#1

contents
Keith Barry interview pg.04

International Politics
New World Order pg.08
editor
Brendan Kildea
The Voice of South America pg.10
All Barack and No Bite
U.S./Russian Relations
pg.12
pg.13
pg.14
deputy editor
An Incompliant Iran Abdullah Elneihum

Irish News/Business
Ireland’s Condom Rip-Off pg.15
design
Merry Christmas Mr. Cowen pg.16 Abdullah Elneihum

Climate
Desertec: Miracle or Solar mirage? pg.18
assistant design
Brendan Kildea
John O’Donnell
Opinion
Are We All a Bunch of Bigots?
Hollywood’s Dark Prince [Polanski]
pg.20
pg.22
photography
Elaine Yorke
Julia Kobalz
Music Reviews pg.24 Nancy Pineda

Culture words
We Blew It.. pg.26
Sean Gildea | Shane Quinn
Jaws In Space.. pg.28
Nicola Byrne | Hugh Hick
Charlie Boorman interview.. pg.30 Seamus Dunne | Dave Claxton
Brendan Kildea | Joseph Morgan
Sport Gus McSweeney | Jenny McShane
Bolt to the Future pg.32 Lidia Okorokova | Jenny Kober

Conservation The Inert Pat Gilroy pg.34 Gareth Hughes | Mark Corcoran

sub editors
Lightning Protection Shane Quinn | Jenny McShane

Roofing editors' words David Claxton | Mark Corcoran

Gus McSweeney | Christine Maguire
Lidia Okorokova | Gareth Hughes

Protecting our national and historical buildings since 1913 Brendan:

Thanks for picking up this issue of Fusion. It’s been a long
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some of the most engaging political and entertainment pieces
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Nono Alicia
everything . My idea was put out a fresh, versatile magazine
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special thanks to
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there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Mathew Mc’Mahon
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Tel: +353 (1) 840 1515 Abdullah:
YeaoOw! Thanks for picking up this copy of Fusion. It’s been
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Fax: +353 (1) 840 2919 a looong month of late-night coffee binges and long hours of
staring into computer screens but we’ve come out of it nicely
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Email: info@jrainey.com I’d like to believe. We wanted to bring together a smart, sharp-
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Do enjoy and take care! Barry Finnegan

Balheary Road, Swords, Dublin, Ireland. printers

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 interview |
Got tricks?
Got tricks?
Got tricks?
A sit down with Keith Barry.
Photography by Julia Kobalz.
What got you into the show?
I’d watched the UK version a few times and TV3 approached
me with regards to presenting it. I hadn’t done anything
here in a couple of years so I was more than happy to
consider it at least. I met them a couple of times and we
came to an arrangement to do it. It’s a new challenge for me
because I’m doing magic and mentalism shows all over the
world at this stage. I’ve just finished one over in the States
for the Discovery Channel, which I filmed for six weeks in Los
Angeles. I’m doing my mentalism stuff elsewhere now, so it’s
just great to get back on our screens.
How were you after your car crash?
My left leg was demolished, I was bedridden for about four
months and all I used to do was watch television like Jeremy
Kyle, Deal or no Deal and fucking Judge Judy. That was
about where my brain was at that moment in time. Funnily
enough, I kinda got addicted to Deal or no Deal. I kept
watching it after my leg had gotten better so had a good
grasp on the show and I enjoyed it. It was a gig I just couldn’t
turn down.
What’s it about the show that you really like?
It’s such a simple show to follow. People said to me that
they don’t understand it, but I think it’s because they’ve
never actually watched a full show. If you come in during the
middle of it, it can get kind of confusing. It has everything
a good game show should have. It’s not rocket science, you
can just switch your brain off and watch it.
It’s very different to being on stage, it’s not live, but it’s a
4
new challenge for sure. I don’t get nervous easily but I did
before this, simply because I’ve got no magic or mentalism
as a crutch. It’s simply me, my personality, and the show.
It’s exciting though, I love challenges and getting out of my
comfort zone.
Working on other projects?
I’ve got a new show coming in January called the asylum,
which is about six weeks away but I’ve barely got the outline
done. It’s going to be very dark, bizarre and twisted. Last
night I was working on a routine where I’m going to have
about twelve people on stage, and because the theme is an
asylum, I’m going to make people believe that they’ve gone
temporarily insane. But for real -- they’ll really be frothing
at the mouth, eyes rolling back in their head and screaming,
basically going fucking nuts on stage. I’ll use instant-
induction hypnosis on them where I knock them under
really quickly into a trace state and they’ll really believe that
they’re going insane. It’ll be a lot more real than people
expect it to be.
When did you start learning the tricks of the trade?
There’s no real secret to hypnosis, it’s really a trace-like
state and when you put somebody into that, you can have
a separate conversation with their sub-conscious mind. I
just taught myself when I was about 13, and I’ve been doing
magic since about five or six when I got a Paul Daniels magic
set. I started to take it seriously again at about 13 when I
got a magic book, and right around the same time I got a
hypnosis book and began practicing on people and putting
them under. When you’re doing something for that long,
pretty much on a daily basis, you get better. You never really
master hypnosis, there’s always new stuff to learn, different
concepts and theories that are progressing daily. It’s almost
like a never ending quest.
In the Olympia I’ll be doing dream analysis on the audience
where I’ll get them to think of dreams they’ve had and read
their minds as to what their dreams are and relating those
dreams to their everyday lives. Purely for entertainment
of course, getting into their minds, rambling around and
figuring shit out about them that there’s no way I coulda
known.
One of the reasons you survived the car-crash was that you
were able to slow down your own heart beat?
Yeah, I can do that. Basically my leg was so badly mangled
my foot wrapped up around my shin, I genuinely thought my
bone had gone through the leg and that I’d bleed to death.
I didn’t want to pass out in the car, so I started slowing my
heart rate down. It’s a technique I’ve learned over the past
six years. I found out about Tibet Monks that can not only
slow their heart rate, but stop it. It’s about putting yourself
in such a deep state of trace, that you can actually stop
your heart very quickly. I used that technique in the car to
stop my body from going into shock and to slow down the
blood flow in my body, so if I was bleeding, it wouldn’t come
through that fast. Turns out the bone hadn’t gone through
my leg, but it helped at the time for sure.
You host a lot of your shows with celebrity guests, have
you any lined up for the new show?
I’ve decided to move away from that. I’ve done a lot of
celebrity driven stuff over the years, so just thought it was
time for a new direction. With the Discovery Channel, I’m
going to be explaining the psychology behind what I’m
interview |
doing, without revealing any of the secrets. For instance, I
grab people on the street in Hollywood Boulevard and bring
them to an ATM machine to put their pass card in. I then do
muscle reading which is basically grabbing them by the wrist
and reading their physiological signs when they’re thinking
of their pin number. I plug in their pin number and get
access to their bank account, which obviously freaks them
out. So at the same time we’ll have a neurologist on there
explaining how I’m doing what I’m doing.
Very often a thought will transfer into a physical reaction.
Unlike most people, I can read very minute physical
reactions and by doing that, can figure out their pin number.
I also took about 7 chronic insomniacs into a dream centre
and within five minutes they were sleeping for fucking
weeks. I cured them completely, and once again I got a
sleep doctor and hypnotherapies explaining what I’m doing.
Although they admit that they still can’t do what I’m doing,
after doing it all their lives.
Have you ever received any backlash from the mentalist
magicians for suggesting how to these things?
I don’t think so, cause I’m not really explaining anything, just
the psychology of what I’m doing. People still won’t be able
to do it. I’m not really bothered anyway, all I care about is
what the general public think, if they like it, I’m happy.
You did an episode of CSI, gonna do another one/is acting
something you’d consider?
If they ask me back to do another one. I think if you do a
cameo like I did, you don’t go back for a second one. Acting
isn’t a passion of mine, magic and mentalism are. I know a
lot of Irish people trying to act in LA, but you’ve got to train
 interview |
first. I’d start off in the Gaiety School of Acting then train
in the states for two or three years before it got serious.
I wouldn’t take it lightly if I was going to go into it. Of
course, if it landed on my lap, I’d be more than happy to
consider it.
I’m more into the intelligent head-fucks now. It’s gonna
be bizarre, bonkers and frighten the shit out of people.
Part of the reason you became famous the whole
blogging thing took off for you. How do you think the
internet helped you get to the big stage?
I think it’s just part of the parcel now with what
everybody does. I’m quite anti-technology, I’m not really
good with it and don’t particularly want to be. I have an
iPhone but I don’t have time to sit down and play with
fucking applications and stuff. It is a necessary evil though
and I’m aware of that. I’ve avoided Twitter up until now
at least, but every bodies doing it. If I put anything up
on my Facebook that’s controversial, I find it bizarre that
the next day it’ll be front page of the Sun or the Star. It’s
really weird that they’re all watching that stuff. Obviously
not just me, but they’re watching everybody else up
there. Although, it does help at the end of the day.
Do you pay attention to blog criticism?
Not really, I don’t really pay attention to the internet.
When I do a live show I often do meet and greets
afterwards, so I’d rather hear criticism from somebody’s
mouth. People talk crap on their blogs all the time. You
don’t know who they are, or if they’re a fucking nut job
or something. People can come across quite normal on
the internet, but in real life, can be quite whacked out or
weird. But the criticism is far and few between, in all the
live shows I’ve ever done, I can only remember one set
of people walking out, and that’s out of hundreds and
hundreds.
Have you ever been heckled?
I think people know better at this stage, if they heckle,
they’re going under. But I’m not a comedian, so I’ve no
put down lines. I can only remember once when it was
quite bad, in Vicar Street a few years back, so I turned to
the audience and said, you can either listen to him or me.
The audience just turned on him, they nearly lynched the
poor fucker. So, I just let the audience deal with them.
Your biggest rivals are probably David Blaine and Derren
Brown?
David’s a cool guy, we’ve hung out and stuff. I don’t really
see anyone as a rival, they’re doing similar things but
different styles. It’s like Christina Aguilera and Britney
Spears. Some people like David Blaine, some people hate
him.
6
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These tricks could be quite dangerous, have you ever
nearly killed someone?
You could potentially kill someone with hypnosis but I’m
very careful with what I do. A new trick involves tons
and tons of research. I want people to know that they’re
safe when they come to my shows. I do a thing called
a boomerang induction. Basically I’ve got someone on
stage, they’ve already been hypnotised and I take an
invisible boomerang and fire it up into the rafters. People
will be imagine seeing this thing going around and around
in their heads. When it hit’s the first person, they’ll just
fall asleep and then everyone will just collapse, almost
like a domino effect, as the boomerang hits them. So I’m
trying to just push the envelope. I’ve never tried it before,
the first time I’ll do it will be onstage in the Olympia in
front of fuckin 1200 people. There’s no way to test this
stuff at all.
If it doesn’t work?
I’ll just dance around it and see what happens. But I
can’t even allow myself to accept the fact that it’s gonna
possible fail. If it does, I’ll just deal with it in whatever
way I deal with it.
 international |
W
NE order
WORLD
By Lidia Okorokova
T
hese traditional foes have long eyed each other
with suspicion and envy, but they promise to put
past differences aside in order to combat the enormous
challenges facing the planet.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 coupled with the Soviet
Union’s collapse two years later signalled the end of the
Cold war between the United States and the USSR.
A type of love-hatred relationship that lasted for 20 years
until Barack Obama swooped in and proposed a reset of
relations during his summer visit to Moscow this year.
He expressed hopes for co-ordination and co-operation
between the Russian Federation and the US.
“Alliances aside, where have the resources
been proposed to come from?”
Since the beginning of the world economic collapse last
year, world leaders started to act in the way they had
previously never done before. The BRIC countries (Brazil,
Russia, India and China) declared an official alliance
between one another. Now they will aim to back each
other up to the hilt on the global stage.
8
international |
This alliance may well be missing a very important thing - the China has tended to remain at odds with the US with regard to its
The four nations make up 40 per cent of the world’s
resources. Where do we find most of the natural resources today? diplomatic and economic issues, and vice-versa. The US has still
population and their economies are growing, particularly
In Russia, where most of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies some way to go in healing its relations with Russia after decades
China and India’s (which is causing US leaders sleepless
are found. of strife.
nights).
So we might be seeing a new bloc of countries forming an alliance If Moscow and Washington are to “reset” their relationship,
The European Union has been struggling to get the Lisbon
in the following years. If Mr Obama, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia why do they become not just two countries co-operating on
Treaty singed for almost 10 years now. Tension reached
and Hu Jintao of China decide to unite, this may become the most major issues, but a full-time union working on diplomatic and
a pitch in the past two years, when Ireland initially voted
advantageous superpower alliance in the world. technological issues around the world.
No and then with the aid of the recession here, passed
the Treaty last October.
There will be many benefits for all three countries if such an Remember, during the Cold War, both Russia and the US increased
alliance takes place. Think of all the technological development its technological developments, and with such, they may now
Unions, alliances and cooperatives “getting together”
that US has a possession of added to Chinese manpower and enter into a new co-operative work.
are becoming more popular between world leaders: G8,
Russian resources.
G20, BRIC, EU etc. They meet to find ways to direct the
From a diplomatic point of view, the Kremlin and White House
downturn by holding environmental and military talks,
Moscow and Washington, working together from G8 or UN are engaged in numerous military and environmental discussions
etc.
perspectives may open up new horizons for the biggest and fastest around the globe, i.e. Iran’s nuclear programme, recent agreement
growing economy in the world – China. of Russia in supplying its helicopters in the war against the Taliban,
Afghanistan, etc.
“a fairytale for most economists and So it might well benefit everyone if these once habitual foes unite
and challenge the enormous difficulties facing the globe.
political experts.”
Many experts have named China and the US as a possible
China, in return, may help further boost the Russian economy,
future G2. China has far more production methods than
which has tightened up on oil and gas prices and has been in
any other country in the world, whilst the US tends to
serious trouble since last August’s drop from highs of $140 per
prevail in areas of technology.
barrel of oil to just $40.
 international | international |

“In comparing George W. Bush to

Hitler and called Tony Blair ‘a pawn of
imperialism’, Chavez garnered some
measure of respect..”
end term-limits on the presidency, theoretically allowing last gasps of it before it is smothered by a swift change to
Chavez to remain in power indefinitely. authoritarianism.

While Chavez insisted that the reason for this proposal I don’t doubt Chavez’s motives. No leader would take

The Voice of
was that the successful implementation of his socialist
model would take longer than his term in office, its initial
rejection in December 2007 was seen as the first major
blow to Chavez’s regime. Its success when put forward
the risks he has done if it were only for personal gain.
But the fact of the matter is strong ideologies, no matter
how well meant, never work in democracies. Name me
an extreme left or right leaning functioning democracy in

South America
again in February 2009 just cemented the view of his
critics that Chavez was trying to build a dictatorship
through democracy.
Perhaps the most worrying sign of a move in this
By Hugh Hick direction by Chavez is his increasing stranglehold on
the domestic media. As well as hosting his own weekly
television show “Aló Presidente”, which is little more than
existence and I’ll eat my hat.
Perhaps Chavez is even under the delusion himself that
he could make it work, that he could implement his
social utopia while under the constant scrutiny of a free
media and the threat of being replaced every few years.
Nonetheless, every step he takes toward social reform
will make it just that bit harder for him to give up power,

S
een by some as the only true voice against
American domination of South America, and by
others as simply one more socialist would-be
dictator whose call for greater cooperation in the region
against “American imperialism” is simply a propaganda
vehicle designed to strengthen his own position, there is
simply no one with an interest in South American affairs
who doesn’t have an opinion of Hugo Chavez.
Since his inauguration as president of Venezuela in 1999,
Chavez has become a constant thorn in the side of the
United States. Unlike many of its neighbouring states
that have tried to adopt a position of passive neutrality
in relation to the US in recent years, Venezuela under
Chavez has used every available media opportunity to
decry the evils of American foreign policy.
It has not helped relations between the two countries
that Chavez has visibly allied himself closely with former
Cuban president Fidel Castro, a man that has outlasted
ten US Presidents’ attempts to overthrow his regime.
Together, the two men represent the great South
American Socialist dream, which after fifty years still has
not truly been achieved. Chavez thinks he can change
that.
Over the last several years, Chavez has focused his
foreign policy on further integration among South
American countries. He has mainly done this through
a strengthening of economic ties in what he calls
“oil diplomacy”. Using Venezuela’s vast oil reserves
as a bargaining tool, Chavez has bartered reciprocal
trade agreements with neighbouring countries on
an unprecedented scale, with the view of creating a
completely autonomous region free of US influence.
Critics of the Chavez regime, including the US, allege
that Chavez is using this integration policy as a means of
a thinly-veiled propaganda vehicle, in 2006 Chavez also and risk losing everything he’s worked for.
revoked the licence for RCTV, Venezuela’s second largest
television channel, having accused them of supporting Having said that, Chavez remains an important
the failed 2002 coup d’etat against him. figure. He stands for a South America that needn’t
be overshadowed by its bigger, uglier brother. The
Any student of political history will see the warning sheer scale of his ambition and will power make him a
signs. Constitutional reform, media interference, formidable character on the world stage. It may be that
creation of a cult of personality. While Chavez may in time we will come to view him in a different light,
give plausible reasons for each of these things, the but for a world that has seen capitalism crumble before
shaping South America in his own image, by publically fact remains that never before have such measures its very eyes, Chavez has taught us one very important
and privately lobbying for the election of pro-socialist strengthened a democracy. Instead, they tend to be the lesson: there is always an alternative.
candidates in countries involved in these trade
agreements. Chavez’s tendency to get involved with the
political affairs of these countries gained considerable
media attention when he acted as mediator in talks
between Columbia and terrorist organisation FARC over
hostages.
Much of Chavez’s appeal stems as much from his
exaggerated rhetoric as it does his charisma. Having
compared George W. Bush to Hitler and called Tony
Blair “a pawn of imperialism”, Chavez garnered some
measure of respect from critics of Western foreign policy,
particularly in the aftermath of the Iraq war. This style
of colourful oratory has backfired on Chavez in the past
however, notably when he called Spanish prime minister
Jose Maria Aznar a “fascist” at the 2007 Ibero-American
conference, leading to a sharp admonishment by King
Juan Carlos and a subsequent apology from Chavez.
But even those in agreement with Chavez’s world view
have some cause for concern when looking at Venezuela
itself. While he has retained a measure of popular
support throughout his presidency, some of his more
radical reforms since his re-election in 2006 have been
met with criticism. Most controversial of these were his
constitutional reforms, which included a provision to

10
 international |
All Barack
and no bite..
by Sean Gildea
Global financial crisis hampering Obama’s
promises of change
T O
he United States President Barack
Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize based on his guarantee for nuclear
disarmament, yet is this not an example
where the Democrat is being honoured for
words rather than achievements.
Mr Obama’s victory in last year’s presidential
election campaign was greeted with rapturous
global applause. The media hailed it as the
beginning of a new era after the calamitous
policies of the George W. Bush era. Mr Obama
has led a campaign with messages of “hope”
and “change”, but has much really changed?
In the 12 months since the former Illinois
senator’s inauguration, the US still has record
levels of unemployment, the global banks
are still in crisis, and the wars with Iraq and
Afghanistan are still raging. It would be naïve
of us to expect Mr Obama to produce miracles
overnight. The campaign was cunningly
brilliant in appealing to a disillusioned
electorate, desperate for change.
But a fickle electorate is not a patient one
and it is no wonder the approval ratings have
dipped as he has so far struggled to deliver on
many of the larger issues. Not all of this is his
fault of course, as he inherited a lot of these
problems from the previous administrations’
malpractices. Mr Bush never provided exit
strategies for its wars in Afghanistan or Iraq
and the US banking system is essentially the
same under-regulated system that has existed
since the Reagan era.
Early success
By signing an order to close Guantanamo
Bay in his first week as president, Obama
could bolster his “Yes We Can” image without
confronting much opposition. Boosted by
this image, Obama would then find it easier
to get congressional support for his $787
billion stimulus package. When this legislation
12
eventually passed through Congress, albeit
without the support of Republicans, it was
indeed a significant success for Mr Obama’s
cabinet.
Other successes include the repealing of the
unpopular Bush law which prevented federal
funding for stem-cell research. However, with
issues such as unemployment, health-care
and education, the average American is hardly
concerned with the study of stem cells.
Unclear messages
Mr Obama’s delivery on election promises
has been quite paltry in the grand scheme of
things. His inevitable slip in public approval
has been due to an unclear message he is
sending to the American public. During his
presidential campaign, the 48-year-old listed
withdrawal of troops from Iraq and the
introduction of universal health care as his
top priorities.
He has set target dates for a gradual
withdrawal in Iraq, but has found no option
but to increase troop levels in Afghanistan
and expand his military budget. He is finding it
difficult to get support from the Democrats on
these issues, and there seems to be tension
within the party as a result.
His proposed health care bill is also facing
opposition from not only Republicans, but
from some within his own party too. Unless
Mr Obama can rally support on these issues
quickly, the Democrats may find themselves
handing control of Congress over to the
Republicans in next year’s mid-term elections
(though still unlikely).
It is imperative for Mr Obama that the health
care bill is passed. If he can get this done soon,
he should be able to re-focus his party and re-
align divisions before the November elections
in 2010. He has shown before this is possible
with his nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton
as Secretary of State.
It was an inspired and humble nomination to
a rival who pushed him a huge distance for
the Democratic presidential runner in 2008.
By offering Mrs Clinton a top cabinet position,
he could ease any lingering tension that may
have existed between the Clinton and Obama
camps. On top of this, he gets a well-regarded
and capable politician as his foreign policy
chief.
Foreign policies
Although his approval rating has declined
domestically, the president remains a
consistently popular figure abroad. He
has managed to restore the US’s image
internationally, which was left in tatters after
the Bush years.
He has done so by engaging countries the
US was traditionally hostile to - Iran, North
Korea, Russia and Cuba - with messages of
“dialogue” and “cooperation”. Such offerings
have undoubtedly impressed those on the
Norwegian Nobel Committee, who were keen
to award him with the Nobel Prize only 9
months into his presidency.
Of course, Mr Obama’s willingness for making
those statements says very little about lifting
sanctions on the countries in question.
His efforts to thaw relations with Cuba
culminated in an ease in travel restrictions
for Cuban Americans. It’s hardly anything to
shout about. Mr Obama is high on sentiment
and has to date, in my opinion, struggled to
implement any significant changes in the US
and abroad.
Politics is about timing, and who knows,
maybe Mr Obama is hiding an ace up his
sleeve, waiting for the right moment to
pounce. It’s still early days.
U.S. and Russian relations improving despite Obama’s
Nobel Prize victory
By Lidea Okorokova
nce bitter dealings between the United
States and Russia set during George
W. Bush’s presidency appear to be taking
a U-turn, Russian state owned and private
media outlets reported last summer. During
a visit to Moscow in July, the US president,
Barack Obama, said the US wants to “reset”
relations with Russia.
In September 2009, Washington shelved
its plans to deploy strategic anti-missile
interceptors in Eastern Europe. The Russian
government was pleased with Mr Obama’s
scrapping of aggressive foreign policies
undertaken by Mr Bush.
Last month in Oslo, Mr Obama was
controversially awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize for “for his extraordinary efforts to
strengthen international diplomacy and
cooperation between peoples”. According to
the Nobel Prize committee, Mr Obama was
given the honour because of his decisions to
pull US troops out of Iraq and by continuing
the “military operation against the Taliban” in
Afghanistan.
The committee’s press release stated that
through Mr Obama’s policies “democracy
and human rights” would be “strengthened”
around the globe. Many experts believe the
Nobel Prize committee’s choice was made to
encourage Obama to act more appropriately
and change the way global politics is played
out.
They did not say whether Mr Obama’s efforts
in Eastern Europe are to be considered,
but what is clear is that Russian-American
relations may well improve under the former
Illinois senator’s presidency. Few citizens in
Russia would have expected the committee
to offer the Nobel Peace Prize to Mr Obama
and quite a few living there had expected the
current Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev,
to receive the award.
In 1990, the then Soviet Union President,
Mikhail Gorbachev, won a Nobel Peace Prize
“for his leading role in the peace process
which today characterises important parts
of the international community”. In simple
terms he won it for making the reunification
of Germany possible and for slowing down
the arms race.
In addition, political analysts in the
Motherland believed that Dmitry Medvedev
would have constituted a more worthy winner
of this year’s Peace Prize.
The Daily Moscow Times published an
opinion piece by Vladimir Frolov, president
of LEFF Group, a government-relations and
PR company, who believes “Obama won
his Nobel for a number of flowery foreign
policy speeches and a vision for a nuclear-
free world that is not likely to take shape
in his lifetime”. Frolov says “from this
perspective, Medvedev’s call in 2008 for a
new, all-encompassing security architecture
in Europe is a much more realistic and no less
peacemaking undertaking worthy of a Nobel”.
Medvedev is seen by many as a new wave of
politician in Russia, even though he seems still
to be under the sway of the country’s prime-
minister, Vladimir Putin. Medvedev is being
encouraged by the media to go the opposite
way of Putin, with regard to his policies, and
appears to be taking some heed. Thus, vast
swathes of ordinary Russians would have
liked to have seen Medvedev receive such a
prestigious award.
Speaking of public relations, there is a well-
known and circulated opinion among the
educated classes, that the Russian and
American governments should employ the
same public relations experts to maintain
a positive public opinion. Ketchum Inc.,
based in Washington DC, named Maslov PR
company, located in Moscow, as its official
representative in 2006. The two firms have
international |
worked closely together since 1993, when a
new Russian constitution was adopted.
If you have not watched the movie “Spinning
Boris” you will probably not understand what
is so important about these PR companies.
In “Spinning Boris” three American PR men
come to Moscow and work closely with
Yeltsin’s daughter (who was the head of the
elections campaign at the time) to help him
win the 1996 free elections.
The film starts with the words “based on a
true story”. Ketchum Inc. and Maslov PR did
work together to shift the Russians’ attention
from the Communist Party’s leader, Zyuganov,
back to Yeltsin as they entered the second
round of the elections in 1996. Boris Yeltsin
won the elections, dancing and cheering his
way to the hearts of Russians during that
summer’s campaign.
Even if Mr Obama’s Nobel Prize came as a
shock to the Russian people, it is not seen
as an obstacle to the ongoing improvement
in relations between Whitehouse and
Kremlin officials. Moscow, indeed, has
recently sounded a lighter note to the Nobel
Committee’s choice and is more accepting of
Obama’s Nobel win.
Mr Medvedev and his US counterpart are set
to sign a new deal on nuclear arms, called
START-III, before 5 December, commemorating
Obama’s award. Negotiations are now being
held by representatives from both countries
on the new START-III arms cut deal.
13

international |
I
ran believes a new deal offered by the United
Nations is a Western rouse based on false
promises, but will they eventually bow to the
pressure to disarm their nuclear weapons?
Iran’s latest rejection of a nuclear deal is not a great
surprise, but it is in the best interests of everyone,
including Iran, that a deal is made quickly. While
the United States has been consistent in voicing its
concerns about Iran’s supposed nuclear ambitions,
it now seems Russia and China are also losing their
patience with the regime. Should further talks fail,
Iran will be the ones to suffer, most likely through
tougher sanctions. All eyes are now on Tehran.
The offer from the United Nations Security
Council’s five permanent members - Britain,
China, France, Russia and the United States – and
Germany; would allow Iran to keep their nuclear
facilities in operation. However, it would require
them to ship nearly 75 per cent of their low-
enriched uranium to Russia. There, the uranium
would be enriched further and then delivered back
to Iran as fuel, ensuring that it could not be used
for a nuclear weapon.
The offer has been viewed by most outsiders
as generous, but Iran is not happy. Tehran
has rejected the offer stating it wishes for a
simultaneous exchange within its own borders,
fearing that what it was promised will not be
delivered.
Tension brewing
This is a fairly reasonable argument from an Iranian
perspective as Russia has recently failed to deliver
an advanced missile-defence system to Iran.
Tehran has accused Moscow of bowing to political
pressure from Israel and the US. Iran is playing a
dangerous game. It is antagonising both its allies
and its enemies at the same time. Furthermore, it
faces the possibility of harsh sanctions or worse if it
continues its current nuclear policies.
The US has openly talked about the possibility
of imposing tough economic sanctions should
Iran reject any further deal. Iran has not reacted
positively. It has announced it will begin large-
scale air-defence war games to plan against any
potential attack on their nuclear facilities. This is
a clear message to its rivals that Iran will not be
threatened.
These war games may all be for show, but Iran
cannot be too careful. Rejection of a new deal
will do nothing to ease some of their neighbours’
worries. A military response is unlikely but cannot
be entirely ruled out, especially from Israel. Israel is
not one to listen to objections from the UN or the
US when it comes to such matters, and they feel
14
An incompliant Iran..
most threatened by Iran’s nuclear proliferation. Not
even the US has rejected the possibility of military
action against Iran, however it is most unlikely it
will come to this.
Sanctions
A more likely situation is that harsh sanctions
will be imposed on the Tehran government.
Although China and Russia have recently declared
their reluctance to implement measures, Iran’s
deception regarding their second nuclear facility
has angered them. They are both now seemingly
in line with Washington on the issue. President
Barack Obama is willing to put some pressure on
the Iranians, however such a strategy could be a
mistake.
The only people that will suffer if measures are
imposed are the Iranian people. Cutting off food
and fuel supplies will do nothing to improve Iran’s
diplomacy with the West and will only deepen
the humanitarian crisis there. Sanctions would
make the Tehran government more belligerent
towards the West. With a government less open
to dialogue, a long-term humanitarian crisis in
the country, far worse than the current situation,
would be inevitable. It would also deepen anti-
western sentiment in Iran and add fuel to the
terrorist threat.
Iran is certainly not portraying itself as worried
about all this. Only recently their foreign minister,
Manouchehr Mottaki, shrugged off the possibility
saying the West is “wise enough not to repeat
failed experiences”. He may be correct, but
perhaps he gives the West too much credit.
One only has to look at Iraq during the 1990’s
and early 2000’s to see that sanctions do not
work. Heavy sanctions will have no political effect
on Tehran and it is an undesirable solution for
everybody. Unfortunately, this is the only trick up
Washington’s sleeve short of war, when it comes to
dealing with undesirable regimes.
Solution
Iran will eventually come to an agreement with the
six powers and may be just playing the stubborn
mule. By rejecting the offer and announcing war-
game manoeuvres, Iran appears to be merely
acting with its usual bravado. The Iranians know its
army and air force is no match for the Israelis (no
matter how tarnished the Israeli army’s reputation
is).
The Iranians are biding their time in the hope
something better comes to the table. If it does,
they will feel they have won a battle of wits. If it
doesn’t, at least they have shown they are, once
again, not willing to be pushed around.
IrelandÕ s
Condom
by Sean Gildea
Rip-Off
“The only
people that
will suffer if
measures
are imposed T he World Health Organisation (WHO)
classifies condoms as “only contraceptive
method proven to reduce the risk of all
are the
sexually transmitted infections (STIs),
including HIV.”
Iranian
Yet in Ireland, as usual, we are being grossly
overcharged for these life-saving items.
people.”
Condoms are taxed as “luxury goods” in this
country, even though they protect people
from such damaging diseases and unplanned
pregnancies. According to the Health Service
Executive (HSE), 337 new HIV infections were
detected in 2006, up over 6% on 2005.
Such “goods” face a steep rate of VAT. In
February 2008, former Finance Minister,
Brian Cowen, announced a VAT rate cut on
condoms from 21% to 13.5%, there was
widespread support for the move. The
reduction meant that condoms were reduced
by just over a Euro to around €10 for a packet
of 12. Other forms of contraception such as
the “pill” have a 0% VAT rate, why is there a
difference?
Under EU regulations, member states are
only allowed to drop VAT rates to no less
than 5% on certain goods, as set out in the
Annex III of the EU VAT Directive. Condoms
are included in this Directive. Brian Cowen
said: “the position is that the VAT rating of
all goods and services are subject to the
requirement of EU VAT law with which Irish
VAT law must comply.”
Ò Durex Ireland believe
people should not be
Ô taxedÕ for protecting
their sexual health.Ó
Yet the then Minister could have dropped the
VAT rate on condoms from 21% to 5% under
EU law, but didn’t.
By David Claxton
In 2006, then British Chancellor, Gordon
Brown, was able to drop the VAT rate on
condoms from 17.5% to 5%. This helped to
reduce condom prices to around €6 in the
UK.
There is a widespread belief that consumers
are being ripped off from various sources
concerned with this issue.
Ò we are being grossly
overcharged for life-
saving items with
condoms being taxed as
Ò luxury goodsÕ Ó
Durex Ireland has said that they “believe
people should not be ‘taxed’ for protecting
their sexual health.” The company also states
that condoms should not be classified as a
luxury item and that VAT should be cut to 5%.
“By supporting the reduction in VAT levied on
condoms, Durex believes a lower price will
make condoms more accessible, particularly
to young people for whom price could be an
issue,” said a spokesperson for the company.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI)
President Hamidreza Khodabakhshi said:
“let’s be clear, the Government hasn’t gone
far enough in reducing the cost of condoms.
The USI continues to lobby for a further
reduction in VAT to 5% as provided for by EU
law.”
For Proinsias De Rossa, Labour Member
of the European Parliament (MEP) and
party member of the Socialist Group, it is
clear what is happening in this country. He
said: “We are being ripped off by condom
suppliers. There seems to be reluctance for
consumers to complain.”
ireland |
Is the VAT rate the sole cause of Irish people
being overcharged for condoms? The VAT
rate in Spain is 16% and they are charged
over €6 for a 12 pack of condoms. The same
pack has a rate of 21% VAT in Belgium, yet
costs over €3. While in France, at 19.6% it
costs over €4 and in Germany, at 19% costs
over €5 for the same pack. The standard
rates of VAT in these countries are all
different to Ireland’s, some higher, some
lower, but we pay €12 for the same pack of
condoms that is much cheaper in other EU
states.
Durex Ireland says, “As a manufacturer, we
have no control over retail costs, nor are we
allowed to control them in any way under
EU legislation.” “Prices for condoms are
set by the retailers themselves,” a Durex
spokesperson said.
Labour would “insist that the Competition
Authority would examine the prices charged
by companies to establish if there is an anti-
competitive price fixing cartel, or market
sharing arrangement in place by major
manufacturers,” according to Proinsias De
Rossa. “The Government don’t want to
arouse the ire of conservative elements
in Irish society, who prefer to see young
people risk their health and lives thank fore-
go a religious based objective to so-called
‘artificial’ contraception,” concluded De
Rossa.
No one, it seems, wants to admit any fault
in prices being so high. This is clearly a
health and safety issue. Considering that
HIV infections are rising, this is another case
of the government passing the buck on an
urgent issue. Does this surprise anyone at all
these days?
15
 ireland |
ireland |

“Presents to nieces, nephews, in-laws and other less

immediate relatives or friends are for the chop.”

cutting back on their spending this Christmas due to the current
economic environment and fears about whether they will have a
job this time next year. Some of them have already lost their jobs
this year and as the redundancy payment and savings run out,
every item of spending is being scrutinised to ensure the mortgage
is paid and there is a roof over their heads.
Meanwhile, back in the car park, the long queue of cars with Dublin
registrations lined up one after the other made spotting a local
Northern Ireland plate rather like looking for a hen’s teeth. Those
shoppers were clearly paying a lot of heed to our leader’s words.
The ‘consumer-led recovery’, allegedly to be brought about by
NAMA getting credit flowing into the economy again, is one of
the key drivers that our government is telling us will lift the Irish

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Presents to nieces, nephews, in-laws and other less immediate
relatives or friends are for the chop. The extra spending on luxuries
for the table will be pared back.
economy out of recession.
Quite apart from the fact that my poll shows that nobody wants
the banks’ credit facilities in the foreseeable future, Ireland’s

MR COWEN Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), released earlier this
year, show that sales in December 2008 fell by over 8% compared
to a year earlier. And its looking like this December is going to be a
economic recovery is starting to look as likely as bumping into the
real Santa on Christmas morning.

As the Christmas lights are now up in the shops,
it is time wish An Taoiseach a ‘Merry Christmas’,
writes JOSEPH MORGAN
lot worse.
And cross-border shopping figures prominently in that prediction.
One friend showed me the UK and Irish catalogues of a ‘well known
retail chain’ that showed the price for a particular child’s toy at €50
here and £30 (about €33 at current exchange rates) in the North.
Her words: “It’s a no-brainer really. I’m going to be buying all the
presents in Newry and I might as well get the food and the wine
while I’m there as that’s cheaper too.”
As An Taoiseach sits down to his dinner on December 25th, I hope
he spares a minute to think about the many thousands of men,
women and children who have gone without this year. Perhaps he
will resolve to reduce his own salary in the New Year to less than
that of the President of the United States – it is currently greater
- and pump that back into our ailing retail sector if it so concerns
him.
Merry Christmas, Mr Cowen.

P
ulling into the car park
at the shopping centre in
Newry, Northern Ireland,
this weekend, I couldn’t help
but recall the words of An
Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, earlier this year
as he criticised the public for ‘cross-
border shopping’. At the time, it was all
being blamed on a 30% drop in the value
of Sterling and ‘unpatriotic’ behaviours.
To paraphrase George Orwell: “Shopping
in the rip-off Republic good, shopping
in Northern Ireland - at greatly reduced
prices - bad.” There is nothing quite
like the sight of a politician wrapping
themselves in the national flag.
What Mr Cowen was less keen to point
out is that the government has already
started down the road of delivering a
‘triple-whammy’ to the Irish retail sector
just in time for the run-up to Christmas.
The first hit came earlier this year. In
the budget last April, it was announced
that the Christmas bonus paid to welfare
benefit claimants would be axed this
December.
There is plenty of evidence to prove that “Ireland’s economic recovery
welfare claimants spend all the money
they receive directly into the economy. looks as likely as bumping into
So it’s not as if they money isn’t needed the real Santa on Christmas
by those that receive it and one has to
wonder why Mr Cowen would hit those morning.”
most in need.
The second punch will be far harder than
the first. The next budget statement is
due in the first week of December. It
has already been widely forecast (by the
government, as well as the pundits) that
most of the €4 billion in savings required
will be achieved by taking the axe to
welfare payments and public sector pay.
Once again, it is coming directly out of
the economy.

“One has to wonder why The third strike is the real knockout blow
Mr. Cowen would hit to the retail sector this Christmas.

those most in need.” In a straw poll of fifty friends and

relatives, the overwhelming majority
(94%) said that they will be drastically

Nancy Pineda
16
 climate |
T
he Sahara is not only the world’s largest
hot desert, but curiously, has almost the
same dimension as Europe. In the near
future, this will not be its only connection
with the continent. A revolutionary project,
called Desertec, is based on the idea of an
installation of solar panels in the desert in
order to generate energy not only for the
whole of Europe, but for the Middle East and
Africa. Similar projects are planned to be
set up in Australia, South America and Asia,
interlinking the whole world through the
biggest solar power project on earth.
Every single day, the amount of solar energy
reaching the surface of our planet provides us
with 10.000 times the energy we commercially
use, per year twice as much as will ever be
obtained from our non-renewable resources
gas, oil, coal and fossil fuel and until now, we
never even thought of further investigating the
potential this could hold.
With natural resources running out and the
world population growing to an estimated 10
billion by 2050, scientists and economists are
looking for alternatives which can reduce the
danger global warming has not only on our
living-conditions but on our general existence.
Unlike the other renewables available to us,
solar-voltaic has very little negative impact on
the environment, especially when set up in the
heart of the desert.
While nuclear power plants create toxic waste
and are a significant danger for potential
contamination and accidents, wind farms,
although to a minor extent, harm bird and
bat populations and pose an obstacle to
Desertec
Miracle Solution
or Solar Mirage?
Jennifer Kober investigates
corporate investment in
green energy..
agriculture. Hydropower, so far the only
method capable of providing vast, sufficient
amounts of clean energy, has an enormous
impact on the environment. The dams needed
are a considerable harm to fish populations,
water quality and flow, and lower water’s
oxygen levels, which damages flora and fauna
in the surrounding areas.
Despite the ongoing development of
renewable energy sources and increased
governmental funding for research in the field,
more than 70 percent of the global energy
supply is still linked to the burning of fossil
fuels, oil, coal and gas. Few would disagree
that this is the main contributor to the
destruction of the global climate system.
Many scientists agree, that in order to dim the
effects of global warming, humanity would
need to decrease the emissions of greenhouse
gases by a minimum of 70 percent before
2050.
Therefore, the development of new
technologies for the generation of alternative,
non-carbon energy that is not only sustainable
but easily stored and exploited is unavoidable.
At present, solar power is the most compact
and easily conservable energy source
worldwide. More importantly, solar energy
remains a natural constant which, unlike wind
and water, remains independent from external
influences.
Desertec proposes the installation of solar
thermal power plants, so-called CSPs in the
North-African desert in order to provide
Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (
EUMENA region) with secure, inexpensive
energy, which would be transmitted by
multiple high-voltage direct-current (HDVC)
grids.
Placed worldwide, on sites with the best
solar radiation conditions combined with the
latest technology available, the solar plants
could be operated 24 hours a day with an
estimated lifespan of 40 years. Thermal
energy will be generated through the use of
large mirror panels in order to concentrate
the sun‘s heat throughout the day, which
will be stored in tanks and run through
steam circuits according to demand.
By using a specific air-cooling system, the
plants do not use drinking water needed
in particularly arid regions, although
this method is slightly less efficient than
traditional water-cooling systems. This way,
the project will not interfere with important
water supply for desert populations. On the
contrary, in the coastal areas, saltwater will
be used for the cooling process in order to
create drinking water through desalination.
Currently, the project is directed towards
the aim of providing 15 percent of Europe‘s
energy by means of photo-voltaic. However
in the long term, it is expected to provide
for as much as 90 percent of the global
population. Due to its geographical
proximity, Desertec is focussing its strategies
on the MENA region first, but is presently
promoting the model in America, China,
India and Australia with the aim of creating
regional networks based on the concept of
energy-generation in desert areas.
“Desertec claims if only
1% of the Sahara were
covered, it would provide
enough energy for the
whole world.”
It is estimated that the 100 GW network
for the entire EUMENA region will cost 45
billion euro. However, spread amongst 30
participating countries and ten years, this
will break down to 150 million euro per
state, an average of less than 1,000 euro
per European inhabitant. Like all alternative
energy projects, Desertec will depend on
public funding.
Desertec claims if only one percent of the
Sahara were covered, it would provide
enough energy for the whole world.
The global interest in the idea of
revolutionising the energy-market forces
and expanding technological evolution is
immense, with more than one thousand
companies inquiring about Desertec every
single day.
The political world of Europe seems
determined to support the project so far,
with German chancellor Angela Merkel and
President of the European Commission Jose
Manuel Barroso having already insured
financial aid.
With great power comes responsibility.
Concerns voiced by critics include the
necessary diplomatic and political
agreements concerning energy, investment
and trade between Europe and North
African nations such as Morocco and
Algeria, which could significantly postpone
the installations.
The fear that terrorist attacks as well
as corruption might push Europe
into an economic and political corner
is unreasonable as there will be no
centralised provider, instead the 20 or
more transmission lines will run through a
number of countries, Egypt, Jordan, Syria,
Turkey, Tunisia, Italy, Morocco and Spain,
ensuring energy back-up and provision
security.
The Moroccan government, which currently
imports 96 per cent of its energy, shows
itself in favour of Desertec. Said Mouline,
head of the CDER, Morocco‘s renewable
energy agency, who played a key role in
recent developments by suggesting the
country for the project, clarifies the reason
for his enthusiasm: “Morocco doesn’t
have even one percent of Europe’s energy
consumption, so let’s be realistic. We would
be generating enough power for us, and for
export, for the next 100 years.”
“existing power-
structures will shift as the
Middle East and Saudi
Arabia no longer will be
able to dictate the oil
price”
Moreover, Desertec can be seen as an
insurance against rising conflict in unstable
countries. In North Africa itself, the
construction of the solar panels will create
thousands of jobs for local engineers alone.
climate |
It will be up to the countries to decide
whether they want to primarily use the
energy generated or export it.
The sheer existence of power plants
however will ensure electricity for local
villages and towns, which so far were
completely cut off.
As poverty is often linked to power
shortage and access to affordable, reliable
and environmentally sensible energy,
this will significantly help the economic
development of the regions involved.
Also, it will prevent contemporary projects
planning the construction of Nuclear Power
plants, which, if subject to terrorist attacks,
would have severe consequences.
Of course, existing power-structures will
shift as the Middle East and Saudi Arabia
no longer will be able to dictate the oil
price and use their resources for political
pressure.
Nevertheless this will not amount to the
insignificance of oil and gas for countries
rich in those natural deposits. Being
provided with solar power will mean their
focus can shift to export only, which will be
in the countries‘ interest and help further
carbon preservation.
We live in a world now that is more divided
than ever. For 25 per cent of the global
population to continue to enjoy the highest
consumption pattern in human history,
75 per cent of humanity will experience
the daily reality of inhumane poverty,
contaminated drinking water, disease,
unemployment and hunger.
Desertec claims to insert a very humane,
reasonable and scientifically airtight
business approach into the global agenda.
The variety of companies signing up for
the long-term investment in eco-friendly,
humanitarian innovation, hints to the
inclination to contribute to a long overdue
revolution for outdated energy policies and
established economic power-relations. If
we don‘t address these issues now, we will
regret it later.
19
 opinion |
Are we all
a bunch of bigots?
T
inkers, Pikeys,
Knackers, Travellers;
all the pseudonyms
we frequently use to
describe our most native and
indigenous minority group.
With no knowledge of their
history or origins, uneducated
judgements are cast upon
them as our disdain for the
travelling community is bred
into us from birth by the
intolerance of those before
us.
Societies condemnation of
the travelling community
is a product of a history of
archaic government policy
which has blossomed into the
ignorance and discrimination
that prevails today. This has
also given rise to the anti
social behaviours that we all
too frequently associate with
Travellers in order to justify
our bigotry.
Why is that the Irish, often
referred to as a giving nation,
look upon marginalised
societies further afield with
such charity and sympathy
yet when it comes to a
minority group closer to
home the feeling is of disdain
and revilement?
20
The obvious argument most
frequently used is as unsound
as it is ignorant; that the anti
social behaviour of travellers
is a just reason for our
disdain. Where this argument
is illegitimate, there lies a
failure to recognise the fact
that poverty is a breeding
ground for anti social
behaviour.
“It is all too easy for us, the
disciples of the status quo, to
scoff at others”
The focus of government has
always been aimed at solving
the “problem” of itinerancy,
assuming the community
wanted to be assimilated
into the rest of society,
thereby completely ignoring
the culture of the travelling
tradition. What the focus
should be on is solving the
problems of travellers.
Local political, and
residential opposition
to integrated living
arrangements for travellers
(residential areas shared
by both travellers and
the settled people) also
inevitably results in travellers
being forced to live in sub
standard living conditions
at the margins of society –
which in turn gives rise to
the anti social behaviour tag
people are so quick to attach
to the travelling community.
We too often look down
our noses at them for the
negative behaviour they
exhibit and the sub standard
living conditions in which
they live, yet these are
conditions which we have
over time created for them.
Forced to live outside the
innate snobbery of the
settled community, travellers
suffer social exclusion,
racism, poor access to
public and private services,
health, education, electricity
and heating. With such
poor access to the basic
amenities in life – for which
“We too often look down
our noses at them for the
negative behaviour”
the government must be
held accountable - it is of
no surprise that anti social
behaviour is rife within
the travelling community.
How can anything else be
expected? If you socially
exclude a group of people
from society you should
expect anti social behaviour
to be the result.
It is as almost as though
the travelling community
is expected to overcome
these social inequalities
without the support of its
settled neighbours or the
government, and to do so
without incident or friction,
whilst at the same time being
virtually ghettoised by the
settled community.
The combination of the
governments continued
failure to recognise and cater
to the nomadic tradition of
travellers combined with the
general public’s reluctance to
integrate with the travelling
community in any aspect of
living, is the precise cause of
the anti-traveller agenda that
prevails in society today.
It is difficult to see the
social gap between the
settled and the travelling
community narrowing in
the existing climate, where
infant mortality rates among
travellers are twice that
of the settled community;
where traveller life
expectancy among travellers
is now that of the general
population during the 1940s;
where only 7 per cent of
travellers sit their Leaving
Certificate examinations and
where subsequently travellers
encounter difficulties gaining
employment.
People forget all too quickly
that we are merely products
of our environment; without
the luxuries to which we
have become accustomed we
would be characteristically
different. It is all too easy for
us, the disciples of the status
quo, to scoff at others that
don’t follow the conventions
that those in power expect
us to follow. Instead we
disregard what we don’t
understand and from the
seeds of this ignorance grow
discrimination.
opinion |
Understand this: that without
running water we would be
dirty, without electricity
we would be unhealthy and
without home provisions
from our government and
exclusion from “mainstream”
society many, if not most,
of us would behave what
is deemed as anti-social.
Society is accountable for
these conditions through its
lack of cultural understanding
and its innate discrimination
towards travellers.
So the next time a traveller
pseudonym is about to roll
off your tongue remember
you might just be the cause
of the very thing you claim
to hate.
________________
by Gus McSweeney
 opinion |
Hollywood’s
Dark Prince
“I don’t blame
myself. You see, Mr.
Gitts, most people
never have to face
the fact that at the right time
and the right place, they’re
capable of ANYTHING.” [Noah
Cross:Chinatown]
On September 26, 2009, famed film-director,
Roman Polanski, was detained by police at
Zürich Airport. Polanski was trying to enter
Switzerland to attend the Zurich Film Festival,
where he was to receive the “Golden Icon”
Lifetime Achievement Award. The arrest
was made at the request of the U.S. Justice
Department, as Polanski has had a U.S. arrest
warrant outstanding since 1978. Since his
detainment, there has been massive support
for the freedom of Polanski amongst some of
Hollywood’s biggest names. So surely his crime
wasn’t that bad?
Rajmund Roman Liebling was born on the
18th of August 1933, in Paris, France to Polish
parents. His parents returned to Poland just
two years before World War II began. Both were
later taken to concentration camps; where his
mother later died.
22
A look at Roman Polanski..
Polanski managed to escape, and
growing up, took a great interest in
film. In the 1950s, he took up acting
and directing. From there he went to
France, before eventually making the
move to Hollywood in 1968. It was in
this year that he made the infamous thriller,
‘Rosemary’s Baby.’
In 1969, tragedy struck. His wife, actress Sharon
Tate, along with four others, were murdered
by the notorious Manson clan. She was eight-
months pregnant with their first child at the
time. After the murders he returned to Europe,
but his re-emergence in Hollywood came
in 1974, with the release of the acclaimed
‘Chinatown.’
It was three years later that Polanski was
arrested for the sexual assault of a 13-year-old
girl. Polanski agreed to a plea deal that spared
him incarceration. The deal saw him spend
about 45 days in jail during a court-ordered
psychiatric evaluation. But fearing that the
judge might not honour the deal and sentence
a 50-year jail stint, Polanski fled to France. It
was, in his opinion, far too long of a sentence.
“I’ve been tortured by this for a year and that’s
enough” he told a BBC reporter in the year he
fled.
“Woody Allen, on the big list
of celebrities who support a
child rapist.”
50 years was probably too lenient. The
testimony given from victim, Samantha Gailey,
reads like a crime-channel documentary. The
kind you feel uneasy hearing about on the news,
and often carry ‘discretion advised’ warnings.
To sum things up, a grand jury wanted to charge
Polanski with rape by use of drugs, perversion,
sodomy, lewd and lascivious act upon a child
under fourteen, and furnishing a controlled
substance to a minor. Polanski’s plea deal,
however, saw him plea guilty to the charge of
‘unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.’
On the 10th of March 1977, Polanski took Gailey
to Jack Nicholson’s Los Angeles home for a
photo-shoot that the director claimed was for
French Vogue. Geimer testified that Polanski
gave her a combination of champagne and the
sedative drug, Quaalude. Polanski “performed
oral sex, intercourse and sodomy on her” each
time after being told ‘no’ and being asked to
stop.
“Does artist
triumph rapist?”
Polanski has protested his victim’s claims that
the sex was not consensual. Polanski stated
that he did not drug Geimer, that she “wasn’t
“I don’t blame myself. unresponsive” and didn’t respond negatively
when he inquired as to whether or not she was
You see, Mr. Gitts, most enjoying what he was doing.
people never have to The thing that leaves me baffled about this
face the fact that at the case is the subsequent ‘excusing’ of Polanski’s
crimes. Does artist triumph rapist? This is
right time and the right the kind of thing that knocks down any kind
place, they’re capable of of mountain of belief you’ve maintained in
humanity.
ANYTHING.”
Since his arrest there has been mass-outcry
from scores of Hollywood’s big players. Many
of his fellow directors signed a petition that
demanded “the immediate release of Roman
Polanski.” The names; Woody Allen, Michael
Mann, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson and
Sam Mendes, amongst many others, can be
found on the petition.
Yes ladies and gentlemen, Woody Allen, on
a big list of celebrities who support a child
rapist. Because what you need when battling
a paedophilia case is a man who married his
adopted daughter on your side.
Whoopi Goldberg also got herself into a bit
of controversy after some careless comments
on American talk-show, ‘The View.’ She didn’t
actually sign the petition or claim to support
Polanski in any way, but she did state that what
he did wasn’t “rape-rape.” Rape-rape must
be when you know the victim, not the person
responsible.
Why would these people sign? Surely they
can’t actually support rape, however scornfully
the media may claim they do. Perhaps they are
thinking of their own private wrong-doings. No
one is perfect, especially in Hollywood.
However, don’t lose all faith in Hollywood.
California Governor and all-around mortal
legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger, said; “I think
that he is a respected person and I am a big
admirer of his work. But, nevertheless, I think
he should be treated like everyone else. It
doesn’t matter if you are a big-time movie actor
or a big-time movie director or producer.”
Polanski isn’t short of support in his chosen-
country-of-exile, France, either. As he is a French
citizen, the French authorities have long refused
to return him to the U.S. for sentencing. French
culture minister, Frédéric Mitterrand, called Mr.
Polanski’s arrest “absolutely dreadful” and that
it made no sense for him to be “thrown to the
lions for an ancient story.”
French director, Jan Kounen pulled his film
‘Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky’ from the
Zurich Film Festival in disapproval of Polanski’s
arrest. Vincent Maraval, a producer of the film,
opinion |
said, “We’re disgusted by the hypocrisy of
the Swiss authorities. They shelter all kinds of
thieves under banking secrecy and they sell out
a film master.”
It doesn’t matter how long ago it happened,
how much of an ‘outstanding director’ Polanski
is, how old the charges are, or how many film
festivals or academies think Polanski is above
the law. He’s not. Is he misunderstood? I
understand that he raped a child.
Polanski announced that he intends to appeal
extradition to the U.S and hired lawyer, Lorenz
Erni, to represent him. On the 6th of October,
his initial request for bail was refused as
he was considered a high risk of flight. As a
result of Polanski fleeing the court prior to his
sentencing, all six of the original charges are
still pending against him.
I’ll end on this extraordinary quote, found by a
Telegraph blogger from an interview Polanski
gave to novelist, Martin Amis, in 1979.
“If I had killed somebody, it wouldn’t have had
so much appeal to the press, you see? But…
fucking, you see, and the young girls. Judges
want to fuck young girls. Juries want to fuck
young girls. Everyone wants to fuck young
girls!”
Really? I don’t. In fact, I asked around. I have no
qualms in saying that the absolute majority were
on my side here. However, Hollywood seems
to be in a world of its own right now. A world
far separated from our humble habitat; reality.
____________________
By Nicola Byrne
 music |
Biffy Clyro
Only Revolutions
B W
iffy Clyro reached the big time with
2007’s, 250,000 selling, Puzzle. Now with
new album Only Revolutions, they want to
stay there.
Considering that nearly a quarter of the album,
was released in advance (in the form of an
EP and singles), Biffy’s marketing machine
has gone into overdrive to make people want
this album before it hits the shops. The songs
released in advance are possibly some of
the band’s finest music. “Mountains” finds
singer Simon Johnston in a wistful voice. “That
Golden Rule” is possibly the album’s best song.
It is fast, frenetic and everything one comes to
expect from Biffy. It mixes the band’s previous
tendencies of noise and melody; with their
newer approach of grandness and pomposity,
hence the orchestra playing in tandem with
the band. Opener, “The Captain” is the only
pre-released song that runs out of steam. Its
Muse-esque leanings and pop-sensibilities are
at odds with the Biffy “sound”
Lady Gaga
Alter Ego
L ady Gaga unveils her dark side as she
releases her eagerly anticipated follow
up to her multi-million selling debut album
entitled ‘The Fame: Monster’. The CD
contains eight entirely new songs marking
the start of a new direction for the megastar.
Previous album ‘The Fame’ notched up four
hit singles including Just Dance and Poker
Face (which has been certified the most
downloaded song in the history of the UK
singles chart) and sold just over 4 million
copies worldwide. Not half bad for the artist
who was an unknown a year ago.
A lot of you must be thinking that the re-
release in question is just a cash-in of The
Fame with a few tracks added on at the end.
Instead, this is a collection of songs in its own
right. You’ll be buying a new album which
just so happens to have a copy of The Fame
in the same box.
Lyrically, sonically, melodically and
conceptually it’s right up there with its
24
When they first came onto the music scene,
their “sound” was rough, raw and edgy. The
Scottish threesome were classed with other
noizeniks like Hell Is For Heroes and Hundred
Reasons. Soon, they would leave these bands
in the dust. Their original “sound” can be
found on the Blackened Sky and Infinity Land
albums. The mashing of hard rock tendencies,
fast riffs and strained vocals with unexpected
tempo changes and beautiful harmonies
worked well.
With Puzzle and Only Revolutions the band
has become more refined and more ambitious.
This is not a bad thing, but for fans of early
Biffy Clyro it may be unexpected.
The rest of Only Revolutions is exquisite. The
band has improved on their previous efforts
in everyway possible. Queens of the Stone
Age front man, Josh Homme, and his helping
hand can be found on another album standout
“Bubbles”. It motors along delightfully with a
predecessor The Fame, with a definite feel of
things moving in a new direction.
First up is lead single ‘Bad Romance.’ It is a
dark mid-tempo song with a catchy chorus
that fits right in with the whole ‘Monster’
theme of the album.
Next is ‘Alejandro.’ Gaga seems to pay
homage to Madonna with this modern
version of ‘La Isla Bonita.’ It has a definite
Spanish feel to in terms of the lyrics and
music.
We then have ‘Monster’ .This one has dark
lyrics, plenty of sexual innuendos and is
almost irritatingly catchy. ‘So Happy I Could
Die’ follows. It is a mid-tempo number with
some Tiesto-esque bits thrown in.
The biggest surprise on this album is the Ron
Fair produced, power balled ‘Speechless’
written by Gaga herself about her father’s
heart condition. It doesn’t sound anything
like the stuff we’ve heard from her before.
fantastic sing-along chorus. Elsewhere, “Many
Of Horror” is soon to become a gig staple. It is
a lighter-in-the-air song in waiting. “Born On
A Horse” finds the trademark Biffy quirkiness
surviving, ‘I’ve never had a lover that was my
sister or brother before’, being a particularly
memorable lyric. The only disappointment
comes in “Know Your Quarry”. It is slow,
plodding and quite dull. It lacks the energy and
passion found elsewhere on the album.
Only Revolutions is a continuation on of Biffy
Clyro’s march to global musical stardom. It
finds the band hitting a level of refinement
and polish lacking from previous efforts
and will blast the band into the mainstream
consciousness.
_________________
David Claxton
It’s going to be huge for her.
Finishing off we have the brilliant ‘Dance
in the Dark’ with the super chorus and the
Madonna ‘Vogue’ style rap thrown in the
middle. Closer, ‘Teeth.’ hints at the new
direction for the third album.
This album is a worthy follow up, with at
least four potential singles, some elements of
the songs don’t work at times but there are
no real filler tracks here.
She’s here to stay it seems. As the good lady
herself said: “A good pop chorus never killed
anyone.”
__________________
Jenny Mc’Shane
Them Crooked Vultures
Self-titled
hen you get the
collective creative
geniuses of Josh
Homme, Dave Grohl and
John-Paul Jones into one band,
you know you’re onto a good
thing. In the past both Homme
and Grohl had made no secret
of their admiration for Jones
and the mighty Led Zep. The
thoughts of all three coming
together to actually make
music, seemed pure fantasy,
well not any more kids. What
do you get when you combine
1 part Queens of the Stone Age
& Kyuss, 1 part Nirvana & Foo
Fighters and mix in 1 part Led
Zeppelin, you get the amazing
Them Crooked Vultures.
A group that previously could
be only described as a hard rock
fan’s wet dream, has actually
come to be. The term super-
group often get’s banded around
the music world, but for once
this title is completely apt. The
collaboration between the three
has been on the cards since
2005, when Dave Grohl in an
interview with Mojo magazine,
declared "The next project that
I'm trying to initiate involves
me on drums, Josh Homme
on guitar, and John Paul Jones
playing bass. That’s the next
album. That wouldn’t suck.” So
the only question remaining
is who would be singing.
Speculation runs rampant, but
nothing has been confirmed yet.
In a recent interview with
Homme’s wife, Brody Dalle of
Spinnerette, shared her opinion:
“I’m not at liberty to talk about
it… but I think [the project] is
pretty ****ing amazing. Just
beats and sounds like you’ve
never heard before.” Since their
live debut at the Metro, Chicago
on August 9, 2009. Their songs
have been slowly popping up all
music |
over the internet, especially on
You Tube. Most of the videos on
You Tube are of them playing in a
live setting. Songs like Elephants,
Nobody Loves Me and Neither
Do I, Mind Eraser (No Chaser),
Scumbag Blues, Dead End
Friends etc., confirm one thing
TCV are here to rock and rock
bloody hard.
Just seeing Grohl behind a
drum kit again beating the hell
outta the skins as only he can,
all failing arms and tattoos, is
amazing. Homme stalking and
crooning into the microphone
with his intimidating presence,
never missing a note. JPJ
obviously psychically a pale
shadow of his former self, is
still a joy to behold, anchoring
down the rhythm section, with
his inimitable nodding noodling
style of bass playing. One thing
that strikes you immediately
watching these videos is how
’tight’ the band are, it looks like
they’ve been playing together
for years, not months. If those
three together wasn’t enough
QOTSA guitarist Alain Johannes
is the ‘4th’ live member, adding
even more muscle to TCV’s live
shows.
The self-titled alum will be
released in Ireland on the 14th
of November. The only official
release from the band has been
the single New Fang. Which was
just under 12 minutes, making turn it up to 11 sit back and
premiered on October 26th., the
it one of the quickest sold tours enjoy the ride.
song is a throwback power trio,
in the UK - without the band
full of swampy riffs, doomsday
even officially releasing a song http://www.themcrookedvultures.com/
vocals and lots and lots of
http://www.myspace.com/
volume. to date. Unfortunately there will crookedvultures
be no Irish date on the tour. http://www.facebook.com/
crookedvultures
On September 1, the band
announced two 2009 tours of Whether or not TCV will be
_________________
North America and the United the so called ‘saviours of rock’
David Murphy
Kingdom, in October and remains to be seen, either way
December respectively .The tour people really shouldn’t care less.
will be titled Deserve the Future The vultures are here to show
Tour and the UK leg sold out in you a good hard rocking time,
25
 culture | culture
entertainment
| |

“laughing at the bad special effects,

dodgy afros, mullets and tight shiny trou-
sers that gave such life to the musical
movement”

Being a young seed in the O2’s
garden of ‘matured foliage’,
I began to wonder about the
longevity of the likes of Stevie
Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
Stevie doesn’t have the most
versatile vocal range by any
Pill” album was so successful.
Feeling shit and have no hope?
Turn them into hits.
The loss of Michael Jackson was
met with genuine sorrow from all
ages and all corners of the world.
Although, one thing that stands
out for me the most when it
comes to, lets be politically cor-
rect here, ‘old bands’, is the lack
of spectaculars on stage. This, by
no means, manages to take away
I caught them at NUI Maynooth’s
Christmas Ball a couple of years
back. I adore the fact that they
considered a reunion to be both
necessary and relevant. The
crowd hovered around the bar
until ‘Stay Another Day.’ Ask

We blew it..
stretch of the imagination, but it
works. If she were on the X Fac-
tor I’d shiver to think of the brass
“you suck” (or some variation)
Mr. Cowell would dismiss her
with. It’s all about pitch-perfect
vocals, correct lighting, styling
and ‘the right song’. When Simon
A true legend, his songs touched
the lives of millions and have no
evident expiry date. Watch his
videos in a row and it’s as enter-
taining as a movie. How many of
you remember Aha’s ‘Take on me
video’, Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’,
or a personal favourite of mine,
from the allure of the band, yet
is something most pop bands
require these days. Your concert-
going experience is not complete
until a studly-looking man comes
falling from the sky in a harness
while serenading those below
him.
anyone, and they had ‘won’ or
‘found’ their tickets. Highlights
included the release of foam
snowflakes during ‘Stay Another
Day’ and subsequently catching
said snowflakes in empty beer
glasses. “I’m not nearly drunk
enough to find this good yet!”

S
slams a fellow judge for a bad Go West’s ‘We Close Our Eyes’? exclaimed one reveller.
o I’m standing in the O2 on a Sunday night, and I’m one of the our ages? And will they continue to be found on our children’s iPods? song choice, what’s the point? What about the Sugababes’ last Fleetwood Mac didn’t even try.
small minority that may get IDed at the bar. Fleetwood Mac It’s glamaraoke. This talented one? I fear the flash and blatant No flashy stage, no flashy outfits. OK they had an enjoyable song,
are headlining and the crowd are probably old enough to feel a Looking to popular opinion, it seems a modern day Mick Jagger is songwriter didn’t intend for you emphasis on glamour will fail to I think Nicks changed her witchy but my kids are not going to
tinge of nostalgia while watching Jurassic Park. pretty much Pete Wentz or Joe Jonas. Fashion changes, music has to to sing this in order to obtain make an impact on the children enigmatic-robe once, from the want to see them live. Springs-
keep up. I know plenty of youthful Fleetwood Mac fans, but will our votes. John and Edward, best act, of 2040. colour black to a sangria. The teen, Madonna and The Eagles,
“Rockstars have kidnapped my son.” The infamous words of Elaine children feel the same way about Girls Aloud when they’re grannies? hands down. At least they can lads wore flat-caps, almost beg- amongst many others, all
Miller in Cameron Crowe’s ‘Almost Famous.’ And they had. Real rock- Let’s be honest, I’d only go to their gig to envy their outfits. How many be featured for decades to come Part of the fun of discovering ging for reference to their age. recently toured again to great
stars, complete with long unwashed hair, magnum moustaches and solid, resilient artists is our generation actually producing? Will the on Channel 4’s ‘Top 100 Novelty music of the past decades, is Mick Fleetwood wouldn’t look critical acclaim. The Spice Girls,
loose patterned-shirts. Of course, as evident in this movie, we’re not magic still be there when looks have faded and the puppeteers have Singles’ along with likeminded watching old concerts or music out of place if you replaced his well, at least they toured.
the first generation to be told the music we listen to is shite. Bang out packed it in? peers, Bob the Builder and Crazy videos, and laughing at the bad drum kit with a sensible ortho-
a hit on the dance floor, I’ll probably like it. My Dad probably won’t. Frog. special effects, dodgy afros, paedic chair and shoved a pipe in So what CD’s will my children be
Will my future children? Only time will tell, as it has done to this very second. I mean, I’m fa- mullets and tight shiny trousers his mouth. Lindsey Buckingham stealing from me in the future?
miliar with, and a fan of, many bands dating back until around 1960 at It was all crystal clear when we that gave such life to the musical hit a guitar in ways only matched Hopefully still the likes of Fleet-
Lets look at the topicality of songs today. Heartbreak is a huge theme, the absolute furthest. Before that? Aside from the giants, Bing, Cash, were treated to a hint of repul- movement of that particular these days by the likes of Matt wood Mac, The Who, Elton John,
as is ‘being an emo shit-head.’ But some people, well, they just go a Elvis and the like, I have images of a caveman banging a stick on some sion in the voice of Clive Davis time. The Woodstock stoners, Belamy of Muse. I was exhausted Jacko, the Beatles, and I’ll stretch
little deeper. Take Pitbull’s hit, it goes a little something like; “I know stone drums. Not the case, I know. But they had an expiration date and Whitney Houston upon Live Aid’s baggy shirts and man- just looking at him. It was clear to Radiohead. From our genera-
you want me, you know I want you (x10).” Very presumptuous. A few in pop-culture. So why could I name three guys just there that you’ll hearing that little Scottish Rikki perms, the immaculate suits for even the freshest of eyes that tion though? Well definitely not
decades ago, we would have gotten a more delicate; “You may be probably be familiar with, but not the others. They must have done Looney was about to perform of mow town, the fedora hats this man has talent and a passion U2, I wouldn’t dare leave one of
interested in me, so I’ll write some beautiful lyrics to try to convince something different. Otis Redding’s ‘Respect.’ It was and adidas shell-toes of 1980’s for music; his music. No lighting their CD’s lying around.
you.” a joke. Singer’s are exactly that; hip-hop. What will our identity in the world could portray that.
Singers churned out by reality programmes such as the X Factor now singers. Artists get that one be? It’s one of those questions. As for my lovely Saturday night
Is this a bad thing? Or will that song be lashed out in a space-age dominate the charts come Christmas time, or in the weeks following step deeper, to write a melody, Like you can’t ever imagine your Which leads me to a teen pop-songs, well why not. Mor-
nightclub come 2030, a lá Wham! and Journey? What is it about a a debut album release. Fair enough, they can sing, stimulate millions personalise their lyrics, have Mum thinking her patchwork favourite, ‘male vocal groups.’ rissey said, “hang the DJ because
certain band or solo artist that defies all generation-boundaries in the of pounds profit in phone-voting and lets not lie to ourselves, can be a helping hand in production. man-shirt and baggy leggings The Begees were considered a the music that he constantly
first place? Madonna, Michael Jackson and The Beatles knocked that very entertaining in a ‘lets get a takeaway and put our minds aside’ Some of the best artists are the with the foot-elastic was ever boy-band of their time, and now plays, says nothing to me about
shit down like the Berlin Wall. Only the other day I overheard a neigh- kinda way. But can the legacy really last as well as whole-hearty rock ones who are not afraid to say fashionable. But she did. Just like have a place in the Rock and my life.” Or you could just, you
bour’s thirteen-year-old son singing along to Led Zeppelin’s ‘Trampled bands of our parent’s time. Heard Eoghan Quigg’s new song? No, what’s on their mind or release how we think everything we are Roll Hall of Fame. Can the Jonas know, dance.
Underfoot.’ Is it just an illusion that our generation doesn’t appreciate neither have I. their inner demons. Possibly why wearing right now can never pos- Brothers match this fate? Take
or listen to bands that could be found in our parents record-players at Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little sibly be considered ‘ugly’. That, Westlife, or even, East 17? By Nicola Byrne
26
 culture |
Jaws in
space...
By Jenny McShane
I t’s now 30 years since Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ first aired. Jenny
McShane examines the film’s origins and the thinking behind the
creation of the greatest science fiction film of all time.
When ‘Alien’ first hit the theatres on May 25th 1979, no one could
possibly have foreseen the impact it would have on popular culture.
Screen writers Dan O’Bannon and Ron Shusett had written what was
considered an average B–movie script called ‘Star Beast’ with one
key idea: an alien incubating within a human. The story is simple
enough - Spaceship Nostromo and its crew are on a return trip
to earth when they receive an unknown transmission. Following
investigations, an alien form attaches itself and breeds through one
of the crew members, and escapes onto the ship. Then all hell breaks
loose. It is a simple, yet hugely effective concept.
The original script was stripped bare when put into the hands of
Fox producers Walter Hill and David Giler. After many re-writes,
the cheesy moments were removed along with clichés that would
have written the film off as just another average sci-fi movie. The
central idea was still there, and this is what attracted director Ridley
Scott to the project. Scott was the last director to be approached in
taking hold of the project. Both scriptwriters and numerous other
directors were asked but Bannon, who was a fan of Scott’s first film
‘The Dualists’, felt he was the one who would unearth the script’s
full potential.
‘Alien’ was given the green light by 20th Century Fox at an initial
budget of $4.2 million. Scott then created detailed storyboards
(known after as his infamous ‘Ridleygrams’) for the film in London.
It impressed Fox so much, they doubled the film’s budget from $4.2
million. The biggest issue for the filmmakers was getting the design
28
of the extra-terrestrial right. Bannon introduced Scott to the artwork
of conceptual artist H. R. Giger. After much initial reluctance from
the studio, Giger was hired to work on all aspects of the alien and its
environment. “Once I met with Giger, I knew the biggest problem in
the film had been solved,” says Scott.
With design and production underway, next came the issue of
casting. There was only seven human characters in the story, so
Scott sought to hire strong actors in order to focus most of his
energy on the film’s visual style. It starred Tom Skerritt, Sigourney
Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian
Holm, and Yaphet Kotto. It was eventually decided that a woman
would play Ellen Ripley, the film’s protagonist. It would make a star
of Weaver (she was a virtual unknown at the time of filming) by
securing her iconic status in Hollywood. Scott says he had a striking
woman in mind prior to filming: “I wanted a good physical type,
preferably tall. With authority and brains.” That was Weaver. Despite
the years passing, time does not seem to have aged her much. She
is still unmistakably Ripley: beautiful, tough and smart. But weaver
insists it was the character that had done all the work. “Ripley is
much bigger than what I brought to it,” Weaver says modestly. “I’m
grateful. She’s an iconic character.”
With the first few hurdles overcome, it was time to start filming.
‘Alien’ was shot over fourteen weeks from July 5 to October 21,
1978. Production time was short due to the film’s low budget
and pressure from 20th Century Fox to finish on schedule. This
combined with the huge design element of the film meant the
creation of tensions on all sides were inevitable. To assist the actors
in preparing for their roles, Scott wrote several pages of back-story
for each character explaining their histories. He filmed many of their
rehearsals in order to capture spontaneity and improvisation. Also
culture |
to produce anxiety between some of the cast members, particularly
towards the less-experienced Weaver - it translated convincingly onto
film. The cast improvised a huge majority of the scenes. Scott was
not known as an actor’s director and this added to the already edgy
atmosphere. Weaver left the set in tears at one point as a result of
Scott losing his temper at her.
Even though Scott admits the prosthetics weren’t great in those days
- the majority of the scenes special effects were done live on camera
– including the now famous chest-bursting scene. The rumour the
entire cast bar John Hurt didn’t know what would happen during the
scene is partly true. They were told a basic outline of the scene but
no specifics. All the reactions are genuine, Veronica Cartwright, for
example, did not know she would be sprayed with blood and went
hysterical, it’s right there in the movie.
“What I wanted was a hardcore reaction,” says Scott. “If the actor
is simply acting you won’t get the genuine reaction of raw fear.” He
certainly got it in the end!
Cut to the second test screening in 1979 in Dallas. Everyone remains in
their seats until Hurt’s chests bursts open and according to the film’s
producer, people actually “ran out of the theatre”. The filmmakers
considered the screening a huge success. Myth may have embellished
truth but stories ran wild of people keeling over, fighting for seats near
the back of the theatre and how one unfortunate person tripped while
running out and broke his arm.
Part of the success in creating the film’s atmosphere is the slow build
up to the action starting; it’s 45 minutes in before anything grizzly
happens. So if told you were about to see a new sci-fi movie, a huge
shock lay in store. Word of mouth got around, mixed with good
critical reviews, as moviegoers flocked to see the film. ‘Alien’ grossed
an impressive (for the time) $3.5 million in its opening weekend,
resulting in a phenomenal $38,709 per screen average. Influenced
by good reviews and capacity-filled screenings, Fox expanded the
release of the film two weeks later on June 8, and by June 22, the
film was playing on over 500 screens throughout the US and Canada.
After several months in release, ‘Alien’ concluded its North American
release with a cumulative box office gross of over $75 million. Not bad
for an R-rated film and 1979 ticket prices. The film was a commercial
success, its total worldwide gross coming to $104,931,801.
The film is now synonymous in the science fiction genre and has
become one of the biggest selling movie franchises of all time. It
has topped numerous film polls branding it the scariest movie of all
time. The sequels just keep on coming. Alien followed with two very
successful sequels and then came the more unfortunate Alien Vs
Predator films. All this aside, the original remains the best out of the
trilogy. Fans of Scott’s film can look forward to the next instalment
in the series, as he will be directing the as yet untitled ‘Alien 5’.
Scheduled for an early 2011 release, all we know to date is that it
will be a prequel to Alien, featuring a new cast. If anything like its
predecessor, it will certainly be worth the wait.
 travel |
From Indonesia to Papua New Guinea..
C harlie Boorman: Mainly know for his
hugely popular Motorcycle-travel series
‘LongWayRound’ and its sequels, the Irish
TV adventurer, writer and former actor sat
down with us to share some interesting
stories from his travels, working with Actor
EwanMcGregor and his fear of camping..
Tell us how the whole motorcycle -TV series
first came about?
Well I suppose the motorbike thing is very
fun and Ewan and I have been passionate
about Bicycles, we met about 14 years ago
now, on a film called ‘The Serpants Kiss’
which I’m sure you’ve seen? You know it
was one of those films that didn’t even go
to DVD because they didn’t think it was
worth the money! And we had all sorts of
stuff with bikes and then we started talking
about doing a trip ourselves and we spoke
about it for a couple of years and eventually
decided to do something about it and finally
got our shit together when I released I didn’t
have the money really to leave for 4 and a
half month’s with 2 kids and a wife, and a
mortgage so someone suggested about a
book. And the book deal came quite easily
for us but it was the TV deal that was the
tough one, I remember going to America to
the tv stations and saying this is what it’s
going to be like and they were like I get all
that but who get svoted off? Or if someone
30
falls off theor motorocycle more than the
other do they get their motorcycle crushed
at the end of it, and we’re going like “Nooo,
that’s not that point!”
You have a very good friendship with Ewan,
what’s it like travelling with someone for so
long that you almost end up killing them?
Out of the film we did together came a great
friendship and a passion for motorbikes and
we did all sorts of stuff together before the
TV series but of course it does get wearing
and I mean when your travelling together all
the time like Ewan and I were, and not just
Ewan but Claudio, Russ and Dave and the
others, it can get tough but at least we were
on the motorbikes and you could put the
helmet on if the other guy was pissed at you
could go off and just scream it I your helmet
and he’d never know unless you had your
finger on the walkie talkie, which occasionally
did happen!
You had a lot of time to yourself during your
travels with being on the motorcycles for so
long, you obviously enjoyed that aspect of
things?
I think because your on the motorbike on
your own, one of the great things about
riding motor bikes is that you have the time
to yourself and especially on a trip like this. I
remember I lost my sister to cancer not long
before I did ‘Long way round’ my wife and I
had a kid just as my sister died and so we had
another kid straight after that so we were
busy and I never really had that much time
to grieve for my sister so I remember when
we did a long way round, and being on the
motorbike and spending all that time on the
motorbike, I mean all sorts of things come to
mind, because you’ve got plenty of time to
think.
My sister kept popping into my head all the
time and it was a great way to be able to
sit and have a bit of a cry for my sister and
think about her, and to always just have her
sitting on my shoulder laughing at me like she
always did, hahs, with that funny little cackle,
I definitely felt her being around and you
do think of all sorts of other stuff riding the
motorbike.
Papa new Guniu must have been a
challenge; it’s supposed to be an incredibly
difficult country especially going up land.
Tell us a bit about your travels there?
Yeah Papa New Guniu’s and amazing place I
think after we done ‘By any Means’ and had
gone all the way down through from Ireland
to Sydney you know I kind of was desperate
to do the pacific rim and I had always wanted
to go to Papa New Guini, and you know you
hear all these stories abut places, (sinister
voice) Papa new Guniu and they eat people
and the big cooking pots and all that kind of
stuff.
But my experience now is that all the places
we’ve been to, that those stories are never
true. Like most places in Africa, Papa New
Gunin all these places we’ve been it’s just
been wonderful and the people we’ve met
have been fantastic and hospitable. So
getting there was fascinating but it’s quite
a tricky place to get food because it’s very
underdeveloped, it’s very tough to get
around. One thing I’ll never forget is that the
guys on the other side had gotten completely
drunk and were teasing the guys on our side
and they were screaming and shouting and
one another, and trying to throw rocks and
each other and then big Machete’s were
coming out and I remember the truck driver
telling me: “I think you better pick up a rock
at this point because I think their going to
attack us.” And I remember casually just
just going arching down to get a rock! it’s a
dodgy, beautiful place though.
I believe your a very reluctant camper?
I was a very reluctant camper in the
beginning and I did everything possible
not to camp at all. And eventually we had
to camp and I had no choice and I was so
petrified I made Ewan and Claudio ride
back three miles a the side of the road and
miles out to nowhere. But I’ll never forget
it, we were putting up the tent and I was so
consumed by that, and the though of having
to camp, and I remember putting the tent
up and looking over at the lake, the sun was
just setting and it turned the whole Russian
steps we were sitting on and the lake, pink.
And there was the most incredible thing I had
seen and I just thought, Oh my God this is
why people camp.
I though it was quite weird in the long way
down ( the re-edited version) when Ewans
wife joined you…
Yeah well I have to admit I felt like a third
wheel. And I hadn’t had sex in aaaages. The
song ‘All by myself ‘comes to mind. At first I
was a bit shocked but I think Eve really just
wanted to see what the passion was and
why you wanted to do it. It was a huge goal
for her to come out to Africa, to learn to
ride a motorbike and to go camping which is
something she never really did before. I think
for it was huge and it was for a short period
of time, I really enjoy Eve’s Company and I
think it definitely gave something else to the
tv show.
What the hardest thing you experienced
while you were travelling?
Apart from missing the family, I remember
we met this one little girl Sarah, who was
seven when she was taken and she escaped
travel |
when she was 14, pregnant. She had been
multiply raped by the Lords resistance army
and we met her when she had just managed
to escape. She had lost her childhood, had
never been to school, been shot twice,
raped and so had this war lord child. No man
would ever touch her from then, she would
never be married ad she’ll always live on
the outskirts. And I sat there interviewing
her, and your looking at her and she looks
like she’s 28years old, and she’s 14. And it’s
times like that just destroy you, and it just
breaks your heart you have to leave someone
like that behind, but hopefully in the safe
knowledge there are people like UNICEF (The
charity that sponsors all the trips) there to
help.
What was your greatest trip to date?
It’s very difficult to say, because they’ve all
been very different. The Dacar rally is one
I’m most proud off. I think even to get to the
start line was a massive achievement. The
journey getting there was just so hard and
just the logistics, the training. I broke loads
of bones getting bike fit for it and we finally
got their. And once you get to the frontline
you’re already a winner and everyday after
that is a gift.
When your kids are older, would you let
them do something like this?
Absolutely, I think everybody should do it.
There should be a government policy that
all children should be given at a certain age
to go to somewhere third world to work
on a project. I think it’s vital that young
people get out. But I think children today
have everything, telephones computers,
it’s all very easy, but to go there and see a
contemporary child in the slums of Nairobi
would put things into perspective.
When are doing your next outing?
I’m in talks with the bbc at the moment. It’s
one of those things where you know you do
all these things but your completely at the
mercy of the people watching it and ratings.
So every time you do it your just back to
square one, just waiting. It’s like the show on
BBC 2 Sunday night 9 oclock, and even if you
don’t watch it because you can buy the dvd
later, on the 16th - just in time for Christmas,
haha.
Hopefully there’s going to be something next.
We’ll wait and see.
____________
By Jenny McShane & Brendan Kildea.
 sport | sport |

Bolt to the Future

by Shane Quinn “There have been numerous attempts to find
drug abuse in Bolt”

The question on people’s minds is will Gay Bolt’s real secret is that he hits the ground Jamaican countryside, where children
be able to live up to his recent claim and with greater force than others. gather at the village tap to collect water.
take out Bolt in the 2012 Olympics. The An old woman living in the village said of
chances seem low considering all that Bolt If Tyson wants to outrun Gay, he needs Bolt: “His three gold medals [in the Beijing

T
he 23-year-old record breaker has gone a
huge distance in lifting a sport that was
threatening to go under due to extensive
drug abuse.
Usain Bolt is in need of a much-needed rest after
recording the most successful sprinting season in
the sport’s history. The “human lighting bolt” beat
his own world 100m record with a 9.58 second
sprint at the Berlin championships in August. He
also trumped his previous 200m world-record of
19.38, by notching an incredible 19.19 in the same
event.
“Bolt’s races at the
world championships
need to be re-run and
viewed in slow motion..”
32
has achieved in the past two years, added to pound that surface harder, but it may Olympics] brought us running water. Now
Not since the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, has the world
to Gay being four years than his rival. be impossible for him. Still, Gay’s effort we are praying for another gold medal to
seen a line-up as impressive as the one that took
in Shanghai of equalling Bolt’s first 100m fix up the roads!”
to the starting blocks in the German capital. Tyson
record in Beijing of 9.69 seconds has shown
Gay held the two fastest times this year coming into
the race; Usain Bolt held the world record; Dwain “He told the press early signs of him catching up. Detractors will attempt to continuously
defame Bolt, in a bid to forward spurious
Chambers was staging a welcome comeback and
wanted to make a statement; and Asafa Powell was,
he ate a lot ‘of So far there have been numerous attempts claims of unfair advantage. It is all
to find drug abuse in Bolt and with nothing begrudging nonsense. The fact remains, all
well, Asafa Powell.
yams’” coming back positive. We can appreciate he takes “are yams”.
this scepticism comes at a time when
Blink and you’d miss it. Bolt’s sprinting at the world
athletics has suffered a long history of
championships needed to be replayed in slow
Sceptics believe Bolt has an unfair discredited world records since the 1980s
motion to truly appreciate the full power of the
advantage over Gay due to his long legs due to extensive substance abuse.
runner. He finished the race with only 48 strides,
and wide frame. An athlete’s ability lies
whilst Gay trailed behind needing over 140 paces.
more in their mental sharpness, genetic The media got the right reply from Bolt
While people were quick to commend Bolt for his
ability, leg power, technique and numerous recently. After his performance in Berlin
record-breaking speed, many were riddled with
other factors. Bolt explained to an American interviewer
suspicion, as if his performances were to good to be
true.
The Jamaican’s advantage lies in his muscle
in relation to the sceptics: “I don’t care,
because I know I’m healthy, I’m clean, I‘ve
The Americans couldn’t find the secret to Bolt’s
twitch cells. The secret to his lighting limb done tests, I’ve done so many tests I’ve lost
movements is in the ability of his muscle count.”
success, no drugs were found in his system, yet the
critics still questioned him. When asked about his
fibres, allowing his arms and legs to move Bolt was born and raised in the poverty
at quicker speeds than an average athlete. stricken area of Trelawny Parish in the
diet, he told the press he ate a lot “of yams”, so
that is it, case closed. If Gay really wants to outrun
Bolt in the London Olympics in 2012 he better start
scoffing those yams.
 sport |
Pat Gilroy will
be around for
a little while
longer. By Mark Corcoran
T
he end of the 2011 championship at least to be slightly less vague. After the Kerry
mauling many people, including myself, thought that might have been the end of the
big man. How we were wrong. Not only have the powers that be decided to stick by
their man, they have decided to offer him a further 1 year on his contract which Gilroy
of course accepted.
www.reservoirdubs.com is the place to go to vent your fury or exclaim
your joy at all things Dublin. It is always interesting to see various
topics, results and rumours discussed on the forums. All done with
the unique humour of the Dub. Through last years car crash of a
season there were many murmurs of discontent at the management
set up. These were easy to dismiss when the team was wining but
not so when all the worst nightmares of Dublin fans came through
from about 30 seconds into the All Ireland quarter final against the
kingdom. The aftertaste of that game left Dublin fans feeling as
comfortable as a passenger on a Ryanair flight to hell.
The humour had gone and the feeling of resignation was palpable.
The message boards had started picking through the wreckage
looking for ways that maybe Dublin could improve for next year. But
for the first time in many years the conversation was rarely about how
the Dubs were going to win their first All Ireland since 1995, it was
damage limitation talk. Suddenly the talk of the Dubs being better off
in the qualifiers cessed. Suddenly the talk over inches turned to talk
of miles. Suddenly the Leinster championship didn’t look such a bad
prize after all.
So when Gilroy agreed the new contract extension all hell broke loose
on the ResDubs forums. It was beyond funny. It was difficult to find
one person happy with the decision. The best he got was fans saying
it was a done deal now and that all there was to do was row in behind
the team.
Now I admit that I was open to the idea of Gilroy and Whelan
being a success when they first took the job despite many facts
pointing to disaster. The thinking was that Gilroy’s inexperience, and
Whelan’s first poor spell would be counter acted by their hunger and
enthusiasm. Unfortunately, Gilroy does look the new Staunton.
So why keep him. Was it the improvement that he promised? The All
Ireland final in his first year that he all but guaranteed? Hardly, what
he delivered was a worse defeat and humiliation in the championship
then the year before and a total disregard of the league and O’Byrne
cup.
All the signs are that he has lost the dressing room. Not picking Ciaran
Whelan or Shane Ryan (an All Star from the previous year) got up the
fans noses but there are many more issues. Leaving Bryan Cullen in
the cold, throwing Cian O’Sullivan into the deep end against Kerry,
dropping Paddy Andrews and Alan Hubbard after one game of the
championship despite picking them consistently throughout the
league, cutting Mark Vaughen from the panel, playing Rory O’Carroll
despite knowing he couldn’t possibly be the answer to Dublin’s
defence problems as he was going travelling, the list goes on and on.
“the public
aren’t buying it
anymore, simply
because Gilroy
doesn’t have a
plan. There is no
grand scheme of
things, no light
at the end of the
tunnel.”
The reasons behind the extension are
obvious. Gilroy and Whelan are Vincent’s
men. The Godfather of Dublin football,
Kevin Heffernan (also a Vincnets man) holds
a massive influence on the Dublin county
board. Gilroy also includes Heffernan as
a personal friend. The hat drops and the
contract is extended. Gilroy didn’t even need
to convince Heffernan that he has a plan
although this is the line he continues to sell
to the public.
But the public aren’t buying it anymore,
simply because Gilroy doesn’t have a plan.
There is no grand scheme of things, no light
at the end of the tunnel. How could there
be when major players are walking and very
little is coming through to replace them.
What the players think of the contract
extension is obvious. Shane Ryan has gone
to the hurlers, don’t be surprised if Conal
Keeney or Diarmuid Connolly go too and
Ciaran Whelan has retired. There is a real
sport |
sense that this team is a sinking ship and square wheels, stuttering and staggering
these players are the preverbal rats. along until ultimate failure. Remember this
is a team that has failed to beat a real title
The real travesty at the time of writing contender in championship football in almost
this is that Anthony Daly, manger of the fifteen years.
hurlers, who actually had a decent season
by all accounts, has not been offered a So I will finish this article the way I always
new contract extension and could easily be finish while writing about Dublin; roll on the
snapped up by one of the stronger hurling champo, I will be watching through the gaps
counties. If you have to question the work in my fingers.
of Daly ask yourself when was the last time
more Dublin hurlers won All Stars then
footballers.
Gilroy has announced that he will be holding
trails for new hopefuls (similar to last year).
His first competitive match will be against
Wexford in the O’Byrne cup in Januray.
Once again the circus will start up again in
preparation for championship opener, again
against the model county, although the
team are unlikely to carry the same hope
and eagerness from the fans as years gone
by. It is likely to be another bandwagon with
35
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