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interviewcover storyirish society & politicsbusinessinternationalclimatescience & technologytravelentertainmentsportcontentsGerry Ryan InterviewNo Season for ResignationPassport of Infamy?Invisible Lives - Neglect of the DisabledGriffith College & the Civil WarSex, Slavery & Black MagicIrish Pride?Tomas MacGiolla & the Workers PartySlow Boat to NationalisationDebt Tsunami Threatens UnemployedThe Boko Haram ‘Madness’ in NigeriaPower Sharing According to Robert MugabeOh, It’s Not the Pirates Life for MeSri Lanka’s Silenced MinorityMexico at WarThe Price Of Free SpeechPresident Palin?Bringing Down the WallsSaving GreeceWhere is Iran’s Dissenting Voice?Death of a Football FanBoy SoldiersThis is what Democracy Looks LikeEngulfing the Irish CoastThe Concern for CERNDoes the iPad touch all the right buttons?A Backpacker’s Guide to ColumbiaThe Man Behind AvatarIt Might Get LoudMachine Head / High on Fire ReviewsOxegen 2010 Preview...now They Play Mafia WarsAre You a Musicals Kinda Guy?Tubridy’s Time?Online Dating - Strong Compatibility = Deep LoveAn Octave Above the RestJT & Tiger - Legends of the FallAway With the FaroesHope you enjoy this special double issue for March. We had somany stories, ideas and new themes running through Februarywe decided we wouldn’t compromise with 1 small issue, ratherwe’d like to bring you a whopping 70 page Goliath of brilliantfeature’s, breaking stories , and fresh opinions to kick-off our2010 stream.I think this issue is a testament to the skill and hard labourof a few willing journalism students, who met the challengeof writing the same quantity and quality journalism normallyrequiring the work of triple their staff.I ask students again to pick up their pen and paper, theirlaptop or ipad (so help me God) and become active journalistsnow, not later. I hope the magazine has become a new forumfor international voices, and a niche entertainment source forsports, political, and entertainment fanatics alike.Special thanks to Anne Daly and her Griff Fm crew for adding allot of new voices and originalthemes to the mag. The Griff FM crew having come so far in the last year, bringing us originalstories as they break for print and broadcast.I hope we’ve pushed some nerves, entertained, and engaged new and existing readers with amix-up of style, content and controversial issues.Enjoy the double whammy issue and get writing for issue 3 and 4, time is short!!!4681012151718202123242526283032343536384042444546485052535457586062636465EditorBrendan KildeaDesign & LayoutColm McDermottChief WritersJohn Dorney Nicola ByrneDavid Claxton Sean GildeaAndrew Batare. Joseph MorganLidia OkorokovaWritersShane Quinn Kevin McClayBrendan Kildea Colm GoreyDavid Murphy James WardTatianna Valle Jonathan KeaneDarren Cleary David KeohanePatrick Savage Oran FitzpatrickHugh Hick Ian DoneganLaura Delaney Oscar LongMaria Brundin Mathew McMahonOscar FinnSub-editorsOran Fitzpatrick Shane QuinnDavid Claxton Nicola ByrneOisin Collins Jenny McShaneLidia Okorokova Brendan KildeaPhotographyElaine Yorke Colm McDermottColin O HanlonFintin Clarke ( Fingal independent )Maria Brundin Annette B. SøreideThanks to contributorsNicola Fitzpatrick Colin FoleyCharlotte Clarke Karl EnglishGina Karoline Dalen Helen McEnteeConor Mcarthy Abe NeihumGareth Hughes Rachel BradyRoseland Griffin Siobhan WorleyThomas Sporsheim Wayne DoyleThanks to Lecturers:Anne Daly Barry Finnegan Alan GillRyan Brennan Sinead MurphyPrinters : Speciality Print Ltd.Fusion is Proudly Printed ByKeep reading.BKFusion is produced by the students of the Journalism & Media Faculty of Griffith College Dublin.Magazine & Print ProfessionalsContact: russell@specialityprint.ieFusion Magazine 3

interviewSex, politics and rock & roll.Gerry Ryan talks about the early years.By Nicola Byrne & Brendan Kildea Photography by Elaine YorkeWhat kind of mad stuff did you get up to inyour college days?Well, I was a legal science student in Trinityand was studying for solicitors in Blackhall Place.So these were not internationally renowned forjapery or wild activities. But what was good whenI was in college, was that students protested at thedrop of a hat. One of the most significant parts ofthe annual student calendar was the library occupation.I used to wonder how you decide to occupythe library or not, I remember the students unionsaying well you know, we have one every year; wealways find a reason. That’s what was great aboutthe 70s, you were always out protesting. Everydaythere was some sort of political activism goingon, it was really good craic and of course, a greatopportunity to meet girls.How do you think student activism haschanged these days?I think the most significant is that studentsare by virtue of student loans and shrinking jobmarket. Sure I was in college in the 70s - it wasn’texactly the boom years - we didn’t have a bad economy,we had no economy. But now, I think there isa much greater emphasis on material wealth andgetting a good job. What was strong in my mind,was having a good time. I think a lot of the craichas gone out of being a student.What do you think of the supposed ‘gradeinflation’ in education at the moment?It was a story waiting to happen. The reasonpeople nowadays get straight As is because examinershave decided for some mad machiavellianreason, or because they’re on acid, to sort ofupgrade them, and our first class honour degreesare given as some communist plot to underminethe economy; I think it’s bullshit!How did you make your first step into radio?Back in my student days, the students unionin Trinity persuaded RTE to give us a communityradio license during freshers’ week. This guy camein and basically gave us all a transmitter, the facilitiesand all the equipment and money to run theradio station. After that, I got involved in pirateradio, the only reason was for free records. Youcould basically go to the record warehouses oncea week and fill a trolley full of albums. Unfortunately,I sold them all when I got married, wehadn’t enough to pay for the mortgage and theydidn’t prove very useful. I’m really sorry I did that.People always call you the shock jock of radio.You’re outspoken, it’s a given.My ambition was to present a type of programmewhere normal language was used andwhere everything you would normally discussover a pint was also discussed. We used normallanguage and talked about sexuality and a lot ofthings including, women’s issues; I mean nobodytalked about gynaecological issues in a normalopen way on the radio. It was only somethingMarian Finucane would discuss on women’s hour.We discussed a lot of issues surrounding sexualpolitics and health, and because this was happeningin late 80s early 90s when Ireland was stillvery much a repressed society, I think that this didshock people and was considered ‘cutting edge’.4 Fusion Magazine

interviewIf you said ‘fuck’ on the radio it was like as if theheavens were gonna fall. They didn’t.Obviously you’ve had tons of guests over theyears. Who was the biggest arsehole?The biggest ejit was Gilbert O’Sullivan. He wasthe most bitter and dire individual. There’s alwayspeople more difficult to deal with than others, butnormally by the time they sit at the microphonethey’ve adopted an attitude that’s self-promotingand when you’re promoting yourself - unlessyou’re psychotic - you’re generally going to behaveyourself.Who was the most interesting?One of the most astonishing experiences I’veever had was two days after 9/11 in New York,we’d gone over to present radio programmes fromground zero. Manhattan had been evacuated, itwas quite an extraordinary place. Alice O’Sullivanwas working as a junior producer she rang me toask if I could go around to Opia. She said thatHillary Clinton is here and wants to talk to you.It was quite incredible, Hillary said maybe youmight want to wait until the secret service bringmy husband in. It was the first time on Europeanradio that the two of them had been interviewedtogether. It was at the time when George Bush hadjust become President and Bush’s people were desperatelytrying to get Clinton out of Manhattanbefore they brought Bush back in, because Clintonwas like Christ. People were like touching him,thinking that if we touch Bill everything’s going tobe OK.We heard you blew off an interview withBertie Ahern…He was Taoíseach at the time and he was tocome in to talk about Budget, I think. It was just aprogramme consideration; the story was reportedas if he was at the door and I told him to fuck off.It just seemed more editorially appropriate to haveGeorge Lee discuss the issue than the Prime Ministerof the Government that was presenting thebudget. Bertie Ahern, Taoíseach or not, is one ofthe most difficult interviews. He is one of the bestschmoozers in the business. That guy could avoidquestions for Ireland, and did. He’s a brilliantlyskilled politician when it comes to fielding questions,so you mightn’t necessarily get the interviewyou were looking for.Speaking of George Lee, what’s your opinionon his resignation?I think that George Lee was naïve. You go in asa back bencher, and as a back bencher in opposition,you are literally without testicles. That’s justa fact of life. Even in Government, back benchersare the work horses of a regime and only withtime, patience and hopefully skill, you will eventuallyget anywhere. George should have waitedaround. I mean did he think that he was going tobe brought up to cabinet? That’s not the way itworks. The worst part about it is that the countryhas lost one of the most significant and importantvoices in terms of economic commentary. We can’tgive him back his job as an economic correspondent,he can get back his job but it can’t be as that.What was the inspiration for OperationTransformation?It was a radio idea at first. In a nation where wehave the highest childhood-obesity in Europe itwas a bit of a no-brainer that people are obsessedwith body-image and reality broadcasting, televisionparticularly. We married it to television andsubsequently to the internet. This time around,after 8 weeks we’ve had nearly 2.5 million hitson the website. Apart from raising the importantissue of obesity in Ireland we’ve also learnt somethingin broadcasting. Radio is dead, television isdead, media is dead. What’s going to happen isyour social networking, your music, your radio,your television; everything is going to come out ofone pipe.Fusion Magazine 5

cover storyNo Season for ResignationBy James WardThe Irish don’t do change well. Resignationto the status quo is a position weoccupy readily; banking crisis, recession,or famine not withstanding. The sudden departureof George Lee from Fine Gael was the first of fourpolitical resignations in the space of a fortnight;reassuring a change-adverse public that reform ofour political system is as distant a prospect as aStarbucks branch on Mars.Lee- RTE’s former economics editor- arrived inLeinster House last June aboard a cloud of hyperbole,having gained 27,768 votes in a landslideSouth Dublin by-election. Those summer days onthe campaign trail – George, like an over-sizedHarry Potter raising the blood pressures of doeeyedyummy mummies – now seem incredible.Echoes of Obama’s call for ‘change’ were easy to discernin George’s fluffy rhetoric. However, like theUS President’s campaign message, Lee’s economicstrategies were disconcertingly non-specific.The Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, has mademuch his intentions to reform the politicalsystem; including his lambasted proposal to abolishSeanad Eireann. The wooing of pop-economistLee suggested that the party possessed the visionto bring specific expertise to a forum often dominatedby ex-school teachers or small town solicitors.In politics, where perception is everything,the onus was on Fine Gael to convince a jadedpublic that they could put the interests of thenation before the dynastic party system.Even if Lee was little more than a puppet withno real policy forming clout; the public would,in theory, continue to trust in him as earnestGeorge of ‘How We Blew The Boom’. Lee’s continuedpresence would serve to reinforce the party’sgovernment-forming credibility – with George’seconomic smarts in the cabinet, how could we gowrong? Taking on a celebrity candidate can haveimmediate electoral benefits in terms of recognition.However, the repercussions if things turnsour must be weighed up by any political partydetermined to be contenders.Post resignation, Lee portrayed Fine Gael asinternally disconnected and lacking in credibleleadership. Enda Kenny cosseted - Mary Stuartlike - with advisers. Richard Bruton: the party’seconomics spokesman – himself an economistrespected across the political spectrum – appearedself interested and insecure about Lee’s presence.At a time when apathy was a virtual epidemic,fresh interest and hopes were invested in Lee.George symbolized a renewed belief in publicservice, self sacrifice and hard work. However,Lee was a poor investment for hope; he lacked aWillie O’Dea’s unseemly‘parish pump’ antics andthe sacrifice of TrevorSargent ministerialcareer over a matter ofconstituency business,surely suggests thata reassessment of therole and responsibilitiesof national politiciansis desperatelyneeded.realistic understanding of the structures of Irishparty politics – just like Willie O’Dea.Green Politics has been heralded as possiblythe defining political ideology of the 21st century.Worryingly however, it would appear that Greenprinciples and aspirations are easily forgottenin the arena of career politics. The Green Partyis being attacked on this front, by an increasingarray of sources. There were echoes of George Lee’swar stories in former Green Senator, Deirdre deBurca’s, justifications for resigning her seat lastweek.The little known de Burca unceremoniouslyquit the party claiming she could no longer toleratethe compromising nature of its governmentpartnership with Fianna Fail. Crucially, she hadbeen denied the chance to work in Europe as partof the cabinet of the new EU commissioner, MáireGeoghegan-Quinn. So much for the Green project,government stability and party loyalty; in Deirdre’scase, like Lee before her, the personal outweighedthe political.The Lee affair might well have wounded EndaKenny’s leadership beneath the toga. However,inevitable death is probably a distance down theroad yet. But as they say, a week is a long time in6 Fusion Magazine

politics; the rest-bite that Lee’s resignation offeredFianna Fail from their troubles was short lived.In retrospect the explosive resignation fromoffice of Minister for Justice, Willie O’Dea, wasthe result of a political time-bomb. In March of2009, O’Dea made defamatory statements regardingLimerick Sinn Fein local election candidate,Maurice Quinlivan, during a taped interview withMike Dwane of the Limerick Leader. Mr. Quinlivinissued legal proceedings against the Limerick TDwho subsequently swore an inaccurate affidavitregarding the now notorious interview. Mr. O’Deasubsequently accepted he had defamed the newlyelected Sinn Fein Councillor and paid him thedamages.As late a fortnight ago, Fine Gael SenatorEugene Regan raised the issue of O’Dea’s allegedperjury in the Seanad. The subsequent support ofthe Greens for O’Dea in a Dáil confidence motion,gave Deirdre de Burca’s Fianna Fail lap-dog claimscutting resonance. The removal of O’Dea becameessential in order to preserve the Green party’spolitical credibility.Willie O’Dea raged against the dying of thelight – unsurprisingly using his confidence debatespeech to attach Fine Gael. The political dominoshave fallen fast on Kildare Street. Within a week,the forced resignation of Green Junior ministerTrevor Sargent is an event that even the mostunlikely conspiracy theorist could hardly resistspeculating upon.In 2008 Sargent tried to influence the Gardaíto drop a prosecution on behalf of one of his constituents.Sargent’s ministerial demise is beingviewed by some as further proof of a decline inGreen standards – as claimed by de Burca.Enda Kenny has repeatedly claimed that theGovernment is now so fractured that it is essentiallyrudderless. However, the Lee misadventurehas only served – in the eyes of many - to highlightthe outdated and institutional nature of thoughtamong the political classes as whole. WillieO’Dea’s unseemly ‘parish pump’ antics and thesacrifice of Trevor Sargent ministerial career overa matter of constituency business, surely suggeststhat a reassessment of the role and responsibilitiesof national politicians is desperately needed.A resigned Irish public might not generally favourthe testing concept of change. However, a changein our political system is urgently needed if themistakes of the last decade are to be learned fromand never again repeated.Fusion Magazine 7

irish society & politicsInvisible lives - neglect of the disabledBy John DorneyAs with manypublic projectsin Ireland rightnow, solutionsto the problemare hampered bya lack of publicmoney.Reports have emerged of an alarmingtrend of abuse of patients in care homesfor the mentally disabled.The story broke in early February after a prolongedinvestigation by Irish Times reporter CarlO’Brien. He looked into complaints by people withfamily members in such homes and found sometroubling patterns.Around 8,000 adults and 300 children withmental or intellectual disabilities live in stateruninstitutions. What O’Brien found was thatover the last 2 years, there have been over 500complaints about the care they had received. Ofthese, 14 related to physical or sexual abuse, theremainder complained of poor standards in care orneglect of patients.As well as the actual abuse, therealso signs that there has been a cultureof ‘cover up’ within the institutions.For one thing, all such homesare run by the Health Service Executive(HSE) and it is also this bodythat looks into complaints. On topof that, its records do not show the outcome ofinvestigations into complaints.Carl O’Brien speaking to Fusion, said this was,“an obvious conflict of interest”, as it was, “oftennot in the interests of the health authority toclose down beds”. In other words, if the HSE wasto close down a home that provided poor care, itwould not only reflect badly on the HSE, but theywould also be stuck with the headache of re-housingthe patients.According to O’Brien, this led to a situationwhere people, “were left very vulnerable to abuse,mistreatment or neglect”.Two cases in particular give cause for concern.In one, a care worker in Cork was investigated forphysical assault, but instead of being fired, wastransferred to work in a home in another part ofthe country. In Dublin, a worker who struck a disabledchild was re-instated after an inquiry.Such cases raise the question, are the institutionsprotecting themselves rather than those intheir care?As with many public projects in Ireland right10 Fusion Magazine

irish society & politicsnow, solutions to the problem are hampered bya lack of public money. The Government did considercreating an independent quality authority tooversee care institutions for the intellectually disabledlast year, but decided against it because of ashortage of money.Similarly, the HSE has recommended re-housing4,200 (or over half) of those kept in permanentcare. Large groups homes and psychiatrichospitals should be closed, the report stated, andreplaced with smaller scale, “care in the community”homes. Again though, the cost may be prohibitive.It is estimated that the re-housing projectwould cost between €5-10 million.The Ryan report, released last May, discoveredtens of thousands of cases of abuse of childrenin state and Church run “industrial schools” overdecades. Many of Carl O’Brien’s findings, thoughon a much smaller scale, echo those found in theRyan report.For instance, in both cases, there was no independentinvestigation of complaints. Secondlyand perhaps most disturbing,were the instances where careworkers suspected of physicalabuse were simply transferredto other institutions in a wayreminiscent of the CatholicChurch’s transfer of priestsaccused of sexual abuse to other simplyparishes.When asked if he saw parallelsbetween the two cases, CarlO’Brien replied, “Wheneveryou have an imbalance of power, as there was inChurch-run institutions, people who held the keysof those institutions had fertile ground for abuseor mistreatment. People with intellectual disabilitieswere also placed in a very vulnerable position.”It is important to stress though, he continuedthat although he had found some disquieting evidence,this did not apply to all care homes. “Thereare many homes where the standard of care is verygood.Most disturbingwere the instanceswhere care workerssuspected ofphysical abuse weretransferredto other institutionsFusion Magazine 11

irish society & politicsGriffith College and the Civil WarBy John DorneyIn the grounds and rooms of Griffith Collegemen were beaten, tortured and shot. Thisstory is just one episode taken from theIrish Civil War, a vicious conflict that took placeless than 90 years ago.Any person strolling into Griffith College for thefirst time will be struck by the grey stone walls, itsfortress-like square shape and the bars surroundingthe windows. Most students may be aware itwas once an Irish army barracks - a barracks thatshrouds a bloody past. How many know that at thefoundation of the Irish state, it was the scene, for ayear, of bloodshed, torture, and murder?Looking out over today’s peaceful campus(sometimes), it is hard to imagine Irish soldierson parade were once mowed down by machinegun fire in the square, or that in one of the classrooms, the same soldiers beat Republican prisonerswith rifles and bayonets. Or where there is nowa national school, once there was a barbed wirecage, which held hundreds of internees.But these things did indeed happen. The firstyear of Griffith Barracks being an Irish Army garrisoncoincided with the beginning of the CivilWar here.After three years of guerrilla warfare, the Britishgranted unconditional independence to part ofIreland (26 out of 32 counties) – as the Irish FreeState under the Anglo-Irish Treaty. However, mostof the guerrillas who made this possible – the IrishRepublican Army or IRA, rejected this compromise– holding out for a fully independent island.On April 12 1922, British troops trudged outof the complex we study in today and Irish FreeState troops marched in. It was not yet known asGriffith Barracks, but Wellington Barracks.The Irish Times wrote of the barracks’ occupation,“there was a complete absence of the ceremonialand the formal handing over of the barracks[by the British Army] attracted little attention”.The raw young recruits, many of them as young as16 or 17, would probably have preferred it if theyhad been allowed to remain in quiet obscurity.Instead, within days of the handover, the anti-Treaty IRA attacked the barracks, spraying it withgunfire from the surrounding rooftops and hurlinggrenades at the gates. A total of five men werewounded in the skirmish. Not a Stalingrad by anymeans (and no Germans), but enough to draw thebattle lines between the soldiers inside the barracks’walls and the guerrillas who lurked in thestreets outside.In late June 1922, the undeclared civil warbecame official, when the Free State Governmentopened fire on the Republicans in the Four Courts.Tom Ennis, the Commandant of Wellington Barracks,was in command of the Free State GovernmentTroops who took the Anti-Treaty Republican’sposition in Dublin.Within a month, the original garrison was sentto different parts of the country to break up anti-Treaty resistance. Soon soldiers’ bodies were beingcarried back to the Barracks for funerals.In Dublin itself, the young soldiers in theAnti-Treaty IRAtroops in GraftonStreet, June 1922.12 Fusion Magazine

irish society & politicsIn one incident, a lorryheading back into Wellingtonbarracks was ambushedby Republicans at CurzonStreet, just across the SouthCircular Road. The Republicans’grenade missedthe troops but landed in anewsagent and killed twocivilians, one a girl of seven.Wellington Barracks Dublinbarracks found themselves policing a restive population,without training or guidance. Some of themdied in accidents, like Sean Sullivan, a SergeantMajor at only 16 years and 10 months who wasaccidentally shot by his own officer while trying toclear a street in north inner city.And all the time, menacing the raw, nervyyoung men, was the threat of attack. Most days,the troops in Dublin were ambushed with a suddenvolley of shots, or a grenade thrown at a passingtroop lorry.In one incident, a lorry heading back into Wellingtonbarracks was ambushed by Republicans atCurzon street, just across the South Circular Road.The Republicans’ grenade missed the troops butlanded in a newsagent and killed two civilians, onea girl of seven. The troops chased their attackersdown the red brick streets and after they had capturedthem, opened fire.The Irish Civil War seems incomprehensible tous at this distance. Why, we tend to ask ourselves,were they killing each other over such a small differenceof opinion? At the time though, it developedinto a bitter vendetta, as each atrocity byone side was repaid with one from the other. Incertain pubs in Dublin, you can still have a furiousargument about who started it, or which side wasworse. There is not much point in having this argumenthere. It is enough to say that both sides saweach other as traitors and fought a dirty war.Wellington Barracks housed the Army’s Intelligencedepartment, led by a man named CharlieDalton. Dalton had been an assassin for MichaelCollins in the struggle against the British.Dalton’s men raided houses used by suspectedRepublicans and brought them back for interrogationto Wellington Barracks. Some 140 prisonerswere held behind barbed wire in the barracks andstories soon emerged of the treatment they weregetting.On Saturday September 30th, an urgent requestwas sent to nearby Mount Argus Church for apriest to see a prisoner, Fergus Murphy. He foundhim behind the barbed wire, badly beaten, “hishead, from the eyes and ears upwards, was heavilybandaged. His eyes were blacked and twitchingwith pain. His face on both sides of the nose wasalso black. His right cheek was terribly swollen.”Some of those taken to Wellington never cameback at all. On October 6, 1922, Dalton arrestedthree youths (two of them were 17, one 16) inDrumcondra, putting up Republican posters andbrought them to the Barracks for questioning. Thefollowing day their bodies were found at the RedCow in Clondalkin, shot.An inquest was held the following month, prosecutioncounsel asked for a verdict of murder to bebrought against Dalton. The Jury, perhaps afraidof crossing the Army, declined.Early on the morning of November 8, 1922, theRepublicans made their most determined attackon Wellington Barracks during the Civil War.Around 100 soldiers were attending the morningparade, listening to the order of the day, whenFusion Magazine 13

irish society & politicsSex slavery and black magic.Thomas Carroll’s complexprostitution network unveiledBy John DorneyLast February 4th, an Irish man, ThomasCarroll, was sentenced to seven years inprison in Wales for running 35 brothelsthroughout Ireland.His operation was based in a string of provincialtowns on both sides of the border – Cavan,Athlone, Drogheda and Waterford for example –and used over 70 women. The women themselvescame from as far afield as eastern Europe, SouthAmerica and west Africa.Carroll’s enterprise was first discovered byGardai in 2006, which caused him to re-locate to ahouse in Pembrokeshire, south Wales, from wherehe ran his business, via mobile phone and internet,across the Irish sea.Carroll’s partner Shameila Clark was also jailedfor three years, while his daughter, Toma, got asentence of 2 years for money laundering. Over€1.1 million was found in her bank account, awaitingtransfer to her father.If this were an isolated case, the story might beleft there. After all, the bad guy and his accompliceshave been rounded up, his (admittedly large) illgottengains confiscated. Of the women involved,6 are in the care of Ruhama, a group which offerssupport to women involved in prostitution.A happy ending surely?However, this is far from an isolated case. InJune of last year, the American State Departmentnamed Ireland, for the second year in a row,as a major destination for human trafficking andforced sexual labour.Ireland was placed in the second of three tiers,the third being the worst and including countrieslike Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Burma,North Korea and Sudan.Ruhama’s spokesperson, Geraldine Rowely hasstated that prostitution has experienced a “boom”in Ireland, over the last ten years or so especiallyusing foreign women and advertising on the internet.In recent years, she states, Irish women toohave been forced back, “on the game” by the recession.“It’s not easy money”, women tell the workersat Ruhama, “but it is quick money”.Perhaps not since the “Monto” – the legendaryred light district at the top of O’Connell street –was shut down in the 1930s has Ireland seen thislevel of sex for money. Back in the early years ofthe 20th century, the image of prostitution wasof the “street walker”, who plied her trade from acorner or tenement building. Today’s equivalent istypically set up in an apartment, advertises overthe internet and makes appointments by mobilephone.As we can see from Thomas Carroll, there is bigmoney in prostitution. Another man convictedof running a brothel in central Dublin in 2008,Martin Morgan, was said by the Judge to havemade, “astronomical profits”.So why should we care? Prostitution is, it oftensaid, the oldest trade in the world. The womenare selling a commodity for which there is obviouslydemand. Thomas Carroll told investigatingGardai that Ireland was, “a sex-starved countryand always has been ... It [prostitution] saves rapesand child molestations. It gives people somewhereto go.” Those who co-ordinate their activities areapparently running successful businesses. Whynot let them at it?A closer look at the story of Thomas Carroll willgive a different story, however. In the first place,one of the women found in Carroll’s brothels wasjust 15. Another was 16. The legal age for consensualsex in Ireland is 16.Carroll’s enterprise was firstdiscovered by Gardai in 2006,which caused him to re-locateto a house in Pembrokeshire,south Wales, from where heran his business, via mobilephone and internet, across theIrish Sea.Fusion Magazine 15

irish society & politicsSecondly, far from all of Carroll’s former employeeswere working as prostitutes by choice. All ofthe women came from relatively poor countries,via gangs of “human traffickers”. According to GeraldineRowley of Ruhama, “these women appear tobe consenting, they weren’t locked behind closeddoors physically, but they were locked in fear”.Many of the women paid large sums of moneyto trafficking gangs to come to Ireland on theunderstanding that they would work as cleaners,seamstresses or the like. They were then coercedinto prostitution. One way of doing this was totell the women on arrival that they owed up to€70,000 to the traffickers which they would haveto pay off. If they did not, their families would takethe consequences.Many of the womenpaid large sums ofmoney to traffickinggangs to come toIreland on the understandingthat theywould work as cleaners,seamstresses or the like.They were then coercedinto prostitution.The Nigerian women were entrapped by sinisterand – to us – bizarre means. Before leaving for Ireland,the women were made to take a ritual oath ofloyalty to the traffickers. This involved a ceremonyinvolving dead chickens and menstrual blood.The upshot was, says Geraldine Rowley, that, “thewomen really, really believed that if they broketheir oath, something would happen to them ortheir families”.In short, Thomas Carroll’s operation was sustainedby working with brutal gangs, who at bestused illegal methods to transport women into Irelandand at worst, coerced women into prostitutionby threats and physical violence.Susan McKay of the National Women’s Councilof Ireland is adamant that, “prostitution is not acareer choice. It is something that ruins women’slives”.Both she and Ruhama advocate the criminalizationof men paying for sex. Currently, prostitutionis not a crime in Ireland, but “pimping”, solicitingand advertising it is. They claim that in countrieslike Norway Sweden and Iceland, illegalization ofpurchasing sex has helped reduce prostitution.For the sake of balance, it should be noted thatnot all prostitutes are either trafficked illegallyor coerced. Some do it voluntarily for whateverreason. However, above all, the sex industry inIreland is based on the importation of vulnerablewomen from poor countries by very ruthlesspeople.Infamous brothel king Thomas Carroll being escortedfrom court following multiple convictions in Januaryfor his massive Irish brothel network.16 Fusion Magazine

Ireland looks set to push ahead with a CivilPartnership Bill. The Bill gives same sex couplesthe chance for civil partnership but notfull civil marriage.This distinction is seen as unsatisfactory bymany within the gay community of Ireland. Atlast June’s Dublin Pride march, a copy of the Billwas ripped up by Anna McCarthy of the protestorganisation, LGBT Noise. She went on to say,“Civil partnership will officially make us secondclass citizens in the eyes of the law and in the eyesof society.”Others agree with the idea of civil partnershipbeing a tiered form of marriage. Colm O’Gorman,executive director of Amnesty’s Irish section,believes that “failure to provide full marriageequality means that same-sex couples will nothave full protection under the law.” Mr. O’Gorman,a gay man with two children, continued, “In effect,it is creating a second-class form of marriage forwhat the Government clearly feels is a secondclassgroup of citizens.”Meanwhile, the Irish catholic church, as to beexpected, strongly opposes any measures to recogniseand safeguard same sex relationships. BishopChristopher Jones believes that the “Governmentmust never introduce any form of legislation thatcould possibly undermine the importance andsignificance of marriage and family life in ourcountry.”Another argument has been the possibility thatcertain religious orders that refuse to perform acivil partnership ceremony should be sued or prosecutedunder the new law. Cardinal Sean Bradystates that this would be “an alarming attack onthe fundamental principle of freedom of religionand conscience.” He feels that people who couldpossibly be sued are only “upholding their beliefthat marriage is an institution exclusively formen and women.” The church’s other main concernseems to be the status of children with gayThe Bill does not recognizethat children mustbe provided for if apartnership dissolves.It does not provide forthe birth expenses orfuneral expenses ofdependent children. Ifyou do not make a will,your children will notinherit what is due tothem.parents, which is quite stunning considering theirblatant disregard for children’s welfare.So what, if any, are the major differencesbetween a civil partnership and a civil marriagethat seems to arouse such passions?The most important issue seems to be thatcivil partnership is only for same-sex coupleswhile marriage is only for opposite-sex couples.This allows the government to give a wide rangeof rights to one section of society and much morerestricted rights to another section.This issue is best illustrated when looking atthe rights civil partnership couples will have withregard to children, compared to married couples.According to Colm O’Gorman, the Bill’s most seriousweakness is that it fails to provide for the childrenof gay couples. “A same-sex couple will notbe allowed to jointly adopt their children. Childrenraised by same-sex couples will be denied the sameprotection as other children because the Irish Governmentchooses not to acknowledge their existenceand denies their rights,” he said.Maybe the problem is the people in chargeof enacting laws are out of touch. Rememberthat Justice Minister Dermot Ahern, the man incharge of trying to get this Partnership Bill signedinto law, has had a checkered past regarding gayissues. The Minister strongly agreed with BrendanMcGahon when discussing homosexuals in Irelandduring a 1993 Dail debate. McGahon rantedthat homosexuality “[is] an abnormality .Homosexualityis a departure from normality and whilehomosexuals deserve our compassion, they do notdeserve our tolerance.”Whatever the problem seems to be with ourcountry when concerning this matter, it must beaddressed as soon as possible or one section of oursociety will continue to be treated as second classcitizens based solely on their sexual orientation.irish society & politicsIrish Pride?By Dave ClaxtonNewly-weds celebratingArgentina’s first gaymarriage.Fusion Magazine 17

irish society & politicsTomas MacGiolla, the Official IRAand the Workers PartyBy John DorneyThe Official IRA, ofwhich Tomas MacGiollawas Chief of Staff,had thought long andhard about why therewas partition in Irelandand how to end it. Whatthey came up with wasa Marxist analysis – itsuited capitalist on bothsides of the border tokeep the working classdivided by religion andnationalism.Tomas MacGiolla died last month andthe Official IRA gave up their remainingweapons.These two facts probably don’t mean much tomost people today. Who was Tomas MacGiolla?What is the “Official” IRA? What is the connectionbetween the two? For many people, these questionsare meaningless. But taken together, theyrepresent the closing of an important chapter inrecent Irish history.Tomas MacGiolla was a seniorfigure in Republican politics asfar back as the 1950s. He was amember of both Sinn Fein andthe IRA and was involved in an illfatedcampaign of guerrilla warfareknown as the “Border Campaign”against Northern Irelandfrom 1958-1962. Subsequently,he was part of a group at the headof the Republican movementwho wanted to move away from“armed struggle” and to build asocialist-Republican party.This story may still seemincredibly obscure to most readers.What difference did it makewhat inside politics an armedIrish Republican group had inthe 1960s? The answer is that, inNorthern Ireland at least, it madequite a bit of difference.The Official IRA, of which Tomas MacGiolla wasChief of Staff, had thought long and hard aboutwhy there was partition in Ireland and how to endit. What they came up with was a Marxist analysis– it suited capitalist on both sides of the borderto keep the working class divided by religion andnationalism.What a truly revolutionary party should do,they argued, was unite Catholic and Protestantworkers in common cause and then pursue aunited Ireland. The upshot of this was that the useof violence was counter-productive – it would onlydivide Catholics and Protestants more and wouldbe irrelevant to the lives of people in the south.The situation in Northern Ireland in the early1970s shouldn’t be over-simplified. It was noteither faction of the IRA that began the street violencewhich broke out in 1969. That was started byloyalist mobs, in some cases aided by the police,who burnt out hundreds of Catholic homes in Belfast.In fact, both IRAs’ first actions were basicallydefensive, trying to defend Catholic areas fromattack. One of the “Provisional’s’ ” complaintsagainst the old IRA leadership was that the “Official”IRA had failed to protect their community.But Republicans did have a choice in how torespond to violence.The Official IRA, who chose to call off theirarmed campaign in 1972, would intensify sectariandivisions and were responsible for 52 deathsin the Northern Ireland conflict. The ProvisionalIRA, who waged their armed struggle up to 1994,OPPOSITE ABOVE:Tomás MacGiolla (25 January 1924 –4 February 2010) was a TDand member of the CentralExecutive Committeeof the Workers’ Party ofIreland.LEFT&OPPOSITE:IRA propoganda18 Fusion Magazine

usinessSlow Boat To NationalisationBy Joseph MorganThe original report recommending NAMAas a strategy for removing toxic loansfrom the major Irish banks was writtenby Dr Peter Bacon over a year ago. Other than railroadingthe legislation through with their majorityvote and setting up a NAMA board, there hasbeen little real progress by the government sincethen.None of these toxic loans have yet been transferredto NAMA, the European Commission hasstill not confirmed that they will accept its businessplan and there is no sign whatsoever of itachieving it’s primary object: getting credit flowinginto the real economy again and advancingloans to businesses and individuals.It is still accurate to describe the banks’ balancesheets as ‘distressed’ given that they continue tohold thousands of impaired loans and that theylack sufficient capital to function to a point wherethey could aid an economic recovery in Ireland.The government has already pumped in €7 billionin recapitalisation to these banks and accordingto the investment bank Morgan Stanley, is likelyto need to find an additional €9 billion in furtherbank bailouts once the loans have been transferredto NAMA.Although the banks (and the government) aresuggesting that they could raise this additionalcapital requirement from private investors, thisis very unlikely to happen until these toxic assetshave finally been removed from their balancesheets. Even then, canny international investorsmay not want to put money into the Irish bankingsector and the government will have to pick up thebill, increasing their ownership of the banks.There have also been a couple of interestingtwists in recent weeks. The first being a FreedomOf Information request (made by the Irish Times)discovered that the International Monetary Fund( IMF) had told Finance Minister Brian Lenihanin April 2009, almost a year ago, that NAMA wasunlikely to achieve its primary objective of releasingcredit into the economy.Unfortunately, this news came out on the sameday that George Lee resigned from the Dail andwas largely ignored. It begs the question as to whythe government would go ahead with a schemewhen an august body such as the IMF were tellingthem it wouldn’t achieve what they hoped itwould achieve – or at least, what they were sayingin public that it would achieve.Then, just a few days ago, we learned that theBank of Ireland (BOI) would not be paying the€250 million interest on the recapitalisationmoney put in so far. As an alternative to cash,which had been expected, they have now issuedshares to the government amounting to nearly 16percent of the company. Since then, shares in BOIhave fallen by over 12%, further diluting the valueof that repayment.These shares were issued despite the NationalTreasury Chief Executive John Corrigan and theFinance Minister both saying just a couple of daysbefore it happened that they could wait to collectthe cash dividend. Unfortunately, BOI’s ownbylaws required it to issue shares if it couldn’tmake the cash payment. It would appear thatJohn Corrigan and the Finance Minister didn’tactually know that shares were going to be issuedand makes you wonder just whether anyone knowswhat is really going on.Allied Irish Bank (AIB) are due to make a similarpayment in May this year but is also likely to followthe same route as BOI and issue shares instead ofpaying cash to the Exchequer, further increasingthe government’s shareholding in AIB.Having rejected temporary nationalisation ofthe banks a year ago, the government seems to beon a course to get to nationalisation by the slowestand most expensive route available. And wewill still end up with NAMA and all the potentialhorrors that may yet bring to the Irish taxpayerif these toxic loans never recover even their facevalue.It all seems reminiscent of a joke that was onceheard about Iceland:Q: How do you buy a small bank in Ireland?A: Buy a big one and wait.Nama will shape theeconomy for years tocome but there is hardlya sign of it achieving itsprimary object: gettingcredit flowing20 Fusion Magazine

Debt Tsunami Threatens UnemployedbusinessUnemployed and struggling with the mortgage?If sub-prime mortgages from the USA caused theinitial earthquake in the global financial system, itmay be ordinarily sound domestic mortgages thatprovide the aftershock, writes JOSEPH MORGANThe website halfaloaf.ie was set up in 2009as a networking forum for the unemployed.Given the way unemploymenthas increased by over 200,000 in the past year,and is predicted to rise by at least another 80,000in 2010, it was a timely launch. According to CentralStatistics Office (CSO) figures, the number ofclaimants is now 436,936.Some of the financial consequences of this arebecoming more apparent. Many Irish banks arestarting to reveal the growing number of mortgagesreported to be in arrears. Permanent TSBreported that bad loans rose from €15 millionto €189 million in the first half of 2009. Withinthe past few days, Ulster Bank reported that 3.3percent of its mortgage book is over ninety daysin arrears. These small banks are the tip of theiceberg.Given the push by government, financial institutionsand even family to persuade people to buytheir own homes in the past 20 years, it would beconservative to assume that only half of those wholost their job in the past year have a mortgage andthat only half of those who will lose their job in2010 have a mortgage. Hard data on this is difficultto find in Ireland.Let’s say, conservatively, that 170,000 may beunemployed with a mortgage in 2010. That figureseems reasonable at less than one third of the totalunemployed by the end of the year. If the averagemortgage is around €200,000 then we are lookingat a total of mortgages supported by no income atsomewhere around the €34 billion mark; a big holein Irish banks’ balance sheets.This may all sound like a “back of an envelopecalculation” but that would seem to be in the rightregion given that, according to Central Bank figures,there is a total of over €113 billion in mortgagesowed in Ireland. A further sensibility checkis that in the first six months of 2008 more than63,600 new mortgages were issued with an overallvalue of €13.8 billion.At current interest rates, the average mortgageof €200,000 gives monthly repayments in theregion of €1,100 depending on the type of mortgageand who the lender is.The nightmare scenariomust be getting firedfrom what you thoughtwas a safe job withthe bank, seeing yourmortgage paymentsincrease as interest ratesrise and then having yourhouse repossessed byyour ex-employer.Fusion Magazine 21

usinessAfter several benefit payment cuts in 2009,with more planned in 2010, the basic unemploymentbenefit for people of working age is €196per week. Depending on the claimant’s familycircumstances they can claim €130 per week fortheir partner and €29 for each child. With the bestwill in the world, this amount is not going to paya mortgage of €200,000 let alone put food on thetable.There is a means tested benefit that providesshort term support to help with mortgage interestrepayments. It appears to be very difficult to obtainand “short term” seems to be poorly defined. In awritten reply in July 2009, the Minister for Socialand Family Affairs Mary Hanafin confirmed thatonly 12,500 people were receiving it.If so many people have insufficient help to paytheir mortgage when they lose their job, or areonly able to pay until their savings run out, thereis going to come a point where they can’t pay. Thattipping point seems to be approaching fast.Nobody seems to know just how widespreadthis problem is: what the best and worst case scenariosare after redundancy payments and savingshave been spent and there is no public moneyleft to help after NAMA bailouts and more bankrecapitalisation.Other factors that may make the situationworse include: the certainty that interest rates willrise soon and increase monthly repayments; additionaltaxes such as property tax and water ratesbeing applied to the unemployed; more benefitcuts and moving from deflation to inflation.MABS (Money Advice and Budgeting Service)are believed to be dealing with more than 30,000cases of people struggling to pay their mortgage.Minister Hanafin announced in August 2009that 19 MABS offices around the country wouldget additional staff to help deal with the increasingdemand. These additional advisors will bringto 271 the number of money advice staff workingin 65 locations around the country. Perhaps eventhe government now recognise that it is a growingproblem.It is surprising that neither the Finance Ministernor the main banks have raised any red flagsover this issue. It is noted though that the legislationfor NAMA is quite vague about what typesof loans can be taken in. Is NAMA also going tobecome a depositary for these mortgages in orderto further protect the banks?If not, then post-NAMA we may see a newIrish landlord class as banks that are currentlybeing bailed out (and will be free of toxic debt andobligations to the government) could well end upowning billions of Euros worth of repossessedhomes, after the recession in Ireland takes its tollon low paid and unemployed mortgage holders.There is also the fear that many more jobs maybe shed in the financial services sector in 2010,adding to the unemployment figures, once thebanks have obtained everything they think theyare likely to get from the government and thenfeel free to do as they please.The nightmare scenario must be getting firedfrom what you thought was a safe job with thebank, seeing your mortgage payments increaseas interest rates rise and then having your houserepossessed by your ex-employer. It is a plausiblescenario.If Ireland is floating in a sea of toxic debt, thenmortgages currently held by the unemployed mayyet be the tsunami that sinks either our societyor the banking system. Would you bet against thebanks making sure they are in the lifeboats first?This may all sound likea “back of an envelopecalculation” but thatwould seem to be in theright region given that,according to CentralBank figures, there is atotal of over €113 billionin mortgages owed inIreland.22 Fusion Magazine

internationalThe Boko Haram ‘ M adnes’ i n Ni geriBy Andrew BatareFew people could haveimagined that differencesin religion couldlead to such wantondestruction of lives andproperty.Since independence from Britain in 1960,religious crises have become a regularoccurrence in Northern Nigeria. This hasbecome a very big embarrassment to the 150 millioncitizens of Africa’s most populous nation.Radical Islamists advocate the introduction ofSharia Law which had already been adopted in 12out of the 36 States in Nigeria, all of them in thepredominantly Muslim north.In December 1980, there was violence in Kano,a north western city, when an Islamic sect namedMaitatsine tried to enforce their brand of Islam. Inthat crisis alone, 4,177 lives were lost and a greatdeal of property was destroyed. The Kano incidentstands out for being the first religious crisis thattook a huge toll on human lives and property. Fewpeople could have imagined that differences inreligion could lead to such wanton destruction oflives and property. Worryingly, this nightmarishscenario has become more commonplace.More religious riots followed in December1994, May 1995, July 1999 and October 2001.There have been bloody upheavals, costing hundredsof lives, over such apparently trivial thingsas the staging of Miss World in Abuja in 2002 andthe Danish cartoons of Mohammed in 2006.In July, 2009 the Boko Haram riots broke out.In the Hausa Language of Northern Nigeria, BokoHaram translates to Western education is a sin.The uprising was led by a 32- year-old man calledMohammed Yusuf. He was arrested while hidingin a goat pen and was later executed while in custodyin controversial circumstances when securitymen went on the offensive in their bid to nip theconflict in the bud.The rioting began in Bauchi town when thepolice arrested a Boko Haram member for incitementto violence. It soon spread across to Maiduguriand other predominantly Muslim states,sparking ferocious violence between Christiansand Muslims. Over 1000 lives were lost in thisconflict, which forced more than 4000 to flee theirhomes. In addition to the deaths, many businessesand homes were burnt down.The group was anti western education and culture.They proclaimed western values and practicesas un-Islamic and that they were characterised byhomosexuality, pornographic films, prostitutionand consumption of alcohol.Hundreds died in the fierce battle between themilitant group and Nigerian government forces.After the fighting, the police and military wereshown carrying out a massacre of suspected militants.These “suspects,” some of them deformedmen on crutches, were then ordered to lie facedown and shot at close range.The police did this disdainful and shameful actin the belief that their crime would go unnoticed,despite the fact that it was done in public.Why should the police who are paid with taxpayers’ money to protect lives, property and maintainlaw and order, kill Yusuf and hundreds of hisfollowers? The Nigerian police and army have beennotorious for extra-judicial killings, in the last fewyears. Often, they kill at will and get away withthese murders scot-free. The impunity of the securityforces to execute citizens at random is one ofthe most disturbing features of the violence.The root causes of religious riots in Nigeria arepoverty, ignorance, hatred, frustration, tribalismand politics.Ironically, one of the reasons that the BokoHaram rioted and fought for can also be one of thesolutions to Northern Nigerian religious crises.Exposure to western education will obviouslyreduce this problem because educated people canmake a better society. A high level of illiteracy is adamaging factor which constitutes a danger to thedevelopment of Nigeria because it makes it possiblefor people to be used for religious killings dueto ignorance and a lack of education.Nigerian leaders, for their part, need to tacklethe vicious cycle of poverty, ignorance and unemploymentamong young people and re-evaluatehuman worth and scrutinise every single institutionof governance in public life.Fusion Magazine 23

internationalPower ‘Sharing’ According to Robert MugabeBy Andrew BatareRobert Gabriel Mugabe’s coming to powerin 1980 was welcomed, as Zimbabweansanticipated peace and co-operation afterdecades of colonial rule and a bitter civil war.Taking the helm of the newly renamed nation(from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe), he was quicklyelevated to the ranks of international statesmen.However, he later became a political burden on hispeople due to the country’s failing economy, withinflation and unemployment soaring to recordlevels.Raised and educated as a Roman-Catholic, MrMugabe became a committed Marxist during theguerrilla war against the white minority ‘RhodesianFront’ government of Ian Smith.Taking power on a wave of popular support,his early political promises of reconciliationand democracy were later overtaken by a strongauthoritarian streak and a deep mistrust ofopposition.In the early 1980s, Mugabe moved to eliminateopposition to his rule among the Matabele people.Mugabe himself is Shona. Several thousand diedas a result of repression by the Army and foodshortagescaused by seizures.The other, and more recent target of Mugabe’sire have been the big landowners; mostly white anddescended from British colonists. Since around2000, Mugabe’s supporters and veterans of thewar of independence have occupied the big farmsand expelled their owners. The stated reason fortheir seizure is to reverse the effects of colonialismand to return land to the Africans. In fact, manysay that Mugabe has used the land issue to mobiliseand reward his supporters.Until recently, Mr Mugabe had always been ableto stifle political opposition. His ZANU-PF partystill dominate what is virtually a one-party state,occupying 147 out of the country’s 150 parliamentaryseats.To end the political deadlock, the oppositionparty, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC),under Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to take part in apower-sharing government with the ruling ZANU-PF party of Robert Mugabe, last September. Thedeal was brokered by ex-South African President,Thabo Mbeki. Under the power-sharing deal,Mugabe continues as president with Tsvangirai inthe post of prime minister.The power-sharing deal, which ended monthsof post-election violence against opposition supportersbecame a farce as disagreement betweenMugabe and Tsvangirai continued. Mugaberefused to appoint some of Tsvangirai’s allies tosenior government posts accusing him of failingto convince the West to lift sanctions it imposedIt is obvious in Zimbabwethat the power-sharingdeal from last yearseemed to be worth lessthan the paper it wasprinted on; just like theZimbabwean currency.on Zimbabwe in 2002 following a spate of humanrights abuse and a rigged election.It is obvious in Zimbabwe that the power-sharingdeal from last year seemed to be worth lessthan the paper it was printed on; just like the Zimbabweancurrency. Perhaps the concept of powersharingwill serve a good purpose in Zimbabwe. Isay possibly, because it is yet to prove useful.Power-sharing can be a means to create a platformfor a change process, and that is its main positivevalue. Therefore, what matters is that actualchange is brought about. In the case of Zimbabwe,I think it is only providing a temporary refugefrom political and social meltdown; it is just onestep back from the brink.So, is the concept of power sharing good orbad for Zimbabwe? The answer is that it is goodif it delivers positive change and that it is bad if itcements status quo. If we are genuinely concernedfor democracy and development in Zimbabwe, wesimply must watch closely to see if it does lead tomeaningful change or not. That’s where our focusneeds to be.Robert Mugabe leaderof the Zimbabwe AfricanNational Union – PatrioticFront24 Fusion Magazine

internationalOh, it’s - not - the pirates life for me.By Lidia OkorokovaThe world’s leadingcountries have littleunderstanding of thesituation in Somalia -they see piracy as a threatto peace for the internationalcommunity.Johnny Depp’s character Jack Sparrowfrom the “Pirates of the Caribbean” is socharming and mysterious. Is this how wesee pirates? No, he lives in Hollywood, not the realworld.Meanwhile, pirates are a living reality of thetwenty first century. Some would think they arethe hackers on the WEB, or those who copy music/movie CDs.Meet Somalis, the twenty first century pirates,people who have been forced to become the worstof fishermen in order to survive.Twenty five years ago most of Somali maleswere fishermen fishing in the nearest waters closeto their homeland. They would sell the fish andmake money to provide their families with foodand shelter. But now, thanks to oil companies andcapitalist ideologies all thishas changed.Somalia is one of the unstablestates in Africa, havingreceived full independencefrom Great Britain and Italyin 1960, then from Francein 1977, the state entered aphase of constant governmentoverthrowing and war.Somalia is considered asone of the poorest countriesin the world with people livingon less than 2 dollars percapita a day.In 1980s the state governmentsought humanitarianhelp from the UN, receiving itpromptly from the USSR, Sweden, Great Britain,Germany and Japan.Between 1986 and 1991, when Somali peoplebegan receiving the humanitarian aid from theEuropean and Asian countries a civil war brokeout.This constant conflict has been raging eversince, forcing many eligible men to become pirates.Illegal fishing by other countries and dumpingof the toxic waste on the shores of Somalia havecaused a disaster that now, most of the powerfulcountries are trying to deal with by using militarystrength.On the 8th of December 2009, Russian presidentDmitry Medvedev proposed changes to theRussian constitution to delegate him authority touse military abroad. Eight days later the changeshave been unilaterally approved by the FederationCouncil.Article 102, paragraph “d” of the Russian Constitutionsays “the jurisdiction of the FederationCouncil shall include... making decisions on thepossibility of the use of the Armed Forces of theRussian Federation outside the territory of theRussian Federation”.This meant to be a decision made by the representativesof all Russian people, but now just oneperson holds this right, and it is the president.This law regulates the use of the military againstthe terrorists, pirates and by enforcing the safetyof the Russian citizens abroad.Here one of the main points is piracy. Russianpresident Medvedev’s action should not be seen assomething extraordinary but as series of actionsby many powerful states.The US, Denmark and even China have joineda military campaign against the Somali pirates.These states see former fishermen as a threat tothe merchant ships as well as private boats.Somali pirates have no other choice but fightagainst the so-called coalition forces and seizeas many ships as possible, being treated by theworld’s leading countries as the worst of men inthe sea.They kidnap people and demand ransoms,there is a well-known case of Chandlers, a Britishcouple captured by the pirates in November 2009,the pirates are asking for some seven million dollarsand will probably not back off and let them gountil it’s fully paid. It is estimated that pirates holdas many as two hundred people captive and haveten ships in hand.On the 24th of February, 2010 a Russian militaryship, “Marshal Shaposhnikov”, set sail to theGulf of Eden to help other international forcesfight the piracy.The world’s leading countries have little understandingof the situation in Somalia. They seepiracy as a threat to peace for the internationalcommunity and give little thought to the fact thatit started after they have left this small countrywithout its only source of income – fish.It’s very unlikely that Russia, the US, China,Denmark or other European countries will helpthe political situation in this country as they haveused such preventive measures as changes to theconstitutions and expansion of the armed forcespresence in the water area of Somalia.David Friedman, an American political scientistonce said that “the direct use of force is such a poorsolution to any problem; it is generally employedonly by small children and large nations.”That is exactly what is happening now withSomali pirates – force against force, but the internationalcommunity forgets that these men areleft with little choice but to become the worstdream of any fisherman - pirates.Fusion Magazine 25

internationalSri Lanka’s Silenced MinorityBy David KeohaneFor the Sinhalese, whocomprise the majorityof Sri Lankans, thefuture seemed incomparablybrighter as newroads weaved throughthe countryside andjobs and investmentreturned. A feeling ofrelief and confidencewas apparent.Your correspondent arrived in Sri Lankalast year just after the final defeat of theLTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).Vast numbers of Tamils, the minority ethnic groupin Sri Lanka, were being held in containmentcamps throughout the war-torn north and theranks of the army were being swelled as the governmentsought to tighten its hard-won control ofthe country.For the Sinhalese, who comprisethe majority of Sri Lankans,the future seemed incomparablybrighter as new roads weavedthrough the countryside and jobsand investment returned. A feelingof relief and confidence wasapparent. For the Tamils, bothwithin the camps and without,the future was still murky.Six months later and not allthat much has changed. Thecamps may be almost empty- dueto incessant international pressure-but the Tamil minority stillfaces an uncertain path. PresidentRajapaksa, the man whodefeated the LTTE, was re-electedon the 26th of January despitea strong challenge from his warwinninggeneral, Mr. Fonseka. Mr. Rajapaksa wonwith 58% of the vote but not much of that supportcame from the Tamil community; General Fonsekawon 64% of the vote in Jaffna, the Tamils northerncapital and 76% of the vote in Tamil dominatedcentral Colombo.It is not surprising that the Tamil people votedfor the challenger, General Fonseka. The Tamilshave been treated deplorably throughout thecountries history and can not be expected to sidewith the establishment, even when the alternativeis the general who, so recently, decimated theirhomelands.And, in keeping with history, Tamil concerns donot seem to feature highly on the newly re-electedPresident’s agenda. Years of repression by the Sinhalesemajority have lead for Tamil calls for somelevel of independence from the state. Whether theTamil’s quest for an autonomous or semi-autonomoushome is in the long-term interests of thecountry is unclear. What is certain is that the Tamil’smust be afforded assurances as to their politicaland social future. A dialogue must be opened.The president, however, does not seem interested.Mr. Rajapaksa doesn’t view a devolutionof power as a solution explaining that “Sri Lankansare not worried about these things, they areonly for outsiders and NGOs with nothing betterto think about”. The question is a non-starterand there does not appear to be much room fordiscussion.How are the Tamils to avoid being subjugatedby the tyranny of the majority? How are theirconcerns to be aired? If they are pushed to themargins politically again Sri Lanka as a whole willsuffer. Their turn towards violence can only beunderstood when viewed alongside their marginalisationboth politically and economically.In a truly fair society no group should be deniedpolitical voice. The media should be the guardiansof this principle- it is their job to make the voicelessheard. The Sri Lankan media are plainlynot up to this task. In a properly operatingdemocracy the media would be under anobligation to air the Tamils grievances andexpose the layers of bias and nepotism thathave lead to this island being riven so manytimes. But, on an island roughly the samesize as Ireland, the Sri Lankans in the southhave very little idea about what is happeningin the north. Last summer this writerspoke to many Sri Lankans in the southerntowns of Galle and Hambantota who26 Fusion Magazine

internationalhad only the vaguest impressions of a war thathad garnered so much attention internationally.Those that fully comprehended the conflict didso on a very surface level and did not appreciatethe underlying causes. This deficit of informationseems to have only worsened since the war’s end.President Rajapaska has been cracking downon the media since his re-election. Human RightWatch, an international non-governmentalorganisation that conducts research and advocacyon human rights, has reported that sincethe presidential election Sri Lankan authoritieshave detained journalists, blocked news websites,and expelled a foreign journalist. At leastone journalist has been assaulted and several havebeen threatened. As Brad Adams, Asia director atHuman Rights Watch said, “Sri Lanka prides itselfas a functioning democracy. Yet media freedom,a vital pillar of democracy, has increasingly comeunder attack.”The LTTE were an appalling group. Theyfamously pioneered the idea of ‘suicide bombing’and terrorised the country, including theirown, mostly self-appointed, wards for many yearsunder the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran, aman whose viciousness was legendary. The government’scampaign against them was warrantedand needed. The tactics used during the campaignwere not. That said, their destruction hasimproved life on the island for all its citizens. SriLankans can now travel and go about their dailylives in safety. The multiple road blocks and checkpoints, while they remain, are a small price to payfor that luxury.However, the destruction of the LTTEremoves a symptom only. A cancerousdivide still exists in Sri Lankan society.A refusal to engage politically with theTamil community risks halting the healingprocess that has begun on the island.The Tamil community needs to be able totrust the their government and believethat their many legitimate political grievanceswill be heard. If the Tamil peopleare denied representation and a politicalvoice a return to violence is possible. Ifthey are pushed to the margins again SriLanka as a whole will suffer. That wouldtruly be a tragedy.Since the presidentialelection Sri Lankanauthorities havedetained journalists,blocked news websites,and expelled a foreignjournalist. At least onejournalist has beenassaulted and severalhave been threatened.OPPOSITE: Sarath Fonseka,former commander andGeneral of the Sri LankaArmy and a former candidatefor President of SriLanka.BELOW: Mahinda Rajapaksa(left), the currentPresident of Sri Lankaand Commander in Chiefof the Sri Lankan ArmedForces.Fusion Magazine 27

internationalMexico at WarBy Seán GildeaMexican drug cartels rule the streets ofMexico with their power corruptingpolice, army and government officials.Drug-related murders are a daily occurrencebut those who stand up to the gangs are likely tobe gunned down along with their families.The Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez isone of the most dangerous cities in the world asa bloody war rages between drug bosses and securityforces. Thousands have lost their lives as aresult of the United States backed war on drugs,and despite their insistence that strong enforcementis the only policy against the drug cartels,it is clear both the Mexican and US governmentsare fighting a difficult battle. What is needed is achange in policy as corruption and violence arecontinuing to tear this great country apart.At the beginning of February, 16 students agedbetween 15 and 20 were killed in Ciudad Juárez,but this is just another day in the city worstaffected by Mexico’s aggressive war on drugs.Ciudad Juárez currently has the highest murderrate on the planet - outside of an official war zone– in reality, Ciudad Juárez is a war zone.Since President Felipe Calderon declared a waron drugs in December 2006, Mexico has experiencedover 17,000 drug related deaths. That deathtoll supersedes the number that has perished inthe Afghanistan conflict.Up to half of these deaths can be accounted forin Ciudad Juárez. Last year alone, the city was thescene of over 2,600 drug-related deaths. Murder isa daily occurrence in the city of 1.3 million inhabitants,as drug cartels fight each other for control ofthe lucrative drug corridors into the United States,all the while trying to hold off the US backed securityforces.Increased military presence has done little tohamper violence in the city. Shootings are still regularoccurences despite over 10,000 troops patrollingthe region.In fact, the drug cartels are as well armed as thearmy, since they have upped their arsenal of weaponsto include armour-piercing munitions, grenadelaunchers and other military-grade weapons.Their traditional source of finance comes fromsupplies of cocaine and marijuana they smuggleinto the US, but additional revenue is earnedthrough kidnapping, ‘taxing’ businesses and bytapping the state-owned oil pipelines. There are noillusions as to who is winning the war on drugs.The cartels are succeedingmost in their abilityto corrupt officials at alllevels. They are applyinga “plata o plomo” (silveror lead) strategy tocorrupt police, armyand governmentofficials. In other words– take a bribe or takea bullet. Those whodon’t comply are oftenfound dead along withtheir family members -sometimes tortured,dismembered andeven decapitated.28 Fusion Magazine

Where the cartels are succeeding most is in theirability to corrupt officials at all levels. They areapplying a “plata o plomo” (silver or lead) strategyto corrupt police, army and government officials.In other words – take a bribe or take a bullet. Thosewho don’t comply are often found dead along withtheir family members - sometimes tortured, dismemberedand even decapitated. The drug-gangsoften display mutilated bodies in public, sending aclear message to others - comply or die.In Mexico’s border cities, people are tired of thebloodshed, fearful of the cartels and suspiciousof officials. The war on drugs has succeeded onlyin causing increased violence and corruption inMexico. Serious consideration should be given toan alternative drug policy.Mexico has recently addressed some of thesetaboos by de-criminalising thepossession of small amounts ofmarijuana, cocaine and heroin,in a move hoped to discouragetheir corrupt police forcefrom ‘shaking down’ smallscaledrug users. The moveencourages the formationof drug treatment programsand makes it mandatory forthird time offenders to seektreatment.This is a step in the right direction in terms ofsocial policy, but it does little to discourage thecartels or curb violence. The fact is Mexico doesnot have a problem with drug consumption. Theproblems lie in American demand for drugs – ademand that is unlikely to go away.It is estimated 60 per cent of the Mexican cartels’revenues comes from US marijuana sales.Considering 13 US states permit controlled use ofmarijuana, it would not be overly radical to implementsuch a strategy. It is a solution that wouldhit the drug bosses where it hurts – in their pockets.This would severely diminish the power of thecartels by cutting the revenue they use to corruptofficials and purchase weapons. As the world turnstheir head, war still rages in Mexico. The Mexicanpeople need their country back.Fusion Magazine 29

internationalThe Price of Free Speech;Corporate Power in American ElectionsBy David Keohane“Liberty implies the absence of arbitrary restraint, not immunity from reasonable regulations...”- Charles Evans Hughes, 1937The potential loss todemocracy is large. “ It’sgoing to be the WildWild West” said BenGinsberg, a Republicanattorney who has representedseveral GOPpresidential campaigns.“If corporations andunions can give unlimitedamounts ... it meansthat the public debate issignificantly changed”Liberty implies the absence of arbitraryrestraint, not immunity from reasonableregulations...Charles Evans Hughes, 1937On Thursday the 21st of January the SupremeCourt in America voted to overturn a century longban on corporations and unions using their fundsto directly influence federal election. In a bitterlyfought 5-4 decision the Court ruled that the banningof political spending by corporations in candidateelections was unconstitutional.The decision overturned a2002 Campaign Reform Actand two previous precedents. Itthreatens similar limits imposedby 24 states and has provokedcondemnation from Democratsand large swathes of the media.President Obama’s describedthe decision as “ a major victoryfor big oil, Wall Street banks,health insurance companies andthe other powerful interests thatmarshal their power every dayin Washington to drown out thevoices of everyday Americans.”He used his State of the Unionaddress to call on Congress toimpose limits on the ruling.The decision threatens to bethe start of a new political paradigmin America with corporationsand unions now free tospend money freely on advertisementand propaganda. JusticeJohn Paul Stevens, who opposedthe decision, said the majority had committed agrave error in treating corporate speech the sameas that of human beings.Does America really need more partisan fundingpumped into its electoral system? The resultsof such an outcome are unclear but it is probablethat there will be a steep increase in both directand indirect influence wielded. Corporate fundedadvertising will surely feature prominently andcould drown out necessary political voices. Americanpolitics is already more theatrics than fact andany increase in that direction would damage realdemocracy- informed citizens capable of makinginformed decisions and holding their governmentsto account.The potential loss to democracy is large. “It’sgoing to be the Wild Wild West,” said Ben Ginsberg,a Republican attorney who has representedseveral GOP presidential campaigns. “If corporationsand unions can give unlimited amounts ...it means that the public debate is significantlychanged with a lot more voices and it means thatthe loudest voices are going to be corporations andunions.”The potential for corporate voices to drownout the citizenry is large. The American politicalsystem is already awash with special interest cashand, as Democracy 21’s Fred Wertheimer, a leadingadvocate of campaign financing reform noted,“the Fortune 100 companies alone had combinedrevenues of $13 trillion and profits of $605 billionduring the last election cycle.” If even a tinypercentage of this money were put towards campaigningit would dwarf the already large sumsbrought to bear by candidates presently.So, where did this ruling come from? TheSupreme Court is, ostensibly, a political entitysinceit is formed via-nomination by the presidentand ratification by the Senate- but is meant to actoutside the realms of politics, as a check within theAmerican political framework.Judges, historically, vote along ‘nominationlines’. But they do not do so out of obligation, butdue to the ideology which guaranteed their nominationin the first place. Ideally, they should beimpartial. In reality, they are not.The decision could be seen a simple result ofaligned voting blocks within the court. There issome truth in this view and it is apparent thatthe Republican Party, heading towards the midtermelections will be a very direct beneficiary ofthe ruling. Republican Party Chairman MichaelSteele praised the ruling saying that “Free speechstrengths our democracy.”It is, however, rare that decisions are simply areflection of a courts political make-up. SupremeCourt decisions generally follow majoritarianlines- the Justices base their judgements on theprevailing social mood of the nation as a whole.And according to a Gallup Poll taken soon after thedecision “57% of Americans consider campaigndonations to be a protected form of free speech,and 55% say corporate and union donationsshould be treated the same way under the law asdonations from individuals are. At the same time,the majority think it is more important to limit30 Fusion Magazine

internationalPresident Palin?By Dave ClaxtonPalin told news anchor,Katie Couric, she wasinvolved in trademissions with Russia.Again, there is noevidence to suggestshe has ever met anyRussian officials. Thanksto such flagrant abuseof facts, less than onein four Americansview her favourablywhich clearly hurts herchances of any Whitehouserun in 2012.Sarah Palin continues to divide opinion inthe United States. Her past gaffes deeplyembarrassed hard-line republicans yet herfolksy appeal is effective at disarming the sceptics.But does she possess enough qualities to challengethe might of Barack Obama in the next election?Is it conceivable the woman who thought Russiawas “right next to our state” may become the nextUnited States president in 2012?There is no figure in American politics that sopolarises opinion as Sarah Palin. The former vicepresidentialrunning mate seems to attract scornand praise in equal measures. Butwhat lies behind that pretty face?Are her critics correct in theirargument she is reckless and toostupid to become president? Orare her supporters right in judgingthat the media is treating herharshly and that there is a campaignto tarnish her?Her detractors certainly haveplenty of ammunition to fireat Palin. She is gaffe-prone anddogged by accusations of doublestandards and using her power togain unfair advantages. She firstrose to national and internationalprominence through being thesurprise choice of John McCain’srunning mate for the 2008 presidentialelection. Before this,she was the governor of Alaska.During her time as governor, anindependent investigation discoveredPalin had abused herpower.She pressurised senior bosses over her exbrother-in-law, Mike Wooten, to fire him. Wootenwas involved in a child custody case at the timeinvolving Palin’s family. Palin denied she compelledanyone to sack Wooten, yet the investigationconcluded that Todd Palin, her husband, usedher office to contact relevant people in charge ofWooten to try to have him removed.Indeed, controversy seems to stalk Palin wherevershe roams. The 46-year-old seems to contradictherself a lot. She told journalist Charlie Gibsonshe does not pass judgment on gay people. In reality,she opposes rights between gay spouses andbelongs to a church that promotes gay conversiontherapy. During her time as governor, her church,the Wasilla Bible Church, promoted a conferencethat promises to convert gays into heterosexualsthrough the power of prayer. Mind-bogglingignorance.Palin told news anchor, Katie Couric, she wasinvolved in trade missions with Russia. Again,there is no evidence to suggest she has ever metany Russian officials. Thanks to such flagrant abuseof facts, less than one in four Americans view herfavourably which clearly hurts her chances of anyWhitehouse run in 2012.Palin appeals to the extreme right in Americansociety with her wild-eyed claims that have littlebasis in reality. She said Barrack Obama’s healthcareproposals will create “death panels”. “TheAmerica I know and love is not one in which myparents or my baby with Down syndrome will haveto stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so hisbureaucrats can decide, whether they are worthyof health care. Such a system is downright evil”,she ranted.With such a questionable record, she is still32 Fusion Magazine

internationalundeniably the lone star of the Americanright (which is saying something).Her book, “Going Rogue”, sold morethan one million copies within two weeksof being released. Before publishing thebook, she resigned from her Alaskangovernorship in 2009, a full 18 monthsbefore it was due to end. Her reasons fordoing so were sketchy to say the least. Ina rambling and sometimes baffling resignationspeech she claimed, “only dead fishgo with the flow” and that she was “doingwhat’s best for Alaska”, lacking any properexplanation of why she was resigning.Pailn is seen as the lightning rod by many onthe right for the new “Tea Party” movement. Themovement espouses less government control inday-to-day life and a reduction of the massive debtcurrently crippling the US. They have been linkedstrongly to the Republican Party, yet the movementfails to mention this debt was created byformer president George Bush and his wars andtax breaks for the wealthy. When Bill Clinton leftoffice the country had a strong surplus.Palin’s brand of folksy 1950s slang appeals tothe hard right of America, but does such crowdpleasingrhetoric warrant enough justice for a runin 2012? Of course not. She was found out in theelection of 2008 as being inept and unknowledgableabout simple government affairs. This forcedthe McCain campaign to stop all inverviews withPalin for fear of her damaging their efforts. Suchminimisation of access to a vice-presidential runningmate was previously unheard of in Americanpolitics.As with most things connected with Palin, hermotivations and intentions for the role of presidencyare not clear. With such a shady past andlittle understanding of important issues, she maybe the perfect candidate for Obama to put to thesword.She told journalist CharlieGibson she does not passjudgment on gay people. Inreality she opposes rightsbetween gay spouses andbelongs to a church thatpromotes gay conversiontherapy.Fusion Magazine 33

internationalBringing Down the Walls.By Lidia OkorokovaThe land border between Georgia andRussia after being closed for four years isto be open on the 1st of March 2010.A decision to open the border was made afterMoscow thought that the situation between thestates may improve.Several checkpoints are to be opened soon;among them are the Upper Lars and the VerkhnyLars-Kazbegi.Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said onFebruary the 25 th that a frequent air service maybegin soon. A privately owned company, GeorgianAirways, seeks to start charter flights betweenMoscow and Tbilisi. The company has inquired tothe Russian government to lift restrictions off theflights between the two capitals, yet there was nocertain answer on when the flights may begin.Moscow and Tbilisi have had tension betweenone another for far too long now.It all began back in 2003, when the “Rose Revolution”in Georgia put Mr. Mikheil Saakashviliinto power. This was the first step in breaking upthe diplomatic ties between Moscow and Tbilisi.Moscow had viewed Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili as “animposter from the West”.Over the course of three years in power, MisterSaakashvili had managed to stir up the instabilityin the breakaway regions of Adjara and Abkhazia.He also had the Russian Ambassador withdrawnfrom Georgia after the embassy’s diplomats wereannounced “persona non-grata” (people who arenot welcome) by Tbilisi’s officials.Moreover, Moscow closed the border betweenthe two countries in 2006, which put major restrictionson trade and travel for Georgian citizens.Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arguedthat “we have never stopped contacts betweenmen of arts and culture, between clergymen. Wehave no doubts the centuries-long ties betweenthe Russian and Georgian peoples are strongenough to outlive any political moths blown intothis land by foreign winds” he told Itar-Tass.Georgia has provided the Russian market notonly with with the finest wines and fruits, flowersand food, but also with the well-celebrated actors,singers, TV presenters and sculptors. TamaraGverdcitelli - a pop-singer who sang on the RedSquare at the 60 th anniversary of the Victory Dayin front of presidents and other guests of honourand Zurab Tseretelli – famous Georgian sculptor,whose works can be seen in Moscow, Tbilisi andNew York, Paris and Seville are both Georgiannatives. Russian modern culture is nothing withoutthese names, as it has been for centuries.The thaw in the relations between Moscow andTbilisi began after the military conflict of 2008.The South Ossetia region was thought to beinvaded by the Russian troops in august 2008,but later the international community discoveredthat the invasion was a set up by Tbilisi in order todestabilise the situation in the Caucuses.The so-called “war” between Russia and Georgiahas caused international human rights groups andthe UN intervention into the diplomatic progressbetween Moscow and Tbilisi.French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Germanchancellor Angela Merkel were the only worldleaders to “call an end to the hostility” during thearmed conflict. Then President George W. Bush“ordered” Moscow to stop the invasion and backoff.Moscow did not give up on their goal, which wasto help people from South Ossetia and confrontGeorgian troops backed up by the US. Even thoughthe Russian army has had the worst casualties andlosses since Afghanistan, Moscow announced theVictory and pulled out its troops after almost overa week of the “invasion”.From September 2008 until December 2009,Moscow and Georgia have had talks concerning allthe breakaway regions and, especially, South Ossetia.These diplomatic meetings and talks have beenforced by the UN and international community.In December 2009, Moscow announces the possibilityof opening the border with Georgia.A Georgian deputy foreign minister NinoKalandadze told RIA-Novosti that “the partiesheld yet another meeting with Swiss mediation …The good talks resulted in the decision to reopen[the Kazbegi-Verkhny Lars checkpoint].”The anticipation of such decision is clearly highfor both countries. Having no diplomatic ties anymore,they are yet to commence trade and travelservices between one another.Mikheil Saakashvili withNicolas Sarcozy at themeeting between the EUand Georgia 2009.34 Fusion Magazine

Saving GreeceinternationalBy Oscar LongTo those not in favorof bailing Greece out(70% of the Germanpopulation whosesavings will be usedto cover Greece‘sspendthrift government),it may seemthat saving Greece islike putting a bandaid on cancer.Police take on protestersduring the recent Greeceriots.The predicament Greece hasfound itself in, has to comeas a bit of a relief to the Irishgovernment. I imagine when Biffowatches the footage of mass protestsin Athens that he felt in some waysimilar to how John Terry must havefelt when those naked pictures ofAshley Cole surfaced in the tabloids.That the world’s attention is pointedsomewhere else if even for only ashort while.The strikes in Greece which haveseen everything shut down from postoffices to airports and schools to shipyardsare, in response to the austerityprogramme, which is to be put in placeto combat Greece’s massive debt.Last year Greece’s economy contractedby 2% which was below theaverage (Ireland’s economy contractedby 7.25%). Their unemployment figures are a lotbetter than Irish, which makes it all more astoundingthat Greece after suffering barely a ripple in theglobal recession should find its debt to be 124% oftheir GDP (Ireland’s is at 46%).The socialist government that is in power inGreece is in a tricky situation because they wereelected on the pretence that they would be able tofind the money to get out of the mess the countryis in without raising taxes and making cuts topublic spending.There was meeting in Brusselsin February where EU leadersdiscussed Greece amongstother things. It was decidedthat Europe (most importantlyGermany as they have all themoney) would not let Greecedefault on its loans. The mainreason for this is fear that ifGreece, being the proverbialcanary, defaulted on its debtit would damage the euro andthen Spain, Portugal and Irelandand pretty much the whole Eurozone would cave in. So for now,with cautious backing from Germanyand other EU countriesthe Greek ship has steadied andinvestors can buy Greek bondssafe, knowing that Germanyguarantees their return.To those not in favourof bailing Greece out (70%of the German populationwhose savings will be usedto cover Greece‘s spendthriftgovernment), it may seem that saving Greece islike putting a band aid on cancer. If Europe is setto mop after them, this will make Greek governmentmore likely to overspend and financial institutionsto take much greater risks.The Euro single currency may be the problem.When a country finds itself in a banking crisis likeIreland did or has borrowed too much like Greece,their own sovereign currency may lose value andit can help foreigners to buy government’s bondsfrom that country cheaper.In return, the country gets out of whatevercrisis it may be in. But looking at Ireland andGreece, the Euro zone’s countries, they hav nooption to devalue the currency because it is controlledby the European Central Bank. It may makesense for at least one or two of the PIIGS (Portugal,Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain) to leave the Euroso it can get their country back in order. The raisingand lowering of interest rates to suit Germanyor France is not really beneficial at all to the PIIGSwhose economic situation is the opposite. Britainand Sweden still haven’t joined the single currencyso it’s not that crazy that other countries may lookfor stabilization of their own country’s woes inthis manner.The Greeks have a phrase: pathei mathos, whichmeans learning by suffering. This is what the restof Europe expects from Greece as a condition oftheir guarantee. There will be tax rises on fuel,property alcohol and tobacco. There will be a freezeon public sector pay and the retirement age willhave to rise from 61 to 63(this last measure mustsicken the Germans as their retirement age is 65with talk of it being raised to 67). The Greeks arenot taking this sitting down, they are out if forcefight protesting about it, clashing with police.A lot of Greeks blame parasite financial institutionsfor getting them into this mess. Greece alsohas a serious tax evasion problem with over halfof the working population claiming an income ofless than 12,000 euro, which is the tax threshold.Like in Ireland, it is often the most vulnerable insociety who are expected to cough up when timesare tough. When it became apparent how seriousthe problems facing Ireland were, Brian Lenihanrather than trouble the banks and property developerswho you could say hold the lions share ofresponsibility for the situation, decided that itwould be a good start to scrap the medical card forOAP’s. Just like the Greeks are doing now, the over65’s were out in force and Lenihan decided thatmaybe it wasn’t that smart to piss off the demographicthat is most inclined to vote in elections.There is a lot of corruption in Greece and manyquite rightly feel aggrieved that they are pickingup the tab for the reckless self serving actions of afew. It all sounds very familiar.Fusion Magazine 35

internationalWhere is Iran’s dissenting voice?By Hugh HickFebruary 11th was an important date forIran in more ways than one. It markedthe 31st anniversary of the revolutionwhich propelled the nation from an increasinglywesternised state into a fundamentalist theocracyunder Ayatollah Khomeini. It also marked theshock (or inevitable, depending on who you speakto) announcement that Iran had produced its firststock of 20 percent enriched uranium, making it anuclear state.Unsurprisingly, the anniversary wasn’t notableso much for its displays of patriotism and civilpride as it was for the numerous demonstrationsthat took place as little as 1 km away from wherePresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was making hisaddress.Indeed, instead of the day being seen as a signof Iran’s raising strength, as the Iranian governmentno doubt had hoped, the western mediainstead used the opportunity to focus on the discontentthat has been brewing since the controversialpresidential election last year.What is most surprising about these protests,however, was the sheer lack of them. While manywestern (particularly American, it must be said)newspapers ran headlines about various clashesbetween opposition protestors and securityforces, a careful examination reveals that in fact,what few demonstrations there were occurred ona very small and isolated scale.While it’s natural that a media which has beentaught to demonise the Ayatollah’s Governmentfor the past several years would take this angle, itdoes raise the question: where is this dissentingvoice? Broken down by beatings by the revolutionaryguard? Or is it the case, as it seems to be thecase in many of these regimes, that they’ve justlearned to live with their lack of freedom?It’s a phenomenon that perplexed the westernworld back in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq.After months of the media pontificating about theabhorrent civil rights abuses of Saddam Hussein’sgovernment, the American-led invasion forcesexpected to be greeted with jubilation and gratitude.Instead, for the most part, they were metwith stones being hurled in their direction (if theywere lucky).Of course, this is a point that the media of thetime were, on the whole, anxious to whitewashover. After all, how could they expect their readershipto come to terms with the fact that the Iraqipeople didn’t want their “freedom”? The sheeringratitude of it all would surely have been enoughto turn stomachs!Instead, we were treated to the same image ofSaddam Hussein’s statue being torn down beingre-used ad infinitum. The reasoning given for thiswas that it was somehow symbolic of the topplingof an evil regime. In fact the opposite was true:it was the one image they could use that didn’t36 Fusion Magazine

internationalNo nuclear superpowerreally wants to bring upthe issue when it comesto applying sanctions,as every time they dothey’re forced into theembarrassing positionof having to explainwhy they’re allowedto possess nuclearweapons and no oneelse is .portray the true situation. To many Iraqis, the USforces weren’t liberators, they were an invasionforce.The same situation appears to be occurringin Iran. I find it a strange coincidence that Iran’shuman rights record appears to be getting worsewith every step it takes toward nuclear independence.Then again, no nuclear superpower reallywants to bring up the issue when it comes to applyingsanctions, as every time they do they’re forcedback into the embarrassing position of having toexplain why they’re allowed to possess nuclearweapons and no one else is (except Israel, oops).It’s much easier instead to focus on humanrights abuses. Everyone likes human rights abusesas an issue. It’s sexy. It’s personable. It can be usedto justify almost anything on the grounds that,well, no sort of intervention could possibly makematters any worse. Although, no one seems topoint out the inherent contradiction in improvinghuman rights conditions by further violatingthem with sanctions. How odd…I’m not denying for one moment that there arehuman rights abuses in Iran. I’m not denying thatthe presidential election last year left somethingto be desired in the transparency department. I’mnot even denying the possibility that the Iranianpeople are deeply dissatisfied with their regime.But this doesn’t negate the fact that the mediafocusing on public displays of outrage that aren’tthere to further an internationalist agenda isn’tgoing to help things. Turns out Allende wasn’tsuch a bad guy either…They say that two weeks is an eternity in politics.Well thirty one years on, the Iranian revolutionis already looking as though it’s on course tooutlast the neoliberal one. Come 2041, I wonderwho will truly be celebrating.Fusion Magazine 37

internationalDeath of a Football FanBy Colm GoreyAspectator, who was hit violently overthe head by a rubbish bin thrown by afellow supporter during an English PremierLeague match between Blackburn Rovers andStoke City, died in hospital a number of weeks ago.Because of Britain’s long-standing reputationas one of the main sources of football hooliganismin Europe, one would expect to find thestory reported in the sensationalist descriptionof ‘a return to the bad days’. However, apart froma brief mention on Sky Sports News and othermajor sources of news, the story seems to havecompletely disappeared from media attention. Infact, it never appeared on the Sky Sports’ website.A further search online showed that the UKtabloids had very brief reports, even by theirstandards.So why have the media been silent over somethingthat raises serious security concerns forfootball fans? To understand, one must look at thehistory of hooliganism in England and why theEnglish media might be imposing self-censorshipto protect the English games reputation.Because of Britain’slong-standing reputationas the main sourceof football hooliganismin Europe, I expected tofind the story reportedin the sensationalistdescription of areturn to the bad days.However, apart from abrief mention on SkySports News and othermajor sources of news,the story seems tohave completely disappearedfrom the media’sattention.In comparison with the coverage of footballhooliganism in the late 1970s and ‘80s, the differenceis vast. Football hooliganism dominatedthe front and back pages as a result of two majorincidents involving casualties in football grounds.In 1989, 96 people died in a game at HillsboroughStadium between Sheffield Wednesday and Liverpool,after a part of the stadium collapsed fromover-crowding. The following day, the newspapersand the government stepped in to solve the majorproblems in British football.Margaret Thatcher, UK Prime Minister madea high-profile public call for the country’s footballhooligans to be given ‘stiff” prison sentences to actas a deterrent to others, in a bid to clamp down onhooliganism. Her minister for sport, Colin Moynihan,attempted to bring in an ID card scheme forfootball supporters. Other regulations that werebrought in by the Taylor Report regulated Britishfootball to what we know today with all-seatedstadiums, tighter security and improved stadiumdesign for better entry and exit in an emergency.By the time the Premier League was established,with BSkyB’s backing, in 1992, it was believed thatmost of the problems with fans in English footballwere over.Now TV companies such as Sky, in a ratherjingoistic fashion, describe the English PremierLeague as ‘the best in the world’ with the playersand stadiums to match. Yet far away from the TVcameras trouble continues. Not on the same scaleas the ‘70s and ‘80s, but still a level of hooliganism,racism and public disorder that largely goesunreported. High profile players and officials havereceived death threats, as well as the death of asafety steward in 2004 between clashing fans ofAston Villa and Queens Park Rangers.But if one is to believe the English media, thethreat of hooliganism has been almost eradicatedfrom the Premier League, with more police controland better designed stadiums to prevent it. This isfar from the truth.The latest death raises questions as to whythe English media go from sensationalising hooliganismto not covering it at all. One theory isthat financial interests involved in the game donot want to return to discussions of hooliganismbecause a troubled game would not be sellableabroad. Serie A, the top Italian league hasseen its marketability plummet, with coverage ofpolitically motivated hooligan sects (or ‘Ultras’)attacking both Italian and foreign fans regardless.And so the league is now ever-increasing its debtas TV money from profitable markets like Asia isnow moving to the English Premier League. With38 Fusion Magazine

internationalTV companies like Sky pumping billions into theEnglish game, this latest death, in their view onewould imagine, would be best left alone.Another theory involves a bid to host the 2018World Cup. This follows on from how the EnglishFootball Association would like to be seen by thegoverning body, FIFA, as a trouble free place togo. Therefore, a death would not improve theirchances.What is probably the most worrying angle totake on this story is the obvious self-censorshiptaken by the English media with regard to thedeath. While it is safe to say the modern top-flightgame is more about money than the game itself,when deaths are being ignored one would thinkdiscussion should be had.But this is not to say that the media has anagenda to deliberately ignore the story. However,it begs the question why this story barely made thenews, when a footballer’s love life becomes centrestage.Self-censorship seems also to apply to thegeneral public who feel a sense of pride in theirnational league. On one particular messageboard, where comments can be ‘liked’ or ‘disliked’by the readers, the death was given a relativelysmall piece. However, it contained hundreds ofresponses from readers, offering their condolencesto the man and his family. One man whoquestioned how the media would have treated thestory had this happened in South Africa, hosts ofthis summer’s World Cup, was heavily criticised, tothe point of his query being hidden from viewing.Worryingly, this trend might become commonplacein other European countries hoping to hidetheir own violent groups. When the world castsits eyes on South Africa this year, will it be openabout its crime problems? Or will it pretend itdoesn’t exist? We will have to wait and see.Another theory involvesa bid to host the 2018World Cup. This followson from how theEnglish FA wants to beseen by the governingbody, FIFA, as a troublefree place to go. Therefore,a death would notappear too kindly totheir chances.Gary Oldman portrayingClive ‘Bex’ in the powerfultelevision drama TheFirm in 1988. The film isfamous for its gritty portrayalof the violence ofrival ‘firms’ during theheight of football hooliganismin England.Fusion Magazine 39

climateThis is what democracy looks likeBy Maria BrundinABOVE: Demonstratorsoutside Parliamentsquare last December.BELOW: Business asusual-banner duringUnited Nations ClimateChange Conference inCopenhaganOutside the centrethere were indigenouspeoples’ organisations,climate activists and civilsociety organisations,all pleading for a fairand constructive treaty.Meanwhile, the mediawas running around likea hungry dog, waiting forhis master to give out theleftovers from dinner.The 15th UN Climate Change conferencein Copenhagen (also called COP15) wasa milestone in our time they said. It wassupposedly vital for the survival of our future generations.On the first day of the summit 56 newspapersin 45 different countries worldwide cametogether and published a common editorial saying“Fourteen days to seal history’s judgement on thisgeneration”. So, what is the verdict? Failure.In the Bella Centre, heads of state and theirrepresentatives gathered, alongside lobbyists frommajor companies, to develop a treaty designedto stop the causes and effects of climate change.Outside the centre there were indigenous peoples’organisations, climate activists and civil societyorganisations, all pleading for a fair and constructivetreaty. Meanwhile, the media was runningaround like a hungry dog, waiting for his masterto give out the leftovers fromdinner.To most people the failure toagree on a treaty was no surprise.Global agreements have a historyof being unproductive. Duringthe course of the first week anda half the representatives agreedthat they could not agree andwere split into two camps. Thedeveloped world wanted a treatyfocusing on emission cuts andinvestments in new technology.In contrast, the developing worlddemanded that the US and EUtake responsibility for their rolesas being historically the largestemitters and make sure the treatywouldn’t stand in their way ofimproving the standard of livingin their emerging economies.The Peoples’ Climate Summit, a separatesummit for citizens, activists and organisationsran alongside the official conference and offeredalternative and more radical solutions to climatechange. In their declaration they stated “Systemchange, not climate change” and demand a justand sustainable transition to a non-fossil fuelsociety, rejection of purely market-oriented andtechnology-centred solutions and emphasise theimportance of local control over natural resourcesand decentralised democracy.The alternative summit held seminars anddebates everyday and became the base for civil42 Fusion Magazine

climateprotests arranged during the two week long conference.The two key demonstrations the “SystemChange Not Climate Change” on the 12th Decemberand the final one “Reclaim Power!” on the 16thDecember got the media’s heads turning for tworeasons.Firstly, a vast number of people participatedand showed their commitment to achieving asustainable and environmentally friendly world.During the “System Change Not Climate Change”demonstration, roughly 100,000 people frominternational NGOs and workers unions, as wellas, politicians, celebrities and citizens gathered atthe Parliament square in central Copenhagen andwalked 50 minuets in the bitter cold to the BellaCentre.Secondly, violence erupted between police anddemonstrators during the conference.During the “Reclaim Power!” march demonstratorsaimed to make their way to the official summitin the Bella centre. Outside the centre, delegatesfrom the conference were to meet them in protestagainst the lack of commitment and inability toreach an agreement.Throughout the march the demonstrators weresurrounded by police and police vans on each sideof the road. A dispute started as the police gavethe demonstrators less and less room to walk on.However, the march continued up until the bridgecrossing over to the Bella Centre.According to the Danish Police’s spokesman“we [the police] could no longer control the demonstratorsand so decided to stop the march.” Ariot started between the police and the demonstrators.After 10-20 minuets the police managedto press back the demonstrators and surroundthem on a near by street.The police have received harsh criticism fortheir actions during COP15. They were accused ofexcessive use of teargas, violent behaviour againstdetainees and of reckless handling of police dogs.Demonstrators were restrained and left to sit onthe pavement for several hours in temperaturesbelow zero; while some urinated on themselvesafter being denied to use the toilets.“Is this what democracy looks like?” is a commonlyused catchphrase in demonstrations, and inthe case of COP15, it is a legitimate question.During the “Reclaim Power!” demonstrationthe Danish police took advantage of the newly legislatedlaw and stopped the march before it couldreach its final destination. The pre-emptive lawwas approved by the Danish government 12 daysbefore the start of COP15. It allowed the policeto arrest and detain people “whom they suspectmight break the law”. More than 1000 peoplewhere detained in warehouses used as temporarydetention halls, infamously known as GuantánamoJunior.Overall, the conference was another failedattempt to reach a binding international agreement.The climate change issues were againpushed down the political agenda as the heads ofstate went home in their comfortable, pollutingairplanes.This is, apparently, what democracy looks like.Demonstrators againstnuclear energy duringlast Decembers UnitedNationsClimateChange Conference inCopenhagan.Fusion Magazine 43

climateEngulfing the Irish CoastBy Shane QuinnNorth America haswitnessed a 25 per centincrease in hurricanesand tropical stormsin the past five years.Environmental expertsbelieve global warmingis culpable and fearthat Northern Europecould experience suchweather soon.Towns and cities around Irish coasts couldbe in great danger as ocean levels continueto rise due to global warming. DrJohn Sweeney, of National University of IrelandMaynooth (NUIM) says, “there is a stark possibilitythat in the foreseeable future rising sea levelscould engulf vulnerable coastal towns or citieswhich have grown further seaward on reclaimedland.” Irish temperatures have climbed an average1.2 Celsius since 1980 and that figure is rising.“There is a desperate need to improve coastaldefences, particularly in relation to storm surges,”he says.That is not the only crisis we face. North Americahas witnessed a 25 per cent increase in hurricanesand tropical storms in the past five years. Environmentalexperts believe global warming is culpableand fear that Northern Europe could experiencesuch weather soon. “Hurricanes and tropicalstorms require sea temperatures of 26 Celsius todevelop,” says Dr Sweeney. While he confessed itwould be unlikely that Irish waters will experiencesuch a temperature rise early this century, “it isquite possible it will reach that height in the latterpart and early into next century”. The idea of Irelandwitnessing hurricanes could become a frighteningreality.Research scientist, Dr Laura McElwain, alsoof NUIM takes an even more drastic view on theeffect climate change will have on Ireland.Dr McElwain says that: “Ireland is warming uptwice as fast as the rest of the world.”She believes, “climate change has the potentialto change the face of Ireland and to transform itsenvironment. Changes in temperature, rainfalland storm patterns can subtly yet irrevocably alterthe Irish way of life.”She warns us to expect “wetter, milder winters,and drier, hotter summers”. Thiscould cause serious flooding andwater pollution.She says, “the rate of globalwarming is rapidly accelerating”and confirmed that “people andnot nature are responsible”.The effects of global warmingare already apparent in Ireland.In the midlands, where it is coldest,frost occurrences have halvedin the last twenty years. Frostcould even disappear altogetheras average temperatures continueto climb. Winter rain will increase and intensifywhile summers will become hotter and drier.Dr Sweeney, offering a different opinion, says:“The natural trend is actually for global cooling.But, the opposite is occurring, and there is onlyone explanation - we are to blame.” That destroysa theory that the “flat-earthists” have been flaunting- that global warming is occurring naturally.He believes that by 2050 winter temperatureswill have “ risen an average of another 1.5 Celsius”here. Some may not see that as a bad thing but oneweather pattern tends to replace another.He says that by mid-century we can expect tosee rainfall increases in Ireland “of over 11 percent”.“This rise could prove disastrous to Irish agriculture”.Crops could become “waterlogged” withnew pests and diseases evolving as a result.In addition, Ireland’s towns would be under riskof serious flooding. Summer temperatures willhave climbed by 2.5 Celsius with rainfall declininggreatly and droughts possibly lasting weeks.One of the biggest controversies regarding globalwarming to date is the alleged damage developedcountries have inflicted on third-world nations.It is an allegation that first world countries seemreluctant to rectify. Dr Sweeney says that developingcountries must bear a huge burden whentackling climate change. “The developed countriescaused the initial damage here, and the thirdworldstates just haven’t got the resources totackle the problem.”Another catastrophe threatens to destroy boththe North (Arctic) and South Poles (Antarctica).Huge amounts of ice are melting annually andlocal wildlife could soon die out. “In the North Poleit is probable that by mid-century more than halfthe summer ice will have disappeared,” says DrSweeney. He said that the situation in the SouthPole was “less clear” but he wouldn’t hold out“much hope”. He also believes that polar bears andpenguins face “certain extinction” as their habitatsmelt away.Arctic shrinkage has caused a huge increasein polar bear cub death rates. The National Geographicnews states that in the past 50 yearsemperor penguin populations have fallen by 50per cent. It says the main reason for this is thesharp decline in fish - its primary diet, due to climatechange. Only until the human race removesits bad habits and treats the planet differently, canwe then enjoy a brighter future.44 Fusion Magazine

science & technologyThe Concern for CERNBy Oscar FinnThe Large Hadron Collider(LHC); the world’s largestand highest-energy particleaccelerator.the European Organizationfor Nuclear Research, is one of the“CERN,world’s largest and most respectedcentres for scientific research. Its business is fundamentalphysics, finding out what the Universeis made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’slargest and most complex scientific instrumentsare used to study the basic constituents of matter— the fundamental particles. By studying whathappens when these particles collide, physicistslearn about the laws of Nature.” – CERN’s officialwebsite.The instruments used at CERN are particleaccelerators and detectors. Accelerators boostbeams of particles to high energies before they aremade to collide with each other or with stationarytargets. Detectors observe and record the resultsof these collisions.Founded in 1954, the CERN Laboratory sitsastride the Franco–Swiss border near Geneva. Itwas one of Europe’s first joint ventures and nowhas 20 Member States.The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) provided firstcollisions in late November 2009, after about 20years of extremely challenging design and constructionwork for both the accelerator and theexperiments. About three weeks later, protonswere accelerated for the first time in the LHC itselfto an energy of 1.18 TeV/beam, the highest energyyet attained in accelerators. Around one hundredthousand collisions were recorded by the four LHCexperiments at this energy.CERN was criticized for cost overruns duringthe construction of its crown jewel, the $4.5 billionLHC. Since its completion, technical delayshave prevented the LHC from doing what it wasdesigned to do: create high-energy collisionsamong tiny particles to help physicists answersome of the deepest remaining mysteries aboutthe universe.In September 2008, the collider ran for only afew days before it had to be shut down for majorrepairs. In November 2009, the 17-mile loop deepbeneath the Swiss Alps was restarted and scientistsrecorded collisions at the highest energylevels humans had yet achieved. It was then shutdown for winter.On Feb. 15 2010, the collider started up again.Soon, it will start producing scientific data for thefirst time. This year, the plan is to ramp up the colliderto unprecedented levels of speed in order totest traditional physics theories. If all goes well,scientists expects the LHC to run at full energy –accelerating particles to nearly the speed of light– in 2011.The LHC’s mission is to probe matter at energylevels thought to have existed just after the bigbang some 13.8 billion years ago. At LHC energies,the universe was only a 10-billionth of a second oldand unimaginably hot. The collider aims to createthese energies by accelerating two beams of protonsin opposite directions to 99.9 percent of thespeed of light. Researchers then steer the beamsinto head-on collisions. Detectors track the debristhe collisions generate. High-powered supercomputerspick through the debris trails in hopes ofspotting the signature of the hypothesized particlethat imparts mass to matter, the Higgs Boson.They will also look for particles that make up socalleddark matter (the vast majority of matter inthe universe), and particles that may hint at thepresence of other dimensions beyond the four wecan sense.“Dark matter” was given its name becauseit rarely interacts with ordinary matter. Learningmore about it may open the door to moremysteries.Fusion Magazine 45

science & technologyDoes the iPad touch all the rightbuttons for the iFamily?By Nicola ByrneSo lets get the jokes out of the way. TheiPad sounds like a feminine hygiene product.Yes, you can wear white jeans whileusing the iPad, and yes, you need some kind of analternative tablet if you want to go swimming.It’s the first thing that popped into most peoples’thoughts as soon as Apple CEO, Steve Jobs,muttered the word. Therefore, it’s beyond me howthis name was let pass. Presumably, a bunch ofobliviously-mature male executives all came to amutual decision in the board-room of masculinityand sincerity.It’s rumoured that ‘iSlate’ was the first choice ofname for the new Apple tablet, which was unveiledby Steve Jobs last month. However, iSlate wasalready registered, spawning endless parodies andjokes at the expense of the alternative; ‘iPad’. ButJobs isn’t bothered, stating that “they made fun ofiPod name when it came out. What matters is theproduct and what it means to consumers.”In response, one particularly witty headlineread; ‘Apple’s iPad absorbs web’s wisecracks.’Quips aside, the iPad is essentially a large andinconvenient iPhone, physically speaking. A surewinner to be the most frequently damaged objectin recent history. At least with a laptop or PC youjust scream and slam the screen in helpless frustrationwhen something goes wrong. The iPadenables you to put your aggravation into action bychucking the thing through a wall with minimumeffort.A lot like life, we struggle to find meaning inthe iPad. The pecking order is the PC, then laptop,net-book, smart phone, mobile phone and er, electronicorganisers. But how do we begin to fill thegaps between these?Steve Jobs has the answer. During a press conferencein San Francisco, Jobs presented the 9.7-inch tablet computer, complete with multi-touchdisplay, 1-GHz speed and up to 64GB of memory.It weighs a mere 1.5 pounds and is only 0.5 inchesthick. The iPad will only run software purchasedthrough Apple’s App Store just like the iPhone andiTouch before it, but will also come with Safari, a46 Fusion Magazine

science & technologyThis could be the gamechanger; iBooks. Couldwe be witnessing theiTune-ification of thepublishing industry?Perhaps. The iBookstorewill be the latestdomestic app for theiFamily.new mail system, photos, video,App Store, YouTube, iPod, iTunes,maps, calendar and other productivitytools.I say video, presuming youare all aware that as of yet, theIrish iTunes store only has audiodownloads and music videos. Nomovies or television series areavailable in the Irish store due tolicensing rights for content. Strikeone, within the Irish market. Itwill be interesting to see how it ismarketed to the Irish consumers,considering Apple are claiming to‘revolutionise’ how we consumevisual media.But this could be the game changer; iBooks.Could we be witnessing the iTune-ification of thepublishing industry? Perhaps. The iBookstorewill be the latest domestic app for the iFamily. Atlaunch, five book publishers will have publicationson iBooks, including Penguin, Simon and Schuster,HarperCollins, Macmillian and Hachette.So? Whatever. I have my Kindle. Unlike theKindle, iPad users can download books in fullcolour (no more rancid gray) and read them onrealistic ‘e-paper’ pages that are easily navigatedand manipulated. The font-face and size can bechanged to your preference and the pages can beturned with a simple drag on the screen.The iBooks interface is even a rustic book-shelf,so you won’t feel as though your literary experienceis anything less than authentic. It’s hard tosee how Amazon’s Kindle is going to retaliate andremain competitive.Steve Jobs says “The iBooks app is a great newway to read and buy books. Just download the appfor free from the App Store, and you’ll be able tobuy everything from classics to bestsellers fromthe built-in iBookstore. Once you’ve bought abook, it’s displayed on your Bookshelf. To readit, all you have to do is tap on it and it opens up.The high-resolution, LED-backlit screen displayseverything in sharp, rich, colour, so it’s very easyto read, even in low light.”The iPad could also be huge in terms of collegetext books. Educational publishers such asMcGraw-Hill, Pearson and Kaplan have alreadystruck deals with iPhone touch developers Scroll-Motion Inc. to build applications for the iPad. Appfeatures include bonus test preparation, studyguides and new types of classroom instructionalmaterials.Students with particularly book-heavy coursescould benefit greatly from investing in an iPad if itmeant lower prices and less weight to lug aroundcampus. Add colourful graphs, charts, audio, andeven interactive media demonstrations and there’sno excuse for those August repeats at all.But what could this mean for journalism? Can itrevive this sickly sector? Maybe not today, maybenot tomorrow, but there’s hope yet. The appeal isobvious. It’s small enough to be discreet, whilelarge enough to prevent straining your eyes to seeit. Colour photographs and video playback all addto the appeal, truly meshing and embracing newmedia with the remnants of print. The iPad givesus a foundation to begin re-imagining the dailyperiodical for successful integration with newmedia.Martin Nisenholtz, SVP of Digital Operationsat the New York Times joined Jobs on stage for hisiPad introduction. Using the recently developedNew York Times app, Nisenholtz demonstratedthe device’s ability to realistically recreate the lookand feel of the newspaper as we know it. Links andvideos are effortlessly integrated into newsprint,providing a multi-platform media experience.Nisenholtz stated that the display “captures theessence of a newspaper,” but enhances it for “thenext generation of digital journalism.”Many bloggers and tech-journalists have criticisedthe iPad for not having a camera, a USBport or the ability to multi-task. But despite thetechies voicing their dismay in unison, the chancesare that your average joe is not going to be toobothered about what it can’t do; but embrace itfor what it can do. It also looks quite cool, that’salways a winner. Anyway, do we really need yetanother camera? Most potential iPad customerswill no doubt already own digital-cameras andmobile-phones with cameras. It seems that in thepast decade, when thinking of how to improvesomething, the ultimate conclusion seems to be“ah sure throw a camera on it there.”But will the iPad work, or is the criticism just? Iwould be of the opinion that it will be a long timebefore digital publishing reaches sufficient capabilitiesin providing comfort and ‘physical copy’replica for readers. The iPad, however, seems tobe an exciting start to the revitalisation of thepublishing and print media industries. And again,you’ll look cool.Prices for the iPad are set to range from $499to $829, with a U.S. release date in April. Plentyof time for them to test the waters for us before ithits Irish markets.Fusion Magazine 47

A Backpacker’s Guide to ColombiaBy Seán GildeaIf there is one country to sum up LatinAmerica, it is Colombia. Rich in historyand culture, Colombia is a country that canboast both Pacific and Caribbean coastlines scatteredwith tropical beaches as well as large citieswith bustling night-life, small colonial towns andplenty more in between.On top of that, Colombia remains one of thecheaper countries in South America, making it abackpackers dream.Whether you are looking for a quiet trek in thecountry, a culture fuelled city break or somewhereto relax on an empty tropical beach, Colombia hasit all.BogotáBogotá is a culture-rich capital packed with artgalleries & museums, bars & restaurants; and anythingelse you could want from a city of 8 millionpeople.At the heart of the old-city you have La Candaleria.This is Bogotá central, where you willfind yourself surrounded by large plazas, cobblestonestreets, grand-government buildings and anarray of museums & churches. Although shabbyin parts, Bogotá’s centre is a beautifully preservedcolonial area with much to offer including theMuseo del Oro (Gold Museum), which displays ahuge collection of gold artifacts from pre-columbiantimes.Nightlife in Bogotá is confined to the Zona Rosain the north of the city. The area is jam-packedwith bars and nightclubs as well as up-marketcafes, restaurants and shops.For panoramic views of the city, a cable car upto Monserrate is a must. The mountain overlooksthe whole city from an altitude of over 10,000ftabove sea level. Just make sure it’s a clear day asmy visit was largely disappointing due to a thickfog.MedellínIf you are traveling in Colombia, time should bemade to visit Medellín, if not only to witness itscolourful nightlife. There are many hostels locatednear Medellín’s Zona Rosa, which is home to manyof the city’s bars and clubs. Worth checking outare the number of large-scale themed niteclubslocated outside of the city-centre which are accessibleby taxi.One that comes to mind is Mango’s. Althoughquite expensive and tacky, if you are ever lookingto see cowboy midgets get into a boxing ring withover-sized gloves and knock lumps out of eachother, this is your place. I need say no more.December is a great time to visit Medellín asone gets to see how seriously Colombians taketheir Christmas decorating - and in Medellín, itis very serious. Every year, the river in Medellínis decorated with kilometres of Christmas lightsand decorations, drawing huge crowds in the evenings.On the river banks you will find street stallsand performers reminding even the most jaded ofbackpacker’s that Christmas is coming.CartagenaJust 12 hours on a bus north of Medellin is thebeautiful walled city of Cartagena. Built on northernColombia’s Caribbean coast, Cartagena hasthe feel of an old colonial pirate town with its oldcitywalls, colourful cobbled streets and palm-treelined coast.Cartagena, like Bogotá, can be divided by its48 Fusion Magazine

The scenic view from‘Tayrona National Park’ inColombia.“old-city” and “new-city”, however this cannot bemore clearly defined than in Cartagena, as the oldcity is entirely nestled within its spectacular fortifiedwalls.Looking out into Colombia’s Caribbean coastis the Castillo de San Felipe, the largest fortressbuilt by the Spanish in Latin America. It is indeedimpressive and along with the old city walls, it is aUNESCO World Heritage site.If in Cartagena, I would recommend stayingclose to the old city as there is little to be seen outsideof it.The Bocagrande beach is to be avoided atall costs! Especially if you are a pasty whitegringo Irishman. In the fifteen minutes I spentthere, I was charged to use a deck chair, and wasapproached every 30 seconds by people trying tosell me things. The final straw came when an oldlady of about 95 years grabbed my feet and startedrubbing massage oil into them, ignoring my criesof “¡No lo quiero!” (“I don’t want it!). This provedvery amusing to the staring locals.If it’s beaches you want, Colombia’s CaribbeanCoast is cluttered with some of the world’s finest.From Cartagena, there are boat trips to PlayaBlanca, where you can enjoy turquoise-blue oceanson white sandy beaches decorated with palm trees.Taganga &Tayrona National ParkMissing out on Playa Blanca, I was lucky enoughto visit the small fishing village of Taganga, locatedabout three hours north-east of Cartagena ona bus. The village is quaint to the point of nothaving an ATM, but after a while you find it is agreat place to relax and re-adjust.This maybe due to the lazy Caribbean feel tothe place. The town has little in it apart from thebeach and a select number of bars, restaurants andhotels; but for those looking to get their divingPADI (the world recognised certificate that allowsyou to scuba-dive), Taganga might be the perfectplace due to its cheap diving schools and lack ofdistractions.Taganga is a great place to base yourself if youplan on visiting Tayrona National Park. The vastamount of beaches alone in Tayrona will wow theaverage person, but the park itself is located in ajungle with many trails where one can spot countlessspecies of birds and animals.Just a quick boat ride away from Taganga, thebeaches of Tayrona are spectacular. Many of themhave a desert island feel to them, with coconutsfalling off palm trees and small streams flowingonto the beach from the not too distant jungle.For accomodation, there are hammocks andhuts for rent off the main beach. You will alsofind a restaurant and bar there, but, if you plan ondrinking much, I would recommend bringing yourown supply as it is quite expensive there.To leave, you can get a boat back to Taganga,or in my case endure mostly uphill five-hour trekthrough the jungle in temperatures of 35 degrees.You should get the boat!Getting ThereGiven its location at the very top of SouthAmerica, Colombia is a great place for backpackersto start or end their adventure. Bogotá has directflights to and from Madrid, Miami, New York andLos Angeles.¡Buen Viaje!Fusion Magazine 49

entertainmentThe Man Behind AvatarBy Nicola ByrneThe director has beenmarried 5 times,trading in one wifeafter another as swiftlyas he produced blockbusters.Amongstthem is actress,Linda Hamilton, whoclaims that Titanic’ssuccess didn’t changeCameron’s personality.“He was always a jerk,so there is no way totell.” she said.Described by some as “the most enjoyableexperience in a movie theatre,ever”, “the best 3-D movie ever” and“probably the best looking movie ever made” ever,ever, ever!Why yes, it’s Avatar. Yawn. Since December,we have been submerged into a large, blue, threedimensionalhype machine -- seemingly manuallyoperated by the media’s own blood, sweat andtears.Avatar was so good; people started threateningto kill themselves unless they could join theprotagonist, Jack Sully, in his new life on the alienplanet Pandora. Realistically, director James Cameron,considering he made the whole thing up,cannot fulfill this wish.But amongst the hype of movies like Avatar,we rarely look past the glittering CGI world we areimmersed into on-screen to focus on the man thatmade it all possible; James Cameron. Perhaps it’sbetter that way though. The George Washingtonlook-a-like is probably best known for his blockbusterTitanic (1997), which was the highestgrossing film in box-office history with a worldwidegross of $1.2 billion. Thiswas until the aforementionedAvatar overtook it, well surpassingthe $2 billion mark.Cameron was born in Ontario,Canada in 1954. He studiedphysics and English at FullertonCollege, but spent much ofhis time visiting the film archiveof the University of SouthernCalifornia to read various thesis’that graduate students had writtenabout film technology. Forthis reason, Cameron claims heis ‘completely self-taught’ in hisfilming techniques.His big break came as he wasworking as a second unit directorfor Galaxy of Terror (1981). Oneparticular scene he was shootinginvolved a dismembered arm,which was crawling with maggots.Cameron attached an ACpower cord to the arm in orderto make the maggots (he usedmealworms) squirm. Two producers just happenedto witness this directing ability and begantalking with him about possibly working on largerprojects.Since then, James Cameron has establishedhimself as one of Hollywood’s most groundbreakingand commercially successful directors. Hismovies include The Terminator (1984), Aliens(1986), The Abyss, (1989), Terminator 2: JudgmentDay (1991), True Lies (1994), Titanic, andof course, Avatar.He was the first director to make two filmswhich have grossed more than $1 billion in theworldwide box office, and the first director to filmboth a $100 million (Terminator 2) and a $200million (Titanic) movie. Cameron has also won 3Academy Awards and is hotly tipped to pick upbest director again this year for Avatar.To add a bit of drama to the proceedings, Cameron’seffort is up against ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow,with exactly 6 nominations each. Bigelowdirected Iraq War drama and recently walked awaywith ‘best director’ at the Bafta’s, making her thefirst woman ever to win this award. If she’s lucky,she could reach the same feat at the Oscars.For he is James Cameron and if you thoughtthat sort of success must surely go to a guy’s head,you’d be right. He is not known as a nice guy, or apleasure to work with.His infamous acceptance speech at the 70thAcademy Awards ran dry as soon as he began yelling“I’m the king of the world!” to a perplexedaudience.The director has been married 5 times, tradingin one wife after another as swiftly as he producedblockbusters. Amongst them is actress, LindaHamilton, who claims that Titanic’s success didn’tchange Cameron’s personality. “He was always ajerk, so there is no way to tell.” she said.The director is renowned for being intimidatingon set, as many can testify. Kate Winslet, whosprung to fame after starring in Titanic, said shewould never work with Cameron again. Duringthe filming of Titanic she nearly drowned, developedpneumonia, and chipped a bone in her elbow.“He’s a nice guy, [but he] has a temper like youwouldn’t believe. There were times I was genuinelyfrightened of him.”Sam Worthington, the lead in Avatar, admits50 Fusion Magazine

entertainmentthat Cameron stopped at nothing to get the sceneshe was looking for, even if it meant physically hittinghim. “He’d throw foam or debris to get me toreact, because the action was being created later onthe computer. And Jim would go, hmm, this ain’tworking, right, so I’ll just hit you with a stick.”But Cameron doesn’t do apologies. He claimsthat “They go beyond what they previouslythought were their limits, and then afterwardsthey talk about it like it was a big adventure: “Oh,man, we worked around the clock and you know,we all almost died.”But Cameron spares no luxury for himselfeither. He almost died when his submarine ran outof oxygen during the shooting of The Abyss.So where did all of this drive and ambitioncome from? Cameron claims that his father’s lackof support made him “angry enough that I had tosucceed.”But Jim, spare a moment for the people makingall of your success possible; the audience. Videoevidence from gossip website, TMZ, shows Jimsnapping at a fan asking for an autograph lastDecember. The fan approached Cameron and askedhim to sign an Avatar poster, provoking Cameronto respond; “I don’t owe you a fucking signature.Just get out of my fucking personal space.”The self-proclaimed king of the world may wowus with his genius on-screen. But off-screen, he’s aright Colonel Miles Quaritch.Video evidence fromgossip website, TMZ,shows Jim snappingat a fan asking foran autograph lastDecember. The fanapproached Cameronand asked him to sign anAvatar poster, provokingCameron to respond;“ I don’t owe you afucking signature. Justget out of my fuckingpersonal space.”Filmmaker James Cameronposing in front of theTitanic set-piece duringproduction of the 1997blockbuster.Fusion Magazine 51

entertainmentITMIGHTGETLOUD(Out now on DVD)Director: Davis GuggenheimStarring: Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack WhiteThree of Rocks biggest stars Jimmy Page(Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2 ) and JackWhite (The White Stripes/ The Raconteurs)come together to share their inspirations,musical journeys and techniques in Davis Guggenheim’sfascinating documentary ‘It Might getLoud’. Needless to say the electric guitar itself isone of the main stars of ‘It Might get Loud’ andmore importantly how each guitarist manipulatesit to create their own distinctive sound.It’s not just a film for guitar eggheads, but afilm for every rock fan out there, thanks mainlyto Guggenheims unnerving dedication to eachplayer. After following each guitarist around forthe best part of a year, he takes us into their individuallives past and present.Page is shown as reserved almost shy character,far from his old image of a world conqueringrock god. He is shown visiting Headley Grangethe estate where much of Led Zeppelin IV wasrecorded, and at home with his record collection.Along with shots of him as a young London sessionmusician, with the Yardbirds and Zeppelin.Never known as a virtuoso soloist, Edge showsus how he is the true master of both the effectspedal to “fill in notes that aren’t there”. He alsodiscusses his purchase of his signature guitar, theGibson Explorer and the punk music that influencedhim. In other scenes, he plays early demotapes of ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ anddiscusses his inspiration for ‘Sunday BloodySunday’. Showing us how he turns a simple riff anda few basic chords into an effects laden stadiumbeating vintage Edge riff. The viewer also gets tosee the Mount Temple classroom where The Edgeand U2 rehearsed for the first time.Jack White very much the baby of the groupshows he is not lacking in the knowledge departmentof his chosen instrument. Very much theopposite of the Edge, he strives for a more basicprimitive blues influenced style. He seems toshun new technology when it comes to the guitar.Going as far to show the viewer how simple it isto construct a guitar. White makes a ‘guitar’ froma simple plank of wood, a piece of wire and a cokebottle.The main part of the film is the meeting of all3 musicians on an L.A. soundstage dubbed ‘thesummit,’ which was filmed over two days. Theytalk about their various influences and styles,all three playing each other’s songs. Jammingthrough and showing each other how to play ‘I WillFollow’, ‘Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground’ and‘In My Time of Dying’. The film concludes with animpromptu cover version The Band’s ‘The Weight’on acoustic guitars.The DVD is almost worth buying for the ‘WholeLotta Love’ scene alone. A scene where Page strapson his vintage Gibson and starts to belt out the riffto ‘Whole Lotta Love’, which leaves both the Edgeand White grinning from ear to ear like some sortof giddy school kids. However there is little in theway of extras on the DVD, plus it could be arguedthat that the film itself is too short.Either way whether you’re a music fan or guitarfan this is the movie for you, It Might Get Loudoffers some interesting insight into the soul andinspiration behind some of pop’s best and mostpopular music.(Rating: 8/10)David Murphy52 Fusion Magazine

entertainmentMachine HeadOlympia, Dublin, 28/2/10Machine Head rolled into Dublinpromoting…nothing. No newalbum, new EP, or DVD. Instead, theOakland four piece proceeded to poundthe battered walls of the Olympia withfan favourite songs.In this writer’s experience, the Olympiararely has atmospheres befittingmetal gigs, tonight was different. Thenoise generated by the fans was morethan matched by the heaviness thatMachine Head created. Ears will be ringingfor days afterwards.The songs were pretty good too.Opener “Clenching the Fists of Dissent”from the Blackening album set the tonefor a truly momentous gig. “Ten TonHammer” proceeded to pulverise thecrowd into delirium.There was a healthy mix of songscherry picked from every one of theband’s six albums. While the band puton a masterful performance the soundat times failed them. One huge problemwas that Flynn’s voice struggled to beheard over the cacophony of guitars, bassand drums. The bass was particularlyheavy during certain partsof the set. This minor issueaside, Flynn showed hehas lost none of his powerfuland guttural vocal stylethrough years of punishingtouring.Machine Head did notlet up on the extreme intensity theywere creating. The audience suckedevery Machine Head classic up andasked for more. Particular highlightsmust be “Burning Red” and “SeasonsWither”. Front man Rob Flynn commentedon the energy and adrenalinethat was running through the crowdrepeatedly during the near two hourgig. He invoked Machine Head gigsgone past in Dublin and whipped thecrowd up to a frenzy few bands achievewithin the confines of the Olympia. Onespecial moment seemed to sum up theimmediate relationship created with thecrowd, when Flynn wrapped himself ina tricolour for a song; the crowd finallyblew its collective top. It felt like a genuinemoment, not the usual fake show ofhometown support.The encore did not disappoint.Machine Head do metal anthems likeno one else. Other groups must pray toSatan wish they could copy the Americanband’s cannon of songs. “Halo” had theaudience in raptures and a strong singalong soon erupted to the song’s chorus.“Davidian”, an unashamed metal classicfinished off a fantastic gig. For anyonewho missed it, you quite possibly missedthe metal gig of the year.Flynn promised a new album was inthe pipeline and that a return to Dublinwould be imminent upon it’s release.On the strength of tonight, that cannotcome soon enough. Machine Head, wemiss you already.High On FireSnakes For The DevineHigh On Fire’s fifth album, SnakesFor The Devine finds the bandon familiar footing. The band followstheir successful formula of crafting finestoner metal songs but never strayingtoo far from the blueprint.Mike Pike’s voice is still the closestthing in rock to replicating Motorheadfront man, Lemmy’s vocals. This probablymeans, as a listener, the decisionto love or hate the band is pretty instantaneousafter hearing his vocals for thefirst time. That being said, this is stilla quality record which unfortunatelynever breaks through the glass ceiling.Lyrically the band is very much intotheir Dungeons and Dragons. Pike singsof medieval mayhem and nefariousgoings-ons. The cover art of a womanwrapped in snakes with a cloudy sky alsofeeds into this mythical image High OnFire sing about.The music itself is not hugely differentfrom past HOF records. “FrostHammer” and the title track pummelthe listener into oblivion. This bandcan do very heavy metal when required.Pike describes “Frost Hammer” as “anicy death lullaby”, it is hard to disagree.“Bastard Samurai” and “How Dark WePray” slow things down. It gives thelistener a much needed change of pace.Both songs sludge along with beautifulmalevolence. “Bastard Samurai” finallybuilds up into an epic crescendo that willhave the listener’s ears bleeding. Specialpraise must go to drummer Des Kenseland bassist Jeff Matz for providing adevastating rhythm section. Kensel’sdrums blast fury at times with Matz’sbass more than keeping up with the freneticpace.This tempo change does not last long.The final three songs are spine-tingling.“Fire, Flood & Plague” is enveloped bydoom. “How Dark We Pray” explodeslike a volcano. Meanwhile, “Holy Flamesof the Fire Spitter” finishes off thealbum in spectacular fashion. The constructingof the album shows the bandhas developed a strong craftsmanship intheir music. Every song is placed whereit should be and the album flows exquisitelyat times.This album is an excellent piece ofstorybook metal. The tempo changes arewell placed and Pike’s voice grows on youwith each listen. When required to turnthe volume up to eleven and let rip HighOn Fire do it as well as any metal bandout there. But with the band on albumnumber five, how many more similarefforts can they make, without soundingformulaic?Dave Claxton

entertainmentBetraying exclusive rock for Mainstream Pop: and Im lovin it!Welcome to Oxegen 2010!By Nicola ByrneIturned on the radio last week to the boomof hyped-up DJs spazzing out more thanthey usually do. The Oxegen launch hadtaken place that morning, as throngs of privileged‘reporters’ became the first to know ofOxegen 2010’s anticipated line-up. They weren’tdisappointed.In case you haven’t already heard, the headlinersfor 2010 include Eminem, Muse, Jay-Z, BlackEyed Peas, Florence and the Machine, Faithless,Stereophonics, Kasabian, The Prodigy, DavidGuetta, Vampire Weekend, John Mayer, La Roux,Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, amongst manyothers.I was delighted with the acts. In fact, I tookgreat pleasure in wrecking my friends’ heads byalready starting to organise every intricate detailof the weekend, despite the fact that it’s over fourmonths away.But as Duffy says, someone gonna rain on yourparade. The moaning began like clockwork. Bloggers,columnists, snobby gobshites -- all raining onmy Oxegen, and they were creating a slurry.“Waaa, it’s a rock festival. Where is ‘indie-bandonly-I-have-heard-of’or ‘alternative-screamingman’.Eminem, Jay-Z? Tracksuits and mud don’tmix, scumbags day out ‘10!”The uproar was reminiscent of the controversysurrounding Jay-Z’s headlining of Glastonbury in2008. Noel Gallagher called the decision “wrong”,but being an utter tosser, you’d expect no less. Butcritics also slammed the decision and blamed Jayfor the slow ticket sales.Glastonbury was traditionally known for it’sindie rock and guitar-based headliners. In a bid toreach out to a younger audience, organiser MichaelEavis said they had really “stuck their necks out onthis one.”As any idiot could have predicted, Jay-Z rockedGlasto in all it’s glory and was proclaimed “themost thrilling headline act for more than a decade”by The Times. The whole thing reeks of elitism andthe lack of ability to just enjoy something for whatit is.Noel Gallagher, yet again, was left eating fromJay-Z’s hand as he thrived on this new challengeof completely overturning expectations withthe ultimate performance. Jay-Z had habituallygotten bored with his career, claiming that he hadnowhere new to go. Glastonbury was the definitivechallenge, and it now looks like Jay is back to hisold struggles.I hate to break it to you all but like Glasto,Oxegen is no longer exclusively rock. In fact, Idon’t think it ever was. Oxegen is Ireland’s majormusic festival and is here to appeal to everyone.It’s come a long way from its Witnness beginnings.Running from 2000-2003, Witnness rockedour wellies off with headliners such as Beck, TheUndertones, The White Stripes, Placebo, GreenDay, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth and Idlewild --but wait -- 2003, the Sugababes?It’s as though pop snuck up on Oxegen andpushed it down a steep hill concluding at the rabidstream of ‘main’. 2004, Pink. Roll. 2005, SnoopDogg. Roll. 2006, Sandi Thom, remember her?Hit a jagged rock on the way down. 2007, AvrilLavigne. Roll. 2008, someone thought it wouldbe a good idea to invite the Sugababes back again.Roll. 2009, Katy Perry. Entering point of no return.If you’re looking for something a little morerock, go across the waters to Download, whereyou can find the likes of the AC/DC, Rage AgainstThe Machine, Aerosmith, 30 Seconds to Marsand Motorhead headlining this year. The Carlingweekend of Reading and Leeds festivals are also anoption for the ‘alternative’ crowd.54 Fusion Magazine

entertainmentRunning since the 60’s, the twin festivals host amore ‘NME’ friendly line-up with the likes of TheCharlatans, The Strokes, Suede and Arctic Monkeyshaving headlined in recent years. But again,there’s something for everybody -- even the rowdyamongst us. Why? It’s ‘tradition’ (or just occursregularly) to bottle some poor clown out of it onstage. In ‘88 Meat Loaf got a two-litre bottle ofcider in the mush (waste of good alcohol), whilein 2004 50 Cent only lasted 20 minutes before aplastic-shower caused him to run off-stage in astrop. In 2008, three-thousand people gathered atReading’s ‘BBC Introducing Stage’ to see unsignedband The FF’ers, as rumour had it that it was actuallythe Foo Fighters in disguise. It wasn’t, and boydid The FF’ers suffer for it, in physical pain.The Electric Picnic, affectionately known as‘lecky’, is another opition if Oxegen is too mainstreamand skanger for you, loike. The atmosphereis generally more laid-back and the entertainmenton offer is a little more broad than beer-bong. Eclecticacts such as Jape, Fionn Regan, Modest Mouse,Super Extra Bonus Party, Röyksopp, Elbow, CSS,and er, the Dublin Gospel Choir have all played thefestival. Aside from music we have the ComedyTent, where the likes of Tommy Tiernan can insultminorities to your amusement, along with a selectionof arts and theatrics and the ‘Body & SoulArea’, where one can connect with oneself.But I, for one, am extremely excited to go toOxegen this year. The lecky lineup will have tobe outstanding to prise my money from Oxegen’sgrasp. Judging by the amount of ill-spelled“WOOO OXYGEN ‘10” friends’ Facebookstatuses, I’m not alone. Mainstream festivalssuch as Oxegen have an equal 50:50music to atmosphere ratio. It’s no longer‘all about the music, man’.Woodstock came and left in a blink,bringing and taking that notion with it.The Aquarian exposition, three days ofpeace and music, may have changed theface of rock and roll, but the ‘drugs, mudand hippies’ description is universal.However, The Who aren’t going to kick ofa 25-song set at 4 a.m at Oxegen; for thiswe salute the music, Woodstock.While the rowdy-factor of Oxegen thisyear may increase to Carling’s scale dueto some of the acts, it’s hard to imagineit getting any worse than it is. Nothingbeats a whole weekend of camping inmother nature’s sludge while doing yourbit to generate aluminium for recycle.And if the Sugababes happen to be playing ‘Pushthe Button’ on repeat over on mainstage for twohours? Don’t go. Head to pet sounds or the o2stage. Let the girls who actually brought a makeupbag and heels to Oxegen infest the pit for thosetwo hours. With so many acts spread over threedays, there is literally something for everyone.However, the only thing I worry about is thedreaded ‘clash’ of two much-anticipated acts. In‘07 The Killers were on the mainstage at the sametime Daft Punk took to the NME stage. Having justwitnessed the euphoria thatis a Daft Punk gig at MarlayPark the preceding Autumn,I chose to fight my way intothe Killers pit. Big mistake.After running through countlessmud-pools and jumpingover endless drunken messes,I caught the last five minutesof Daft Punk -- trumpingThe Killers’ whole set by alandslide.So if you’re less worriedabout clashes and more worriedabout the music industryas a whole, I propose an alternative.Throw a few tents upin your back garden and whipout iTunes. You mightn’t replicatethe festival atmosphere,but sure you’re far too cool forthat anyway.Fusion Magazine 55

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entertainmentEver since they were young they wanted to be a gangsters...now they play Mafia WarsBy Kevin McClayDaily routine for many people haschanged with the times. It used to beroll out of bed and walk down to thelocal shop and get your morning coffee, a sausageroll, newspaper, and find out what is happeningin the world around you. Nowadays, many peopleturn to the computer and open Facebook beforethey even turn the kettle on. Facebook is the individual’s‘little world’. It’s all there for you. You cancheck to see what happened the night before andyou can find out what is on the agenda for the nextone.For many it has become much more than that.The quote “What did we do before there was Facebook”is becoming a harsh reality for the masses.A constant evolving narrative is entertaining. It is‘he said/she said’ gossip; in its basic virtual form.The Home page alone can take away valuable, precioustime for the ‘industrious’ Facebook user. Thetrick is not to get pulled in to the game applications.Many of these applications are daily games;meaning the only way to advance to higher levelsis to check the game on a daily basis. Mafia Warsis a prime example of this daily login, in order toachieve great success.Mafia Wars is a multiplayer browser game createdby Zynga. It was the 2009 Webby Award. OnFacebook alone, as of October 2009, Mafia Warshas had more than 25.9 million monthly activeaccounts. Some players and clans create multipleaccounts to utilize the benefits of the three basiccharacter builds available: Fearless, Maniac, andMogul. Mafia Wars is set in New York City andLittle Italy, with the option for players to travelbetween New York, Cuba and Moscow. Now youcan fight the Triads in Bangkok and at the end of2010 the Mafia player will be able to travel to LasVegas as well. Hopefully there will be a job involvingJoe Pesci and a pen. The game revolves aroundaccomplishing and mastering jobs in order to earncash and experience, with the goal of establishingand advancement.The amount of active users for the month ofMarch already is 25,147,422 and the average dailyactive user is close to 7 million per day. That’s notthe scary bit. Mafia Wars is such a phenomenonthat some players have created internal gangs onthe web through the game.The Omerta Faction in Mafia Wars is a group ofMafia Wars players who have created an elite clanin the game. The common definition of the wordomerta means a “code of silence”. In the real mafiaculture, breaking the oath of omertà is punishableby death. The clan believes that they make playingmafia wars more enjoyable. They believe thatthey are more than just a group of Mafia Warsenthusiasts but a community of friends and companions.In order to join the group one has to beinvited by a respected member of the Omerta clan,already and the new recruit has to change his orher name so that the word Omerta is in the profilename. The group was created in 2009 and hasgrown to a respected clan among clans so they say.A quote from a Mafia Wars blogger says, “We area clan that believes in developing your mafia intoan outstanding warrior is a worthy goal. We helpourselves by helping our clan members at all levelsand improve their ability to maximize their gameenjoyment”. Online games may be the wonderfulbridge for young people to confuse a game withreality.On Facebook alone,as of October 2009,Mafia Wars has hadmore than 25.9million monthlyactive accountsFusion Magazine 57

entertainmentglee: are you a musicals kinda guy?By Oran FitzgeraldIt is possibly the gayest show to come outin years. The basic premise of the show isthat Spanish teacher Will (played by Broadwaystar Matthew Morrison), decides to revivethe school glee club set in a school in Lima, Ohio,which has fallen on hard times.The show differs from Fame because rarely dothe actors spontaneously burst into song – the productionnumbers, for the main part, are rehearsalsor performances by the club. One episode, ‘Acafellas’has Will, Finn, Puck and Ken forming an acapella boy/man band. The songs used are a mixtureof 80’s classics (Don’t Stop Believing, Can’tFight This Feeling, Alone) and current hits (usuallyR & B – Take A Bow, Bust Your Windows, No Air)and classic show tunes ( Maybe This Time, I CouldHave Danced All Night, Mr. Cellophane). In 2009,the cast had 25 singles in the Billboard Top 100,the most since The Beatles had 31 in 1964. “Don’tStop Believing” is the most downloaded song inIreland in 2010.The plot is deliberately highly implausible,involving unconsummated passion between Willand school guidance counsellor Emma, an OCDsufferer. Meanwhile, Will’s wife, Terri is pretendingto be pregnant, and her frankly mental sisteris blackmailing the town’s ob-gyn. The stand outcharacter is the cheerleading teacher. This butchbitch (played by the fantabulous Jane Lynch) issomewhat to the right of Genghis Kahn, has obviouslynever heard of the PC brigade. A particularfavourite of this writer’s must be: “passing Spanishis only necessary if they want jobs in the carwash,flipping burgers, or working in Wal-mart.”While possibly not the ‘coolest’ show on Earth,the show has an unrivalled feel-good factor. Eyecandyabounds – the three cheerleaders for theboys, Emma and Terri for those who prefer cougars,Puck and Will for those who like chiselledbods and big guns. Josh Groban has alreadyappeared, Olivia Newton-John has a special guestappearance in a forth-coming episode.The first Glee cd, imaginatively titled ‘Glee: TheMusic, Volume 1’ is available now. Featuring 17tracks, it is unlikely to win you over if you’re notalready a ‘Gleek’ (yup, that’s what fans are called!),but is a must-have for anyone who loves pop. Thereis not one duff track, even if you don’t know allthe originals. Some of the stand out tracks are theafore-mentioned ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, ‘SomebodyTo Love’ (Freddie would love this show!) andJill Scott’s ‘Hate On Me’. Special mention mustgo to Artie’s (Kevin McHale) version of ‘DancingWith Myself’, the Billy Idol song, as covered byNouvelle Vague. My only complaint is that none ofsongs by the Acafellas appear on the album, theirversion of ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’ was stunning.In the second series, there will be an episodefeaturing all new tracks. The show is also planningan ‘American Idol’ style audition process for thenew series, and some of these auditions will featurein the show itself. As to the show’s popularity,it has over one and a half million fans on theofficial facebook page, more than CSI and DesperateHousewives put together. Not bad going for acast of actors who were relatively unheard of fivemonths ago.Glee is an American TVseries that has taken theworld by storm.While possibly notthe ‘coolest’ showon Earth, the showhas an unrivalledfeel-good factor.58 Fusion Magazine

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entertainmentTubridy’s Time?By Oran Fitzgerald“ Look, Pat and I, we’reneighbours. We chat,we go for a pint. Thisrivalry, it’s newspaperbased, you know – bigshow/little show. Fridaynight, Saturday night.There’s no personalanimosity. He gave mesome very good tips forthe Toy Show.”When I first got word that I had managedto secure an interview with TheLate Late Show host, Ryan Tubridy, Iasked friends, colleagues and lecturers to suggestquestions they would like me to put to Ireland’sking of chat. The suggestions I received, whilesparse and suffering from paucity, were somewhatilluminating - “ask him why he’s such a smug git?”,“why is he such a pompous twat?”, “how does hemanage to stay so skinny?” and the classic, allencompassing (from a lecturer, no less!) “besidesthe sarcastic ones, I don’t have a question off thetop of my head”. So, the prime-time purveyor ofprattle is perceived as a prat – ormaybe that’s just the companyI keep. Not being an avid LateLate Show viewer (I have a life),or a listener to “grown-up” radio,I had few or no preconceptions ofthe man as I went to RTÉ to interviewhim.At precisely 4.15, RyanTubridy lopes into the Late LateShow “satellite” room. “Good, aquarter past, exactly on time.”Well yes, except the arrangementhad been for four o’clock, and Ihad been anxiously awaiting thechat-show king for twenty-fiveminutes.A firm handshake, the piercingeyes boring into mine. “Verypleased to meet you. Where areyou studying? Ah Griffith, yes, I did an interviewwith one of your colleagues, Mai Tian.” I confessedto not knowing this other student. Tubridy thenproceeded to ask me about Griffith, and the journalismcourse. I had to wrestle control back somewhat,as the point of this exercise was that I was tointerview him, not he me.I start in the obvious place – the beginning.“Poparama to chat show king – it’s a long journey,what can you tell me about it?” “Well, at the ageof twelve, I used to come into RTÉ once a month,to see Ruth Buchanan and Ian Dempsey, I thinkit was Ian then...well, I say ‘see’, but you couldn’tsee anything for the cigarette smoke, Ruth andher More, Ian and his Bensons, thank God it’s notallowed any more, and I did my book reviews. £25a month they got me. The bug got me.”“You started out as a researcher on the GerryRyan Show. Would you recommend that as the wayto go, or would you suggest another route?” “Ohno, I didn’t start as a researcher, nothing as grandas that. No, no, I was a runner, you know...coffeeand danish. It certainly is the way to start, onceyou keep your eyes open and are willing to learn.I can guarantee now, out of twenty work experiences,nineteen will just look at the computers,keep their heads down. You can always see the one,the one who wants to learn. That’s the thing, youhave to keep your eyes open, be like a magpie, pickup bits.” (At this stage, he does some mad thingwith his hands, imitating magpie talons, grabbingat thin air. It is slightly off-putting.) “You have togo in with your head held up and be eager to learn.60 Fusion Magazine

entertainmentThen I moved to the Pat Kenny Show.”Ah yes, Pat the Plank. “Pat Kennyand you. What’s the story?” “Look, Patand I, we’re neighbours. We chat, wego for a pint. This rivalry, it’s newspaperbased, you know – big show/littleshow. Friday night, Saturday night.There’s no personal animosity. He gaveme some very good tips for the ToyShow.” I felt the answer was somewhatrehearsed or clichéd, and subsequentlydiscovered that it was nearly wordfor word the same answer Pat gave toPodge and Rodge.“Newspapers. Do you feel that theIrish press has dumbed-down?” “Look.They have a job. If I interview someone,they know that’s what I’m here for. It’sthe people jumping out of bushes Iobject to. I wouldn’t say dumbed down,people want to know. No one in Irelandhas a private life any more, it’s all outthere. Katy French. She wanted to bethere, in the papers everyday. You can’tcomplain about newspaper interest ifyou want to be in the public eye.”So who was your worst guest?” Nohesitation. “Tara Palmer- Tompkinson.She didn’t want to be there and... Shehad nothing to say. I was quite glad tosee the back of her. She was rude topeople I work with.”All throughout the interview, although I had hisundivided attention, he kept one eye on the opendoor, and finger waved or nodded at everybodywho passed by. No standoffish-ness, but neitherwas this being done for my benefit – he genuinelywas keeping an eye out for friends/mates/co-workers.“You got a bit of flak for being too easy withCowen, and too hard on the three priests. Howdo you strike a balance?” As soon as I got as far asCowen, he interrupted, “Did I? I didn’t think so.”Then when he realised I wasn’t criticising him, hecontinued. “I felt Cowen answered the questionabout drink, I didn’t feel the need to go further.Kenny (Enda) was on last week, he was grilledtoo. Those priests were young men, they came onthe show the week the Ryan report was published“ If I interview someone,they know that’s whatI’m there for. It’s thepeople jumping outof bushes I object to. Iwouldn’t say dumbeddown, people wantto know. No one inIreland has a privatelife any more, it’s all outthere. Katy French. Shewanted to be there, inthe papers everyday.You can’t complainabout newspaperinterest if you want tobe in the public eye.”– they knew they weren’t going to get an easy ride.”“Have you any advice for aspiring hacks?”“Polite persistence. If you don’t get what you wanttoday, come back tomorrow. But always be polite.So many people forget that. Politeness is reallyimportant.”I thank him for his time, and fumble in mybag. He bursts out laughing when I hand him twobags of sweets. “You’ve chosen well. I love winegums and Glacier Fruits. They’ll go in the sweetjar, thank you so much!”Interview over, he walks me to the door. Firmhandshake, and off he goes, another busy LateLate Show ahead of him. So, smug git, Pompousprat? No, definitely not. A man who is at the topof his profession and justifiably proud of it? Yes.Fusion Magazine 61

entertainmentOnline dating: Strong compatibility= Deep loveBy Nicola ByrneOnline dating is slowly becoming aglobal phenomenon with one in eightUnited States couples having encounteredeach other this way. But does this method ofdating destroy some of the traditional values oncefound in meeting your other half?With so many dating options available thesedays, you’ve almost no excuse to be single. Thatis, unless you want to be, of course. College freshers’weeks across the country brought us speeddating. Our mates brought us double dating. Butthe internet; that brought us online dating.Often frowned upon in eastern cultures, it isestimated by ‘Online Dating Magazine’ more than120,000 marriages occur every year as a result ofonline dating. According to ‘Marketdata Enterprises’,the online dating industry generates $1.8billion annually, with 40 million single Americansnow utilising the websites.Sure these days, we meet someone we like andthe majority of the time, it’s straight on to Facebookto lurk on profiles and mentally evaluate ourcompatibility based on the groups we’ve joined.Is online dating any different? Some wouldargue meeting someone should be spontaneousand shouldn’t be a given formula. Your mutualfondness of eclectic indie French film doesn’t necessarilymean you’re destined to be together. However,dating websites are largely focused on fillingout profiles under headings such as favouritemovies, music, food to eat - you get the picture.Websites like eHarmony.com go so far as to ‘scientifically’match you to potential partners. Afteranswering a ton of seemingly relevant questions,you can find the person you’re destined to marryat the click of a button. That’s if they have signedup to the website.The website claims their, “Compatibility MatchingSystem narrows the field from thousandsof single men or single women to match with ahighly select group of compatible singles -- singleswho have been pre-screened on 29 Dimensions ofCompatibility: scientific predictors of long-termrelationship success.”Your eyes meet across the bar. They smile.You smile. Fuelled with Dutch courage - over youwalk. “Hey baby, lets compare our 29 dimensionsof compatibility.” It doesn’t seem very romantic.So why should we seek to find someone this wayonline?Surely young sociable students wouldn’t quitefeel the need to resort to websites like these justyet. Out in pubs and clubs every other day of theweek, you’re bound to meet a wealth of potentiallove interests to keep you occupied. However,many of the testimonials on dating websites claimcircumstances such as ‘a busy job’, ‘travelling a lot’and ‘single-motherhood’ as reasons why peoplehave turned to their laptops to find love.The fastest growing demographic of the onlinedating population are adults over fifty-five whopossibly lack single social circles. How fun is itto go out with a group of attached friends whenyou’re single? Now add 30 years to your age.But for some people, a database of averageJoes just isn’t going to cut it. Niche sites such asFarmersOnly.com are proving to be a huge hitin the states. The agri-lovers have claims to havespawned over 100 marriages from their matches.BeautifulPeople.com does exactly what it says onthe tin. The website claims to have a strict policywith regard to “ugly people” -- they are forbidden.The site has recently come under major scrutinywhen it axed 5000 members for “letting themselvesgo” over the Christmas period.Uniquely, the website leaves it up to its users todecide who should be permitted to join. Access tothe site is only granted after approved membersvote on a photograph of the hopeful. The optionsrange from ‘Yes definitely‘ to ‘NO definitely NOT.’This is not a dating service for the vulnerable.Robert Hintze, founder of BeautifulPeople.com, said the “high standard of beauty” must beupheld in order to maintain a credible website.“Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat toour business model and the very concept for whichBeautifulPeople.com was founded.” Charming.I would be of the opinion the ‘time consuming’courtship is all part of what makes romance andlove exciting and special. Sure, we would all like tofind future marital bliss at the click of a button,but is it the same as hunting them out for yourself,that fabled feeling of ‘love at first sight’, and theinevitable chase? The verdict is out on that one.Would our parents have met online? Ultimately, ifit’s meant to happen, it’ll happen -- just like it didin the pre-web generations. But as Cupid would nodoubt contend, love is love, regardless of how youmeet.Cilla Black questioningmale contestants on thethe famous British datinggame show Blind Date.62 Fusion Magazine

entertainmentAn Octave Above the RestBy Laura Delaney“ There is nothingto equal a teacher’sreward havingcreated a voice andgone through all thestages of technique,musicianship, andinterpretation ofmusic, and thenseeing them perform.Not even winning theLotto can equal it”Veronica Dunne has been Ireland’s leadingvoice coach for over 40 years. Now82, her passion for opera singing andteaching is still hitting all the right notes.Despite officially ‘retiring’ seventeen yearsago Veronica could not be more in tune with hercareer, teaching in The Leinster School at GriffithCollege Dublin, and the Royal Irish Academy sixdays a week.Dr. Dunne has taught a scale of successful singerssuch as Ronan Tynan, Cara O’ Sullivan, FinbarWright, and Andrew Murphy to name a few of herprotégées.The infamous Lynda Lee is a prize-winner at theInternational Belvedere Competition in Viennaunder Veronica’s guidance. “Veronica is regardedwell by everybody. She has been around for a longtime. She has a fantastic energy about her skill.”The admiration Ms Lee has for Veronica, whoshe often calls ‘Ronnie’ is touching. “I still rememberevery single thing that she said to me on myfirst day twenty years ago, and I find I am usingthe same advice she gave to me, and passing onthe same information she shared to the nextgeneration”.Lynda Lee discussed The Veronica Dunne singingcompetition with both pride and excitement.“It is building from year to year. The level of singersin the Concert Hall last month was fantastic. Sheis such an inspiration and a remarkable woman”.Veronica is certainly no stranger to competitions.In 1952 she entered a singing competitionin Milan and won first place singing MiMi. “SirDavid Webster and The Earl of Harvard were at theperformance, and this really sparked my interestin competitions. I was offered a contractstraight away in June, and thefollowing September I joined theRoyal Opera House”.As a child with varied interestsVeronica embraced life by horseriding and hunting. “On completingher school days at Mount Anvillein 1945, she sold her beloved ponyConnemara Boy for £125, in anattempt to pursue her singingcareer in Rome.“Regrettably, the Sacred HeartNuns in Milan said not to come,as there was little food available.I thought that was that untilafter mass one Sunday, we metthe famous Irish ballad singerDelia Murphy and her husbandDr Thomas Kiernan, who just happenedto be Irish ambassador to theHoly Sea. It was a stroke of good fortune”.“He organised for me to be put in the care of thefamous Kerryman, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty,the ‘Pimpernel of the Vatican’, who saved the livesof 500 thousand prisoners of war, The momentI stepped of the plane, he greeted me with thewords: Do you see that plane? If I catch you withan Italian man, you will be on the next flight home.Welcome to Rome”.On returning to Dublin in 1948, Veronicaestablished herself with acclaimed performancesin Carmen and Faust for the Dublin Grand OperaSociety. She made a major breakthrough in 1952,winning the Concurso Lirico Milano from over200 singers.In 1963, she moved into teaching joining thestaff of D.I.T music school and dedicated her lifeto the training of young voices. In 1987, she wasawarded an honorary doctorate from UCD. “Thereis nothing to equal a teacher’s reward having createda voice and gone through all the stages oftechnique, musicianship, and interpretation ofmusic, and then seeing them perform. Not evenwinning the Lotto can equal it”.The pressure’s confronting aspiring opera singersto not only sing beautifully, but to appearbeautiful seems to be one part of a long list ofrequirements on a résumé.“In today’s society even opera singers have tohave the perfect figure. Singers are starting to loseroles because they are overweight. I have a studentthat had to weigh in every month. It is extremelysad and worrying”.Susan Boyle and Rhydian; among a few realitysingers who paved the way for more operaticstyle ventures, such as ‘Pop Stars to Opera Stars’.Veronica encourages this operatic pop singing “itmeans young people will come back and enjoyOperas, even if it is only pop Operas”.When Veronica talks about being on stage, shesinks into deep thought, followed by faint sighs.It is as if she has been transported back to the1960’s, about to perform in a packed opera housein Rome.Thankfully, Dr. Dunne shows no sign off givingher passion. “I love singing, I always have and Ialways will. My students are my inspiration now,At 82 I feel as young as I did at 65, life couldn’t bebetter”.Fusion Magazine 63

sportJT and Tiger - Legends of the FallBy Patrick SavagePerhaps the most intriguingaspect of both these cases isthe ridiculous exaggeratoryreactions of the media and thepublic as a whole. Seeminglyso shocked to discover thatextra-marital affairs occur inthe world, gutter journalistsand the celebrity-magazinebrigade have suggested thatthese two men have “let downtheir fans.”The recent revelations regarding the privatelives of sports stars have dominatedthe headlines and sparked a media frenzyto uncover further scandal.The two main protagonists, John Terry andTiger Woods, both sporting icons in their ownright, have become known as nothing more than“love rats” to the general public. This is due totheir various affairs, or “transgressions” as Tigereloquently puts it.Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of boththese cases is the ridiculous exaggeratory reactionsof the media and the public as a whole. Seeminglyso shocked to discover that extra-maritalaffairs occur in the world, gutter journalists andthe celebrity-magazine brigade have suggestedthat these two men have “let down their fans.”The reality is quite different. Neither manever volunteered for a humanitarian role or as anambassador for Trocaire, they are simply sportsmen.Terry, the captain of Chelsea and England hasnever publicly spoken of his role-model attributesand credentials. He does all his talking on the footballpitch. As captain, his role is to organise andmotivate his team-mates and ultimately win trophies;something he is quite competent at.Judgement on Terry, the footballer, shouldnot be based on his affair with Vanessa Perroncel.Instead, it should be based on his performances.In the recent game against Burnley, despite theabusive jeers and taunts of the hostile Burnleycrowd, JT scored the winning goal just hours afterdetails of his affair were exposed.When Tiger Woods burst onto the scene in themid-1990’s, he was always destined to becomethe most influential sports star in the world. Hisethnic background,heritage and talentadded to his alreadygrowing aura.By the age of 21, hewas the face of Nike andthe U.S Masters Champion.By romping home(no pun intended) to arecord 12-shot victoryon the same golf coursethat, up until sevenyears previously was64 Fusion Magazine

sportAway with the Faroes:Darren Cleary chats to Brian Kerra “whites-only club”, Woods cemented his placein history and a legacy was born. Today, he hasbecome bigger than a mere sports star. He is quitesimply, Tiger Woods; global product.Everybody wanted to be associated with him.Corporate sponsors, computer games, fans, othersports stars, celebrities, the legend was spirallingout of control. Despite this, Tiger’s world seemedvery much in control. His ability to focus solely ongolf throughout the media circus that confrontedhim every week seemed inhuman.That was until his influential father, Earl,passed away in 2006. A former Green Beret, Earlhad always been a strict taskmaster on his son,something that Tiger has always credited hismental toughness to. When his mentor passedaway in 2006, Tiger began to lose his disciplineand gradually, his values.Keen golf fans have never bought the “globalrole-model” mantle placed on the shoulders ofWoods by money-driven corporations. The majorityof the world did, but Tiger’s obsession to succeedin the game he lives for would always prevailover the image those who owned him wanted toportray.Terry’s plight is remarkably similar. Even themost devoted Chelsea fan will tell you that his offfieldbehaviour has been anything but exemplary.Terry was never cut out to be a role-model of howto live ones life. Previous allegations of profitingfrom tours of the Chelsea training-ground, alongwith his recurrent un-sportsmanlike attitudeonly serve to reinforce this. Recent revelations ofhis personal life only add to this reputation, butthey don’t excuse the subsequent witch-hunt thatarose. He has made mistakes that he now has tolive with, just like Woods and just like millions ofpeople do every day.If Tiger was the clean-cut American hero thatthe media would have had you believe, he wouldnot have won 14 major championships by the ageof 34. On the golf course, Tiger does not engagein banter, preferring a solitary existence until atrophy is handed to him on a Sunday afternoon.He is as selfish, methodical and single-mindedas sports stars come. This ruthless streak he possessesexplains why he is the greatest sports manthe world will possibly ever see.The saintly image branded upon sports stars issimply a by-product of investors and franchiseswho want to cash in on a good thing. They don’tall live squeaky clean lives. They are not obliged to,they owe us nothing. If this statement offends orantagonises people, maybe one should refer to thegraceful lyrics of the wordsmith that is Mr. Ice-T:“Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.”Brian Kerr came desperately close toachieving world cup qualification withIreland but like Giovanni Trapattoni wasthwarted by France. The Faroe Islands managermust now find a way past world champions Italyand Northern Ireland to qualify for Euro 2012.Stade De France, Paris, November 18th 2009.Still raw memories for Irish supporters. OurWorld Cup dreams dashed in the cruelest of fashions.Public and political outcry wasn’t enoughto change the result or warrant a replay despiteThierry Henry’s bending of rules. Henry mayhave temporarily tarnished his reputation but weshould not forget his enormous contribution inthe Premier League with Arsenal. He remains theGunners’ greatest ever striker and is now leadingthe line at European cup winners Barcelona.Still, not much time to dwell on his hand ball,as its back to business with attempting to qualifyfor Euro 2012. And be it the luck of the Irish or thecourse correcting universe exercising some Karma,Ireland were presented with a favorable draw inGroup B. We will face Armenia, Andorra, Macedonia,Slovakia and Russia. Pundits are even excitedat the prospect, some borderline confident.The pain of the World Cup may be eased everso slightly should we easily book a place at theEuropean Championships in two years’ time. Aman that knows all about qualification campaignsis the former Republic of Ireland manager BrianKerr, He took up the Irish post in 2003 after MickMcCarthy’s resignation two matches into theEuro 2004 Qualifiers He was, however, left witha huge challenge to achieve qualification. Followinga draw at home to Russia, and a defeat in Switzerland,Ireland finished 3rd, and were out of thecompetition.Kerr suffered the agony of failing to qualifyagain in the campaign for the 2006 FIFA WorldCup, managing Ireland to onlyone defeat. However late goalsconceded to Israel, at homeand away, saw the Republic ofIreland finish in 4th place, ina tight group. The FAI decidednot to renew Kerr’s contractmuch to his chagrin.I spoke to the Dubliner whilehe was in Warsaw at the drawfor Euro 2012 in his currentcapacity as boss of the FaroeIslands, and started by asking ifhe was happy with the draw histeam got.“We’re happy from a geographicalpoint of view, SerbiaIf I had to buy ticketsI couldn’t see myselfspending 70 or 80Euro to go and watchAndorra, Macedonia andArmenia in a three matchpackage. But from thefootball point of view thechances of qualifying arevery positiveFusion Magazine 65

sportis not the easiest to getto but the others arefairly straight forwardcoming from the FaroeIslands which is quiteisolated.From a football pointof view there’s a bit ofromance playing worldchampions Italy, for mepersonally to be playingNorthern Ireland,I’m happy because myfamily originally camefrom Belfast. The gamewith Estonia would giveus two matches wherewe would be obviouslyunderdogs we mighthave a chance of snatchingsomething from oneof those games.”As a former Ireland Manager how do you thinkGiovanni Trapattoni will feel about the draw hegot in Group B?“I’d say he’d be quite happy and even expectingto win the group, from an appeal point ofview it isn’t very attractive for lovers of the traditionalstrong powers of football, the countriesfrom the former Eastern Europe region are notexactly attractive. If I had to buy tickets I couldn’tsee myself spending 70 or 80 Euro to go and watchAndorra, Macedonia and Armenia in a three matchpackage. But from the football point of view thechances of qualifying are very positive”You’ll obviously have a big Irish support whenyou take on world champions Italy, in fairness youhave been handed one of the toughest draws. Doyou think theirs anyone beatable there?“Yeah I think Estonia are a team we couldbeat, they came out of the pot directly above us,although they beat Belgium and they beat Turkeyin their last qualification campaign, overall theydidn’t do particularly. They have played the Faroesin the past so they would understand the pitfallsbut realistically we have to think, can we scrap acouple of points, can we outsmart someone andpull off a win, that’s the way we have to thinkthere’s no point in setting unrealistic targets theFaroes are in the bottom pot of the Europeanpile based on their history of results. And obviouslytheir up against it all the time because of thesmall population they have and the isolation andso on, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have someambition and we don’t have an ability to pull off ashock. We will certainly be planning for that andwe’ll ensure we have the best team on the pitchand the tactical organization to achieve that”You were at the draw in Poland and I’m sure alleyes would have been firmly focused on EnglandBoss Fabio Capello. As a manager would you havemade the same decision to strip John Terry of theCaptaincy?“Look it’s nothing to do with me. I don’t haveto deal with that rubbish and unless you’re in thesituation you don’t know what the pressures are.To be honest it doesn’t spark much interest inme, I don’t really care what’s happening with theEnglish players, it’s a bit of a circus and there’sso much spoof and spin goes on in the game overthere I’m always inclined to take a lot of it with apinch of salt. “You’ve gone to Russia before over the years withyouth teams and such, how hard is it to get a resultin what will inevitability be hostile conditions?“By history and results the Russians lose veryfew games at home, in fact I think when Germanybeat them it was the only time they lost a WorldCup qualifier at home ever. So that would givean idea that they are very difficult opposition athome, by tradition they haven’t been great awayfrom home but that’s changed over the years asmore and more of their players play outside thecountry”Are you confident Ireland will win this group?“Yeah I am but look every international matchis difficult, it’s not easy to win any game, but Ithink the draw went very well for them. They gottwo of the handiest draws from the two pots aheadof them and none of the teams underneath themshould pose a major problem if the team is wellorganised and on their guard. And if they do theirstuff they should be well capable of challengingRussia for the top spot.Brian Kerr: manager forthe Faroe Islands nationalfootball team and formerRepublic of Ireland manager2004-200566 Fusion Magazine