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Is the Nobel Peace Prize still worth anything?
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded this morning and our two journalists, Craig Farrell And Greg Synnott decided to debate its merits. Craig Farrell believes it still holds value.

Due to the uproar caused by the recent nomination of Vladimir Putin for a Nobel Peace Prize, the question has been asked; is the Nobel Peace Prize become insignificant, and the answer is absolutely not.

The fact the nomination of Putin, who many condemn for the treatment of the gay community in Russia, has sparked such outrage shows how the Noble Peace Prize is still something that people see as having a purpose, and a social and global goal.

It must be noted that the Nobel Foundation does not take part in any of the nomination process.

A Nomination for a Peace Prize is deemed acceptable if submitted by:
- Members of national assemblies and governments of states.
- Members of international courts
- Previous Peace Prize Winners
- Board members of organizations that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
  Active and former members (and advisors) of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
- University rectors; professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes.
A Russian advocacy group, The International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation of Peoples of the World, was the group behind the Putin nomination, and they also let it be public knowledge as all nominee lists remain secret for 50 years.

Putin’s nomination was probably political peacocking on the Russian’s behalf, seeing how both Putin and Barack Obama both have Nobel Peace Prizes to their names. The Russian and US president had open letters printed by the New York Times recently in regards to the Syrian crisis, in which both leaders took shots at one another.

Putting Russia’s treatment of the LGBT community aside – as hard it may be to overlook – Putin has still made some significant strive in creating peace. He played an integral part in preventing a Iraq-like invasion in Syria and had a helping hand in chemical weapons being handed over by the Syrian government.

Russia has also held talks with Georgia regarding the differences between those countries.

So in the grand scheme of things there is some validity to Putin’s nomination. I am not condoning his treatment of the gay community. In fact I would be abhorrently against it. However, Putin has facilitated peace in certain areas outside of Russia.

The Nobel Peace Prize has the ideal of awarding someone who has made a major contribution towards peace in the world, and that is an ideal that can never be insignificant. The nomination process may be flawed – much like everything in life – but the goal it strives towards is the same when the likes of Martin Luther King (1964), Mother Teresa (1979) and Desmond Tutu (1984) received their awards.

Greg Synnot shares his views:

But is the Nobel Peace Prize Damp Dynamite?

On October 11^th, we’ll learn whether the Norwegian Nobel Committee is interested in reviving the Nobel Peace Prize to its former glory or whether it will be putting another nail in the coffin for a prize that many consider to have become more of a joke than noteworthy line on someones CV.

Alfred Nobel’s vision for the prize was created in good will and not as an achievement to proponents of war as we’ve seen with former winners like Barack Obama and the European Union.

The European Union receiving it is a blatant violation of Nobel’s will alone, not to mention the fact it defies Nobel’s will, it has been frequently criticized for supporting regime change in foreign countries with several member-states have supporting violent crackdowns on anti-government demonstrators.

In Nobel’s own will it is stated that the prize is for “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”

The prize is not a lifetime award, but goes, along with the other Nobel prizes, “to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.”

Disregarding the obviously laughable options among the 259 nominees, 50 of which are organisations, the favourites for this year barely qualify, if at all. This includes Malala Yousafzai and Denis Mukwege whose work for education and work to aid victims of sexual violent acts respectively should be honoured with an award, but not this one.

It cannot be denied that the prize provides recipients with world exposure, sometimes bringing activists and their causes to international attention.

But when an award can go to a president who took office 11 days before the final date of submission in 2009, it has to be asked, what is the criteria for such an award? Clearly Obama’s only noteworthy point at the time was not being George W. Bush, with that their were seven billion other possible nominations.

The “Peace” Prize has gone through numerous controversial candidates in its long history. Let’s celebrate those who have surely contributed to human welfare and relegate subjective calls to the political spheres that are both their natural habitat and their rightful place: The Committee should disband and nominate no more recipients of the Peace Prize.

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October 11, 2013
Should Ireland reintroduce capital punishment?

When first given the motion, “Should capital punishment be reintroduced to Ireland?” I thought I would find myself on the argument against reinstatement. However when I sat down to actually think about it, I felt that in certain circumstances it should be.

The death penalty is a very contentious issue. In countries which still utilise it, most notably the United States, it is very rarely far from controversy. “Wrongful conviction” pleas are a common occurrence in criminal cases which result in the death penalty. Famous cases include the Anthony Davis case and that of Lee Harvey Oswald.

This is one of the main reasons why I feel that capital punishment should be reintroduced to Ireland, but only in certain circumstances. I do feel that the majority of criminals should have to serve the full duration of the sentence handed down to them. I also think a life sentence should mean life in prison, not just 25 years with the possibility of early release.

However, if the case arises where a person shows no regard for human life on a grand scale, and tries to destroy as many as possible, I think a life sentence may not be enough. In cases of terrorism or mass murder, the death penalty should be an option as a judicial sentence.

Hypothetically speaking, (I stress “hypothetically”) if someone planted a bomb, or began shooting amongst the crowd on Grafton Street on a busy afternoon, they are showing blatant disregard for the lives of others. They are trying to damage as many lives as they can, not just directly, but indirectly also.

When convicted, the maximum sentence that can currently be handed down to that person in the Republic of Ireland is a life sentence. Why, as tax payers, should we have to pay to keep that person in prison? We are paying for their food, water, shelter and well-being for as long as they are behind bars.

They are a clear danger to society, with no chance of ever being released. This should surely be a clear call for the reintroduction of the death penalty. As stated earlier, I feel the majority of prisoners should have to serve their time in full. The length of their sentence should accurately reflect the severity of their crime so they have the time to reflect upon what they did.

A (hypothetical) mass murderer or terrorist isn’t going to be affected by their time behind bars. They should face the death penalty so that the State can wipe their hands of them and not have to support them in any way.

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October 11, 2013
Hard Working Class Heroes

Hard Working Class Heroes has passed us by for another year and continues to improve upon itself; showcasing the finest in independent Irish music every time.

This year played host to numerous new acts as well as some of the bigger up and coming bands on the scene in Ireland at the moment.

As with every year at Hard Working Class Heroes, the biggest set back of the entire weekend is the limited time for change over in between acts. Between most acts ending and another beginning there is an average 10 minute time period.

In this time, bands are expected to remove themselves and their equipment form the stage and make time for another band to set up, tune and get in to play. Impossible is not the word.

This change over leads to continuous delays and stress for bands who are hoping to fully showcase their talents, but without a sound-check, how is that to be expected?

The majority of the acts pull it off, playing a limited set that tends to get cut short by the stage managers to try and forego an further delays that will inevitably happen.

Apart from this one slip, Hard Working Class Heroes is one of the finest festivals to hit Dublin and its run in October tends to bring a close to the festival circuit for the year. It’s notable for showcasing who might make it in the next year and what we can expect from those already on the circuit.

This year saw some exceptional acts take the stage:

I Have A Tribe

I Have a Tribe – Photo by Sarah Buckley

I Have a Tribe – Photo by Sarah Buckley

I Have a Tribe – Photo by Sarah Buckley

I Have a Tribe are fairly new on the scene with a single song online for people to listen to. Their live set is so much more than this song shows off. It is an ethereal experience that showcases a level of showmanship and musical capabilities unexpected from a new band. One to certainly keep an eye on over the next few months.

Tvvins

Tvvins (pronounced Twins) is the newest side project to come out of Conor Adams from The Cast of Cheers who was previously working on Charmers. This time he takes the reigns with Lar Kaye of Adebisi Shank and No Spill Blood and produces a heavy riff driven act supported by voxer vocals and synth backing. Their first set ever was played over the weekend in Bad Bobs and may have taken the cake as the most impressive live act of the weekend. Musically Conor Adams and Lar Kaye prove again and again they are a force to be reckoned with, and teaming up has just cemented this fact.

Tandem Felix

Tandem Felix – Photo by Sarah Buckley

Tandem Felix – Photo by Sarah Buckley

Meeting House Square is a big stage to fill, and Tandem Felix manage to do so effortlessly with all those encompassing, atmosphere filled tunes, that may just be the love child of James Mercer and Thom Yorke. Talented lads, who command the growing crowd with their wit and knock them out with stunning sounds. Definitely ones to watch.

Hozier

Hozier – Sarah Buckley

Hozier – Sarah Buckley

Hozier – Sarah Buckley

Playing to a jam packed Button Factory, the man everyone wanted to see on Thursday night considerably enraptured the eager crowd with his stunning vocals. Considering the relatively short time allotment, Hozier managed to pack a punch, with a varied set of material ranging from old, new and cover versions (Whole Lotta Lovesounded a whole lot different).

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October 10, 2013
Should Ireland reintroduce capital punishment?

The last execution in Ireland took place in 1954, however the death penalty was only removed from statue in 1990. Image by: Jody Trappe

If you believe that there is true value in the concept of life, then you surely agree that Ireland is better off without capital punishment.

Yes, there are vile criminal cases that occur that make the public question whether the assailant deserves the right to life – but no one should ever be granted the right to take a life.

Ghandhi said, ‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’, and there is an eternal truth in this.

The idea of taking somebodies life as a form of legal revenge against someone who has committed a murder, rape or any other vile act has a major flaw, not to mention the moral and human right dilemma it also holds.

If capital punishment – or the ‘eye for an eye’ method of justice – was reintroduced as a form of exacting justice for a punishment that fits the crime, this would result in a purely mathematical injustice.

A life for a life in some people’s mind may be an archaic form of justice but what about a person who has committed multiple murders, or vile acts. Then it becomes a life for multiple lives. And hence the person who has committed the same crime multiple times will receive the same punishment as that of someone who has committed the crime on just one occasion. Is that justice?

This will also lead to the idea that one person’s life is worth the same value of that of many stolen lives. Is that justice?

In 2010 the then Mayor of Limerick, Kevin Kiely, asked the government for a referendum on the reintroduction of the death penalty in Ireland as a way to curb the increasing numbers of murders.

In July of this year, Jim Callaly, father of murdered Rachel O’Reilly, called for the death penalty to be reintroduced to act as a deterrent to those who plan to commit murder.

Contrary to these opinions, a report conducted by Amnesty International in 2012 states that the according to FBI data “the 14 states without capital punishment have homicide rates below the national average”.

The death penalty has been called for to introduce a form of justice to the judicial system. According to the same 2012 report that, “140 people have been released from death rows…due to evidence of their wrongful conviction”.

To quote Maimonides; “It is better a thousand guilty persons go free than to put a single innocent one to death.”

My deepest sympathies go out to any person whose live has been altered by a serious crime. The best way to combat this in the future is to reform the Irish judicial system and create a fully functional system that strictly impinges on the lives of those who commit serious offensives.

A DNA database, proper jail sentences, a more efficient and better equipped police force would all be steps towards improving the safety of those in this country and insuring a better sense of justice is being served.

We should not allow our moral compass to become skewed.

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October 10, 2013
No blurred lines here.

Are females exploited by the music industry? This writer would have to say; yes, females are routinely exploited by (and in) the modern music industry.

Female exploitation has become such an orthodox in pop music culture that most casual listeners aren’t even aware of it until you shove it in their face and scream “What’s wrong with this? What’s wrong with you that you don’t see what’s wrong with this?”

Take, for example, arguably the song of the Summer of 2013; ‘Blurred Lines’ by Californian singer/songwriter Robin Thicke.

A still of Robin Thicke in the ‘Blurred Lines’ video. Copyright Diane Martel 2013.

Since 26th March ‘Blurred Lines’ has been pumping out of every piece of equipment even remotely capable of broadcasting a radio signal, to the delight of both men and women alike. With a catchy hook and infectious chorus the single soon became the soundtrack of the summer, dominating both the airwaves and charts.

In interviews, Thicke has claimed that the song is about “addressing the grey area between consensual sex and assault”- I’m sorry, what?

Who gets confused about the difference between consensual sex and assault? Do you? Robin Thicke does apparently.

Once you examine the (uncensored) lyrics of ‘Blurred Lines’ and it’s music video you begin to realise just how extensive the exploitation of women can be in a number one pop song.

“The way you grab me,
Must wanna get nasty,
Nothing like your last guy, he too square for you
He don’t smack your ass and pull your hair like that.
I’ll give you something to tear your ass in two.”

Grammar mistakes and misogynistic fantasising aside, the idea of tearing a girls ass in two with your ‘something’ probably falls under the categorisation of ‘assault’ as opposed to ‘consensual sex’, Robin.

The music video just serves to strengthen the concept that women are no more than living sex dolls, who exist only for the pleasure of men.

In the music video, Thicke, singer/songwriter/producer Pharrell Williams and rapper ‘T.I.’ (born Cifford Joseph Harris Jr.) are surrounded by scantily clad, topless women gyrating and humping like dogs in hot weather.

Thicke and Williams are of course dressed in fine suits, chasing and handling these poor girls like they’re browsing through magazines in Eurospar.

A still from the ‘Blurred Lines’ video. Copyright Diane Martel 2013.

In case viewers found it hard to decipher the deep philosophical meaning of the video, the statement ‘Robin Thicke has a big dick’ can be seen emblazoned on a wall while a topless blonde girl flounders around in front of it like a trout on a dry riverbed.

Robin Thicke is not the only star guilty of this objectifying portrayal of women in music videos however; just look at any rapper or hip-hop star in the history of I don’t know, forever and you are 99% guaranteed to see some kind of sexist portrayal of women as mere objects for mens sexual amusement.

Finally, we have the infamous MTV VMA’s performance with Miley Cyrus.

If there was ever a personification of the extremely negative social effects of this misogynistic, derogatory attitude towards women in pop culture, it’s Miley Cyrus.

Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke performing at the 2013 VMA’s. Copyright MTV 2013.

The former Disney television child star shocked the VMA audience with her overtly suggestive sexual behavior onstage, most notably ‘twerking’ (the “rhythmic gyrating of the lower fleshy extremities”, as explained by http://www.urbandictionary.com/) on Thicke’s presumably well-endowed crotch.

What’s even worse about the misogynistic attitude prevalent in pop culture is when female pop stars conform to this mindset and further embed it into social consciousness as ‘acceptable’ treatment of women.

Miley Cyrus’s latest video for her single “Wrecking Ball” features her posing naked on a wrecking ball and performing fellatio on a sledgehammer for God’s sake.

Sex may sell, but it’s a sad world when not only are there both men and women conforming to the misogynistic pop culture mindset; the public are more than happy to reinforce it through accepting it as an orthodox of music culture.

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October 10, 2013
Gaming and Violence – GTA 5 is “not for kids”

Violent games are not for kids. They can be used as a release for adults.

Violence in video games has always been a contentious issue, but until recently, the debate has been largely one-sided. As part of the recent film Video Games: The Movie, leading industry figures discussed the issue of violence in video games and what effect it has on the children and adults consuming them.

In a scathing review of the mainstream media mind-set toward the topic, Mikey Neumann, creative designer at Gearbox Software, Cliff Bleszinski, creator of Gears of War, and a handful of other important industry figures tore into some of the common misconceptions and misdirected blame that revolves around violent video games.

Neumann called attention to the fact that blame is often diverted from parents themselves and onto video games, “It’s weird how when you watch the people and they go to Congress and they’re angry: ‘Our kids are being corrupted.’ I’m like ‘Yeah, exactly. Your kids.’”, he continued, “They’re your children. You should be not corrupting them. ‘I leave them alone ten hours a day; he’s getting corrupted by this.’ Well no s***. It’s like finding your dad’s Playboys under the bed and then blaming Playboy.”

Bleszinski spoke of the illegitimacy of the connection between video games and violence, saying, “People like to make just kind of a causal link and say well video games cause violence. It’s like, let’s see, so, there’s more crime in the summer and more ice cream is sold in the summer, therefore ice cream causes crime. That’s not how legitimate scientific research works.”

Brian Fargo, founder of InXile Productions, used the industry’s strict rating system as an example of how games are meant to defend against underage players, “We’re just like any other industry that we have these rating systems in place and there’s going to be something for everybody.” This echo’s Neumann’s point that the parent is responsible for the content that their child can acquire, not the industry.

This outlook is echoed by Steven Ogg, the man responsible for bringing the maniac Trevor Philips to life in GTA 5. Speaking in an interview with PC Advisor he said, “The hypocrisy drives me crazy,” he says. “It just sets the wrong focus. Why not talk about gun control? Why not talk about parenting? Why not talk of lack of family values? There are so many other things to talk about.”

Real-life ex-gang member Shawn Fonteno, who plays Franklin Clinton in the game, told PC Advisor he believes that this is where a lot of people’s misconceptions stem from. Regardless of the fact that it’s advised for adults only, the lingering view that games are just for kids means uninformed parents assume that Rockstar is deliberately trying to market towards them using hyper-violence.

“People already have it in their mind that GTA is for kids because it’s a game,” said Fonteno.

“Then they hear about the violence and they’re instantly going to attack because it’s a game. Now, if it was a movie it would be a different story and these same people would be out there supporting it. GTA V is like a movie. Once they get the game in their hands, they’ll see. It says it big as day–Mature. It’s not for the kids to go get. It’s for mature audiences only. If kids get it, then that’s on their parents.”

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October 9, 2013
Who deserves a Nobel Peace Prize?

The 2013 Peace Prize has been sparking debate all over the global. Photo by: Vegard Iglebaek

Due to the vast controversy surrounding the nomination of Vladimir Putin for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, the question of “who deserves a Nobel Peace Prize?” was put to the general public.

The vast majority of people all had differing opinions on who would make a deserving winner. Only Malala Yousafzai received more than one public nomination.

James Franklin said, “the girl who was shot by the Talaban. She is a modern version of Martin Luther King Jr. She is a role model for women’s rights in a backwards country.” Gary Kinsella was short and sweet in his nomination, saying “Malala, for being shot for wanting to learn!”.

Theology student Jason Doran also voted for Malala Yousafzai saying, “I think she showed great courage and bravery in the face of extreme adversity. She could bridge the gap between real people of that part of the world and Europe. Not every muslim is a terrorist.”

The New Pope got in on the action too. Jason Shaw said “Pope Francis. All the other world leaders have alot of blood on their hands but he seems to be doing alot more for world peace then the rest by his constant calls for acceptance of all people – and that is coming from someone who would not consider themselves religious by any means.”

There were two nominations for people from Ireland.

Tessa Fleming and Derek Goulding said that they would like to see Michael D. Higgins and Ian Paisley win awards, respectively. Tessa felt that Higgins deserved the award “because of his work for equality, culture, and ethics”, while Derek said despite being a controversial choice Paisley “was one of the cornerstones in ensuring that peace was at least a possibility in the North.”

There was a lot of discontent towards the prize and what many deemed it has come to resemble presently.

“Does anyone deserve to win it?, said Joseph Reid. “Peace is only temporary at best, there will always be war, it’s human nature.”

Kieran O’Driscoll summed up the apthay towards the Nobel Peace Prize claiming, “they support the war on terror”.

He explained, “in recent years, the prize has been awarded to Obama, while he was in the midst of escalating military presence in Afghanistan, and the E.U., soon after a number of European countries had intervened with force in Libya. This seems to me to go against the idea of peace-making and could be seen as approving of military action/force, while ignoring those who may be working on the opposite side of a conflict, attempting to work towards peace in these scenarios.”

“At the moment, I hope the prize is awarded to someone for humanitarian work, someone who embodies the ‘champions of peace’ that the award strives to be bestowed upon.”

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October 9, 2013
Who’s worse, Irish or Italian politicians?

After a vicious campaign denouncing and undermining Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi just last week shocked the world by opting for an official vote of confidence in his political rival.

The move came as a surprise to many, considering Berlusconi’s previously very vocal criticisms of Letta and his party, the Italian Democratic Party.

Berlusconi announced in recent weeks in no uncertain terms that he and his People of freedom (PDL) party would be leaving Letta’s coalition government and would be voting against him in any confidence vote.

However it became clear last week that despite what Berlusconi had promised, a large number of his own party were not prepared to follow his lead and leave the coalition government, or give Letta a vote of no confidence.

Berlusconi Protest Signs Photo: Alan Denney on Flickr

Although Letta appears to have won this round, it is by no means a death sentence for Berlusconi’s career. Like many Irish politicians of late, the 77 year old politician is famous for coming back from scandals, both legal and political.

However his sins finally appeared to have caught up to him in August 2012 when he was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to 4 years in prison (later reduced to just one).Then in 2013 he was found guilty of abuses of power and paying for sex with a then 17 year old and sentenced to 7 years.

The people of Ireland can no doubt empathise with Italians in their current political climate, having in recent years seen less than perfect politicians such as Charles Haughey and Bertie Ahern in positions of ultimate power, not to mention the infamous Morning Ireland interview in which then Taoiseach Brian Cowen was involved.

Even with these convictions and the humiliation of last Wednesday’s defeat hanging over his head, Berlusconi is still not a complete write off. He has vast monetary and media resources at his fingertips, and a good chunk of the Italian public are still fiercely loyal to him. So what will happen next is anyone’s guess.

Photo credits Alan Denney and Alessio85 on Flickr

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October 9, 2013
Proposed transition to opt-out system for organ donation

A joint Oireachtas Committee, chaired by Mr. Jerry Buttimer, has called for a change in the way Irish citizens are asked to donate our organs, in the hope more organs will be donated.

An opt-out system, instead of an opt-in system, would increase the number of organ donors, according to Mr. Buttimer.

In this way, Irish residents would automatically become donors unless they specifically choose not to, by opting out.

Under the present system, organ donors opt-in by choosing to donate their organs by carrying an organ donor card.

Nevertheless, the Irish Kidney Association does not think an opt-out system will increase donor numbers and would prefer a change in the way organs are obtained.

It expected the public consultation process, initiated by the Department of Health, to debate whether an opt-out system should or should not be introduced, and explained this in their submission.

We have been asking Irish people to donate organs for the past 49 years, said the Irish Kidney Association, and the proposal now is to tell them they can object to organ donation.

A “public awareness campaign for an opt-out system is a much harder proposition to sell to the public, than the informed consent system” and needs careful consideration, it added.

In 2012, three Dublin hospitals carried out 239 organ transplants – 163 kidney, 50 liver, 14 lung, 10 heart and two pancreas.

The total number of donors was 78 deceased and 32 live donors. Notwithstanding, the number of patients on the transplant list was 563, an increase of 35 on 2011 figures

Video

Reporter: Anne Stewart

Camera: Kay Cairns

Production: Jonathan Crean

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October 9, 2013
How to combat the rise in electricity prices

Electric Ireland and Airtricity, two of the leading electricity suppliers in the country, have both released statements declaring price hikes for residential customers.

Electric Ireland sets to increase prices by 1.7% starting January 1 2014. This, on top of the recently approved public service mandate (PSO) amounts to an extra €35 a year for an average family.

Airtricity said it is to hike electricity prices by 3.5% from November 1. This increase will add almost €40 a year to its customer bills.

As winter creeps ever closer consumers will have to be extra careful with their usage in order to overcome these hikes. To aid you in your quest we put together a list of ways to use less electricity and save money…

Idle machines rack up costs:

Configure your computer to “sleep” if left idle for more than ten minutes. Furthermore, turning your computer off at night will save on average 25% of its annual energy usage. Appliances on standby still use electricity, switching appliances off at the mains is a good habit to get into.

Maintain your appliances:

Preventing the build-up of frost in your freezer will increase its energy consumption. Heating water can account for half of your bill. Make sure your tank is properly insulated.

Be tactful:

A full load of washing is more energy efficient than two half loads so plan ahead of time. When boiling the kettle make sure to boil only the amount required.

Use online billing:

Online billing is simple, less hassle, and most providers now offer this service. Bord Gais and Airtricity both offer discounts to online bill payers.

Lighting:

An obvious yet affect tip – low energy light bulbs. A low energy bulb uses over five times less energy than a standard bulb.

“There’s an app for that”:

Many companies now offer free applications that allow you to pinpoint the real energy guzzlers in your home.

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October 9, 2013