superbowl will be remembered for Manning’s winning drive late in the game. After dodging three tackles on the one play, Manning managed to recover his bearings and throw a 32 yard pass to David Tyree to continue their surge up the field. This amazing play has become known as “The Helmet Catch” for Tyree’s use of his own helmet when controlling the ball, and it even has

Superbowl XLII to Superbowl XLVI: Pats & Giants Rematch its own Wikipedia page (“Eli Manning pass to David Tyree”.) Plaxico Burress scored the winning touchdown four plays afterwards.

This year, however, Patriots QB Tom Brady will be eager for revenge. Brady has had another immense season with the Pats, but could still easily be overlooked this year in terms of top performers as Saints’ QB Drew Brees broke Dan Marino’s (regarded as one of the greatest to ever play the game) long standing record of most passing yards in a single season, while last year’s Superbowl MVP Aaron Rogers had a fantastic year.

However, Tom Brady also broke that Dan Marino record; only he didn’t beat it as much as what Drew

Brees beat it a week before. If Brady can pick a Superbowl ring up for his season, he’ll no doubt strengthen his already great case for the season’s MVP. Patriots vs Giants will make for an explosive offense vs offense game, as this is where both team’s strengths lie. Both teams overcame some of the best defensive teams in the league in the Conference Championship round; Baltimore and San Francisco respectively. The G-men have also shown that they can combat great offensive teams by beating the Packers in their own backyard, while the Pats’ only other test these playoffs was against a poor Denver Broncos team.

Manning and co. are getting hot at the perfect time of the year. Their 9-7 regular season record doesn’t scream “Superbowl, baby!” yet they were still able to dump the 15-1 Packers out. This Giants team reminds me quite a lot of the Packers last year.

Green Bay made the playoffs only by means of a wildcard last season, on a 10-6 record. However much like the Giants right now, they hit their stride at the perfect time in the season, and couldn’t be stopped on their way to lifting the Lombardi Trophy. Could history (or at least a few things relatively similar to history) repeat itself, or will Tom Brady exact his revenge?

Maynooth Golf Scholar Shaqual O’Neill to appear defeated Down Under at Wrestlemania XXVIII CONOR PHELAN

DARA FOLAN

NUIM first year golf scholarship Gary Hurley has been knocked out in the second round of the Australian Amateur championship in Melbourne.

Hurley lost out to Germany’s Marcel Schneider by one shot, a putt that Schneider sunk from the back of the green on the final hole of their round. The German went on to win the tournament, beating Queensland native Daniel Nisbet with four birdies on his last six holes.

Hurley won’t be returning to Irish soil just yet as he is to compete in the Lake Macquarie Amateur Championship and the New South Wales Amateur Championship in Sydney. Hurley was selected to compete in these prestigious events by the Irish Golfing Union along with Dermot McElroy, Reeve Whitson and Team Captain Niall Gorey. Having been so close to beating the eventual winner of the Championship, Hurley can feel confident about his game going into these next two tournaments due to take place on the 26th to the 29th of January and the 1st to the 3rd of February respectively.

Hurley is certainly a golfer that has been in the habit of winning recently with his victory of the Munster Boys Amateur Open Championship in

Since the seminal “The Jetsons Meet The Flinstones“, crossovers have been a staple of must see television and film. The concept of the crossover was further explored in Hulk Hogan’s critically acclaimed turn as Thunderlips in Rocky III, which brought together the disciplines of both boxing and wrestling. Fast forward to 2008 and the next logical step was undertaken, as WWE wrestler, The Big Show (formerly Big Nasty Bastard) faced off against 5-division World Champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr at Wrestlemania 24. In a similar vein, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal will take to the ring this year at Wrestlemania 28, facing off against The Big Show in what will surely be a spectacle for the ages.

‘Renaissance man’ is a term that is bandied about a lot these days and if any man can be named the quintessential modern ‘renaissance man’ it surely is Ireland’s own Shaquille O’Neal. The man has been a rapper, an actor and has endorsed a range of computer games, most notably ‘Shaq-Fu’, the basketball-themed martial arts vehicle which has often been described as among the worst games of all time. Mr. O’Neal quite literally has a huge finger in every conceivable pie.

Many wrestling fans felt cut adrift since the

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Maynooth golf star Gary Hurley 2011 and his sterling performances for Ireland in both the European Boys Team Championship and Boys Home Internationals. These performances throughout the year did not go unnoticed as he was selected to captain the Great Britain and Ireland Boys team against Continental Europe in Neguri, Spain last August. The Waterford man led the team to victory of the coveted Jacques Leglise Trophy with an emphatic victory over the holders.

The ‘Paddy Harrington’ Golf Scholarships in Maynooth started in 2007 and offer promising young golfers the opportunity to take part in an intense programme that incorporates fitness training, sports psychology, health and nutrition, golf course management, performance analysis and lifestyle management.

Logo for WWE WrestleMania XXVIII World Wildlife Foundation poached the naming rights of the much loved original WWF. The ‘sport’ has struggled over the past few years due to poor storylines, unpopular athletes/characters and the increasing popularity of UFC. Vince McMahon and co. have pulled every imaginable stunt in the book to try to boost its ailing viewership. Their best effort to date was the grand return of wrestling legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Their worst and most bizarre; a shameless cash in on Jersey Shore, where shrew- woman Snooki made her very own foray into wrestling, fighting her debut bout last year.

Shaq is no stranger to WWE, having previously presented Wrestlemania in 2009, an event in which he engaged in a bizarre choking match with The Big Show, a clash which yielded surprisingly minimal entertainment. It remains to be seen as to whether this is a post-NBA retirement hobby, the forging of a new career path for O’Neal or a money-spinning spectacle for the benefit of both parties. Some would argue that wrestling is the last true art form in modern America, the theatre for the everyman, while I have yet to hear that argument, the idea of two seven-foot, 300-pound behemoths facing off should be a gladiatorial clash of some interest.

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January 31st 2012 - Volume 3, Issue 7

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Setanta Cup Draw LOI Trasfer News

CILLIAN SHIELDS

team between now and this time last year when they League of Ireland football returns to action on finished 4th on 58 points.

February 13th in the form of the Setanta Cup. The Making their Setanta Cup debut this season is knockout cup competition is contested between Bray Wanderers, who managed to qualify for the teams from the Republic and Northern Ireland and tournament after finishing ahead of Dundalk in the the draw for the first round was made last January 2011 Premier Division. Their first opponents in this 25th. Four unseeded teams from each league were competition will be Glentoran. The Glens, one of entered into the first round draw, and they’ll be the most successful teams in Irish League football, joined in the quarter finals by two seeded teams are languishing in 5th place in the league at the from both leagues. moment, but should still be more than good enough In a repeat of last year’s first round tie, Bohemians to beat Bray, as the Seagulls’ are looking more and and Portadown have been paired together. more at risk of having a bad season as March draws Portadown came out on top 4-1 on aggregate that closer. time, but this year things are bound to be very The final matchup is Lisburn Distillery vs Derry different. Last year, then Bohs manager Pat Fenlon City. Lisburn barely qualified for the tournament treated the Setanta Cup as pre-season friendlies for while Derry was one of the most dangerous teams in the reserve squad. Since then, Bohs have found a the league last year in their return to the top flight. new manager, Aaron Callaghan, and also seem to be However Derry’s state is somewhat unclear after more prepared for the upcoming season than this their changing of managers after Stephen Kenny left time last year. for Shamrock Rovers. Gareth McGlynn is another Portadown on the other hand are going to be big loss that Derry have incurred over the winter no easy match for the Phibsboro outfit. The Ports break. Nonetheless the Candystripes should have – at the time of writing – have this year already enough firepower in their arsenal, especially with surpassed their total league points accumulation Mark Farren signing back, to get through to the from last year by four, and there are still twelve quarter-finals. games remaining. Ronnie McFall’s men are currently The four winners of these ties will be entered in second place, whereas they finished 5th last into the quarter-finals, where they will be joined season.

by Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers, Linfield and St. Patrick’s Athletic will also be involved in the Crusaders. tournament this year, as they drew Cliftonville in the first round. Much like the Bohs v Portadown tie, these two teams also met each other at this stage of Cillian co-runs his own football news the competition last year, and the Irish League (i.e. and commentary blog, ‘Balls Out In Northern Ireland) team came out on top.

Public’, along with two non-Maynooth Last year, the aggregate score in this tie was 3-2 students.The blog can be found via: to Cliftonville, and the Belfast team went on to the semi finals before being knocked out by Dundalk.

In the league this year, Cliftonville currently lie in ballsoutinpublic.wordpress.com. third place, level on points with Portadown (54) but Twitter.com/BOIPfootball are seven goals behind them on goal difference. Like The Ports, this also marks vast improvement in the

CILLIAN SHIELDS

The winter months are often very eventful in the world of League of Ireland, even if there are no games being played. Managers move, players are signed, clubs are folded and again league systems are reformed – just your average League of Ireland off-season.

The biggest news to come out of this off-season is easily the demise of Galway United. The Tribesmen have become the latest casualty of financial difficulties that plague the League of Ireland. The Galway United Supporters Trust tried, in its place, to establish a reformed club and applied for a license.

However GUST “withdrew from the transitional agreement to run Galway United Football Club” according to a statement on the club’s official site.

As a result, the application for Galway to play league football in the coming season was also withdrawn. Instead, Galway United will spend the next twelve months reassessing “strategic and infrastructural changes,” preparing themselves to apply for league status in 2013.

However, Terryland Park will still be in use this season, as the Galway based Salthill Devon are going to be rebranded as SD Galway FC. This could be the first step into getting the three clubs in the area (Salthill, Galway and Mervue United) amalgamated into the one. FAI CEO John Delaney believes that three clubs all based so close together with such a population there isn’t feasible. GUST have chosen to remain independent and still want to earn a league position for 2013.

English Championship club Reading have been known to pick up bargains from our League of Ireland. Past players they have acquired from Irish teams include current Ireland internationals Kevin Doyle and Shane Long. Their latest recruit comes in the form of ex-Galway and Shamrock Rovers striker Karl Sheppard. The Ireland under 21 signed a two-and-a-half year deal on a free transfer from the League of Ireland club.

On the managerial front, Shamrock Rovers have parted ways with their former manager Michael O’Neill who took up the position as manager of the Northern Ireland national side. Stephen Kenny, former Derry City manager, has replaced O’Neill at Tallaght.

Kenny has been busy during this off-season, making the signings of Graham Gartland, Conor Powell and Killian Brennan. Gartland comes in from SPL side St Johnston while Powell arrives from Sligo and Brennan from fierce rivals Bohemians.

Bohs have also made changes of their own. Their former manager, Pat Fenlon, has moved to SPL outfit Hibernian, and he was replaced by Aaron Callaghan.

Their entire senior squad from last season, apart from Owen Heary, have been let go, as the Gypsies squad this year will mainly be comprised of youthful players, with a couple of seasoned professionals like Evan McMillan and Derek Pender, both coming in from Pat’s. Callaghan seems very eager to work with the young players and has a lot of experience of this from his time at UCD, something which Bohs fans have welcomed.

Sligo Rovers fans received some great news when ‘The King of Benin’ Romauld Boco signed back with the club for the third time. Boco this time arrived from Shanghai East Asia, playing in the China League One. As well as the return of Boco, Paul Cook has also retained the back four line that allowed the fewest goals last season (19) – Davoren, McGuinness, Peers and Keane. To add to this, firepower such as Mark Quigley and Danny North have also joined the Bit O’ Red in their attempt to fight for the title again in 2012.

Leaving the Showgrounds for Pat Fenlon’s Hibernian is Eoin Doyle. ‘Gingerito’ joined Hibs this January transfer window and has already scored for his new team in the Scottish Cup. Richie Ryan, one of the league’s finest players over the past few years, has also left for the SPL, completing a move to Dundee United.

No Country For Old Men? 2012 Six Nations Preview

DARA FOLAN

SAM HOLT

So Paul Scholes and Thierry Henry have returned to the Premier League. Surely in the intense, cut and thrust nature of the Premier League, there is no place for these opportunistic pensioners? This is of course the “Best League in the World™”, where any player over the age of 32 who can still hack ‘it’ is subject to near-constant commentator astonishment, regarded as an anomaly in a profession where so many of their counterparts are deemed only fit for the glue factory or its footballing equivalent, ‘The Qatar Stars League’.

The lead up to Arsenal and United’s most recent fixture had all the hallmarks of Hollywood blockbuster; Scholes, the ageing hero comes out of retirement to drive his club out of their current midfield malaise. Thierry Henry, vilified handball merchant returns to London to help Arsenal and his old boss out of their dire footballing straits. Although neither assumed starring roles in the fixture, the return of these icons has even the most hardened cynic lost in a haze of football nostalgia While this re-arrival of Henry and Scholes is no doubt exciting for the fans, it also offers an insight into a power shift currently happening in English and European football. The lure of Manchester United and their ability to attract and purchase top quality players appears to be on the wane. In bygone seasons Manchester United could have easily purchased a top quality replacement as opposed to coaxing a 37 year-old Paul Scholes out of retirement. Domestically, the emergence of bitter rivals Manchester City has threatened United’s position at the pinnacle of English football, the financial capabilities and marquee squad possessed by City have perhaps rendered them the more tempting prospect to potential signings.

On a European level, the sustained period of footballing excellence from Barcelona and the prestige of Real Madrid has pushed United down the pecking order in the transfer market. Given that

It came as no great surprise when Paul O’Connell was named as Ireland’s captain for the Six Nations in the absence of Brian O’Driscoll. There were other likely candidates coach Declan Kidney could have considered including Rory Best, Jamie Heaslip and even Rob Kearney, but O’Connell was always the clear favourite. The 82 times capped lock has skippered Ireland before, as well as leading Munster to Heineken Cup glory in 2008 and the British and Irish Lions in South Africa in 2009. As for the challenges awaiting Ireland in this year’s championship, this is the year they travel to both England and France, which always makes winning the tournament all the more difficult.

Ireland begin their campaign against Wales on February 5th at the Aviva Stadium, and will be looking to avenge their 22-10 defeat against the Welsh in the World Cup quarter finals in New Zealand. A good start is key to any Six Nations tournament and this home tie allows Ireland to set a solid foundation.

Having also lost to Wales in last year’s championship, there will be no lacking in motivation for Kidney’s men. This is followed by a trip to the Stade de France on February 11th to take on France, under new coach Phillipe Saint-Andre. This venue has been a graveyard for Ireland over the last decade, so a change in fortunes would be welcome. On February 25th, Ireland are back in Dublin to host Italy, and while this game is usually a tie Ireland bank on winning, Italy are always difficult to break down, and patience certainly will be a virtue required for Ireland that day.

Just as we saw at the World Cup when the two sides met, the first half was a very close game, but Ireland were patient and pulled away in the second half to win 36-6.

Ireland will then entertain Scotland on March 10th, and victory in this game would set up the potential of a Triple Crown title, provided they beat Wales in their opening game. Ireland also have a score to settle with the Scottish after they denied Ireland a Triple Crown by beating them in their last game to be played

Thierry Henry practicing a hand ball transfer funds are most likely non-existent, the return of Paul Scholes could yet prove to be a clever, if not forced piece of business by Ferguson.

After his fairytale return against Leeds in the FA Cup, Henry will play a 2 month cameo role in Arsenal’s season and perhaps alleviate dependency on Robin Van Persie. His arrival at the club may also be seen by some as a classic symptom of manager Arsene Wenger’s aversion to spending money when clearly needed. Although Henry’s stock has fallen in recent years and his trademark pace is not what it was, there is no doubt that at 34 he still possesses the instincts required to score goals and will almost certainly do so in his brief return.

In a similar vein, national treasure Robbie Keane has signed a two month loan deal with Aston Villa in a bid to maintain fitness for Ireland’s Euro 2012 campaign. Judging by his impressive two goal debut, the ‘Irish Totti’ is in rude health and showing no signs of MLS decline. Encouraging signs for Ireland’s chances this summer.

Paul O’Conell during the 2012 World Cup at Croke Park. Again Scotland are always difficult to break down, but will be dangerous opponents as they look to bounce back from a disappointing World Cup. This all sets up a final round show down at Twickenham with England. It’s also worth pointing out the game is on St. Patrick’s Day, and what would be sweeter for the Irish team than claiming silverware in England’s back yard on said day? History suggests that the year Ireland travel to England and France, they tend to struggle. Yet, there is no time like the present to change history.