The fifth Rugby World Cup brought great hopes to the Irish fans; the men in green entered the tournament as the second-strongest team in Europe, on paper at least. Despite a second XV getting a meaningless run-out in Argentina and a rusty team misfiring against Scotland and Italy in the warm-up internationals, Steady Eddie O’Sullivan promised us a semi-final at least. The Youghal native told us that we should, as a first tier rugby-playing nation, expect such heights.
Was the weight of expectation too much? Did the Irish media spin set our brave boys up for a fall? Or are they another shower of overpaid, overrated wasters? The Spoke will analyse Ireland’s unwelcome collapse in autumnal France.
In every world cup, be it Football, Rugby or even Cricket, there is a “Group of Death”. This is the one fact that Eddie and the team couldn’t help. It was a tough break to be drawn with Argentina and France, but let’s be honest. We struggled so badly against the worst team in the RWC (no disrespect to Namibia, but they are the lowest-ranked by the IRB) that I think facing Italy, Tonga, Fiji, Japan or Samoa could have proven disastrous for us. At least the possibility of defeat to the Pumas and Les Bleus was always there. We can’t blame O’Sullivan and crew for that one, but we can be thankful Georgia and Namibia weren’t cut from a finer cloth.
But what about our coach and players? “If it’s not me they’re after, it’s Eddie O’Sullivan or Bertie Ahern”, said Steve Staunton recently. Surely the Gaffer has some inkling why we’re out to get him…or is he really a card-carrying brain donor? Whether we should be out to get Eddie, however, is another matter entirely. While the statistics state that Eddie’s record has dipped slightly in recent years, we still haven’t had as successful a coach since a try was worth three points! We went in expecting a quarter-final berth, at least; forgetting that the quarter-finals is the furthest we’ve ever gone. Yes, we could have won the shagging thing back in ’87 but for Michael Lynagh…but we still wound up being turfed out at the quarter-final stage.
Eddie didn’t do too badly, statistically. The problems are much more deep-rooted.
Is it loyalty to the incumbents that keeps the talented Geordan Murphy and Eoin Reddan off the pitch and the questionable Paddy Wallace in the squad ahead of Jeremy Staunton or London Irish’s Eoin Hickey?
I doubt it. Eddie O’Sullivan has an intrinsic preference for domestic-based players for one reason, and one reason only: control. Dempsey looking a little tired? One phone call to Leinster coach (and IRFU employee) Michael Cheika and Girve the Swirve won’t play. Imagine Eddie ringing Ian McGeechan at London Wasps to try and secure a break for scrum-half and vice-captain Eoin Reddan…I can’t see it being easy.
Hence we saw Stringer make a tit of himself in successive games before his attempted Hollywood pass to nowhere in particular gifted the Georgians a superb try. Under immense pressure, O’Sullivan dropped Strings and picked Ireland’s in-form, European Cup-winning scrummy. Reddan hadn’t even warmed a bench. We all knew Isaac Boss was never going to challenge for the start at number 9, so why wasn’t Reddan getting the ten-minute walk-ons at the end of each disastrous match? Soon, Reddan was thrust into the white heat of a grudge match against an angry French team, hell-bent on soothing the wounds inflicted by the Pumas in a balm of Irish blood. Ronan O’Gara secured his place as the most overrated half-back in world Rugby (with the possible exception of the mercurial Freddie Michalak) after losing his symbiotic relationship with Peter Stringer, formed in the Pres in Cork and forged in Red in Thomond Park.
Murphy was left out in the cold…Geordan Murphy, Ireland’s most talented outside back by far, was overlooked in favour of Gavin Duffy. That’s Gavin Duffy from Ballina, who plays for Connacht…apparently.
The IRFU spent a fortune on securing Rugby League legend Brian Carney in time for the World Cup – his playing time: none.
While I could go into the overrated, Munster-dominated pack not doing a single thing right; or the glorified Leinster Galacticos fumbling each scant opportunity they had to dazzle; it would serve no purpose. We’re out. As I write these words, Lionel Beauxis has established a tenuous lead for France over England and I am bitter. Whether the French or the English represent the Northern Hemisphere in Paris on Final day, Eddie O’Sullivan needs to take a long, hard look at his approach to the top job in Irish Rugby…four-year contract or not.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Average One - Mark O Toole
I had a conversation with a friend recently who supports Chelsea (I realise that phrase may be somewhat of an oxymoron). During the course of our chat this disillusioned soul, commenting on the mounting crisis at Stamford Bridge caused by the unpopular departure of Jose Mourinho, dubbed new boss Avram Grant ‘The Average One’.
It was here that my friend missed the point and real nature of what is rightfully being called a crisis by some observers of the club. Whether Avram Grant is a manager of sufficient quality is not the issue; although the initial reports from Chelsea’s training ground, which we will come to later, will be worrying for any Blues supporter. The real issue under the spotlight is Roman Abramovich’s running of the club and the lack of real strategy or sense to any of the boardroom-level decisions being taken at Stamford Bridge.
It was well documented that when the Russian billionaire oligarch took over the club in the summer of 2003 he prevented it from collapsing under the weight of its own enormous debts. However, throughout the season that followed, the club’s genial, colourful manager, the son of an Italian butcher - Claudio Ranieri was dogged by persistent rumours of his impending sacking, until he was eventually taken to the slaughterhouse and relieved of his coaching duties to be replaced by the marquee name of Champions League-winning coach José Mourinho. Two league titles and four domestic cups later the disgraceful treatment of Ranieri was revisited in the shabby treatment of Mourinho. Rumours were whispered again with Mourinho’s position being compromised by the appointment of Avram Grant as Director of Football and Frank Arnesen as Sporting Director and the purchase of two players he did not want (Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko) forced on him. The flashpoint came when, after the recent Aston Villa match where Roman Abramovich was seen storming from the directors box after Gabriel Agbonlahor had sealed a 2-0 win for the Villains. It has been reported that the incensed owner marched into the sanctuary of the dressing room and without so much as a glance at his first team manager walked over to skipper John Terry to demand where the performance had gone awry. With such callous disregard for the talented and charismatic coach, the writing was on the wall.
Mourinho whether you like him or not, consider him charismatic or arrogant must be respected. He will never be given the credit he deserves because of the vast financial resources he had at his disposal. Yet he instilled an incredible team spirit in his squad of millionaires, which enabled them to set a record of sixty-four home games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge. He managed a squad of colossal egos and his side displayed the best defensive football that has been seen in the Premiership era, yet due to the hyperbole that infects coverage of soccer these days this too will be overlooked. Some people have compared him to the late Brian Clough, which is an unfair comparison. Though they both had enough charisma to fill an ocean, Clough operated differently and played a different style of football. Mourinho also does not possess Clough’s capacity for self-destruction. When in a similar position as the one José found himself in while manager title winning Derby County in the seventies, Clough told an interfering Chairman where to shove his job; whereas Mourinho, despite the spin of ending his ‘contract by mutual consent‘, endured a constructive dismissal campaign against him so that when he was at last forced to go he could enjoy a generous severance package of reportedly STG£25 million.
Abramovich’s latest wish was that Chelsea - in addition to being successful - play with flair, penchant or what Thierry Henry would term Va Va Voom. When Abramovich confronted Mourinho demanding this, Mourinho refused to change his management style and that was chapter closed.
Mr. Abramovich is a man who evidently gets what he wants; this can be seen in his behaviour, which wouldn’t look out of place on an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen.
He surrounds himself with close personal friends, like Shevchenko whom he signed to the playing staff, without sanction from Mourinho, thus creating a black hole in the dressing room through which all team morale disappeared.
In fact, viewed through this lens, one can only see the logic of appointing Avram Grant in his close personal friendship with Abramovich. Grant does not possess prestigious credentials or a high profile. He had moderate success with an average Israeli international team. However, the main point is this - Avram Grant is nothing more than Mini-Me version of Mourinho, without the charisma or support of the dressing room, he plays if anything a more negative, defensive style as can be seen in his time as Israeli coach. He will never be the man to deliver the type of attacking football that a Barcelona or an Arsenal might play and Abramovich desires.
There seems to be no strategy in Grant’s appointment and already it looks like the wheels are set to unhinge on this bandwagon. Some of the coaching staff have been reported as saying Grant’s training style is ’25 years behind the times’ and at least one of them is set to walk if there is no further change in management. He may be joined by some of the playing staff with Frank Lampard yet to sign a new deal and harbouring ambitions to play abroad at some point in his career, he may sense this as a final opportunity and top scorer Dider Drogba was already unhappy before the departure of ‘The Special One.’ After a recent team meeting in which captain John Terry attempted to rally the squad behind the new boss, one player is supposed to have said Chelsea ‘deserve better than Grant.’
Already the rumours are being whispered again against Grant with the owner’s cronies Frank Arnesen and personal advisor Piet De Vissier pushing for the appointment of Dutch coach and legend Marco Van Basten. Van Basten is certainly a manager who can face up to egos as can be seen in his treatment of Ruud Van Nistelrooy at the last World Cup and the incredible football mind he possessed on the pitch is also apparent off it since he stepped into management. However his teams play if not a defensive style, certainly a functional style of football, showing that the Big Kahunas in the Chelsea boardroom are still steering the club with any focus.
The decision to sack Mourinho without a suitable replacement will more than likely cost Chelsea the Premiership this year and destabilise the club further. It continues to operate at a loss and their plans to break even at an operating cost by 2010 look laughable, as the only way for Abramovich to solve this problem is throwing more cash at it and getting a new manager and probably new players too.
This will ultimately devalue any trophies gained in the process, in the eyes of rival fans and even Chelsea fans themselves (my friend celebrated the victories of the Gullit and Vialli eras a lot more than he does the ones under Abramovich’s stewardship).
Abramovich is learning that money can’t buy the love and respect that he craves for himself and the club.
All the while one can imagine Mourinho sitting at home, doing his best Dr. Evil impression, while watching the demise of Mini-Mourinho and co. at Chelsea and saying softly over his arched fingers ‘100million dollars.’
I realise that Mourinho actually got a severance package of US$50,954,861.79, but for the whole Austin Power analogy to work I altered the figure to be a bit snappier…
It was here that my friend missed the point and real nature of what is rightfully being called a crisis by some observers of the club. Whether Avram Grant is a manager of sufficient quality is not the issue; although the initial reports from Chelsea’s training ground, which we will come to later, will be worrying for any Blues supporter. The real issue under the spotlight is Roman Abramovich’s running of the club and the lack of real strategy or sense to any of the boardroom-level decisions being taken at Stamford Bridge.
It was well documented that when the Russian billionaire oligarch took over the club in the summer of 2003 he prevented it from collapsing under the weight of its own enormous debts. However, throughout the season that followed, the club’s genial, colourful manager, the son of an Italian butcher - Claudio Ranieri was dogged by persistent rumours of his impending sacking, until he was eventually taken to the slaughterhouse and relieved of his coaching duties to be replaced by the marquee name of Champions League-winning coach José Mourinho. Two league titles and four domestic cups later the disgraceful treatment of Ranieri was revisited in the shabby treatment of Mourinho. Rumours were whispered again with Mourinho’s position being compromised by the appointment of Avram Grant as Director of Football and Frank Arnesen as Sporting Director and the purchase of two players he did not want (Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko) forced on him. The flashpoint came when, after the recent Aston Villa match where Roman Abramovich was seen storming from the directors box after Gabriel Agbonlahor had sealed a 2-0 win for the Villains. It has been reported that the incensed owner marched into the sanctuary of the dressing room and without so much as a glance at his first team manager walked over to skipper John Terry to demand where the performance had gone awry. With such callous disregard for the talented and charismatic coach, the writing was on the wall.
Mourinho whether you like him or not, consider him charismatic or arrogant must be respected. He will never be given the credit he deserves because of the vast financial resources he had at his disposal. Yet he instilled an incredible team spirit in his squad of millionaires, which enabled them to set a record of sixty-four home games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge. He managed a squad of colossal egos and his side displayed the best defensive football that has been seen in the Premiership era, yet due to the hyperbole that infects coverage of soccer these days this too will be overlooked. Some people have compared him to the late Brian Clough, which is an unfair comparison. Though they both had enough charisma to fill an ocean, Clough operated differently and played a different style of football. Mourinho also does not possess Clough’s capacity for self-destruction. When in a similar position as the one José found himself in while manager title winning Derby County in the seventies, Clough told an interfering Chairman where to shove his job; whereas Mourinho, despite the spin of ending his ‘contract by mutual consent‘, endured a constructive dismissal campaign against him so that when he was at last forced to go he could enjoy a generous severance package of reportedly STG£25 million.
Abramovich’s latest wish was that Chelsea - in addition to being successful - play with flair, penchant or what Thierry Henry would term Va Va Voom. When Abramovich confronted Mourinho demanding this, Mourinho refused to change his management style and that was chapter closed.
Mr. Abramovich is a man who evidently gets what he wants; this can be seen in his behaviour, which wouldn’t look out of place on an episode of My Super Sweet Sixteen.
He surrounds himself with close personal friends, like Shevchenko whom he signed to the playing staff, without sanction from Mourinho, thus creating a black hole in the dressing room through which all team morale disappeared.
In fact, viewed through this lens, one can only see the logic of appointing Avram Grant in his close personal friendship with Abramovich. Grant does not possess prestigious credentials or a high profile. He had moderate success with an average Israeli international team. However, the main point is this - Avram Grant is nothing more than Mini-Me version of Mourinho, without the charisma or support of the dressing room, he plays if anything a more negative, defensive style as can be seen in his time as Israeli coach. He will never be the man to deliver the type of attacking football that a Barcelona or an Arsenal might play and Abramovich desires.
There seems to be no strategy in Grant’s appointment and already it looks like the wheels are set to unhinge on this bandwagon. Some of the coaching staff have been reported as saying Grant’s training style is ’25 years behind the times’ and at least one of them is set to walk if there is no further change in management. He may be joined by some of the playing staff with Frank Lampard yet to sign a new deal and harbouring ambitions to play abroad at some point in his career, he may sense this as a final opportunity and top scorer Dider Drogba was already unhappy before the departure of ‘The Special One.’ After a recent team meeting in which captain John Terry attempted to rally the squad behind the new boss, one player is supposed to have said Chelsea ‘deserve better than Grant.’
Already the rumours are being whispered again against Grant with the owner’s cronies Frank Arnesen and personal advisor Piet De Vissier pushing for the appointment of Dutch coach and legend Marco Van Basten. Van Basten is certainly a manager who can face up to egos as can be seen in his treatment of Ruud Van Nistelrooy at the last World Cup and the incredible football mind he possessed on the pitch is also apparent off it since he stepped into management. However his teams play if not a defensive style, certainly a functional style of football, showing that the Big Kahunas in the Chelsea boardroom are still steering the club with any focus.
The decision to sack Mourinho without a suitable replacement will more than likely cost Chelsea the Premiership this year and destabilise the club further. It continues to operate at a loss and their plans to break even at an operating cost by 2010 look laughable, as the only way for Abramovich to solve this problem is throwing more cash at it and getting a new manager and probably new players too.
This will ultimately devalue any trophies gained in the process, in the eyes of rival fans and even Chelsea fans themselves (my friend celebrated the victories of the Gullit and Vialli eras a lot more than he does the ones under Abramovich’s stewardship).
Abramovich is learning that money can’t buy the love and respect that he craves for himself and the club.
All the while one can imagine Mourinho sitting at home, doing his best Dr. Evil impression, while watching the demise of Mini-Mourinho and co. at Chelsea and saying softly over his arched fingers ‘100million dollars.’
I realise that Mourinho actually got a severance package of US$50,954,861.79, but for the whole Austin Power analogy to work I altered the figure to be a bit snappier…
A Bit of Marc and Casey
This week saw the honouring of what may well be the most futile and asinine research that has been carried out over the last year. The Ig Nobel Awards paid homage to pioneering research into ‘the Gay Bomb’. This Weapon of Mass Disreputation has been developed in the hopes that it will make an enemy’s troops sexually irresistible to each other. In the world of physics, break-throughs in the previously hauntingly unclear area of wrinkled pages were recognised in the award ceremony. But the most sociologically applicable discovery has been in the discipline of chemistry. Researchers have found the ice cream connoisseur’s holy grail, the ability to extract vanilla fragrance from cow dung.
To an eye untrained in the scientific method these discoveries may seem ridiculous at best. To tell you the truth they probably are. But still, one cannot look lightly upon the importance of scientific research. A previous laureate of the Ig Nobel awards was given to researchers who thought pigeons to recognise the difference between different art styles of Monet and Picaso. Though it does seem laughable, this research was key to the development of educational programmes for children with autism. So even in it’s most seemingly dim, science can be a torch of discovery. As a tribute to this, I will produce some of these discoveries in point form throughout the article
RANDOM FACT ONE: A human Tapeworm can grow up to the size of 22.9meters.
Science is not simply a subject or a module option. Yes physics, biology and chemistry all boil down to course classes and maths boils down to a game of ‘countdown’, but science in its ubiquity surpasses what can be called a mere module. The cacophony that is biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, medicine and a myriad of other disciplines combine harmoniously to give a way of looking at the world, a way of living in the world, indeed it gives us a way of life and life itself.
RANDOM FACT TWO: Without the lining of mucus your stomach would digest itself.
Physics “The Daddy of Science” was originally called ‘natural philosophy’. “Philosophy” telling us that it is a search for answers and truth. “Natural” not only pinpointing where we are looking for these answers, but also declaring these answers are neither latent nor conceptual but also are in empirically rooted in nature. Anything from the moon in the night sky, the big pizza pie baking and the hormonal bio-chemical imbalance that is amour. The world around us is constructed in science.
RANDOM FACT THREE: Each person sheds forty lbs of skin in a lifetime.
This beautifully precise mechanism, more than anything else, helps us to grasp what it is that is going on around us. And does so better and more accurately than any other method. Common sense may be one of these to consider. A method we have been taught to utilise from an early age. It is in sense what society judges to be sensible, but how sensible is common sense in truth?
In may 2006 comet fragments from comet 73P15 Schwassmann-Wachmann passed closely to the Earths atmosphere. This sparked some tabloid fear of doomsday scenarios. With Bruce Willis style Armageddon fear or worse yet ………Deep Impact. So here common sense under the influence of Hollywood led us to believe it was sensible to fear these fragments. But this brings us on to inane scientific
RANDOM FACT FOUR: The risk of a human being hit by a meteorite is once in every 9300 years.
Another example is in how common sense tells us that ‘opposites attract’, but science says otherwise. You’re more likely to fall in love to fall in love with someone else similar to you in intelligence, physical attractiveness, hobbies and even political opinions. Well in my own opinion there always was something about Willy O’Dea, yowza!
Other than science and common sense what is another method of understanding the world around us? Could simple observations lead to better understanding? But here we must ask how much can we trust our own senses and what the world shows us. Take Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester as an example. This is a collection of theories based on water flow, planetary revolution and other natural occurrences. One such observation Da Vinci made was of water running in rivers of which the source was located in mountainous peaks. Based on this observation he assumed that at the world’s core was a gigantic water filled cavern, pumping water out like a life source. Interestingly enough he assumed the surface of the moon was aqueous. As only then (as far as he could observe) could the moon reflect light, these and others are examples of the fallibility of observation.
RANDOM FACT FIVE: Giraffes often only sleep for periods of 20 minutes in twenty-four hours and also never lie down.
Some might sense a contradiction protruding its ugly head, but hold on just one cotton pickin’ minute! Da Vinci is attributed with being one of the greatest fathers of science and yet here I am critiquing him. But here is the catch, Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester theories did not fully entail the scientific method, which we know and love, they were based solely on observation. Even more intriguingly, those few on which he did experiment (i.e. water flow) in the codex were proven to be true (look it up!). And therein lies the precision acuity of science.
It is a combination of the curiosity of observation, the publication and proliferation of common sense with its own traits of hypothesising, and experimentation that drives it as a force to be reckoned with. Want to know what the best part is (no really I mean it)? Despite this grand and complex methodical manner of analysis, the scientific community thrives on one thing to drive them forward, scepticism.
RANDOM FACT SIX: 10% of all human beings are alive now! AND I know I’m spoiling you with these but here’s one more: 50% of all humans that have ever lived have dies as a result of malaria.
Scepticism is the snide, over-bearing mother that says ‘that’s not good enough!’ and it keeps science alive in assuming that our present knowledge isn’t the full story but only part of it. This is what drove Einstein to redevelop Newton’s beliefs; it’s what drove neuropsychology away from the heart as the behavioural centre (as Aristotle said) and to the brain. Basically scientists are the ones that turn around and to declare with zeal ‘I am soooo much smarter than you’ (especially to arts students).
RANDOM FACT SEVEN: Relative to its size, the gorilla has the smallest testicles in the animal kingdom.
So kids, even if all you read were the ridiculous facts I’m glad we all learned something today. Even if it was testicles, sleeping habits, skin deposits, mucus and your chances of being under a meteor when it lands.
To an eye untrained in the scientific method these discoveries may seem ridiculous at best. To tell you the truth they probably are. But still, one cannot look lightly upon the importance of scientific research. A previous laureate of the Ig Nobel awards was given to researchers who thought pigeons to recognise the difference between different art styles of Monet and Picaso. Though it does seem laughable, this research was key to the development of educational programmes for children with autism. So even in it’s most seemingly dim, science can be a torch of discovery. As a tribute to this, I will produce some of these discoveries in point form throughout the article
RANDOM FACT ONE: A human Tapeworm can grow up to the size of 22.9meters.
Science is not simply a subject or a module option. Yes physics, biology and chemistry all boil down to course classes and maths boils down to a game of ‘countdown’, but science in its ubiquity surpasses what can be called a mere module. The cacophony that is biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, medicine and a myriad of other disciplines combine harmoniously to give a way of looking at the world, a way of living in the world, indeed it gives us a way of life and life itself.
RANDOM FACT TWO: Without the lining of mucus your stomach would digest itself.
Physics “The Daddy of Science” was originally called ‘natural philosophy’. “Philosophy” telling us that it is a search for answers and truth. “Natural” not only pinpointing where we are looking for these answers, but also declaring these answers are neither latent nor conceptual but also are in empirically rooted in nature. Anything from the moon in the night sky, the big pizza pie baking and the hormonal bio-chemical imbalance that is amour. The world around us is constructed in science.
RANDOM FACT THREE: Each person sheds forty lbs of skin in a lifetime.
This beautifully precise mechanism, more than anything else, helps us to grasp what it is that is going on around us. And does so better and more accurately than any other method. Common sense may be one of these to consider. A method we have been taught to utilise from an early age. It is in sense what society judges to be sensible, but how sensible is common sense in truth?
In may 2006 comet fragments from comet 73P15 Schwassmann-Wachmann passed closely to the Earths atmosphere. This sparked some tabloid fear of doomsday scenarios. With Bruce Willis style Armageddon fear or worse yet ………Deep Impact. So here common sense under the influence of Hollywood led us to believe it was sensible to fear these fragments. But this brings us on to inane scientific
RANDOM FACT FOUR: The risk of a human being hit by a meteorite is once in every 9300 years.
Another example is in how common sense tells us that ‘opposites attract’, but science says otherwise. You’re more likely to fall in love to fall in love with someone else similar to you in intelligence, physical attractiveness, hobbies and even political opinions. Well in my own opinion there always was something about Willy O’Dea, yowza!
Other than science and common sense what is another method of understanding the world around us? Could simple observations lead to better understanding? But here we must ask how much can we trust our own senses and what the world shows us. Take Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester as an example. This is a collection of theories based on water flow, planetary revolution and other natural occurrences. One such observation Da Vinci made was of water running in rivers of which the source was located in mountainous peaks. Based on this observation he assumed that at the world’s core was a gigantic water filled cavern, pumping water out like a life source. Interestingly enough he assumed the surface of the moon was aqueous. As only then (as far as he could observe) could the moon reflect light, these and others are examples of the fallibility of observation.
RANDOM FACT FIVE: Giraffes often only sleep for periods of 20 minutes in twenty-four hours and also never lie down.
Some might sense a contradiction protruding its ugly head, but hold on just one cotton pickin’ minute! Da Vinci is attributed with being one of the greatest fathers of science and yet here I am critiquing him. But here is the catch, Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester theories did not fully entail the scientific method, which we know and love, they were based solely on observation. Even more intriguingly, those few on which he did experiment (i.e. water flow) in the codex were proven to be true (look it up!). And therein lies the precision acuity of science.
It is a combination of the curiosity of observation, the publication and proliferation of common sense with its own traits of hypothesising, and experimentation that drives it as a force to be reckoned with. Want to know what the best part is (no really I mean it)? Despite this grand and complex methodical manner of analysis, the scientific community thrives on one thing to drive them forward, scepticism.
RANDOM FACT SIX: 10% of all human beings are alive now! AND I know I’m spoiling you with these but here’s one more: 50% of all humans that have ever lived have dies as a result of malaria.
Scepticism is the snide, over-bearing mother that says ‘that’s not good enough!’ and it keeps science alive in assuming that our present knowledge isn’t the full story but only part of it. This is what drove Einstein to redevelop Newton’s beliefs; it’s what drove neuropsychology away from the heart as the behavioural centre (as Aristotle said) and to the brain. Basically scientists are the ones that turn around and to declare with zeal ‘I am soooo much smarter than you’ (especially to arts students).
RANDOM FACT SEVEN: Relative to its size, the gorilla has the smallest testicles in the animal kingdom.
So kids, even if all you read were the ridiculous facts I’m glad we all learned something today. Even if it was testicles, sleeping habits, skin deposits, mucus and your chances of being under a meteor when it lands.
Book Review - If You Liked School
Without glancing at the name of the author of this book it will be immediately apparent that your reading an Irvine Welsh novel by the 25th page of the book when, even despite the colloquial Scotch spelling used, the main character is having the rattlesnake poison sucked out of his ‘wee felly doonstairs’ by his friend in the middle of a desert while two Mexican fugitives look on at the disturbing display of friendship.
But even while this is becoming one Welsh’s trademark moves it is increasingly disturbing that in his recent efforts he does appear to be being sick for the sake of sickness. While his first book Trainspotting is by no means a particularly publicly correct affair he does appear to be becoming far more risqué for no real reason other than the fact that he can. Also in his last book, Bedroom secrets of the master chefs, he attempted to do this which lead to me not enjoying the book as much as some of his earlier works such as Porno or Glue which In my opinion are two of the greatest works of fiction of modern times.
This is his first attempt at a collection of short stories since The Acid House in 1995. There are 5 different stories in the book, 3 set in the states, and these seem to be there mainly for Welsh to do a bit of Yank bashing but they are still some very imaginative pieces. So fortunately, the other four latter stories to varying degrees see Welsh back in old form. When he takes the time to endow his characters with emotional and psychological depth, we know that Welsh is the master of creating the most politically incorrect, hilariously funny, pathetic, deeply tragic and yet perfectly real-world people that you just can’t stop reading about. And as always, much of the beauty and the fun lie in the casual unfolding of events that will outrun the imagination of even an experienced Welsh reader.
7/10
But even while this is becoming one Welsh’s trademark moves it is increasingly disturbing that in his recent efforts he does appear to be being sick for the sake of sickness. While his first book Trainspotting is by no means a particularly publicly correct affair he does appear to be becoming far more risqué for no real reason other than the fact that he can. Also in his last book, Bedroom secrets of the master chefs, he attempted to do this which lead to me not enjoying the book as much as some of his earlier works such as Porno or Glue which In my opinion are two of the greatest works of fiction of modern times.
This is his first attempt at a collection of short stories since The Acid House in 1995. There are 5 different stories in the book, 3 set in the states, and these seem to be there mainly for Welsh to do a bit of Yank bashing but they are still some very imaginative pieces. So fortunately, the other four latter stories to varying degrees see Welsh back in old form. When he takes the time to endow his characters with emotional and psychological depth, we know that Welsh is the master of creating the most politically incorrect, hilariously funny, pathetic, deeply tragic and yet perfectly real-world people that you just can’t stop reading about. And as always, much of the beauty and the fun lie in the casual unfolding of events that will outrun the imagination of even an experienced Welsh reader.
7/10
Cinema Review - Day Watch
Dir: Timur Bekmambetov
Rating: Five Stars
Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Mariya Poroshina,
Vladimir Menshov, Viktor Verzhbitsky,
Dmitry Martynov, Zhanna Friske,
Aleksoi Chadov.
Run time: 132 min
Release Date: October 5th
Night Watch shocked audiences back in 2004 with its brilliance, nobody was expecting a film of this calibre to come out of Russia, but it did. Now, the sequel, Day Watch, delivers the sequel of dreams. Two words to describe Night Watch are “Flawless” and “Great”. Two words to describe Day Watch? “Flawless” and “Phenomenal”. Following Anton Gorodetsky (Khabensky), as soldier of light he is a member of the Night Watch and polices the soldiers of darkness to ensure that they keep up their end of a centuries old truce forged by Geser, Lord of Light (Menshov) and Zavulon, General of Darkness (Verzbitsky). The soldiers of darkness meanwhile, form the Day Watch, and ensure that the light keep their end of the bargain. Following the events of Night Watch, Anton is trying to fix his life, to do this, he learns of an ancient artefact, The Chalk of Fate. Unfortunately, Zavulon, who is looking to reignite the war between good and evil, does not want Anton to succeed, as that would interfere with his plans. Brilliant storytelling throughout as each character is fully explored, as well as some quite complex relationships, all climax with an epic portrayal of Zavulon’s evil machinations. An interesting feature of these films is the close integration of the subtitles, rather than just appearing blandly at the bottom of the screen, the subtitles relate to the action, and also to the character using numerous clever devices. Many people prefer dubbing to subtitles, but here, the subtitles are so closely linked to the action that I would go as far as to say that anybody watching in the original Russian, or a dubbed version, is missing out. My advice to you, if you haven’t already seen Night Watch, rent it and then get to the cinema as fast as you can to see this film.
Top Five College Comedies
I guess now that Freshers is over, some of you folks may need to take a bit of a breather and recuperate for a while. This is why I’ve decided that for this first issue of The Spoke, my Top Five will be some cult comedies for you all to sit back and enjoy over a lazy weekend.
What can I say about these films? They’re flawless. If you want to see guys paying for a carton of milk by cheque, toga parties, cynical music elitists or missions from God, these are the films for you. With a collective cast of Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Cusack, Matt Damon and John Belushi, these will cater for all your needs.
The Big Lebowski is probably the most enjoyable film on the list. Basically it’s a story about a man who’s lost his rug and how he deals with his unsurpassable grief – he goes bowling. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Bowling?” Trust me, you’ll love it. It’s crazy, intelligent and incredibly entertaining. The cast are perfect and with a truly quality soundtrack, it is a masterpiece.
Animal House is set in the early sixties and was the entire basis for Old School. It’s set in the worst fraternity house on campus and surrounds the lives of a group of guys who hold the kind of parties your mother always feared you’d go to. John Belushi acts out of his skin and shows the life that exists beyond the point where alcohol has an effect on you.
High Fidelity is one of my favourite films of all time. Based on a book by Nick Hornby (the man behind About A Boy), it tells the tale of the owner of a record shop whose bitterness for the world is rivalled only by that of Jack Black’s character. In short, it’s a romantic comedy for men. Watch out for the “I just called to say I love you” scene. Genius.
The Blues Brothers, as I’m sure most of you are aware, is one of the greatest musicals of all time and also features the greatest collection of cameos in modern cinematic history. Featuring artists like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, John Lee Hooker, John Candy and Ray Charles, this film is truly something special. It’s also the host of the most insane car chases you can imagine.
If missions from God are your thing, Dogma is the film for you. Loosely based on the Catholic Church (with a preceding disclaimer) this film tells the tale of renegade angels Bartleby and Loki finding their way back to Heaven. These guys had been thrown out by God millennia ago and an epic journey ensues of a chosen one and her entourage, featuring Chris Rock, Alan Rickman and Salma Hayek trying to stop Bartleby and Loki from unravelling the fabric of the universe.
Well I know they’re great, so check them out if you get a chance. Coming soon, five more things you should love.
Keep it real.
In the Hot Seat - Republic of Loose
“Basically you can’t trust anyone.” Benjamin Loose, bassist of Irish R’n’B funk band Republic of Loose informs me. We’ve managed to corner him for half and hour and have a bit of a chat about how the band have been doing of late. With that, this question and answers session has developed into quite the discussion. Republic of Loose are another hard-working Irish band and, unlike some of the younger groups on the circuit, the Freshers’ Fortnight Tuesday Bar-Ex headliners have ‘been around’ and are at the point where they just are not afraid to admit it. Planning the recording of their third album and on the cusp of officially releasing their second album ‘Aaagh’ in Britain it’s all go for these Dubliners. A laid back, incredibly down-to-earth and honest character, Benjamin Loose had some advice to offer the wannabe rock star;
“Disregard all advice. Don’t trust anyone and distrust everyone in the industry. Everyone we have dealt with in every language, if they are making a living out of the industry then they are probably scumbags. It’s harsh but if you accept that then you probably won’t get stung. The thing about it is that all the lawyers, all the agents, venues and managers have been in this for thirty, forty years and most bands can last on average about five or six years so if you think they are going to fuck things up for each other then you’re wrong. They will be maintaining their own relationships for their own preservation. Even successful bands make three records and then disappear. You can’t be naïve about it. We are lucky - our manager is a friend and has been with us for years, our accountant is a school friend and we know and trust these guys.”
Despite the overwhelming cynicism of Benjamin’s ‘introduction’ to the music industry, a music lover and self-confessed dreamer like me cannot help but warm to him and enquire further. Having spent a year abroad in France, in no other than a tiny southern town, Orange I was surprised to fall upon Republic of Loose there. To sip ‘un vert’ in the ONLY bar in this TINY place and suddenly recognise the ballsy bass line intro of ‘Comeback Girl’ was almost surreal. Expecting Benjamin to respond in surprise I was the one left astounded as he explains, almost laughing, how they are still chasing their hit single around;
“We didn’t have the time or money to catch the wave of its [Comeback Girl] success.”
“That situation is definitely weird. It seemed to get on to French radio but we don’t really know how it happened. We hadn’t put ‘Comeback’ out anywhere apart from maybe here, The Philippines or other small territories but it took on a life of its own. I think that Paris’ equivalent to 2fm, ‘Radio Nova’ got hold of it and played it and it just took off. However we didn’t have the time or money to catch the wave of its success. Unlike most bands we were able to make a record without a record deal. We wanted to release it here at home immediately but as soon as we get it out here it’s out everywhere, thanks to the internet, so we can’t catch up on it. It’s kind of fucked up in one sense. It’s deadly having successful songs but just a pain in the hole not having the album to buy the week after and basically bands need to sell records.”
This uncatchable wave that ‘Comeback Girl’ had started made its journey the whole way to Los Angeles where The Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones’ show, ‘Jones’ Jukebox’ played the track after discovering it on the internet. Jones’ show on LA’s largest indie station, Indie 103 is famously impossible to get airplay on, but Republic of Loose even managed to do a live show in the same week as fellow rockers The Faces and Noel Gallagher.
“It was incredible. He literally played it non-stop and another Indie 103 DJ, Nick Harcourt played it constantly. It’s rare that we were able to do this on our own.”
The success of ‘Comeback Girl’ is definitely something to be proud of but without the distribution backup and financial aid of a record label it is difficult to follow up on such successes abroad. However, Benjamin is definitely not willing to trust the record industry quite yet;
“I think the best thing for us at the moment is just to license. If you sign a major deal you need your head examined. The industry is in a very fucked up place right now, very little business is being done and very little new music is being signed. The people who are getting record deals are basically a repetition of stuff that had sold well previously. I would defy anybody to show me anyone that has been signed in the last two years that is new music. It’s just not happening.
“no one really knows what the fuck is going on or going to happen.”
“Due to the internet, record companies are in a crisis and no one really knows what the fuck is going on or going to happen. They’re not taking any risks whatsoever so they’re repeating what went before and they wont stop doing that until they work out what’s going to happen with the internet.”
So Republic of Loose will not barter with any record label, unless they receive ‘ten million Euro’. Indeed it is true that there have been so many Irish bands with the same story in the last few years. For many of the lucky ones, they have been shown interest and some have signed deals, they record about three albums and the public either cast them aside or the record companies do it for us.
If the internet is to blame for the ‘mess’ of the record industry then surely bands such as Republic of Loose will be disillusioned by this modern medium and provider of so much free music today? You would think so, wouldn’t you?
“The internet is liberating and it’s cutting out the middle man. Before, unless a band was signed you [the public] would never hear them. Today, they can put it on MySpace or elsewhere and the public can access them. Back in the day the record company gave you [the public] a number of options and that’s all you could ever hear. Now there are millions of options. It’s kind of like TK Maxx. You have to shift through shit but at the end of the day you’ll find something that’s really good value and that you won’t find anywhere else.”
It seems that Republic of Loose will just have to work off their own bat in the coming months to promote their last album ‘Aaagh’ in Britain. Despite this somewhat gloomy outlook their tracks are, yet again, taking on a life of their own, spurred on my some huge personalities in the entertainment industry.
“Jo Whiley and Dermot O’Leary have been playing the record, which is amazing considering their listenership. Our recent British tour supporting the Alabama Three was also a huge help to us as we have been gaining some followers through that.”
While they work on making the UK fall in love with their second album, the band have set their sights on their third offering. Said to be an amalgamation of the traditional band sound of their first and the shinier, more metrical recording of their second; fans can only water at the mouth in anticipation. Indeed, the Students’ Union crowd were treated to a sneak preview of their upcoming new single, ‘’Go Steady With It’. As always, the Maynooth crowd revered Republic of Loose with the usual reception – crazy dancing, constant cheering and singing the lyrics back to the delighted Loose.
“College gigs are fucking great!”
“Maynooth always has a raucous atmosphere. I think it’s because people here know us and like us. Jesus, college life is designed for partying and Maynooth students certainly know how. After UCD (UCD is lead singer, Mick’s, university) Maynooth is a close second to the total insanity we witness at our gigs every time. College gigs are fucking great!”
Benjamin is obviously lapping up the reception here and elsewhere but it is obvious that he remains cynical about the future of the ‘rock band’.
“It’s nostalgia. If you look at the people playing the RDS it’s Rihanna or Amy Winehouse. I’m not giving out about that – they’re incredibly good pop acts but the whole traditional idea of joining a rock band and conquering the world is over. If they are labouring under this misconception then they should just deal with the job at hand. There are not many rock bands who conquer the world anymore - The days of playing Wembley Stadium are gone. The money just isn’t there because kids aren’t buying, they’re downloading. This is a different industry than a few years ago.”
If this is the case then one wonders what Republic of Loose are actually working towards. Happy to be able to own their own music, gig constantly and make a few grand a year appears to suffice for Benjamin. Despite the issues in the industry that the internet has thrown up, allowing new and unknown bands to be heard whilst being the central cause to the drop in ‘official’ sales, Benjamin Loose is pretty content with the way things are.
“I’m not sorry that there isn’t a handful of rock stars making 100 million quid a year but if there’s a hundred musicians making ten or twenty grand a year then that’s fucking great.”
www.republicofloose.com
New album due out in Ireland next year.
Under the Spell - Darragh Quinn
On Wednesday the 26th of September I was one of the lucky (or unlucky) few to be hypnotised in the venue. This is the tale of my experience.
When I entered the venue I didn’t believe in hypnotism. I was determined to beat it and as many audience members realised, I didn’t … in fact I failed miserably.
When we were asked who wanted to get hypnotised a friend and I ran onto the stage with some lads even jumping over the stage barrier for a chance at this experience. Before the hypnotism process began, we were all sitting on the stage laughing and joking about the whole situation.
I have to admit for the first few minutes of the hypnotism I felt nothing but some on stage were hypnotised immediately. Everyone that was there that night remembers the outspoken girl at the back of the venue before the act began – and even more so when she passed out on stage! In fact, that was the last thing I remember because after that, I can honestly say the hypnosis set in and I didn’t realise the extent of what I had done until I watched the show on video.
Many people came up to me after it and were asking me all about the “James Bond” incident especially that blonde girl to whom I must apologise for strongly frisking as I believed she had captured James Bond and was holding him hostage in her belly button. We were told that when the hypnotist said, “I see you,” we were all to hide. The first time we heard that I jumped across a row of people and hid on their laps…much to the discomfort of a few girls and guys. As we were called back to the stage, I did a legendary James Bond roll in the middle of the aisle and, in true spy form, I leaped over the stage barrier and tumbled gracefully across the stage. Back on stage the other “victims” of hypnosis were holding hostages on stage. I feel that I should also apologise to that guy who two other guys and I properly assaulted while he was being held hostage. We were unknowingly kicking and slapping him on stage but it all done in good spirit.
Another memorable moment was the X-Factor singing contest. Five of the ten people remaining on stage had to sing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” but all with there own equally embarrassing twists. One guy had to do it Elvis style, another with a lizard tongue, a girl had to do it S&M style, another Britney Spears style and myself well I was a Chinese student doing it. My version of the song was “Mary wing wong wing wong wang wing wong wang etc”.
“Giving Birth” was another highlight of the night. I have a serious lack of flexibility skills so I can’t imagine ever spreading my legs as wide as I did that night…. The highlight of that part of the night had to be pushing and cursing the Hypnotist for dropping my imaginary kid on the floor and in my eyes making her, Mary, to bleed. I’d like to thank the girl who helped me through the labour process as I’ve been told by many that we portrayed a graphic yet realistic portrayal of giving birth sadly I do not know her name but you know who you are.
To end my account of the night I’d like to take everybody back to the Chippendale dancing moment. I don’t think anybody will argue with me when I say that undoubtedly it was a guy named Dan and myself that stole the show for that part of the night. I certainly regret modelling my yellow boxers, which for the record, for all of you who were wondering, were not Spongebob Squarepants Boxers; they in fact said, “For a good time call me”. I can only imagine that Dan is also regretting showing off his “Tighty Whities” that night.
It is quite hard to explain the whole hypnotism feeling the best way I can describe it is its almost like buzzing on booze and just going with the flow yet you couldn’t stop yourself if you wanted to. I’d recommend this experience to anybody. Lastly, I’d like to thank everybody involved in the organisation of Freshers Fortnight; for me as a First Year it was a great introduction into the college.
When I entered the venue I didn’t believe in hypnotism. I was determined to beat it and as many audience members realised, I didn’t … in fact I failed miserably.
When we were asked who wanted to get hypnotised a friend and I ran onto the stage with some lads even jumping over the stage barrier for a chance at this experience. Before the hypnotism process began, we were all sitting on the stage laughing and joking about the whole situation.
I have to admit for the first few minutes of the hypnotism I felt nothing but some on stage were hypnotised immediately. Everyone that was there that night remembers the outspoken girl at the back of the venue before the act began – and even more so when she passed out on stage! In fact, that was the last thing I remember because after that, I can honestly say the hypnosis set in and I didn’t realise the extent of what I had done until I watched the show on video.
Many people came up to me after it and were asking me all about the “James Bond” incident especially that blonde girl to whom I must apologise for strongly frisking as I believed she had captured James Bond and was holding him hostage in her belly button. We were told that when the hypnotist said, “I see you,” we were all to hide. The first time we heard that I jumped across a row of people and hid on their laps…much to the discomfort of a few girls and guys. As we were called back to the stage, I did a legendary James Bond roll in the middle of the aisle and, in true spy form, I leaped over the stage barrier and tumbled gracefully across the stage. Back on stage the other “victims” of hypnosis were holding hostages on stage. I feel that I should also apologise to that guy who two other guys and I properly assaulted while he was being held hostage. We were unknowingly kicking and slapping him on stage but it all done in good spirit.
Another memorable moment was the X-Factor singing contest. Five of the ten people remaining on stage had to sing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” but all with there own equally embarrassing twists. One guy had to do it Elvis style, another with a lizard tongue, a girl had to do it S&M style, another Britney Spears style and myself well I was a Chinese student doing it. My version of the song was “Mary wing wong wing wong wang wing wong wang etc”.
“Giving Birth” was another highlight of the night. I have a serious lack of flexibility skills so I can’t imagine ever spreading my legs as wide as I did that night…. The highlight of that part of the night had to be pushing and cursing the Hypnotist for dropping my imaginary kid on the floor and in my eyes making her, Mary, to bleed. I’d like to thank the girl who helped me through the labour process as I’ve been told by many that we portrayed a graphic yet realistic portrayal of giving birth sadly I do not know her name but you know who you are.
To end my account of the night I’d like to take everybody back to the Chippendale dancing moment. I don’t think anybody will argue with me when I say that undoubtedly it was a guy named Dan and myself that stole the show for that part of the night. I certainly regret modelling my yellow boxers, which for the record, for all of you who were wondering, were not Spongebob Squarepants Boxers; they in fact said, “For a good time call me”. I can only imagine that Dan is also regretting showing off his “Tighty Whities” that night.
It is quite hard to explain the whole hypnotism feeling the best way I can describe it is its almost like buzzing on booze and just going with the flow yet you couldn’t stop yourself if you wanted to. I’d recommend this experience to anybody. Lastly, I’d like to thank everybody involved in the organisation of Freshers Fortnight; for me as a First Year it was a great introduction into the college.
Interview with Delorentos
NUI Maynooth is one lucky university indeed. Not only do we have the only Students’ Union to have set aside a whole fortnight to celebrate the freshers’ arrival but we also get to dance like maniacs to one of Ireland’s hottest acts (in more ways than one), Delorentos. Headlining the first Bar Ex of the year and topping a bill of rising Irish bands, ‘Ham Sandwich’, ‘The Heritage Centre’ and many more, the line-up was bound to impress the hundreds of indie kids, and otherwise, present.
On meeting the guys you are instantly struck by the honed indie rock image, complete with drainpipe jeans and undersized t-shirts, however, Ro and Kier are far from the jumped up snobbery of many other indie acts and I instantly warm to these hardworking and down to earth musicians. This interviewer can heave a sigh of relief and get on with the job at hand - No big egos to get by here.
Meeting in Dublin while in their early twenties through playing in various other bands, the four combined one evening to play as a covers band. From then, having discovered that they had serious fun playing together, the lads continued to gig as a group and within a year what was once a ‘bit of craic’ had become, dare they say it, ‘a little more serious’. Cue ‘the plan for global domination’. In the last few years other bands on the Irish circuit have since given up on such agendas while Delorentos have trooped on and stuck together;
“When it comes to writing and making the music we unite.”
“We never ever really fight. Well, we never argue about important stuff, like the music. We all want the same thing and that brings us together.and when it comes to writing and making the music we unite. We make suggestions to eachother about our sound and arguments only ever happen over things like our t-shirt or website design, things like that, but in the studio or rehearsal we get on really well. “
Whether it’s their immense diplomacy or their obvious talent Delorentos managed to record and release their debut album, ‘In Love with Detail’ twelve months ago and since then, the album and the band have come a long way,
“We would like to think that we have developed as musicians since we recorded the album. If we recorded our debut now it would be a different product but we’re satisfied that we produced the best to our ability at that time.”
Even if they are better musicians now than then, no one can argue that they have achieved debut album success with sales reaching 5’000 in Ireland alone - A mean feat for a relatively new band. Set to re-release the CD this week, no doubt Delorentos are hoping that with the PR help of their crazy busy gigging schedule there will be a further surge in sales.
Furthermore, playing a line of impressive support slots to huge names such as Supergrass, Bell X1, Tapes n Tapes and Arctic Monkeys can only help expose the band. Aside from the media coverage and new audiences garnered from such gigs Delorentos have been learning from these bill-toppers. Ro spoke of his surprise to be blown away by The Arctic Monkeys and Kier agrees that the young band deserve the recognition and hype Arctic Monkeys received on their arrival to the music scene;
“Considering how much younger they are than us I was blown away by their ability as musicians and how tight they are onstage. They really give an intense performance.”
“They’ve added something to British culture. The amount of shoe-gazers we’ve seen on the London scene is incredible - Bands where fashion and what they are wearing appears more important than the music but The Arctic Monkeys guys just don’t seem to care about that sort of thing.”
Learning from a band young enough to be your nephews is one thing but to play support to one of your personal favourites since your own teens is another. Kier, an obvious ‘Supergrass’ fan, seemed somewhat relieved that his idols were ‘really nice and down- to-earth’, untainted by big annoying indie egos.
“They were so nice. Their bassist was particularly friendly and really made the effort to talk to us.” Kier’s beaming smile said it all.
To add to their fast-growing portfolio of the last year Delorentos set off for the US of A hitting the capital of the American-Irish, New York city to play three gigs at ‘The Craic Festival’, the highlight being their performance at ‘Sin Ế’, former venue of David Bowie. However both bandmates’ faces lit up at the mention of their participation in the ‘South West Festival’, Texas.
‘It was just stunning. The South West Festival is a city festival so you have to imagine all the bars and venues being part of it. Bands from all over the world play, such as Bloc Party, Kings of Leon, bands that haven’t quite cracked America yet. It is astounding because you are gigging alongside people that you look up to over here but it’s an industry affair where everyone is looking for labels. It was definitely one of the most amazing experiences we have ever had’, quipped Kier
If you didn’t make the gig at the SU this Freshers’ Fortnight maybe you managed to catch Delorentos at the two biggest festivals this summer. Away from sunny, exotic Texas Delorentos played both Oxegen and Electric Picnic and proudly stand as the only unsigned Irish act to have ever played both festivals in the same summer, two years in a row. Phew! There are no official awards for such an achievement but Ro is enthusiastic that they benefit enough in other ways,
“It’s great to play to audiences that grow and grow every summer. We are honoured to play at home to such great crowds.”
Indeed, two years ago I managed to catch Delorentos at The Olympia as part of The Hard working Class Heroes Festival. Despite signs of that ‘indie ego’ back in 2005, their fresh sound and even fresher faces stood out a mile amongst the other unsigned acts at the festival. It seems that the band have come along way since then, working on their ‘assests’.
“We are better musicians, we write better songs and most importantly we have tighter asses.”
“Since that gig we are better musicians, we write better songs and most importantly we have tighter asses. But seriously, we know ourselves better now. At the start alot of bands think that they have to be ‘somebody’. When we were young we were were like, ‘Yea, we’re so cool and we looked up to our heroes, wanting to be like them but we’ve changed since”,
“Yea, we’re more comfortable on-stage now. It’s not who we are now. It’s definitely a case that we know what we’re about and we’re not so conscious about our image.’’
Delorentos have grown up and one could say they are still learning, whether its from the greats or from the teenage rock prodigies. Their gig in the Students’ Union displayed enough energy both from the crowd and this headliner to convince that they will continue on the road to success. The crowd loved them and their tight performance proved that they have become a serious group that undoubtedly knows ‘who they are’.
“We plan to start writing our second album and tour Britain in the next year”.
Whether it’s writing, gigging or working on tightening those buns Delorentos are steadily making their way to becoming a household name.
Their album ‘In Love with Detail’ is out now
Visit www.delorentos.net
On meeting the guys you are instantly struck by the honed indie rock image, complete with drainpipe jeans and undersized t-shirts, however, Ro and Kier are far from the jumped up snobbery of many other indie acts and I instantly warm to these hardworking and down to earth musicians. This interviewer can heave a sigh of relief and get on with the job at hand - No big egos to get by here.
Meeting in Dublin while in their early twenties through playing in various other bands, the four combined one evening to play as a covers band. From then, having discovered that they had serious fun playing together, the lads continued to gig as a group and within a year what was once a ‘bit of craic’ had become, dare they say it, ‘a little more serious’. Cue ‘the plan for global domination’. In the last few years other bands on the Irish circuit have since given up on such agendas while Delorentos have trooped on and stuck together;
“When it comes to writing and making the music we unite.”
“We never ever really fight. Well, we never argue about important stuff, like the music. We all want the same thing and that brings us together.and when it comes to writing and making the music we unite. We make suggestions to eachother about our sound and arguments only ever happen over things like our t-shirt or website design, things like that, but in the studio or rehearsal we get on really well. “
Whether it’s their immense diplomacy or their obvious talent Delorentos managed to record and release their debut album, ‘In Love with Detail’ twelve months ago and since then, the album and the band have come a long way,
“We would like to think that we have developed as musicians since we recorded the album. If we recorded our debut now it would be a different product but we’re satisfied that we produced the best to our ability at that time.”
Even if they are better musicians now than then, no one can argue that they have achieved debut album success with sales reaching 5’000 in Ireland alone - A mean feat for a relatively new band. Set to re-release the CD this week, no doubt Delorentos are hoping that with the PR help of their crazy busy gigging schedule there will be a further surge in sales.
Furthermore, playing a line of impressive support slots to huge names such as Supergrass, Bell X1, Tapes n Tapes and Arctic Monkeys can only help expose the band. Aside from the media coverage and new audiences garnered from such gigs Delorentos have been learning from these bill-toppers. Ro spoke of his surprise to be blown away by The Arctic Monkeys and Kier agrees that the young band deserve the recognition and hype Arctic Monkeys received on their arrival to the music scene;
“Considering how much younger they are than us I was blown away by their ability as musicians and how tight they are onstage. They really give an intense performance.”
“They’ve added something to British culture. The amount of shoe-gazers we’ve seen on the London scene is incredible - Bands where fashion and what they are wearing appears more important than the music but The Arctic Monkeys guys just don’t seem to care about that sort of thing.”
Learning from a band young enough to be your nephews is one thing but to play support to one of your personal favourites since your own teens is another. Kier, an obvious ‘Supergrass’ fan, seemed somewhat relieved that his idols were ‘really nice and down- to-earth’, untainted by big annoying indie egos.
“They were so nice. Their bassist was particularly friendly and really made the effort to talk to us.” Kier’s beaming smile said it all.
To add to their fast-growing portfolio of the last year Delorentos set off for the US of A hitting the capital of the American-Irish, New York city to play three gigs at ‘The Craic Festival’, the highlight being their performance at ‘Sin Ế’, former venue of David Bowie. However both bandmates’ faces lit up at the mention of their participation in the ‘South West Festival’, Texas.
‘It was just stunning. The South West Festival is a city festival so you have to imagine all the bars and venues being part of it. Bands from all over the world play, such as Bloc Party, Kings of Leon, bands that haven’t quite cracked America yet. It is astounding because you are gigging alongside people that you look up to over here but it’s an industry affair where everyone is looking for labels. It was definitely one of the most amazing experiences we have ever had’, quipped Kier
If you didn’t make the gig at the SU this Freshers’ Fortnight maybe you managed to catch Delorentos at the two biggest festivals this summer. Away from sunny, exotic Texas Delorentos played both Oxegen and Electric Picnic and proudly stand as the only unsigned Irish act to have ever played both festivals in the same summer, two years in a row. Phew! There are no official awards for such an achievement but Ro is enthusiastic that they benefit enough in other ways,
“It’s great to play to audiences that grow and grow every summer. We are honoured to play at home to such great crowds.”
Indeed, two years ago I managed to catch Delorentos at The Olympia as part of The Hard working Class Heroes Festival. Despite signs of that ‘indie ego’ back in 2005, their fresh sound and even fresher faces stood out a mile amongst the other unsigned acts at the festival. It seems that the band have come along way since then, working on their ‘assests’.
“We are better musicians, we write better songs and most importantly we have tighter asses.”
“Since that gig we are better musicians, we write better songs and most importantly we have tighter asses. But seriously, we know ourselves better now. At the start alot of bands think that they have to be ‘somebody’. When we were young we were were like, ‘Yea, we’re so cool and we looked up to our heroes, wanting to be like them but we’ve changed since”,
“Yea, we’re more comfortable on-stage now. It’s not who we are now. It’s definitely a case that we know what we’re about and we’re not so conscious about our image.’’
Delorentos have grown up and one could say they are still learning, whether its from the greats or from the teenage rock prodigies. Their gig in the Students’ Union displayed enough energy both from the crowd and this headliner to convince that they will continue on the road to success. The crowd loved them and their tight performance proved that they have become a serious group that undoubtedly knows ‘who they are’.
“We plan to start writing our second album and tour Britain in the next year”.
Whether it’s writing, gigging or working on tightening those buns Delorentos are steadily making their way to becoming a household name.
Their album ‘In Love with Detail’ is out now
Visit www.delorentos.net
Prostests Continue at Tara
The High Kings ruled Ireland from Tara. This sacred mountain was used for rituals, inaugurations and celebrations while its people lived at the foot of the hill. From the top of the hill, the four provinces of Ireland can be seen, Meath being the fifth province. All roads led to Tara. It is the central point of many myths and much folklore; Tara is mentioned in stories about the Fianna, the Battle of Gabhra, the Coming of Lugh, Cú Chulainn, Queen Maeve, the Dagda - Father God of the Tuatha De Danann and many more. Irish Christianity began on the Hill of Tara, and Daniel O’Connell held his monster rallies there.
Once more, Tara is being affected by history, an illegal motorway is being built through the valley and destroying national monuments, the Gabhra river, beautiful scenery, cultural identity and a spiritual home for many. A campaign has been launched so we can try and stop the destruction and find a real solution to the traffic problems for the people of County Meath and Ireland.
Non Violent Direct Action or N.V.D.A. consists of banner protests, blockading, occupying tree houses, tripods and general mayhem! For the past six months a small number of activists have been holding off to the best of their ability a 13 km stretch of the planned route between Roestown and Ardsallagh. After the 18th July (The Battle of Soldier’s Hill) when seven people were arrested and four sent to Cloverhill Prison for a week, the Gardai started arresting people on the route of construction. One of those arrested was our very own Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin from the Celtic Studies Department. There was a two-month period when the Gardai weren’t arresting anyone and we were able to stop the construction from 7am to 7pm leading up to the 18th July. Since then, five more people have been arrested so our strategy at the moment when digger diving is to leave the construction site when the Gardai ask.
There are two camps here at Tara, the first being the Tara Solidarity Vigil on the Hill of Tara, which has had a vigil flame burning on the hill since the Summer Solstice 2006. The Direct Action camp is on the other side of the valley, in the woods of Rath Lugh. This national monument consists of a monitory hill fort and its outer bank is only 13m from the route of the motorway. There is also a bigger “C” shaped enclosure, connected to the east by outer banks and ditches. It is the Eastern Defence Fort of Tara. The Lismullen woodhenge is north west of Rath Lugh and is 80m in diameter, the same as Rath Lugh both being broadly contemporary. Close to Lismullen there is also a souterrain and crematory burial grounds. The whole area outside the route has a large number of monuments, which shows that the landscape is connected.
Baronstown, which...was bulldozed at 4 in the morning...[consisted of] two ring forts; one Bronze Age, the other Iron Age.
To the south is Baronstown, which consisted, before it was bulldozed at 4 in the morning, of two ring forts; one Bronze Age, the other Iron Age. They were both ritual sites with huge amounts of animal bones. Further south is Roestown, which was a complex of souterains before it was bulldozed. In one souterain a Ficheall board, an Irish board game played by royalty, was found. Then starting north of the route was the archaeological sites of Ardsallagh. There were Christian and Pagan graves, enclosures and Bronze Age houses. Then across the River Boyne is Dowdstown, a big archaeological site leading all the way south to Blundelstown, locally known as Soldier’s Hill after the 1798 rebellion, with two archaeological sites. Crossing the existing N3 is one more site. The whole area is under threat, becoming a 53 acre floodlit interchange, only 1km north from the top of the Hill of Tara.
Very little archaeological study has been done for an area that large and the land is being dug up at the moment. If you go further south you come to Lismullen, again little archaeological work has been done, only one site. Most of the archaeological sites were between Skryne and Roestown, but still there were gaps between them. Very little geophysical surveying work was done, hence the “woodhenge’s” late discovery. Now the European Union is raising concerns about why a new Environmental Impact Assessment wasn’t done. At the moment there are three court cases pending against the Irish Government and the construction companies, one by the European Union, the next by Mick Canney in the public interest on behalf of the people in the Irish court system, and the last arises as a result of The Battle of Soldier Hill.
There are plenty of alternatives to this proposed M3. For example the Meath Multi Way consists of a 2+1 system and an upgrade to the existing bus service. A train line already exists from Dublin to Navan, it just needs trains on it. A route to the west outside the Discovery Programme’s Archaeological zone of protection bypasses Navan, Dunshauglin and Kells.
Recently Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Bent It Like Beckham, The Tudors) organised an event on the hill. You may have seen the aerial photos of the body art, humans in the shape of a harp and “Save the Tara Valley”. Also quite recently the Minister for the Environment has placed a temporary preservation order on Rath Lugh.
Needless to say, we do need a lot of help here at Tara. People are needed to protest as the construction progresses. The Navan and Cavan buses pass Tara, get out at Tara Cross. If a group of people were interested we can organise a bus to come from NUI Maynooth to Tara. Everyone can do something for Tara, whether it’s digger diving, writing letters or handing out fliers and banner protests. Do you want your grandchildren to read about you in their history books? Act now; help defend Tara before it’s too late.
Beir bua & solas
www.savetara.com
www.tarapixie.net
086 1758 557 - Tara Solidarity Vigil
086 1537 146 - Rath Lugh Camp
Once more, Tara is being affected by history, an illegal motorway is being built through the valley and destroying national monuments, the Gabhra river, beautiful scenery, cultural identity and a spiritual home for many. A campaign has been launched so we can try and stop the destruction and find a real solution to the traffic problems for the people of County Meath and Ireland.
Non Violent Direct Action or N.V.D.A. consists of banner protests, blockading, occupying tree houses, tripods and general mayhem! For the past six months a small number of activists have been holding off to the best of their ability a 13 km stretch of the planned route between Roestown and Ardsallagh. After the 18th July (The Battle of Soldier’s Hill) when seven people were arrested and four sent to Cloverhill Prison for a week, the Gardai started arresting people on the route of construction. One of those arrested was our very own Dr Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin from the Celtic Studies Department. There was a two-month period when the Gardai weren’t arresting anyone and we were able to stop the construction from 7am to 7pm leading up to the 18th July. Since then, five more people have been arrested so our strategy at the moment when digger diving is to leave the construction site when the Gardai ask.
There are two camps here at Tara, the first being the Tara Solidarity Vigil on the Hill of Tara, which has had a vigil flame burning on the hill since the Summer Solstice 2006. The Direct Action camp is on the other side of the valley, in the woods of Rath Lugh. This national monument consists of a monitory hill fort and its outer bank is only 13m from the route of the motorway. There is also a bigger “C” shaped enclosure, connected to the east by outer banks and ditches. It is the Eastern Defence Fort of Tara. The Lismullen woodhenge is north west of Rath Lugh and is 80m in diameter, the same as Rath Lugh both being broadly contemporary. Close to Lismullen there is also a souterrain and crematory burial grounds. The whole area outside the route has a large number of monuments, which shows that the landscape is connected.
Baronstown, which...was bulldozed at 4 in the morning...[consisted of] two ring forts; one Bronze Age, the other Iron Age.
To the south is Baronstown, which consisted, before it was bulldozed at 4 in the morning, of two ring forts; one Bronze Age, the other Iron Age. They were both ritual sites with huge amounts of animal bones. Further south is Roestown, which was a complex of souterains before it was bulldozed. In one souterain a Ficheall board, an Irish board game played by royalty, was found. Then starting north of the route was the archaeological sites of Ardsallagh. There were Christian and Pagan graves, enclosures and Bronze Age houses. Then across the River Boyne is Dowdstown, a big archaeological site leading all the way south to Blundelstown, locally known as Soldier’s Hill after the 1798 rebellion, with two archaeological sites. Crossing the existing N3 is one more site. The whole area is under threat, becoming a 53 acre floodlit interchange, only 1km north from the top of the Hill of Tara.
Very little archaeological study has been done for an area that large and the land is being dug up at the moment. If you go further south you come to Lismullen, again little archaeological work has been done, only one site. Most of the archaeological sites were between Skryne and Roestown, but still there were gaps between them. Very little geophysical surveying work was done, hence the “woodhenge’s” late discovery. Now the European Union is raising concerns about why a new Environmental Impact Assessment wasn’t done. At the moment there are three court cases pending against the Irish Government and the construction companies, one by the European Union, the next by Mick Canney in the public interest on behalf of the people in the Irish court system, and the last arises as a result of The Battle of Soldier Hill.
There are plenty of alternatives to this proposed M3. For example the Meath Multi Way consists of a 2+1 system and an upgrade to the existing bus service. A train line already exists from Dublin to Navan, it just needs trains on it. A route to the west outside the Discovery Programme’s Archaeological zone of protection bypasses Navan, Dunshauglin and Kells.
Recently Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Bent It Like Beckham, The Tudors) organised an event on the hill. You may have seen the aerial photos of the body art, humans in the shape of a harp and “Save the Tara Valley”. Also quite recently the Minister for the Environment has placed a temporary preservation order on Rath Lugh.
Needless to say, we do need a lot of help here at Tara. People are needed to protest as the construction progresses. The Navan and Cavan buses pass Tara, get out at Tara Cross. If a group of people were interested we can organise a bus to come from NUI Maynooth to Tara. Everyone can do something for Tara, whether it’s digger diving, writing letters or handing out fliers and banner protests. Do you want your grandchildren to read about you in their history books? Act now; help defend Tara before it’s too late.
Beir bua & solas
www.savetara.com
www.tarapixie.net
086 1758 557 - Tara Solidarity Vigil
086 1537 146 - Rath Lugh Camp
2008 OLYMPIC GAMES - AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA
The International Global Human Rights Torch Relay has passed through dozens of cities across Europe such as Athens, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Copenhagen, and will be coming to Dublin on 17 October. The Torch Relay Ceremony will be held at the top Grafton Street. Many prominent politicians, including Simon Coveney TD, Senator David Norris, Senator Joe O’Toole, Darragh O’Brien TD will be addressing the event.
Other speakers include elite athlete Ms. Linda Greene, psychiatrist Dr. Declan Lyons, Canadian former Member of Parliament Mr. David Kilgour, Executive Director of Association for Asian Research Mr. Erping Zhang.
This Torch Relay initiative aims to raise awareness of China’s deteriorating human rights situation in the run up Olympic Games 2008 being held in Beijing. According to Amnesty International, China has not fulfilled the promise it made when bidding for the Olympics in 2001 to improve the situation of human rights abuse.
“We cannot award governments for abusing the rights of their own people and we must use this opportunity to force change in China.”
Ms. Patricia McKenna, Spokesperson of CIPFG in Ireland, said, “If Irish athletes, politicians or dignitaries go to Beijing to participate in or support the Olympic Games 2008 without saying or doing anything about China’s failure to improve the situation with regard human rights, it means we are condoning and giving tacit support to the ongoing violations taking place there. We cannot award governments for abusing the rights of their own people and we must use this opportunity to force change in China.”
The Torch Relay event on 17 Oct will start at 1:00PM. There will be speeches by politicians, experts, human rights activists, plus choir singing and band performances. At 3:00PM, torches will be run from top Grafton St to Chinese Embassy in Ballsbridge.
The Classicus Youth Chamber Choir will sing the theme song of the Global Human Rights Torch Relay. Music bands that will be performing will include T Bone Tender and the Fillets, Raggedy Soul, The Harmonic Sound, Skuzzi Port, James Guilmartin, Ro Byrne, Murder of Crowds, Earthquake Hair, Hassle Merchants, Sarah Red McQuillan, Dave Griffin, Enda De Road.
The serial events also include a forum on 16 Oct at Buswells Hotel from 7:00PM and a concert at Eamon Doran’s pub, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 from 8.30PM on 17 October.
The Dublin run of the Global Human Rights Torch Relay is co-organized by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), Human Music and China Human Rights.
Contact: Spokespersons of CIPFG (Ireland)
Ms. Patricia McKenna
Ph: 087 2427049;
Dr. Declan Lyons
Ph: 086 2412206;
Email: cipfgie@gmail.com
Web: www.humanrightstorch.org, www.cipfg.org
Other speakers include elite athlete Ms. Linda Greene, psychiatrist Dr. Declan Lyons, Canadian former Member of Parliament Mr. David Kilgour, Executive Director of Association for Asian Research Mr. Erping Zhang.
This Torch Relay initiative aims to raise awareness of China’s deteriorating human rights situation in the run up Olympic Games 2008 being held in Beijing. According to Amnesty International, China has not fulfilled the promise it made when bidding for the Olympics in 2001 to improve the situation of human rights abuse.
“We cannot award governments for abusing the rights of their own people and we must use this opportunity to force change in China.”
Ms. Patricia McKenna, Spokesperson of CIPFG in Ireland, said, “If Irish athletes, politicians or dignitaries go to Beijing to participate in or support the Olympic Games 2008 without saying or doing anything about China’s failure to improve the situation with regard human rights, it means we are condoning and giving tacit support to the ongoing violations taking place there. We cannot award governments for abusing the rights of their own people and we must use this opportunity to force change in China.”
The Torch Relay event on 17 Oct will start at 1:00PM. There will be speeches by politicians, experts, human rights activists, plus choir singing and band performances. At 3:00PM, torches will be run from top Grafton St to Chinese Embassy in Ballsbridge.
The Classicus Youth Chamber Choir will sing the theme song of the Global Human Rights Torch Relay. Music bands that will be performing will include T Bone Tender and the Fillets, Raggedy Soul, The Harmonic Sound, Skuzzi Port, James Guilmartin, Ro Byrne, Murder of Crowds, Earthquake Hair, Hassle Merchants, Sarah Red McQuillan, Dave Griffin, Enda De Road.
The serial events also include a forum on 16 Oct at Buswells Hotel from 7:00PM and a concert at Eamon Doran’s pub, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 from 8.30PM on 17 October.
The Dublin run of the Global Human Rights Torch Relay is co-organized by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), Human Music and China Human Rights.
Contact: Spokespersons of CIPFG (Ireland)
Ms. Patricia McKenna
Ph: 087 2427049;
Dr. Declan Lyons
Ph: 086 2412206;
Email: cipfgie@gmail.com
Web: www.humanrightstorch.org, www.cipfg.org
Burmese Protesters Burn - But is the World's Heart Cold?
“Yeah I don’t know what’s going on in Burma … and I don’t really care”. Shamefully, these were the exact words of an NUI Maynooth student. As rumours begin to spread internationally about the secret cremations of hundreds of Burmese protestors, it is now becoming clear that the number of lives lost was a lot higher than military officials are willing to admit – it does not take seven days of continual 24-hour smoke to burn ‘10 bodies.’ But despite the unusually large amount of attention the global media has been showing this horrific human rights issue, how much do the students of Maynooth know or care about the violation and loss of life which brave Burmese campaigners have been enduring?
Having asked around, no one seems to know where Burma, a country with a population of over 47 million (more than ten times that of Ireland) is even located. Surrounded by the powerful nations of China, India and Thailand; Burma has sadly been fighting for democracy for well over a century – before and even after achieving its independence from British rule in 1948. Their initial social equality of the 50s was snatched away from them yet again in 1962 when General Ne Win led a military coup d’état, and the country’s politics have been under the control of the military led State Peace and Development Council ever since. This year’s protests against the system have an air of déjà vu about them, reminding us of the civilians’ demonstrations against economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government in 1988. This led to the massacre of hundreds of protestors by security forces.
“A 500% fuel rise has been the catalyst for national uprising”
But history repeated itself yet again on August 15th, as peaceful protests that began against an increase in fuel and transport prices and deteriorating economic conditions have resulted in weeks of blood shed and worldwide uproar. The shock of the Burmese people at a 500% fuel rise has been the catalyst for national uprising, and despite the death toll ever increasing and bloodthirsty troops occupying many towns, the demonstrations still continue. The reverence and admiration the civilian population feels towards the Buddhist monks has only fuelled their anger towards the military as they see and hear of their savage treatment, leading laymen to join in the protests. As 100,000 demonstrators, the largest number in 20 years, took to the streets on 24th September in Yangon, the government began to see this was not an issue they would be able to cover up. This resulted in the raiding of monasteries, the arresting of hundreds of monks, the murder of Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai, and an attempt to block all news carrying websites.
It’s all too easy to picture these protestors as brave monks, who march side by side for civil rights and democracy in their country. Their much talked about death toll is an unimaginable figure which lies in the back of our minds as we focus in on the ‘Saffron Revolution’. However we must focus in on the fate these protestors have met. The numbers locals estimate dead is between 200 and 300, however as Burmese officials have been cremating bodies in sealed off locations, the real number will never be known. The cremations began after one protest during which soldiers opened fire into the peaceful crowd, and bodies were reported to have been moved after dark during the ‘shoot on sight’ curfew. Those who do escape death are finding little help in the hospitals as medical staff are reportedly banned from treating the wounded. The military are not content to contain their brutality to the street demonstrations with many monasteries having been found empty with only blood soaked robes and broken statues exposing the horrific events which must have earlier taken place. The rumours circulating in Burma terrify its population with stories of detention centres and live bodies being thrown into crematoriums, however despite the government’s most ardent attempts to cover up, the evidence spreading is proving that many of these stories are sadly all too true.
Graphic evidence from a monastery in northwest Rangoon shows savagely beaten monks thrown into armoured trucks, forced to leave their abbot behind. The repeated smashing of his head into a wall had already led to his death. Thanks to camera phones and YouTube, people can now see the chilling sight of a praying monk falling to the ground after a round is finished off.
So how is the rest of the world taking this? China, the main economic, military and political supporters of Burma’s armed government, is doing its best to prevent UN Security Council action. While last month the UN did send Under-Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari as an envoy to Burma as a result of the appalling treatment of its protestors, little seems to have resulted from the visit. Local pro-democracy activists were disgusted by the pointlessness of his stay, saying he was blissfully treated as a tourist by the dictators and consequently was not exposed to what is really going on. ‘He should have visited the places of the demonstrations,’ pointed out female activist Khaind, ‘then he would have seen the truth. We feel he has achieved nothing.’
Many governments, world leaders and organisations have indeed spoken out about these events, as have members of Hollywood. Jim Carrey recently posted a short film on YouTube entreating the UN to do more, and a letter of appeal was written and signed by 25 actors and actresses (including Jennifer Anniston) before being sent to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In it they begged him to ‘personally intervene,’ to ensure the release of Nobel Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy activist who in Burma’s last election received 82% of the seats in parliament before being locked away indefinitely by the military.
Not only are the junta not letting people out, it seems they will not permit them to come in either. The International Committee of the Red Cross – who have broken their usual neutral status to rebuke the regime for the atrocious way in which they are treating people in east Burma – have been denied access to those protestors currently being kept under arrest.
In Maynooth, the issue may possibly be approached by the Amnesty International Society. “It’s definitely a campaign we would be interested in,” says Secretary Jason Joyce. It would seem that the main problem amongst the youth is not a lack of concern, but lack of knowledge. How many of us were aware that October 6th was the International Day of Action for Burma? “It is the aim of Amnesty to help educate students in relation to worldwide issues,” said Mr. Joyce, “You can’t help people if you don’t know what’s going on.”
Check out the following websites:
www.amnestyinternational.org
www.burma-watch.org
Having asked around, no one seems to know where Burma, a country with a population of over 47 million (more than ten times that of Ireland) is even located. Surrounded by the powerful nations of China, India and Thailand; Burma has sadly been fighting for democracy for well over a century – before and even after achieving its independence from British rule in 1948. Their initial social equality of the 50s was snatched away from them yet again in 1962 when General Ne Win led a military coup d’état, and the country’s politics have been under the control of the military led State Peace and Development Council ever since. This year’s protests against the system have an air of déjà vu about them, reminding us of the civilians’ demonstrations against economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government in 1988. This led to the massacre of hundreds of protestors by security forces.
“A 500% fuel rise has been the catalyst for national uprising”
But history repeated itself yet again on August 15th, as peaceful protests that began against an increase in fuel and transport prices and deteriorating economic conditions have resulted in weeks of blood shed and worldwide uproar. The shock of the Burmese people at a 500% fuel rise has been the catalyst for national uprising, and despite the death toll ever increasing and bloodthirsty troops occupying many towns, the demonstrations still continue. The reverence and admiration the civilian population feels towards the Buddhist monks has only fuelled their anger towards the military as they see and hear of their savage treatment, leading laymen to join in the protests. As 100,000 demonstrators, the largest number in 20 years, took to the streets on 24th September in Yangon, the government began to see this was not an issue they would be able to cover up. This resulted in the raiding of monasteries, the arresting of hundreds of monks, the murder of Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai, and an attempt to block all news carrying websites.
It’s all too easy to picture these protestors as brave monks, who march side by side for civil rights and democracy in their country. Their much talked about death toll is an unimaginable figure which lies in the back of our minds as we focus in on the ‘Saffron Revolution’. However we must focus in on the fate these protestors have met. The numbers locals estimate dead is between 200 and 300, however as Burmese officials have been cremating bodies in sealed off locations, the real number will never be known. The cremations began after one protest during which soldiers opened fire into the peaceful crowd, and bodies were reported to have been moved after dark during the ‘shoot on sight’ curfew. Those who do escape death are finding little help in the hospitals as medical staff are reportedly banned from treating the wounded. The military are not content to contain their brutality to the street demonstrations with many monasteries having been found empty with only blood soaked robes and broken statues exposing the horrific events which must have earlier taken place. The rumours circulating in Burma terrify its population with stories of detention centres and live bodies being thrown into crematoriums, however despite the government’s most ardent attempts to cover up, the evidence spreading is proving that many of these stories are sadly all too true.
Graphic evidence from a monastery in northwest Rangoon shows savagely beaten monks thrown into armoured trucks, forced to leave their abbot behind. The repeated smashing of his head into a wall had already led to his death. Thanks to camera phones and YouTube, people can now see the chilling sight of a praying monk falling to the ground after a round is finished off.
So how is the rest of the world taking this? China, the main economic, military and political supporters of Burma’s armed government, is doing its best to prevent UN Security Council action. While last month the UN did send Under-Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari as an envoy to Burma as a result of the appalling treatment of its protestors, little seems to have resulted from the visit. Local pro-democracy activists were disgusted by the pointlessness of his stay, saying he was blissfully treated as a tourist by the dictators and consequently was not exposed to what is really going on. ‘He should have visited the places of the demonstrations,’ pointed out female activist Khaind, ‘then he would have seen the truth. We feel he has achieved nothing.’
Many governments, world leaders and organisations have indeed spoken out about these events, as have members of Hollywood. Jim Carrey recently posted a short film on YouTube entreating the UN to do more, and a letter of appeal was written and signed by 25 actors and actresses (including Jennifer Anniston) before being sent to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In it they begged him to ‘personally intervene,’ to ensure the release of Nobel Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy activist who in Burma’s last election received 82% of the seats in parliament before being locked away indefinitely by the military.
Not only are the junta not letting people out, it seems they will not permit them to come in either. The International Committee of the Red Cross – who have broken their usual neutral status to rebuke the regime for the atrocious way in which they are treating people in east Burma – have been denied access to those protestors currently being kept under arrest.
In Maynooth, the issue may possibly be approached by the Amnesty International Society. “It’s definitely a campaign we would be interested in,” says Secretary Jason Joyce. It would seem that the main problem amongst the youth is not a lack of concern, but lack of knowledge. How many of us were aware that October 6th was the International Day of Action for Burma? “It is the aim of Amnesty to help educate students in relation to worldwide issues,” said Mr. Joyce, “You can’t help people if you don’t know what’s going on.”
Check out the following websites:
www.amnestyinternational.org
www.burma-watch.org
Online Registration Debate - Nea
This summer, as most of ye will remember, we registered for the academic year 2007-2008 online. This was the first time that such a service was available to students of NUI Maynooth and what a service!! I mean no more trekking back and forward across that god forsaken bridge, no more queues and having to look decent for that student card picture that you know is going to be a disaster.
In June, when we got our results (what a wonderful day that was!), a little green sheet told us that we would be registering for the next year online using the student web services webpage looked after by a company called Its. That was all we heard of this registration thingy until the end of August when we got a letter telling us, and I quote “we at the student records office are ready to go live”. The letter said that we should keep checking the NUIM homepage as the guide will be listed in the “what’s new” section. I’ll admit that I only checked the website when the issue of fees came up and much to my surprise there was a link for a 22 page user guide that they recommended we print! eh Hello, no college means no free printing so they could forget it! I just did what any good engineer would do and saved it to my hard drive to view at my leisure.
When the blessed day arrived to register, I totally forgot about it (good oul student apathy) and didn’t register until the Friday before I was due back to college, but it only took about 10 minutes to become a second year student and also rob me of €893! I found the system to be totally easy to use and friends of mine felt the same. It pre – selected all of my compulsory modules straight away and allowed me to change all of my personal details. It also allowed us to view the module descriptors because we don’t get that huge NUIM calendar book for the year which means we save our backs from carting a 754 page book around, even though we only really need on average 8 pages from it, and we also save countless trees to produce this monstrosity which is excellent for the environment!!
Now I have heard that several people didn’t get a confirmation e-mail and that since they were told that they must get one, people started to worry but the kind people in the student records office had some one on the phone so the concerned student could check to see if they were registered. I have been told, but this is unconfirmed, that due to an upgrade with the Its e-mail system, many students did not receive the confirmation e-mail. The student records office also booked the PACR behind the computer centre and ran a sort of workshop to help students through the online registration process for one whole week. So if you felt that you were going to feck it up you could pop over to the workshop where the professionals would have guided you step – by – step process of online registration.
The online payment option when registering online is genius!! It means that you don’t have to make a trip to the bank to pay your fees you can just use a laser or credit card. But for those of you who don’t want to pay online or can’t pay online you can select a bank giro to be posted to you so you can go to the bank!
I felt that all in all the online registration system was a great benefit to all of us students as it saved a hell of a lot of time and meant that there was no need to go over that bridge!!
Online Registration Debate - Yea
This year the college introduced a new, simple, easy to use time saving idea-online registration. Yes, no more queuing at the registration offices waiting a painfully long time to register. However, how many of you feel that online registration has lived up to its high expectations? Fair enough the old way did have its problems but once you got over the enormous queue and got to the top of the line, all it took was the bones of an hour and then you were set into another year of education. So why I ask you fix something that isn’t broken? Sure, the majority of the student population managed to get registered without a hitch, but when you think about it, more managed to get registered with no problem the old fashioned way. I ask the people who did manage to register hassle free did it actually save time and was it easier than waiting to get manually registered? I can honestly answer no; it didn’t save time for me. It was tricky enough to grasp the method of how and even after reading it I wasn’t quite sure how it really worked.
Unfortunately I was one of a few who got stuck in a loop in the program, and the only way of resolving this matter was to in the end manually register. It turned out to be long process, possibly even longer than the manual way. Yes I do agree that it may have given more free time to the staff to deal with other queries, such as fees and grants, but honestly, at what cost? Students spending a lengthy amount of time and effort trying to understand the system?
I really do feel that the introduction of online registration system was, when all is said and done, of more benefit to the college than it was to the students. I could believe that the students would have easily waited in a queue to sort the whole thing in an hour. I do understand that being good for the college is not necessarily bad for the students but in this case, it might not have been in the best interests of the students to introduce online registration at this particular time. It was, in my opinion, for the most part a time saving, easily manageable option for the college itself, rather than anything else.
Food for Life
Cooking in college…. Let’s be honest: it often ends up being quick oven food, noodles or takeaway. Over the year this section is going to do its best to give some ideas on how to avoid scurvy. We all know we should eat better, but it’s hard to know where to start. There’s never enough time and – even more to the point – there’s never enough money. Any recipes printed here are as simple and as cheap as possible and are well tasty! And if anyone has their own wildly delectable concoctions, email them on (vicepresident@nuimsu.com) and then I can spread the love and the vitamins to the masses.
In honour of World Vegetarian Day (1st October) the grand opening of Food for Life focuses on the humble vegetable.
Vegetable Stir-Fry:
1 Bell Pepper
50g Broccoli
50g White cabbage
One carrot chopped into batons (or, well, stick shapes)
2 to 5 garlic cloves (depending on your preference)
1 small onion
1 small tin of chickpeas
50g cashew nuts and/or sunflower seeds
Soy sauce
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan. Throw all the vegetables and nuts/seeds and cook over a high heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
Season with soy sauce and pepper.
Serve with Noodles or Rice.
The classic stir-fry is easily adjusted to your own tastes. Possible other ingredients include cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, mangetout, chillies, and bean sprouts.
Food facts:
• Chillies stimulate the metabolism
• Ginger is good for boosting the immune system and reducing stress
• Broccoli is considered a super food because of the concentration on nutrients in it. Usually any strongly coloured vegetable indicates that it is high in nutrients (e.g. orange and red vegetables contain lots of carotene which the body uses to make vitamin A)
• Chickpeas are one of the best sources of protein for vegetarians and are a perfect addition to curries or salads.
Quick and Easy
Vegetarian Pizza:
Buy any own-brand margarita pizza (Just cheese and tomato sauce). Without the toppings the difference in price between the branded pizza and the cheaper alternative is not worth paying. Slice your own choice of vegetables and place them on top of the pizza. Cook as per pizza package instructions.
Some suggestions for toppings:
Fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn, pineapple, chilli, onions, spinach, olives.
Even frozen vegetables can be used in this way, like sweetcorn, which means you don’t have to worry about fresh food going off.
Canteen Correspondent
The Canteen is packed. Finally, the Canteen is packed. It’s been a long summer without the overpriced sausages and chips, barely passable tea and over-emphasised, yet undercooked, vegetarian “options”; but the Canteen Correspondent is back. It’s good to be in the old stomping ground again, surrounded by familiar faces. But it’s not these old friends and acquaintances I want to discuss…rather, it’s the new blood, the brand new influx of souls into the melting pot of NUI Maynooth.
A new year, a new Canteen Correspondent (same old cack being slopped out to us) and a new collection of Maynooth debutantes: it’s all very exciting, really. As I get older and less wiser, I look around and try to see what you Freshers see…the possibilities ahead of each one of you. As you sit in the thronged Canteen, cast your eyes about you and glance at the people surrounding you. That girl you gave your number to during Freshers’ Fortnight; the guy who offered to buy you a drink at the Burlesque Bar-Ex; the couple, cute as they may be, who hooked up at the start of Freshers’ and will either get married or split up after such a long time that both of them regret not having had a chance to be single in college; the strange guy from the tour during orientation who turns out to be quite funny once you ignore his frequent mentions of “puppies”, “marmalade”, “drowning” and “Star Trek”…all around you are the people who will shape the time you spend here.
Ahead of you are the good times – the drunken adventures after Bar-Exes looking for cooked pizza at four in the morning; the sober adventures on those regretful mornings; the discovery of the Fry in the Rye; finding out that “Jucieee Lucieeee’s” is actually called the Speakeasy, but that someone thought naming it after a hooker from the midlands would be mildly amusing; realising that you can’t escape in such a small college and you’ll have to face up to the fact that you did kiss that guy from the shite support band last “Thursday Night Live”, the one with the honest-to-jaysus moustache – all these experiences and more await you. Each Club or Society you joined, or were harassed/coerced/bribed into joining, on Fairs’ Day opens a new door and a new circle of friends, enemies, lovers and secret admirers.
But no experience, or set of experiences, would be complete without the bad times. The funny weirdo will get less funny and more weird over time. The drunken adventures will sometimes go pear-shaped and leave you quite red-faced as you explain to the Garda exactly why you thought you could find cooked pizza while running down Doctor’s Lane…backwards…in the nude. The bass player with the honest-to-jaysus moustache will talk to HotPress about what a great lay you were when he shaves the ronnie and the band becomes too big to ever play Maynooth again. You will fail at least one exam, essay, or drug test.
But that, my new and old friends, is life. We will inevitably look back at our time here with the rose-tinted glasses of a mother looking back at childbirth and forget the pain and heartache. Welcome home!
A new year, a new Canteen Correspondent (same old cack being slopped out to us) and a new collection of Maynooth debutantes: it’s all very exciting, really. As I get older and less wiser, I look around and try to see what you Freshers see…the possibilities ahead of each one of you. As you sit in the thronged Canteen, cast your eyes about you and glance at the people surrounding you. That girl you gave your number to during Freshers’ Fortnight; the guy who offered to buy you a drink at the Burlesque Bar-Ex; the couple, cute as they may be, who hooked up at the start of Freshers’ and will either get married or split up after such a long time that both of them regret not having had a chance to be single in college; the strange guy from the tour during orientation who turns out to be quite funny once you ignore his frequent mentions of “puppies”, “marmalade”, “drowning” and “Star Trek”…all around you are the people who will shape the time you spend here.
Ahead of you are the good times – the drunken adventures after Bar-Exes looking for cooked pizza at four in the morning; the sober adventures on those regretful mornings; the discovery of the Fry in the Rye; finding out that “Jucieee Lucieeee’s” is actually called the Speakeasy, but that someone thought naming it after a hooker from the midlands would be mildly amusing; realising that you can’t escape in such a small college and you’ll have to face up to the fact that you did kiss that guy from the shite support band last “Thursday Night Live”, the one with the honest-to-jaysus moustache – all these experiences and more await you. Each Club or Society you joined, or were harassed/coerced/bribed into joining, on Fairs’ Day opens a new door and a new circle of friends, enemies, lovers and secret admirers.
But no experience, or set of experiences, would be complete without the bad times. The funny weirdo will get less funny and more weird over time. The drunken adventures will sometimes go pear-shaped and leave you quite red-faced as you explain to the Garda exactly why you thought you could find cooked pizza while running down Doctor’s Lane…backwards…in the nude. The bass player with the honest-to-jaysus moustache will talk to HotPress about what a great lay you were when he shaves the ronnie and the band becomes too big to ever play Maynooth again. You will fail at least one exam, essay, or drug test.
But that, my new and old friends, is life. We will inevitably look back at our time here with the rose-tinted glasses of a mother looking back at childbirth and forget the pain and heartache. Welcome home!
Editorial
Phew, it’s been a crazy few weeks. With the madness that was Freshers’ Fortnight, Fairs Day, Class Rep elections, Exec election preparations, sifting through cv’s for our new Advertising Manager, attending various meetings with the college, exec meetings and getting to know millions of new faces, we’ve barely managed to take time out to dig a little in the Garden of Nations we’re building out the back of the Union.
One thing we have noticed, in all of this, is how many ‘comic strip’ days we seem to have had. For so many of our especially bizarre days, we somehow managed to find a Dilbert, or Sam & Fuzzy that mirrored it exactly. And so we wonder, how many of you out there have had days that you believe should really have happened to the likes of Charlie Browne or Calvin & Hobbs? Simply tell us your true story and the people with the 3 most brutally comic stories will all win tickets to the Duke Special Bar-Ex and get their story in the form of a strip in the next issue of The Spoke.
On a more serious note, we hope you are all settling back into college well, and had a great summer. You’ll notice a pretty big change in the paper. Particularly with regards the fact that it’s not a paper. It’s a magazine. But don’t worry, for all of those who loved the old Spoke, it still has some of the old favourites, along with a whole load of new bits. There’s going to be a lot more involvement from students in general, I’m looking for writers, photographers, editors proofreaders, distributors, tea-makers, etc. A lot of you signed up on Fairs Day, and I haven’t had a chance to hold a meeting with you all yet, but I will. Soon. I promise.
The website is slowly but surely getting moved around, updated, and jazzed up a little. I’m only allowed edit certain bits at the moment, but after a great old heart to heart with the current webmaster, we’ve decided to give me more control over all of that. Mwah ha ha. So check out nuimsu.com for quick updates on what’s going down here in the Union. We’ll be getting a photo gallery up there too soon, so keep an eye out. It’s a small campus, so chances are you’ll end up in there at least once throughout the year.
Speaking of it being a small campus, I had an interesting experience the other day, which I would love to share with you all. I was walking along behind a stylishly dressed girl who was drinking from a can of that strange Tiger stuff, which I presume she got free in one the packs given out on Fairs day. To my horror, this fellow student finished off the can and gracefully threw it over her shoulder, leaving it to sit on the grass outside the Arts block. I know, I know, you’re as disgusted as I was, right? After picking up the can, chasing after the girl and asking her, nicely, to dispose of it accordingly, I decided there and then that something had to be done. Drastic action had to be taken. Our beautiful campus was going to be destroyed by a few careless members of our society. So I need your help. Next time you see someone throwing their litter on the ground, pick it up and hand it back to them. And while you’re at it, take a photo. If you send it on to me, with a description of what happened, I’ll send you on little something nice to say thanks. It’s our campus, let’s keep it clean, together.
On that note, I’d like to mention one last thing. We have a great little community here in Maynooth. It is a very friendly and open campus, with a very informal and relaxed atmosphere. So please do get into the spirit of that. Chat to people around you, say hi to people in the corridor, befriend anybody you see looking a little lonely or lost. And please, please, keep each other safe. Hearing about the murder of 17 year old student, Manuela Riedo, in Galway during the week makes me think of how many times I’ve insisted I’d be fine walking home on my own. Sure, it’s only down the road, right? But let’s all take an active part in looking out for each other, and keeping ourselves safe. Avoid walking home by yourself, or with someone you don’t know very well. If you have nobody to keep you company, get a cab. It may not seem like it’s that far, but for the sake of your safety, it’s worth the €6. Also, don’t let others walk home on their own, if you can help it. Offer to go halves on the cab fare. And if you see anything dodgy going on, don’t be afraid to call the Gardai (01 6291444) or if it’s on campus, call security - (01) 7083929. It’s what they’re there for.
On that note, I’m going to call a cab. It’s 5am, I’ve been working on The Spoke all weekend, so I think it’s time I get some sleep. Apologies if I ranted a little.
Enjoy the new Spoke!
Leona Nally
Editor
One thing we have noticed, in all of this, is how many ‘comic strip’ days we seem to have had. For so many of our especially bizarre days, we somehow managed to find a Dilbert, or Sam & Fuzzy that mirrored it exactly. And so we wonder, how many of you out there have had days that you believe should really have happened to the likes of Charlie Browne or Calvin & Hobbs? Simply tell us your true story and the people with the 3 most brutally comic stories will all win tickets to the Duke Special Bar-Ex and get their story in the form of a strip in the next issue of The Spoke.
On a more serious note, we hope you are all settling back into college well, and had a great summer. You’ll notice a pretty big change in the paper. Particularly with regards the fact that it’s not a paper. It’s a magazine. But don’t worry, for all of those who loved the old Spoke, it still has some of the old favourites, along with a whole load of new bits. There’s going to be a lot more involvement from students in general, I’m looking for writers, photographers, editors proofreaders, distributors, tea-makers, etc. A lot of you signed up on Fairs Day, and I haven’t had a chance to hold a meeting with you all yet, but I will. Soon. I promise.
The website is slowly but surely getting moved around, updated, and jazzed up a little. I’m only allowed edit certain bits at the moment, but after a great old heart to heart with the current webmaster, we’ve decided to give me more control over all of that. Mwah ha ha. So check out nuimsu.com for quick updates on what’s going down here in the Union. We’ll be getting a photo gallery up there too soon, so keep an eye out. It’s a small campus, so chances are you’ll end up in there at least once throughout the year.
Speaking of it being a small campus, I had an interesting experience the other day, which I would love to share with you all. I was walking along behind a stylishly dressed girl who was drinking from a can of that strange Tiger stuff, which I presume she got free in one the packs given out on Fairs day. To my horror, this fellow student finished off the can and gracefully threw it over her shoulder, leaving it to sit on the grass outside the Arts block. I know, I know, you’re as disgusted as I was, right? After picking up the can, chasing after the girl and asking her, nicely, to dispose of it accordingly, I decided there and then that something had to be done. Drastic action had to be taken. Our beautiful campus was going to be destroyed by a few careless members of our society. So I need your help. Next time you see someone throwing their litter on the ground, pick it up and hand it back to them. And while you’re at it, take a photo. If you send it on to me, with a description of what happened, I’ll send you on little something nice to say thanks. It’s our campus, let’s keep it clean, together.
On that note, I’d like to mention one last thing. We have a great little community here in Maynooth. It is a very friendly and open campus, with a very informal and relaxed atmosphere. So please do get into the spirit of that. Chat to people around you, say hi to people in the corridor, befriend anybody you see looking a little lonely or lost. And please, please, keep each other safe. Hearing about the murder of 17 year old student, Manuela Riedo, in Galway during the week makes me think of how many times I’ve insisted I’d be fine walking home on my own. Sure, it’s only down the road, right? But let’s all take an active part in looking out for each other, and keeping ourselves safe. Avoid walking home by yourself, or with someone you don’t know very well. If you have nobody to keep you company, get a cab. It may not seem like it’s that far, but for the sake of your safety, it’s worth the €6. Also, don’t let others walk home on their own, if you can help it. Offer to go halves on the cab fare. And if you see anything dodgy going on, don’t be afraid to call the Gardai (01 6291444) or if it’s on campus, call security - (01) 7083929. It’s what they’re there for.
On that note, I’m going to call a cab. It’s 5am, I’ve been working on The Spoke all weekend, so I think it’s time I get some sleep. Apologies if I ranted a little.
Enjoy the new Spoke!
Leona Nally
Editor
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