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The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield. Est. 1946.
Issue 57 Thursday March 14 2013 @ForgePress /ForgePress
Features talk: The stigma surrounding benefits, p.18
Comment talk: Why has Cadbury taken over the concourse? p.9
Arts enjoy:
Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby, Fuse p.8
We can’t lose
(But we might not win) Jonathan Robinson The University of Sheffield cannot lose this year’s Varsity after securing enough points to guarantee at least a draw with Hallam. 7.5 points are still available in
postponed fixtures to be played after Easter, meaning the University is agonisingly close to winning its first Varsity title in 10 years. The University has won 35.5 points so far with 36 needed to win the title outright.
Hallam currently has 28 points, meaning they must win all points available across golf, rugby league, football, BMX and the cycling time trial to level on 35.5. If this happens then Hallam will ‘retain’ the title, thus denying a University win.
The University secured a draw at least by winning two of the three points in climbing. Climbers and supporters cheered at Foundry, the event’s venue, when they heard the news that the University had edged closer to an outright win.
Final-day events worth 7.5 points were postponed on Tuesday due to frozen pitches. Snowy weather conditions were blamed as news broke that most of the final outdoor events on Wednesday had been postponed. Photo: Chris Chadwick
Pro vice-chancellor blog calls for end to women’s officer role Lauren Clarke The University’s pro vicechancellor for learning and teaching has been criticised for saying that the Student’s Union should get rid of the women’s officer position. Professor Paul White said on his uSpace blog that the women’s officer post should be transformed into “one with responsibility for equality and diversity issues affecting all students.” In his blog, he said: “It may be that politically ambitious women in the Union see that role as the
one for them rather than the presidency. “Such a transformation might mean a male being elected to the equalities post - and free up women to stand for president. “And that would stand on its head the possibility of recurrence of something that happened for several years in the mid-2000s, for several years male presidents developed close personal relationships with the female women’s officers.” Women’s officer Amy Masson said she was disappointed to read Paul White’s blog. She said: “I think it is wrong
that as a member of the University Executive Board appears to be using his influence to assert his own agenda over Students’ Union politics. “I believe that his comments about relationships between previous women’s officers and presidents were particularly inappropriate and totally irrelevant. “Women are underrepresented in leadership positions in our Students’ Union. This is why we have a women’s officer - to ensure that women are always represented on the Executive.” Continued on p.3
Professor Paul White
Amy Masson
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Students wade through High Peak bogs for outdoor charity
Editor
alisha.rouse@forgetoday.com
Alisha Rouse
DEPUTY EDITOR Rowan Ramsden Managing Editor Mikey Smith WEB EDITOR Adam Harley
Jonathan Robinson Two Engineering students have completed a 42-mile trek up the High Peak at night to raise money for an outdoor education charity. Matt Harmon and Stefie Cray waded through thick bogs and mud for the Outward Bound Trust in the early hours on March 2. They were joined by Pete Briggs and Katie McLean in their team of four, as students from the University of Sheffield took part in the annual High Peak challenge - which was organised by the University’s High Peak Club. The event, labelled ‘the ultimate night time navigation endurance challenge’, was largely pathless with the team having to navigate the course in the dark. It began and ended at Edale Village Hall in Derbyshire. Harmon and Cray have so far raised just over £2,000 for the Outward Bound Trust, which teaches children and young people life skills in an outdoor environment. Harmon said the team were on track to reach their target finish time, however Cray suffered a knee injury. He said: “The last 13 miles of the route took in Kinder Scout - the highest point in the Peak District. “Unfortunately Stefie injured her knee there and was unable to run any more so we had to limp the last nine miles back to Edale. “Despite having to slow down just finishing such a gruelling race was an amazing achievement. Six teams failed to finish with all four team members - and many people would’ve given up after
fuse editors fuse@forgetoday.com Arnold Bennett Coral Williamson Head of Visuals Adam Harley News news@forgetoday.com Lauren Clarke Jessica Pitocchi Jonathan Robinson Comment comment@forgetoday.com Martin Bottomley Hamilton Jones LETTERS & COFFEE BREAK letters@forgetoday.com Holly Wilkinson
Stefie Cray, Matt Harmon, Pete Briggs and Katie McLean at the first food and water refill station getting injured so far from the finish line.” The group managed to get to the finish line in 14 hours and 57 minutes. A total of 45 teams of four competed in the challenge. Speaking of her injury, Cray said: “It turns out 42 miles is a very long way - particularly when you damage a ligament in your knee. “But it was an amazing experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better team, their support was invaluable for those last nine miles.” The Outward Bound Trust aims to help young people
develop self-confidence and learn about teamwork in activities such as kayaking, mountaineering and white water rafting. It organises residential stays for schools with more than 40,000 young people benefiting from the trust. Harmon said: “When it came to choosing what charity to raise money for we were both very keen to choose a charity that gave other people some of the opportunities to enjoy the outdoor environment as much as we do.” However, the challenge is just the start of an epic month of running for Harmon and Cray, who are now preparing to take
part in the London marathon next month. They have allowed themselves one week of rest before restarting a gruelling training schedule. Harmon and Cray aim to raise a total of £3,500 for the charity. You can donate at: http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ mattandstefie
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Students discuss ‘taboo’ subjects in Vagina Monologues performance Chloe E Lee As part of International Women’s Week, the Students’ Union put on a special performance of the Vagina Monologues in collaboration with the University of Sheffield’s theatre company (SuTCo). The performance took place on Saturday March 9 at the Octagon Centre. Despite the unpleasant weather, it attracted both male and female students and lots of locals. By showtime the venue was full, with the audience waiting for the first-ever performance of the play at the University. Amy Masson, the Students’ Union women’s officer, said she decided to add the performance to this year’s International Women’s Week because it was a creative way to get people talking about taboo subjects and raise awareness about violence against women. Preparation for the show started in November, with two auditions taking place to select the cast out of 50 auditionees. The final cast were directed by Katherine Chapman, the women’s officerelect. The performance featured many female students talking about so-called taboo subjects such as the female body, women’s sexuality, sexual desires and
violence against women with both humour and deep emotions. Elsa Vulliamy, who was one of the performers in the show, said: “The Vagina Monologues went brilliantly. We achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve as there was a fantastic turnout. There were some great laughs and yet we still managed to address some of the serious issues that women face today.” Along with the stellar performance, the event’s unique poster caught many eyes. The poster, designed by stage manager Heather Newson, visualizes the female body and the vagina to represent the spirit of the performance - the strength of women and feminism. The Vagina Monologues performance also raised funds for charity organisations that support women that have experienced male violence. Ticket sales raised over £1,400 and the women’s committee raised an extra £200 on the evening by selling ‘vagina cupcakes’ and postcards. The money will go to the Sheffield Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre, Ashiana Sheffield and the V-day Spotlight Charity. The Vagina Monologues is an awardwinning play, based on V-day founder Eve Ensler’s interviews with more than 200 women.
Features features@forgetoday.com Sophie Allen Lizzy Jewell Nicola Moors Lifestyle & travel lifestyle@forgetoday.com Olivia Adams Laura Davies Sport sport@forgetoday.com Adam Hancock Will Aitkenhead Matthew Smith Music music@forgetoday.com Amelia Heathman Lianne Williams Games games@forgetoday.com Kaz Scattergood Andrew Smith Screen screen@forgetoday.com Phil Bayles Dan Meier Arts arts@forgetoday.com Olivia Middleton Elsa Vulliamy COPY EDITORS Ally Christodoulou Ellen Jurczak Lizzie Palmer Matthew Smith Matt Voice Elsa Vulliamy Media Hub, Union of Students, Wes t ern Bank , Shef f ield, S10 2TG 0114 22286 46 // f or gepress@f or ge t oday.com
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Sally-Anne Beverley and Elsa Vulliamy perfoming Photo: Doug Dunn
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Reclaim Your Education protest supports University of Sussex occupation against privatisation Lauren Clarke Students from the Reclaim Your Education campaign held a protest in support of students and workers in Sussex who are holding a month long occupation against the privatisation of the jobs of 235 members of staff at their university. Over 150 students at the University of Sussex are currently occupying one of the University’s buildings, as part an eight month campaign, which has included open talks and an online petition. The campaign started in May last year after the University of Sussex said it was going to transfer 10 per cent of its staff to external contracts. Students gathered on the concourse to support protestesr at the University. Campaigners from Reclaim Your Education worry that staff who are already on low wages, will have the terms of their contracts suffer. Olly Clay, Politics councillor and campaigner for Reclaim Your Education said “The protest was also about the efforts, particularly through Sheffield Trading Services (STS),
by this university to privatise services and jobs here and cuts to pay, conditions and terms these policies are designed to bring about.” Privatisation is where services which had previously been run public sector, often for a social benefit, are moved into the private sector and run on a profit basis for their owners. Olly said: “Some of the most common complaints at this university are excessive charges
Hot water charge at eatwithus venues Jonathan Robinson Eatwithus, the brand used by the University in many of its food and drinks venues, have started charging students for hot water in their outlets. Cafes and hot food outlets run by eatwithus now charge 40p per cup of hot water, prompting complaints from students. Hot water had previously been free. Student Ellie Winstanley got in touch with Forge Press and said: “I was in Jessop West cafe and I wanted to buy an orange and get a cup of hot water so that I could squeeze some of the orange juice into it to soothe my very sore throat. “But when I asked for the hot water, the staff said that they were embarrassed to tell me that they now charge 40p per cup of hot water. “I’m extremely disappointed. Even Costa gives me free hot water. “[Eatwithus] need to realise that they’re not a company under normal circumstances, and they need to be catering for students. I won’t be buying an orange there ever again.” A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “Visitors have repeatedly been requesting a cup and hot water and then using the service’s
milk and sugar so a 40p charge was introduced, mirroring other outlets on campus. “The charge is to cover associated costs however there will be no charge for hot water to heat babies’ milk bottles or to fill a cup or mug belonging to a customer who doesn’t want milk or sugar.” A petition calling on eatwithus to lower its prices in the IC was also discussed last week at Union council. Submitted by Olabosipo Shoroye, it said: “Students complain about its prices and have had to walk 15 minutes to Tesco or elsewhere just to get something affordable to eat while studying or revising.” Politics councillor Olly Clay supported the petition and called on eatwithus to “stop misusing its monopoly of outlets especially in the IC”. However, councillors voted against the petition and instead voted to mandate Union officers to call for higher wages for eatwithus staff. Eatwithus has outlets across campus including Jessop West cafe, the Edge cafe and the IC.
for accommodation in first year, especially for damages and breakages, poor quality and overpriced food across ACS outlets and the increasing cut backs to student support – particularly areas such as maintenance loans, financial help and course support.” At the University of Sheffield privatisation took place in 2001/02 when the University sold off its halls of residences to Unite. Opal, a private national student
accommodation company, is now responsible for many blocks of flats in Sheffield. Olly said: “We need to ask ourselves a question; are we happy to watch our university cynically exploit legal loopholes to drive down the conditions of its staff and reduce the quality of services it provides to students, or do we want our university to be a social institution, advocating social justice, fairness and decency?”
Women’s officer: blog post ‘inappropriate’ Continued from p.1 “It is also because women continue to face discrimination and oppression.” The Students’ Union has not had a female president for 12 years. Masson said there were several reasons for this including the fact that women are generally not seen as very ‘presidential’. Masson said: “We have had excellent women candidates for president in previous years and to suggest that we need to remove my position to ‘free up’ more women is frankly ridiculous. “To suggest that the reason we haven’t had a female president for so long is because we have guaranteed women’s representation on the Executive, in the form of the women’s officer, is offensive to the women who have stood for election in both positions.”
This year only two men ran for the Union president. Last year, three women ran for president while Amy Masson was the only person to run for women’s officer. Currently the women’s officer role is to represent, support and offer events for all female students. Professor Paul White, who has been a member of the University’s staff since 1974, told Forge Press: “It’s unfortunate if the blog has been misunderstood. It wasn’t an attempt at interference. “I was commenting on the issue of under representation of women in the Students’ Union and how to strengthen their position in senior positions, as I look to support all underrepresented groups. “The thoughts I expressed were not original: they repeated views developed by the Students’ Union officers four or five years ago.”
hite ofessor Paul W Blog post by Pr constitution. But t a change to the Union post to represent ges sug to ce pla my not c It is gest creating a specifi transforming the were I to do so I would sug d I would also suggest for equality and An ts. den stu postgraduate e with responsibility on o int t n to stand women’s officer pos dents... and free up wome stu all ing ect aff s sibility of ue iss pos ity the ers d div t would stand on its hea for president. And tha that happened for several years in the mid recurrence of something male presidents developed close personal 2000s - for several years ale women’s officers. relationships with the fem
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Forge in brief News International hands out banned Sun at Careers Fair News International handed out the Sun at the Careers Fair, despite the recent Students’ Union ban. Lucy Pedrick, the women’s councillor who proposed the ban told Forge Press: “I am utterly disappointed that despite repeated efforts to politely request the University, and the Careers Service in particular, to take Union policy seriously when they arrange their events, they continue to ignore us. “The policy to remove the Sun from sale was passed almost unanimously by council, and the presence of News International and their distribution of free copies of the paper at the Careers Fair grossly undermines this principle and leaves me more than disappointed.” A spokesperson for the University said: “We’re committed to providing students with the best possible graduate employment opportunities and that’s why News International were present at the fair. Copies of the Sun were handed out at the stall to enquiring students in the same way exhibitors at other stalls also handed out free gifts.” Lauren Clarke
International students worth £120m to Sheffield economy International students contribute £120m to the Sheffield economy each year, a report has found. Housing providers, restaurants, bars, shops and nightclubs all benefit from the money spent by international students. The report by the University of Sheffield – the first of its kind in the UK – found that international students cost £22m, meaning they provided the city with a net profit of £98m. Professor Keith Burnett, vicechancellor at the University of Sheffield, said: “We’re proud of the extensive contribution our international students make to both the university and the city, boosting the city’s economy by a net figure of £120 million, something that will be reflected in other towns and cities nationally.” Jonathan Robinson
Clarification In Issue 56 we printed a story stating that the University had agreed to end its current contract with Veolia. While Veolia’s current contract with the University is on a temporary extension, we would like to clarify that no formal agreement has been reached to end their relationship. The University has formally started a tender process for waste management services, which will take approximately four months to complete. Forge Press is happy to clarify this point.
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ECONOMICS
Red Tent: a space to talk about menstruation
COLUMN
EU or not to EU, that is the question David Cameron recently announced his plans on whether the UK should stay in the European Union. If the Conservative party win the next general election then a referendum will take place on whether to stay in on fresh conditions or opt out. There is now doubt that being in Europe has its benefits. The EU is the single biggest market in the world, providing 500 million people for British businesses to trade to and with on a level playing field. Not only does enabling free trade in terms of the complete absence of customs taxes and tariffs benefit business but it also brings a common set of regulations to trade. If the UK was to leave the union then each EU country Britain trades will use different tariffs in a bid to protect businesses already within the union.
Another benefit of the EU is the FDI - better known as foreign direct investment from overseas. This is investment in our economy from non-UK sources, not only adding to economic growth but providing our country’s men and women jobs too. However the EU brings its own costs as well. Membership for the EU cost the UK £6.4 billion in 2010/11 - collected from taxpayers’ money. We have also heard numerous times the argument that “immigrants are taking our jobs.” The UK being in the E.U allows a free movement of labour in and out of the country. The UK’s population is set to rise to 70 million over the next decade, with immigration playing a large part in the rise. The effects of what migration has done can be seen today, with many partly blaming rising house prices and congestion on the roads on the influx of European migrants – particularly in towns such as Boston and Rotherham. It remains to be seen whether we stay in or drop out of the pack with regards to the EU. It must be said that both will have its advantages and disadvantages, but a side question to be answered is whether the pledge to hold a referendum on Europe is best for the people of the UK or for the Conservative party come the general election? Jay Parmar
Photo: Jessica Pitocchi Jessica Pitocchi and Lauren Clarke This week the Students’ Union Gallery Eye was transformed into a ‘red tent’ as part of International Women’s Week. The space was decorated with patterned throws, cushions, bunting and fairy lights and invited ‘self-defining women’ to talk about menstruation. Several free events were held in the tent
including workshops, yoga sessions and documentary screenings. The chosen documentaries challenged menstrual etiquette, including the humorous ‘Moon Inside You’, which questions preconceived ideas of womanhood. Hot water bottles and fruit-flavoured tea were offered to all attendees. The space also contained a mini-library of books about women’s health, body, feminism
and herbal medicines to help with painful menstruation. The event was organised by development officer Sara Moon and welcomed “all selfdefining women students.” The event was advertised as a “space like no other, enabling women to come together and share the stories of their lives whilst challenging the culture that often tries to silence them.”
Medical students worse Students survive on off than other subjects £10 for Refugee Week Eve Betts Research commissioned by the NUS ‘Pound in Your Pocket’ project has revealed that of the 14,000 students surveyed, medical students faced the most challenging financial system than any other subject. A survey showed that 66 per cent of NHS students answered agree or strongly agree to the statement: ‘‘I regularly worry about not having enough money to meet my basic living expenses such as rent and utility bill.’ President of the NUS Liam Burns said: “Future doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, role models in their often tireless commitment, are struggling to make ends meet just to get qualified and many are acutely worried about the future they face. “The least we can do is ensure they have the financial support to be successful.” Students undertaking courses to qualify as healthcare professionals such as medicine and dentistry have been subject to a separate system of student funding since the late 1960s. This has resulted in a convoluted system today, meaning many students struggle to receive the best financial support available.
Under the current system, diploma-level students are able to receive a non means-tested bursary but no student loan, whilst degree-level students, including medics and dentists, can take out a reduced rate student loan and a means-tested bursary if they fall in the low household income bracket. Although the NHS offers bursaries to healthcare students, loans are not available to everyone. Only six in 10 NHS-funded students are in receipt of a student loan. This has led to many students relying on financial sustenance elsewhere. The ‘Pound in Your Pocket’ report stated that: “Medical students are much more likely to have to rely on part-time earnings and commercial credit, including high-risk debt options.” NHS-funded students who took part in the survey were almost twice as likely to have sought discretionary funding from their institution as non-NHS students. Pete Mercer, NUS vicepresident of welfare, said: “NHS students have for years suffered from insufficient levels of financial support. “This needs to urgently be addressed, to ensure that a career in health is a realistic possibility for people from all backgrounds.”
Lauren Archer Members of the University’s Amnesty International Society are living off a £10 weekly food budget to demonstrate their solidarity with refugees in Britain. Eight members of the group will live on just £10 for food, drink, transport and entertainment – the budget allowance given to refugees. The campaign follows last week’s Refugee Week, which included a series of fundraising events and talks aimed at increasing awareness for refugees and asylum seekers living in Sheffield. Nick Gore, who is taking part in the £10 challenge, said: “The inspiration behind this show of solidarity is to emphasise the plight of asylum seekers in this country. “On average they receive £36.63 a week and are not allowed to work. “This limited budget has to be spent on rent and bills and so on average there is only £10 left for food. Sheffield University Amnesty International and indeed all the groups involved in Refugee Week believe this is far too little to have a well rounded and healthy diet.” Refugee Week is also focusing on a number of other issues surrounding the treatment of refugees in Britain. Nick Gore said: “There are so many other issues that we wish to raise awareness about such as the generally negative portrayal
of refugees and asylum seekers in the press, when in reality they are struggling to survive here after fleeing persecution in their own country, and removal centres of which there are 12 in Britain. “As of 2011 there were 2014 asylum seekers who have been arbitrarily arrested and, having committed no crime, are being detained within these removal centres, which have constantly been below standards for hygiene and living conditions. Of these 99 are children.” “No matter how hard our lives are and tight our budget can be, there are those who are in a far worse situation,” said Nick. Nick has been living on his £10 budget since last Tuesday and already admitted he felt grounded by the shock of adapting to such a basic standard of living. Phil Armitage, another member of the society, has already completed the challenge and said: “I have always recognized my privilege with a level of guilt but this has only intensified now. “Because I can go back to eating whatever I like, snacking at any point during the day, and going out and enjoying myself whenever it strikes me. “However, in the same country, in the same city, there are people struggling to find somewhere to live and keep warm.” The £10 budget blog can be found at: http://suairefugeweek. wordpress.com/
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Union condemns security after arms protesters dragged out of Octagon Centre Jonathan Robinson and Alisha Rouse
The Students’ Union has condemned the “unwarranted actions” of the University’s security officers, after arms protesters were forcibly dragged out of the Octagon last week. A group from Fund Education, Not War staged a demonstration at the Spring into Jobs Fair in front of a stall run by Thales - a company notorious for the production of arms. Protesters laid on the floor in front of the Thales stand, wearing bloodied shirts carrying the names of children killed by drones. However, they were soon forcibly removed by security, with security dragging the protesters by their feet through a back door of the Octagon. An urgent motion calling on the Union to condemn the security’s handling of the protest was passed at Union council. One of the protesters, Miriam Dobson, who was removed by a female member of security staff, said there was no legal justification for the security staff to remove the protestors. Speaking to Forge Press immediately after the protest, Dobson said: “I don’t think there was any reason for the amount of force and aggression they used, I was physically picked up and thrown on the floor outside the Octagon. “Chris has been injured by the strength of the guy who pulled him outside. We were not doing anything aggressive, we were actually laid on the floor. We were perfectly within our right to stage a protest.” All Students’ Union officers present at the council meeting voted to condemn the action. A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “When a group came into the Careers Fair this morning, staff felt in a difficult position. “While we fully support the
right of students to express their views, when students and stand holders told us the protesters were causing a disruption, our staff felt they had no option but to ask them to leave.” The Fund Education, Not War group told Forge Press: “The University prides itself on being a values-led organisation; however, its continued liaison with arms companies responsible for the murder of innocents around the world throws this claim into serious disrepute. “Over 50 per cent of Thales’ total sales comes from selling defence and military equipment around the world, including to countries of major human rights concerns such as Saudi Arabia. Thales is a major manufacturer of drones, unmanned aerial attack vehicles whose use is becoming increasingly common.” Drone strikes have recently killed people, including children, in both Pakistan and Yemen, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has found. A member of security staff was heard shouting: “You’re an embarrassment to your University” to the group.
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Scientist develop lab-grown teeth
Top: Miriam Dobson is removed from the Octagon by security Bottom: Bruise sustained by one of the protesters
Phillip Park, first-year Politics student
Fiona Primrose, second-year English Literature student
Rebekah Forty, first-year Biomedical Science student
“I thought it was completely ridiculous. Someone got injured and they are totally in their right to hold a peaceful protest. This sort of force just adds insult to injury.”
“I’ve seen a lot worse kickings. I think the worst thing is the lack of communication between the Union and the University. It seems the University broke its promise to the Union.”
“I don’t think they should have been invited, the University is supposed to support and respect the Union. It’s difficult if there is disruption but there is a right to protest.”
Vox-pop by Lauren Archer
Uni professor helps explain one of space’s great mysteries A project run by a Europe-wide team of researchers is providing answers to one of the mysteries of modern astrophysics - why a star’s atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface. Professor Robertus Erdélyi, head of the University of Sheffield’s solar physics and space plasma research centre, is one of the researchers on the work. The group’s paper ‘Magnetic tornadoes as energy channels into the solar corona’ was published in June 2012 and details the team’s observations of solar-magnetic tornados in
Your Facebook likes could say more about you as a person than you may first consider. ‘Like’ curly fries, thunderstorms or Morgan Freeman’s voice? Well then you are likely to have a high IQ. This is according to research conducted by researchers lead by Michal Kosinski and the University of Cambridge. Partnered with Microsoft, they launched an app called ‘MyPersonality’ where 58,000 users answered a set of personality and intelligence questions and allowed access to their profile details. Kosinski’s team then made predictions about volunteers but based only upon their likes. The accuracy of some predictions was remarkable, with race being determined correctly 95 per cent of the time and gender 90 per cent. Alys Rudling
Did the University’s security use too much force?
Sarah Hill
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the chromosphere of the sun, the atmospheric layer between the surface and the corona. The chromosphere is incredibly difficult to observe and these discoveries have only been made possible by combining the capabilities of a state-of-the- art, ground-based solar telescope (Swedish 1m solar telescope) with a new solar space telescope (NASA’s solar dynamics observatory). The tornadoes, which can spin at over 6000mph, exist in the hottest areas of the sun’s atmosphere where temperatures reach a few million degrees kelvin, thousands of kilometres from the sun’s surface. The team have found that the tornadoes
carry the energy from the energy reservoir below the sun’s surface - the convection zone - to the outer atmosphere in the form of magnetic waves. Professor Erdélyi said: “If we understand how nature heats up magnetised plasmas, like in the tornadoes observed in the sun, one day we may be able to use this process to develop the necessary technology and build devices on Earth that produce clean, green energy. “Our collaborative research is an essential leap forward towards unveiling the secrets about an exciting problem in plasma astrophysics.”
Scientists from King’s College London have successfully grown teeth in a laboratory. This discovery could replace the need for dentures and fillings in the future. Cells taken from an adult’s gums were mixed with a different type of cells, called mesenchyme cells, taken from mice. This mix of cells was transplanted into mice where they led to the growth of hybrid human/mouse teeth. Mesenchyme cells act as ‘inducers’ – they basically tell the gum cells to start growing into a tooth. The next challenge is to find a large source of mesenchyme cells in humans and culture them to be tooth-inducing. This is proving difficult and so it is likely to be many years before this technique will be introduced in dentist surgeries. Emily Berry
Insects addicted to nectar? Researchers at Newcastle University have discovered traces of nicotine and caffeine in the nectar of over 100 species of plant intended to tempt pollinator insects into returning. They found that exposure of a bee to a caffeine stimulant caused an increase in brain neuron activity responsible for olfactory recognition. Bees that have consumed caffeine are able to recall a scent and its association to sugar three days after initial exposure. These chemicals, which have a bad taste, are usually used to deter predators. However, in the correct quantities, they may cause an insect to become addicted. Victoria Stanway
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National news Plans proposed to lower voter age in Scotland Scottish MPs have proposed legislation that will allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the Scottish independence referendum which will take place in autumn 2014. SNP ministers believe that these voters will have the biggest stake in the future of the country, and extending the franchise is a long-term party goal. The proposal was initially opposed by the UK government, but was eventually included in the Edinburgh Agreement which allowed for the referendum. Polling expert Professor John Curtice has stated that there is little to suggest that the inclusion of younger voters could play a vital role in achieving a ‘Yes’ vote. Tim Vigor
Horsemeat scandal changing habits
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Over half of British consumers have changed their eating habits following the horsemeat scandal, a consumer group has found. A survey by Which? suggests that three out of five UK adults have changed how they shop after it was revealed that horsemeat was used instead of beef in many products. The survey showed that public trust in the food industry and labelling laws has reduced, with many buying less processed meat. Jonathan Robinson Dean of York receives hate mail over Richard III burial The Dean of York, the Very Rev Vivienne Faull, has referred hate mail he has received to cathedral police. Hugh Bayley MP claimed the abusive letters are the consequence of debating where the remains of King Richard lll, who was killed in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, should be buried. His bones were discovered under a council car park by archaeologists in Leicester. Westminster Abbey has decided the King should be buried at Leicester Cathedral. However, many want the King to be buried in York. Xixi Xei
Don Valley in ‘biggest Olympic legacy project outside London’ Jonathan Robinson Don Valley Stadium could be redeveloped as part of the “biggest Olympic legacy project outside of London”. The venue is due to close in September as part of cuts made by Sheffield city council. However, a plan to transform the site into a £40m sports park has surfaced. It is unclear how the development will be funded. Sheffield city council leader, Julie Dore, said the council will not fund the project. Under the scheme, the park will include rugby, basketball and gymnastics venues. However, the athletics venue will be demolished to make room for the new venues. A smaller athletics venue at Woodburn Road Stadium is due to reopen as the home for Sheffield athletics.
Former sports minister Richard Caborn described the project as the “biggest Olympic legacy project outside of London”. He said: “It’s only a dream, it’s not reality at this moment in time but it’s moving forward I guess. “In effect it becomes an advanced sports and wellbeing park giving a comprehensive delivery of the Olympic legacy that we promised in Singapore in 2005.” The new National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine would also be built on the site, as well as a technical college. The council said it currently spends £700,000 subsidising Don Valley Stadium, with Woodburn Road expected to cost just £70,000 a year in comparison. Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis currently trains at Don Valley and called the closure a “huge shame”.
The proposed Don Valley sports park development Graphic: Bond Bryan
Tributes pour in after History group set up Fulwood councillor to protect former site of Sheffield Castle dies from cancer Dominic Johnson
Angeliqua Dieye Tributes have poured in for Fulwood councillor Janice Sidebottom who died on Sunday at St Luke’s hospice following a battle with cancer. Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg said: “Janice was a friend and a much respected member of the Liberal Democrats in Sheffield. “She was passionate about local issues and did a great job of representing residents for more than a decade on the council. Her knowledge on planning and development issues was second to none. “Above all else Janice was an extremely warm and friendly person. She will be sadly missed and all our thoughts are with her family at this time.” A councillor for 13 years, Sidebottom, 65, represented the Liberal Democrats in Broomhill before joining the Fulwood ward. Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of the Liberal Democrat group in Sheffield city council said: “Her passing is a great loss to the council and she will be sorely missed. “I counted Janice as a close friend and an invaluable source
of knowledge and experience. She was a real community campaigner that always had resident’s best interests at heart in whatever she did.” Cllr Sidebottom was a member of Ranmoor Society. Gill Battye, treasurer of the society, said: “Janice was known to the Ranmoor Society and its members through her hard work for the community and her ward, where she will be greatly missed.” The council says a by-election will be held in due course. The funeral of Mrs Sidebottom will take place on Friday March 15.
History enthusiasts in Sheffield have set up a new group to protect and promote the remains of Sheffield Castle, which are currently hidden underneath Castle Market. The Friends of Sheffield Castle hope to protect the site of the medieval castle for the benefit of local people, and for future generations. Vice-chairman of the group, Ron Clayton, said: “The Friends of Sheffield Castle includes academics, archaeologists and ordinary people like me, and we’re saying to the city of Sheffield, there’s a fascination out there. “We’re at a very early stage, but I’m pleased to say that in the last few weeks we’ve achieved quite a lot for a bit of Sheffield history that people are tremendously unaware of. “The current group was kicked off by Cllr Diana Stimely, who approached one or two people, and we got together. “The idea behind the strategy is it’s the people’s castle. It’s not my castle, it’s not the group’s castle, it’s not the planner’s, the politician’s or the council’s castle. It’s the people of Sheffield’s,
because I know the people of Sheffield are fascinated by it.” The castle once stood on the land now occupied by the Castle Market building, where the River Sheaf and River Don meet. Excavations by University of Sheffield archaeologists in 1999 and 2001 revealed it was once among the largest medieval castles in England, thought to cover over four acres. The market building is expected to be demolished next year and plans for the land include creating a public park around the castle remains. Traders will move into the new market hall currently under construction on The Moor. Mr Clayton said: “The point about this is if we uncover the castle it’s a whole new image for Sheffield, it’s reinventing the image of Sheffield. “We’re no longer a city of the industrial revolution, we’re no longer the city of steel, we’re something else. It’s all about bolstering Sheffield’s image, adding another string to our bow. “It’s early days yet but we want to say to the council, come and talk to us, we want to work with you on this.”
Police to receive fund to tackle sex crime Chloe E Lee A £500,000 fund will be given to South Yorkshire police to deal with incidents of child sex abuse in the county. The money has been allocated by police and crime commissioner Shaun Wright, who said tackling the crime was a “top priority” to make South Yorkshire the safest place. According to Wright, the funding will be used for additional specialist public protection unit officers and training for staff.
It will also be an investment for providing better services for young victims of crime. Last year, South Yorkshire police was criticised before the Home Affairs select committee, following the Times report which claimed that the force was withholding information about the scale of sexual exploitation of young women. The force was also accused of not having taken any action to reduce the thousands of such crime cases committed in the county
each year. Following the public criticisms, the authority has “really stepped up its commitment” to tackling the problem and made the issue a “huge priority”, said Joyce Thacker, the director for children and young people’s services. “We always had a dedicated team since about 1997 but in the last year particularly we’ve stepped it up particularly in terms of social care intervention.”
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Sheffield council budget cuts: What it means for the Steel City Aidan Phillips Sheffield city council’s budget plans on March 1 did not come as a surprise to many as the city had braced itself to cope with a £50 million shortfall in government funding for months. Social care, childcare centres, libraries, leisure facilities, arts, parks and community assemblies are among the services whose funding has been reduced or scrapped altogether. Local opposition has started against many of the proposals, with popular campaigns and petitions to maintain subsidies to Highfields Adventure Playground, Stocksbridge Leisure Centre, Early Years services and Don Valley Stadium being waged since January. Following news that their £430,000 subsidy will be cut, 4SLC (For Stocksbridge Leisure Centre) have launched a legal challenge against the council for not carrying out a fair impact assessment on their facility. Chair of 4SLC Emma Gregory said: “The gloves are off now. If they’d reviewed the impact on disabled and elderly users properly they wouldn’t have come to this decision. “The thing has always been to get more time and we’re hoping this legal challenge will give us the time we need to work towards providing a sustainable solution for the leisure centre.” After weeks of lobbying, campaigners for Highfields Adventure Playground - Friends of Adventures (FoA) - also feel let down by the council. Chair of FoA Kate West said: “In the end it’s very disappointing. The scrutiny process didn’t involve any scrutiny, it was a bit of a farce really. When it came down to it the councillors toed the line. “For now we’re looking forward, trying to negotiate a decent transition period from the council and holding public meetings so people can discuss
LIBRARY BUDGET CUT BY £1.6M
ALLOTMENT RENTS UP BY 60%
£50M CUT FROM BUDGET
BETWEEN 400-600 JOBS AXED
and maintain as many services as possible. With their funding reduced by £106,000 and £200,000, Sheffield Theatres and Museums Sheffield have both said they were disappointed but prepared for the news. Chief executive of Museums Sheffield, Kim Streets, said: “We’re adapting to survive by focusing more of our resources on income generating activity whilst reducing our core expenditure. “We’re striving to become more resilient and better able to cope with a major economic downturn that’s likely to affect us for several years to come.” Communications officer for Sheffield Theatres Rebecca Willett said: “We’re seeking out further and new partnerships
to help us continue to deliver our essential work with communities, young people and developing talent. “We’re in a strong position, but at the moment we’ll need to focus almost all our resources on theatre production.” A staff member at Norbury Resource Centre for dementia patients took a similarly positive approach after their entire budget had been cut. He said: “We’re closing down this month and transferring the service to Hurlfield View care home. “The service will continue operating exactly the same . As long as we keep it going that’s what’s important.”
Leisure centre group launch legal challenge Campaign group 4SLC (For Stocksbridge Leisure Centre) have threatened to launch a judicial review into the city council’s plans to cut the centre’s £430,000 annual subsidy unless they reassess their decision. They claim the council would not have withdrawn funding had they carried out a proper consultation and considered the impact on disabled and elderly users under the Equality Act. The challenge is being launched with law firm Unity Law on the grounds that the decision was made without undertaking a public consultation exercise, thus breaching the Public Sector Equality Duty. The group demand a rigorous consultation and reassessment of the needs of disabled and elderly users. They’ve also asked for all agendas and minutes of meetings when the decision was made and financial data upon which it was
Indian bank swamped by applicants Argentine president Christina Kirchner has labelled this week’s Falklands Islands’ referendum as a “parody” and likened the residents to “squatters”. Islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain British, however Argentina has claimed the South Atlantic islands since 1883. Kirchner said: “It’s like a consortium of squatters voting on whether they’re going to continue illegally occupying a building or not.” Britain has refused UN requests to take part in dialogue with Argentina.
Christina Kirchner Indian bank swamped by applicants
Photo: Jonathan Robinson
Aidan Phillips
World news
Jonathan Robinson
CHILDREN’S CENTRES CUT BY £3.5M
options for funding, staffing and all other things that need to be sorted.” Other services are preparing for the financial hit, with treasurer of Sheffield Allotments Rob Hawkins worried about the adverse effects these cuts could have on allotment holders. He said: “The rates are going up 100 per cent, then another 60 per cent next April, meaning a £40 allotment in 2012 is going to cost £140 in 2015. “We have about 3,000 on the council allotments now, and this will lead to a substantial number giving up their plots, whilst the numbers who want to take them on is going to decline.” Some facilities facing cuts have reacted with less objections, instead focusing their energies on trying to boost their income
NEWS
based. The council have until March 12 to reply. Chair of 4SLC Emma Gregory said: “We hope the judicial review will give us the time we need to enable us the best chance of providing a sustainable leisure centre for our community.” Stocksbridge town councillor Jack Clarkson said the city council hasn’t been providing the financial data 4SLC needs. He said: “The budget forecasting accounts they’ve provided have nothing to do with the running of the centre. “They’ve asked for the proper accounts on several occasions. Why should 4SLC have to fight for them when they were given guarantees the council would work with them?” Cabinet minister for sports, leisure and tourism Isobel Bowler declined to respond until 4SLC have issued formal proceedings. 4SLC is a Stocksbridge-based campaign group made up of over 50 people trying to
make Stocksbridge Leisure Centre financially sustainable. The annual subsidy was cut as part of £49.6 million of cuts to this year’s budget as a result of local government funding being reduced.
Imagine almost the entire population of Northern Ireland turning up in an office for a job interview. This was the scene that greeted India’s State Bank’s first major recruitment drive when 1.7 million people showed up to interview for just 1,500 jobs. The applicants, all aged between 21 and 30, will be narrowed down to 1,824 in five months time. They will be competing for a monthly salary valued at £855, more than double the salary of the average banking sector worker. Yvette Tan North Korean troops on ‘maximum alert’ North Korean leader Kim-Jong Un has warned that “war can break out right now” whilst visiting troops based near disputed waters on the Korean Peninsula. He has urged troops to be on “maximum alert” in the latest of a series of statements widely believed to be attempts to rally domestic support, following new UN sanctions on the country. The nation said it has cancelled the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War but Seoul claimed the statements are attempts to apply “psychological pressure” on the South. David Ewing
Campaigners protested last month outside Town Hall Photo: Aidan Phillips
Kim-Jong Un
Thursday March 14 2013 FORGE PRESS
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The Comment Forum
WHAT DOES THE EASTLEIGH BY-ELECTION MEAN FOR BRITISH POLITICS? James Fyfe Eastleigh has remained Liberal Democrat, Nick Clegg has labelled this a “stunning victory”, and the world collectively rolls their eyes in response. Indeed, Clegg and his Liberal Democrats may have held onto Eastleigh in what was a catastrophic week for their party, but the simple facts remain. This was won on a greatly reduced majority for a party that still languishes in a depressing fourth place in the national opinion polls. Additionally, the Liberal Democrat candidate, Mike Thornton MP, ran this election against a collection of candidates that were, for all intents and purposes, simply dire. How about Labour’s candidate, John O’Farrell, who wrote in one of his many books of his excitement at the prospect of Margaret Thatcher being killed by the IRA, before being swiftly disappointed that “such a chance had been missed”? Or the Conservatives’ Maria Hutchings, a potential MP so void of any charisma a wooden spoon with hair attached to it would probably have attracted more interest from the electorate. From her comments regarding her inability to allow her son to receive a state school education to her extremely controversial views in relation to abortion issues, it was clear that Hutchings was about as attractive to the electorate as Harlem Shake videos and horsemeat jokes are, six weeks on from when they were first mildly amusing. She also wasn’t a people person,
Ben Mackay It must have been a wonderful feeling for UKIP activists when they beat the Conservative party to second place in the Eastleigh by-election. Nobody forgets being called a fruitcake by David Cameron! So after an impressive second-place showing and their highest ever levels of support in opinion polls, it is time to ask whether UKIP are about to break through. UKIP leader Nigel Farage has proclaimed, in his typically understated fashion, “we will take this tremor in Eastleigh and turn it into a national earthquake.”
‘UKIP is doing well as the party that people vote for when they are so angry with the others’ However, despite such bluster, the party is doomed as a serious electoral alternative. UKIP is currently doing well as the party that people vote for when they are so angry with the others, but when it’s the general election the public will remember that it’s a two and a half horse race. All protest parties have moments of glory and UKIP is enjoying one of them. They will undoubtedly have more excitable moments in the future and there will be times when UKIP members dream that one day not
evident in a rather bizarre video in which Hutchings refuses to answer any questions following her humiliating electoral defeat, instead favouring an approach whereby she plastered a haunting grimace across her face, before barging through a crowd of press. Forget disappointed ex-candidate, she looked as if she’d got lost on her way back from giving it the big one at Tuesday Club. Instead, the main force to be reckoned with for the Liberal Democrats came from Nigel Farage’s UKIP party. Indeed, their eventual coming second is a great achievement for a party who were once deemed no more than a fringe protest party. However, we live in a time in which admitting to being a Europhile is about as socially acceptable as admitting to stealing sweets from a crying baby, so to suggest that a sharp rise in support for UKIP was inevitable is hardly inaccurate. Meanwhile, as long as the Conservative government flirts with the left whilst still pushing out hard-line far-right candidates for by-elections, this confusion in vision and purpose will drive disillusioned conservative voters straight into the Eurosceptic arms of the delightful Nigel Farage. So yes, congratulations are in order for the Liberal Democrats, they certainly have proven that they are far from a write-off just yet. But let’s not get overexcited, they won an election that was so easy to win a loss would have been catastrophic for them. Was this victory good news for the Liberal Democrats? Undoubtedly so. Was it a stunning, game changing victory that guarantees them success and forgiveness for their mistakes come May 2015? Most certainly not. too far away there will be a prime minister Farage striding into Downing Street. But even if UKIP do continue to poll highly, and one poll did put them at 17 per cent, it will be extremely difficult for them to break through at the a General Election. The nature of the British electoral system is such that seats are disproportionately awarded to the Conservatives and Labour. This is why the Liberal Democrats could reach 23 per cent in the popular vote but hold only around 9 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons. UKIP will be coming from an even worse position, because they have no MPs and have no natural geographic electoral bases. It would take years for UKIP to build up any sort of presence in parliament and I think that in the meantime the public will have lost interest. The media like the narrative of a rising UKIP at the moment, but when the general election turns around the spotlight will turn back onto parties that actually have a chance of winning, at least a seat.
Got an opinion on the topics discussed this fortnight? Contact letters@forgetoday.com
Martin Bottomley John O’Farrell was ever so enthusiastic about campaigning for Eastleigh. “In fact,” he wrote in a Guardian column, “‘one nation’ chimes with exactly the sort of Labour party I want us to be.” One Nation Labour, in his version, is a party undivided by petty arguments over ideology, one which sets aside the silly little quibbles Respect and the Socialist Worker’s Party et cetera have that hold the left back from its inevitable rise to power. But seriously, who is he kidding? It’s a terrible apology for a terrible slogan, that was supposed to save a reasonably competent politician’s arse from being blasted for his terrible lack of actual policy ideas, and failed. Terribly. The reason Labour did badly at the Eastleigh by-election is not purely because everyone is anti-politics, as O’Farrell insinuated, but neither is it that Eastleigh is fundamentally not Labour turf. Let’s not forget that Eastleigh is a comparatively industrial constituency where Labour has previously, back in the 90s, managed a respectable second place above the Conservatives. This is not a place where the Lib Dem/Tory hegemony is an unbeatable force. Instead, Labour has fundamentally failed to understand how to connect with voters. Currently profiting massively from high anti-Conservative sentiment, their nauseatingly moronic ‘One Nation’ rebrand is yet another transparently populist mantra, trying to keep Labour popular whilst avoiding committing itself to any
Lauren Archer Nigel Farage, UKIP leader, says that his party’s second-place success in the Eastleigh by-election is a sign of public revulsion with the three main parties. But in reality it screams of an increasingly dark intolerance to immigration. UKIP likes to describe itself as non-racist, which is apparently fine considering they’re doing the new, trendy kind of attitude where instead of openly despising foreign people you just loathe the prospect of them being anywhere near you and your green and pleasant lands. The manifesto of the party calling for complete independence for the UK includes calls for an end to “mass, uncontrolled immigration” and an “immediate fiveyear freeze on immigration for permanent settlement.” UKIP like to make it very clear how different they are from the BNP and other neo-fascist parties. Sure, unlike the BNP, UKIP aren’t planning on sending hordes of us back from whence we came’, but they do want to shut the gates to any new arrivals, and they do think we’ve already had far too much immigration. Despite some activists reminding members to try and appear squeaky-clean, a quick glance at the UKIP forums reveals a dark pit of racism and xenophobia from its members. One UKIP member wrote, on a forum
particular set of policies, or even a cause. The reason people turn to UKIP is not so much about the specifics of Labour policy, it’s about the perceived authenticity of the respective policies, where UKIP clearly win out.
‘The One Nation rebrand is yet another transparently populist mantra, trying to keep Labour popular’ One Nation Labour probably seemed like a great idea at the time: Take a classic piece of Conservative identity, and make it their own, showing the electorate that Labour is about things we all share. Well, that’s a lovely thought, but when it comes down to actual policy, Miliband’s pledges have basically amounted to cheaper fuel, cheaper commutes, less bad cuts, less economic misfortune, just in general less bad stuff voters are complaining about. Down with that sort of thing. Unfortunately, no amount of feel-good catchphrases like “squeezed middle” can compensate for the basic problem at the heart of Labour. In trying to appease the average voter, who apparently has the attention span and intelligence of a Sun reader, they seem willing to betray everything they stood for. Eastleigh is a warning sign, until they propose an intelligent alternative to the current government, Labour have nothing to offer to anyone.
about Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants, “Nothing less than ethic cleansing is taking place. The Lib-Lab-Con EU puppets are dutifully diluting the English.” I’m proud to live in an increasingly multicultural Britain, but the growing support for anti-immigration parties like UKIP undermines the values of acceptance and equality that are so central to successful multiculturalism. As far as it is possible to look back, man has had scapegoats. The worse the economic and social strain on a nation, the more prevalent this coping mechanism is. We’ve had the hooded delinquents, the greedy single mothers and now, the thieving immigrants. As a nation it is evident, from our tabloid newspapers to our foreign secretary branding eastern European immigrants “benefit tourists”, that we harbour the most prejudice for those groups we feel have stolen something from our way of life. This scapegoating is blindingly obvious from the results at Eastleigh. More and more people are joining a targeted attack on the immigrants they believe are responsible for detriments to their quality of life – rather than fighting against the ideological cuts that are the true cause. Farage has promised to replicate the success of Eastleigh in elections across the country, turning it into a “national earthquake”. This is an apt metaphor, I can only imagine that UKIP’s success would be just as unsettling and permanently damaging.
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First the end of New Leaf, and now this? Eve Betts Pastry chef Emily Luchetti once said, “After eating chocolate you feel God-like, as though you can conquer enemies, lead armies, entice lovers.” As students spend their university life in a perpetual whirl of exhaustion, deadlines and monetary disquiet, precious moments of omnipotence can go a long way. The arrival of a new Cadbury shop outside the Students’ Union could be read as the University’s answer to the sugar-deprived calls of the sloth-like masses. To others, it raises the unsettling question of whether or not the Union is putting financial gain over students’ welfare. We don’t need the plummy tones of health secretary Jeremy Hunt escaping from Radio 4 to realise that the UK is in the sweaty grip of an obesity epidemic. Currently, 25 per cent of adults in the UK are obese and by 2050 it is predicted that over half the population will be buying their Primark t-shirts from
the plus size section. So is placing a dome of temptation outside the Students’ Union the right message to be sending to students? The Students’ Union development officer, Sara Moon, said that the arrival of the Cadbury shop presents, “A considerable contribution to the Students’ Union funds.” Attempting to justify promoting chocolate bars for economic gain can give you a name not far from a sweet-
toothed miser. For a university that promotes w e l l being, great
sporting programmes and excellent student support facilities, placing a structurally questionable house of chocolate outside the SU encompasses all the irony of David Cameron attending a homeless charity fundraiser. However, there’s a flaw in the premise of any healthy-minded outrage. A few bars of Dairy Milk by the Union isn’t going to turn the entire Univertiy’s rugby team into a jerseywearing herd of manatees, and if they
want to devour copious amounts of caramel they can visit the Sainsbury’s down the road. To suggest students do not possess the willpower to stop themselves cramming chocolate between their textbooks stops somewhere between offensive and laughable. If the University is turning to Cadbury fat cats to line its pockets then perhaps we should consider alternative methods of fundraising. Walking through the University’s concourse without at least three enthusiastic individuals thrusting flyers under your nose is a dubious miracle. We should harness this unfailing stubbornness to raise money for a cause closer to home if the Union is struggling. Besides, if Student Beans’ 2012 Drinking League Table is anything to go by, we should be flapping about the fact that University of Sheffield students are consuming 18.6 units of alcohol a week. A handful of Freddos doesn’t look too outrageous now.
Photo: Hamilton Jones
Lights out for Don Valley as Sheffield faces huge budget cuts Sam Farley Deciding on how to make £50 million worth of cuts to Sheffield services was never going to be an easy task. cabinet councillor for finance, Bryan Lodge, described it as the hardest budget Sheffield council has set in its history. Yet the Labour run council may be left wondering how their budget has managed to anger such a diverse array of residents.
‘Closure is likely to impede the progress of Sheffield’s aspiring Olympians’ The most eye-catching measure was the decision to reduce the Don Valley Stadium to a heap of ash, causing Jessica Ennis’s coach Toni Minichiello to state that athletics was “as good as dead” in Sheffield. Indeed, along with the bulldozing
of the Don Valley Stadium, the Stocksbridge Leisure Centre is due to be closed, much to the dismay of local residents. Both decisions seem completely at odds with the governments so called ‘Olympic Legacy’ and their closure is likely to impede the progress of Sheffield’s aspiring Olympians. A closer inspection of the budget reveals that it’s not just budding athletes who will suffer. Sheffield theatres are to have £106,000 cut from their annual £529,000 grant. This will limit their education and community work, which helps young people across the city develop talent. Without sports or theatre to keep Sheffield’s youth entertained, they may consider turning to literature, however with 14 of the city’s 27 libraries in jeopardy they’ll face difficulty getting hold of Harry Potter and the short supply of Twilight books could cause protracted fury. Apart from the 400 plus council workers who are likely to be made redundant, children and young people seem to be the biggest
budget victims. A £3.5 million cut to children centres will reduce the number of nurseries in the city from 36 to 17. These centres provide healthcare, family support, childcare and early education.
‘The cuts seem to beckon a bleak future for Sheffield residents’ Not content with closing nurseries, the council also attempted to scrap free bus fares for kids that attend two religious schools, only to backtrack when parents threatened legal action. Debate remains over who is responsible for such a contentious budget. Labour council leader Julie Dore has spoken out against the government for targeting northern city councils for cuts. Undoubtedly the government are partly to blame, however Labour are not devoid of responsibility. The unfathomable nature of certain cuts has been directed by Labour councillors who refused
to consider raising council tax and they continue to employ highly paid consultants whilst civil servants face redundancy. Although the cuts seem to beckon a bleak future for Sheffield residents, there was some positive news as the number of redundancies is likely to be significantly lower than first feared. This though may be scant consolation to those stripped of their leisure activities, these poor individuals better hope that the coming seasons of X Factor and Strictly are good ones.
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NUCLEAR OPTION If we want to make a difference, we need nuclear power argues Leo Crolla
Photo: Joseph A Ferris III/Flickr
Leo Crolla Buried in the recent flood of news about burgers, by-elections and royal baby bumps is a very important story about energy. The head of the energy and climate change committee, Tim Yeo MP, has this week been warning of mass blackouts and huge price increases, and calling for a plan B after several companies pulled out of deals to build new nuclear power plants. A plan B is unnecessary however, the best option would be continued investment in, and encouragement by the government of, nuclear power. All the major parties are in agreement on the serious dangers of climate change, but none have truly committed to the action needed to tackle the problem. This dithering is partly down to an image problem. Faced with the word nuclear, your mind probably jumps to something like the Simpsons, which through the plant’s conditions and Homer’s incompetence paints an unnerving picture of nuclear safety.
There is organised opposition from Green Parties worldwide, the UK’s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and the generally scientifically illiterate. The Fukushima disaster also led to a huge backlash against nuclear power. Since then, Japan has been massively cutting their nuclear production and Germany has abandoned it altogether. For us to copy this would be a huge mistake. Nuclear power is much better than it is given credit for, and has enormous practical benefits. It’s about 60 times cleaner than coal in terms of carbon emissions, and is also less expensive, with the added advantage of being more efficient and reliable than the good old British weather, upon which renewable energy sources rely. The problem of nuclear waste pales in comparison to the problems caused by fossil fuel. Waste is at least something we can kick into the long grass, whereas the threats of continued global warming are immediate. It’s also safer, despite what you may think. Some analysis from after Fukushima ranked types of energy production by the number of deaths per terawatt-hour of
energy produced, accounting for factors such as air quality and miner deaths. The figures are remarkable: 161 deaths per TWh for coal, 0.04 for nuclear. The idea that nuclear = danger is down to the same reason people can be terrified of flying, despite it being far safer than driving. It’s easy to conjure up images of horrible disasters like meltdowns and plane crashes, so we see these things as being more hazardous, despite the opposite actually being true. Of course, statistics offer little comfort to a hyperventilating people in the departure lounge at Heathrow, and similarly the hysterical opposition to nuclear power seems immune to any evidence to the contrary. For any environmentalist though, the choice should be clear. More nuclear power is our only realistic option for clean air and energy independence, and the only way this can come about is though people lobbying for greater uptake and voting for anyone willing to get to grips with the issue.
Editorial Vaginas: Don’t we all love them? Myself and several members of the team went to see the Vagina Monologues last Friday, and left very happy in the knowledge our little pink bits were appreciated. International Women’s Week, and this production in particular, was widely supported by students, and enjoyed by all self-defining women. Even those without a vagina couldn’t fail to appreciate the gritty, honest, moving and hilarious production. I enjoyed it so much in fact, that this editorial is going to be about vaginas. Years ago, I saw a documentary about women who get cosmetic surgery on their vaginas, and came to the realisation that mine might not be pretty. “Shit.” I thought. “If it’s something women go under the knife for, should I be worried? Should it not flap? What colour should it be? I might start paying
attention to it now.” The aim of the documentary was the standard “aren’t these women silly, you should love your vagina” Channel 4 low-budget funtime message, but it left me with a sinking feeling that this is something I should care about. I did not stay with the assumption that my vagina isn’t pretty, nor did I give a shit. I became relaxed and open about my body, and do not bat an eyelid when I see squirms out of the corner of my eye when discussing periods with a friend. For those who, for whatever reason, don’t think this way; who believe their vagina, or lack thereof, is ugly - go and see the Vagina Monologues. Watch it on YouTube. Or if all else fails, turn the heating up and grab a hand mirror.
Alisha Rouse - Forge Press editor
D.A.R.T.S.
editor@forgetoday.com
Forge Press takes its satirical aim
Artist’s rendition of the recent influx of comments on our online comment pieces, notably ‘Student Protests: Why they’re losing the battle’
Image: XKCD
Facebook ‘likes’ reveal sexuality, political orientation and race New research by the University of Cambridge has revealed that what you ‘like’ on Facebook shows a lot about your personality. Under a study of over 50,000 people, researchers were able to use ‘likes’ to guess people’s sexuality with an accuracy of 88 per cent, race with 95 per cent and religion with 82 per cent. However, it is not as obvious as you might think. For instance, less than five per cent of gay users ‘liked’ explicitly gay pages such as gay marriage. Some very bizarre results also showed up, those who liked curly chips are more intelligent, and those who like The Dark Knight typically have less Facebook friends - you know who you are.
Contrary to reports, you’ll not go gently into that good night Laura Fensterheim Folks! We’ve got a cure for cancer! At least, according to the latest sensationalist headline splashed across tabloid pages, we have. One has only to peruse a newspaper stand in your local Tesco to observe a smattering of news stories detailing the latest breakthrough in curing the various diseases and maladies that beleaguer mankind. Perhaps we’re used to it. Almost every day, looming from the Daily Mail’s vitriolic spew fest is a splay of headlines groping wildly for answers. Articles such as ‘ Can the sun cure cancer?’, ‘Can magnets cause cancer?’ are examples which,
although claiming to report new scientific discoveries, actually contain only scant evidence backed up by the most tenuous of links in obscure studies and surveys. Indeed, many of these articles could be seen as purely speculation which is masqueraded as truth, ‘discoveries’ which ultimately reveal nothing new or concrete. Although these news stories ostensibly inform the public about the ins and outs of the latest scientific discoveries, they do nothing of the sort. Because let’s face it, cancer, HIV, SARS – all rile up the fear in us. As humans living in the 21st century in which we are increasingly used to being in control – at the top of the food
chain, in constant contact with those around us through the mediums of technology and social media – death and disease loom as colossal objects of concern.
By constantly reporting news of the latest cures and causes of diseases, the media flits between creating the illusion of power over them
and continuing to perpetuate and aggravate public fear. The media’s dissemination of both comforting and alarming messages about disease is ultimately unhelpful and unconstructive. Reports of findings which have little basis in scientific fact or concrete evidence certainly creates confusing messages for the ordinary person as they attempt to live healthy lives as free as possible from illness. Conflicting messages over what to eat, drink and do in order to avoid the scourge of disease simply engenders a culture of confusion and hinders truly educating the public. Furthermore, the media’s
obsession with disease and illness: how best to prevent them, the new cure for them, the glorification of people suffering from them, perhaps highlights a need for us to accept that we are all only human. Death, disease and illness, though undoubtedly appalling, configures as a natural part of the human experience and which we will all, one day, suffer from. Of course we should try to prevent illness. But, in lieu of reporting useless minutiae about potential cures or scaremongering about the impending obliteration of humankind, the media should take an active role in educating the public and quelling fear, rather than creating it. Photo: Wellcome images/Flickr
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@forgepress /forgepress letters@forgetoday.com
LETTERS
Stop hurting those in need, help them
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: VIDEO: Arms protesters forcibly removed Probably vegetarians. Maybe they wouldn’t be so easy to remove if they got a bit of protein in their diet. Anonymous Shameful that Thales were invited and that a peaceful protest (they were lying on the floor pretending to be dead, how peaceful can you get) was treated with violence. The protestors should be proud and could consider pressing charges if they used more than reasonable force. Joe We don’t do weapons research. The link between the University of Sheffield’s worldleading materials engineering output and the use of weapons is, at best, contrived and disingenuous. In fact, we’re the host institution to the nation’s most vocal critic of modern weapon research (Noel Sharkey), who is thoroughly backed by the University. Leon D
The protest today was against the University’s continued liaison with arms companies such as Thales, who are still invited to careers fairs despite the referendum that was passed by the votes of students in October last year, to implement a policy that states unilateral opposition to the involvement of the arms trade in the Union and University. The statement by Fund Education, Not War on the protest can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/notes/fund-education-not-war/careers-fairstatement/420384034719987 Beth
He is definitely correct that the Union must do more to inform students of the effects of currently illegal drugs, including cannabis.
I believe we should follow York University’s Students’ Union’s (YUSU) decision to lobby for an evidence based policy on drugs, specifically to review the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and for the Union to provide the sort of support Tom Schneider talks of.
I hope that the Students’ Union will agree and move to end the failed war on drugs. It’s time to stop hurting those in need, and help them instead. Thanks, Harry Matthews 2nd Year Physics Student
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: News International hand out the Sun at Careers Fair The Union’s policy, as we were told many times since it came into force, only prevented the sale of the Sun in the Union shop, and it was quite acceptable for them to get it elsewhere if they so choose. This, then, is clearly not in violation of that policy- something the Women’s Committee have themselves admitted. “Admittedly, the policy about Page 3 is not a ban on the paper,” said Hannah Rudman, see above. So the outrage, then, is merely that the University isn’t on board with the plan to get rid of the Sun entirely. Given the University never actually supported said plan, as it was all done through the Union and Union Council, I’m finding it very hard to see the justification here. Sam Waters
Rob
Also, at the risk of generalizing here, I very, very much doubt any member of the student ‘Stop the Arms’ campaign is actually studying a degree which would allow them a job with said arms companies. It’s not so bad when you’re trying to remove your own career options, but when you’re trying to remove chances for other people. If you don’t want to be in the arms trade, don’t be, but don’t try to prevent career opportunities for graduates who might. Anonymous Actually, I know that a lot of the students, myself included, involved with the ‘Stop the Arms’ campaign study engineering degrees and there are lots of ways that an engineering degree can be used for the better, and not to go and manufacture arms and weapons that are used to kill people. Sarah Yes, there are plenty of uses. If one person wants to design in flight entertainment products for Thales, why stop them? If they want to help maintain and develop the Manchester tram network for Thales, why stop them? If they want to work on the London Underground signals project for Thales, why stop them? If they want to develop commercial aero engines for Rolls Royce, why stop them? If they want to design the next generation of Land Rover Defender for JLR, why stop them? Perhaps they’d like to work with BAE on some Pinzgauers. Anonymous Nice to see a hilarious, original and well-informed first comment as always. Jesus.
I was interested to read Tom Schneider’s article on drug awareness in the Union.
I too find the outrage over this somewhat odd.
Hi Leon, I think you have missed what today’s protest was about. It was not a protest against any alleged weapons research by the University, and it is great that Noel Sharkey is backed by the University.
Beth, you can’t just go around banning things you don’t agree with.
Dear Forge Press,
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I would hardly call that violence, if the police had been there to remove you they would have done it in exactly the same way; any minor injuries sustained will have no doubt been caused by people resisting just as ‘aggressively’ as the security staff trying to remove them. If they think it was to aggressive then I would like to know if they report the incident to the police and try to press charges against individuals who can be clearly identified on camera. Regarding the presence of Thales at the Careers Fair yes they may object to the company and what they may do but many will not interpret the corporate policies of Thales with abhorrence as they might. If people want to talk to Thales at the University then they should be allowed too, with each individual making up their own mind on the issue. They are hardly press-ganging or pressurising people to take an interest in a Thales career. Bob
It’s times like this I’m tempted to wear my BAE t-shirt, read a copy of the Sun, eat a Nestlé KitKat and wash it down with some bottled water while sitting in the union to see if the burning pitchfork mob will appear, or Forge Press will write an article about me. Anonymous
You, sir, are the winner of this comment section.
Alex Smithson
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: Veolia-ting our own policy: SU officers need to take responsibility for Ultimate Fair mess This is ridiculous. Beyond satire. Are there not more important things the Students’ Union should focus on? It, and its communist president, need to cease pretending they’re of any importance in a wider political sense, remove themselves from the pocket of the Palestinian Society, and grow up. As should all the liberals involved in this preposterous ‘boycott’ of a firm which owns bloody tram lines in Israel. It’s petty. It smacks of angsty, anarchistic nonsense. Luke Paine I can’t believe you got through that whole comment without using the word fascist. Waah, I don’t agree with something so it’s a judeo-bolshevik-anarchist-arab conspiracy. If you want to come across as entirely irrational at least do it right http://forgetoday.com/comment/bottled-water-banning-fascists/ Bored The Union are also violating policy by allowing computers running Windows (made by Microsoft, who have R&D facilities in Haifa and Tel-Aviv and sponsor Israel’s most successful basketball team) and powered by Intel processors (Intel having an R&D facility in Haifa) to be situated throughout the Union building. Oh and the Union is also breaching the arms company boycott by allowing Santander to maintain a branch in the Union building despite it’s extensive financial assistance to arms companies. It’s hardly news that the boycotts are completely unworkable in reality, it’s just that most students are not informed of why they are unworkable or don’t care at all. And since when has the Octagon been under Union control exactly? Alex Smithson
The tone of the article and interview makes it sound like the main thing that the protesters take exception to is the force that was used rather than being removed at all. I commend those who took part but if you are going to cause the disruption and resist removal a little bit of bruising in being dragged out is to be expected isn’t it? The story should be that they were removed, why and by whom, rather than a sympathy piece about a couple of bruises. Pat
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to:
How would you like it if engineering student protested against companies who want to employ people with humanities degrees? Oh wait. Rob
I want to ‘like’ this but I can’t – maybe an indication to my Facebook usage, but still loving the coverage. M
Students’ Union council, 7/3/13: Officer updates and basically nothing else
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Thursday March 14 2013 FORGE PRESS
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Shanghai Summers
Thursday March 14 2013 FORGE PRESS
Words: Nicola Moors Photo: BenBenW/Flickr
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magine standing on the banks of the Huangpu River and gazing at the Bund – Shanghai’s famous waterfront which has been the symbol of the city for centuries – while grasping your lunch in one hand and a camera in the other. This could be your summer internship. Life after university and career prospects are usually one of the top priorities for those in their early twenties, especially for students. Applying for a stack of internships, however, where you’ll most likely be forced to regurgitate copy and make tea is hardly one for the memory books. Luckily the world of work experience has become more interesting with many people flitting overseas to give their CVs a much needed boost. Internships are often seen as the only way to get into your chosen field of work, and for many industries, like journalism, they usually are. So why not soak up a new culture while learning business skills? Places like China, the world’s second largest economy, are being recognised for their economic and entrepreneurial advantages for the next generation of business moguls, and so it’s a popular destination for young professionals. Michael Manley, an alumnus of the University of Sheffield, completed a two month internship through CRCC Asia as a research consultant at a company called Fitco Consulting, although the company decided to keep him on and he ended up working there for a further four months. He currently works for David Lloyd as a sales consultant. “I have developed a much better business sense than I did previously due to working on such a wide variety of projects,” says Michael, “I feel that compared to my peers
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After I came home, my experiences in Shanghai were almost exclusively what I was asked about in job interviews Michael Manley
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in my current role I am much more capable of adapting to new circumstances and have a better appreciation for the wider needs of the business. “After I came home, my experiences in Shanghai were almost exclusively what I was asked about in job interviews – interviewers were so impressed by the fact that I was able to live independently there that it glossed over a few weaker points in my CV.” That’s not to say that living in an entirely new culture is easy sailing, as Michael points out. “Living in Shanghai you have to deal with so many unbelievably stressful situations, and you have to learn to express yourself so clearly that a job interview becomes easy. Living in an international community like we did, you learn to communicate clearly with different kinds of people without using local , national or even continental expressions - try telling an Indonesian girl the time is 20 to two and check the look on her face. “You develop the skill to clearly make yourself understood without losing expression or the tone with which you are trying to say something.” The recent UK graduate careers survey showed that over half of employers asked said that they wanted to hire graduates who had completed previous work experience. The research conducted during December 2012 said that “Many recruiters explained that irrespective of the academic results that a graduate had achieved, it would be very hard for an applicant to demonstrate the skills and competencies that organisations looks for if they hadn’t had any prior work experience at all.” Just five per cent of the top graduate employers said that it was very likely they would give a graduate with no work experience a job offer, so if ever you needed an
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incentive to spend your summer wisely, then it’s really just been spelt out for you. CRCC Asia are the leading providers in graduate internships, on its board is Luise Schafer, who was recently awarded an OBE by the Queen for services to British business in China, while the board has over 50 years of combined China expertise. “According to the British Council, 79 per cent of employers see global awareness as more important than a relevant degree,” Mark Pettitt, government and relations manager at the company, says, “Conversely, a recent Yougov poll demonstrated that only 48 per cent of students believed an international outlook would benefit their work prospects. “Typically in China, interns are treated as a permanent member of the team and we work with all of our partner companies in Beijing and Shanghai to ensure that they are treated as such. Our partner companies select their interns, meaning that they will go there knowing that they will be working on projects and tasks as set aside by their host company. “This has the benefit of ensuring that they will both have responsibility and achieve something that is crucial in a CV and in improving an individual’s employability. “30 per cent of our participants are offered a permanent position by their host company, and 89 per cent of our alumni who were seeking graduate level work directly after completing our programme, successfully did so within three months of returning home.” Internships with CRCC Asia typically last from one to three months in either Shanghai or Beijing and in a number of sectors, from accounting to architecture and from marketing to museum management. The application procedure is fairly simple; send your CV (which
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According to the British Council, 79 per cent of employers see global awareness as more important than a relevant degree Mark Pettitt
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must be no more than two pages long) to the team, they’ll review it and – if successful – you’ll be invited to a telephone interview. Last year, CRCC Asia received 9,000 applicants, of which 1,500 were placed in China with internships – in total they have an alumni network of over 3,000. Being able to speak Mandarin isn’t essential but it will help enhance your application – as will any second language. The program fee also includes Mandarin lessons for beginners once you are in China. The cultural differences in China are important to appreciate when living and working there – for example, it’s essential that you build guanxi with your fellow businessmen and women. Guanxi loosely translates to relationships and is used to form opportunities and favours, therefore understanding this idea is crucial should you want to be successful. Michael sums up his time in China: “It’s definitely been a life changing experience and although difficult at times, I cannot stress how much fun I had and how grateful I am for making some of the friendships I did. “I made lifelong friendships with people I ordinarily would not dream of talking to. In my 6 months since the program I have met up with friends from Australia, Korea, Uganda, Norway as well as the UK. “Personally, without sounding too clichéd, I have learnt to definitely never judge a book by its cover, and that with a little bit of effort you can find that you have something in common with everyone.” For more information on the internships and to apply, go to www.crccasia.com
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Thursday March 14 2013 FORGE PRESS
Cl thes with a c nscience Forge Press discovers the local charity shop that is environment and budget-friendly for guilt-free shopping Photographs and words: Lucy Copson
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v e r y student loves a bargain, a n d eve r yo n e k n o w s that the first place to start looking is in a charity shop. And where better to look than Ecclesall Road? Packed with wellknown names from Cancer Research to Age UK, it’s crawling with bargains and deals that put high street stores to shame. One shop in particular deserves a spotlight of its own. Tucked away on a corner of Ecclesall Road is the Conservation Volunteers, run by the charity of the same name. Many might have heard of it under the name ‘The Big Green Bag’: the charity and shop have undergone a major rebrand in the last few months, leading to the change in name. The rebrand definitely shows in the many improvements made to the shop since it opened in October 2011. The most noticeable thing from the outside about the Conservation Volunteers is the imaginative and hilarious window displays. This week the mannequins are dressed as a family of cavemen, draped in fur clothes and surrounded by trees made mainly from what looks suspiciously like green crêpe paper. Like most charity shops, the Conservation Volunteers sells clothes and accessories, books, bric-a-brac and the occasional bit of furniture. Unlike most charity
shops, they also sell handmade craft products such as rings and earrings made from buttons and recycled fabric; clocks, bowls and cake trays made out of vinyl records; and bags made from clothes that haven’t sold. They have a lot of ideas to add over the next few months - one of these being keyrings made from old Lego. They also run a range of environmentally friendly products named Good Stuff which includes planters, decorations, bird feeders and craft kits. Anything unsold is reused or sold on. The shop ethos is all about recycling and this really shines through in the products that are on offer. It’s student-budget-friendly with some great finds: prices range from 50 pence to £10, with the occasional designer item sitting at around £20. One student even picked up a signed Jodi Picoult book for just a couple of pounds. A lot of students come in to look for low-priced clothes, fancy dress costumes or even just ties for school disco nights – especially around freshers’ week and Halloween. It also sells a lot of children’s items, making it popular with the local residents. Denisa Darabant took over as shop manager in September of last year. A former student at the University of Sheffield, she has worked with charities for a few years and has been busy making a lot of changes to the store. “Before I started at the Conservation Volunteers it was more like a normal charity shop. I came up with the idea to sell recycled craft products such as our jewellery and vinyl record clocks, which have been really popular as they are quirky and something a little different
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@forgefeatures /forgepress
Sir David Attenborough is a vicepresident of TCV, as is Bill Oddie
features@forgetoday.com
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from what you might usually find. We also introduced the £1 rail which sells clothes that have been on the shop floor for a month – there are some great bargains to be found. The layout of the shop floor has been redesigned to provide more space to move around: the children’s section is bigger and the size of the book section has doubled.” As to whether all of these changes have been effective, the numbers speak for themselves – the shop takings last week were £1,700. At the same time last year they were a thousand pounds less than that. The money raised by the shop all goes towards funding the work of The Conservation Volunteers charity (TCV). Established in 1959 as The British Conservation Volunteers, their main aim is to help communities to ‘reclaim their local green places’ and to involve and educate people on their local green spaces, both through environmental projects that the charity runs and through their network of 2,000 community organisations. Among their vice-presidents are – who else – Sir David Attenborough and Bill Oddie, and their patron is the Duke of Edinburgh. TCV care about the green spaces used every day by normal people like playing fields, allotments and local parks. Threatened by council budget cuts and unprotected by the government, they are gradually dwindling every year - especially inside poorer communities. TCV claim that only 10 per cent of allotments in the UK remain and that ‘10,000 playing fields were
sold off between 1979 and 1997’. With statistics like these it is easy to understand why the charity wants to change this. In practical terms, this means they do a lot of work outdoors: planting trees and hedgerows, clearing footpaths and building steps and stiles, and ‘transforming derelict urban spaces into thriving community allotments’. They also run the popular ‘Green Gym’ volunteer project, local community groups meeting weekly and doing up to four hours of conservation or gardening work: this allows people to maintain their health and fitness while helping to look after their environment at the same time. It is seen as an environmentally-friendly alternative to using gyms or sport centres. Although there are none running at the moment in Sheffield, there are four in Yorkshire and one in the Derwent area of Derbyshire. TCV have also set up ‘Green Hub’ centres around the country which work with local councils, businesses and communities to reclaim their environment. Since the majority of TCV’s work is outside major cities, it makes sense that they want to establish a presence within cities through opening retail outlets. Although The Conservation Volunteers is the only shop that the charity has set up so far, due to its success TCV have decided to open 15 more shops in the next three years – the first five coming this year in York, Leeds, Doncaster,
Newcastle and Kendal. A main aim here is to raise more awareness of the charity and the work it does. The shop has lots of upcoming events that students can get involved with. In April they have a wedding dress event – dresses will be worn by mannequins in what will no doubt be a creative window display, and at the end of the month brides can come in for an evening to try on dresses in the hope of finding the perfect one. Who said weddings had to be expensive? They have had a positive response from local businesses, who have agreed to donate dresses for the cause, and are really excited to get started. They also have a mysterious and secret upcoming event on April 27. Denisa wouldn’t reveal too much about it – only that it is organised in partnership with one of the clubs in town, and that it ‘involves cake’. So it’s already sounding pretty good. They will reveal more information a few days before the event, so keep your eyes peeled. This February they participated in the 24 hour volunteering event in partnership with the University of Sheffield, and are keen to do it again next year. They are also on the look-out for any university societies that might want to do an event with them – an obvious example would be a fashion show, but they are keen to get involved in anything that students can come up with. You can also volunteer with them and get involved directly. They are always looking for volunteers to help out in the shop, for a regular shift on a weekly basis, and there are a variety of
jobs to lend a hand with. The most exciting role involves the handmade craft and jewellery volunteers get to create all of it themselves. It’s easy to do and requires no previous craft skill. Who wouldn’t want to rock a button ring or put a vinyl clock up on their wall that they’d made themself from scratch! There is also other work such as merchandising, till work, helping with the amazing window displays – volunteers will never be bored. Giving your time to The Conservation Volunteers is fantastic for a student CV too. Volunteer work performed there can contribute towards both the Sheffield Graduate Award and the Skills for Work certificate, as well as being valuable retail experience on its own, and the staff will give job references if needed for students who have worked there for three months or more. The Conservation Volunteers are always on the lookout for donations as well as volunteers. In Denisa’s words, they welcome ‘everything except large furniture’. Academic books are especially welcome, as current stocks are low – so if you’re leaving university and don’t know what to do with all your old stuff, you do now.
Contact Denisa on 0114 2670665 to volunteer or email her at d.darabant@ tcv.org.uk The shop is located at 474 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, S11 8PX
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Thursday March 14 2013 FORGE PRESS
Benefits: Us & Them Sarah Hollingdale addresses the truth behind the welfare system
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inish this sentence: People on benefits… are lazy / don’t want to work / play the system / are addicted to drink and drugs / are the reason the country’s in the state it is in. These are all common attitudes exposed when people discuss the welfare system, even amongst students. In many cases ‘person on benefits’ has become synonymous with ‘scrounger’. However, recent statistics collected by various charities, churches, and government bodies tell a very different story. 13 million people in the UK today live in poverty. Poverty. Not discomfort, but actual, struggling for food and a place to live, poverty. This is not due to laziness - over half of those families are in work but just struggle to earn enough, relying on help like Income Support. The average length of time spent on Job Seeker’s Allowance is not years, but just 13 weeks – which allowing for time to find, apply, interview for and start a job does not seem unreasonable. And fewer than four per cent of benefit claimants report any form of addiction, and studies have shown that alcohol is consumed less by the unemployed than by those is work. In a recent TUC survey, people thought that 41 per cent of welfare budget was spent on the unemployed, whereas in reality they receive less than three per cent. In the same survey, people thought that 27 per cent of the welfare budget was claimed fraudulently, but government figures show it to be 0.7 per cent. Another survey revealed that 80 per cent of the UK population believe that “large numbers falsely claim benefits”, yet benefit fraud has actually decreased to historically low levels. In comparison, the amount of money lost from tax income to fraud is between four per cent and six per cent of the budget. More money is lost because of dishonesty by people who are in work than those out of it. There is little or no evidence to suggest that people on unemployment benefit are responsible for the current financial problems. The reality is that many of those on unemployment benefits are victims of the recession, made redundant from long-term positions or graduating from university and finding that many companies are demonstrating a hiring-freeze. In fact, the amount of money spent on the bank bailout would pay the country’s costs of Job Seeker’s Allowance for over 150 years. The statistics speak for themselves, and they speak to
dispel many of the myths believed about the welfare system. However, we don’t often hear these kinds of statistics quoted in the media. Diane Abbott, shadow public health minister, was part of a panel on a recent edition of Newsnight discussing the welfare system. She talked about an ‘underlying narrative’ in society which tells us that people on benefits don’t want to work – a narrative perpetuated by the media, and exploited by politicians of all kinds. Even the term ‘benefits’ is ambiguous and often used by politicians to twist statistics in their favour.
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Issues arise when proportions become skewed, and the 0.7 per cent minority is presented as the norm, tarring everyone with the same ‘shameless’ brush
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For example, in 2011 Ian Duncan Smith claimed that “About 1.4 million people spent almost 10 years on out-of-work benefits under the last government.” While this is technically true, what he didn’t mention was that only 0.1 per cent of those were on unemployment benefit, the rest were carers (2.2 per cent), lone parents of young children (6.5 per cent), or on incapacity benefits (90.5 per cent). Alternatively, we are presented with individual examples of particularly extreme cases, showcased as the norm, like the family with ten children (incidentally, that was statistically a one in a million case). The problem is that individual experiences are applied to the whole, giving a false impression. One could present examples of plenty of nice, law-abiding families struggling to get by on benefits, just as the papers can show you bad examples, but the reality is that there will always be innocent victims and there will always be people playing the system. Issues arise when proportions become skewed, and the 0.7 per
cent minority is presented as the norm, tarring everyone with the same ‘shameless’ brush. Over a quarter of a million calls are made to the Benefit Fraud Hotline every year by people who think they know someone ‘on the fiddle’, but only one fifth of the complaints are deemed worth investigating, and in less than a tenth of those cases investigated is found as fraud. It is clear that there is a deepseated distrust of the unemployed. Job Seeker’s Allowance is subject to far stricter requirements and conditions of living than any other form of welfare. There are sanctions which can be imposed by individual jobcentres but which are not subject to any judicial process, and charities have had reports of people losing their benefit payments for a whole month as a punishment for missing an appointment at the jobcentre because they were attending a job interview. Life on benefits is not the cushy existence some people seem to think that it is. Not only is your income barely enough to survive, but housing is a real issue. In one survey, when people were asked to estimate the amount of money a family on benefits would be entitled to, their answers are on average 30 per cent higher than the reality. Qualifying for council housing is difficult and the system complicated. If you don’t qualify, you are left trying to find a place to live within your limited budget, and can be excluded by many landlords purely because you are on Housing Benefit. The options you are left with are rarely pleasant. This kind of system of sustained distrust treats recipients of benefits as though they are being punished for something. While it would be wrong to expect to live a life of luxury on benefits, welfare is designed to be not either a punishment or a reward. Many of the statistics in this article come from a report entitled ‘The lies we tell ourselves: ending comfortable myths about poverty’, which has just been published by a group of UK church denominations. The report suggests that believing myths about poverty ‘neutralises our response’ to those who are struggling. By blaming the poor for their condition it allows us to make excuses for not helping them, which in this case means being unsupportive of those on benefits. Much of the prejudice seems to be rooted in a misunderstanding of the position of those on benefits, as well as the origins and purpose of welfare. ‘The essence of the welfare state is government-protected minimum standards of income, nutrition, health, housing, and education, assured to every citizen as a political right, not as
Words: Sarah Hollingdale Artwork: Kiran Shazadi Din
charity.’ – Harold Wilensky. Welfare is not charity. What is often forgotten, or ignored, is that we pay taxes in order to provide services such as welfare and therefore benefit from them ourselves. Professor Danny Dorling, professor of human geography at the University of Sheffield agrees; ‘People think that somehow claiming is bad, whereas it’s actually what you pay your taxes to be able to do.’ Professor Dorling specialises in researching social inequalities and the changing social and political geographies of Britain. Forge Press spoke to him about current attitudes. He explains, ‘Essentially what has happened over the last 20 or 30 years is that the attitude towards people claiming benefits has changed from seeing them as like other people to beginning to see them as not quite as human.’ ‘A hundred years ago women were seen as not quite as human as men, not able to vote, and that was a perfectly normal view.’ Currently, we blame the poor, just as people used to look down on women. ‘It’s just like racism.’
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People on benefits are not a sector of society that can be marginalised, but are our society. Not ‘them’ but ‘us’
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This attitude can have huge consequences. It has been shown that voters least able to give accurate answers about benefits are the most likely to back the government’s policy on cutting them. Diana Abbot, in the Newsnight debate, said quite simply, ‘Anybody who thinks that overall the welfare system is absurdly overgenerous doesn’t know many people trying to live on welfare benefit.’ But if you don’t know anyone on welfare benefit and genuinely believe it to be too generous, then you are more likely to back cuts in the welfare system’s budget. To those already struggling to get by on the benefits they currently receive, a decrease in income would be disastrous. It is sad that students can
be drawn into this attitude, particularly as we are not all that different to people living on benefits. In Israel there has been criticism recently of the Orthodox Jews who choose to spend their time studying and claiming welfare instead of working. How different is that to what we, as students, do? As a student, attending lectures about Shakespeare and going out having a good time, I’m not contributing to society in any great way. Student Finance is, essentially, state welfare. While government-funded Higher Education is a wonderful thing and should be protected, what makes students so different from someone on unemployment benefit? A large proportion of the money we are given is a loan which we have to pay back over many years, but most people on benefits will have been previously employed and contributed to the welfare system themselves through their taxes. In the financial year 2012/13, as a student, you could have received up to £3,250 as a maintenance grant and a loan of £3,875 from Student Finance, plus an additional £1,400 from the Sheffield Bursary. As an unemployed graduate signing on in Sheffield I would receive up to £2,933 Job Seeker’s Allowance and £4,753 in Housing Benefit. That’s a difference of almost £1,000 pounds per year, even though there are several months a year as a student when we are able to live at home. Why, then, should a student receive more than a young, unemployed person trying to find work? Not to mention the additional support students get weighed against the stigma suffered by those on unemployment benefit. This requires a change in attitudes. Professor Dorling compared the prejudice to racism, but he also explained that no politician now, would want to be considered racist, it demonstrates that it is possible to get rid of these negative attitudes. ‘It was in the 1930s that we learnt that people who are poor were not bad, and it will happen again.’ He believes that the ‘The lies we tell ourselves’ report and churches taking a stance on this issue could be the start of a change in attitudes. A week ago before the report was released he was not particularly optimistic, but today he says, ‘I would be hopeful.’ Approximately 30 million people in the UK – that’s about half of the total population – receive income from at least one social security benefit. People on benefits are not a sector of society that can be marginalised, but are a central part of our society. Not ‘them’ but ‘us’.
@forgefeatures /forgepress features@forgetoday.com
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Thursday March 14 2013 FORGE PRESS
Lifestyle & Travel
Fashion Food & Drink Health & Fitness Travel Giving Back Sex & Relationships Technology
WHAT NOT TO MISS THIS FORTNIGHT
Lifestyle’s pick of what’s on in Sheffield SCIENCE & ENGINEERING WEEK
By Camille Brouard
SHEFFIELD ZINE FESTIVAL
Sunday March 10 to 24.
Saturday March 16 at the Steelworks.
Sheffield’s annual Science and Engineering Week features many activities ranging from the interesting to the downright wacky. This includes the talk ‘10 Years Younger: Use or Abuse of Science?’ (March 14, 6:45pm, Richard Roberts Auditorium) which will explore the media’s effect on perceptions of plastic surgery, ‘Cabinet of Curiosities: the amazing world of the Alfred Denny Museum’ and its rich variety of zoology exhibits (March 16/17: 10-4pm, March 18: 4-8:30pm), and a ‘Bed of Nails Demonstration’ (March 23, 2pm, The Winter Gardens). Plenty on offer for all science fanatics.
If you’ve never heard of them before, Zines are self-made magazines or booklets that are used to share personal experiences or explore interest in a variety of topics. From 12-5pm at the Steelworks (near the city centre bus station), local Zine artists will be exhibiting and selling their creations for very reasonable prices as part of Sheffield’s annual Zine Festival. Come along free of charge to find out more about this creative hobby - and, if I remember last year correctly, hot drinks and cakes will be available!
CHARITY DUCK RACE
MEET THE BREWER
This free, fun, annual event at Endcliffe Park (starting 2pm) will feature the impressive and amusing sight of around 2,500 rubber ducks being released into the river. Ducks cost £1 each and all of the money raised will be in aid of restoring the Forge Dam. There are various prizes available to be won by duck purchasers. If you’ve got time to spare and want to get involved with this charity event, the organisers are looking for volunteers to sell ducks beforehand or help on the day, an enjoyable way to take part in a good cause.
Our very own University Arms will be hosting a talk with Claire Monk of Wellbeck Abbey Brewery. Wellbeck Abbey Brewery was developed in partnership with Sheffield’s well renowned Kelham Island Brewery. Monk is one of the youngest and only female Master Brewers in Britain, appointed so in 2010. Come in from 7:30 - 10:30pm to hear about her experiences in the industry and how her Brewery produces its celebrated and unique beers. Tickets cost £7.50 and are available now from the University Arms bar.
Monday April 1 at Endliffe Park.
Review Laura Davies
It may be better known as a lively Saturday night venue, situated right in the heart of Sheffield’s student night life, halfway down Division street. But not for much longer. This night owl is transforming itself into a daytime haunt, with the launch of their new pizza menu. Lifestyle very bravely offered up their services (and weekly calorie allowance) to have a taste. With its cozy interior, dark red walls, elaborate gold frames and mismatched antique furniture, the Great Gatsby feels much more like a drinks venue than somewhere you would pop into for lunch. However, with their new pizza menu (2-4-1 all day Monday to Friday) this is all about to change. With a well-renowned cocktail menu already in place, we decided that it wouldn’t be a full Great Gatsby experience without first sampling the drinks.
Student Life
Wednesday April 17 at the University Arms.
Dami Sanda & Ellie McCaldin Two weeks ago saw the eighth annual Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, a weekend of the best adventure, travel and extreme sports films all screened at the Showroom Cinema. On Saturday March 2, Red Bull took over the South Street Park Amphitheatre, part of the regeneration of Park Hill flats above the train station. With premieres of two of the year’s most anticipated extreme sport films and overlooking a panoramic view of the city at sunset, the amazing views on offer both on and off screen were too much to resist. Lifestyle went along to review the films.
1. Ryan Doyle Travel Story
The Great Gatsby We ordered a Dark ‘n’ Stormy (ginger beer, rum and lime) and a Pale Rider No. 2 (citroen vodka, peach schnapps, raspberry syrup. cranberry juice, apple juice and a squeeze of lime). The Dark ‘n’ Stormy came served in a Gosling’s ginger beer can, a quirky presentational touch. Then came the food. The pizzas, the latest addition to the Great Gatsby’s menu, are cooked in the oven on a special clay tile, to achieve that pizza-oven finish and taste. With a super thin base, the pizzas come served on a wooden board. Not huge, but certainly a very manageable size. And when you consider the price, it’s a fair deal. Unlike most pizza-serving establishments, there was actually a generous helping of salami on my Hell’s Kitchen pizza. My only criticism would be the
Before Saturday, I’d never heard of parkour, but in under an hour, I not only knew what parkour was and how it’s becoming a more recognised sport, but I saw the journey of Ryan Doyle and how the sport has shaped his life.
Sex
Ellie McCaldin slightly raw chunks of tomato popped on top. Nonetheless, if you’re a fan of more topping than base, then this new menu will hit the spot. However, if you’re a big eater I suggest you treat yourself to both the 2-4-1 or you may leave hungry! We knew that the Great Gatsby has an impressive cocktail menu and a huge selection of beers, but now it can tick another box: delicious pizza. The perfect warm-up for a night out, or a great (if slightly overly-dim) venue for a date. The Great Gatsby, Division Street Book a table: 07593 649201
It’s something that’s happened to almost every university student at some point. You’ve woken up feeling triumphant about the night before. You were out with your friends, looking great and you got off with someone that was pretty alright. Sadly, whether it be through a stressful Facebook stalk or a chance meeting in the IC (always when you haven’t showered and are looking flustered and insane), without the romantic lighting of Corp, people can look somewhat different to how we drunkenly remember them. Up until now the universal cry of ‘Beer Goggles!’ has been the answer to this phenomenon. However, this claim has been outed as a myth by Dr. Amanda Ellison, Professor of Psychology at the University of Durham. Dr. Ellison’s study claims that there is no correlation between alcohol consumption and finding people more attractive. The results show that the part of our brain which is responsible for our desire to mate continues to
So what is parkour? Well Ryan Doyle, describes it as using your body to get from A to B and to move around obstacles. It evolved from free running, which is about being creative with your body. Throughout the film, Doyle emphasises that knowing what your body is capable of is crucial to parkour, and says that from a young age we have this sense of adventure, but as we grow older we begin to suppress this. So parkour is centred around what the body can do when it is free, without any limits. The 42 minute film shows Doyle travelling to seven wonders of the world. He travels from Liverpool, to the Great Wall of China via Italy, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, India, and Jordan, to see if any of the most famous landmarks in these places are good for free running. It was truly captivating to see him perform and just wonder at the skill and talent involved in his performances. Doyle said his main aim was to create an artistic video, and you definitely got the sense of that, not only through his performances, but also in the execution of the film and the background music that changed with each new place. And so film is not only limited to parkour, but captures Doyle’s travels and how he had the opportunity to
function even when you’re so drunk you’re ready to pass out. This means that even when you’re almost blacked out, you’re still able to assess how visually appealing others are. Luckily, we at Forge are here to help, and have come up with some incredibly valid excuses for you to comfort yourself with next time you’re hit with a guilty hangover. The new and almost 100 per cent medically certified reasons why you made a bad decision last night....
1. Taylor Swift-itus:
This condition has recently been named in honour of the prolific dating/mating activities of the 22year-old icon. No doubt you’ve just had a bad experience with your ex. Although you too may have made the wise decision never ever (ever) to get back with them you’re still not quite feeling back to your former self. What comes next is the tempting urge to get with pretty much anyone to get your ego back on track. Totally not morally acceptable but very much a common occurrence.
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Cityscape Cinema
Red Bull lit up the skyline of Sheffield as part of the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival After the highly personal nature of the ‘Ryan Doyle Travel Story’, ‘Red Bull Rampage’ certainly caused a change in atmosphere. This second screening inevitably drew a very vocal reaction from the crowd. Shivering and clinging onto pasties (or Red Bulls which were provided free for all the crowd) as most of us were, it was impossible not to be affected by the immense tension of watching the free riders soar over canyon leaps, flipping and turning impossible looking 360 turns. Most nail-biting of all were the frequent crashes; at those heights and speeds incurring incredibly serious injuries is far from uncommon. Throughout the screening the stories of two riders in particular stand out the most: those of Cameron McCaul and Kurt Sorge. McCaul’s story is focused around overcoming his fear of the canyon leap, a 60ft gap from beginning to
see and experience the world; and to learn and be influenced by the places and its people. And so sitting with the other strangers, with the back drop of Sheffield city skyline, it was strangely harmonious and rather beautiful, and reminded how much I wanted to experience the world, meet new people, and travel.
2. Red Bull Rampage Following on from the ‘Ryan Doyle Travel Story’ came a screening of ‘Red Bull Rampage’. This 53 minute film shows indepth footage of the Red Bull Rampage competition itself: one of the most treacherous and technically challenging bi-annual freeride mountain biking events
any biker can face. Held in the Zion National Park in South-West Utah, the event showcases the talents of world class free riders who not only have to face the heady heights of the mountainous run but also have to make their own riding lines, with teams of family and friends coming out with pickaxes and shovels to create the most fear-inducing trails possible.
There’s no such thing as Beer Goggles 2. Post-traumatic exsighting shock syndrome: This can be seen as a more intense version of the above mentioned condition. Not only are you still harbouring a sore heart but you’ve just spotted your ex at the other end of the bar. Panic sets in and even though no one around you has become more attractive you suddenly decided to grab the nearest human and start flirting outrageously. Results can be unpredictable.
3. Bored wing(wo)man reaction:
The unfortunate side effect of being a genuinely good friend on a night out. This hits after you’ve been helping your friend pull left right and center like the loyal ally that you are. However, now they’re third wheeling you in a big way. Boredom’s kicking in and the less desirable option that your friend turned down 30 minutes ago is still lurking around. Hmmmmmm.
4. Varsity Vision: Many have fallen prey to the disorientating effects of Varsity week. Studies have shown that a Varsity win instantly triples the attractiveness of any given player. The chances of irrationally falling (very temporarily) in love with someone sky rockets.
5. Yolo:
The curse of ‘You Only Live Once’ is one currently plaguing university students in general. It may have been the inspiration behind your fifth quad-vod or hitting up DQ on the night of your dissertation deadline; Yolo can hit at any time and it’s a damn-sight more trouble making than any mythical beer goggles could ever be.
end, a trick which in the past has caused some of the most horrific crashes in Rampage history. The relief of the audience as he makes the jump is palpable, many laughing in disbelief. The second is the story of the overall winner, Kurt Sorge. Sorge is presented from the start as somewhat of an underdog, a man who learnt the tricks of his sport by practising in his small home town of Nelson, BC, Canada. In the scenes which go into his background story he comes across as incredibly likable, and so unsurprisingly there is a sense of collective support and relief in the audience, as we see Sorge spraying champagne over his support team after a spectacular run. The footage is incredible and, combined with the amazing view of Sheffield that CityScape cinema provides, the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival proves itself to be an eye opening event which even the freezing cold couldn’t spoil.
Food
Lifestyle’s Cheap Eat Oven-baked risotto by Jess Bell Ingredients: (serves 2-3) 1 dessertspoon oil
250g pack of bacon lardons
4 pieces of frozen spinach, defrosted Basil
½ mug grated parmesan cheese
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200c/ Gas mark seven and grease a 20cm x 20cm casserole or glass dish.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and bacon and fry until the bacon begins to brown.
3. Add the rice, it should absorb the oil still in the pan. Season with pepper.
4. Add the spinach to the pan with the water, chicken stock, basil and tomatoes. Stir it all together and bring to the boil.
5. Pour into the casserole dish and cover with some tin foil. Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve.
Thursday March 14 2013 FORGE PRESS
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Lifestyle & Travel Health & Fitness
Fashion Food & Drink Health & Fitness Travel Giving Back Sex & Relationships Technology
Passion is needed, not paracetamol Believe it or not, sex may be the answer to curing migraines
‘high’ which in turn gives the person a pleasurable experience. That said, sex, for sex’s sake is much less likely to result in the release of endorphins. Whatever the reason may really be, the excuse of having a headache to get out of sex may now be a thing of the past. But surely the last thing you want to be doing when your head is pounding, and you’re struggling to
Will Ross “Not tonight darling, I have a headache.” “I can fix that for you.” A controversial new study from Münster, Germany, suggests that sex may be a new cure for headaches, specifically migraines. According to this study, more than half of migraine sufferers that had sex during an attack noticed reduced symptoms, and 20 per cent had their pain go away completely. It is argued that this study is just a farce, done by men, for men’s sake, as a way of getting around the age-old excuse. But regardless of what the research shows, it’s unlikely that many women will suddenly back down and give in when their other half is pestering from the other side of the bed. Be it a lack of libido, a man’s inability to perform in the bedroom, or in fact a headache, when a woman doesn’t want sex, you’re not likely to get it. Sex is enjoyable because, when aroused, the body releases endorphins, which flow through your central nervous system. They give off a chemically induced
Student Life
see past the spots, is get hot under the covers? The thought of taking part in any partially dehydrating or tiring activity is not an attractive one for anyone who suffers from migraines on a regular basis. What’s interesting about this study is that the amount of men who felt better is just short of double that of women who agreed. While mainly emphasising the
benefits of sex for head pains, the same research team also found, unsurprisingly, that nearly a third of the migraine patients had worsened pain after sex. In typical research style, the statistics have been reported oneway, leading to conclusions that benefit men more than women. Consultant neurologist Dr Nick Silver, of the NHS Walton Centre for Neuroscience and Neurosurgery in Liverpool, said: “This is a preliminary study, limiting conclusions that can be reached … We can now say, however, that the excuse of not tonight, I have a headache may not be taken seriously by all sexual partners.” A parallel study conducted by Medline Plus says that women are three times more likely to suffer from a migraine than men in the first place. The question that springs to mind is, when the famous excuse is put out there, is the woman actually suffering from a headache, or is it merely a lie? It would be impossible to say whether it’s either one or the other, but many women admit to using it on their partners just to get out of having sex.
In a study of 4,000 British adults put up on healthy active living website realbuzz.com, “I have a headache” only came in fourth in the top five excuses for not having sex. Topping it are: “I’m angry with you,” “it’s that time of the month,” and the old chestnut, “I’m too tired”. Perhaps Münster could do a survey into the caffeine-inducing effects of sex for sleep-deprived full-time working couples. Either way, as much as this masculinised research project suggests dropping excuses, regardless of their validity, at the end of the day when a woman says no, she generally means no. You could try popping back with this new German counterargument, but just see how far it gets you. In amongst ridiculous academic frequency tables and percentage blocks, the original article for this study is available online, for free PDF download. Not that you’d want a copy.
Easter: The religious vs chocolate debate Has corporate greed turned Easter into a meaningless festival?
Lucy Copson The Easter period is centred around one of the most important stories in Christianity. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, Good Friday marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and Easter Sunday celebrates his resurrection. All of this holds great meaning for Christians - so why celebrate an event from a religion you have no belief in? Although many people don't follow the story behind the holiday and are just in it for the chocolate, this does open a controversial
debate into whether Easter is truly a religious holiday any more. The thing about Easter is that it wasn't a Christian holiday to begin with. The spring equinox – a point in the year when the sun is directly above the equator – heralds the end of winter.
It was celebrated far before the advent of any modern religions, and a lot of successive religions have integrated it into their own celebrations. Our modern Easter celebration finds its roots in the pagan spring fertility holiday of the goddess Eostre - symbols such as rabbits, chicks and eggs all representing fertility and new life. With the spread of Christianity, leaders wanted to do away with the old pagan celebrations – but couldn't actually get rid of them for fear of causing too much upset, so instead integrated them into their own religion. With this in mind, why
shouldn't atheists celebrate Easter? A lot of what we commonly associate with Easter has nothing to do with Christianity – chocolate eggs aren't mentioned in the Bible and the last time I looked, the Easter Bunny wasn't a religious figure. As a rite adopted by many religions
for hundreds of years, it's only fitting that Easter has a place in modern society - for many people it has become ingrained into British culture, a holiday in which religion doesn't really play a role and a chance to pig out on chocolate for a day without being judged. On the other side of the coin, has the modern Easter become too commercialised and lost some of its meaning? Although not originally Christian, Easter has been celebrated here for a long time, and there are many British traditions surrounding it that are now all but unknown to most people: simnel cake for one. This is a fruit cake with two layers of marzipan, and has been associated with the Easter period since medieval times. And Easter bonnets, referred to by both Shakespeare and Samuel
Pepys, were worn to represent the end of a long tradition of buying new clothes after the end of Lent. Why has modern society ignored these long-established parts of Easter and focused solely on trying to break our personal records for eating as much chocolate egg as we can? Commercialism and corporate greed have turned Easter into a rather arbitrary and meaningless day. Malteaster bunnies were on sale three months in advance, you have to fork out a whopping £10 for some Easter eggs (looking at you, Galaxy), and Creme Eggs have definitely become smaller in the past couple of years while their price has shot up. Not so much a celebration as a marketing device - companies hyping up one single day months in
advance in order to make as much money from chocolate sales as they possibly can. I'll take the opportunity to add that a socially-approved chocolate binge is not the most helpful of ideas when we're all starting to think about getting fit for summer and losing that winter flab. Should atheists be celebrating Easter? The answer isn't quite so simple as a plain yes or no. The festival seems almost to have split into two separate events: a traditional and significant Christian celebration, and a secular date upon which we eat a lot of egg-shaped chocolate and buy those cute fuzzy yellow chicks they sell for charity. Personally? I think it's a shame that so many of the long-held Easter traditions are disappearing, but I definitely have nothing against the chocolate.
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Technology
Are we a generation addicted to the internet? New research has found withdrawal symptoms similar to a drug comedown
Rebecca Brings Does the following sound like you: You check your Facebook or Twitter account several times a day? The new iPhone is out and you need to have it? You are constantly online, even during classes? If so, this will be of interest for you. A study by researchers at the University of Swansea deliver surprising findings about the influence of excessive online behaviour, which can seemingly be compared to experiences made by drug users. Have you ever sat on a bus, looked around and noticed that everyone seems to be absorbed in their smartphone? My best friend says that she feels naked without her iPhone. Individual case? Certainly not. The internet and people persistently using the internet appear to be everywhere, but this obsession has a serious flipside. Of course, this doesn’t come as breaking news, but, according to the study, people using the internet a great deal may suffer from withdrawal symptoms. And these symptoms can be compared to the comedown of drug addicts. Professor Phil Reed, as quoted by
Beauty
the University’s webpage, stated: “These results corroborate previous reports regarding the psychological characteristics and traits of internet users, but go beyond those findings to show the immediate effect of the Internet on the mood of those who are addicted.” The University furthermore cited Professor Reed, who said: “When people come off-line, they suffer an increased negative mood – just like people coming off illegal drugs like ecstasy.” That means that internet addicts apparently experience a rollercoaster of feelings practically every day. The study also says that mis-users show long-standing depression, impulsive nonconformity and higher levels of autism traits. That sounds pretty serious, doesn’t it? Does that mean in future we are all in danger of becoming chronic loners unable to communicate in the real world? And whenever we are offline we are in such a bad mood that we are basically ticking time bombs? Is the internet the end of all social skills or are they just different? Let’s consider those users that spam our Facebook walls with what is on their mind and how they feel 24 hours a day; or those posting
pictures of their daily dinner and sharing links of baby animals... We all have these annoying friends, so you get the picture. But although that may be extremely annoying at times, and usually totally irrelevant for everybody else, it is nevertheless a form of social interaction. There are also discussion boards, where anonymous people help strangers without getting any credit for it. This clearly shows that users do have social skills. But doubtlessly critics have some points, just as cyber mobbing, caused by the internet anonymity, the loss of correct grammar and of course the expenses for this obsolete technology. I do understand the concerns, yet bullying for example was always a problem, even without the internet. I think that as long as we don’t over exaggerate the time we spend online, we can enjoy the advantages the internet definitely offers. As with everything in life, balance is the solution. Internet and technology are as much part of modern society as the media; it is omnipresent, yet we still have a choice. Therefore, just now and then, put your smartphone down and use your social skills offline.
Nail art: Sex
Condom deliveries: Will they ever take off?
Is it worth the time spent on it? Clodagh Brennan For someone who can't put a simple polish on their own right hand, the world of nail art is awe inspiring. The trend for nail art was unstoppable in 2012, and judging from the latest fashion weeks across the globe, it's a trend that is not ready to let up in 2013. London's fashion week saw a multitude of nail colour contrasts, and designers such as Vivienne Westwood didn't stop with the nails and airbrushed the fingers of her models too. Celebrities have inspired much of the nail obsession, with music artists such as Rihanna, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga appearing with some bejewelled and studded nails. Even Olympians were seen clutching their gold medals with miniature British flags. Manicures and delicate hands have always been associated with class, and for women, it was symbolic that they didn’t work or clean their own homes. But today the popularity for extravagant nails has rocketed, and the days are over when perfect cuticles and French polish defined a good manicure. According to Euromonitor International, global sales of nail varnish and nail beauty products are growing faster than any other beauty categories. They have had a massive increase of 48 per cent between 2008 and 2011, a period of global recession.
DIY nails over salons are also on the rise, leading to increasingly interesting and creative results that are instagramed, tweeted and posted over Tumblr. There is no doubting that people have invested some serious time on their nails, with the result that nail paint has evolved into an art. However, the time spent on nail art can make it all seem so pointless. The infuriation of smudging your nails before they're dry is huge, and even if they set, nail chips and breaks happen constantly in a modern active lifestyle. And for students, chipped polish and chewed hands appears to be the norm. Nail art then is still an out of the ordinary style which has a huge scope for individuality compared to buying mass produced clothing. It is also an affordable way of personalising your look. With Models Own 'Wah' nail art pens starting from £6, they're much cheaper than anything in Topshop. Despite impracticality, the literary and art inspired nails on Flavourwire and Alice Barlett's finger landscapes are examples of how inventive nail art can be. It may essentially be useless, its impact may be fleeting, but make sure you tweet your nail art efforts before they're lost. If you just want your hands to look awesome without all the effort, nail foils and wraps in all sorts of patterns can also be picked up on the high street for less than a tenner. What a bargain.
Laura Heffernan Today’s students are no strangers to the ever-popular delivery service - it’s quick, it’s relatively cheap, and most importantly, it’s completely effortless. Most of us have probably turned to a takeaway delivery service when we can’t possibly muster the strength to make our way to Tesco. It is usually when we need to sooth our post-night-out munchies, or when we need something greasy ASAP to help cure us of our hangovers. However, whilst we usually resort to deliveries in order to feed o u r appetites, a student at The College of New Jersey has come up with a brand new delivery service which is designed to help fulfil another desire. B e h o l d , Condam: TCNJ's source for instant condoms. By contacting the ‘condom a m b u l a n c e ,’ you can have c o n d o m s personally delivered to your doorstep in roughly five minutes.
Tracking down last minute johnnys is either getting a lot harder, or the task is simply becoming more of a priority. Smartphone applications which are designed to help you locate condoms - such as ‘iCondom’ which is currently being pioneered by MTV - are already on the rise. Also, taking into consideration the media’s emphasis on the rise of STIs, and the fact that we are constantly reminded of the importance of practicing safe sex, I suppose the people who would rather just go without and avoid the rubber search might be more likely to use protection if they were able to access contraception on demand. T h e
concept obviously has some perks, but think about how a delivery service would affect your sex-life in reality. Imagine, y o u ’ r e both getting down to it and you’re just about
ready to go when all of a sudden you both discover that neither of you have any condoms. No more foreplay for you my friend, as one of you now has to contact this ambulance whilst the other one is sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Then what do you do after you’ve made the emergency call? There’s not much point in you getting on it all over again because your delivery will be arriving shortly and you’ll have to stop to go and answer the door. So you wait. I get stressed and stroppy just waiting for my Dominos to arrive. Waiting around so you can get laid? No thank you. To be honest, this outcome is inevitable regardless of Condam. If you weren’t able to call somebody to deliver the goods, you’d still have to pop to the off-licence or petrol station to get them yourself whilst your counterpart sits and waits in anticipation. So basically, it’s best allaround if you just make sure that you always have a couple on you if you think there’s a chance you might get lucky. Always keep one in your wallet or handbag so that if it happens, hopefully you can proceed without any unexpected interruptions that are going to do anything but aid the mood.
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COFFEE BREAK Optical illusion of the fortnight
How many faces can you see? There should be 11 faces on this picture. Average people see 4-6, sensible 8-10. The best see all 11, schizophrenics and paranoids 12 and more. (Not a scientific way to determine your state of mind.)
Thursday March 14 2013 FORGE PRESS
@ FPCoffeeBreak /ForgePressCoffeeBreak
Photograph of the fortnight: The Australian southern cassowary
Christian Ziegler/ Courtesy World Press Photo
The REAL NAKED CHEFS? in too. There are a surprising amount of middle-aged Dutch men who like to sit around naked with their buddies and eat vegetables. Some students might be well up for this, if they can get past the crippling awkwardness of seeing parts of their housemates they never wanted to see. Others might not be too keen on putting their jiggly bits too near a plate of piping hot food. Jess (pictured left) said about the risks of cooking in the buff: “In the early days we did have a few slip ups, particularly with hot oil. We quickly learned that aprons weren’t the enemy.”
The Naked Vegan Cooking blog does just what it says on the box. Three students from Manchester upload regular videos of them cooking vegan meals together in their kitchen. Stark naked. Critics might say that it’s a gimmick for attention – and if so, it’s working, as the blog has thousands of followers despite only having been launched in June 2011 – but bloggers Jess, Greta and Zach say it is about creating a platform to highlight issues important to them – “creating positive body image and showing real naked bodies in a world of photoshopped, unrealistic images.” Contributors from all around the world can send their pictures
Have you seen it yet?
Random Fact of the Week:
YouTube it:
The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf
You’re walking in the woods. There’s no-one around and your phone is dead. Out of the corner of your eye you spot him. Shia LaBeouf. A nightmarish chase through darkened woods ensues: you are running for your life from crazed cannibal Shia LaBeouf. A cottage. Rescue! But as you sprint towards it, your leg is caught in a bear trap. Your only choice is to gnaw it off. Eventually you escape from Shia LaBeouf and limp off bleeding into the night. There really are no words to describe this. It must be watched. Over. And over. And over. Youtube: ‘Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf’
Coffee Break’s Word of the Fortnight: Pecksniffian, adj.:
Hypocritically and smugly affecting benevolence or high moral principles. The men who do things in the world, the men worthy of admiration and imitation, are men constitutionally incapable of any such pecksniffian stupidity. - H. L. Mencken, Damn! A Book of Calumny
The 2013 World Press Photo Awards took place at the end of February, and the photos were breathtaking. They are all worth looking at, whether for a sobering reminder of what is happening all over the world, or just for a beautiful piece of photography. This shot shows an Australian cassowary eating some blue berries from the Blue Quandong tree, from the floor of a rainforest. The photographer, Christian Ziegler, is a well-known photojournalist who has had photos in the National Geographic, as well as Geo, Smithsonian as well as BBC Wildlife. Check out the other winners at: http://edition.cnn. com/2013/02/15/world/worldpress-photo
PANDA-MONIUM A panda-themed hotel is set to open in Sichuan, China. And when we say pandathemed, we mean panda-themed. Stuffed toys, wall paintings and pillows outnumber guests 10 to one: you can go to sleep surrounded by tiny panda faces and wake up in the knowledge that dozens of pairs of panda eyes have been watching you sleep. Some might find that unbearable – but upon learning that it’s only $48 a night, they might paws for thought. The hotel definitely makes every effort to pander to their guests’ needs. If pandas aren’t for you, a similar hotel in Hong Kong offers Transformers and
Little Princess themed rooms. But how could you bear to miss out on all the pandaphernalia? Coffee Break apologises for the quality of humour in this article and takes no responsibility for any injuries caused by rage at bad puns.
The UCard - if Carlsberg made credit cards it would probably be the best credit card in the world The Oxford Dictionary defines a ‘credit card’ as ‘a small plastic card issued by a bank, building society, etc., allowing the holder to purchase goods or services on credit.’ Apart from proving you are the lowest form of adult on the food chain, and therefore earning you discounts for spending your time pretending to work whilst in drinking copiously, the UCard affords you the ability to swap it or swipe it in return for goods. A similar process to the credit cards of the world. Sometimes you even have to enter a four digit pin number, in order to attain items such as books, a bit like you do with a credit card. The UCard doesn’t allow you to keep the goods you use it for free indefinitely, and you have to pay them back (or earn a hefty fine for late payments/returns). A bit like a credit card. However, the Ucard could quite possibly be the best credit card in the world. Whilst high street banks, such as Barclays, can have representative APR of 18.9 per cent the Ucard only
charges interest for certain items and sometimes can even act as actually credit cash.
For example, do you need a taxi? Yes. Do you have any cash? No. Do you have a debit card? No. Do you have your UCard? Yes. Well then, Cinderella won’t be late for the ball as she can use her trusty UCard as collateral against a taxi from City Taxis.
Then all she has to do is go to the Union, pay her outstanding balance and the UCard is returned to her. What else can a UCard get you? Well books of course. You swipe your UCard, entire your pin and caboom, you are the proud owner of a book. Now, you are just borrowing the book, like you would borrow money from a credit card, so you do have to return it within the repayment time, or risk a fine. How handy is the UCard sounding now? So let’s think, what else can this bit of plastic with a magnetic strip get you? Well, if you are one of the lucky few then your UCard can actually be exchanged for the Union car. Yes, the Union has a car, but most importantly your UCard can be used (if you are very important, like Coffee Break) as security against it. Yes, the UCard can rent you a car, if you qualify. The UCard can even have money loaded onto it, and then be used to pay for goods such as printing. Oh, UCard, you are so mighty and so powerful for one so small.
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@ FPCoffeeBreak /ForgePressCoffeeBreak
Puzzle Page: sudokus E
COFFEE BREAK
with Holly Wilkinson
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Quote of the fortnight
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1. Freeing from false belief (15) 5. Tricks, lures (5) 8. A large group, or chain, of islands (11) 10. The study of the history of a word (9) 11. Western Ireland port city (6) 12. A moth or butterfly (11) 13. A long tooth, canine (4) 14. ___ flew to close to the sun (6) 15. An organisation, company or bureau (6) 17. To castrate (4) 18. A clergyman (10) 21. Wander from a direct, straight, course (3) 23. A fit of bad temper (7) 24. An adroit way of doing something (5) 25. An Indian dish (7) 29. A chronic drinker (3) 30. Spanish fashion designer (10) 32. The smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element (4) 33. A home for foundlings (6) 34. Directionless magnitude (6) 35. Goddess who defeated Thor in a wrestling match (4) 36. A vision of events in the distant past (11) 38. Vacuum cleaner (6) 39. Having eight columns in the front, e.g. The Parthenon (9) 40. Pit viper (11) 41. Harsh, corrosive (5) 42. Arranging in order of occurrence (15)
1. The witching hour, midnight (4, 2, 5) 2. Equivalent to 12 bottles of champagne (10) 3. Ribbon-shaped egg dough pasta (7) 4. Sheriff of ____, Robin Hood (10) 6. Wanton, not affixed (5) 7. Anakin ____, Star Wars character (9) 9. A gaunt, or wasted, appearance (7) 14. Frozen water (3) 16. Old World finches (6) 19. Someone who is critical of others (5) 20. Capital of Bangladesh (5) 22. The Lonely Mountain (6) 26. Straight away, nearby (11) 27. Equivalent to eight bottles of champagne (10) 28. 18th century Italian magician and alchemist (1) 29. Explosion of a star (9) 31. Breath, theme (3) 32. The river over which Charon ferried the souls of the dead (7) 34. The arid division of the Austral zone (7) 37. A teacher, private instructor (5)
lecture puzzle
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
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Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso Father of Cubism, 1881-1973
Using the grid dots you have to repartition the large gray shape within the board opposite into two smaller congruent shapes (that is shapes that coincide exactly when superimposed). Two congruent shapes can be identical or mirrored, as illustrated in the examples below.
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@forgesport /forgepress sport@forgetoday.com
Matchdebating
Debate: With the IOC considering bids for new sports, should Darts be an Olympic sport?
Darts should finally be Lack of popularity given a global stage worldwide is the killer
Arnold Bennett Every four years the public consciousness shifts to a collection of otherwise neglected sporting disciplines as they coalesce to form the great behemoth that is ‘the Olympics.’ These sports include gun shooting, jumping in various forms, artistic gymnastics, boats battling against the wind, and weightlifting. And yet, despite this already stacked list of mind-bendingly unsporty sports, people are impassioned in their view that the inclusion of darts would contaminate a competition of such purity.
“Co-operating in dart fuelled Olympic backpattery” There is an argument to be made that darts isn’t played worldwide, and thus shouldn’t be included in a competition which pits various nations against one another in a mass, sweaty brawl. There’s also an argument to be made that sports like equestrian and sailing are both highly class based, and preclude vast swathes of people who don’t have the access or support to go out and start riding horses, or commandeering bespoke sea vehicles. Perhaps more people would go and buy a £20 dartboard from Argos (or the foreign equivalent) if
Select BUCS Tables FOOTBALL Men’s BUCS Northern 2B: Sheffield 1s........................22 Leeds Met 2s......................19 Sheffield Hallam 2s...........15 Leeds 2s...............................8 York St. Johns 1s...................7 Hull 1s..................................7 Women’s BUCS Northern 2B: UCLAN 1s...........................21 Newcastle 1s......................17 Sheffield 1s........................15 Sheffield Hallam 2s...........12 Leeds Met 3s.........................4 York St Johns 1s....................2
it was given a spotlight to shine on the world stage. Given the chance, the universal language of Planet Funk’s ‘Chase the Sun’ could unite us all, arms locked, and voices trembling in sweet unison. Serbians, Austrians, Samoans and the French, competing yet co-operating in dart fuelled Olympic back-pattery. Some say that darts is a pub sport, played by people who’d rather have a pint than a Powerade. To that I’d say, ‘and?’ If the International Olympic Committee were to impose a restriction on alcohol consumption during the events themselves, I’m sure the potential Olympians would agree. This way ‘the Olympics’ can maintain its painfully clean persona, at least until Phil Taylor tweets a photo of Mo Farah urinating on an Olympic village bench. B u t , ultimately, the greatest argument for its inclusion is the state of ‘the Olympics’ itself. It needs to be reinvented, sexed up, and hoisted into the 21st century with a flash of coloured felt and a flying spear. Despite such renovation the competition would still remain ‘the Olympics’. People would still watch, still care, still love everything it represents. They would still generate
teary excitement over sports they’ve not cared to watch over the previous 1,000 days. In the age of the red button it’s now your choice which sports you watch. My Nan didn’t spend her summer watching BMX’ing, and you can sidestep darts if it offends you so. I, however, will be recreating the Olympic rings with empty pint glasses and bellowing at my TV.
RUGBY UNION
RUGBY LEAGUE BUCS Yorkshire League: Sheffield 1s........................13 Bradford 1s...........................9 Leeds Trinity 1s....................8 Leeds 1s...............................6 Huddersfield 1s....................4 Hull 2s.................................-2
Men’s BUCS Northern 1A: York 1s................................33 Liverpool 1s........................28 Bishop Burton 1s...............22 Sheffield 1s........................16 Leeds 2s.............................13 Hull 1s................................12 Leeds Met 2s.......................6 Manchester Met 1s.............6 Women’s BUCS Northern 1A: Northumbria 1s..................28 Sheffield 1s........................24 Sheffield Hallam 1s...........21 Manchester 1s...................19 MMU Cheshire 1s................9 York 1s..................................6 Liverpool John Moores 1s...-9
Matthew Smith Recently, there has been a lot of hullaballoo over which sports will next be accepted into the Olympic canon. Well, no there hasn’t, but I just fancied using the word hullaballoo. Amongst the sports being considered for selection are karate, squash, wrestling and kung fu. Now, what do these four sports have in common? A worldwide following, practice and respect. Now take another sport that many are
claiming has a place at the Olympic table. darts. Phil Taylor earlier this year told reporters he thinks darts can one day become an Olympic sport. If it became an Olympic sport, says sixteen-time world champion Taylor, he would be ‘chuffed to bits’. This idea even seems to be seeping to those outside the darts sphere. Sir Clive Woodward, of all people, took to Twitter, of all platforms, to tell all and sundry his views on this. “Darts is definitely an Olympic sport. Look at the fans, TV coverage, audience and real skill under pressure” said Woodward.
“If wrestling can be nuked, then darts has no chance” However, the problem arises from the first three elements, in that these things only exist within a very small circle of countries. The United Kingdom, Holland, a little bit in Russia, and that is it. If wrestling, a sport with a following across four continents, can be nuked from the Olympics for not being appealing enough to a mass market, darts has no chance. Real skill under pressure is a variable too. Compare darts to archery. Many more competitors in archery can hit the top scores when needed too, bullseyes a-plenty. In Darts, very few players can even hit a maximum 180 during a match; fewer hit the big, pressurized
HOCKEY Men’s BUCS Northern 1A: Manchester 1s...................25 Newcastle 1s.....................19 Durham 1s..........................18 Sheffield 1s........................15 MMU Cheshire 1s.................4 Liverpool John Moores 1s....1 Women’s BUCS Northern 1A: Leeds 1s.............................25 Durham 2s..........................22 Northumbria 1s..................15 Newcastle 1s.....................10
Sheffield 1s.........................10 Newcastle 1s........................3 TENNIS Men’s BUCS Northern 2B: Sheffield 1s........................27 Leeds 2s.............................18 Durham 3s..........................14 Northumbria 1s..................10 York 1s..................................9 Sheffield Hallam 2s.............0 Women’s BUCS Northern 1A: Leeds 1s.............................22 Sheffield 1s........................20 Sheffield Hallam 1s...........17 Chester 1s............................8 Manchester 1s.....................7 Leeds Met 2s........................7 NETBALL BUCS Northern 2B: Newcastle 2s......................24 Sheffield Hallam 1s............19
Sheffield 1s.........................18 Hull 1s.................................15 Leeds Met 3s.........................9 Hull 2s...................................4 BASKETBALL Men’s Northern 2B: Northumbria 2s..................24 Tesside 1s...........................18 Sheffield 1s........................15 Sunderland 1s....................15 Durham 2s............................6 Leeds 1s...............................6 Women’s Northern 2B: Leeds Met 2s......................27 Hull 1s................................21 Sunderland 1s....................12 Northumbria 2s..................12 York 1s..................................7 Sheffield 1s...........................3
checkouts at the first time of asking. The Olympics is about us, as spectators, being in awe of phenomenal feats of sport, not checking our watch, waiting to see if that bloke can finally take out the double 11. Also, darts players are not athletes, no matter how you try and dress it up. Their body size and shape, on average, is closer to Sir Matthew Pinsent nowadays than to Sir Matthew Pinsent in his quadruple-gold medal winning prime. The argument put to this is that many other Olympic athletes are of the chunkier build. But generally that is because their sport calls for it. You need to be a weighty lady or gentleman to exceed at weightlifting or judo, as your entire body weight comes into play. This is not the case when you are throwing small projectiles at a cork board. Arguments persist over whether or not darts is even fit to be called a sport, so I can’t see how it can wangle its way onto the calendar from 2024 onwards. No doubt great skill, willpower and general arithmetic ability is necessary to succeed. But the same counts for chess, and no-one is calling that a sport or demanding that current grand master Anna Muzychuk carries the Slovakian flag at the next opening ceremony, so I don’t see why darts should be any different.
VOLLEYBALL Men’s BUCS Northern 2B: Sheffield 1s........................27 Huddersfield 1s.................18 York 1s.................................9 Newcastle 1s.......................9 Leeds 1s...............................9 Hull 1s..................................0 Women’s BUCS Northern 2B: Sheffield 1s........................18 Leeds 1s.............................15 York 1s................................12 Newcastle 1s.....................12 Sheffield Hallam 1s.............0 GOLF BUCS Northern 1A: UCLAN 2s...........................24 Sheffield 1s........................17 Durham 1s..........................12 UCLAN 3s...........................10 Leeds 1s...............................5 Liverpool John Moores 1s..-7
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@forgesport /forgepress sport@forgetoday.com
Cricket book their place in BUCS National Final Cricket BUCS Northern Finals Edinburgh 118/5 Sheffield 121/5 Will Aitkenhead Sheffield University cricket club have reached the National Final of the BUCS Indoor competition after winning the Northern Final Super Sixes stage at Headingley last Saturday. Having been put in a group with Birmingham and Newcastle Sheffield began the day with a comprehensive victory over the Midlands side. Batting first, Sheffield posted 106 after Sam Hickinbottom scored 35 not out and dismissed Birmingham for just 56 after Mark Williams took two wickets. In the final group game against Newcastle, Sheffield knew that a
win would see them through to the Northern Final. Batting first again Sheffield were sensational and posted a huge score of 139 with everybody contributing well, Williams and Hickinbottom both retiring. In reply Newcastle never got close and finished up on 109 from their ten overs. Edinburgh were the opponents in the final, acting as a national semi final, having come through the other group, beating Loughborough and Manchester Met. Fielding first this time, Edinburgh got off to a strong start and managed to post an above par score of 118. Williams and Hickinbottom got Sheffield off to the perfect start though and were on target at 46/0 from four overs when Hickinbottom retired. Helped by a large extras count, Sheffield took it down to needing
Sam Hickinbottom was Sheffield’s hero on Saturday.
41 from the last four overs with Will Aitkenhead and Murrall in. Murrall was run out though and when Henry Eldred was run out as well the very next ball, Edinburgh sensed victory. Hickinbottom returned to the crease though and they required 18 from the final two overs. Aitkenhead was run out with 15 needed, leaving Hickinbottom to bat on his own. Six were needed off the last and after a three and then a risky two, the Edinburgh bowler delivered a wide to send Sheffield threw to the final and spark wild celebrations from the travelling fans. They will face Cardiff Met in the final after they triumphed over Kent in a super over after a tie. The super over was also a tie and so Cardiff progressed on wickets lost in the match. The final forms part of the Big BUCS Wednesday on March 20.
Photo: Josh Rodgers
SPORT
Blunt Sabres blown away by Hurricanes
The Sabres eventually couldn’t cope.
American Football BUCS Northwest League Hertfordshire Hurricanes Sheffield Sabres
37 7
Munya Chawawa Sunday saw a sad end to the most successful Sabres season of all time as Sheffield dropped to defeat against the Hertforshire Hurricanes. On a snowy day, Uni faced their aggressive opponents head on, but eventually couldn’t compete. Nico Bianco demonstrated a tenacious running game, whilst quarterback David Saul sold his sole to the sky once more with yet another impressive hurdle and touchdown. On defence, Adam Dickens made mischief of the hurricane’s offense with a couple of quality interceptions, one resulting in a short return up field. The Hurricanes however, were
Photo: sheffieldsabres.com intent on ending the Sabres’ season, with the more physically domineering squad playing part in a number of injuries to the team, with team captain Chris Elliott, Matthew Gateshead and high-flying receivers Ola Fashoro and James Sharrock all left suffering on the sideline. The Sabres proved on the day to be an excellent team, but not a perfect one. Against a team such as the Hurricanes, small faults are virtually equivalent to showboating touchdowns, and it is these small imperfections that made Sunday’s defeat as crushing as it was. Nevertheless, it was the heart of the Sheffield Sabres that shone as their most impressive trait on Sunday. Despite the sickeningly solemn moment of realisation that defeat was inevitable, the team fought with all the spirit, speed and violence of any team worthy of raising the BUAFL Trophy at the end of this season.
Mixed results for pool team as controversial match with Glamorgan nearly ends in brawl Eight-ball Pool BUCS UPC Championships Mark Devlin The University of Sheffield enjoyed a successful weekend at the recent BUCS-UPC EightBall Pool Championships in Great Yarmouth. Sheffield sent a record three teams to compete and somewhat surprisingly it was the 3rd team that managed to go furthest in the competition, ending it as runners up in the Team Shield. This was despite an overall disappointing performance in the individual event with only fresher Dale Mollitt, who underlined his growing potential, progressing to the last 128. The 1st team, captained by Liam Evans, got off to a slow start and only managed one point from their opening two fixtures. However the 1sts recovered well. Needing to win all three of their remaining group games, they duly did so all by a 6-1 scoreline to secure their spot in the last 16. The 2nd team captained by Simon Smith, never really got going and unfortunately were to
exit in the group stage. The 3rd team comprising of Paddy Brown, Rupert Gray, Luke Shepherd, Nikola Avramov and former Cambridge 1st team player Tom Sutton was placed in a tough group. However the 3rds were not to be daunted by reputation and posted an unblemished record as they stormed into the last 16 with a 100 per cent record. Moving to the knockout stages, the 1sts needed to secure a quarter final spot to ensure promotion to the Championship next season. They did so with a minimum of fuss beating Warwick 2nds 6-2 with notably strong performances from Ian Withers and Brett Hickey. The 3rds route to the quarter finals was not nearly as comfortable. They faced a strong Glamorgan 2nd team. However the 3rds stepped it up a gear and courtesy of a fantastic full length double on the black from Rupert Gray they led Glamorgan 5-4 with just Paddy Brown’s match to conclude. Brown dominated his opponent with a superb display of attacking pool. On his last red with position on the black assured, Paddy
rolled it in only for various members of the Glamorgan bench to accuse Paddy of a foul due to the cueball coming very close to his opponents yellow with his pot on the red. Brown continued playing and duly knocked in the black to secure victory. However the result was somewhat overshadowed by the ensuing melee as Glamorgan remained incensed. With various strong words exchanged the match was in danger of descending into a brawl. However thankfully this was averted and the UPC officials awarded the 3rds victory. Sheffield 1sts were drawn to take on Sheffield 3rds in the quarter finals. In a very tight contest the 3rds held the upper hand going into the final matches. However Liam Evans completed the 1sts comeback with a superb dish against Paddy Brown to level the match at 5-5 and send it to a playoff. In the playoff Ian Withers of the 1sts defeated Tom Sutton of the 3rds before Rupert Gray levelled it up for the 3rds against Sheffield’s player of the tournament Joe Jackson.
The match went down to the wire. The deciding frame pitted Leicester pool veteran Brett Hickey of the 1sts against Bulgarian fresher Nikola Avramov of the 3rds. Hickey had victory in his sights but was to break down on his final positional shot to leave Avramov the chance. Displaying admirable nerve, the Bulgarian coolly rolled the black in to send the 3rds to the semi finals. The 3rds were riding high
and cruised to the final with a comfortable 6-1 victory over Kent 2nds with Luke Shepherd in particular impressing. However their remarkable run was to come to an end in the final. Coming up against the first seeds, Kent 1sts, Sheffield started well but could not keep up with Kent whose team comprised 2 players who had reached the quarter finals of the individual tournament. In the end Kent 1sts ran out 6-2 winners to take the trophy.
Action from the tournament at Great Yarmouth
Photo: Daiman Patel
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Jonathan Robinson & Adam Hancock This year’s Varsity final has been postponed until after Easter due to frozen venues, leaving the University tantalisingly close to victory. Snowy weather conditions during the week were blamed as news broke on Tuesday that most of the final outdoor events on Wednesday had been postponed. With more snow forecast for Thursday, the organisers felt there was no alternative but to call the events off at short notice. It means that the University’s sports teams will have to wait until after Easter to find out if they have won the Varsity title for the first time in 10 years. University of Sheffield Students’ Union sports officer Luke MacWilliam said, “We looked at every possible alternative. The last thing we wanted to do was postpone it. “I’m devastated by this
@forgesport /forgepress sport@forgetoday.com
decision but I am also committed to making the best out of a nightmare situation.” Sheffield Hallam sports officer Josh Saydraouten said, “I’m absolutely gutted by this decision however it allows all teams and players concerned to train more and be even better prepared for their Varsity fixtures”. Football was the worst hit sport with the Hillsborough men’s and women’s 1st fixtures rearranged for Wednesday April 10. Tickets bought for yesterday’s planned football final will still be valid for April 10, however students can get refunds from the Box Office. Sheffield Wednesday told Forge Press that the football was cancelled due to “adverse weather conditions” and “on the grounds of safety reasons.” In a statement, the club said, “We’re really disappointed we have had to take the decision to cancel the Varsity final at
Hillsborough. “It’s a fantastic event which we are committed to, however the adverse weather that we are currently experiencing leaves us with no other decision than to postpone tomorrow’s fixtures. Sheffield Wednesday stadium operations manager John Rutherford said, “The pitch is currently frozen and our main priority is the safety and welfare of all the players and officials, which is the main reason for coming to this decision.” “I’d like to thank Luke and Josh for their understanding and we will continue to work very closely with them to make sure the rearranged final is a huge success”. Golf, rugby league, cycling and BMX events were also postponed until after Easter. Hillsborough Golf Club and Norton were both affected by the icy conditions. BMX and the cycling time trial
will join football on the new finals day. The only outdoor sport to go ahead as planned yesterday was men’s hockey firsts at Abbeydale Sports Club. The postponements on Wednesday came as a shock to many students. Clubs who had been preparing for weeks for their day in the sun took to Twitter to express their feelings, as did the fans. University of Sheffield student Cassie Craddock tweeted, “Grounds not even that hard. Why has our game been cancelled? #joke.” While Abigail Windsor, a Sheffield Sabrecat cheerleader, tweeted, “Absolutely devastated! Was so set to perform at football Varsity tomorrow! #absolutejoke.” The University of Sheffield is currently leading the overall Varsity competition, with a score of 35.5 to Hallam’s 28. It means
if University win 0.5 more points then the University will lift the Varsity trophy for the first time since 2003. The cancellation of these events became even more controversial on Wednesday morning, as Sheffield was bathed in sunshine, although another snow flurry arrived mid-afternoon. The University of Sheffield came very close to victory on Wednesday despite the lack of traditional finals events, with victories in men’s athletics, women’s badminton, korfball 2nds, downhill cycling and two of the three points in climbing. However, Hallam will hold slim hopes of a miraculous comeback, after winning in women’s athletics, korfball 1sts and a thumping win in men’s hockey 1sts. For full results so far in Varsity 2013, see our inside pullout.
#YourReactions Connie Ito @ConnieIto
Tom Stewart @mtb_tom
Georgiana Hulme @GeorgianaH
@ShefSabrecats we’ll just have to make the routine bigger and better now then! #suvarsity
@forgesport Nothing to worry about. Still the cycling time trial after Easter to seal the deal no problem. #suvarsity
Can’t believe the #suvarsity is cancelled tomorrow!! #ridiculous We live in Sheffield we’re used to the bloody cold!
7:07 AM - 12 Mar 13
10:34 PM - 13 Mar 13
8:20 AM - 12 Mar 13
Mary Smith
@maryksmith_
Benefit of being 0.5 points off winning Varsity is that we now have 4 weeks to prepare a witty “Uni won”/”Hallam’s crap” tweet. #suvarsity 10:58 AM - 13 Mar 13
Rachel Gerrish @RLGerrish
Roma Tournier-Blake @RomaPaloma
#SUvarsity football tomorrow will be cancelled due to the snow, HOW WILL WE KNOW WHO WINS VARSITY?!
To quote @charlesshires: my room is colder than Hillsborough Stadium. #suvarsity
8:11 PM - 12 Mar 13
6:13 AM - 12 Mar 13