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The College Press

————-Friday, 21st December 2012 Issue 2 Volume 8—————

The Christmas Issue

Recession Friendly

Christmas

Friendly Facebook

Top 10 Christmas

Seasonal Special

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College Press Editorial Team

Editors: Ciara Maher

Sorcha Lavelle-Walsh

Student Contributors:

Special Thanks To: Mr. Doyle

Chata-Mari Viglino

Caroline Kane

Becky Doherty

Rosie Stebbing

Sarah Coller

Blathnaid Corless

Millie Ahearn O'Donnell

Lorcan O’Sullivan

Rosin Flynn

Patrick Morrin

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Hi Everyone,

4 days till Christmas! Yes, we’re pretty busy with

exams… Thanks to all who contributed to this issue

of the College Press, don’t forget we are always

looking for contributors and suggestions, you can

like us on facebook, e-mail us at:

collegepress@gmail.com or simply say hello to us

in the corridor, the options are endless.

Ciara and Sorcha :)

Editorial

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1 Spending time with your family

2The presents

3 Playing in the snow

4 Putting your decorations up

5 Watching Christmas movies

6 Listening to Christmas songs

7 Having hot chocolate by the fire

8 Waiting for the snow

9 Looking at Christmas lights

10 Waiting for Christmas to come!

The 10 best thing

s about Christmas

By: Chata-Mari Viglino

We all love Christmas. The 10 best things

about Christmas are :

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The Top 10 Christmas movies +songs By: Caroline Kane

1. The Grinch 1. Jingle Bells 2. Elf 2. All I want for Christmas 3. The Muppets Christmas Carol 3. Winter Song 4. Santa Clause 4. Santa Clause is comin’ 5. Fred Clause 5. The Power of Love 6. Miracle on 34th street 6. Under The Mistletoe 7. Home Alone 7. Santa Baby 8. Scrooged 8. Frosty the Snowman 9. Santa Buddies 9. Silent Night 10. Polar Express 10. Merry Christmas

Movies Songs

A great way to get into the Christmas mood is to settle down and watch a selection of Christmas movies or listen to your favourite

Christmas songs. I surveyed first years and a few teachers, and this is what they said!

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Breaking Dawn Part 2

The epic conclusion to the Twilight series has mesmerised millions of fans, leaving them wondering what will become of the Cullen family in years to come. Bella and Edward’s love story continues in this film, as

they introduce their daughter, Renesmee, to the saga.

The film begins with Bella waking up from a two day ordeal , changing from human to vampire following the birth of her daughter Renesmee. Re-nesmee gets off to an unfortunate start in the world. The Volturi have incorrect information about her, the part human, part immortal child. They believe that she is completely immortal be-cause Irina, from the Denali coven, saw Renesmee in the woods with Jacob and Bella catching snow flakes and thought she was a complete immortal.

The Cullens gather many witnesses for the Vol-turi’s ‘visit’- such as the Denali coven, the Irish coven, the Egyptian coven, the Amazon coven and the Romanian coven.

Vampire by vampire, Renesmee shows them all her extra special gift so they can have proof of the situation. They are shocked to see such a peculiar gift and they fall in love with her straight away. She can tell people what she wants to say by just putting her hand upon their face.

There is a huge twist towards the end of the movie which will have you at the edge of your seat, but I won’t divulge anymore informa-tion, as I don’t want to ruin the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it. To know more, you’ll have to go and see it while it’s still in cinemas!

By Becky Doherty

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Recession-Friendly Christmas

#1 Snow globe

You will need:

A glass jar, an old ornament (you can

get these cheap in charity shops, or

maybe you have some lying around

the house), water, glycerin, glitter.

To make the snow globe:

Glue the ornament to the inside of the lid of the jar. Fill the jar

almost to the top with water, and add glycerin. This will stop the

glitter from floating to the bottom too quickly. Add the glitter,

and then, when the glue is dry, carefully screw the lid onto the

jar. Turn the jar over, and let it snow!

#2 Christmas hamper

Turn to our Christmas recipe page for ideas for your hamper!

You can fill a basket with lots of sweet treats, which is the per-

fect cheap but impressive

gift.

You will need:

Delicious christmas food,

wicker basket

That time of year is here again! Tis the season for present

buying, tree decorating and card sending, which no doubt are

taking their toll on your pocket. Here are six simple ideas for

homemade presents, decorations and cards that won’t break

the bank this Christmas!

Gifts:

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Decorations: #3 Paper bird tree decorations

You will need:

White card, patterned paper,

glue, twine, hole puncher.

To make the paper birds:

Cut two bird shapes from the

white card. Cut two bird shapes

from white card. Draw a wing

onto one bird and cut along

the lower and side edges with a craft knife. Fold wing upwards.

Glue a piece of patterned paper or fabric to the reverse side to

show through underneath the wing. Fold a length of twine to

form a long loop. Stick loop in place to the reverse of one bird

with the loop at the top and the ends at the bottom forming the

bird’s legs. Glue both bird shapes together, punch a hole for its

eye and hang up.

#4 Give old Christmas baubles a new look

You will need:

Old baubles, fabric of your choice, hemp cord/

wool/string, buttons, string

To give the baubles a new look:

Cut out a piece of fabric large enough to cover

the bauble. Bring the edges of the material up

to the top of the bauble, then tie with the cord.

Thread a button onto the string and then tie

with a bow. Trim the material with the scis-

sors, then hang on the tree.

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Cards: 5. Wreath card

You will need:

White card, three different colours of

card, red ribbon

To make the wreath card:

Punch or cut out lots of circles in dif-

ferent colours and sizes. Stick in a

wreath shape on the folded over

white card. Then tie the ribbon in a

bow, and stick at the top of the

wreath.

6. Thumbprint robin card

You will need:

White card, brown paint, red paint, googly eyes, glue, black

pen.

To make the thumbprint robin

card:

Press your thumb into the brown

paint and then print three times onto

the card. Leave to dry, then repeat on

top of the brown using red for the

robins’ tummies. Leave to dry, then

glue on the googly eyes. Using the

black pen, draw on beaks, wings and

feet.

By: Rosie Stebbing

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Friendly Facebook?

Tremendous Twitter?

The Positives of Social Networking

Social networking – what does it actually

mean? (Hang on, just let me Google it – yes,

even I don’t know...) Ok, here goes: “The use

of a dedicated Web site to communicate informally with

other members of the site, by posting messages, photo-

graphs, etc.”… blah, blah, blah… basically it means we

all stay in contact over the internet by sharing our pho-

tos and messaging each other, whether public or pri-

vate. But the real aim of these websites, such as Face-

book, Instagram and Twitter, are to get us all

*SPOILER ALERT – don’t worry, this isn’t another lecture on cyber

bullying, as serious an issue as it is. I’m here today to try and

spread the word about all the positive aspects of social network-

ing that you’ve probably forgotten about recently, amidst the

terrible news that many people – particularly teens – are having

extreme mental health issues, even devastatingly going as far as

turning to suicide. Let’s make a change.

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connected, talking and sharing our ideas. That doesn’t just

mean having the chats with your friend about today’s news.

It’s much broader than that.If you own a pet, you will know

the feeling of empathy when you see a dodgy, weather-

beaten sign with a picture of a cat captioned ‘Help find Snowy please!” in marker. The chances of the sign being

seen are quite small. But let’s say someone was to tweet a

picture of their missing dog – it can be endlessly re-tweeted.

Same as with Facebook, whereby you can share any photo

and like it to push it up in importance on people’s newsfeed.

I do wonder if Mark Zuckerberg (creator of Facebook, for

those of you who live under a rock) knew what a key com-

munity aid he had created when he invented the infamous

site. And of course, it goes without saying that when a loved

one in your community goes missing, you are more likely to

see their picture and details about them M.I.A. firstly on

these sites than on the TV or radio news.

Social networking’s ability to be instant and easy to access

means it is fast overtaking the likes of the newspaper, TV

and radio for the place people visit first to find current

affairs information. I’ve never bought a newspaper in

my life and seldom pick one up to read, but by liking The

Irish Times Facebook page or following them on

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Twitter I can be informed the easy way – why

not give it a go?

Another great aspect of social networking? It’s

FREE. This means that charities who don’t re-

ceive any government funding, such as the Make a

Wish Foundation, are able to raise awareness and in

turn collect more donations through the likes of Face-

book and Twitter without it costing them a vital

penny. It’s essential to keep helpful charities and or-

ganisations like this in the know and easily accessible.

For example, Headstrong The National Centre

for Youth Mental Health has a 3,000 strong fol-

lowing on Facebook, putting it out there for people

who may be looking for support. How many times

lately have you opted to see if there is a Facebook page

for an organization instead of trying to find their web-

site online? Bringing together your social circles with

wider community organisations is another reason

why social networking is the way to a brighter future.

Of course, social networking is not without its

disadvantages. Most of us are

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aware of the disgusting and demoralizing behavior of

some people on these sites. Cyber bullying is becoming

a real issue in today’s society. But it’s just a platform to

launch insults from, not the source of these insults. We

also should keep in mind that the campaigns launched

to support these people can be established and pro-

moted on Facebook and Twitter. The amount of anti-

bullying pages set up in comparison to the number of

abusive pages is an encouraging sight.

Remember guys, Facebook and Twitter will continue to

cause bullying if we don’t focus on the positive. Why not

start a hashtag for anti-bullying specifically in your

school or local area trending on Twitter? Or like and

share the latest anti-bullying page on Facebook? If we

can’t make these websites go away (and be honest, you

kinda love them), why not use them as a tool

for doing good? #overandout.

By Sarah Coller.

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To decorate:

300g sifted icing

sugar

16 lolly sticks or cof-

fee stirrers

a few sweets

sugar, for sprinkling

red and white tubes

of writing icing

INGREDIENTS by Blathnaid Corless

Iced Christmas Trees

100g butter , chopped

175g dark muscovado

sugar

85g golden syrup

350g plain flour , plus

extra for dusting

1 tbsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 egg , beaten

sugar , for sprinkling

For the biscuits:

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METHOD

1: Gently melt the butter, muscovado sugar and syrup in

a large pan until the sugar dissolves. Mix the flour,

spices and ½ tsp salt. Cool the buttermixture a little,

then stir in the bicarbonate. Immediately add half

the spiced flour and beat well. Add the egg and the

rest of the spiced flour, then beat well again until the

mixture comes together as a soft dough. Tip onto a

sheet of foil, flatten to a large disc, then cool and

chill until firm. Will freeze for up to 6 weeks.

2: Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Halve the dough

and roll out on a floured surface. Stamp out trees us-

ing a cutter about 10cm long and arrange, well spaced

apart, on baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 mins until

golden. Leave to harden, then lift onto a rack. Repeat

with the remaining dough. Use the trimmings to stamp

out 3-4cm stars, then bake for 9-10 mins.

3: To decorate, mix about 3 tbsp water into the icing

sugar to make a thick icing. Use to sandwich two trees

together with a lolly stick between them. Use the

rest of the icing to ice the trees and stars, adding

sweets or sprinkling with the sugar. For a neater re-

sult, use the writing icing to make an outline of the

tree before filling in with the icing. Leave to set. Will keep in a tin for 3-4 days.

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I really love Christmas, all my family are together and we tell

each other funny stories from Christmas time when we were

younger. My Mum and Uncle Jim always tell the best

ones.............This is my favourite! My Mum and her brother Jim

were really bold kids....I'm probably not supposed to tell you

this story but whatever.. Every Christmas for years my Nan

used to buy boxes of biscuits as presents for Christmas, and

every year my Mum and her brother used to open the

tins.....take out the top layer of biscuits and eat the bottom

layer from each tin!...and then the little genius's used to put

back in the top layer and tape the tin back up

again......seriously! My poor Nan was giving presents for years

and never knew. I have a few tricks up my sleeve too......I apolo-

gise in advance if you only get half your present :P haha

By Millie Ahearn O'Donnell

MICROSOFT NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Anon) 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, except Papa's mouse. The computer was humming, the icons were hopping, As Papa did last-minute Internet shopping. The stockings were hung by the modem with care In hope that St. Nicholas would bring new software.

Miscellany

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The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of computer games danced in their heads. PageMaker for Billy, and Quicken for Dan, And Carmen Sandiego for Pamela Ann. The letters to Santa had been sent out by Mom, To santaclaus@toyshop.northpole.com - Which has now been re-routed to Washington State Because Santa's workshop has been bought by Bill Gates. All the elves and reindeer have had to skedaddle To flashy new quarters in suburban Seattle. After centuries of a life that was simple and spare, St. Nicholas is suddenly a new billionaire, With a shiny red Porsche in the place of his sleigh, And a house on Lake Washington that's just down the way

From where Bill has his mansion. The old fellow preens In black Gucci boots and red Calvin Klein jeans. The elves have stock options and desks with a view, Where they write computer code for Johnny and Sue. No more dolls or tin soldiers or little toy drums

Will be under the tree, only compact disk ROMS With the Microsoft label. So spin up your drive, From now on Christmas runs only on Win95. More rapid than eagles the competitors came, And Bill whistled, and shouted, and called them by name. "Now, ADOBE! now, CLARIS! now, INTUIT! too, Now, APPLE! and NETSCAPE! you are all of you through, It is Microsoft's SANTA that the kids can't resist, It's the ultimate software with a traditional twist - Recommended by no less than the jolly old elf, And on the package, a picture of Santa himself. Get 'em young, keep 'em long, is Microsoft's scheme, And a merger with Santa is a marketer's dream. To the top of the NASDAQ! to the top of the Dow! Now dash away! dash away! dash away - wow!" And Mama in her 'kerchief and I in my cap,

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Had just settled down for a long winter's nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, The whir and the hum of our satellite platter. As it turned toward that new Christmas star in the sky, The SANTALITE owned by the Microsoft guy. As I sprang from my bed and was turning around, My computer turned on with a Jingle-Bells sound. And there on the screen was a smiling Bill Gates Next to jolly old Santa, two arm-in-arm mates. And I heard them exclaim in voice so bright, Have a MICROSOFT CHRISTMAS, and TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.

‘Hair Poem’ by Lorcan O’Sullivan 1T Baldness comes to men like me And I am only twenty three Few strands of hair on my head They know all the rest is dead Baldness has its own bonus too And I will name just a few No grey hair for you to see No cutting, trimming, styling free

No shampoo to make it shine Step out of the shower it dries just fine To all the vain men out there Don not worry if you have lost your hair!

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Unsung Heros—by Roisin Flynn

Ever wondered about those sickeningly successful peo-

ple that clog up our morning notices with their numer-

ous sporting achievements? Ever said to yourself, “I

wish I had their six pack and defined arms…but meh,

effort”?

Well it’s when you hear that someone like Jack Hickey (Irish dancer; 2nd

in Leinster, 5th in the world) has “broken both ankles and torn ligaments

6 times”, that Dearbhla Flanagan (Leinster Rugby U18, U19) spent the

night in A&E after being headbutted or that Niamh Jordan (All-Ireland

and World Irish Dancing Medallist) tore 2 tendons in her foot 2 weeks

before a major dancing championship, that it’s not hard to see why the

some of us prefer the safety of the sideline to the battlefield of sport. But

as Lauren Heffernan (member of a schools team representing Ireland at

Hickstead) so rightly puts it, “it’s hard work and you have to be quite

dedicated and hardy, no point crying every time you fall off [your

horse+”.

When asked why she thought she was so suited to triathlons, earning her

representation for Ireland, Aisling Wyer merely commented “I work hard

and put the time into training, luckily it has paid off”. But as all of us

couch-surfers know, it’s often the choice between settling down to the

midweek movie with munchies in hand versus a dark, cold run in the rain

(pffft not a chance, pass those Pringles!!). But these are the types of

choices that must be made if you share hopes similar to those of Michael

Healion (Athletics- Ireland)- “to remain injury free and become a regular

on the Irish squad.”

The world of sport is not always easy. While Lisa Dolly (competed for Ire-

land in showjumping) confesses to finding competing as an individual

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easier, she does add that “It can get lonely though, and a bit isolated”.

Gráinne Carr (European Champion Irish Dancer) says that she enjoys

the pressure of others watching her perform as, “I’m so used to people

watching me dance at feis’ that it’s just the norm for me at this stage.”

But what keeps these athletes going while the rest of us are enjoying

our sedentary lifestyles to the max? For Niamh Deering (represented

Ireland in the Mounted Games), it’s the example of Zara Phillips, for

Declan Gardiner (No.1 Irish Tennis Player U12, Leinster U14), it’s Roy

Keane’s quote “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail” and for Michael Jordan

(4th in Ireland- Javelin) it’s the inspiration provided by self-trained jave-

lin thrower Terry McHugh.

For others it’s the little superstitions that make all the difference. Who

would have known that Heather Meagher (represented Ireland in the

European Basketball Championships) always wears her hair the same

way for every match? Who would have thought that Ciara Conaty

(Leinster Hockey U16, Kildare Camogie & GAA) used to make everyone

on her team touch her lucky football boots before a game? Or that

Jeanette O’Meara (Leinster Irish Dancing Champion) always dances

with an angel pinned to the shawl of her dress?

And those Scully sisters…..!! Having all represented Kildare for GAA

(and Kate also played U19 rugby for Leinster), they admit that it is diffi-

cult to manage sport and schoolwork (“I usually end up doing my

homework on Sunday night” Muireann says, while Louise does hers “en

route to and from school!”), but it’s clear from their wish to “continue

playing to the best of *their+ ability” that they will find a way to make it

work. Perhaps their excuse, “I was at Kildare training last night”, might

go down a little better with the teachers than “Ah Miss, Love/Hate was

on!”

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As much as it pains me to admit it (!), we do have a seriously talented

bunch of rugby players here in the College (incl 4 representing Leinster

and 1 representing Connacht). But what advice do they have for us

mere mortals looking to emulate their successes? “Just practice as

much as you can, be dedicated to the sport and take your chance when

it arrives” is Robbie Mullen’s (Connacht Rugby U19- Interpro Champi-

ons) advice, while Hugh O’Donnell (Leinster Rugby U18- Interpro Cham-

pions), who admits to singing ‘If you wanna be my lover’ before every

match, reckons you should “give it a lash, sure what do you have to

lose?”.

So there you have it people, set your sky boxes to series link and get

out to support your brilliant (albeit, depressingly brilliant! ) classmates!

***D.C., unfortunately your all-time high score on ‘Bop- It’ does

not qualify you for interview at this time

Concern Debating Round 2 – This time it’s personal.

The Concern debate (15/11/2012) was not only thoroughly entertaining but also hugely

thought provoking. Newbridge College Debating team answered many of today’s most

burning questions such as; who did steal the last cookie from the cookie jar??? The team

consisted of Grainne Carr (captain), with her ferocious debating style (I was literally terri-

fied!), Ciara Maher, the comedic genius, Jeffrey Hovendan Keane, the dramatic and forceful

rebutter who made me feel personally responsible for all the poverty in the world and

Chloe O’Reilly, who began so sweetly welcoming her opponents before turning caustic and

lampooning them with her words. The opposition really didn’t stand a chance. The team

did the College proud exhibiting great team work and The College Press can also exclusively

reveal that Ciara Maher does not, I repeat DOES NOT watch “The Valleys.” Since then then

team have gone on to triumph in Blesso (excuse the colloquialism) and are going from

strength to strength. Well done to Miss. C. Kelly and Miss D. Murphy on all there hard

work.

Mr. Doyle

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Ireland vs. Argentina

As the GAA season goes into hibernation for another year Ireland can

focus full attention on the Autumn International series. Ireland’s in-

ternational calendar finished with a clash against the inform pumas.

This was deemed as easy win for the pumas as Ireland’s resources

were greatly depleted. Our fellow colleague Jamie Heaslip skippered

Ireland for the second time. The pumas were favourites but Ireland’s

team seemed to be reinvigorated with a star on the wing in the shape

of Craig Gilroy. This was a must win game for Ireland as it was there

last opportunity to get into the top eight of the world rankings and

also Declan Kidney needed to rectify his position as head coach with a

win. The Pumas were coming of the back of an impressive campaign

in the Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere and also they

had an equally impressive performance against Wales in Cardiff.

As the game started Ireland immediately laid down a marker with

massive intensity and the Pumas eventually capsized on 11 minutes

with an exquisite try from the new kid on the block Gilroy, who

skipped past five players on route to cross the whitewash, Such step-

ping hasn’t been seen since Brian O’ Driscoll Heroics twelve years ago

in Paris (also heralding him to stardom). This try seemed to release a

lot of tension in the Irish ranks as Jonny Sexton nearly killed Gilroy in

an over the top celebration which would be more appropriate in a

Wrestling ring. Ireland were now hugely on top with the Irish backs

running mesmerising lines in attack with Argentina hopelessly grasp-

ing at thin air in defence. Next to use his stepping skills was the ma-

jestic Sexton who cruised over the line for a well worked try. Another

The Sports Column By Paddy Morrin

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plus for Ireland was there domination up front with the Irish front five

dominating especially at the set piece with Donncha Ryan impressive at

the Line out. This superiority up front showed when Strauss squeezed him-

self over the line in the corner for a hard yards try. The Irish momentum

just kept rolling and all of a sudden they were in again with another top

notch try finished off by Simon Zebo, with the accurate Sexton adding the

extras. A penalty by sexton at the end of the first half showed Ireland

meant business. This was a first half performance oozing with class from

Ireland the half time score 24-9. Throughout the first half It seemed the

Pumas wanted a break from there long regime because at times they were

lethargic and they seemed to be not bothered with the matter at hand

which is a surprise because the Puma’s usually bring spirit and passion but

it wasn’t evident today.

The second half started were it left off with Ireland intent to besiege the

Puma’s line. Argentina’s defence was non- existent and Ireland continued

to plunder tries with Bowe chasing a well-timed kick by Sexton which led

to him scooting clear for an impressive try. Next to cross the unguarded

Argentinian line was the dancing Sexton who’s try was a carbon copy of

the first. The Irish onslaught continued when the poacher Bowe ran after a

chip from Earls and gathered and ran under the posts for his second. This

was procession, the score 46-12. The Argentinian spirit of old was none

existent but they did manage to conger up some of the old Latin fighting

spirit with two late tries from their old warrior Lobbe and Substitution leo-

nardi both muscling their way through the green wall to score. Final score

46-24.

Many things to be happy about, as Ireland finally show their full potential

and banish bad memories of the past. Another positive for Ireland the was

outstanding Craig Gilroy who reinvigorated the Irish structured and boring

game plan that was evident against the Springboks. Also credit must go to

the Irish forwards who dismantle the much vaunted Puma pack. All in all a

truly excellent Irish performance with much to be positive about.

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The Racing Column

As the winter starts the National Hunt season begins in earnest with the

Paddy Power meeting at the home of National Hunt. The big race of the

meeting is the Paddy Power Gold Cup. This year’s race had a stellar line up

which included Hunt Ball a Cheltenham festival winner, Grand Crus who

was the favourite for this race and was highly regarded by his trainer David

Pipe and second in the betting was the Paul Nicholls trained Al Ferof rid-

den by Kildare man Ruby Walsh. The race started at a laboured pace with

the fancied Walkon taking it up. Early on Hunt Ball was pulled up because

he didn’t relish the conditions. Grand Crus was also very disappointing and

he was also pulled up hence leaving Ruby Walsh out in front on Al Ferof. Al

Ferof put in a glorious jump at the last which sealed his classy victory. After

this impressive victory Al Ferof will now be targeted at the biggest race

over Christmas the King George chase at Kempton. This was Paul Nicholls

and Ruby Walsh’s first victories in this prestigious race. Paddy Morrin

Well done to all involved in the Carol service.

Now ….Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good-

night !!!