Forge Press #133

Find our interview with director Wanuri Kahiu in Screen

Read our Vampire Weekend album review

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Check out our round-up of EGX Rezzed in Games

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THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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ISSUE 133 | WEDNESDAY 15TH MAY 2019 | FREE

Revealed: Where money saved from last year’s lecturer strikes was spent Ewan Somerville

Image: Ewan Somerville

Residents damn University of Sheffield’s campus master plan as ‘thoughtless’ Ewan Somerville

Residents in the city centre have branded the University of Sheffield “thoughtless” and a “bad neighbour” as the foundations are laid on its new multi-million pound ‘master plan’.

The four-storey Social Sciences

building, under construction on Northumberland Road, sits at the forefront of the University’s five year-plan to expand and has been heralded as a sign of ‘uniting’ with the local community.

But Forge Press can reveal widespread anger among neighbours of the new building, with some wanting to move out

after the university’s “disregard” for their concerns.

“We’ve just been getting together as residents and crying about it actually,” said Coleen Penny, 79, who has lived in the area for almost four decades.

“I don’t think they give a damn about us, I think they want to do their own thing... (cont. on p7)

Students have hit out at the “shameful” and “inconsistent” offering of direct payments by the University of Sheffield for the havoc wreaked when hundreds of lecturers went on strike last year.

Thousands demanded a tuition fee refund as lecture halls were deserted at 65 universities nationwide, after members of the University and Colleges Union (UCU) struck over proposed changes to their pensions.

But Forge Press can reveal that the English department has offered every student the chance to apply for £100, while students in other departments received no direct payment, after hundreds of University staff staged 14 days of walk-outs in February and March last year.

Students have expressed anger to Forge Press at the University’s failure to give all students the same opportunity to receive the money, and the lack of transparency in how the funds were allocated.

It has been branded “a joke”

by other students from other departments who went for six weeks without any lectures or seminars while continuing to pay hundreds of pounds in tuition fees for the privilege.

It has emerged that the University met with the Sheffield UCU branch and Sheffield SU to agree that £1,122,511 was saved in staff salaries during the strike period.

However, despite not receiving lectures during the strike periods, there has been no refund or compensation for tuition fees - totalling £9,250 a year for UK students and up to thousands more for international students.

Departments have been bidding for the funds to channel into projects, rather than directly compensating students - despite more than 7,500 students petitioning for £300 over the upset to their studies.

Of the many areas funded following successful departmental bids, mental health saw the largest investment, with £464,000 spent on a new counsellor and five wellbeing advisers based in departments.

A spokesperson... (cont. on p7)

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PIC OF THE PRESS

A detailed view of Sheffield’s city centre from the Sheffield Amphitheatre during twilight

Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief David Anderson Managing Editor Becky Sliwa Webb Deputy Editor David Craig Deputy Editor James Pendlington Head of News Ben Warner Head of Sport Adam May LOF Coordinator Sorcha Simons Culture Coordinator Tom Buckland Culture Coordinator Gethin Morgan News Editor Lucas Mentken News Editor Niall O’Callaghan News Editor Alex Peneva Features Editor Rebecca Lally Features Editor Lisa Wehrstedt Opinion Editor Connie Coombs Opinion Editor Matthew Hartill Arts Editor Bethan Davis Arts Editor Kate Procter Lifestyle Editor Harry Browse Lifestyle Editor Amelia Shaw Music Editor Harriet Evans Music Editor Ben Kempton Screen Editor Gethin Morgan Screen Editor Izzy Cridland Games Editor Luke Baldwin Games Editor Tom Buckland Science and Tech Editor Aidan Hughes Science and Tech Editor Jade Le Marquand Break Editor Robin Wilde Sport Editor Patrick Burke Sport Editor Joshua Taylor News Online Editor Ewan Somerville News Online Editor Ynez Wahab Features/Lifestyle Online Editor Rebekah B Lowri Opinion Online Editor Jack Redfern Culture Online Editor Brenna Cooper Culture Online Editor Ben Kempton Sport Online Editor Michael Ekman Sport Online Editor Fraser Harding Copy Editor Coordinator Leah Fox Copy Editor (News) Charlotte Magdalene Copy Editor (LOF) Brogan Maguire Copy Editor (LOF) Laura Foster Copy Editor (Culture) Salena Rayner Copy Editor (Culture) Matthew May Copy Editor (Sports) Charlie Payne Design and Training Coordinator Chloe Dervey Secretary and Social Secretary Connie Coombs Inclusions and Welfare Coordinator Charlotte Magdalene Marketing and Publicity Coordinator Chloe Dervey Photography Coordinator Juliet Cookson Website Coordinator Lisa Wehrstedt In-house Artist Chloe Dervey

Image: Chelsea Burrell

Editorial

Well here we are, the final Forge Press of the year and my final issue as Editor of this fine newspaper. It feels like a lot has happened over the past year, but equally I can’t quite believe how quickly it’s flown by.

When I first took this role a year ago it was because I had a real vision for what we could do with Forge Press.

I wanted to produce content which entertained and informed students, but I also hoped we could continue to provide a platform for anyone who wanted to practice their writing, design and other talents. For the most part, I think we’ve done that.

As with any kind of work, it can be easy to get caught up in the day to day graft and just focus on getting the job done. Each time a new issue of the paper arrives at the Students’ Union my overwhelming feeling is predominantly panic, because I’m worried that I’ll have made a glaring mistake somewhere. Sometimes that is the case. But, most of the time, I have enough clever people around me to point out the big mistakes before it’s too late.

Those people are usually my Deputy

Editors, James Pendlington and David Craig; our Head of Design, Chloe Dervey; and our Managing Editor, Becky Sliwa-Webb. None of them receive the credit they deserve for the hours of selfless hard work they put in behind the scenes, and I can’t thank them enough.

The rest of our team have been fantastic too. I’d like to thank everyone who has written for us, taken photos, produced artwork or contributed in any other way over the course of the year. I’d also like to thank every wonderful member of our committee. We’ve had about 50 people on the committee throughout the course of the year and each of them have brought their own special and unique talents to the Media Hub. Some have only joined recently, some have been with us for a while, and some will be continuing into next year.

One man who will be continuing is my successor as Editor-in-Chief, Ben Warner. Ben knows Forge Press and the Students’ Union inside out, and I look forward to seeing what exciting things he does with next

Get involved

Want to join the team? Get involved!

Next year’s committee want to have as many people writing for the paper as possible. No prior experience is necessary, just join the Facebook group Forge Press Contributors and

year’s exciting team.

As my coursemate and good friend since our first week at this university, Ben was the man who initially roped me into joining the Forge Press committee at the end of our first year. I can never thank him enough for that because, although it’s been difficult at times, I’ve met some amazing people being part of this team and made some memories I’ll never forget.

When this issue arrives from the printers I’ll try not to worry about potential mistakes. Instead, I’ll just enjoy it for what it is. Forge Press is a student newspaper, made by students in their spare time for other students to enjoy. This year we’ve produced 11 issues, each of which I’m incredibly proud of. I’m going to miss it dearly, but for me it’s time for me to say goodbye.

Now go and read the rest of the paper. As always, it’s really great.

come along to the regular meetings, starting with the Intro Meeting at the start of the next academic year.

Contact editor@forgetoday.com with any questions.

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News

NEWS IN BRIEF SHEFFIELD Hillsborough safety officer fined £6,500

UNIVERSITY Uni’s library policy under pressure

NATIONAL Jeremy Kyle show suspended

The former stadium security officer has become the first person to be fined following the Hillsborough disaster of 1989. Graeme Mackrell, 69, was fined £6,500 for his failure to ensure that there were enough turnstiles outside of the ground to filter the crowds at the event.

The decision to open the University’s libraries to students from local schools has come under pressure, with one Western Bank user telling the Sheffield Star the policy is ‘disastrous’ with ‘noise and disruption everywhere’.The University defended the decision.

ITV have suspended the Jeremy Kyle Show and will be conducting a review after a guest died just a week after filming an episode. Both filming and broadcasting of the conflict and mediation show will be suspended “with immediate effect, given the serious of this event.”

SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY NATIONAL Researchers create ‘Millions Missing’ Man City win PL in new solar-cell tech campaign launched title triumph

Solar-cell technology

Researchers from the University of Sheffield and Power Roll have come up with an innovative new design for solar technology. The new design has the potential to significantly reduce the costs of solar cell manufacturing as there are less steps involved in producing the model. .

The Millions Missing Campaign launched an event at City Hall to increase awareness about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) disease. City Hall was covered with pairs of shoes, sent in by people who suffer from ME to express they cannot physically be there due to the disease.

Manchester City won the Premier League for the second year in a row following a 4-1 win away to Brighton and Hove Albion. Manager Guardiola said it was his “toughest” title yet after runners up Liverpool would have taken the prize in 25/27 previous seasons with 97 points.

Stacey Dooley, one of the speakers Image: War on Want

Doc/Fest announce full 2019 programme Annalisa Toccara Sheffield Doc/Fest has launched its stellar 2019 programme with over 54% of the film titles directed by women.

The world leading film festival,

now in its 26th year, will open with Asif Kapadia’s highly anticipated

film Diego Maradona plus Q&A at

Sheffield student jailed for six years for string of sex crimes Ben Warner

A University of Sheffield student has been jailed for six years for a string of sexual offences.

Solomon Tarling, 22, of Common Lane, Laughton, was convicted and sentenced at Lewes Crown Court, with the six-year sentence being handed down on Friday 26 April.

Tarling was convicted of rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration, with the offences occurring over a four-year period.

Two of the offences occurred in East Sussex, while one happened in Sheffield while he was at the University.

Lewes Crown Court was told that Tarling texted two of the victims two days after the offences, in an effort to stop them going to the police, the

Eastbourne Herald reported.

His victims, who are entitled to lifetime anonymity, bravely relived the offences in court, and one told of how she had been suffering from “nightmares and flashbacks”.

Chris Hewertson, prosecuting, said Tarling used alcohol to facilitate the offences.

However, mitigating, David Emanuel QC, said: “There was not pre-planning before [the offending] actually began, which might cast drinking in a different light.

“Yes he was part of the drinking with them that ended up with them being drunk but to ascertain that the use of alcohol was to facilitate that offence is very difficult for the Crown to be sure of in this case.”

The defence barrister added that Tarling was capable of change, and

City Hall.

Between June 6th – 11th,

the City of Steel will become

home to a remarkable line up of

speakers, emerging, and industry professionals celebrating art, cultural diversity and talent.

An impressive aspect of this

year’s programme is the significant focus of women with festival

headliner Stacey Dooley returning to Sheffield for the favourite BBC Interview on June 10th.

Dooley will discuss her incredible

career as an investigative

journalist, providing an insight into her first book On the Front Line

with the Women Who Fight Back and shining a light on the brave

Image: East Sussex Police

women featured in many of her films.

Melanie Iredale, Interim

intended to be a force for good.

Mark Heywood QC, the recorder, spoke of how Tarling took ‘complete advantage’ of alcohol, referring particularly to the Sheffield offence.

He sentenced Tarling to six years in prison, and he will also be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Andrew Lawrence said South Yorkshire Police had worked closely with East Sussex’s police force, and thanked all three victims for coming forward to give evidence.

Director, Sheffield Doc/Fest said, “This year’s Doc/Fest celebrates local talent, internationalism,

creativity, and discovery; looking at the world with new eyes and giving a platform to a multitude of voices and ideas.”

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European elections special - Yorkshire and the Humber

What’s happening?

Your current MEPs

On Thursday 23 May, citizens from around the European Union will go to the polls to elect 751 Members of the European Parliament. It’s the first election since 2014, and the five years since has seen much political upheaval, with the UK voting to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum.

However, nearly three years on, a deal which would see Brexit become reality still hasn’t been ratified by the British Parliament, and last month the EU granted the UK an extension until Halloween, provided they took part in these European elections. Political parties across the country are now campaigning for

In 2014, voters in Yorkshire and the Humber elected six Members of the European Parliament: three UKIP, two Labour and one Conservative.

the 73 British seats in the European Parliament.

Our MEPs are elected based on a system of proportional representation, known as ‘party list’. Under that, you vote for a party, and they are allocated a proportion of the MEPs based on the vote in each constituency.

This election, there are eight parties standing in Yorkshire and the Humber: Change UK, the Conservative Party, the English Democrats, the Green Party, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, The Brexit Party, The Yorkshire Party and UKIP.

Mike Hookem (UKIP) Jane Collins (UKIP, Brexit from 2019) Amjad Bashir (UKIP, Con. from 2015) John Procter (Conservative) Richard Corbett (Labour) Linda McAvan (Labour)

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Diana Wallis Juliet Lodge Sophia Bow Joshua Malkin Ros McMullen Steve Wilson

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John Procter Amjad Bashir Michael Naughton Andrew Lee Matthew Freckleton Sue Pascoe

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David Allen Tony Allen Joanne Allen Fiona Allen

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Magid Magid Alison Teal Andrew Cooper Louise Houghton Lars Kramm Ann Forsaith

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Richard Corbett Eloise Todd Mohammed Khan Jayne Allport Martin Mayer Alison Hume

Scan the QR code for more details on the European elections.

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Shaffaq Mohammed Rosina Robson James Blanchard Sophie Thornton James Baker Ruth Coleman-Taylor

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John Longworth Lucy Harris Jake Pugh James Heartfield Andrew Allison Christopher Barker

SU President encourages students to vote in EU poll Ben Warner

The Students’ Union President is encouraging students to vote in the European Parliament elections being held across Europe later this month.

Lilian Jones is echoing calls she made prior to the local elections

in England and Wales two weeks ago, and wants students to go out and make their voice heard again, in what may be the UK’s last ever European elections.

“We saw in the recent General Election that the student voice really does make a difference and it can often be a key turning point for results,” she said.

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Chris Whitwood Mike Jordan Jack Carrington Laura Walker Bob Buxton Dan Cochran

“I think in the EU elections, the fact is we’ve got increased uncertainty about whatever’s happening with Europe. Whatever the result of the election is, it’s going to affect young people so it’s really important … we take a say in what the future of Europe looks like and the only way we can do that is by voting in these elections.”

Voters in Sheffield are electing Members of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber, of which there are six, elected on a ‘party list’ basis. This is

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Mike Hookem Gary Shore John Hancock David Dews Graeme Waddicar Clifford Parsons

different to the first-past-the-post system used for UK elections.

Lilian added: “Students are a huge proportion of the city and that’s a really brilliant thing, it means we can speak up and it makes a difference as a body.

“But I also think it brings a responsibility of using our voice carefully and engaging with democracy, playing an active role in the city. We engage with the city in a lot of different ways and one of those is by voting and being part of the Sheffield democracy.”

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News

Liberal Democrats make gains in local elections Ben Warner

The Liberal Democrats gained ground on the ruling Labour Party on Sheffield City Council in the local elections on Thursday 2 May. Labour have been left with a slimmer majority on the City

Council, holding 49 of the 84 seats with the Lib Dems on 26. The Green Party also took seats off Labour, meaning they now hold eight. seats in the city, UKIP were almost wiped out in the city ahead of the upcoming European elections, losing two of their remaining three seats to

leave them with just one elected representative in Sheffield.

Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, who leads the Lib Dems on the City Council, said: “These results show that where the Liberal Democrats are able to get our message across to voters, they are more than willing to put their trust in them by electing Lib Dem candidates as Councillors.

“As a much stronger opposition on Sheffield City Council, we intend to hold Councillor Julie Dore and her colleagues to account for their mismanagement of our City.”

Despite the losses in the local elections, the Labour Party still hold a comfortable 14-seat majority over all the other parties in Sheffield.

A spokesperson for Sheffield Labour said: “The Sheffield Lib Dems still fail to come up with any positive ideas or vision for the future of our city.

“They won’t face up to the impact of the cuts they made to Sheffield in Coalition government, and instead continue [to] peddle untruths about the council and talk the city down at every opportunity.”

Lib Dems’ Sheffield leader, Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed

CADS launch Abbeydale restoration campaign Ben Warner

BME Committee placed their big boards in the SU concourse Image: Ben Warner

BME committee launch microaggression campaign to raise SU awareness Ben Warner

The Black and Minority Ethnic Committee at the Students’ Union have run a campaign to raise awareness of ‘microaggressions’ on campus.

The campaign aimed to raise awareness of remarks which are offensive and directed at minority groups, often unintentionally. It was accompanied by the tagline “A bit racist is still racist. We can do better.”

Loma Sylvana, the chair of BME Committee, said: “The committee felt that it was important to run the campaign as the majority of racist

incidents on campus come in the form of microaggressions, which can seem difficult to report or police because the perpetrator will often claim that it was unintentional.

“We hope that we have made it more difficult for people to claim ignorance if they do say something insulting, and that we have created a springboard for further discussion of racism on campus.”

The awareness campaign was signposted with a big board in the SU concourse, listing a number of different microaggressions, as well as cards around outlets such as Coffee Revolution showing the same thing.

Examples of the microaggressions

BME committee highlighted - which are all examples from students at the University - were “Nah, but where are you really from?” and “I bet you

We hope that we have made it more difficult to claim ignorance if they do say something insulting

love watermelon and fried chicken”.

Loma added: “I feel that the campaign has been successful in making itself visible and attracting attention, but the reduction in microaggressions on campus is of course extremely difficult to measure.

“I was glad that the SU was supportive [of the campaign]. I believe that they are aware that racism on campus is a problem and are committed to supporting those who wish to fight racism on campus.

“I am very proud of what the BME committee has achieved over the past academic year and hope that we can continue this momentum into the next year and expand upon the projects that we have started.”

The managers of the Abbeydale Picture House in South Sheffield have launched a fundraising drive, as they look to continue the refurbishment of the building.

CADS took over the management of the iconic cinema in 2017, with the end goal of relaunching the venue fit for the new era.

While the renovation has been happening, they have continued to hold events, including film screenings and theatrical performances, but any events featuring licensed entertainment must be held using Temporary Entertainment Notices.

These are one-day licences, and are limited to 15 per address per year.

The crowdfunder was launched on Tuesday 7 May, with a target set of £35,000 before it closes on Monday 10 June. If raised, the money will go towards a new fire alarm, improved CCTV cameras, structural and design work and more. A permanent licence may be possible once those changes have been made.

Dan Butlin, Fundraising Officer, said: “Gaining a permanent premises licence would mean CADS can start to work towards their goal of developing an exciting culturally diverse events programme all year round, and the more challenging goal of fully restoring the building.”

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Labour announce four new faces for Cabinet Ben Warner

Labour have announced their revamped Cabinet following the local elections in which the opposition made gains.

The plans have to be approved at Sheffield City Council’s AGM, but if they are there’ll be four new faces in the roles.

Councillors Abtisam Mohammed, Bob Johnson, George LindarsHammon and Paul Wood are joining in a number of roles.

Climate change has also been highlighted, and Cllr Lewis Dagnall – responsible for the City Council’s controversial tree replacement policy – will take that into his portfolio as Cabinet member for the Environment, Streetscene and Climate Change.

Cllr Julie Dore, leader of the Council, said: “This new Cabinet

reflects our renewed commitment to tackling climate change, and to reducing inequality across the city.

“We are currently in a turbulent political time and this combined with the brutal impact of a decade of austerity means that now more than ever we must listen to the concerns of people in the city.

“We will continue to fight to protect our public services, and are also committed to creating the city that Sheffielders deserve.

“I would like to pay tribute to all of our team of Labour Councillors who will continue to stand up for Sheffield and always put our city first, representing local people and fighting for our public services despite the continued impact of austerity.”

The changes come after Labour made losses in the local elections to the Liberal Democrats (see more on p.5).

The revamped Sheffield City Council cabinet Image: Sheffield Labour

SUs challenge plans for EU students to pay higher tuition Alex Peneva

Students’ Unions from across the country have urged the Government to abandon suggestions to charge university students from the European Union higher tuition fees after Brexit.

Recently announced by the Education Secretary Damian Hinds, the plans will deprive EU nationals studying at UK universities from their home fee status, resulting in tuition fees up to four times higher than what they are paying now.

To protect the international community at their university, 103 SU representatives have signed and sent Mr Hinds a letter, demanding this suggestion to be scrapped, as it would be “a huge backwards step for our world class education sector, and UK society as a whole, to simply shut

out talented students.”

Lilian Jones, president of Sheffield SU also shares these concerns. She said: “We’re extremely concerned about the damaging implications of this for EU students and Universities in general.

“We currently strive to make our EU students feel welcome on campus but we know that this is a time of worrying uncertainty for many of our EU students and this concerning proposal simply compounds that uncertainty.”

Many universities, including the University of Sheffield, have pledged to stay open to students coming from the EU and provide them with all the necessary support at the uncertain time of Brexit, but the Government’s plans threaten to significantly reduce the number of European students studying in the UK. The status of Irish students and international students from outside the Union will not change but, if Mr

Hinds’s plans are approved, those from the EU who commence their education in 2021-22 will not only face higher tuition fees, but will also receive less support in the form of student loans from Student Finance.

“This would be tantamount to drastically increasing the debt that students leave education with, removing vital financial support,” the SU’s letter read, “and the only outcome will be to make it much harder for (and therefore significantly decrease the number of) European Union students who so benefit our institutions and society.”

It continued: “Hurting both our education sector and future students is not what people voted for in 2016, and it’s one of the many reasons why so many students and young people back a confirmatory referendum on any agreed Brexit Deal.

“That is why we ask you to announce a stop to any government plans which increase debt on EU students, which cuts away vital financial support and ultimately harms our education sector.”

Two self service machines have been installed in the Students’ Unions’ Our Shop.

Students can now scan their own item and skip the queue at the regular tills.

Alongside this, the shop also got rid of its minimum £2 spend for credit card transactions.

Hollie Cowlie, who works at Our Shop, said that these changes will make it more beneficial for students and speed up the current waiting times.

The self services till are still on trial and if they are successful their number will increase from two to four after the exam season.

Image: Lucas Mentken

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News

Residents: ‘Uni don’t give a damn about us’ Ewan Somerville

(cont. from front page) ...I think the University just empire build.”

Designed as a ‘hub’ for thousands of students and academics from various disciplines, the flagship Social Sciences structure is set for completion in 2021, with contractors beginning work on the site at the end of April.

The site of the new-build has until recently been shielded with a nature corridor that left the gardens of Marlborough Road residents feeling akin to a rural abyss.

But the worst fears of local residents have been realised this week as, after months of uncertainty, mature trees bordering the patch fell victim to the saw.

“No one of us could have anticipated how horrible and brutal it’s going to be over the next two years,” said Mary Peace, 52, of Marlborough Road.

Despite the institution insisting that it replants two trees for each it fells, saplings make up little for the impact on privacy, residents say, and the noise of a two-year construction period, described as “apocalyptic” by one neighbour.

Ms Peace also criticised the

University’s “thoughtless” treatment of those in an old people’s home bordering the project, where her 87 year-old mum lives, and is considering challenging the institution for compensation.

“They’re all very upset,” she said.

“My mum got a room to have a quiet outlook on green space but this is a complete destruction of her quality of life.”

Dr Jonathan Crook, her neighbour, 48, agreed: “[The University] made the right noises but they’ve failed to provide clear assurances and that has an impact on us about whether we are going to stay or move.

“It’s inevitably resulted in considerable ill feeling towards the project and the University generally.”

The Broomhill neighbourhood action group was formed in 2013 as the planning process began, and have been vocal at the University’s ongoing consultation sessions.

But Ann Kent, one of its ringleaders, felt that the meetings have been simply a tick boxing exercise. “They’ve not taken a single blind bit of notice of us,” she said.

“The University is allowed to do what it wants. They make lip service to being a good neighbour but they aren’t.”

Many neighbours called for the University to start taking “more care” of them, but worried that it is “after the fact” now that construction has begun.

Several also questioned the safety implications of the project with a series of complex junctions in the area, the design, described by one as “like a spaceship has landed”, and challenged the University over the benefit it will bring to the city.

Keith Lilley, Director of Infrastructure at the University of Sheffield, insisted that only the site chosen was suitable for the Social Sciences building, which he says has the environment and local community at its heart.

He added: “The University makes a significant contribution to the local and regional economy, as well as to the vibrancy of the city, and to continue to do that requires us to invest in our estate.

“We have notified residents personally about opportunities for feedback on this project and we will continue to engage with local organisations and residents as construction gets under way.

“We continue to work with the City Council to address the changing needs of pedestrians and cyclists in the area to ensure safety.”

The view from Dr Jonathan Crook’s garden before (above) and after (below) the work begun on the new University begun. Image: Ewan Somerville.

Strike money sees £15k spent on library lamps Ewan Somerville

(cont. from front page) ...from the University of Sheffield said: “We agreed that the money which was not paid to those striking would be allocated to provide additional support to benefit students across the University - including greater access to mental wellbeing support, improving study spaces and supporting students with fieldwork and dissertation costs. We have published full details of how this money has been allocated on our website.”

But further analysis of the figures raise questions from students around transparency and whether the money could have been better spent. Some £130,000 was spent on new desks in the Information Commons library, and another

£15,000 was spent on new “study lamps” in the IC. Branded “absolutely dreadful” by one student, the strike money was also used to “replac[e] IT system[s]”, costing £35,000, and £10,000 was thrown into helping a student “build a garden” for a competition.

The complacency in compensating us makes me question what the University’s priorities are

One second-year Sociology student, who wished to remain anonymous, said the University’s

response to the strike fails to build faith. He said: “The complacency in compensating us makes me question what the University’s priorities are.”

The UCU estimated that the strike saw a total of 575,000 contact hours lost, with one million students disrupted nationwide.

The University claims £134,331 was left over from its ‘beneficial’ spending spree, which has been allocated equally across the five faculties, who have decided where to place the money.

But a third-year Politics student, who also wished to remain anonymous, questioned the transparency of the process.

He said: “I think that regardless of whether the English department is being prioritised or not, there’s a wider issue regarding how money is being allocated between and within

departments. The represent us.”

UCU

doesn’t

There’s a wider issue regarding how money is being allocated between and within departments The Sociology student added: “Where’s the democratic process considering all students, not just English, were left for weeks on end with no structure? It definitely only further puts students off the cause.”

Many exams had to be adjusted to address the incomplete curriculums, with one student telling Forge Press

that his loss of motivation and organisation during the strike period was influential in him taking a leave of absence.

Thousands of students affected by the strikes signed up to a lawsuit to claim compensation, prompting the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), the higher education complaints watchdog, to order universities to pay up.

There was widespread disgruntlement when a group of hard-left students from the Free University of Sheffield group occupied the Arts Tower hostage at the end of the strike period, preventing staff and students from working.

In October the University of Sheffield UCU branch was among seven institutions in the country to reach the 50 per cent threshold to back further strike action.

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Features Features Editors Rebecca Lally Lisa Wehrstedt This issue is sadly Forge’s last for the year, and our last working together as an editor team! Lisa and I are sad to be leaving, but happy to hand over to the capable hands of Bernadette Hsiao and Anastasia Koutsonia, who we’re sure will do a great job.

This issue, we’ve gone for slightly controversial topics.

Our first piece is about the UK porn block that’s starting this summer and the possible consequences of this.

Then we have a feature on the ecological impact of cannabis and the ethics behind growing it, a topic which is becoming more and more relevant today.

Lastly, we have an in-depth piece on conditional cash transfers, a type of benefit scheme that isn’t widely known.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Forge - thanks for reading!

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No need to fear the Porn Block Kate Procter

What is it?

This summer the UK is scheduled to introduce legislation, dubbed the “porn block”, which aims to block access to online pornography for those under the age of 18. What this will mean is that websites and apps providing porn will be required to introduce age-verification software for UK visitors accessing content.

If you were oblivious to these plans you’re not alone, a survey from YouGov found 76 percent of Britons were unaware that the block was to take effect on its original scheduled date in April. The government has since confirmed that the block will start on 15 July. Age checks will most likely be completed through

themselves will have freedom to choose how to verify UK visitors’ ages, but BBFC will certify solutions that adopt “robust” data-protection standards so porn providers can carry a green AV (age verification) symbol to help users make an informed choice.

Why is the block being introduced now?

The UK government has actually been trying to introduce the block for years. The legislation to introduce the age restriction was approved by parliament two years ago, under the Digital Economy Act 2017, but the implementation date has been repeatedly delayed. The idea is thought to have been prompted by research conducted by the NSPCC who, in 2016, commissioned a study

Visitors will have to prove they are over 18 verification of traditional forms of ID such as passports or a driving licence.

However, slightly oldfashioned, high street stores and newsagents will also sell separate age-verification cards, nicknamed “porn passes”, with codes to access website content.

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How will the block be regulated?

It will be the job of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) – the same board responsible for giving films their UK age certificates – to regulate the block’s enforcement.

This decision has been viewed as odd by some given this centuryold organisation is not typically considered a clued-in digital expert – let alone equipped for specifically dealing with pornography. Its main responsibility will be instructing internet providers which sites and apps to block for non-compliance.

The pornographic platforms

which found that 48% of 11 to 16 year-olds had stumbled across porn on the internet and attracted a lot of media attention.

The Minister of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Margot James has said that “Adult content is currently far too easy for children to access online. The introduction of mandatory age-verification is a world-first, and we’ve taken the time to balance privacy concerns with the need to protect children from inappropriate content. We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online, and these new laws will help us achieve this.”

Why is the block controversial?

The government has decided not to implement the block itself but to leave it up to the industry. The most talked-about system is called AgeID which has been developed

by a company called MindGeek.

However, MindGeek are also the biggest online porn company in the world – owning some of the best-known streaming sites like Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube.

Critics of the block say MindGeek could easily monopolise verification – AgeID expects to sign up 20 to 25 million UK users – and make a financial gain from selling their product to other porn companies.

There is also a certain irony in asking porn providers to protect children from porn.

There are also concerns about data protection of users. For instance, Pornhub, the world’s most-visited porn website, had 92 million visitors per day in 2018, and the UK is its second biggest traffic driver. If this database was hacked and the details of its users exposed, this would have significant consequences – not least the public humiliation or blackmail threat much like the Ashley Madison data breach in 2015. However, MindGeek have said AgeID does not store any personal data input by users during the age verification process and won’t monitor what you watch. Rather, users will verify their email address and then chooses an age verification option via a third party provider kept deliberately separate from the system. Yet given last year’s revelations about how personal data from Facebook had been harvested by third-party firms, many opposed to the porn block still believe the legislation poses a threat. Moreover, Jim Killock, the executive director of the Open Rights Group, who has called MindGeek the ‘Facebook of porn,’ highlights that there is no requirement for any privacy to be higher than the General Data Protection Regulation so MindGeek could legally change their practice and store the data if they so please.

Will the block actually work?

Users concerned about privacy can bypass the block by using a Virtual Private Network. A VPN works by replacing a user’s IP address – their computer’s unique identifier – to make it look like a UK-based computer is located outside the UK. Some people already use VPNs for

accessing websites unavailable in the UK, such as streaming media in the UK like Netflix and Hulu or torrenting (downloading files with often copyrighted material). Using a VPN is legal but the material accessed via it is often illegal. However, in this instance, unless the government alters its legislation to ban access via VPNs the practice will be legal. In fact, MindGeek, have even released its own free VPN service, VPNHub, for users to disguise their location.

The BBFC has admitted that the legislation is “not a silver bullet” and that “some determined teenagers will find ways to access pornography. However, it will mean young children can no longer stumble across porn on commercial pornographic websites.”

Yet, concerns have been raised that people, including children, may be pushed toward anonymous private networks such as the Tor browser, which is often used to surf the dark web and may have the unintended consequence of exposing people to illegal activities and more extreme material.

What about porn on social media platforms?

Another consequence of the block is that it could push more porn onto social media. This is due to a loophole whereby social media platforms such as Imgur, Tumblr, Twitter and Reddit will not be required to administer the legislation. Social media sites or apps fall under exemption unless they make money (such as from advertising) from the pornographic material, or more than a third of their content is pornographic.

Therefore, the BBFC will not have the authority to shut down profiles on social media platforms itself. It is ironic then that, in today’s age, where children are most likely to stumble across porn is on social media.

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Electricity use by the cannabis industry in the US

Is cannabis truly green?

Eve Thomas

Equates to 1.7 million homes

Costs $6 billion a year

Has associated emissions equal to 3 million cars

Now legal (in some form or another) in 46 states across the USA, cannabis has never been a more widely discussed topic and, as such, conversation has begun to move from issues of legalisation to the practicalities and ethics of farming it. Open discussion regarding cannabis agriculture has allowed a refinement of technique and even the beginnings of scientific research to produce the maximum yield at the minimum cost. However, as with any agricultural endeavour, the environment is deeply involved.

Particularly at such a pinnacle point in the fight against global warming and climate change,it seems then, that we must question the environmental impacts of cannabis production, and consider whether indoor hemp farming is environmentally sustainable.

‘Hemp’ refers to the fibre of a particular strain of the cannabis plant, extracted from the stem, and

The energy used to produce one cannabis cigarette would also produce 18 pints of beer

Graphics by Vexels

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is therefore different to marijuana.

Whilst the latter is most commonly either smoked or consumed as a psychoactive drug, hemp is used to construct materials including rope, fabric, fibreboard and paper.

Cannabis is a family of plants, to which both hemp and marijuana belong, meaning that, whilst both are cannabis, they two are entirely different to one-another.

The cultivation of hemp has hugely increased in recent years, with indoor hemp farming holding appeal to farmers looking to control the exact conditions in which the plants grow in order to maximise their yield. The plant has three key stages -propagation, vegetative and flowering-, each requiring a different light intensity, ranging from a PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) of 80 to 1,000.

A system which can support such a wide variety of light intensities, particularly one that meets the most intense demands, requires vast amounts of energy, usually generated in ways damaging to

the environment. Outdoor hemp farming instead allows the sun to provide this energy, making it far kinder to the environment.

However, using the sun as the primary light source makes it almost impossible to regulate the longevity and intensity of the light in relation to the changing needs of the plant, resulting in a poorer yield.

Travis Higginbotham – cultivation supporter for Fluence Bioengineering and expert in hemp farming – explains that the indoor method uses “a lot more energy consumption than in a greenhouse where you’re just supplementing.”

By growing hemp indoors, you take on a much more involved role, controlling the light intensity and length, rather than allowing it to grow in natural conditions outdoors.

This costs both the environment and the grower more than more natural methods.

Higginbotham articulates the challenge of balancing the advantages and disadvantages: “It’s allowing us to have much,

Features much, much more precision to our objectives with the plants. At the same time, that’s giving us challenges because we don’t know yet where those thresholds are in regard to CO2, airflow, temperature, light intensity, soil moisture, irrigation frequency, nitrogen availability – all of these things we now have precise measurements on, but yet we don’t know the proper ratios of those per crop stage to maximise growth fully yet in cannabis. That’s kind of the exciting part about cannabis and indoor growing in general.”

The environmental impact can be reduced through some simple adjustments, such as using LED lights and growing hemp in naturally warmer and lighter conditions (that will therefore require fewer artificial and environmental supplements), however there is still a significant lack of research concerning the most environmentally-friendly indoor techniques.

Although minimising the impact is indubitably positive, growing hemp outside has far more to boast to those concerned for the environment.

Hemp leaches radioactivity from the soil, making it safer for the growth of other crops

and improving the overall quality of the ground, whilst also growing with little or no need for pesticides, again contributing to the overall quality of the environment and further minimising the chemical by-products generated during processing. One accidental benefit of hemp growth might be its ability to ready the soil for the successful growth of less hardy crops in the future.

Outdoor hemp farming can also serve to prevent erosion and mudslides, particularly beneficial as the plant thrives in almost any climate and can therefore be used in higher-risk areas. It is an incredibly efficient plant to farm, typically producing almost no useless vegetable matter, and any that is inevitable is easily disposed of or reused for other processing.

As with all farming – whether indoor or outdoor – the plant growth produces oxygen and uses excess CO2 in the atmosphere, improving the air quality at a crucial point in the race against climate change. Additionally, the products made from hemp are largely environmentally friendly and recyclable, as well as mould resistant. The main hemp products

include fuels, cosmetics, plastics, building materials, medicine and textiles, amongst others.

Hemp farming is not new, and the plant has been used for fabric for nearly 10,000 years; however, the threat of global warming and climate change is much more recent, necessitating a shift in mind-set. The environmental implications of hemp farming generally are positive, but the success is somewhat dependent upon the choice of the farmer as to whether they grow their crop outside or indoors.

Whilst the outdoor benefits outstrip those offered by the indoor alternative, the yield size and therefore potential profit margin is greater for the latter. Ultimately then, it becomes the choice of the farmer as to whether they prioritise the environment or their profit.

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Carbon footprint of indoor cannabis production

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Features

Conditional Cash Transfers is a very effective benefit scheme. So why has the UK never tried it?

James Pendlington

Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) were first conceived in Mexico in 1997 with a scheme called Progresa that would later change and become known as Oportunidades. Progresa became the benchmark model for further CCTs that followed in other developing countries. The format was relatively simple: the government identified rural areas with high levels of poverty and then identified households eligible for the transfer using spatial poverty maps.

The eligibility was determined by socioeconomic status (i.e. if the household’s monthly income fell under a certain amount) with those eligible then receiving cash transfers, the number of which had risen to approximately 2.6 million families by 2000 equivalent to 10% of all families in Mexico.

The program was different to other welfare programs that had come before it in two ways: the first being that the money was transferred directly to the mother in the household and the second was that the recipients were required to meet certain “conditions” in order to keep receiving the benefits.

The money being transferred to women in the household was based on evidence that if money was transferred to men they were likely to spend it on alcohol and

conditions aspect ties in as well, as the conditions attached were done so with the intention of improving the health of children, reducing the feminisation of poverty and breaking intergenerational poverty.

The original conditions were: (i) children aged up to two receive vaccinations as well as visits to nutrition monitoring clinics, (ii) children aged two to four attend nutrition monitoring clinics three times a year, (iii) mandatory prenatal clinic visits for pregnant women, (iv) post-natal clinic visits for recent mothers, (v) physical checkups at least once a year for every family member with an emphasis on health education and hygiene, and (vi) adult family members have to attend regular meetings where diet, hygiene and health are discussed with physicians.

The poverty headcount ratio...fell from 11.2% in 1996 to 3.4% in 2006, a decrease of 7.8% over ten years

Sounds

good

right?

Mexican

This scheme provides more care for children. Image: Max Pixel

tobacco, whereas women were more likely to use the money to buy food and invest in ‘human capital’ i.e. their children. This is where the

politicians thought so too. It was a common trend at the time in Mexico that each time a new government was elected they tended to undo a

lot of what the previous government had achieved in terms of new legislation, yet Progresa was not touched. This can largely be attributed to it’s universal appeal across the political spectrum. People on the left liked the policy as it is providing help for those in extreme poverty and helping to improve their situation, and people on the right liked the policy too as it was not just a handout; it was a contract.

This allowed Progresa to continue and in 1998 the first study into its results was conducted.

In terms of assessing the impact, a randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted where 505 villages were chosen at random, 320 of which would receive the CCTs and 185 would act as control villages that wouldn’t receive the CCTs until after the RCT had been completed (this was around two years). Despite the ethical consideration of leaving villages without benefits for the entire duration of the trial, the results obtained were promising.

In a paper published by American economist Paul Gertler, the results showed that after two years in the treatment villages, children were 39.5% less likely to be reported as ill than those in the control villages, were an average 0.96 cm taller than the control children (a measure of malnourishment), and were 25.5% less likely to be anaemic. The results speak for themselves: the quality of child health in these areas saw a massive improvement from the program and it is worth remembering that this was only in 320 villages and only a few years after the program was initiated.

The fact that this level of impact would go on to benefit 2.6 million families by the year 2000 carries massive positives for the future of Mexico. Progresa would later develop into Oportunidades and changed its remit to include conditions such as child attendance at school to further help develop Mexico’s human capital and break

Most countries have observed increases in consumption (i.e. household expenditure) with the composition of what is being consumed switching to high protein foods

intergenerational poverty.

The poverty headcount ratio (the percentage of the Mexican population living on $1.90 per day or less) fell from 11.2% in 1996 to 3.4% in 2006, a decrease of 7.8% over ten years. The clearly positive impact that CCTs had in Mexico encouraged several other developing countries to adopt similar schemes, but also surprisingly, the USA launched a program in New York.

Overall there have been multiple positive signs in the results from the programs. Most countries have observed increases in consumption (i.e. household expenditure) with the composition of what is being consumed switching to high protein foods. Poverty has fallen, not just in high poverty rural areas, but on a national level as well. Use of public services has increased as more people are now accessing education and healthcare than they would have been previously. But most importantly, there has been no dramatic increase in unemployment as a result of the benefits.

Although it is certainly over exaggerated by those of a conservative economic conviction, there is evidence showing that state provided welfare does act as a disincentive to find employment.

This did not occur with the CCTs however, owing to the fact that children from families in extreme poverty were now receiving an education as opposed to working and

bringing in income to the home. This means that the cash transfer merely compensates for the loss of earnings from the children, so adults in the family will still have to maintain their level of hours worked in order for them to sustain a constant level of income. It also did not contribute to a rise in unemployment as people under these CCT programs had no idea as to what the longevity of the program would be, meaning it would be foolish of them to suddenly change their level of economic activity as a result.

CCTs have had undeniable success in the developing world and the program that has been undertaken in New York has shown evidence in decreasing poverty and increasing school enrollment. What of the UK then? Well, it has not really been discussed as a tool of policy in the UK in spite of all the clear positive effects that it has, and maybe that is because the UK doesn’t need it.

In terms of achievements such as healthcare and education the UK already has a high standard owing to a long established welfare state.

Perhaps the level of initial poverty does impact the effectiveness of a CCT program, but until it is tried in a deprived area of the UK we will not know. The times are changing on issues such as inequality and poverty as we become increasingly aware of the massive disparity between the top and the bottom of the income scale in the Western world since the 1980s, so there may be a time in the near future where a government considers this as a policy to help reduce the levels of poverty in this country. Let’s hope this happens sooner rather than later.

Opinion Opinion Editors Connie Coombs Matthew Hartill Well, here we are. To our loyal readers, (some would even go as far to say fans, friends), don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. With this, we must hand over our positions to Jack Mattless and Bethan Davis, who, we’re sure, will take the section from strength to strength. At least until the end of the month, though, it’s still all about us.

Perhaps you’d like to frame this editorial as a lasting memory. We sure will be.

This is Au Revoir but not Goodbye, (we’re moving to become co-editors of the Tab - jks).

Opinion x (In all seriousness, there’s some great content as usual, so, once you’ve stopped crying, take a look at our usual diverse range of pieces, showcasing, as usual, the best and worst, (again, heavy on the worst - you think we’d want to end on a positive note, right? Wrong), of what’s going on in the world.)

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Finn Byrne: don’t boycott Coachella Finn Byrne

Coachella: the destination for A-list stars and the glitz and glam of middle class America. With headliners such as Tame Impala, Childish Gambino and Ariana Grande, the festival is one of the biggest and most popular in the USA. More recently, however, it has come under fire due to its owner, Philip Anschutz, actively funding groups which are anti-LGBT and pro-gun. The flamboyance, colour and creativeness of the event screams inclusivity but the antigay companies Anschutz supports contradicts this assumption. There have been calls from the LGBT community to boycott the event and stars like Cara Delevigne have chosen to do so. But is boycotting Coachella the best way to address this problem?

Instead of boycotting the festival people should use it as a platform to challenge Anschutz’s alleged views.

Firstly, a boycott by artists seems

rather pointless to say the least; this year, the festival sold out both its weekends in six hours, suggesting that demand for tickets is huge and as such a boycott surely wouldn’t be appreciated by all these thousands of music lovers. In short, if the idea of a boycott is to limit demand, it doesn’t seem attainable. Besides, even if a boycott was successful, the difference it would make to Anschutz is minimal, as the multibillionaire owns several companies and so any loss of revenue from Coachella would merely be pocket money to him. Instead, the festival should be harnessed by fans and performers alike to welcome the LGBT community and promote its values and worth in our society.

At the end of Ariana Grande’s performance a huge rainbow flag was projected on the screens. The flag, which has become a symbol of the LGBT movement, acts as a big up yours to Anschutz. The ability of Grande to use her headline set to challenge the owner’s views to the

80,000 strong crowd, surely impacts him more. The use of his own festival to promote a view he disagrees with belittles his ancient views in a sweet form of irony. By using the festival as a platform of inclusivity, attendees and artists can make sure that the LGBT community feel

represented and valued, challenging the views that Anschutz supports.

The multi-billionaire is not going to go bankrupt anytime soon, and so the boycotting of his festival seems redundant; far better if his own festival can be used to promote the very things he wants to challenge.

Photo: Drew Ressler

The exploitative nature of internships Ekaterina Vyurkova

In many ways, university life is

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defined by getting swamped with competition as you map your life out, hopefully ending up with the career of your dreams. That is why there’s such an importance placed on internships, something which you may well notice from the very moment your first year of studies begins.

Over a third of employers claimed that the reason graduates don’t get jobs they apply for is a lack of prior experience, according to research conducted by market research company High Fliers in 2017. Unfortunately, the problem intensifies, as the likelihood of getting an internship, often the most logical first step to getting experience, often appears extremely minimal. For example, even

renowned student recruiter Deloitte accepts only around a fifth of the over-16,000 applications it receives for its student placements.

56 per cent of internships in 2018 were found to be unpaid according to the Sutton Trust

The ruthless nature of this competition places students in a tricky position, where they may be forced to value experience over the necessity of a wage, in many ways giving employers an excuse not to offer contracts to interns (which would automatically entitle them to

the National Minimum Wage).

In fact, 56 per cent of internships in 2018 were found to be unpaid according to The Sutton Trust, which

isn’t surprising with current laws on unpaid internships being confusing, limiting students’ knowledge of their rights. Even if interning for free is a viable option for some, for more than half of interns, who do not have access to free accommodation with friends or family, even this is out of the question.

Various different scenarios which interns face are listed on the government’s website, and it isn’t hard to see why young interns may be hamstrung by the law. For example, shadowing someone’s work doesn’t entitle an intern to payment.

However, executing professional duties for several weeks without payment is exploitative.

Performing voluntary work for a charity, regardless of the nature of

allocated responsibilities isn’t, but interning for a start-up business with only travel expenses covered might be.

Ultimately, the importance of internships is not up for debate.

Spending a month at a firm means you receive a practical understanding of how the industry of your choice actually works, useful connections and, of course, a real sense of achievement. Nevertheless, the hope of reaching the promised land of your chosen career, the first step to which internships undoubtedly offer, should never outweigh an entitlement to basic rights.

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Stan Laight argues that students should take over the economy to tackle climate change Stan Laight

Across 125 countries 1.5 million school students have been striking every month as the Youth Strike 4 Climate movement spreads around the globe. They understand that climate change is no longer a topic of discussion in the classroom and that radical action needs to be taken. The movement has been galvanised by 16-year-old Swedish school student Greta Thunberg but school students can’t achieve change singlehandedly.

Unless you live with your head buried in the sand, you’ll be aware of the existential threat that climate change poses to humanity. The UN has recently admitted that their target of limiting temperature increases to 1.5C requires more drastic action than previously thought. Indeed, more recent reports estimate an average global

rise of 3-4C, with some parts of the world even seeing an increase of up to 5-6C. This would have unimaginably disastrous consequences for huge numbers of people around the world.

The militant slogans chanted by school students in Sheffield such as ‘there is no planet B’, ‘system change, not climate change’ and ‘climate justice now’ show the radical mood among school students angry at the errors, inaction and purposeful destruction of our environment authorised by politicians and committed by corporations. But what sort of ‘system change’ is required to tackle the threat of climate change and achieve climate justice?

Correctly, school students are angry at big business. A 2017 report revealed that just 100 companies are responsible for more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 1988 and just 25 of those companies contributed to over

half of GHG emissions. This means that blame for this climate crisis falls squarely at the door of these businesses.

A rationally planned socialist economy, democratically controlled by students and workers would remove all the obstacles we currently face in tackling climate change

Clearly, capitalism is destroying our planet and is unable to provide

the answers to stop climate change.

The radical and urgent changes that big business needs to take won’t come cheaply. Huge investments in renewable energy technologies, building new infrastructure and divestment from fossil fuels will hurt their profits; put simply, saving the planet isn’t profitable for them, and this is why they have been slow to respond to the climate crisis and why they will never adequately tackle it.

A rationally planned socialist economy, democraticallycontrolled by students and workers would remove all the obstacles that we currently face in tackling climate change. An economy and environment planned and organised by communities who understand the fragility of the environment would not just stop climate change but rapidly reverse it. Communities already know how to solve climate change but they need to be given the

power to stop it.

As university students, we’re in a privileged position to walk out of our lectures and strike alongside school students. What’s more, the consequences of walking out of lectures for us would be negligible.

After all, students who occupied the Arts Tower for four days last year in solidarity with striking UCU lecturers only received a simple email asking them to not occupy a university building again.

When we walk out, we must ask our lecturers to join us in solidarity with school students, as school students have asked their teachers to do so too. School students have sparked a global movement desperate for climate and social justice; it is now time for university students to join in growing the movement against climate change and capitalism that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction.

Photo: Julian Meehan

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Opinion

Lisa Wehrstedt: can James Bond evolve as a franchise for the 21st Century?

Lisa Wehrstedt

The cast of the newest Bond film was announced last month in a livestream from the luscious surroundings of Bond creator Ian Fleming’s villa.

The unnamed film – nicknamed Bond25 - will see Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as 007. We can assume he is returning for the money, as he said after the last film in the series – Spectre – that he would “rather slash my wrists” than reprise the role, and that the only thing that could convince him would be the cash.

Yet, after almost 60 years and 24 films we have to question, does Bond always have to be a man?

Executive producer of the franchise, Barbara Broccoli, make her stance very clear talking to the Guardian: “Bond is male,” she said.

“He’s a male character. He was written as a male and I think he’ll probably stay as a male. And that is fine.”

However, her PR training soon kicked in to avoid any pesky headlines rearing their head, as she

added that, “We don’t have to turn male characters into women. Let’s just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters.”

Ruling out any Doctor Whostyle gender reinvention for Ian Fleming’s super-spy, Broccoli justified her statement saying that Bond was written in the 50’s, and therefore “there’s certain things in [his] DNA that are probably not going to change.”

female leads don’t sell as well, and if we fail to acknowledge this, then there is no way anything is ever going to change.

The Bond girl I am personally most excited to see on screen next year when the new film hits theatres is Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Granted, she may technically be behind the camera, but the fact that she has officially been credited as a writer for the film gives me new hope for the franchise.

I cannot wait to see what the creator of Fleabag can bring to such a polar opposite concept like Bond, and how her subversive style and witty writing will play out when coming out of the mouth of James Bond; however, whether this marks enough of a progression into the 21st century for the franchise remains to be seen.

This negative attitude is not what we need Hollywood to have right now

This negative attitude is not what we need Hollywood to have right now. If we start using the nonexistent DNA of a fictional character to justify a lack of female leads in action films, this masks the truth; the fact that film execs think that

Photo: Glyn Lowe

Anastasia Koutsounia comments on the response to the Notre Dame fire Anastasia Koutsounia

On April 15th, a fire broke out in one of the oldest and most famous cathedrals in the world, devastating millions across the world who either knew of or had visited the grand building. The cathedral that inspired one of Victor Hugo’s most famous works, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is perhaps the most beloved building in Paris, and so, in many ways, the flood of responses and donations (which currently stand at around $1 billion) was hardly surprising. However, compared to other disasters that have taken or are taking place around the world, such a response is as worrying as it is impressive.

Today it seems that the world

is constantly and consistently turned on its head by new disasters, or must deal with chronic and persistent ones, such as the ongoing fight against global warming.

Statistically, neither has ever managed to raise the amount of money that was freely and quickly donated for the rebuilding of Notre Dame. For example, in September 2018 Indonesia suffered an earthquake and tsunami that took the lives of 4,340 people and left about half a million homeless, not to mention causing likely-irreparable damage to the landscape. A report that was published a month later said that around £17 million was raised in response, a mere drop in the ocean in comparison to the figures surrounding the Notre Dame

disaster. How does one begin to justify that an old building seems to win more sympathy than half a million tormented people?

Of course, a similar response can be found much closer to home. The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 took the lives of 72 people and affected countless others. According to the BBC, donations amounted to £26.5 million, even after continuous media coverage and a charity single featuring a host of famous faces.

Undoubtedly, the meaning and value of the building itself was negligible when compared to that of Notre Dame, but its demise was a far more human one than we saw in Paris, leaving people without a home or, worse still, their loved ones.

What’s more, the donations

offered for the reconstruction of Notre Dame amount to far more than many of those given to organisations working in third world countries, or fighting other pressing issues of the day, such as global warming or animal extinction.

Therefore, while this disaster did prove humanity’s ability to rally round in the aftermath of such an event, it should also provide us with food for thought on what we prioritise as being important to save.

After all, a building is an inanimate object able to wait for aid; for many people suffering around the world, this time is a luxury they can illafford.

Photo: LeLaisserPasserA38

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Lifestyle Lifestyle Editors Amelia Shaw Harry Browse Alas, it is the final issue of the semester. The Lifestyle section is now in the very capable hands of Jaz Catlow and Em Evans, who will be taking over the role of editors from Amelia and I. It has been a pleasure editing Lifestyle over the past year. Thank you to everyone that has contributed their pieces on all things travel, fashion, food and culture - it has been a wonderful experience reading and presenting your hard work!

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Evacuating My Comfort Zone

Alerting all dark tourists, looking for an odd excursion for this summer? How about an overnight stay in a (currently) disused nuclear bunker? Laura Barré looks back at her stay during her travels.

When people think about the perfect weekend break, they don’t exactly visualise spending the night in a small decrepit room underground. However, I am here to tell you about my amazing night in a Czech nuclear bunker. For some context, my boyfriend and I started planning a trip to the Czech Republic back in March. Whilst looking for accommodation, the picture of a nuclear shelter-turnedhostel and museum caught our eyes.

As two very impulsive people always looking for something out of the ordinary, we immediately booked a room at this socalled Bunker 10-Z.

This may be our last issue but we haven’t cut any corners.

We have an eerie article from the depths of a Czech nuclear bunker; a thorough review of Interval’s new loaded fries menu, as well as some Sheffield study space hacks and a Spanish omlette recipe to tickle your tastebuds.

Adiós!

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Three weeks later and here we are, at the foot of Brno Castle, where only the opening of the bunker is visible. We take our last breath of fresh air and enter the subterranean shelter. Inside, striped curtains give way to a dark tunnel that serves as the lobby. A man wearing a Russian military uniform welcomes and guides us deeper into the complex, through narrow tunnels. We barely have time to take everything in before we arrive to a breathtaking room which turns out to be ours for the night. It is small and rigorous to say the least, and only filled with a few depressing pieces of Soviet-style furniture including an intimidating bed. I’m never too fussy about sleeping situations, but when I saw those military bunks only covered by two sleeping bags, I couldn’t help but think “Oh man, this is going to be a rough night.”

As it turns out, it was slightly uncomfortable but tolerable after a long day of walking around.

But our discoveries did not stop there. The bunker is a maze of gloomy hallways and hidden rooms. Everywhere we looked, we found relics of the past and display rooms where videos explain the history of this war bunker which once operated as a nuclear fallout shelter. From the common open showers to our Czech breakfast inside a small tunnel, everything took us back to the Cold War era. It was a truly immersive experience that gave us a surreal insight into the fear and realities of the times. I won’t lie, with the constant uncanny sounds, the thick air and the narrow tunnels creating a chilling atmosphere, Bunker 10-Z is definitely not suited for everyone. It is for sure the spookiest place I have ever spent a night in. But if you are ready to give up a bit of your comfort in exchange for an unforgettable experience, it is truly worth it.

A bunk for the evening starts at £40 a night, breakfast from a tin included.

Photography: Laura Barré

17

Lifestyle

The Low-Down on Interval’s Loaded Fries Harry Browse, Amelia Shaw, Jaz Catlow, Em Evans

When you hear the foodie phrase ‘loaded fries,’ you can’t help but think of the heartburn-inducing cheese-pull food porn which dominates Facebook clickbait.

Interval is trying to change that with a brand-new selection of loaded fries which have an international twist. The typical toppings have been replaced with some surprising alternatives; hummus, tzatziki and chopped olives now appear on the ‘small plates’ menu, where you can pick three dishes for £10. They’re a welcome addition to a restaurant which is developing its range of options, catering more to Sheffield’s growing vegan and vegetarian demographics. In fact, meat is a minority on this menu, with five out of eight plates marked as vegan or

Photography:Iain G Armstrong, courtesy of Interval

vegetarian. Of course, we had to try them so we popped down with your new Lifestyle editors, Jasmine and Em, to give them a go.

Jasmine As a vegan, it is refreshing to see so many different options on the menu. - half of the loaded fries on offer are either vegan or can be made so! While vegans are commonly offered substitutes for meat dishes, Interval chefs have gone out of their way to design stand alone vegan dishes. Of the three I tried, the Za’tar was my favourite, followed by the Mediterranean fries. The Hummus fries, which were made vegan by removing the soured cream, were my least favourite.

While not as spicy as described, the Za’tar offered a fresh and unusual snack. The coriander, spring onions and lime made for a delightful flavour combination, and the spicy mayo complimented

this well. I would have liked more of the sauce, for flavour and to hold the dish together, but it was otherwise enjoyable.

Hummus- anything is a classic vegan option, but to change it up Interval have added diced beetroot to these loaded fries. While not my

favourite, if you do order them, I would suggest eating them quickly or you’ll end up with a bowl of warm hummus and soggy chips. That said, I enjoyed the variety of options available, and with the promise of 3 sizeable portions of loaded fries for £10, I’ll be sure to bring my friends here for a catch-up over drinks.

Em The Greek loaded fries were refreshingly light and very fitting as being eaten as a side or appetiser.

The textures mixed well together; the creaminess of the feta cheese complimented the chips nicely, adding a saltiness to the dish without being overpowering. I found myself being quite surprised to like this ‘small plate’ so much, and I think it will encourage me to try other areas of menus from now on, instead of going for the same old thing.

I did however feel the hummus loaded fries had the opposite effect – I walked away feeling heavy and bloated. Do note that the hummus will inevitably get heated up by the chips, which adds to the dishes denseness. I would therefore recommend trying this if you’re looking for a snack that will fill you up, as well as maybe asking for the hummus on the side.

Overall, I think the 3 for a tenner offer is one which would go down swimmingly over a few drinks after a day of library-ing - it’s worth the visit.

Amelia The dish I particularly enjoyed was the ‘Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables and Pesto’. Unlike the fries with hummus and beetroot, the vegetables were chopped finely and really complimented the chips making for the perfect chip to vegetable ratio and mouthful.

Whilst they certainly weren’t terrible, my least favourite fries were the ‘Za’atar’: coriander, spring onions, mayo, sriracha sauce, crispy

Meat is a minority on this menu, with five out of eight plates marked as vegan or vegetarian.

onions, and a wedge of lime. I’m one of those people who thinks coriander tastes like soap, so I was a little skeptical from the get go, but they need more sauce to combine everything together. The menu also stated that this dish would be ‘hot’ I have my Nando’s plain or medium (I know, don’t judge) and these fries didn’t even cause the slightest of tingle in my spice sensitive mouth. The Mediterranean dish would also have benefitted from a sprinkle of chilli or a little bit of the amazing vegan tzatziki. Overall, though, these were all great dishes considering the price, and there were many more options that we unfortunately didn’t get to sample.

The Verdict: Hummus, £3.95: 2/5 Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables & Pesto, £3.95: 4/5 Za’atar, £3.95: 3/5 Greek, £4.50: 4/5

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Lifestyle

Top 5 Alternative Study Spaces Ella Craig

As the second semester exam period approaches, for most student’s the first point of call is to go to the IC, the Diamond or Western Bank Library. This can mean spaces in these libraries can fill up quite quickly and some people don’t have the space to study at home. So where else can you turn to, in Sheffield, to study? Also, sometimes revising in the same place can get boring and repetitive - taking a change of environment can aid your revision by helping you destress and keep focussed. With that in mind, here are five alternative places to study in Sheffield Five Rivers Coffee Company Located in Broomhill, Five Rivers is a traditional Vietnamese café, famous for its green cake and filtered coffee.

You may know this coffee shop as

‘The Orange Café’ because of its bright orange décor. This makes the colourful coffee shop the perfect, alternate study location as the atmosphere is bright and positive, inspiring you as you take in the Vietnamese culture.

during your study breaks to cereal, dessert, shakes or coffee. As a recent addition to Sheffield’s café scene, Coco Cereal Café, on Charles Street, also has large tables for group studies and plenty of plug sockets to bring your devices along.

Marmadukes Café Deli In contrast to Five Rivers, Marmadukes’ aesthetic is very simple and mellow creating a very relaxing vibe, perfect for reading or working on essays whilst enjoying its delicious coffee or a Yorkshire Tea. Marmadukes is an independent café located on Norfolk Row in the city centre, but sometimes it’s good to take your studying away from the University so it doesn’t feel like hard work.

Couch Couch has two locations across Sheffield (Campo Lane and Ecclesall Road) which are both popular hangouts for students because of their vintage, industrial flare. The cafés also have bookshelves so even if you’re not studying, it’s the perfect café to sit and read while enjoying a coffee. Both Couch venues not only have amazing coffee but also cater for student

Coco Cereal Café If, like me, you need something to motivate your studying, Coco Cereal Café is the place to treat yourself

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needs in this student-dominated city with free Wi-Fi, plenty of large tables and plug sockets.

Western Park and Endcliffe park Taking studying outside for some fresh air can be refreshing and help motivate you to revise. Luckily, Sheffield is known for its many green spaces such as Western Park or Endcliffe Park. Both are located near

to the Universities main buildings so between lectures you can go outdoors to study without travelling too far.

This is also a bonus in case it starts to rain but hopefully over the coming weeks the weather will take a turn and it will be sunny for exam season.

I hope this inspires you to venture out of the same study locations that we all know and love at the University of Sheffield and to explore your city for even more exciting cafés, bars and parks to enjoy your studies in.

This dish serves 1. You can use this method with normal potatoes, just cook them in the water a bit longer. But the sweet potato adds a lovely vegetable sweetness to this classic dish. It’s lovely with a simple green salad dressed with olive oil and plenty of pepper and sometimes I spread some pesto on top before serving which is superb.

Jack Redfern

Sweet Potato Spanish Omlette Ingredients 1 medium sized sweet potato 1 onion 1 clove of garlic 2 eggs

Photograph: Flickr

Method

Start by prepping your vegetables. Peel your sweet potato and slice into roughly 1cm discs. Next, half and slice your onion into crescent shapes. I like

them thickly sliced to add texture, but slice how you like them. Dice your garlic into small pieces.

Heat a frying pan, the deeper the sides the better, on a medium heat with enough oil to cover the base of the pan well. Add your onions and fry till they begin to colour slightly. Now add your potato, toss with the onions evenly and cook for a couple of minutes to get some colour.

Then pour in some water from a boiled kettle, enough to just cover the potatoes. This speeds up the cooking process a lot and means you have to use much less oil. Once the water has nearly all evaporated, add your garlic and season the mixture generously with salt and pepper.

Whilst the garlic cooks and the rest of the water evaporates, beat your eggs well with a fork so you get a smooth yellow mixture with no streaks of white.

Now raise your heat slightly, add another drizzle of oil and add your eggs to the pan. Once the eggs are in, shake the pan slightly and move your ingredients in the pan around a bit to ensure the egg gets distributed evenly. Once most of your egg looks set you have two options: either pop the pan under the grill for about 30 seconds or flip your omelette out onto a plate, rawer side down, then slide back into the pan for another minute to cook the rest. I much prefer the plate technique, it’s very easy and under the grill the omelette can bubble and won’t be as nice.

Once the omelette has cooked completely, slice it into quarters or half pieces and serve.

y t i l i b ina

a t s u S

P E T S P U Take the steps to make an impact on your sustainability.

Energy • Diet Transport • Personal Divestment sheffieldsu.com/sustainabilitystep

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Break Break Editor Robin Wilde Well, they say that when the curtain falls, it’s time to get out of the Media Hub. As of next issue, I’ll be handing over my editorial duties to the excellent Luke Baldwin, who I’m sure will do a sterling job with the flow of relatable, relevant and irreverent content from the Break section.

Forge Press has been a home to me over the last four years, and having worked for the paper in three different positions, under three different editors, I couldn’t be more proud of the constantly improving quality of our output.

Particular thanks go to all those friends I’ve made along the way, too numerous to list here. We may often have started as strangers, but their openness to new people and new ideas have worked miracles in turning brief introductions into lifelong friendships.

This will be the last you’ll hear from me in Forge Press, and I’m sorry that this editorial hasn’t been one of the funny ones.

But I might as well end it with a #SidewaysLookAtTheNews.

Isn’t Brexit going badly?

write for us!

Game of Thrones Sudoku characters as Sheffield club nights

Easy

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press.break@forgetoday.com

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Vanilla. Basic. Wet. All of these words can be used to describe both Jon and Poppy Tees. But both the King in the North and the Saturday night stalwart are fan favourites, loved by the masses. Whether it be selling out every week or rallying the world against an undead army, popularity is a hard thing to come by.

Oberyn Martell - The Harley A little bit edgy but always very cool, the Red Viper of Dorne has quite a lot in common with The Harley. Don’t tell me you couldn’t see him calmly stood in their nursing a Red Stripe, chatting up anything with a pulse.

However both are sadly most known for their untimely and shocking deaths. They will be sadly missed.

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Tue Apr 30 18:05:01 2019 GMT. Enjoy!

Samwell Tarly - Corporation

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Arya Stark - Hope Works

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At a glance a boring warehouse and a little girl.

But look closer and you realise they’re actually a super assassin and a banging night out. A seedy underbelly but a heart of gold. The real MVPs of the Sheffield club scene and Westerosi murder. Plus we all know what Arya Stark is like.

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Relatable Content Corner

“Solitude will also Break you with its yearning. You have to love.”

Louise Erdrich licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. See: https://xkcd.com/license.html

A little bit naff and not in the best of shape, Corp and Sam are easy to judge. But who cares, they’re good wholesome fun. Functional too!

Wednesday night out? Sorted! Cure for dragon scale? Say no more. They’ll never be up there with the big shots and they know that, but god bless them for trying. And that’s why we love them.

All images: Movie DB

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Break

The Ultimate Student Menu

A

fter scouring the shelves of Sheffield’s cheapest, most underwhelmingly stocked supermarkets for 15 common student staples - but which is truly the king of student foods? We’ve used scientific methods (my amazing brain) to rank them authoritatively, from nauseating to world beating.

15. Garlic Bread Who wouldn’t love a sweaty food that both reeks in itself, and causes you to reek from every pore for hours after consumption? Apparently you all do, and you’re all wrong.

Garlic bread is a disgusting perversion of toast, and one day you’ll have to admit it.

10. Oven Chips The oven chip can rise to amazing heights when properly cooked, but when not properly heated through can range from disappointing to vomit-inducing. You’re probably better off buying some potatoes and making your own.

14. Cheese

9. Hummus

Liking cheese despite everything about cheese being terrible has become a national character trait, but it couldn’t be more wrong. Cheese is pungent, fattening, salty congealed milk mould given undue prominence by the dairy lobby. It’s acceptable on pizza, otherwise get rid.

A favourite of vegans, lefties and people wearing overly loose trousers, hummus is viciously unhealthy, but, we must begrudgingly admit, not that bad in the right context.

13. Frozen Pizza Pizza is one of the finest foods to have graced the Italian brain, and after a few years in Sheffield you’ll become a connoisseur of gross, artery-clogging and delicious pizza places. The frozen variety, however, is mostly disappointing and best avoided. Make your own, it’s worth the time investment.

12. Beans Let’s be honest, baked beans are a pretty weird invention.

They’re never a useful ingredient in cooking, virtually only good on toast, and if you cheap out, are just a disappointing salty mess. Avoid.

11. Fish Fingers Let’s be honest, if you’re after a breaded children’s food with barely perceptible nutritional content, you can get turkey dinosaurs pretty cheap. Fish fingers are good for a satisfying sandwich, but they’re not the stuff excellent dinners are made of.

8. Chicken Nuggets They might be composed of an indistinguishable mulch of poultry blasted from carcasses with a high-pressure hose, but the humble chicken nugget can still do the job when all you want is gloriously greasy protein globs.

7. Ready Meals

5. Rice Friend of Indian, Mexican, and Chinese cuisine alike, the humble rice grain can be piled high next to almost anything and taste good. Avoid the microwave rice packets though, unless you like jasmine-tinged mouth misery.

4. Meal Deals This is a broad category, but they’re popular enough as a source of relatively cheap lunch that we couldn’t leave them out. In case you’re wondering, the best combination is a Katsu chicken wrap (no mayonnaise), Sensations Crisps, and an Innocent Super Juice.

3. Pasta A good source of cheap calories, pasta can be fairly versatile. Obviously, being a student, you’re unlikely to have it with anything that isn’t tomato sauce or pesto, but we can dream, can’t we?

2. Cereal

If you’re too lazy or ignorant to learn to cook, these can be a good way to inject violent levels of salt into your system without totally breaking the bank. If your loan has just come in, consider one of the ones you have to actually cook in an oven.

Contrary to popular belief, cereal can and should be eaten at all times of the day. It’s not only a filling breakfast, but a decent option for the indecisive lunch-seeker, and a late-night hangover avoidance mechanism for those too whiskey-thumbed to order pizza.

6. Noodles

1. Toast

Noodles are what happened to pasta after it got out of prison and went underground. They’re cheap, easy, and basically tasty, but a lot of culinary routes are closed to them compared to their more refined brother.

If you were an alien arriving on Earth, you wouldn’t assume that mildly carbonised bread would be so prized as a cheap treat, but toast pulls it out of the bag by being great both on its own and with a myriad of sweet or savoury toppings.

22

What’s on

write for us!

press.hello@forgetoday.com

15 May - The End of Time

Learn Swedish Back Massage Thursday 16 May 7pm - 9pm Gallery Room 2 £4.19/£1.93 (Res Life) Take the stress out of exam period by insisting on giving all your friends massages. It’s not creepy, it’s totally fine.

Dough Making

Saturday 18 May 3:30pm/7:30pm Nelson Mandela Auditorium £3.30 This young adult adaptation is about a black teenager fighting for justice for her friend who was shot by a policeman. It received much acclaim upon release for its highly relevant social commentary.

Chocolate Experience

Tuesday 21 May 6pm, INOX Dine Bread is one of the main food groups. It’s very important and tasty. A person who can make it is a fine person indeed.

THE HATE U GIVE

Tuesday 4 June 6pm, INOX Dine

Chocolate is the other main food group.

Arguably just as tasty as bread. I am not a very healthy person.

CULINARY SESSIONS! £8.25/£6.05 (Res Life)

TTC Summer Carnival

I spotlighted the Beekeeping society in my first edition of What’s On, so it seems only fitting that they return for the endgame.

Bees are a bit scary but very important for humans to survive so give them a helping hand. I love you Beekeeping Society!

Buzz buzz.

Saturday 25 May 8am-6pm Departs outside Bar One £24.20/£18.90 (Res Life) If you’re lucky enough to finish uni early this year (or maybe you’re just super good at managing time), consider this tour of Yorkshire’s coastal areas. Very scenic.

Friday 7 June 3pm - 3am The SU

20

If you’re reading this, the summer social is already sold out. Don’t be disheartened though. Tickets usually end up floating around in the wild right up until the day, as burnt out students realise they don’t have the time or energy to actually turn up. It’s pretty good fun though.

The Tuesday Club Summer Carnival is an iconic part of the end of term.

The proceedings kick off from 4pm with some music in the Interval and Bar One beer gardens, before moving into Foundry for the later part of the night. Groovy.

Sunday 9 June 12:55pm - 3pm Meet outside The Edge Free!

Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby

SUMMER SOCIA19L

Tuesday 4 June 4pm - 4am The SU £18.70 (final release)

Beekeeping: Intro to the Hives

Other highlights:

The Sun expands and destroys planet Earth It’s going to feel amazing.

City of Liverpool 18 May, 8am-5:30pm Departs outside Bar One £24.20/£18.70 Film Unit: Vice (15) 19 May, 3:30pm/7:30pm Nelson Mandela Auditorium £3.30 Life Drawing With Dogs 22 May, 7pm Coffee Revolution £6.60 Culinary Session: Barista Class 28 May, 6pm INOX Dine £8.25/£6.05 (Res Life) Ezra Furman 30 May, 7:30pm Foundry £19.25 First Aid in the Workplace 1 June, 10am-4:30pm Gallery Room 2 £44/£41.80 (Res Life)

Scan the QR code to see all of the Student Union’s events.

23

Spotlight

Society Spotlight Forge Media

David Anderson

I

f you’re a student at the University of Sheffield, you’re a member of Forge Media. You might not have known that, but it’s true. Anyone can get involved with writing for Forge Press, hosting their own show on Forge Radio, or even helping to create a video for Forge TV. Forge Press, Forge Radio and Forge TV are three separate committees at the SU, however they work together collaboratively under the Forge Media umbrella.

This year I have been Editor-inChief of Forge Press, but my time is coming to an end. My successor will be Ben Warner, and over the course of the next year he’ll be working alongside Ximena BurnsHunt, the new Station Manager for Forge TV, and Cameron Jurevicius, the new Station Manager for Forge Radio.

Forge Media is a big group, and it can feel daunting to get involved at first, yet even next year’s Heads of Outlets started somewhere.

When Cameron found out he was coming to Sheffield to study Journalism in 2017 he scouted out the Students’ Union website for different societies.

“I knew I wanted to get involved in the student newspaper because I was coming to be a Journalism student,” he explains. “So I came to the activities fair and spoke to Ben Warner [who was then Head of News at Forge Press]. I came to the intro meeting… and I remember Kerry [Miller, then Station Manager of Forge Radio], talking about Forge Radio and about how there are no auditions.

I just decided that I wanted to do a radio show, because I’m into podcasts and listening to the radio and music and that kind of thing.

I spent a year doing a radio show and half way through my first year was when I got onto committee for Forge Radio.”

Ximena had a similar beginning to her Forge experience. Also arriving in 2017, but studying Maths and Philosophy, she took advantage of the radio station’s open door policy and began hosting her own show, even though she wasn’t particularly confident at first.

I’ve learnt so many things from Forge that I wouldn’t have had the chance to do otherwise because it’s so unrelated to my degree “I first got involved with Forge because I thought the idea of doing your own radio show sounded really fun,” she says.

“My show was ‘Let Them Talk’. It was basically that I wanted to be on [Forge] Radio but I don’t like the sound of my own voice, so I basically played all my favourite music and just kind of introduced the songs and didn’t really say anything else.”

However, not all committee members were diving into the deep end straight away. Ben Warner arrived in 2016 but hardly got involved in his first year as a Journalism student.

“At the end of first year I noticed it was the AGM and lots of my friends were running,” he tells me. “Because I get FOMO, I didn’t want to miss out. I thought I could probably do News because I do journalism, so I signed up to do that and my speech at the AGM must have gone quite well. I then noticed nobody was running for Head of News so then on the same night decided to run for that, because why not? It sort of snowballed from there.”

There are so many roles on the three Forge committees that it’s easy to join the team, however you don’t need to be a committee member to get involved. The outlets are most visible during big events such as SU Elections and Varsity, but they are producing content all year to entertain and inform students about things that matter to them. Whether you fancy reviewing your favourite new album, hosting a radio show to talk about politics or producing a documentary about a topic close to your heart, the opportunities are there.

“The best part about being involved in Forge for me is the creativity you get and the chance to do stuff that otherwise you can’t really do,” says Ximena.

“I’ve learnt so many things from Forge that I wouldn’t have had the chance to do otherwise because it’s so unrelated to my degree.”

Cameron stresses how anyone can get something out of Forge, whether you’re just dipping your

toes or diving right in.

“At the start of my time with Forge Radio it was just about doing that radio show, having that thing every week,” he says. “Now that I’m on committee I think that what you get out of it changes. I think the best thing about Forge is that you can get as much or as little out of it as you want, and you can interact with it in many ways.”

I think the best thing about Forge is that you can get as much or as little out of it as you want, and you can interact with it in many ways Just as much as the skills you gain, though, Ben praises the

opportunities Forge provides for engaging people outside your immediate uni bubble.

“For me it’s the amount of people around the SU and the university who have all got really interesting stories,” he says. “And actually just people from around Sheffield who I’ve met, talked to, interviewed and written stories about. I’ve been able to tell their stories.”

So don’t be scared. Forge Media is a great place to meet new people with similar interests, practice new skills and try something a bit different.

You don’t have to be a journalism student to get involved, and you don’t have to have any prior experience. So long as you’re passionate, next year’s Heads of Outlets will be happy to help you take your first steps.

“It can be daunting,” says Ben. “But I think if you just take that leap, everyone is so willing to help and everyone wants more people to get involved.”

Left to right: Next year’s Head of Radio, Cameron Jurevicius; Head of TV, Ximena Burns-Hunt and Head of Press, Ben Warner

24

Arts

write for us!

press.arts@forgetoday.com

Arts Editors Bethan Davis Kate Procter

Editor's Picks Bethan's Note Although National Poetry Month was last month, here in Arts we are dedicating three entire pages to poetry. This is it for me as Arts Editor, as I will move onto another role in Forge Press come September. Being Arts Editor has been a blast but it's now time to welcome Rosie Davenport as my successor, who will be brilliant, and of course, thank you to Kate for being a great Co-Editor.

Rosie's Pick: Kate Tempest Kate Tempest is not only an amazing poet but also a remarkable performer. I was first introduced to her work when she won the Ted Hughes award for Brand New Ancients in 2013 which she recited as a spoken word performance. She takes inspiration from the tradition of epic poetry, as she finds the mythical in the modern and every day. Kate has a plethora of talents as well as poetry, her music incorporates the best of her poetic skill in a poetry-music fusion that is both hypnotic and stimulating. Her new album The Books of Traps and Lessons comes out on June 14th.

Kate's Pick: Verse Matters, Thursday 23 May, 7.30pm @ Theatre Deli Verse Matters, an intersectional feminist arts collective based in Sheffield, are holding a special event with a line-up full of talented Poets of Colour. It is being held in collaboration with a Sheaf Poetry Festival, a new festival celebrating poetry in Sheffield running from 17 to 26 May. The full programme of events can be found online.

Image Credit: Juliet Cookson

Otis Mensah: “It has to be hilarious when you use the words ‘poet laureate’ and then people see me.”

Hip-hop artist Otis Mensah on his time so far as Sheffield’s first poet laureate, arts in the education system, and being a “child of the Internet”.

Kate Procter and Dana Raer

When Otis Mensah was appointed Sheffield’s first poet laureate last year he didn’t really know what the title meant. Quiet understandable perhaps, given that since Charles II appointed the first national poet laureate in 1668, every single one – until Carol Ann Duffy was elected in 2009 – had been three things: posh, white and male. So when the outgoing Lord Mayor, Magid Magid, chose Otis to represent the city it came somewhat as a surprise to the 23-year-old.

“I guess I didn’t really have any expectations to start with being that Sheffield hasn’t had a poet laureate before – it is still something very much to be defined,” says the Sheffield-born hip-hop artist, as we sit-down at the Showroom Café Bar near the train station. “It’s been the start of an interesting journey and a lot more varied than I imagined.”

We meet roughly six months after the announcement was made.

In that time Otis has been in highdemand: he has found himself working with schools and arts

organisations, speaking on panel discussions and even featuring in a Swedish documentary earlier that same day. “I’m yet to see the different shapes that the role takes, but my goal is to continue to fly the flag of what’s going on in the arts in Sheffield.”

The incongruity of the title itself is not lost on Otis. Recognising the thorny historical associations of the title with the similar national position appointed by the monarch, he admits the term is “definitely elitist”. But, Otis adds, “It has to be hilarious when you use the words ‘poet laureate’ and then people see me.” In this way the title is ironically fitting for his objective to subvert tradition and break down preconceptions of what a poet is.

One way Otis has been doing this is by working with schools.

By running workshops for Year 11 students, he says: “I wanted to show them the link between the music they probably already listen to and the poetry that they’re reading – essentially I see it as one and the same it’s just the person controlling it is different.

“I think it can be quite off-putting if traditionalist poetry is your only example of poetry and you only analyse it under exam conditions; you don’t leave school with a positive conception of poetry.”

I’m yet to see the different shapes that the role takes, but my goal is to continue to fly the flag of what’s going on in the arts in Sheffield

About his own educational experience, Otis says he desired space “not only for interpretation but self-actualisation through creating.” He is passionate about the need to protect the arts in schools.

Funding cuts and an emphasis on core academic subjects have meant many schools have been forced to cut back on creative subjects.

He says: “You look at the education system and you see we’re slowly steering young people away from the idea that art matters at all, and the more we steer away the less emotionally intelligent people will become.

“If I hadn’t experienced alternative forms of poetry, such as Hip-Hop, through the Internet it might have blocked me from getting into it.”

As a self-proclaimed “child of the Internet”, Otis relied on it to foster his connection with poetry and to develop a platform where his voice could be heard. “I was introverted in that I had to pretend a lot as a teenager – to be something that I wasn’t. I never felt that I was expressing my true self. The Internet became a forum for where I could be myself; where I could be influenced by different forms of hip-hop.”

Today, however, when it comes to social media at least, he confesses that if he weren’t reliant on it as an

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Arts

artist he would remove all his social media for mental health reasons.

But even as an artist, he says, “the idea that to gain something you need to grab mass attention is quite sad in a lot of ways because it makes you into a constant slave for the validation of someone else. We are puppets for validation.”

In his song ‘Buffer Rings’ from his EP Mum’s House, Philosopher released last year, he compares life to the process of buffering in its streaming context. Emphasising the ‘ring’ in the word ‘buffering’, Otis reflects on the similarly cyclical nature of life as exasperated through the Internet. “In life you are caught in an eternal buffer ring – counting on someone else’s approval. There is always a mirage of steps that you have to wait for before you can get where you want to be. ” The song also reflects a life of apathy that he believes has become the norm for a generation of young people. “I think it’s easy in society to use the internet as a sanctuary where you can curate your own bubble of existence and you don’t necessarily have to go out or see things outside of that,” he says.

Regardless, Otis recognises the importance of the Internet for distributing and discovering content, especially growing-up.

“The kinds of readily available art from different backgrounds and different walks of life on the Internet made me think less of region and less of location, at a time when I felt there wasn’t a representation in the city for what I wanted to do.”

Given the accessibility to art the

Internet provides then, is there any real need for a Sheffield poet laureate? Otis believes so.

For starters, he says, not everything exists on the Internet (“we’ve not made the full transition as a society to upload ourselves to the iCloud yet!”). But even then,

I think the importance of the role is to give people an example of someone who looks like them and comes from a working class family, born and bred in their city who is contributing to the arts in a nonelitist way

the Internet can never achieve the same level of human connection.

“The issue with the internet is that everyone is anonymous – a philosophical catfishing of artistry almost.

“That is why music shows are becoming more popular and artists

are selling more tickets than ever.

People are desperate for that real life interaction because the internet is just a shadow of what that can give us.”

Beyond that, as poet laureate he wants to be the representation in the city he wished he’d had growingup. “I think the importance of the role is to give people an example of someone who looks like them and comes from a working class family, born and bred in their city who is contributing to the arts in a nonelitist way."

His role is well intertwined with his own personal work, representing the city through his own artistic endeavours. This includes the upcoming release of his first book, Safe Metamorphosis. “It’s about the traumas of the everyday,” he says, “that we don’t give it its due gravity or due credit.”

Now for Otis the everyday is about having better relationships, something he feels he neglected for a long time in order to pursue his dreams. He credits Magid Magid as an influence for his new philosophy.

“I very much look up to the Mayor as someone who sees human connection as important.

“He doesn’t carry himself with a self-importance that often seeps through people in positions of power. He has very much gone the opposite way and that is so important in connecting people and therefore making change.”

Clearly it is already working as, towards the end of our interview, a woman – a fellow poet it turns out – comes over to our table to ask if she can join our conversation. It is clear Otis Mensah is a people magnet.

If merely his presence can bring people together, just imagine what his art can do.

Otis Mensah's

Venue Recommendations "With the North-South divide, Sheffield and the North often get left out and I think it's quite sad that the South and London have set the standard for what it means to be an artist. But this has created a certain drive to express our creativity in Sheffield."

1 DINA and Cellar Theatre “I really love both of these venues. I think what they’ve done [to create Cellar Theatre] is incredible. Their motivation to create a hub for young artists is great and they are making a specific point about people doing things grass routes. Their events can be found through their website and social media pages.”

2 Hive South Yorkshire “An amazing hub for writers aged 14 to 25, focussed on providing a safe space for young people to share and develop their writing, collaborate and network with other young people. Their events can be found through their website and social media pages”.

Otis’ Book Launch for Safe Metamorphosis is on Friday 17 May at Café Totem, and will include an exclusive live performance of his new material. Tickets can be bought online.

3 Gorilla Poetry “An eclectic open mic night and a space to share and hear poetry as well as other spoken creative writing.

Further information can be found on their Facebook page.”

26

Arts

The Poetry Society Takeover

Dami Okhirka and Amy King from the University of Sheffield's Poetry Society tell us their recommendations and we share some contributor poetry.

Recommendations Dami Okhiria's Pick: There are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce by Morgan Parker Morgan parker is a feminist force and her collection There are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé is incredibly powerful and well worth a read!

Parker fearlessly explores the complexities of black womanhood during these particularly uncertain times by marrying the language of pain and empowerment to create something fierce.

And, there are many poems about Beyoncé what’s not to like?

Amy King's Pick: Pamper Me to Hell & Back by Hera Lindsay Bird

Tips for writing poetry Bethan Davis

Wanting to write poetry but don't know how to go about it?

Here are a couple of trialled tips to make writing easier.

1. Change your settings Whether it’s a bustling coffee shop or you’re feeling the grass beneath you in Weston Park, sometimes being in a fresh location can clear your mind and provide a stimulus for a poem.

2. Reflect - Do you have a specific memory that you just can’t get out of your

head? A breakup that hurt?

The best place you’ve travelled to? It doesn’t have to be a big memory but reflecting on these moments and how they made you feel can attribute to a poem you feel passionate about.

3. Let it flow - Poetry, in my opinion, can be a form of therapy. If you have many ideas or feelings eclipsing your mind, writing them all out on a page can overcome the initial hurdle of not being able to write anything.

4. It doesn’t have to be serious - Okay, this may refute some of the other points above, but for example, in his poem, Psalm 12, In Which the Author Alienates his Audience, Neil Hilborn

ALL MIC LONG

Hera Lindsay Bird is a bisexual, New Zealand based poet and her second collection Pamper Me to Hell and Back is the most arresting and outrageous collection I have read in a long time.

Bird’s unapologetically twisted sense of humour coupled with her shattering reflections on love and loss are disarming in the best way.

Bird’s collection provocatively disregards the typical assumptions that surround poetry and asks us to laugh with her, at ourselves and the pain that comes with being human.

I cannot reccomend her enough.

Fancy peforming some of your own poetry live?

The Poetry Society's last open mic of the year is a chance to showcase your amazing work in an inclusive and supportive space. Whatever your poetic style or writing is, come along and have a go!

21 May, 7:30 at The Green Room.

Check out the Poetry Society's Facebook page for more information to get

Contributor poetry

Haikus for exam season

Left on Read

Be

To be in lacklustre dark rooms With fake eyelashes and DJ booths Waiting to escape home.

You reach for your phone Then realise it's not worthwhile.

How can someone mean so much Synonyms for their touch cannot Be found in a dictionary?

Then they leave you on ‘read’.

They leave you alone in your bed.

When you walk into the girls bathroom, perhaps in the eye of a night out You’ll find that girl…

Who reminds you how fabulous you look, acknowledges your flawless makeup cute shorts, or cheeky top.

If you’re feeling blue, she’ll be there for you But if you can’t quite find her, be her.

By Lily Harper

wrote about how he doesn’t like cats and this became one of his funniest poems he performs worldwide. If you’d like to write a poem but don’t necessarily want to focus on a memory, maybe start with an opinion you have, and go from there.

5. Don’t get bogged down Try not to overcomplicate your art by worrying how many metaphors or fancy words you’ve used and let your poetry be your own. Many of the best poems published are redrafted anyway. Take time for yourself and know that the best version of your poem will come around.

By Dami Okhiria

Revision Haiku

To The IC

Revision period: The perfect time to do allthings, except revise.

I got here early yet, aimlessly I wonder sod it, I'll go home.

By Dami Okhiria

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28

Music

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Photo: Paul Holloway, Wikimedia Commons

Music Editors Harriet Evans Ben Kempton Unfortunately, this is mine and Ben’s final ever issue as music editors of Forge. I honestly don’t know where the year has gone!

To conclude our time in the role we’ve put together a selection of our favourite moments in music from during our time as editors.

We’d also like to welcome our two new music editors Ella Craig and Dana Raer, who will be taking over the section shortly, be sure to check our their pieces in this issue. Last, but by no means least, we have a review of the long awaited new Vampire Weekend album, Father of the Bride, by our very own Editor, David Anderson.

Again, we’d like to say thank you for having us and we hope you enjoyed reading this year’s music section.

Editors’ Picks Ben: The Ultracheese - Arctic Monkeys

For my editors pick I’ve chosen my favourite song from the year.

Although the album wasn’t rated highly by a lot of AM fans, I absolutely loved it and thought this was the best song. The lyrics are stunning, Alex Turner’s voice is beautiful and the band are amazing, especially in the guitar break in the middle of the song. What more could you want from a song?

Harriet: Wriggle (Mr Jukes Edit) - Cosmo Sheldrake

I found this track through my ‘discover weekly’ playlist over Easter. It’s a beautifully odd blend of electronic and indie music and to me feels like a typical ‘summery’ track. This version of Wriggle is unashamedly playful and fun, which gives it the catchy tune that really sticks in your head. It’s something that I can’t stop listening to and quickly made its way onto my regular playlist, so I highly recommend checking it out.

Guide to UK festivals 2019 Summer music festivals are now a part of the UK’s culture and with hundreds of festivals hosted every year, there’s certainly something for everyone no matter what their preferred genre. So here’s Ella Craig’s guide to the best music festivals for each musical genre.

Y Not Festival Indie 25th – 28th July Pikehall, Derbyshire.

What once started as a small local festival in 2005, Y Not Festival has worked its way up the festival ladder to host the 2019 headliners: Elbow, Two Door Cinema Club, Foals, Wolf Alice, Franz Ferdinand and You Me at Six. Voted as one of the nation’s most beautiful festivals by NME, Y Not is No.1 on the Indie scene.

Creamfields Dance 22nd – 23rd August Daresbury, Cheshire Its non-stop bop at Creamfields Festival with the best DJ’s coming together for a three day fist pumping party. Featuring Andy C, Annie Mac, Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia and Chemical Brothers in the 2019 lineup.

The Soundcrash Funk and Soul Weekender Funk and Soul 17th – 19th May Brighton The clue is in the name with this festival: one full weekend of nonstop funk and soul jams. The line-up includes Gilles Peterson, Kamasi Washington, DJ Yoda, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Romare, Craig Charles.

Download Festival Metal and Rock 14th -16th June Donnington Park, Donnington.

Expect mosh pits and headbanging at the UK’s undisputed best metal festival with a heavy-riff lineup of Def Leppard, The Smashing Pumpkins, Slipknot, Slash, Rob Zombie and Halestorm.

Black Deer Festival American and Country 21st – 23rd June Eridge Park, Kent Back for it’s second year, Black Deer Festival brings cowboy boots and country songs over to the UK. With The Mavericks, The Staves, Band of Horses, John Butler Trio and Kris Kristofferson & The Strangers headlining, you can tuck into BBQ food, true American style.

Capital Summertime Ball Pop 8th June Wembley Stadium, London One full day of pop giants, Capital FM pulls together all the latest and biggest names in the charts: Halsey, The Jonas Brothers, Anne - Marie, Jess Glynne, Khalid and Jax Jones.

Parklife Indie, techno, rock, pop, rap, folk etc.

18th – 19th June Manchester This 2-day non-camping festival has an electric line-up of Cardi B, George Ezra, The Streets, Migos, Khalid and Solange across its eight stages and boasts it’s inclusion of local Manchester DJ’s and bands.

Leeds/Reading Indie, techno, rock, pop, rap, folk etc.

23rd – 25th August Bramham Park, Leeds and Richfield Avenue Festival Site, Reading.

With two locations, one in the North and one in the South of England, Leeds and Reading Festival has The 1975, You Me at Six, Twenty One Pilots, Blossoms and The Foo Fighters headlining its 24th year on the festival scene.

It’s one of the most popular festivals in the UK and brought around 80,00 people at each location in 2018.

Glastonbury Indie, techno, rock, pop, rap, folk etc.

26th – 30th June Worthy Farm, Somerset

The Killers, The Cure, Stormzy, Kylie Minogue, George Ezra, Liam Gallager. Glastonbury is the place to be this summer as it has something for everyone. Known for its Pyramid stage, Glastonbury is one of the biggest festivals hosted in the UK with around 175,000 festival-goers in 2018. It has a killer lineup year after year which just keeps getting better, making it the ultimate festival experience.

Photo: Alistair McMillan, Flickr

29

Music The Year of Band Reunions Dana Raer

Spring-Summer 2019.

Jonas Brothers posted a new song “Sucker” on YouTube with no announcement, ABBA are performing in virtual concerts with new music after 35 years, Led Zeppelin is said to have a 50 year celebration of its band in a live concert, Journey launched a full tour for 2020.

So many bands are reuniting once again to bring old and new m u s i c

after years of being inactive.

Why are we experiencing now this phenomenon of band ‘revivals’?

Is it our nostalgia for older times in which music had a significantly different beat? What about popularity? Is nostalgia enough to bring people to concerts and start listening to the bands’ music again?

These are some

questions that keep popping up when you search the Google bar ‘band reunions 2019’.

As a late millennial, I do not find any of those that surprising, as melancholy and nostalgia are some of the greatest traits of my generation. Fans are exuberant to hear more about bands that defined their

childhoods.

What can actually give a shock is ABBA and its reunion in a virtual concert that showcases new music in the form of ‘eternal’ young ABBA members. In a way, they are not showing any type of authenticity by not being on that stage live and portraying themselves as the young artists they once were, but the show itself might be enticing to watch.

For lovers of the 90s decade, Spice Girls (unfortunately without Victoria

Beckham) and Backstreet Boys highlight the most anticipated concerts of summer 2019, bringing back some of the best classic songs of our childhood.

This thrill of having some of the best bands back again on stage is well represented in the number of tickets sold for each event, no matter how many years passed since their periods of popularity in the music industry. Thus, look out for your favourite bands because there are so many more in store for each genre.

2019 highlights a year full of nostalgia and love for the past, of good memories we’ve made listening to some of the best artists and best bands.

Images: Pixabay | Christopher Simon Wkimedia Commons | Sophie Baker

ALBUM REVIEW Vampire Weekend: Father of the Bride David Anderson

After six years of anticipation, Vampire Weekend finally released their fourth studio album, Father of the Bride, on Friday 3 May. In the time since Modern Vampires of the City hit the shelves back in May 2013, lead singer Ezra Koenig has created his own Netflix series featuring Jaden Smith and Jude Law, begun hosting a radio show on Beats 1, collaborated on tracks with Major Lazer and SBTRKT, and even contributed a cute little song for the 2018 Peter Rabbit film. Oh, and he’s also moved to Los Angeles and had his first child with long-term girlfriend Rashida Jones. It’s fair to say he’s been busy.

When Koenig finally returned

to resume playing with Vampire Weekend again in summer 2018, his band looked quite different.

Drummer Chris Tomson and bassist Chris Baio remained as full members, having each released solo albums themselves during the hiatus. However multiinstrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij had left to pursue his own solo work.

A number of session musicians had joined the touring line-up though, and in the studio the group were joined by the likes of Danielle Haim and Steve Lacy to collaborate on new tracks.

All these changes, influences and inputs have unsurprisingly led to Vampire Weekend’s most eclectic album yet. Weighing in at 18 songs and lasting almost an hour, FOTB is a far chunkier LP than the band’s first three, and thematically it jumps about a bit more too.

Danielle Haim’s influence on opener ‘Hold You Now’, ‘Married in a Gold Rush’ and the breezy duet ‘We Belong Together’ feels refreshingly country.

Elsewhere, Steve Lacy leaves his mark on the far funkier ‘Sunflower’,

perhaps the most danceable Vampire Weekend track to date, and its sister song ‘Flower Moon’.

Vampire Weekend have matured with each studio album, and it’s no surprise that their biggest gap between records has also resulted in the greatest leap in maturity, both musically and lyrically.

Although MVOTC was darker and more reflective than the innocence of Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut and sophomore release Contra, there is an even more contemplative feel to FOTB at times.

Koenig seems to ponder life choices, decisions and the future, not least on the slower ‘Big Blue’ (“So am I learning my lesson? / Or am I back on my own?”) and ‘2021’ (“2021, will you think about us? / Copper goes green, steel beams go rust”).

The band haven’t abandoned their roots completely though.

‘This Life’ is full of youthful vitality

despite its ruminative lyrics, while ‘Harmony Hall’ is perhaps the most traditionally Vampire Weekend of the singles – and that’s not just because it reuses a line from MVOTC’s ‘Finger Back’ (“I don’t wanna live like this, but I don’t wanna die”). Its catchy guitar hooks and typically cryptic lyrics hark back to some of the band’s earliest releases.

Koenig and Vampire Weekend have certainly been building their own hype for FOTB for a while, but they’ve absolutely lived up to it. Although there isn’t a singular theme to the record, and some of the transitions feel a tad jarring, something about the broad spectrum just works. FOTB has shown the band experiment more than they ever have done before and delivered some big singles in the process. It’s a fine addition to the Vampire Weekend’s catalogue and feels like a promising beginning to an exciting new chapter for the band.

30

Music

Musical highlights of the year

It is with heavy hearts that Ben and I are stepping away from our roles as Music Editors as our stint at University is sadly drawing to a close. We thought a good way to say our goodbyes and summarise the year in music would be to share with you some of our favourite releases and best gigs from over the past year.

Hope you enjoy taking this little trip down memory lane with us.

Harriet

MGMT Live @ O2 Academy Leeds MGMT have been on my ‘mustsee’ list since I was a teenager, so finally getting the chance to finally see them live was incredibly exciting. I thought they might be one of those bands that can’t live up to your expectations, however, I was very wrong. Their voices sounded near identical to the tracks, the visuals were insanely trippy and their stage presence was on point.

They played a lot of tracks from their latest album Little Dark Age, which I’m a huge fan of, but also played all the classics like ‘Kids’, ‘Electric Feel’ and ‘The Youth’ and the atmosphere was electric in the venue. If you get the chance to see them live, jump at it, you won’t be disappointed.

Arctic Monkeys Live @ FlyDSA Arena Sheffield Living in Sheffield, it’s hard to escape the influence of this city’s musical history. Luckily Arctic Monkeys made their comeback album before it was time for me to move back home, which meant

a big UK tour for one of the steel city’s best loved bands. There’s always something special about seeing a band play to their home audience.

From the sea of people from all ages and backgrounds chanting the lyrics, the rowdy atmosphere, to the overpriced superpint, it was a special thing to be a part and to tick off my Sheffield bucket list.

me was the venue. Belgrave is a pizza restaurant/bar/music venue that is only small but made for the most incredible setting for a gig, particularly for someone like Palace who can be so much more appreciated in such a venue.

Peace in the Park

Delete/Big Man Skank (VIP) EP: Chase & Status It’s been no secret how much of a big Chase & Status fan which I’m sure you’ve noticed in my Editor’s picks throughout this year. Their latest releases have not disappointed, but my favourite has to be this one. They’ve gone back to their roots in classic jungle sounds, creating this intense and heavy sound.

Two of my other musical highlights this year would have to be seeing C&S at Foundry in November playing their ‘Return II Jungle’ DJ set, which was such an amazing experience. Despite having seen them about five or six times, they never fail to blow me away. They also released their classic ‘No More Idols’ album on vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day, an album I’ve been lusting after on vinyl for a long time. It’s been an incredible year for these lads, keep your eyes peeled for their new album out at the end of May.

Attending Peace in the Park was a spontaneous outing for me last year. A decision made on a sunny summer’s day after one too many pints at the Cav. If you’re in Sheffield on 8 June for this year’s festival, then definitely get yourself down. This free festival deserves so much love and support for what they do, it truly showcases how varied Sheffield’s music scene is and is a brilliant way to celebrate it.

Ben

Sticky Fingers @ the o2 Ritz Manchester Sticky Fingers have been a huge part of my uni life from listening to them watching sunsets on Bole Hill to playing them at afters. I discovered the band in first year and have been low key obsessed ever since so it only felt suitable for them to be my last ever gig at university. They didn’t disappoint either, I wouldn’t be overdramatic saying they were euphoric.

Interviewing and seeing Natty live

I’ve been lucky enough to have the privilege of interviewing some fantastic artists throughout my time as Forge Music Editor and one of the most interesting and humbling interviews was with acoustic/reggae artist Natty this year. Walking into a dressing room full of Rastafarians high as a kite munching pizza was slightly intimidating at first but Natty was so calming and has a fascinating outlook on life. His gig was so intimate and beautiful as well, playing to a crowd of around 50 people in the second room of Foundry.

Palace @ Belgrave, Leeds Another favourite band of mine that I discovered at uni are Palace. After releasing a stunning couple of singles the band went on tour ahead of their upcoming album. Although the band were mesmerizingly good, the thing that really set this gig apart for

Interviewing Slowthai I’ve never felt as nervous for an interview as I did for the larger than life, crazy character that is Slowthai. As the phone rang I got more and more tense preparing myself for what would be on the other side of the phone but to my complete surprise he was the most down to earth, kind genuine bloke. Still completely crazy and an absolute lunatic – he went on several tangents about his drug experiences, but that made the interview all the more special. It’s hard to describe but there is a complete buzz you get after interviewing an artist and Slowthai was the best postinterview feeling I’ve had yet.

32

Screen

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Screen Editors Gethin Morgan Izzy Cridland And now our watch has ended.

This is our last ever issue of Forge Press and it’s fair to say we are both gutted that our time with the paper is over. We hope you’ve enjoyed Screen this year and we’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our contributors and the amazing Forge Press Committee.

For now we shall go our separate ways, with our time as Screen Editors slowly lost in time, like tears in the rain. Time, to die.

Endgame

Editors’ Picks

Brief Encounter

Josh Teggert

Once you look past the clipped english accents, Brief Encounter is actually very moving and emotionally charged. Celia Johnson is heartbreaking as Laura who’s internal monologue is delivered throughout, exemplifying her internal struggle in choosing between her husband and the man she encounters by chance at the train station. Sometimes it’s easy to look past black and white films, but this 1940s classic is still relatable, despite the distinct era differences. - Izzy

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

My last pick of the year has to be a real go-to favourite. Hunt for the Wilderpeople only came out three years ago but I must have watched it 6-7 times. It is endlessly charming, laugh-outloud funny and jam-packed full of heart. Taika Waititi is a genius and this is his best work yet. Come for the hilarious New Zealand sense of humour, stay for the happy-sad vibes. Majestical. - Gethin x

“This is going to work, Steve.”

“I know it will. Because I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t.”

So spoke Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to Captain America (Chris Evans) in the opening act of Avengers: Endgame.

Quite poetically, leading into this crossover event, the above interaction no doubt reflects the minds of all Marvel fans flooding to see Endgame in the coming weeks.

Naturally, fans are longing to watch their favourite characters together on screen for one last blast, but also desperate that the conclusion to this incredible 11-year journey lives up to expectations.

Endgame’s prologue sees our heroes defeated; Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) infamous finger-snap at the end of Avengers: Infinity War – coined officially as ‘The Decimation’ – has wiped out half of all living creatures in the universe. Now, the Avengers must unite one more time to reverse this grave catastrophe, “whatever it takes.”

So, has Marvel managed to make this overwhelmingly ambitious project work? The short answer: yes. Infinite times over, yes.

Avengers: Endgame is not only a truly engrossing culmination to the ‘Infinity Saga’, it is also nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece.

11 days

Endgame has become the fastest film to ever make $2bn at the box office, smashing Avatar’s previous record of 47 days

The journey that began with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Iron Man back in 2008 is very intelligently tied up in Endgame. As the film unfolds, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s meticulous story planning becomes evident and gradually proves to be the most satisfying payoff any Marvel fan could have hoped for. Marvel President Kevin Feige, alongside directors Anthony and Joe Russo, have completed an impossible feat; Endgame is humorous, heart-breaking and perpetually captivating. It more than exceeds any presupposition

laid before it with a swagger more equanimous than Stark’s ego, whilst also moulding an open route forward for the inevitable continuation of this formidable franchise. It’s oneof-a-kind experience; the perfect milestone to end this gigantic adventure, yet a glorious beginning for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Endgame’s greatest filmic achievement though, lies in its steady pace and indulgent narrative; taking things slow but never wasting time, yet speeding along whilst never rushing, everything fits perfectly into place in this threehour work of genius that has a sophistication indicative of a Francis Ford Coppola paragon. Sure, it’s a high-budget superhero blockbuster featuring spectacular special effects, but as Marvel has proven before, that doesn’t mean a superhero film cannot tackle tones and styles not necessarily affiliated with the genre.

In the realisation of its ambition, Endgame catapults the superhero genre to an unprecedented spectrum of film accomplishment; it is a piece of cinematic art, encapsulating yet conquering all that has come

before it with majesty and selfassuredness.

But, as noted by Stark, “part of the journey is the end” and now the curtain draws on this dazzling superhero adventure. Though the encore of ‘Phase Three’ is yet to be seen in Spider-Man: Far From Home (in cinemas this July), Avengers: Endgame is a magnificent finale which allows The Avengers we so

Endgame catapults the superhero genre to an unprecedented spectrum of film accomplishment

know and love the opportunity to sign off in remarkable fashion, leaving behind a Hulk-sized stamp on Hollywood history which will remain for ‘infinity’.

Avengers... Assemble. And take a bow.

All images: Movie DB

33

Screen

Films THAt BANG!

The use of sex is probably the most contested and censored aspect of filmmaking. And after years of controversy, sex is so often exploited or misconstrued within the medium. Now we live in a more sex positive society, has this improved sex in film or reduced it to a lavish display for the male gaze? Izzy Cridland takes us through some of her favourites, as well as some of the cruder examples of sex in film.

Brokeback Mountain

You know what the sex in Brokeback Mountain is like? It’s in-tents.

Signposted as one of the first gay films to hit the mainstream. What Brokeback Mountain achieved has paved the way for gay cinema since and comprehends a seismic shift in the representation of gay people in cinema and the sex scenes are used authentically to mimic this. Set in the rural deep south of America, this film was crucial in establishing a cultural shift in how gay people were perceived across many communities. The frustration of their desire is exemplified as Enis (Heath Ledger) flinches right before he kisses Jack (Jake Gyllenhall); angry and almost not allowing himself to succumb to his sexuality, it makes the payoff hugely passionate when they do. It holds a lot of similarities with the British equivalent God’s Own Country, where the characters are seen getting literally down and dirty on a farm.

A perfectly captured moment of repressed desire.

Before Midnight

After two and a half films of romance, it was about time we saw Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) finally start to get it on. This decision was perfect for the final instalment of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, as we see the sexual tension between the two gather speed and it feels like a catharsis for the characters, as it is the first time we witness nudity in the series.

It’s also quite shocking to the viewer seeing Celine topless, but it’s quickly revealed how unexciting this is to the characters, revealing how stagnant their relationship has become.

It is also at the point of their biggest fallout, where their weaknesses are revealed, and the monotony of their relationship exposed, as they soon break into argument. Celine promptly redresses and presents a moment of vulnerability in her character as she doesn’t want to argue unclothed, revealing how the sexual tension that had been there so ardently from the beginning has slipped away as quickly as it arrived.

Blue is the Warmest Colour

This French directorial debut from Abdellatif Kechiche presents a wonderful depiction of the passion of first love. When Adele (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Emma (Léa Seydoux) meet, their connection is apparent instantly, prior to this Adele is shown having sex with a boy, who clearly doesn’t satisfy her. This is then used as ammunition to show how good sex can be in a simmering, erotic contrast.

However, the male gaze is all over this film, as all too many lesbian romances are, due largely to their frequent male direction.

It’s extremely pornographic in nature with both bodies being exposed for extended sex scenes. This is a key theme in films with lesbian romances, as they are often exposing the passion behind forbidden love. However, their love isn’t really forbidden in modern day France and whilst it is still wrapped in stigma,

it doesn’t justify the long, explicit sex scenes, that border on objectification of the two female leads.

Disobedience

Sebastián Lelio’s Disobedience is an example of a much better job at removing the male gaze from the sex scene between lead characters Esti (Rachel McAdams) and Ronit (Rachel Weisz). Their love is forbidden due to the orthodox Jewish community in which they live. Therefore, the stakes are much higher for the two protagonists. Yet the sex scene feels far more real, compelling and romantic, still managing to assimilate the same impact without breaching on the pornographic, as the scene focuses particularly on their faces and manages to remain erotic without using nudity. Weisz does spit into McAdams mouth towards the end of the scene; a spontaneous decision from Lelio, as it’s clearly impossible for men not to insert their own fetishes and sexual fantasies into the sex they are directing. It’s still nowhere near the level of Blue is the Warmest Colour however, which is saying something!

Elle

This extremely controversial film from director Paul Verhoeven is described as a “rape revenge comedy” and I find it difficult to see this film as anything but a slap in the face to rape victims. Isabelle Huppert is exceptional as Elle, she herself is a controversial games designer, whose biggest seller is a game in which an ogre goes around raping women

with his tentacles.

She’s presented as a strong woman and her numbness to the rape after it has taken place may be realistic and tragic. However, we continue to wawtch other complications in her life unfold, and it’s clarified that she’s not a perfect person, but she is an innocent victim to rape, which I think is painfully ignored.

All the women in this film are presented as terrible people, apologists for the men in their lives and “sluts”. When Elle realises her rapist is her sexy neighbour, she is filled with lust, overtly glamorising rape and souring victims as masochists.

This film tries to deliver too much within one story. A story about a brutal rape, which then becomes at points a light domestic comedy and then horror, is too much for one narrative and the complexity allows for the men in the film to get away with everything, whilst the women are presented as deeply flawed.

Moonlight

Under the aptly moon-lit sky on a beach in Florida, Chiron (Ashton Sanders) receives his first sexual experience. However, the background for this film leaves little to be romanticised, Naomi Harris is Chiron’s mother, a drug addict who struggles to care for her son and Chiron is tirelessly bullied at

school. However, in this coming of age story, Chiron’s sexual awakening offers warmth, as the character’s rough and difficult life is contrasted with a moment of vulnerability and longing as we see him clench sand in his hand, perpetuating authentically the pleasure of his first time, a symbolic moment in any teenager’s life. Chiron is so quiet and put together throughout, despite his palpable chemistry with Kevin, that by the end of the film the audience is eagerly anticipating the moment we’re teased with, when Chiron’s guard slips and he allows himself to love and be loved.

Ghost

Easily one of the most iconic sex scenes of all time, it has been parodied and re-enacted countless times. The scene is extremely visceral and phallic and the sounds of squelching pottery leaves little to the imagination.

There’s nothing subtle about this sex scene but despite the overtness of it, it serves as a perfect contrast to the rest of the film and makes it all much more heartbreaking.

Equally, the iconic use of ‘Unchained Melody’

by The Righteous Brothers has become just as infamous but accentuates all of the passion and desire perfectly.

All images: Movie DB

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Screen

In conversation with

B

orn in Nairobi, before moving to the UK to study Management Science and then hopping across the pond to California for a Masters in Film Production and Directing, you might say Wanuri Kahiu is a pretty well-travelled individual. Now add to that list Sheffield, following the award-winning K e n y a n filmmaker’s visit to Showroom Cinema for a Q&A and a screening of her new film, Rafiki.

Forge Press was fortunate enough to spend some time one-on-one with Wanuri earlier that day and it was obvious that this is a passionate, eloquent artist with a clear vision of what she wants to achieve.

“Rafiki is a love story about how two young girls fall in love and how the world around them changes as a result of that love.” That was Wanuri’s succinctly accurate way of describing her second feature film but, make no mistake, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya, with sexual acts punishable by up to 14 years in prison, and to this day the Kenya Film Classification Board has banned the film. “The banning applies to the distribution, exhibition and possession within the Republic of Kenya. So even owning a copy of the film is illegal at the moment”, Wanuri explains.

The film was not banned purely because of its central lesbian love story, however. The issue they had with it was that the ending was hopeful and joyful. “They said that if I were to change the ending to make it more remorseful, then they would lift the ban. I refused, and therefore it was banned.”

Wanuri did take the Classification

Wanuri Kahiu

Gethin Morgan speaks to the director of a Kenyan film banned in its home country because of its positive depiction of lesbian romance Board to court in order to fight the case for freedom of expression, which she describes as “enshrined” in their constitution. Unfortunately, as a relatively young constitution there are no laws supporting that right. She hopes to be part of the movement changing that. “We’re hoping that by taking the Film Classification Board to court, we’ll begin to define what freedom of expression means.”

She did manage to get the ban lifted for seven days in order to have the film running in cinemas and qualify for selection as Kenya’s entry in the Foreign Film category for the Oscars. Sadly it was not selected as Kenya’s flag-bearer but that doesn’t mean the effort was for nothing. “The film was sold out for the week it played and that was remarkable.”

Even owning a copy of the film is illegal at the moment Wanuri is right in the middle of a movement and, with the Kenyan courts set to rule on a law decriminalising homosexuality next month, she is full of optimism and positivity. “The film came at a time when change was beginning to happen, and has added to the tidal wave of change, which continues to happen. But I don’t think that change happened as a result of the film, I think the film is coming at a time when change is already happening.”

Her pride beams through when speaking about that wave she’s riding. “To be a person that champions the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya is incredible, for the film to help people feel seen is incredible, for the film to start to pick at the erasure of certain types of people in cinema is incredible, and for us to be able to champion love, and love being the most basic human right, is something that I want to continue to do for the rest of my life. And I want to be able to do that with joy and hope in every possible way.”

For, despite her passion for LGBT rights, making an LGBT film was never her priority. “I wanted to make the film because it was a love story, more than anything else, because in my experience growing up there weren’t that many people falling in love in cinema. And I really felt like it was something that was missing. I wanted to add that to the history and the language of cinema in Africa.”

So she set off on a mission to find a love story. And when she found Ugandan author Monica Arac de Nyeko’s short story, Jambula Tree, her search was over. So she embarked on translating it into her own Kenyan love story, which today stands in the form of Rafiki.

“We were just truly, truly privileged and honoured to be able to translate this beautiful work by Monica and bring it to life”.

Before she could do that story justice, she had to find her two leading ladies. First came Sheila Munyiva, who brilliantly plays the more outgoing Ziki, sporting pink hair and dancing in the streets of Nairobi with her friends. An

actress who hadn’t done many lead roles, she went in for an audition and was exactly what Wanuri was looking for.

To be a person that champions the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya is incredible Samantha Mugatsia, who plays the more reserved Kena, was discovered in a slightly less conventional way. A drummer by trade, she met Wanuri at a party and the director invited her in for an audition. A few years later and she’s a leading lady. “She had never acted before in her life, so this is her first acting role anywhere and she was amazing.”

The two share an electric chemistry, which reflects the film’s greatest asset, the strength of its core relationships. Wanuri did not stop at crafting an authentic romantic connection; she develops the parents of Kena and Ziki too, with the dynamic between Kena and her father particularly effective. “I think so often in African film we haven’t seen very kind or tender depictions of African men.

And it was incredibly important that we show that in this film.”

Drowning in colour, the film is vibrant and alive, “we wanted it to be pop and fresh and young and kind of ‘instagrammy’ in its approach.”

However, the striking aesthetic pays off most during the darker scenes in the film, which Wanuri lit with a duller palette. The contrast works wonders to depict one particular scene of public brutality with justified rawness.

“That [scene] was incredibly difficult. And you have to remember that one out of five LGBT people are violently assaulted in Kenya. So we had to kind of pay attention to that and show it as well. But it was incredibly difficult to make. It was a really hard scene. But we tried to surround the girls, as we were making it, with as much tenderness as we could.”

Such care runs through the veins of Rafiki; an overwhelmingly positive film which, despite harsh moments, allows the beauty of love to shine through, like a flower breaking through concrete to blossom in the sun.

Wanuri does not claim to be a groundbreaker – she cites a number of LGBT movies from Kenya and across Africa which have come before – but she is certainly an important voice within cinema right now. “It’s not new because love is not new and love has always existed in its multiple forms, even on the African continent. But it is something which I think we’re paying more attention to and something we want to have more conversations about.”

Thanks to filmmakers like Wanuri who are contributing to the stream of LGBT films to come out in recent years, those conversations are being had more and more. And when it comes to Kenya, her optimism remains unflinching: “We have a really amazing, courageous, vibrant, wonderful Millennial and Gen X people who are just so open and aware of themselves and unafraid to claim their orientation in a way that didn’t happen when I was in my twenties, for sure. And it’s so glorious to see.”

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Games Games Editors Tom Buckland Luke Baldwin

Y T I L A E R E M O C E

B FEATURE Ash Williams

Tom - Celeste

Because of EGX Rezzed, it only felt right to talk about an indie game.

A cute and quirky platformer that hides an endearing storyline that discusses the charming protagonist Madeleine’s mental health as she takes on the hefty task of climbing Celeste Mountain. Just a warning, this game is deceptively difficult and you will get frustrated. On another note, it’s hurting me to finally let go of the Forge Games torch after two fantastic years, but I’m grateful for everything I’ve done. Cheers for having me Forge.

It’s been a long time coming but Dreams, the next so-called “game” from Media Molecule, is finally here (sort of). Released in an early access form on 16 April, the same day that PlayStation 4 architect Mark Cerny teased details about the PS5, it’s the first time the wider public have had the chance to really experience just what Dreams could really produce.

The reason for quotation marks around the word game, is that as of right now, it would be hard to really summarise this entire package as a singular game. In reality, Dreams is a quirky game design toolset wrapped up in a whimsical British style.

Developers Media Molecule are no strangers to this form of approach.

Their LittleBigPlanet series of games were always famous for their creative potential, with their robust

Luke - Dead Cells Following the trend I’m also picking an indie darling. Sadly this sidescrolling hack ‘n’ slash got all the wrong kind of publicity earlier this year due to some questionable reviewers. But that doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s great, just like my time as Co-editor of Games. It’s the position I initially wanted when I first got involved with Forge, and after three years it was certainly worth the wait. Easily my favourite position I’ve held on the paper, Forge Games will forever hold a place in my heart.

press.games@forgetoday.com

When

Our last issue is here. Our time on Forge has been truly special, and it’ll be sad to go. It’s not all doom and gloom, though, as Charlotte and Ash - next year’s editors - are excellent! Ash has written a piece on his experience with Dreams. As our final farewell, we’re going to tell you about all our favourite games we played at EGX Rezzed, they’re pretty cool.

Thanks for a good run. x

Editors’ Picks

write for us!

All images owned by Media Molecule

level creators, but that potential was always restricted by the mechanics within the game. You could create a 2D platformer, or variations thereof, to your heart’s content, but coming up with whole new gameplay styles such as a shooter or driving game was always a step too far.

If anything, Dreams seems to be the answer to those limitations.

Conceived from the ground up as a comprehensive toolset first, game second, there’s clear potential within Dreams from the very start.

Whisked through an introduction prologue teaching you the basics, it hammers home the theme of creation and dreaming without limits, extending beyond simple motivational messages to being a clear design philosophy.

I would never describe myself as an expert in game creation, the tools that Dreams gives the player are robust while simultaneously being easy to understand, thanks in huge part to the comprehensive

suite of tutorials. Each one, being 3 or so minutes apiece, calmly and effectively walks the player through using Dreams and getting the most out of its creation suite.

I still have much to learn on that front but there are many users already showcasing what Dreams is capable of. The game had been out in a closed beta form a few months prior to the early access release, so certain lucky people had an advantage, but the breadth and quality has only gotten better since.

Many of the hundreds of creations on the in-game browser are mindblowing in scope, with genuine “how-did-you-do-that” sort of moments.

There was a near fully-realized PT remake in Dreams, and it felt just as faithful and impressive as the real thing, as short lived as it was. Even tech demos, such as recreations of environments in Dead Space, or scenic vistas like a Metro station, substituted gameplay depth for sheer visual marvel, with great effect. Games like Porto, a simple box-carrying puzzle game, are so simplistic yet so well realized, it’s a wonder that they’re free to play. Even character showcases, from serious attempts to meme creations, are great to behold, as seeing future protagonists in initial stages of development opens up a new dimension of player-creator

transparency.

The community tools and support are also really well handled. Every creation has a digital presence, and provided that creation is “remixable” (ie, someone can edit that creation and alter it in whatever way they see fit), the original creator gets credited wherever their creation goes. It culminates in a really smart method of encouraging the sharing of works, ensuring that all work is fairly rewarded and cultivating a close-knit community of passionate creators.

The developers themselves have got in on the act, with mini creations and levels sprinkled among the wider community’s efforts. For the full release, they have said that there will be a proper story mode, but while there still isn’t a concrete release date in place, what’s here right now is so undeniably impressive that it can shake the usual negative connotations that come with the words “early-access”. Obviously, the longevity of this game will be 100% down to the community, and failed examples such as Project Spark back in 2014 only highlight this need.

But regardless of what the future holds for Media Molecule’s ingenious little game creator, it’s clear from the get go that handled right, and supported enough, that Dreams really can become reality.

36 write for us!

press.games@forgetoday.com

Tom Buckland and Luke Baldwin talk about their favourite games at EGX Rezzed 2019!

The year is 1897. Journalist Rose Archer must traverse across international waters to board the mysterious Helios, a colossal luxury liner/floating utopia designed by scientist and business magnate extraordinaire Nikola Tesla. To everyone’s surprise, the ship is completely fucked when she arrives. Anarchy. Murder. Quarantines. The full shebang.

Despite easy comparisons to recent horror successes like Dead Space and Alien Isolation, Close to the Sun still feels memorable and original.

Similarities could be drawn between the game’s tone and the Bioshock series, but Close to the Sun’s dark and twisted vintage setting retains a unique style. The pace seamlessly darts from mysterious and intriguing to tense and at times terrifying. I finished the first level after around 10 minutes and only wanted to sit and As scientists make a technological breakthrough, dubbed the Sigma play more. - Luke Theory, the world’s superpowers discover this could be the key to dismantling the world economy, destroying countries and even granting immortality. The globe is spun into a race to harness this technology and achieve dominance, with the player taking control of a chosen nation’s intelligence agency. Covert field operations as well as clever diplomatic deception are your tools in this futuristic cold war, complete with a sleek sci fi aesthetic screaming neon hacker. Recruit unique agents to send on real time missions, command your intricate drone network to gather intel and back stab allies who’ve ran their worth. Deep and tactical yet oozing flavour and personality, Sigma Theory is available as early access on Steam now. - Luke Who doesn’t love a good afters? The trashy films, the post night out scran, the deep meaningful conversations. Now think about how fun life’s after party will be?! From the creators of simple yet spooky adventure Oxenfree, comes After Party, a game about two college students who appear to have taken things a bit far, finding themselves in the bowels of hell. But there’s a catch; out drink Satan and you’ll be allowed to return to Earth. Every path taken and dialogue used is down to the player, so exactly how this demonic sesh will unfold is up to you.

Charming voice acting, bopping tunes and razor-sharp writing underpin this wacky tale, which has equal spades of comedy and downright weirdness. Definitely one to watch.

- Luke

Games

I’m not entirely sure where to start with a game like this. I find it hard to truly label it as a game, mainly because of how utterly surreal it is. You’re (we think) in the charge of a bunch of featureless drawn men - who may be the titular kids the game speaks about? We’re not sure. Either way, the game consists of sequences and scenes where these peculiar children(?) do some mad shit. I mean it. We had to chuck them down a vast voidhole, we had to squeeze them through these weird cow udder things, and we had to tap on them furiously until they could all decide who would do a nondescript, ambiguous thing that we, the player, walks away never knowing. It’s bonkers, it’s absurd, and yet I can’t stop thinking about this bloody game. - Tom

What is essentially Uber: the game may not sound very appealing, but Night Call adds an interesting take to what essentially is driving innumerable different people from various walks of life around Paris.

You’re a taxi driver whose life is flipped upside down when you find out you were the last person to see the latest victim of a serial killer loose in Paris. You’re recruited by the police to keep your ear to the ground whilst you work, pay close attention to your passengers, and notice anything irregular. It’s tense, and the premise is excitingly unique. Anyone in your taxi could be a murderer; it could be the party girl who drinks too much or the businessman who has a lot on his plate. Trust no one in this game. - Tom

A refreshing and unique take on the genre, Luna has chucked all expectations of point-and-click adventures out of the window. Its

picturesque art style makes the game feel like you’re reading an archaic child’s story; it’s hypnotising. There’s a complete absence of dialogue in the game, all narrative beats are instead underpinned by music. It sounds jarring, but the audio cues when you stumble upon something fascinating within the enigmatic tower you and your cat-thing companion are exploring are oddly enchanting. Whilst I played I never felt any of the frustration that people sometimes assume accompanies point-and-click games, and the solutions to the puzzles were well telegraphed. The game masterfully kept me on track and aware of my objective all without any dialogue whatsoever. - Tom

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38 write for us!

Science & Tech Science & Tech Editors Jade Le Marquand Aidan Hughes This is it. The final issue for this academic year. Say goodbye to good ol’ Jade and good ol’ Aidan.

Say hello to brand new George and brand new Bethany. This issue is a collaboration between the incumbent and future editors, we hope you enjoy it! We want to also say a massive thank you to all of our contributors over the past year as we were awarded ‘best written section of the year’ at Forge awards! Thanks for reading - it’s been a blast.

Aidan’s Pick

OMG - GMOs! Is our genetically modified food a danger to us all?

Pankaj Kumar Chaman

Despite the fact that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) have been getting a widespread bad rap across society and on social media, humans have been genetically modifying plants for thousands of years.

In recent years we have seen pigs that glow in the dark, chickens that grow without feathers and even goats that produce spider silk proteins - but what gets people so furious about genetically modified foods? Those who aspire to exclusively eat so-called organic or natural foods may find the prospect of eating someone’s science project stomach-turning; but what exactly are GMOs and how are these foods produced?

Image: Kate Procter

My editor’s pick for this week is actually an editor pick. That’s right. I’m giving you a brief introduction to the soon-to- be editor George Tuli. George is a titan of undergraduate biology, with interests in astronomy, photography and guitar playing.

Interesting fact: he’s never moved house, because who in their right mind would leave the Best Kept Village of 1993?

A fine pick, to be sure.

Jade’s Pick

May I introduce to you the brilliant Bethany Hanson, one of our new editors for 2019/20.

Like George, she is also a biology powerhouse; unlike George, she has lived in 6 different counties!

Bethany is the proud owner of a plummer terrier called Roxy.

Bethany also has a secret talent - she can JUGGLE! You may find that useful over the next year, Bethany...

press.science@forgetoday.com

Farmers were manipulating the DNA of the Teosinite plant, causing a minimum of 5 changes in the genome

When people first started domesticating animals and cultivating plants for food thousands of years ago, they started

the in-breeding of various species of plants and animals, with a purpose to create something that could benefit their dietary needs. The classic example of this being corn, which started out as a tropical grass called Teosinte which had small kernels. Over the years, ancient Mexican farmers

transformed the grass into a delicious, starchy treat we devour today.

These farmers were manipulating the DNA of Teosinte plant, causing a minimum of five changes in its genome. This results in a series of dramatic differences between Teosinte plant and the corn we have these days. In scientific terms, the process is known as Artificial Selection and it has converted all kinds of unappetizing plants into edibles, ranging from wheat to rice to almonds and even bananas.

However, what’s different about the modern genetically modified foods is the speed and accuracy with which we make alterations in the DNAs of foods we are eating these days. Which means that instead of doing the so called Artificial Selection, we can go directly to the DNA responsible, cut it out and implant it into newly developing plants and animals.

But the question is, are they safe?

In spite of the stigma they face, they are actually not that bad.

Chances are that if you are regularly exposed to the American food market and media, you probably have come across adverts that mention products as GMO-free.

Contrary to this popular belief, GMOs in many ways are actually good for you.

Dr. Peggy Lemaux, who is a Cooperative Extension Specialist at the University of California, Berkeley, says, “The nutritional value of GMO foods is tested and compared against non-GMO foods.

Numerous studies have shown no nutritional differences between commercially available GMO and non-GMO foods. In fact, genetic modification can improve the nutritional content of some foods, for example, low linoleic acid canola oil that can reduce trans-fat content.”

The primary reason why organisms like plants are genetically altered is to increase their production, which is usually achieved by helping plants to survive various threats, one example being plant diseases.

In the late 80s and early 90s,

Thanks to genetic modification, carrots come in many different colours

genetically modified papayas were able to solve a crisis with the Papaya Ringspot Virus (PSRV), Hawaii, USA. The modified papayas produced 125,000 pounds of marketable food per acre, which was 25 times more than the non-modified fields.

Moreover, genetically modified

“In fact, genetic modification can improve the nutritional content of some foods” crops have also allowed crops to be resistant to insects. The Western Corn Rootworm, which is one of the most devastating corn rootworm species in North American states such as Iowa, has the ability to cause a loss of $1billion to farmers per year. Pest resistance is achieved by allowing the plant to produce

a certain protein called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which, when eaten by an insect, turns into a toxin and kills it. This usually has allowed farmers to use little to no pesticides, thereby saving them money, time and reducing their environmental footprint. Besides this, researchers at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), are in a process to introduce a variety of rice called Golden Rice. Rich in beta carotene, this variety of rice is genetically engineered to reduce the chances of Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD).

By 2050, the world population is expected to exceed 9 billion people and in order to feed them, food production needs to be doubled. So the next time you hear about GMOs, consider how this technology is proving to be a boon for the growing population. and we have to be patient, but if the field continues in its current upward trajectory, mainstream treatments could be appearing 3 to 5 years down the line.

39

Science & Tech

Flat as a pancake: how on Earth can it be true?

George Tuli

Founded in 1956 by Samuel Shenton, The Flat Earth Society promotes the idea that Earth is not a spherical body orbiting the Sun, but is in fact a flat disc, at the centre of the Solar System; and it’s impossible to fall off the edge because Antarctica is actually a wall of ice encircling the Earth. Followers believe that satellite pictures are fake, and the truth is being guarded from the public by NASA. The Earth was proved to be round over 2000 years ago by the Ancient Greeks when they compared the shadow of a stick in one city with that of another stick in a city 500 miles north. When the Sun was directly overhead in the first city, the stick cast no shadow, whilst at the same time, a shadow was cast by the second stick. On a Flat Earth the shadows would be identical because the sticks would be at the same angle to the Sun. The difference in shadows is because Earth is curved, and so the sticks are at different angles to the Sun. Using the difference in angles, the Ancient Greeks calculated the

Earth’s circumference (to within 10%!).

Some ‘evidence’ given to support the flat Earth theory involves airliner flight paths such as Johannesburg to Perth. ‘Flat Earthers’ point out that the flight a l w a y s stops off in Dubai, and never goes directly. To them, this makes “no sense on a ball”, but if the path is mapped on a flat Earth, it is “completely understandable”.

In reality, there is just so little demand for Johannesburg to Perth flights that airlines fly to a more popular destination, then passengers get on a different flight to their destination - the plane is not ‘stopping off’ -

Is this how the Eath actually looks? Image: Trekky0623 (Wikipedia commons)

they are two completely separate flights. And if a plane were to fly to the edge of the flat Earth, it would simply teleport to the other side of the planet (of course), just like when Pac-man reaches the edge of the screen.

Another fact that supports a round Earth is that gravity acts downwards, wherever you are, which is only possible on a sphere. A flat Earth’s centre of gravity would be the centre point, the north pole, so everything nearer the edges would be pulled sideways towards the middle.

Evidently, this hasn’t happened, disproving their theory once again.

And Earth would have no reason to be flat. The other planets in our

Solar System are round - a fact that’s been acknowledged even by Flat Earthers. But their legitimateas-always explanation is that Earth “is not a planet”. They say we’re at the centre of the solar system, with the Sun orbiting Earth. The other planets are simply “lights in the sky”, an homage to their ancient definition: planētēs, or ‘wandering stars’.

You can prove, for yourself, that Earth is indeed round. Take a pair of binoculars to a harbour or port and watch a ship sail off to sea. On a flat Earth the ship would become increasingly smaller and eventually disappear. But on a round Earth, you’ll notice the ship ‘sink’ over the horizon as it sails over Earth’s curved surface — the same as watching a car go over a hill.

Our planet is empirically round.

Not everybody has been to space and seen the beautiful blue marble Earth for themselves, but almost 600 people have. Combining what they’ve seen with imagery from orbiting satellites, and observations that can be made from the ground, is it not obvious that we live on a ball?

Facebook to overhaul suite of apps Lucas Mentken summarises the highlights of Facebook’s F8 conference

Facebook are ditching the blue colour scheme. Image: facebook.com

Facebook Redesign

Instagram & Portal Updates

Messenger Upgrade

The Facebook app will see its fifth redesign to “make communities as central as friends”. Facebook will suggest new groups for you to join, with the Ditching its prominent blue colour and adding a dark mode on both the mobile and the web version, Facebook will suggest new groups for you to join. While the Communities tab will be placed in the centre, and a new Events tab with an interactive map towill help you discover what’s happening around you. Stories will playtake up a much bigger role on the web version, which will also havesee a much cleaner, modern look, ditching the prominent blue colour and adding a dark mode, withand a redesigned Facebook logo, too. Dark mode will be coming to the mobile app too.

Instagram will add the ability to buy products directly within the app itself to support your favourite content creators. A new Create Mode will also allow you to start up make stories from scratch without having to taketaking a picture in the first place. Facebook Portal, a video chat device, will seeis getting integrated Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger video calls, and . Aaugmented reality will also let youallow you to play games on video chats with your friends. A new mobile app will let youallow you to add photos directly to Portal from your phone. Facebook will also be launching Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest, twoan all- in- one, entirely wireless headsets without cables. with “next-generation lenses and sharper displays”.

Facebook Messenger is getting will see end to end encryption which will be enabled by default for all chats and calls. Instagram stories will also be integrated into the Messenger Friends tTab, in a further step towards merging all of Facebook’s social media platforms.

Mobile payments will be a big focus with Mark Zuckerberg believing that “sending money should be just as easy as it is to send a photo”. You can enjoy aAll of these new Messenger features can be enjoyed on a desktop app which will be rolled out on Windows and macOSMac.

40

Science & Tech

SPACE PAGE Introducing the new Space Page in Science and Tech. Your goto place for all things space. From comets to constellations, rockets to rovers, look no further for your cosmological fix.

(black) holey moley!

Kate Procter

Last month the first-ever image of a black hole was revealed to the world. Naturally in the internet age, the fuzzy orange ring quickly found itself photoshopped into all sorts of memes. Many people focused on the image’s underwhelming quality, yet the significance of it is far from underwhelming.

Black holes are points in space that are so dense they create deep gravitational wells – the pulling force of gravity means nothing, not even light, can escape from it. By definition, therefore, they are invisible, which is why the centre, the “shadow”, is black in the image. However, the hole is bounded by a well-defined edge called the event horizon – the region where an object approaching a black hole reaches a “point of no return”, unable to escape its gravitational pull. Gas, dust and other stellar debris close to the event horizon but not quite fallen into the black hole, form a band of spinning matter called an accretion disk. The extreme gravitational pull of black hole superheats the matter in the accretion disk causing it to emit radiation, represented by the orange ring in the image. But the accretion disk isn’t really orange – rather to the naked eye these emissions would probably appear white, but the scientists involved in the project chose to colour the radio signals orange to create a gradient for emission strength.

The first-ever image captured the Supermassive Black Hole (SMBH) which is 55 million light years away at the centre of Messier 87, a supergiant elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It was created using data collected by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a network of eight ground-based linked radio telescopes across the world spanning locations from

the South Pole to Mexico to Spain, in an effort involving more than 200 scientists. The success of the project therefore hinged on clear skies simultaneously in each location and excellent coordination amongst all the teams involved.

Radio waves were measured because they can pass through the accretion disk and interstellar dust to reach the telescopes. This was done in a process called verylong-baseline interferometry, whereby the distance between the telescopes is calculated using the time difference between the arrival of the radio waves at each telescope, thus creating a “virtual” telescope the size of the Earth.

The sheer volume of data the EHT generated was so great that it was quicker to physically ship half a tonne of hard drives to a central location, the MIT Haystack observatory, than to send it over the internet. To give you a sense of scale, 5 petabytes of data were produced which is equal to about 5,000 years of MP3 audio. However, this did mean waiting for half a year for the South Pole data, which could only be shipped out at the end of the Antarctic winter. Once the data were collated the next crucial stage began – piecing the data together. This entailed developing new algorithms that could not only combine the data, but also filter

out noise caused by factors like atmospheric humidity which warps radio waves.

The resultant image appears fuzzy because of the black hole’s distance from us. Despite being 100 billion km wide, the black hole is so far away that, from Earth, the angle it makes in the sky is only 40 microarcseconds (one microarcsecond is about the size of a full-stop at the end of a sentence in the Apollo mission manuals left on the Moon as seen from Earth).

The EHT had also been observing a closer black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. However, it was easier to produce an image of the black hole in Messier 87 because of its far larger size and more intense emissions due to stronger gravitational activity.

Up until now we’ve had to use illustrations and digital simulations to visualise black holes. The new image is the first time we’ve seen one, since their prediction in 18thCentury, and is consistent with predictions of Einstein’s General Relativity. Prior to the image, scientists have relied on indirect evidence – signals coming from nearby objects – to try to understand black holes. Being able to produce an actual image of one is a major step towards a deeper understanding of our Universe.

First image of a black hole, at the centre of the M87. Image: EHT

SpaceX to launch 12,000 saTellites Wesley O’Callaghan

The Internet. A world-connecting creation that many of us take for granted. A source of everything from breaking news to Sheffessions posts, cutting edge research to drunken Instagram stories. An invention that allows anyone to share anything to millions of people around the world. Despite this, just 58% of the world’s population currently has consistent access. Elon Musk’s SpaceX aims to change this by launching 2200 internetbeaming satellites in the next five year, into orbit at 550km above the surface of the Earth.

The ‘Starlink’ constellation will eventually provide a high-

speed broadband connection to almost every square metre of the planet, eliminating the need for a connection to ground based networks.

The Los Angeles based company estimates the project will cost approximately $10 Billion to implement, though believes that the potential financial rewards associated with offering Internet coverage to every person on the planet could be incredible.

To give a sense of the ambition of this project, humanity has collectively sent just over 8000 objects into space since the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. Most of these are no longer operational and have either plummeted into the Pacific Ocean, burned up in the atmosphere, or blasted into a ‘graveyard orbit’, over 20,000 miles above the Earth’s surface.

According to Elon Musk, founder of and lead designer at SpaceX, the company will launch its first fully functional Starlink satellites in May 2019, and plans to launch once a month for at least the next five years. To meet the goal of 2200 satellites, SpaceX must send an average of 44 satellites into orbit per launch.

It is clear this is no easy task for the relatively young space company, yet time and time again Musk has proven that, for SpaceX, the sky really is not the limit.

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Everton moving in the right direction under Marco Silva Patrick Burke

2018/19 has seen Everton finish 8th and extend their trophyless run to 24 years. An underwhelming penalty shoot-out defeat at home to Southampton in the Carabao Cup was followed by a truly spineless display when the Toffees fell 3-2 at Millwall in the Emirates FA Cup. Yet compare the mood at Goodsion Park to this time 12 months ago.

The list of mistakes during Ronald Koeman’s reign is endless, and six months of Sam Allardyce drained any optimism.

After the departures of Allardyce and Director of Football Steve Walsh, in came savvy operators Marco Silva and Marcel Brands, marking a new era.

Recruitment and player development improved, with Richarlison and loan signings Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma among Everton’s top performers, and Lucas Digne and Bernard forming a potent partnership down the left.

Going into the Merseyside Derby in December, Everton sat 6th. At the very least they matched Liverpool at

Anfield, the gift for Divock Origi the cruellest twist imaginable.

Silva has shown signs that he can take Everton on a journey

Rather than be filled with confidence from the performance, a farcical period followed. Everton lost ten of their next 15 league games, including Tottenham and Wolves comprehensively outplaying them on their own turf. Oh, and the Millwall debacle. The feeling of hope draining away was all too apparent once again.

But a 17 day break in February reinvigorated Everton. Silva’s men then kept eight clean sheets out of ten, and again competed well with Liverpool in a goalless draw, followed by a 2-0 victory over Chelsea, and a steamrolling of Arsenal and Manchester United in

1-0 and 4-0 wins at Goodison.

Another busy summer is a must, but perhaps for the first time since Roberto Martinez’s debut campaign in 2013/14, there now appears to be a real connection between players, fans and management.

Everton finished above Champions League finalists

Tottenham and Liverpool as recently as 2014 and 2013. Both those clubs turned to managers fully invested in a project, and achieved unity between players and supporters.

Everton are a considerable distance off the Champions League, let alone the final, and Koeman and Walsh’s mess makes things more

difficult. But for a club whose nine top flight titles rank them fourth in the all-time leaderboard, their fans need something to dream about.

Silva has shown signs that he can take Everton on a journey. Some long-awaited silverware next term would be a good place to start.

How Sheffield United can learn from previously promoted teams’ mistakes Alex Brotherton

As the dust settles on a fantastic promotion-winning campaign, Sheffield United will already be thinking about next season, their first in the Premier League after a twelve-year absence.

Chris Wilder’s side will have their work cut out for them though. The past five Premier League seasons have seen seven of fifteen promoted teams suffer immediate relegation.

While the disparity in wealth in the Premier League can cause newcomers to struggle, there’s a few mistakes made by clubs in the past that United can learn from.

Don’t go on a transfer market spending spree Spending lots of money works when you’re vying for titles, but for newly promoted sides it can easily backfire.

Mouth-watering sponsorships, commercial deals and bumper TV revenues can send promoted clubs into a transfer market frenzy. But the result can be a squad of highearners who struggle to gel and have very little affinity to their new club or fans.

Fulham suffered relegation in 2018/19 after ditching the hardworking heroes that earned them promotion for expensive bigname stars.

United’s main strength is the togetherness and spirit of their tight-knit squad, something that can take a club a long way in the Premier League. To keep it that way, a gung-ho approach to business must be avoided.

Don’t abandon the style of play The Blade’s 3-5-2 system utilising overlapping centre- backs and quick transitions from attack to defence has been a revelation, and it’s vital

that they take that approach into the Premier League.

While more caution is necessary to avoid embarrassment in the top flight, too often promoted teams abandon any sense of attacking, adventurous football in favour of nicking a point here or there through dogged defending.

The 2017-18 season saw both Fulham and Cardiff (promoted playing attractive, attacking football, but this season both forgot how to attack and paid the price.

Tactical pragmatism against the big- boys is fine, but not at the expense of long-term identity.

Stick with the gaffer The manager is usually the first on the chopping block when a club’s fortunes turn south, but a change in the dugout far from guarantees improved fortunes.

Fulham again provide a cautionary tale. Slavisa Jokanovic

was sacked just two months into the current season after a poor start, despite guiding the Cottagers from Championship mid-table obscurity to the Premier League.

His successor, Claudio Ranieri, fared no better and was dismissed after only four months. Former player Scott Parker was brought in on a temporary basis, but could

do nothing to prevent Fulham’s relegation. Sometimes it’s better to stick than twist.

In Chris Wilder, United have an innovative coach who loves the club as much as the players and fans love him. If they suffer a tricky start to the campaign, Wilder should be trusted to rectify the situation.

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Sheffield Bears triumph in National Championships Michael Ekman

Sheffield Bears have won the National Championships after defeating St. Andrews 3-0 in the final to end an extraordinary campaign.

After finishing in second place in the group stage of the tournament, the Bears defeated Nottingham in the semi-finals and St. Andrews in the final to take home the National Championship trophy.

In the first group game, the Bears won 4-3 against London, followed by a 4-3 loss against St. Andrews as well as a 5-0 win against Cambridge; enough to send the Bears into the knockout stage.

This put them against other group winners Nottingham.

Sheffield Bears captain Tom Brooke said there was a strong rivalry in the build-up to the game.

“There’s a fierce rivalry between Nottingham and Sheffield. We don’t get along because we are so closely located and the games are so close as well.

“Nottingham brought a really

strong team and following their performance in their group and coming out on top in arguably the strongest of the two groups, they were favourites to win the whole thing.

“We went into that game thinking we were going to lose. One of the Nottingham players even came up to me in the warm ups saying ‘Are you ready to lose? You guys aren’t up to the task’.

The Bears started on fire, going 3-0 up in the first period. Nottingham then got one back, but the Bears came out 4-1 winners.

A 3-1 win for St. Andrews over Edinburgh in the other semi-final set up a mouth-watering tie for the final.

“We were really up for it, especially after coming up from the win in the Nottingham game. We were really fired up. We said to each other ‘iIn the past four years, we’ve not even progressed past the group stage’.

“This was the first semi-final I’d been to and the first final in tier one.

The team really gathered together and bonded well and we came away with a 3-0 win.

Image: Anna-Daisy Leftly Image: Sheffield Bears

“Two of the three goals came from players that weren’t in our game semi-final win because of work and other arrangements, so we really strengthened our team before the final game and came out on top.

“We knew that St. Andrews were a really good team. We often really struggle against Scottish teams.

They’re often really consistent, they’re really disciplined, and more

professional. They turn up in suits and get their university to provide them coaches.”

Winning the Championship was also seen as the high point of the season, following a disappointing league finish.

“We finished fourth in the league out of the five teams in the top tier, so we had a bit of a disappointing league performance.

“Even though we had a disappointing final standing, we put in some good performances against the top teams but always came up short against Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Nottingham late in the season, so to turn it around in the National Championships in front of all the other teams has really been fantastic.”

Sheffield Arrows win University Championships Michael Ekman

Image: Betty Jones

Sheffield Arrows came out victorious in the University Championships, after defeating Birmingham 12-4 in the crowning moment of the season.

The dodgeball team came into the tournament after an impressive league season, where both the first and second team won their respective leagues.

Despite the spectacular league finish, Arrows player Brennan O’Regan said that winning the University Championships was definitely the pinnacle of this season.

“This was really the high point of the season. This year we’ve won our league, our second team won their league, we’ve won various other tournaments, but beating Birmingham has always been the step above for us.

“As a team we just gelled, and we

played really well and were just on it.”

After cruising through the group stage, the real test came in the semifinal, with the Arrows having to go through on sudden death.

“In the group stage we weren’t tested that much, but in the semifinal it came down to a sudden death, meaning that it was even after fulltime and that the first team to knock out a player on the opposing team would win.

“That was a very stressful way to get to the final but it was worth it in the end.”

Having already played Birmingham several times but narrowly missing out on the win each time, the Arrows came into the final hoping for a change of fortune.

“We’ve played Birmingham four to five times this year and we’ve always been within one set of winning. So the team talk before the game was basically just to play how

we play and on the day, we got hits that we wouldn’t have got on the other days and everything just went our way.

“We’ve been the only competitive team to challenge Birmingham throughout the year, so having previously lost against them this year was just tough to do, but finally being able to beat them now was such a good feeling.”

Although it’s still some time away until next season, preparation is already underway, with the team looking to promote more players from the second team to the first.

“Next season is going to be weird, we’re losing some of the key players in the first team so our big goal for next year is development.

“This means developing second team players into players that can play in the first team and hopefully getting the entire club to a level where it would be really difficult to choose the starting six.”

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Sport Manchester United will never be successful again Josh Taylor

Another season has come to a depressing halt for Manchester United, one that has seen no silverware again. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a mammoth task on his hands if he is to right the ship.

With every day that passes the task looks harder and harder. It is tough to see a scenario where he pulls it off as well; in fact, it is looking more and more likely that Manchester United will never be successful again.

It all seems so long ago when he got off to a flying start, introducing attacking football and fluidity back to Old Trafford. This run culminated in a wondrous night in Paris and his celebrated appointment during the March international break, it was hard to see any reason for worry.

Since then however, it has been nothing but depression provoking hardship after hardship. Losses in the FA Cup, Champions League and a terrible turn in results at the end of the season has left The Red Devils in the Europa League. The pinnacle in Thursday night sporting entertainment.

The first port of call would be to blame him, but this is different, never has a team switched off completely until now. By the sorry end, the players looked bored, disinterested and unable to perform at a consistent level. Five-yard runs were treated as marathons, tracking back felt like a chore. Watching them was utterly painful.

The players tried to throw him under the bus, but after poking the hornets’ nest, they have received a very different reaction to the one they had anticipated. £90 million man Paul Pogba is the main culprit, a player who wants to be perceived as a leader but does not want to earn it.

Players like Vincent Kompany, Roy Keane and Paulo Maldini all earned their leadership status through overcoming adversity; Pogba wants to earn it through social media gimmicks and a flashy lifestyle.

This seeps into the dressing room, Anthony Martial is just one player who saunters around the place without a care in the world. A slap in the face of fans who have put him on a pedestal despite multiple barrenon spells in front of goal. There is no urgency, no resilience and no

quality, the eleven that started against Huddersfield are not a team, just individuals chasing money.

There is one man behind this, a figure who is omnipresent and ultimately the obstacle the club have to overcome to gain success once more. That man is Chief Executive, Edward Gareth Woodward.

First off, he has employed the wrong managers who in turn bought the wrong players, erasing the identity of the club. His transfer policy is reactive and sensational; he would rather target the name than a player who can fit into a system, creating a team of divas.

Divas who demand the most premium contracts, Alexis Sanchez is one of them. He is the worst signing in the club’s history, has hardly played and has thrown the wage structure at the club into chaos. His £500,000 a week he nets, if you are to believe the reports, has created a wall-street style stock market in the dressing room. Squad players like Ashley Young and Ander Herrera are demanding superstar contracts that they don’t deserve.

Pogba and David De Gea are holding the club to ransom with the threat of

Image: Tor Alte Kleven (Flickr, cropped) their departures.

Woodward’s focus on business paired with his ineptitude at understanding football have cost United dearly. His vision for the club is one of “commercial success” not football success. He will back Ole with money, but not with the player’s he wants.

Manchester United will keep going in circles until someone just turns the Old Trafford lights off and calls it a day, unless the rickety old stadium falls down before that happens.

United’s Premier League promotion continued...

Patrick Burke

[Continued from back page] ... season, and they also began life back in the Championship by topping the early tables and recording a famous 4-2 win at Hillsborough.

Although the campaign fizzled out a little, 10th place represented an impressive effort.

Ironically, 2018/19 did not start ideally with losses against Swansea City (1-2) and Middlesbrough (3-0), but for every question that’s been asked of them since then, Wilder’s men have provided the answer.

They were seven points adrift of the top two at Christmas, but have lost just two out of 23 league games since then.

United blew a 3-0 lead at Aston Villa in February to draw 3-3, and responded with seven straight clean sheets – including a pivotal 1-0 triumph at Leeds United.

The 3-2 home defeat to Bristol City in March, and the 1-1 draws against Birmingham City and Millwall in April appeared to have Leeds in the driving seat. But United didn’t panic.

And three comfortable victories over Nottingham Forest, Hull City

Thousands of United fans line the streets to celebrate with their team last Tuesday. Image: Chelsea Burrell and Ipswich Town, coupled with Leeds’ defeats to Wigan Athletic and Brentford and draw with Villa, saw Wilder’s men over the line.

They finished 2nd on 89 points – six clear of Leeds, and five behind champions Norwich City, who wrapped up the title on the final day.

The evergreen Billy Sharp has been talismanic with 23 Championship goals, the additions of Dean Henderson, John Egan, Ollie

Norwood and David McGoldrick were masterstrokes and improved the spine of the team, whilst the January loan signings of Kieran Dowell, Gary Madine and Scott Hogan all played their part.

United conceded the joint-fewest league goals (41) and kept the most clean sheets (21) in the Championship, and they thoroughly deserve promotion.

There will be work to do over the

summer. Fringe players including Paul Coutts and Martin Cranie will become free agents, 2017/18’s top scorer Leon Clarke has been transfer listed after falling down the pecking order, and Henderson, Dowell, Madine and Hogan have returned to their parent clubs.

But in Wilder, the Blades have a manager they can trust, and he will proudly take the Blades back into England’s elite next term.

Head of Sport Adam May It’s seemed like a while since Varsity, hasn’t it?

A lot has changed, namely the fact we’ve now got a Premier League club in Sheffield United.

I’ve been fortunate enough to cover their rise under Chris Wilder, spending many nights watching the likes of Walsall, Scunthorpe and Port Vale while the Blades were in the depths of League One. To think the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool will now be walking onto the hallowed Bramall Lane turf is an incredible feat and a great moment for the city.

Congratulations to Wilder - a manger who I admire greatly - and the club for two promotions in three years.

That takes some doing.

Unfortunately I won’t be around to see their Premier League campaign from the press box as I am moving on after this issue and graduating (I hope) from this fantastic university.

Being a part of Forge has been a wonderful part of my university experience. While it can be stressful balancing the paper with my studies, I wouldn’t change it. I’ve met so many talented people who I hope to keep in touch with in the years to come and there’s so much hard work that makes Forge run smoothly.

Thanks to David Anderson for steering this well-oiled ship and to Patrick Burke, Josh Taylor and Michael Ekman for their support this year.

Patrick and Michael are staying on committee for next year and are joined by Alex Brotherton. I’m confident the sports team is in safe hands and I wish them all the best for the future.

We hope we’ve brought you a mix of sports this year and shone a light into all the sporting achievements that take place every single week.

Congratulations, too, to everyone who was recognised at the recent Sports Awards.

If you’re thinking about joining Forge then please do. You won’t regret it.

What are you waiting for?

Cheers!

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Wilder and co celebrate promotion with an open top bus parade. Image: Chelsea Burrell

The Blades are going up! Sheffield United secure remarkable Premier League return Patrick Burke

Sheffield United are jubilant as their remarkable promotion has brought Premier League football back to the Steel City for the first time since their controversial relegation in

2007.

The sight of thousands of Unitedites lining the streets last Tuesday to celebrate with the team is testament to just how big this is for the city.

It’s been a long road back. United endured a Championship Play-

Off Final defeat in 2009, followed by relegation to the third tier in 2011 and a six year stint in League One. Rivals Sheffield Wednesday pinched promotion from under their noses in 2012, before three playoff campaigns ended in failure. As recently as 2016, they limped to

11th place – their lowest finish since 1983.

Up stepped straight-talking, boyhood Blade Chris Wilder to breathe new life into the club. His club. United reached the 100 point mark in League One in his first...

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