Limerick Studenty.me

What it’s like dressing (relatively) flamboyantly in Ireland.

Conor O'Riordan — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:56:08 +0000

Flamboyancy. It’s a wonderful word. It’s just so evocative and enchanting. For me, it evokes an image of an urbane and confident man, clad in bohemian-esque attire, with a darting gaze, suave walk and dazzling smile. It’s something to strive for, it’s an image to want. I’m occasionally told I am flamboyant. Most often I’m told I dress flamboyantly. Often times it’s just me looking in a mirror and telling myself that I am flamboyant and wonderfully rebellious just so I can justify the wearing of some garish piece of clothing but sometimes people who aren’t actually me tell me that I’m flamboyant.

I usually laugh off such suggestions. Well, in public anyway. I tell them that I am only relatively flamboyant and that yes, in comparison with the innocently primitive males that inhabit Kerry and Limerick with their Hollister hoodies and Canterbury trackies, I am a luridly dressed maverick of the highest order. But place me in a more cosmopolitan and expressive environment, such as Dublin or London, and my flamboyancy becomes more uniform and more mundane. So this is beggars the question: what exactly is it like dressing (relatively) flamboyant in the part of Ireland that isn’t Dublin? It’s quite peculiar to tell the truth.

I’m naturally quite a showy person and as such I like my choice of apparel to reflect my ostentatious nature. I do like to stand out, especially visually. That’s not to say that I wear flashy clothes simply to distinguish myself from the crowd, I do actually like my own style, but it does help me with my showing off and attention seeking. Dressing differently in an environment often unwelcoming to flamboyancy does attract some negative attention though of course. I think how I dress foments mockery, derision and even disgust at least once a day.

Occurrences of ridicule regarding my dress sense are so ubiquitous now that I barely register them. My friends often mock my style but I know that that’s merely harmless joking; it’s the insults from strangers that initially agitated me. The insults still fly but it’s as if I’ve switched on an imaginary mute button in my brain so they aren’t really audible and don’t enter my noggin.

It’s the usual schtick really, “Fucking QUEER”, “Gay boy”, “Pussy” and the like. I imagine were I to be a visitor of the lavender passage, more commonly known as a “homosexual”, these primal and ignorant jibes would have deeply disturbed me. But I ain’t gay. Which some people find difficult to believe. Which smoothly leads me onto my next point.

Dressing flamboyantly in Ireland leads people to believing that you are gay. That may sound a tad obvious and implied by my previous paragraph but I don’t mean people impishly intimating that you are homosexual; I mean people seriously assuming that you are gay. I have a very recent anecdote to back up these claims. Very recently, a man, who I presume is gay, attempted to chat me up (If he is not gay then maybe he was just very lonely).

It was at the Limerick Student Race Day and I was dressed in typical Conor fashion: Skinny jeans, smart denim shirt, skinny tie, Grandpa cardigan and tasteful rockstar boots. I was sitting chatting with friends when the man sat down next to us and nonchalantly involved himself in our conversation, in a nice way though, he didn’t rudely interpose or anything. He stared into my eyes then and asked me in his squeaky yet imposing voice, “Are you gay man?” I was caught in a flummox here. The devilish joker in me told me to lie and act camply to confirm his suspicions but the decent man in me told me to inform him that no, unfortunately for the male species, I am not gay. I quickly plumped for the latter.

He stared at the ground despondently, threw his hands in the air and stamped his feet wildly on the ground and exclaimed boorishly “WHY ARE ALL THE SEXY ONES ALWAYS STRAIGHT?? WHY? WHY GOD WHY?” I was going to step in and explain how, according to the bible, God and Jesus hold nothing but contempt for homosexuals but I decided that the irony of his comments probably wouldn’t be lost on him.

I jest of course. He actually just reservedly uttered “Oh…. Well you just give off that vibe.” We laughed and had a good and hearty chat. But this is no isolated incident. Many of my friends have legitimately questioned my sexuality, as do intoxicated girls on nights out. Funny thing is, besides my funky dress sense, I don’t really conform to the gay stereotype. I speak in a harsh, rusty Kerry brogue and my gesticulation is noticeably restrained. I move quite a bit, I am very hyper, but this is not perceived as being an intrinsically homosexual trait. So by that logic, it’s my flamboyant dress sense that gives off the gay vibe. Not really surprising is it?

I imagine at this stage you’re expecting me to reveal the numerous sexual benefits one dressing in a flamboyant fashion enjoys but in fact you would be mistaken. There aren’t many. Irish ladies are mostly stubbornly conservative when it comes to male fashion. Too many of them believe that females should be as expressive and experimental as they wish when it comes to the garments they wear but that men should abide by a stringent set of guidelines: No skinny jeans, no shirt buttoned to the top, no rockstar boots and no luminous bracelets. We’re told that females find the mysteriously different male attractive but Irish ladies seem to be a different breed. Or maybe it’s just that I’m a narcissistic twerp who just ain’t too attractive, you decide.

I never will change my style because, in the words of every single tawdry X Factor/The Voice/Britain’s Got Talent/Got to Dance contestant, “I AM WHO I AM.” Dressing (relatively) flamboyantly is what I do and I believe I do it (relatively) well.

The Lodge Nightclub – I review it.

Conor O'Riordan — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:29:04 +0000

Stumbling through a wooden box on a brisk Thursday night, dodging drunk, cascading bodies and avoiding ponds of sick. Where do you find yourself? Why UL’s favourite nightclub the Lodge of course! The Lodge is to nightclubs what Razor Ruddock was to footballers – inherently shit but loved for some abstract, innate reason.

To express just how shit the Lodge really is, you only need take into account its saving feature. What draws people, in their hoards, to the Lodge? Is it the ‘craic’ that is to be had there? Negative. Is it the economically priced alcohol available in the Lodge? Nein. The Hurlers is much cheaper. Is it the marvellous music played there? Oh, Christ no. No, the Lodge’s redeeming feature, its saving grace, its compensation for what otherwise will be a terrible night out is its proximity to UL. Students are lazy. Drunk students are even lazier. Money wasted on taxis could so easily be spent on the more alluring product of alcohol. A 15 minute walk and you’re at the front entrance to the Lodge ready to suspend reality and act the maggot for a few hours.

Let’s get down to the actual Lodge ‘experience’. Firstly, it does not look like a nightclub; I doubt it was built with the intention of one day housing 400 intoxicated students. To me, it resembles a den which middle-aged men would retreat to after a vivacious day of golf. The wooden interior, the multiple fireplaces, the (comparatively) comfortable seating areas. Look at that relatively small dance-floor and tell me you can’t picture a gaggle of men sitting around in leather sofas, sipping scotch and discussing something mundane like stock prices. It just has that feel. Of course, the classiness of a golf den is lost once you exile your imagination. Watching a first year girl vomit on another first year girl will probably do that to you.

The music is terrible. I’m quite the music snob I must admit. If it’s new, if it’s hip and if it’s in the charts, I probably won’t like it. My taste is very Rock orientated and the DJ in the Lodge (or ANY mainstream nightclub for that matter) is no fan of Rock and/or Roll. I do like some chart stuff but the Lodge don’t play them. They prefer to play Rihanna at least 10 times a night, Chris Brown and whatever god-awful rapper he’s collaborating with this time another few times and of course, the college 2k12 favourite Levels by Avicii another 3 times. I didn’t mind Levels at first, I didn’t like it but compared to some of the electronic bile I’m subjected to on a daily basis on the radio it was quite alright. After hearing it 3000 times and having to listen to every single drunk teenager wax lyrical about it for the past three months, I’m less keen on it. This one time, the Lodge played Arctic Monkeys. I almost collapsed with happiness. For a short period afterwards, the Lodge became my favourite nightclub. It’s not a very illustrious title however; asking me what my favourite nightclub is, is a bit like asking Adolf Hitler who’s his favourite Jew.

I may be at a disadvantage when assessing the Lodge ‘experience’ due to my self-imposed abstinence from alcohol (I don’t drink bah). Were one to be inebriated and as such oblivious to the terrible music and the Lodge’s many, many faults it might be quite the enjoyable experience. Might. If like me however, you are teetotal or simply don’t drink that much I’d recommend you sit down on the sofa for the night with a good book and a cuppa. You might not get the shift, but you won’t get vomit on your clothes either.

THE LODGE’S RATING: 5 STARS FOR AWFULNESS

Manikin versus Dancer

Emily — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:59:07 +0000

Just breathing and photographer Galvin Abercrombie collaborated for the Limerick festival ‘Catherine Street Cultural Dig 2011’.

A fun day was had as the many passers-by stopped to take photos and look in attempt to decipher who the real manikins were.

Keeping a straight face was one of the hardest parts as children pressed their faces against the glass window trying to make us

laugh and little girls looked in awe at the ballerinas in the window. Customers were searching through the rails of beautiful

clothing as we posed as still as we could to capture the perfect shot. Follow us on facebook to see what the Just Breathing dancers

are up to next at https://www.facebook.com/justbreathing we could be anywhere!

Photographer: Galvin Abercrombie

Dancers: Claire Quinn and Emily Waters

Location: C O’Donnell’s Boutique, Catherine Street Limerick.

State of the Nation: Mayday Mayday Das Boss is coming (and hail to the Vita Cortex workers)

ednakenny — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:17:16 +0000

Dear Friends,

I was in Dún Laoghaire earlier this week to announce 100 new jobs. It was one of those usual boring events. Company executives, enterprise chiefs and politicians. Some Lad makes a speech blah blah blah. Some woman makes a speech blah boring blah. The next thing I know someone is poking me in the side. “Not now Fionnuala”, says I, “I’ve had a busy day and I’ve got a bit of a headache”! “T-Shock, your speech” says my aide. It was a bit embarrassing. I told all assembled that I had my eyes closed because I was reflecting deeply on what was being said (Forty feckin’ reflections more like, blah blah blah). I think I got away with it though.

Cabinet Meeting 30 April 2012

“Right Lads” says I. “Order lads, ORDER. Reilly, put that feckin cream bun down and listen! Right lads, there is only one item on the agenda today and that is ensuring that we get a yes vote in the fiscal compact tree-a-tee referendum ………… ORDER! What the feck are ye all laughing at ? Settle down I tell ye! Now, “Hulk”, much as it pains me, considering the complete balls-up you made of the household and the septic tank charges, this falls under your remit so I’m relying on you (I can’t believe I’m saying this) to make sure that come 31 May we get a resounding yes vote.

“But Boss” says the Hulk, “Whatever chance we had of collecting 100 euro, we’ve no bloody chance off getting them to vote yes for this. There’s a lot of anger out there you know!”. “I don’t want to feckin hear it” says I. “If we do not get a feckin’ yes vote “Das Boss” will have my balls. And if I’m going to suffer, YOU are going to suffer, do I make myself clear! “Yes Boss, sorry Boss”.

Then Happy Gilmore pipes up, “But T-Shock, the Hulk has a point in fairness. This is not going to be an easy accomplishment going forward. How do you suggest that we achieve it?”

“Like we always do” says I (ya feckin eejit ya). “We’ll scare the feck out of them. By the way, that was nice work the other day Limerick Mickey. I especially liked the bit about the budget to end all budgets threat if there was a no vote”.

Next thing, the “She Devil” herself says – in only the way she can, – “But T-Shock why don’t we just tell the people the truth, Explain to them in a logical and honest way what exactly it is we are trying to protect. “What” says I, “My pension fund? They’ll never understand!”

Telephone conversation with “Das Boss” 1 May 2o12

Kenny: Good morning “Das Boss”, How are you this fine mor..?

Merkel: Shus up Edna you Dummkopf. I vant to know vot you are doing to make sure zat your people vote yes in ze Fiscal Zreaty? You owe us a loss of money my little schwachsinnige.

K: “Daaas Boooss” … there is absolutely no need to be concerned. I am convinced that the Fiscal Tree-a-tee will be a …

M: Vot ze hell are you salking about ? I vant to know abous ze Zreaty ! But that’s what I was talking about “Das Boss”, the Tree-a-tee. I need to go to the toilet. You dummer arsch.

—

Anyway, I must dash, busy man blah blah. The Vita Cortex workers, on who’s behalf I worked long and hard to make sure they achieved their aims, have finally settled and there may be a photo-op.

So, good Citizens of Europe, until next week.

Yours blah blah say cheese blah etc………………

Where Instagram becomes Instakidney and Farmville is Organville. Facebook’s new sharing option – organs

Tom Mc Carthy — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:55:28 +0000

Forgive the rather lame title but I felt I had to go out on a limb on this one. Facebook, the social media behemoth, is grabbing the corporate responsibility bull by the horns. They have announced plans to allow members (who are approaching a formidable one billion in strength) in the United States and the UK to “share” their organ donation preference. Ireland nor many other countries will not immediately have access, but it is likely this unexpected feature will spread like Timeline. Mark Zuckerberg and Co. believe this move will encourage members to sign up to “real-life” donation schemes, saving lives in the process. Will it?

Some of Facebook’s past endeavours have not gone down well – privacy settings arguably more complex than arming a nuclear missile being one example. Sharing your donation status may also be somewhat of a legal minefield. If someone dies and they have not taken the legal steps required to donate their organs, despite their Facebook status arguing the contrary, what then?

The first few cases will set the legal trend, but by and large the legalities are only a cog in something bigger. Why? Because I am talking about organ donation today, even though I was not yesterday. Nor were my friends until I told them. Now you are also mulling over the issue. We are communicating just like Facebook always intended us to, except this time it seems to be for an altruistic reason – somewhat of a rarity on the vanity trail that Facebook has become. What better way to cement your legacy then to donate your organs to someone in dire need? Now that would be a refreshing status update.

What are Facebook’s true intentions however? Is it marketing with heart or something more? Despite the status updates of conscientious members, whose nuggets of wisdom include “Like this link and we will beat cancer together” or “Click like if you want Kony brought to justice”, Facebook has always to my mind first endorsed a corporate/capitalist hybrid. A “yes, let’s keep people coming back, but also let them keep making us money.” I am scratching my head trying to figure out what founder Mark Zuckerberg’s angle is on this. Certainly it is good press for a man who has come under pressure for his constant desire to push the privacy envelope to the limit.

Looking at the Irish situation, while organ donation reached record levels last year (248 donations), demand continues to outstrip supply, with over 650 people currently on waiting lists. Ireland operates an “opt-in” system. This means that unless you express your wishes to donate, your organs die with you. Much of the population are familiar with the concept of donor cards (often marketed as vital to have on your person at all times) and the necessity to inform your next-of-kin. Fewer know that the latter have the final say however.

In fact whatever your card says, your next-of-kin can veto your decision: “Your next-of-kin should know of your wish to be an organ donor, but they are not bound to abide by your wishes and their consent is always required.”

This is an outdated stumbling block we are not set up to deal with as a country. The donor card may be a beacon of hope, but if hope can be extinguished by a misguided (if well-intentioned) family member, then what is the point? If a person, based on religious reasoning or informed objections, does not agree with donating organs, then this must be respected. If they refuse out of fear however, this is a great loss for Irish society.

Speaking to Cork.Studenty.Me, National Projects Manager of the Irish Kidney Association Colin White says he is in favour of the surprise move by Facebook:

“I think it’s a very positive step forward. The absolute critical issue around organ donation is people letting their next-of-kin know their wishes in advance. So if having that on your Facebook profile helps to let your family know or remind them that you’re in favour of organ donation, well that’s pretty good in my book.”

It is no surprise the IKA are all in favour of a technological solution to boosting donation rates. They are active across many networks, including Facebook and Twitter, and they have also developed a smart phone app. the Organ Donor ECard app, available for download on iPhone and Android.

The Irish Kidney Association's Organ donor e-card app (Image courtesty of iTunes App Store)

An arguably more progressive system is “opt-out”, whereby everyone is assumed to have given consent unless they expressly state otherwise. Spain is a pioneer in this area, and does have an opt-out system. Research has shown however that across a variety of countries the type of system makes little difference to donation levels. Spain’s success appears to emanate from a dedicated group of doctors and medical professionals across the country who are trained to seek potential donors within hospitals. Treating a family that is devastated and in shock with respect and empathy seems to make all the difference.

Should we go down this route? (“Can we” is a question for another day given the state of the economy)

Colin White also feels this is prudent: “It’s a hellishly difficult question to ask at a hellishly difficult time, but how is the question “Have you considered organ donation?” handled? Spain brought in donor coordinators, who work with the family. I think there is a growing realisation that the Spanish Model is the way to go. There will always be a role however for the donor card to get people talking about organ donation.”

There is work to be done however. Ireland does lag behind its counterparts at a policy level in that we do not have a formal donor registry. Where the government may fail however, an EU Directive on organ donation may be the catalyst required. Colin White believes it is coming in the near future:

“In the US and the UK they are offering links so that people can formally register. They have formal registries in both those countries. Now we don’t have one here but it is probably in the pipeline. The fact that Facebook are linking in with the people responsible for the registries means it is well thought out. I would envisage us making a direct approach to Facebook, given that their European headquarters are based in Ireland, saying “Hey, what about Ireland?”

Loathe as I am to say it, for the first time I feel Facebook may actually turn into the community it always professed to be. It could of course also play to Zuckerberg’s advantage in terms of further embedding the values of Facebook in our lives, this time at a policy level. If it is easier to get people to commit to donating organs and saving lives with the click of a button, why would governments spend more money to overcomplicate the process with expensive registries? Why not pay less money to Facebook for the service which slots neatly in with the rest of the site’s functions? Still, even if this hypothetical scenario were true, the uptake in donations may make it worthwhile. We’ve pretty much given away every other piece of information about ourselves already anyway.

Google recently announced their own exciting initiative – Project Glass. This will allow the wearers of hi-tech glasses experience augmented reality, essentially the improvement of what we normally experience via human senses through technology. Facebook has turned this idea on its head and applied it to organ donation. If it works and radically boosts donations, it could equate to the discovery of penicillin. This is a big “if” of course, but it does highlight how powerful Facebook has become. Can it succeed where multiple governments have failed?

Has Facebook finally developed the power to be successful where other governments have failed at a policy level? (Image courtesy of Wikmedia Commons)

Facebook remains the social network, but this time it has surprised me. I hate Farmville with a passion, but Organville? I coud live with that. It may even be time to re-define the term “close friend”.

Lead image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

V-Log of a Vampire – Insomniacs take note

lisanilaoire — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:17:08 +0000

Don’t waste your twenties sleeping! They only last so long and there’s much to be doing! Like gaining weight, re-watching the entire series of ‘f.r.i.e.n.d.s’ and playing hundreds of hours of online gaming! Diary of a VAMPIRE from Irish actress and epic V-Logger Lisa Ní Laoire…

Having been given the freedom to regulate her own body clock (a year ago), Lisa decided to stay up both day AND night (take THAT early bedtimes!) having discovered there are simply not enough hours in the day to do all the fun things you wish to do. This includes watching cats, playing World of Warcraft, crying to the Notebook and having a midnight barbecue. Oh and a shout out to Russell Brand and Katy Perry.

MMA Wrap Up….Round 3

darrangoggin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:22:33 +0000

Alright you shiftless lazy sack of ************, break time is over, wraps on, let’s get going!

Welcome back fight fans, hope you missed me – oh I know you did. Time for you geeks and freaks to take a break from all those unbearable gaming articles and focus on something practical and real. It’s time for the Studenty_Cork wrap up so get ready or your ass will get knocked down!

image courtesy of wikicommons

UFC 145 FALLOUT

Last weekend we got to watch one of the most anticipated fights of the year as light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones faced off against number one competitor “Suga” Rashad Evans in the main event at UFC 145.

The two former friends and training partners had been taking shots at each other in the media and the hype surrounding the two fighters had reached fever pitch as they entered the octagon in what fans hoped would be the fight of the year.

I’ll be honest here, it was a tame affair and in my humble opinion a huge let down to the millions watching. The fight went the distance so credit has to be giving to Rashad who took a beating thanks to Jones’s 10 inch reach advantage.

The youngest champion in UFC history took a few hits but nothing too severe and the rounds just passed on by and Jones retained his title by decision, so yeah not exactly Henderson Vs. Rua.

Fight fans fear not however as Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference that Dan Henderson is next in line for a title shot. He did not reveal any specifics on time or location of the fight though so stay tuned you crazy addicts!

While the main event fell flat, the supporting event surpassed all expectations and confirmed my suspicions that welterweight Rory McDonald is the next big thing in MMA and the future of the division.

The GSP protegé dominated and dismantled UK fighter “Beautiful” Che Mills, winning by TKO bringing his UFC record to 13-1, though after the fight the 22-year-old Canadian was quick to tear down any rumours of fighting friend/teammate UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre.

Time for the UFC 145 bankroll call, almost makes me want to turn pro:

Jon Jones: $400,000 (no win bonus)
def. Rashad Evans: $300,000

Rory MacDonald: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Che Mills: $8,000

Ben Rothwell: $104,000 (includes $52,000 win bonus)
def. Brendan Schaub: $14,000

Michael McDonald: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Miguel Torres: $32,000

Eddie Yagin: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Mark Hominick: $17,000

Mark Bocek: $46,000 (includes $23,000 win bonus)
def. John Alessio: $10,000

Travis Browne: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. Chad Griggs: $27,000

Matt Brown: $36,000 (includes $18,000 win bonus)
def. Stephen Thompson: $8,000

Anthony Njokuani: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus)
def. John Makdessi: $12,000

Mac Danzig: $54,000 (includes $27,000 win bonus)
def. Efrain Escudero: $10,000

Chris Clements: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Keith Wisniewski: $10,000

Marcus Brimage: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Maximo Blanco: $13,000

image courtesy of wikicommons

MIR IN, OVEREEM OUT

It was bound to happen but now it’s set in stone – Alistair Overeem is out of the main event at UFC 146 and now former heavyweight champion Frank Mir will be stepping in to the number one contender spot.

The controversy comes following a failed drug test for Overeem who is now suspended for nine months with no fight license – a verdict which was passed with gusto by Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Some last minute changes means that UFC 146 will look like this:

Junior Dos(Champion) Vs. Frank Mir

Cain Velasquez Vs. Big Foot Silva

Roy Nelson Vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Shane Del Rosario Vs. Stipe Miocic

Mark Hunt Vs. Stefan Struve

image courtesy of wikicommons

SILVA VS. SONNEN II

THIS TIME ITS PERSONAL!

Tickets for UFC 148: Silva Vs. Sonnen II are set to go on sale next week with one of best cards in MMA history. This is gonna be the party of the summer so fight fans rejoice and take a glance at the announced bouts set for UFC 148 which takes place on Ju at the MGM in Las Vegas baby!

Anderson Silva(C) vs. Chael Sonnen (for middleweight title)

Dominick Cruz(C) vs. Urijah Faber (for bantamweight title)

Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le

Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boetsch

Renan Barao vs. Ivan Menjiva

Fabricio Camoes vs. Melvin Guillard

CAGE WARRIORS 47

Just a reminder for you Irish fight fans that Cage Warriors 47 is fast approaching with tickets still available for all you lovely people. The event will be kicking off on June 2 at the Helix in Dublin.

Home town pride will be on the line as Dublin native Connor McGregor will be challenging the United Kingdom’s Dave Hill for the CWFC featherweight in the main event.

image courtesy of wikicommons

TITO SET FOR WWE?

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has revealed that there is a strong possibility that he would be joining the WWE following his last contract fight with the UFC at 148.

The long time poster boy had joked about becoming a WWE wrestler before but in light of recent events - Brock Lesnar’s five million dollar deal for one year – it looks like a hard thing to pass up for such an easy paycheck and he might be following in Brock’s footsteps.

Remember to keep your eye on UFC 148 for Tito’s final fight as he faces former light-heavyweight champion Forest Griffin on July 7.

MMA Moment Of the Week

With the confirmation that Dan Henderson is now the number one contender for Jon “Bones” Jones UFC light heavyweight championship, we thought we’d give fans a reminder of one of the best, if not the best, fights in all of MMA.

Rua Versus Henderson, let’s go!

How To Survive Exams V-Log (Pay careful attention Arts, Law and Pharmacy students)

lisanilaoire — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:34:43 +0000

Introducing Irish actress Lisa Ní Laoire to Studenty!

Lisa is somewhat of an expert when it comes to solving your most pressing problems – and this week cramming for exams takes priority over the mystery of where next week’s rent is coming from.

Studenty.me takes no responsibility for course failures arising out of this unique take on how to survive third level’s greatest challenge – exams (Friday morning lectures a close second).

Studenty Sunday: Random Edition

roisin — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:19:56 +0000

Every week Roisin Peddle takes a look at ten stories making the headlines here at Studenty.me.

One of the silliest ads around at the moment is the one where the skydive instructor tells his bewildered skydivers to pull on the sheep clock which release their rubber duck and he’ll see them on the cupcake. In this spirit, I present a wide, diverse and even disparate group of articles for your edification this Sunday.

(Can they tell I’ve ran out of ideas yet? Well, not if you don’t tell them- Ed).

1. The latest is that they’re going to take the Tupac hologram on tour, meaning the legendary rapper will ‘perform’ sixteen years after his death. Adam McAllister explains just how they brought Tupac back at Coachella.

2. Tom McCarthy talks to Dick Valentine, lead singer of Electric Six, about his solo album, mysterious future projects, and Bono. Danger! Danger! High voltage!

This is probably one of the most random pictures on Wikimedia Commons (via Wikimedia Commons)

3. James Bond not only lives on in film form, but Ian Fleming’s novels are also being continued by a new generation. Melissa Devlin looks forward to William Boyd’s new novel, which promises to bring Bond back to basics.

4. Rebecca Maher talks to legendary journalist John A. Murphy about his career, journalism today and meeting the Pope.

5. When was the last time you sat down and read a book? Simon Bourke laments his ever-decreasing attention span and the loss of a once-beloved hobby.

6. If you’re not lucky enough to live in Galway, it’s somewhere everyone must visit. Meghann Scully lists ten things you must do in the City of the Tribes.

7. Ireland was shocked this week with footage of an elderly couple being evicted from their home in Dublin. Colette Sexton wonders if all is as it seems with the Kellys…

Sure, why not? (via Wikimedia Commons)

8. Have you ever broken a bus rule? Roisin Peddle has the list of things you shouldn’t do on public transport.

9. Come on, let’s face it. Every girl has one. A sneaking crush on a beautiful, talented, female celebrity. Jane Quigley spells out the girls we girls love to love.

10. Last week was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and the occasion was marked in locations all over the world. Belfast’s Lauren Penman is glad the city is returning to normality. Meanwhile, Galway’s official Titanic correspondent, Katy Quinn wrote her final review of Julian Fellowes’ mini-series. She also went to see James Cameron’s famous version in glorious 3D. Is it worth seeing again on the big screen?

That’s all the butterscotch from Studenty Sunday. An T-Shock Edna Kenny has another address for us, we truly are blessed to have such a glorious leader. If you’re looking for new music for your iPod, Eoghan O’Sullivan has the week in music. Check out Jess and Tom‘s editorials for more great reads.

And finally, we have the great honour of announcing that Studenty has been shortlisted for Smedia website of the year! So like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more great things!

Til next week, have a very Studenty Sunday. Swiss roll.

Merseyside comes together once again on the 23rd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster

squibby92 — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:37:04 +0000

Studenty’s Jack Squibb revisits the Hillsborough disaster on the 23rd anniversary when 96 Liverpool fans never came home.

Merseyside had a glimpse of its former successful days as Liverpool and Everton returned to Wembley to fight it out for a place in this years FA Cup final. But this was no ordinary semi final. As most football fans will know, 23 years ago on this weekend England’s biggest sporting disaster occurred when 96 Liverpool fans died at Hillsborough stadium, Sheffield.

With News International being in the limelight for the wrong reasons over the last few months, it was seen as an opportunity by the Hillsborough Family Support Group (HFSG) to gain more support and ground on getting more publicity. Thanks to the likes of Twitter and Facebook, a government e-petition that was set up last summer received well over the required 100,000 signatures meaning the British government had to discuss the release of all files related to the disaster.

While the campaign made progress, Liverpool FC fans made sure it wasn’t forgotten about either and received support from teams across the country. When Liverpool made their first appearance in the new Wembley for the Carling Cup final, posters were handed out to both Liverpool and Cardiff City fans, who were asked to hold them up before kick off to grab the attention of footballing fans.

To help raise money for the HFSG, six men completed a 76 mile run from Leppings Lane in Hillsborough to Anfield over the course of three days and have raised just under £9612.

Hours after the men completed the marathon Liverpool and Everton fans had filled up Wembley stadium to see their teams go head to head for a place in this year’s FA Cup final. Before the game got under way the captains of the two teams, Phil Neville of Everton and Steven Gerrard of Liverpool, presented members of the HFSG with a bouquet of flowers amidst the chants of ‘Justice for the 96’ from a sombre crowd. This was followed up by a minute of silence while again both fans held up posters similar to the ones used when Liverpool reached the Carling Cup final in February.

Everton fans might have made the trip back to Liverpool today feeling hard done by after a late goal from Andy Carroll dumped them out of the Cup, but they should hold their heads high. Despite being the blue half of Liverpool, rivalries were forgotten today or at least until half past 12.

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Merseyside comes together once again on the 23rd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster

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