Forge Press Issue 40

The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield. est 1946 // www.forgetoday.com

Issue 40 // Friday November 4 2011

Win

2x pairs of tickets to see Red Hot Chilli Peppers Fuse p. 3

Comment:

Getting your hands on crown jewels

Screen:

Best and worst movie posters

Features:

Lifestyle:

Movember’s best accessories

Busted p. 11

Fuse p. 8-9

The Fear of Missing Out

p. 14-15

EXCLUSIVE

4Trading Standards seize vodka from store following Forge Press investigation 4Bottles use duty stamp of Smirnoff vodka as fake alcohol crisis hits Sheffield

Katie Davies A Crookesmoor shop has been selling potentially dangerous vodka to students just a fortnight after Trading Standards seized suspected illegal alcohol from their store, Forge Press has discovered.

Nisa Metro, on Barber Road, was found selling the bottles – named only as ‘Vodka’ – for £7.99.

Bottles were seized by Trading Standards officers after being alerted

by Forge Press.

p. 22-23

The last raid took suspected counterfeit wine from the shelves of the shop.

The find is part of a growing trend of counterfeit alcohol across the city – some has been found to contain high levels of the chloroform.

Continued on p.3

See the video from Forge TV Watch our reporter catch them in the act: bit.ly/FakeVodka

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NEWS UNIVERSITY

Forge in Brief Chaucer scribe unearthed

MedSoc charity week smashes record for children’s hospital

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have identified the first scribe to produce manuscripts of Chaucer’s works.

Professor Linne Mooney of the University of York led the research with his discovery of Adam Pinkhurst Scrivener of London, who wrote the first copies of works by Chaucer, including his Canterbury Tales. The project was aimed at identifying the scribes who were first to make copies of manuscripts by major authors.

The University of Sheffield’s Humanities Research Institute has identified the key figures in the production of English Literature and the rise of the English language through the Middle Ages.

Salma Haidrani

Harriet Collier

Top award for Sheffield magazine journalists University of Sheffield Journalism students have claimed top prizes at the Periodicals Training Council’s annual awards night.

The awards included ‘best new student magazine’ for Poppy, a magazine for partners of servicemen.

As part of the prize, printing company Polestar Wheaton printed a run of 1,000 copies of the new publication.

Nü Code, another University of Sheffield entry, took second place, whilst Sheffield students also enjoyed success in the category for new magazine concepts, with Bollywood First Take taking the top prize.

Rob Dillon

Simba the Lion and MedSoc volunteers get ready to fundraise in the city centre

New non-emergency police number for South Yorkshire A new, easy to remember number for non-emergency police calls has been rolled out across the region.

The new number - 101 - will be used across England and Wales

by January 2012.

South Yorkshire police say that almost a third of all 999 calls are not genuine emergencies and that all non-urgent calls should be directed to the new number.

An emergency call is classed as when a crime is being committed or when a life is at risk.

Katie Davies

matt.burgess@forgetoday.com

Matt Burgess

Deputy Editor Nicole Hernandez Froio Managing Editor Mikey Smith WEB EDITOR Ben Williams fuse editor fuse@forgetoday.com James Garrett

Photo: Sheffield MedSoc

The University of Sheffield MedSoc has smashed its charity week fundraising record, collecting more than £5000 for The Children’s Hospital Charity.

Now in it’s third year, the fundraisers worked from October 24 – October 30 and raised a total of £5282.35 - enough to provide two new soft play areas for the children at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

MedSoc members, helped by 120 volunteers from Sheffield RAG, held activities throughout the week including cake sales in the Medical School, selling popcorn outside Film Unit’s Halloween themed film screenings, selling glowsticks outside Sheffield Students Union’s Bar One and the Foundry and Fusion.

Members of the public also contributed, with collectors taking public donations in Fargate.

Both Mechanical Engineering Society and Chemical Engineering Society also took part, while Film Unit allowed fundraisers to sell popcorn outside their Halloween film screenings.

Rebecca Staden, Senior Fundraiser at The Children’s Hospital Chairty said: “I was so pleased to hear that MedSoc had chosen The Children’s Hospital Charity as their charity of the year.

“The amount they raised from their fundraising week was fantastic.

“I was very impressed with how well organised the week was and how so many people volunteered to raise funds for the charity.

“Thanks to everyone that supported charity week.

The funds raised really will make a big difference to the children in our care.”

Ragamuffins rejoice after 24 hour challenge victory Josh Middleton Sheffield Raising and Giving (RAG) raised more than £1,200 for local charities at their annual 24-hour RAGathon event.

Fund-raising events littered the concourse on Friday, ranging from a bake sale to a 24-hour spin-a-thon.

Students also took part in the ‘Touch It’ competition, which challenged students to touch a large pink box on the concourse for as long as possible.

The competition was won

by Rugby team member ‘Tino’ Valentine, who lasted over 20 hours.

RAG also teamed up with the Sheffield Sports Committee, who hosted their own sporting challenge throughout the day, asking volunteers to cycle nonstop around the clock in the Activities Zone.

All of the money raised on the day will go towards helping Barnsley-based charity Plus Me, an orgaisation who help people

living with HIV. The charity came out on top in a poll of students who were asked to decide who should benefit from the funds.

Plus Me received a total of 489 votes.

The money will be used in the charity’s community support programme, which gives care and advice to those diagnosed with HIV. The RAG committee praised the work of its many volunteers, known as RAGamuffins.

picture editor Adam Harley News news@forgetoday.com Nicholas Carding Katie Davies David Parker Comment comment@forgetoday.com Hannah Frost Tom Geddes LETTERS letters@forgetoday.com Holly Wilkinson

Features features@forgetoday.com Lauren Clarke Rebecca Cooke Jonathan Robinson Lifestyle and travel lifestyle@forgetoday.com Ina Fischer Fay Guest Hannah Pearson Sport sport@forgetoday.com Jack Burnett Adam Hancock Anthony Hart

Committee member Claire Haines said: “RAG couldn’t have done it without their help, we are very grateful for all the members who made this event such a success”.

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Editor

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

Music music@forgetoday.com Sam Bolton Coral Williamson

Arts arts@forgetoday.com Tim Wood Rowan Ramsden

Games games@forgetoday.com Arnold Bennett Ellen Jurczak

Copy editors Olivia Adams Hamilton Jones Kristin McIntosh Alisha Rouse Melanie Sisson Lianne Williams

FUSE COVER Miriam Dobson

Screen screen@forgetoday.com Tom Fletcher Tom Wardak

Forge Press is printed on 100% recycled paper

Forge Press is published by the Union of Students. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the University, the Union or the editorial team. In the first instance all complaints should be addressed to the Managing Editor, although a formal procedure exists.

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

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UNIVERSITY NEWS

Students clash with security staff at Careers Fair after arms company protest David Parker and Katie Davies Protesters campaigning against alleged unethical practices by graduate recruiters clashed with security at this week’s Careers Fair.

Members of Speak, People and Planet and Palestine Society tried to gain access to the Octagon Centre on Tuesday to demonstrate against BAE Systems and Thales for their involvement in arms manufacturing and trading.

One student claimed that she was assaulted by security staff.

Another student was told that she would be trespassing if she entered the building.

Protesters said that they wanted to hold a peaceful protest inside the building.

Third Year Geography and Sociology student Sara Warner said: “These companies are manufacturing arms and selling them to countries listed by the UN as allowing human rights violations.

“With the recession, many engineering students might think they have no other option. A lot of these companies offer very financially attractive graduate schemes.

“But there’s so many green jobs out there, ethical jobs. That’s the kind of engineering we need.”

Protester Lucy Hawkins said that security refused to tell her why they had denied her entry to the building.

“They won’t give us a reason.

They won’t get the people who made these decisions to come down and talk with us,” she said.

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “A small number of individuals became disruptive and intimidating to students and employees of companies that visited the University.

“These individuals were escorted out of the building, but were allowed to hand out leaflets in a safe, agreed location outside the Octagon.

“The University of Sheffield

supports the democratic process and the right of students to express their views within the law. In the past, students have handed out leaflets outside the Octagon during recruitment fairs, and we are happy to allow this form of peaceful demonstration by students.”

Meanwhile, a handful of demonstrators from People and Planet gained access to the Careers Fair on Wednesday to protest against the Royal Bank of Scotland, for their funding of the controversial Alberta Tar Sands oil excavation project.

They were escorted away by security.

Protest organiser Tom Garrood said: “We are hoping to raise awareness of these issues. Last time we held this protest, the people that worked for RBS did not even know about this project.”

A recruiter for BAE said that he would not stop protesters coming to the fairs and that it has not affected them.

A University spokesperson said: “We will continue to develop our partnership with companies such as BAE in order to position the University of Sheffield as a research-led university in the global environment.

Tom Geddes Comment It may not quite live up to the architectural panache of St Paul’s Cathedral, but the Octagon building this week certainly matched Wren’s masterpiece when it came to anti-capitalist protesting.

As protesters were finally escorted from the steps of London’s most iconic landmark this week, students here in Sheffield were shown equal disdain

Photo: Adam Harley as they were led away from various University fairs.

Our university is one that affords students an impressive freedom in speech, and whilst those involved will bemoan their dismissal from the Octagon building, I believe the decision is justified.

Even free speech needs its regulations; without it we’ll descend into a state of anarchy.

Whatever the matter in question, however outrageous the cause may be, one still needs to adhere to a standard.

Both the BAE and RBS protests focused on topics that should concern students.

Their goals may be a little optimistic, but they represent a challenge to the top down society that we students are often far too willing to succumb to.

It is not their plight to which I worry, but rather their approach.

Both may find greater success in a more civilized approach. A disruptive protest that one is not part of, and does not yet identify themselves with,

can have a negative affect on prospective supporters.

When the tuition fee protests of May were reduced from a productive demonstration to a destructive provocation, the entire rational student population switched.

No longer were we angry with the government, we were embarrassed by our own.

The university in their free speech policy, intentionally or not so, are ensuring students’ views are demonstrated in a sensible, constructive, and ultimately conclusive manner.

‘Vodka’ seized from Crookesmoor shop as alcohol crisis escalates Continued from Page One Other bottles have contained a mixture of industrial alcohol and tap water, with some samples having an alcohol content of more than 50 per cent.

Trading standards have said that they will be continuing their investigations and that they take whatever action is necessary against shops that break the law.

The vodka, along with the alcohol previously found, has now been sent for testing to determine what is in the bottle.

A spokesperson for Nisa Today, the franchise to which the shop on Barber Road belongs, said: “The Nisa Metro on Barber Road, Sheffield, is independently owned and run and has the flexibility to source products from a variety of suppliers.

“The operations are the sole responsibility of the owner.

“We do not however tolerate the

selling of illegal products and we work hard with the authorities and the Associate of Convenience Stores (ASC) to combat the black market sale and distribution of illegal products.

“We have no further information at this time, but will investigate the alleged issue and fully cooperate with the authorities should there be cause to do.”

Officials have said the sale of counterfeit vodka has risen in the last few years.

“It’s on the increase,” said Craig Fisher, a senior officer for Sheffield Trading Standards.

“A few years ago, we’d have one prosecution for this a year. So far this year there’s been at least a dozen.

It’s escalated over the last couple of years.

“It’s organised crime that is doing this. It’s about money – penalties for dealing it is less than for drugs.

“One of the concerns is that this stuff is being sold cheaper than the standard price, which is attractive to students on low incomes.”

“They could over look the long term health effects – we don’t know what the long term health effects of drinking chloroform are, and that’s the problem.

I’ve spoken to some consultants at A and E who have said some alcohol admissions are not recovering at the rate they should do, and that they think this could be to do with drinking counterfeit

alcohol.

“Students are at risk. We’ve had reports from Walkley, Crookes and Eccesall Road, areas with a high student population.”

The risk of buying counterfeit alcohol isn’t just from the new brands appearing on our shelves, however, with many illegal mixtures being hidden in the bottles of well known brands, such as Glen’s or Smirnoff.

Common signs also include misspellings or other errors.

“One counterfeit bottle of Jacob’s Creek was discovered when it was noticed that the word ‘Australia’ was spelt incorrectly on the label,” said Craig Fisher.

Price is often also an indicator of potentially suspect vodka, with any 70cl bottle selling for The duty stamp found on less than £8 often being seen as the counterfeit vodka. The suspicious. code matches with those used Matthew Denton, Sheffield on bottles of Smirnoff.

Students’ Union Welfare Officer, said: “Counterfeit alcohol is a serious danger to students.”

“Because of budget constraints, we are more likely to purchase and consume this fake alcohol, which has been found to cause serious health risks.

“Students should only purchase brands that they recognise, and look out for anything suspicious like spelling mistakes and wonky labels.

“Always be careful, and if you or a friend experience strange symptoms from alcohol, go to the hospital immediately.”

If you suspect a shop of selling alcohol illegally, contact Sheffield trading standards.

They can be contacted via e-mail, trading.standards@sheffield.gov. uk, or 0114 2736290.

Seen any illegal alcohol?

Have you seen or bought any suspicious alcohol in Sheffield?

Email us: news@forgetoday.com

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FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

NEWS LOCAL

National news Occupy protesters could stay at St Paul’s until new year

Photo: diamond geezer/Flickr Tents outside St Paul’s Cathedral Anti-capitalist protesters camped outside St Paul’s Cathedral could stay until the new year after The City of London Corporation offered to halt legal action to evict them.

Occupy London Stock Exchange, part of the worldwide Occupy movement, said that authorities have agreed to shelve eviction plans if protesters reduce the number of tents outside the historic building.

Meanwhile, Canary Wharf has won a high court injunction banning protesters after fears that the camp would spread.

Cricketers jailed for no-ball spot-fixing betting scam

Photo: paddynapper/Flickr Mohammad Asif: jailed for a year Three top Pakistani cricketers have been jailed for their part in a betting scam.

Former Test captain Salman Butt will spend two-and-a-half years behind bars for leading the scam, while the world’s former number two bowler, Mohammad Asif, recieved 12 months for bowling a deliberate no ball during the test match against England in August 2010.

Mohammad Amir, 19, will spend six months in a young offenders institution for bowling two intentional no-balls at the match at Lord’s cricket ground.

British man arrested ‘faking own death’ fraud

for

A British man wanted for allegedly faking his own death as part of a £1.25 million life insurance scam has been arrested in Australia.

Hugo Sanchez, 47, was accused of fraud after police said they discovered his own fingerprints on his death certificate.

The web designer was discovered in Sydney following a six-year international man-hunt.

Authorities are now seeking his extradition to the UK.

Hallam student, 18, shot dead Jodie Gadd A teenager was shot dead at a birthday party in the Sheffield suburb of Burngreave in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Eighteen-year-old Deeq Ali was shot at the community centre on Spital Hill at around 2.30am, following an argument that reportedly broke out among Somali youths.

Abdi Mohammed Omar, 24, has been charged with the murder and appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning.

Two other men arrested in connection with the murder have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Omar was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Sheffield Crown Court next week.

Deeq’s death is the second tragedy to hit his family in seven months, after his 18-year-old cousin, Abdulla Awil Mohammed, also from Burngreave, died in March after a car ploughed into a street sign which fell on his head and killed him.

Sagal said: “Words cannot

describe how heartbroken we are.

“He was my mother’s only son and the youngest of her four children.”

Deeq was studying Human Geography at Sheffield Hallam University.

Sagal said: “He was a straight A-grade student with the whole of his life ahead of him.”

A community meeting of police, city councillors and community leaders was held in Burngreave as South Yorkshire Police appealed for help.

“We would like everybody to stay calm, give as much information as they can, and not to do anything that would further inflame the situation,” said Superintendent Simon Torr.

Police cordoned off the Spital Hill area while they searched for witnesses. They are also examining CCTV footage of the area.

The plaza hosts gatherings for local youths and in September 2007 it was the scene of another shooting in which a man was shot in the stomach at a party.

Deeq Ali was studying Human Geography at Sheffield Hallam University

Man hung by garden washing line ‘could have been saved’ Nicholas Carding A builder who hanged himself could have been saved had the man who discovered him raised the alarm earlier, an inquest heard.

The body of Mark Smith, 42, was found hanged from a wooden beam by Terence O’Brien, who was the ex-husband of Smith’s partner.

But mystery shrouded the case as O’Brien had found Smith in the same position 15 minutes earlier, and did not check if Smith was alive.

O’Brien saw Mr Smith hanging under a wooden beam with a cord around his neck, but thought he was threatening something.

However, when he returned 15 minutes later Mr Smith was in exactly the same position and was pronounced dead by emergency services shortly afterwards.

Mr Wood, Smith’s stepfather,

said: “Everything seems very ambiguous, why didn’t you check he was okay when he was standing there? It’s as if everything was allowed to happen of its own accord.”

Smith, whose body was found to contain ethanol, argued violently with his partner Tracy Bird and walked out of their house in Wombwell, Barnsley, on the afternoon of July 10.

Police officers found a handrail had been ripped off the wall, and also found blood in the kitchen.

Bird, who was drunk at the time, then called ex-husband Terence O’Brien and asked him to come round to her house that evening to look after her in case Smith came back.

O’Brien said: “She wanted me to watch the house, because she said her and Mark had been fighting earlier.

“That evening there was a knock at the door and it was

Mark wanting to see Tracy.

“He was adamant he wanted to see Tracy, but she didn’t want to see him so I told him to come back tomorrow morning and they could sort it out.”

Smith then replied “This is where the fun starts” and walked towards Wombwell centre.

He returned 45 minutes later, to the back garden of the house, and Bird feared he would break in.

O’Brien said: “I opened the door to the back garden and Mark was standing under a wooden beam with what I thought was a washing-line around his neck.

“I told him to stop playing games, but he didn’t reply. I thought he was threatening to do something. So I went indoors to tell Tracy what I’d seen, and she said he was always threatening to do things.”

O’Brien then told the inquest he checked the back-garden

again after 15 minutes and found Smith in the same position. He phoned emergency services, who pronounced him dead after trying to resuscitate him.

Detective Constable Horsley said: “There was no way we could have proved that Mr O’Brien knew Smith was alive or dead when he saw him in the back garden the first time.

“We also discovered that Smith, an ex-convict, had previously told his neighbour he would kill himself rather than go to prison again.”

Deputy Assistant Coroner Julian Fox recorded a narrative verdict of death caused by suspension from a wooden beam.

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Council backs new state of the art £4million sports centre David Parker Plans for a new £4m sports centre in Sheffield have been given the green light.

Sheffield & Hallamshire FA’s plans to build the Westfield Community Football Centre, which will be based in south east Sheffield, were granted permission this week by Sheffield City Council.

The Westfield Community Football Centre will be built on the site of the former Westfield School and will provide the area with a sports and leisure facility that aims to engage and regenerate the community it serves through sport.

The 28-acre site will also become the new home for Sheffield & Hallamshire FA. Currently, the site offers eight poorly drained pitches with vandalised changing facilities which are used by over 20 weekend football and rugby union teams.

James Hope-Gill, SHCFA chief executive, said: “Receiving planning permission is a significant step forward and we can now concentrate fully on raising the funding and capital needed to make the project a reality.”

Facilities on the site will include a full size artificial floodlit pitch, five-a-side pitches, and up to eight grass pitches which will be used for football, rugby and American football. There will also be a gym, jogging and cycle track, facilities for archery, a physiotherapy clinic, community multi-purpose meeting rooms/ classrooms, and a bar with cafe and changing rooms.

Sheffield & Hallamshire FA will run a variety of activities at the site, including courses in football governance and development, seminars, coaching, courses, tournaments, festivals, conferences and events.

The County FA aims to open the site in 2013.

The centre will be a hub for football, rugby and American football

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

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5

LOCAL NEWS

Music and drama companies’ shock as library faces closure

Nicholas Carding

The University of Sheffield’s musical and drama groups face paying ten times more for copies of music and plays if a national library in Wakefield is not saved from closure.

The library has supplied performing groups in Sheffield with cheap and easy access to 90,000 plays and over 500,000 pieces of music, but the building is set to be demolished with no new home found for the copies.

The closure means groups will have to buy content from private publishers at a far higher price than the library offers.

Activities officer Nabil Alizai said: “The decision to close the library was only announced on October 20 and without a full consultation.

“This means that the medics choir, for example, who normally pay £50 for their copies of music for their Christmas concert, would probably have to pay £650.”

At last Wednesday’s council meeting, five people, including Alizai, urged councillor Mick Rooney to attend the next Yorkshire Library and Information Council (YLIC) meeting where a final decision will be taken.

Cllr Rooney said he was unable to attend the meeting due to other commitments, but that he would send an officer to speak for him to reiterate what Alizai and the other protesters had said.

A national petition was launched five days ago and has already gained over 1250 signatures.

The council heard how in Sheffield there are over 60 registered users of the library, and that 40 had already used the library this year.

Protesters also complained that they had not been informed of any decision to close the library although the report recommending closure stated an online survey had been conducted.

The library’s users hope the decision will be deferred until a full consultation has been carried out.

Protesters are also concerned that the closure will result in many small performing groups disbanding if copies of music and

plays become too expensive to buy.

Cllr Rooney said: “I have no objection to looking at council properties in and around the Sheffield area to see if there is room for the copies, and I accept that the closure could mean the end of local groups.

“But of the 12 authorities funding the service, two have now pulled out, meaning the rest of us would have to pick up the bill.

“I will tell our officer attending the meeting that our preferred option is to keep the library going, and that our fall-back option is to defer the decision pending discussion on the subject.

“But I can guarantee that £14,000 pounds will be available to these groups to fund their practices after these deliberations are completed.”

Alizai said: “My hope is that the YLIC defers its decision until a full consultation has been held with feedback from societies at our university.

“This year SingSoc have ordered 442 pieces of music from the library, and would have ordered another 120 had those copies not already been borrowed.

“I thought it was really impressive that so many people turned up at the council meeting and spoke against the closure of the library.”

SingSoc pianist Robert Webb said: “If the library closes it would have a very bad effect on the regional amateur music and drama companies.

“You could say it is a threat to our local communities.

“Some of the music does not exist anywhere else, and the cost from other publishers will cost tenfold.

“It is a national library, not just a regional one.”

Musician Robert Spooner said: “We shall either have to spend more money on copies of pieces or download from the internet.

But the impact on people who can’t afford the new prices will be severe.

“It will also become more expensive for schools wanting to perform musical and dramatical pieces, which is fundamentally a wrong idea.”

40,000 people spook Sheffield streets in Halloween celebration Katie Davies An estimated 40,000 people took to the streets of Sheffield to celebrate the spookiest time of year at Britain’s biggest Halloween festival.

Party-goers donned fancy dress as the carnival took over the city centre with an extravaganza of scary shows, displays and performances.

The free event is always held on the Sunday before October 31. Now in its 11th year, the night has grown from a small celebration attracting only 7,000 people to a Sheffield tradition.

The Town Hall was lit up with a display of bats and monsters, while roads were closed to make way for fairground stalls and rides.

The University of Sheffield also

took part, thrilling revellers with live zombie performances in the streets.

They also hosted Dance Macabre, a special ‘dance of death’, which ran alongside music from the Sheffield Youth Orchestra and was performed in collaboration with Hype Dance.

Audiences were also treated to a life size Dalek and Tardis, a giant cycling hippo, a dancing robot called Titan and a fire breathing robotic horse complete with zombie rider.

For adults, a singalong Rocky Horror event was hosted at the Lyceum Theatre by Sheffield Theatres.

Volunteers for Macmillan Cancer Support also took the chance to raise money with a Halloween twist, getting into a bath tub full of maggots.

World NEWS

Pressure mounts on Greek leader over EU bail-out deal Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou looks set to drop plans for a referendum on whether to accept a bail-out from the EU which would help rescue the debt-ridden country from bankruptcy.

Four ministers opposed the referendum as pressure mounted on the Socialist leader.

Mr Papandreou offered to hold talks with the opposition as EU leaders said that Greece will not get cash until it agrees to the deal.

Photo: parti socialiste/Flickr Greek PM Papandreou

Tanks open fire in Syrian city Alizai and Spooner, upset at proposed closure. Photo: Nicholas Carding

Behind the story Nicholas Carding

The closure of the Yorkshire Music and Drama library in Wakefield would be a massive blow to all performing groups in Yorkshire.

As things stand, the building in which the music and plays are housed is set for demolition, so the issue is to find a new home for the copies.

The library houses some copies of music and plays which do not exist anywhere else in the world and could be lost should it close.

It is sad that councillor Mick Rooney can’t find time to attend

the meeting which will ultimately decide the library’s fate, and his decision to send an officer in his place hardly fills protesters with confidence.

Our own musical and drama societies face paying ten times more for their content, meaning many projects would be unachievable.

At the council meeting, Activities Officer Nabil Alizai said the closure of the library would affect up to 5000 students.

But considering that it houses the most extensive musical and drama pieces in England, our students form only a small percentage of those who are extremely reliant on the library.

Tanks mounted with machine guns have killed at least ten people in the city of Homs, Syria, according to human rights activists.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Baba Amr district had come under heavy fire.

Violence was also reported in other parts of the city, a day after Syrian authorities agreed to an Arab League plan calling on the government to pull the military out of cities.

The plan required Syria to withdraw all troops from urban areas and end all killing immediately.

Cameron’s Hillsborough apology Emma Robinson David Cameron has apologised to the Hillsborough victims’ families over a comment he made last week about the families’ quest for closure.

In an interview with the Liverpool Daily Post, the Prime Minister compared the families’ search for closure to a ‘blind man, in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn’t there’.

He also told the newspaper that he doubted the Hillsborough families would find closure even when they saw the full documents.

He was urged to apologise at Prime Minister’s question time after Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, Luciana Berger, deemed his comment to be ‘grossly offensive’.

A Downing Street spokesman said later: “The Prime Minister’s comments were not in any way

meant to cause offence - and he clearly regrets if they have.

“His intention was quite the opposite; he was expressing his sympathy for how hard it can be to find closure in coming to terms with grief.”

The remarks came in light of a successful national campaign for the Hillsborough documents to be released. The government will publish cabinet papers from the days after the tragedy to try and help the victims’ families seek closure.

The 1989 Hillsborough disaster saw 96 people die in a horrific crush in the stadium in Sheffield.

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Photo: Maggie Osama/Flickr

Tibetan Nun sets self on fire A Tibetan Buddhist nun has died after setting herself on fire in south-west China.

Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that the 35-year-old, believed to be from Dawu county in the Ganzi area of Sichuan, doused herself in fuel and set herself alight at a road crossing.

Eleven ethnic Tibetans have allegedly set them themselves on fire so far this year, reportedly in protest against Chinese rule.

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FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

NEWS UNIVERSITY

Forge in Brief Nestlé referendum to be held after Union Council vote Students will be asked to pick whether they want Nestlé products to once again be sold in the Students’ Union after the Union Council voted to hold a referendum in March next year.

The shop does not currently sell Nestlé products after a motion banning them in 2001 after the company was found by the Ethical Investment Research and Information Service to have unfairly exploited third world countries in the 1970’s and 80’s by claiming that breast milk substitutes were healthier than natural breast milk.

David Parker

Hillsborough newsagent stabbed three times A newsagent was stabbed three times at a shop in Hillsborough.

The man required hospital treatment after being stabbed in the stomach, shoulder and below the ribs. He has now been released.

The suspect fled the store, on Langsett Road in Hillsborough, at half past eight on Friday October 21.

Harriet Allen

University Question Time held The University of Sheffield has held its own Question Time debate.

Based on the celebrated BBC2 current affairs programme, students were invited to ask questions to a number of pannelists on issues such as the Occupy protests, phone hacking and the problem of youth unemployment.

Labour Students, Conservative Future, Liberal Youth and Forge Press were all represented, as well as Sheffield Students’ Union Education Officer John Narcross, Katie Davies

Universities may lower fees as UCAS applications fall by 9%

4Universities set to apply for share of 20,000 ‘free’ student places 4Sheffield set to raise entry requirements for around 60 courses Joshua McClean and David Parker Up to a quarter of universities in England may lower their tuition fees from next year, it has been revealed.

The news comes after universities were given the chance to apply for a share of 20,000 government funded places if they offer courses at £7,500.

From next year, anybody entering higher education can be charged up to £9000 a year in tuition fees.

But the Office for Fair Access (Offa) has revealed that 28 universities may drop their fees to the revised level of £7500 in order to offer the incentives.

Universities have until today to submit their plans, which will be released at the end of November.

Meanwhile, the University of Sheffield has confirmed that it will raise entry requirements for around 60 courses for next year’s intake.

The University also raised entry requirements for a similar number of courses last year.

Students who have applied to study medicine, veterinary medicine or to Cambridge or Oxford do not know what they will be paying as the deadline has already passed.

Universities are unsure of how much they will be paying for their degree next year after the earlier deadline for these applicants passed.

Meanwhile, UCAS revealed that the total number of applications for universities is down nine per cent. This means there are 7000 fewer applicants than this time last year. Despite this, the number of visitors attending university open days across the country has risen by 30 per cent, according to the Guardian.

The University of Sheffield has already declared that it plans to charge £9000 for undergraduates studying here in 2012.

What’s on your mind?

Journalism student appears on Channel 4’s Countdown A University of Sheffield student will be appearing on daytime Channel 4 quiz show Countdown.

Jack Presswell, a third year Journalism student, was challenged to apply to the show by his girlfriend’s mum.

He failed at the first application stage but tried again a few months later and was successful on his second attempt.

The show is due to air on Monday November 14.

David Parker

Comment on this article online: www.forgetoday.com

Tuition Fees: Frequently Asked Questions We may be the ‘lucky’ ones who have narrowly missed out on paying the increased fees, but what will it mean for our families and friends who get stung by the high cost of higher education? Heather Morris has the answers.

Q: How much will fees be?

A: Universities in England will be able to charge up to £9,000 a year for undergraduate degrees.

Recent figures show some will charge between £4,500 and £8,500.

announced plans for cuts to teaching budgets and grants in higher education. A funding cut of 40% over four years was announced in October 2010.

Q: Does it apply to UK students outside of England?

A: Students from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will not be charged higher fees if they choose to study in their home country.

Q: When will the fees rise?

A: Fees in England are set to rise from September 2012. Only those who start their degree after this date will be affected, including 2011 deferred entries.

Q: What is the potential overall cost for students?

A: Starting a three-year degree in September 2012 with full maintenance loans will cost around £43,000, but the earning threshold for repaying loans will be increased from £15,000 to £21,000.

Q: Why are universities backing the fee rise?

A: Money raised from fees is expected to replace money lost through budget cuts. In other words, the cost of funding degrees will switch from the taxpayer to the student.

Q: What’s been the response?

A: Recent surveys suggest only 10% of prospective undergraduates are deterred by higher education fees, whilst many students consider studying at universities close to home to keep costs low.

Is your course on the list?

Entrance grades will be going up for courses including: Medicine Physics Theoretical Physics Physics with Medical Physics Physics with Astrophysics Physics with Computer Science Physics and Philosophy Archaeology and History Mechanical Engineering Mathematics Foundation Year Mathematics with French Mathematics with German Mathematics with Spanish Aerospace Materials Bioengineering Metallurgy Social Policy and Sociology Economics and Philosophy Journalism and French Journalism and Russian English and Russian Mathematics and Philosophy History with Dutch

Q: Why are fees going up?

A: The government has

Royal seal of approval given to student volunteers Ina Fischer Student volunteers at the University of Sheffield have received the Royal Seal of Approval for their involvement in community service.

SheffieldVolunteering is the first Students’ Union group ever to receive the Duke of York’s Community Initiative Award.

The award was presented to the University of Sheffield Students’ Union Activities Officer Nabil Alizai during a ceremony at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate.

Alizai said: “The University of Sheffield Students’ Union is extremely proud. Our goal is to encourage active citizenship, which means helping students

and staff to get involved with and make a positive difference in the Sheffield community.”

Last year, more than 1,500 University of Sheffield students and staff were involved with SheffieldVolunteering.

More than 100 local charities and voluntary groups benefited from various projects aiming to facilitate academic outreach, raise aspirations in schools through trained mentors, promote volunteer vacancies for charities, and support students, clubs and societies to lead projects themselves.

“Students often tell us that they got involved to do something, give something back or simply feel more involved in the community around them.”

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

www.forgetoday.com // news@forgetoday.com

7

UNIVERSITY NEWS

University badgered over refurb Nicholas Carding

SET-back: The pitch refurbishment has encountered beastly problems.

Photos: Nicholas Carding & Andreas-photography/Flickr (inset)

Badgers have disrupted the ongoing refurbishment of the rubber crumb (4G) pitch at Goodwin Sports Centre as frustrations grow over the continuing delays to the project.

The pitch, used for football and rugby, was first scheduled to be completed on September 19, but the university now say work will be completed on November 21, two months later than expected.

A university spokesman said: “The completion of the pitches was unfortunately delayed by two weeks as a result of finding badgers in the area and needing to attain the correct licences to commence work, as well as bad weather conditions.”

This delay has caused problems for the University’s rugby club, who have been forced to drastically reschedule training sessions, impacting on the start of their British Universities and colleges sport (BUCS) season.

Rugby Club Captain Keith Wardley said: “It’s definitely impacted on the start of the season. We were told in the summer that we could train on the 4G pitches on September 19, but because of the delays we have had to train at Ponderosa Park instead.”

“Ponderosa is a brilliant place to train if you can get it all to yourself, but as the weeks have gone on, the light disappears, and so training times have been cut more and more each week which is not an ideal situation.”

The club have therefore had to switch their training sessions to 7am to ensure players train in the light whilst not missing any lectures.

Wardley said: “All the members were annoyed about that and its been so frustrating because we’ve been losing games, and we’re not training properly as we like to.

“It hasn’t been the best start we could have asked for. All we can do is tell our members, hang on, we’ll keep you updated. But it’s definitely been something which has unsettled the club.”

The delays have also affected the popular 11-a-side Intramural season, which has been delayed by one and a half months.

Fixtures for the league were finally published yesterday, later than what the team captains were first told.

Ben Cooper, a team captain, said: “I’m a little frustrated, we’ve paid a lot of money for registration, you want to be treated well.

“I called them up two weeks ago and was told the fixtures would be published that day or the next, but nothing happened. I emailed them and they replied they would email me the next day, and again absolutely nothing happened, and then last week they posted on their website that the pitch still is not ready.”

Sports Officer Ben Baldwin said: “The fact that it has been delayed for so long is a cause for concern, but I know Sport Sheffield is doing the best it can to get the pitches ready as quickly as possible for both IntraMural and club use.

“For someone who used to play in the IntraMural leagues, I’m obviously disappointed that teams can’t play at the beginning of term. But I do feel that the end result will be worth it with a high quality surface.”

Law councillor candidate excluded from election Sainsbury’s applies for new Tom Geddes This year’s Law Councillor Elections had to be postponed as a candidate had to be excluded from the vote.

Returning Officers received a formal complaint on October 20 accusing a candidate of breaching the Students’ Union

Election Rules. It was believed the culprit had broken two of the regulations regarding their campaign’s printing allowance.

Candidates are allowed to spend maximum £10 on printed publicity from the Union’s Copy Shop. The accused appeared to have spent more than the assigned amount, and from a prohibited

retailer. On investigating the claim, made by a fellow runner in the election, returning officers decided to uphold the complaint and excluded the candidate from the election which subsequently had to be postponed.

Ben Mabbott was elected Law Councillor for the forthcoming year.

store at former HSBC

Union council votes to back trials of gender neutral toilets Katie Davies Sheffield Students’ Union Council has voted to back research into the provision on gender netral toilets within the union building.

The proposal was passed as part of the Union’s policy regarding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) students, when the council gave Welfare Officer Matthew Denton responsibility for implementing the changes.

In a statement released to Forge Press, the LGBT committee, who work representing and offering welfare support to LGBT students, said: “To many people, it may not be immediately clear why this could be necessary.

One of the main arguments for gender neutral toilets is to provide for individuals who don’t fit traditional ideas of gender, such as male and female.

“This applies to trans students, although even people

who are androgynous may face intolerance.

Importantly, the toilets are still open to everyone to use, and so are in no way limiting the provision of toilets.

“If it is to go ahead it would only be one set of toilets, so there would still be plenty of options to those who would want to continue using gendered toilets.

“Having gender neutral toilets would have no monetary cost, apart from a new sign on the toilet doors.

“Importantly, this Students’ Union is a gay and trans friendly organisation, meaning that we will make any reasonable provisions to welcome the diversity of our students, including trans students.

“We pride ourselves on inclusivity and forward thinking, and this is one more opportunity to prove it.

“Gender neutral toilets have

been installed in many students’ unions across the country with huge success, and this is Sheffield’s opportunity to provide for its students.

“If the toilets were to go ahead they would be trialled for a short period before the Students’ Union commits long term. “We are confident there will be no issues, but a trial period would provide flexibility.”

Similar toilets are already in place in a number of Students’ Unions across the country, including at Manchester and Lancaster.

Will students loos out?

Martin Bottomley comments on p.10

Photo: Google Maps Hannah Frost A new 24-hour Sainsbury’s store, selling alcohol for 18 hours a day, may be opened near the University tram stop.

The store, positioned at the site where a HSBC branch was previously, would be a prime location for students.

If the proposal is approved by the City Council’s Licensing Committee, the store would be the third local supermarket to open in the area surrounding the Students’ Union.

There is already a Sainsbury’s behind the Arts Tower, on Weston Street, and a large Tesco Express on West Street.

The proposal also includes details of it’s alcohol licensing

application, which could see the store selling alcohol for 18 hours a day, from 6am.

Targeting students travelling back and forth from University buildings, the store may provide yet more competition for the Student’s Union shop.

The move comes as the “Big Four” supermarkets - Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda - appear to be moving towards student areas.

A new Asda store will be opening in Walkley on November 8, while Tesco has repeatedly been refused planning permission for a site on Springvale Road, Crookesmoor.

The closing date for comments on the application is November16.

www.forgetoday.com // letters@forgetoday.com FORGE PRESS Friday October 21 2011

8

LETTERS

Have your say

Email: letters@forgetoday.com Write: Forge Press, Union of Students, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TG Please include your name, course and year of study.

We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space.

Sheffield Labour MP argues for fair student funding

Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: ‘There is still a lot to learn about black culture’

As the Chair of Sheffield Liberal Youth society, Andrew Tromans is really in no position to lecture others on keeping pledges over university tuition fees, but I’m happy to respond to his letter seeking my views.

Recently the Sheffield Debating society ran the motion ‘This house believes that Black History Month does more harm than good’ in the floor debate and many interesting questions popped up, among them was: “what’s so special about black people?”,a fine question.

Dear Forge Press,

For over a decade I’ve campaigned to stop variable tuition fees being introduced, and I’ve always opposed a market being created in higher education. I’ve long been a supporter of a graduate tax which is a fairer and more progressive funding system. This approach didn’t always win me friends, but I campaigned for what I believe is right.

Under Ed Miliband, Labour is opposed to the marketisation of higher education and in favour of graduate tax. It’s why we voted against the £9000 maximum fees that the Tory/Lib Dem coalition introduced last year. The Government has intentionally created a market in higher education where students are being encouraged to consider fee levels, and therefore total debts, in considering their choice of course.

At the same time the Government, and Vince Cable in particular, is encouraging ‘for-profit’ companies to run universities.

And I’ve no doubt that they would scrap

the £9000 fees cap as the next step, letting pure market forces rip through higher education, as in the US. I support Labour’s recent proposal, that fees should be capped at £6000, because it will reduce the total debt facing students and stop the development of a market in fees. This is a proposal to avert the immediate problems facing prospective students and our universities, but our aim remains to introduce a graduate tax in which people will contribute towards the cost of their higher education on the basis of what they earn and not what they have to borrow.

While I welcomed the support of many students at the General Election, I know that many more voted Liberal Democrat because of Nick Clegg’s solemn pledge to abolish tuition fees. As future students are saddled with £30,000 fees debt, the Lib Dems’ betrayal is not going to be forgotten any time soon. Labour will do all that we can to undo this wrong and make university affordable for all.

Yours sincerely, Paul Blomfield Labour MP for Sheffield Central

LGBT and potential gender neutral toilets for the Union One of the things the Students’ Union is investigating at the moment is the possibility of providing gender neutral toilets, which are bathrooms that anyone can use.

To many people, it may not be immediately clear why this could be necessary, so here is a letter for clarity.

One of the main arguments for gender neutral toilets is to provide for individuals who don’t fit traditional ideas of gender, i.e male and female.

This applies to trans students, although even people who are androgynous may face intolerance. Importantly, the toilets are still open to everyone to use, and so are in no way limiting the provision of toilets.

The Students’ Union is currently investigating the possibility of providing gender neutral toilets; if it is to go ahead it would only be one set of toilets, so there would still be plenty of options to those who would want to continue using gendered toilets!

Having gender neutral toilets would have no monetary cost, apart from a new sign on the toilet doors.

Importantly, this Students’ Union is a gay and trans friendly organisation, meaning that we will make any reasonable provisions to welcome the diversity of our students, including trans students.

We pride ourselves on inclusivity and forward thinking, and this is one more opportunity to prove it. Gender neutral toilets have been installed in many students' unions across the country with huge success, and this is Sheffield’s opportunity to provide for its students.

If the toilets were to go ahead they would be trialled for a short period before the Students’ Union commits long term. We are confident there will be no issues, but a trial period would provide flexibility.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Committee and Matthew Denton (Students’ Union Welfare Officer)

Corrections and Clarifications In the last issue of Forge Press, issue 39 Friday October 21, a letter entitled Forge Care was published which included claims with regard to contracts between the Union and its water suppliers. Upon further investigation, Forge Press has been unable to verify these claims, and apologise if any of our readers found this misleading. To clarify, no contact exists that requires the Union to continue to buy water despite the ban on bottled water.

Originally Black History Month was defined by any self identified “black person” usually of Afro or Afro Caribbean decent, more recently it is intended to include basically all non-white people. We have a black student council in our union that is also intended to represent all nonwhite, people does any one else find this

unhelpful and slightly offensive?

As a black person I deny the term “black history” it is reductive, exclusive and above all inaccurate. Personally I find that reducing a plethora of cultures, identities and backgrounds to the word “black” unsavory. How can you justify celebrating the work of Martin Luther King in an event which effectively segregates history? p.s. Describing Mary Secole as a “black equivalent” of Florence Nightingale is ridiculous and disrespectful to both.

Nazareth Gayle

‘Bottled water banning fascists’ It just shows the sort of rubbish SU’s concern themselves with these days. The ‘every little helps’ waffle that attempts to pass a burden of responsibility of climate change and world poverty onto the individual who isn’t doing more to save the world.

When, at the same time, the government have just given BP the contract to deepdrill for oil off the coast of Scotland.

Despite a dwindling supply, the damage of fossil-fuels and the disasterous oil spill only a year ago, they continue to wreck the planet because we need the money.

It sounds withered and defeatist, but what we do really doesn’t make a difference. Our change must come from our governments and until they change things, nothing will change.

Since the planet is doomed to failure, what is the point in creating an inconvenience for students whom want bottled water?

There are bigger fish to fry, honestly.

The students care about real issues – jobs, money, beer. This is why apathy is present is all politics because politicians concern themselves with populist vote-winners, rather than practical politicies which will help the unrepresented students at the university.

Why not work on doing something useful – creating jobs for students at the university by investment in student startups and outsourcing work from the union to them.

Start providing a path for progression for the students; something that they will engage with and be interested in.

Anonymous

Album Review: The Overtones – Good Ol’ Fashioned Love Dear Patrick

Hi,

We appreciate everyone is entitled to their opinion, however if you write a review I suggest you get your facts right and know how to spell the band members names correctly for starters.

First of all, apologies for the factual mistakes, they’re unforgivable and sorry about how long it’s taken me to reply.

However, I stand by the rest of the review.

The band have been together for a quite few years and the largest part of the success of The Overtones can be credited to the blend of these five voices. The music on the album is a mixture between your traditional Doo Wop and current day pop songs with an Overtones twist. If this is not your type of music that is fine, but there is no need to publicly slate and question their “story”.

Let’s be honest, you can praise an album as much as you like but the lack of many original tracks is always a drawback, and approaching from an entirely neutral point of view none of the tracks on the album screamed classic, new or old. If they were classics then the Overtones didn’t make that apparent and I can only judge their version of the songs in question.

If anything else, have a look at the one hit wonders that are flooding our charts these days as a result of the numerous “talent” shows on TV, of which most haven’t seen a recording studio or a stage until they got catapulted into their own down fall and won’t make it to even record a second album.

These guys are all very talented and know how to emphasise their vocal strenghts and work on their weaknesses as a band.

They have not been put together by a media mogul, as opposed to many other groups…

I suggest you either give the album another listen and perhaps this will change your mind. If not I strongly suggest you choose your words better for future reviews.

Chantal

I didn’t hate or even dislike this album, 5/10 means I found it average. In my opinion some of the songs were in fact enjoyable as I hope I’ve made clear in the review, but a great deal didn’t shine out.

Their live performances might be great but I was given the album to review and I’ve tried to do that to the best of my ability. I also concede the point that their voices might be technically fantastic but in my opinion there is more to music than technical excellence and The Overtones generally failed to give their songs any emotional weight or a sense of their own distinct personality.

Ultimately the review is just an indication of my own opinion and if it disagrees with yours then that’s just the nature of music.

Patrick Joyce

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011 www.forgetoday.com

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www.forgetoday.com // comment@forgetoday.com FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

10

COMMENT

Forge Press asks: Is increasing the payment for egg donors ethical?

Egg donation is Selling unborn a vital cervix for babies is ovary complicated the infertile Alisha Rouse

Yet another genetic engineering debate has been ignited. Aren’t we all loving the 21st century?

The offering of £750 in compensation to women who donate their eggs has been slandered by critics as an unethical payment.

These women are selling their eggs, nay, their actual, living, breathing babies!

This is disgusting, evil, wouldn’t happen if Diana was here! Anyone who does this does not deserve children – oh wait.

The average woman has 300,000 eggs in her body by the time of puberty.

Donating one singular member of this colossal bunch would not exactly upset the herd; however it could change a family forever.

‘From what my mother tells me, having a baby is alright’ With eggs being unfertilised when the donation takes place, the case for egg-donation is the same as the case for any other organ donation: something you don’t need, someone else desperately needs – surely this is fine?

However, in that case serious ethical issues arise on the subject of the donor in question: are they of sound mind and health or are they simply desperate for some cash?

This is a serious problem if you’re talking about a

lung.

But you’re not. You’re talking about one of hundreds of thousands of equals.

That family who have suffered through miscarriages and decades of yearning for a child of their own do not care particularly about the disposition of the donor.

Altruistic or Satanist, the donor is doing a service to a family desperately wanting to add another stocking to the fireplace.

‘The average woman has 300,000 eggs in her body’ Therefore, for their time, disruption to their lives and possible side-effects from the drug used to stimulate egg release, they are offered compensation. £750 is not a vast amount of money, but effectively covers travel costs and loss of wages should an illness occur as a result.

The basic argument against this point is sound. £750 is an unreasonable amount of money; it will encourage desperate women - probably druggies - to take it as a payment for the sale of their unhatched specks. Their eggs will probably be druggies too. One will become Prime Minister. And we’re all going to hell.

I don’t have children, but from what my own mother tells me having a baby is alright. She quite likes me, we make fajitas.

Wherever your family has come from, and by whatever means they have come into

your lives, they are a joy. A joy that so many families are sadly deprived of.

Fine, £750 might be a little steep in cases where the donor does not miss a few weeks off work following side-effects from the procedure, but who cares?

They deserve compensation for their nobility and if this system encourages more women to donate their eggs, fantastic.

We may finally reach a new stage of human development, where more children are had by loving, secure families who desperately desire a child; as opposed to shooting them out nine months after a one-night stand and too many tequilas.

Sam Matthews

When does remuneration become exploitation? When does compensation become commercialisation? Does the tragic possibility of leaving people childless justify inducing women to take risks with their bodies?

These questions are central to the controversy surrounding the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s (HFEA) decision to triple the compensation they offer to women donating eggs in the UK. The decision made on October 19 means that now egg donors will

Uterus what you think about egg donation. We think there’s a time and a placenta.

Photo: intelguy/flickr

receive a fixed sum of £750 per cycle of donation.

Whatever your stance on the potential commercialisation of egg donation, IVF’s value for childless couples cannot be doubted. The IVF process brings happiness to people who may have given up hope of ever being parents.

‘These consequences can in some cases be fatal’

Neither would anybody in their right mind question the idea that donors deserve reimbursement for their travel costs and for any financial losses they may have incurred while attending the clinic.

But what the HFEA fails to recognise is that paying an egg donor £750 represents a significant financial incentive to donate eggs.

The decision is in stark contrast to the conclusion they reached in 2005 that, “compensation for inconvenience was undesirable because of the risk that it may encourage some people to donate without thinking sufficiently about the consequence”.

In a change of heart, Professor Lisa Jardine, HFEA’s chairperson now claims £750 is not an incentive.

Professor Jardine’s view seems positively bizarre in our current economic climate. While £750 may not seem like a large amount to a middle class professional, to a student or a woman on benefits the sum could make a

significant difference to their standard of living.

This has been seen in Spain where egg donors are often paid about 1000 Euros in compensation. As a result, the most common profile of donors has become university students between the ages of 20 and 25, followed by Eastern European immigrants.

Coupled with the economic crisis of 2008, there has been a huge rise in the number of egg donations.

There are a number of reasons why offering financial incentives to women in order to encourage them to take part in the egg retrieval procedure is ethically questionable.

The first is that, as the HFEA stated in 2005, this kind of financial incentive may lead women “to donate without thinking sufficiently about the consequences”.

These consequences can even, in some cases, be fatal. Nina Thanki from Leicester and Temilola Akinbolagbe who collapsed at a bus stop in London were both young women in their 30s who died in Britain as a result of the egg-retrieval procedure.

Cases such as these are rare but highlight the real risks women can face when they undergo egg retrieval.

The medical and ethical reasons make this kind of exploitation unacceptable.

Got an opinion on the topics discussed this fortnight?

Contact letters@ forgetoday. com

Nobody will loos out with the Union’s unisex lavatories Martin Bottomley If I were to tell you that the Student Union was contemplating introducing unisex toilets in order not to discriminate against students of “particular sexualities or gender identity,” I’m sure for many the phrase “a little too PC” might spring to mind.

After all, the vast majority of people have absolutely no problem with separate toilets for men and women.

In fact, wouldn’t the vast majority of people have a much bigger problem with unisex toilets? That would be absolutely disgusting, wouldn’t it? Isn’t that the real issue here?

No, to answer rhetorical me, that heteronormative line of questioning is entirely missing the point. The problem isn’t discrimination in the drastic sense, but it’s a more subtle, everyday kind of

discrimination that reminds you every day that you’re different, but most of all unwelcome in society.

For the purposes of this article, imagine you’re a woman. You like being a woman, you see women as the driving force of good in the world. You feel at home with a somewhat misty-eyed view of femininity.

You whole-heartedly embrace everything various corners of society tell you is great about being a woman: flirting with guys, shopping, Bridget Jones, being in touch with your feelings, et cetera.

Now imagine that you, as a woman, have a penis. This is the central difference between gender and sex: the former is what society tells you - a role you play every day, while the latter is a biological certainty.

And whether hypothetical-woman-you is a transgendered woman or a hermaphrodite, the pain of not knowing where to belong is very real in everyday life.

The idea of separate toilets becomes even more flimsy when you take into consideration on what basis they were

created: a vague, prudish Victorian notion of “appropriateness” lies at the heart of the matter.

While this appropriateness is clearly tied to old-fashioned fears of overt sexuality, the existence and acceptance of homosexuality makes this a moot point.

‘In an ideal world, nobody would mind a person dressed as a woman using a urinal’

Who’s to decide what’s appropriate in an age where we’ve come to terms with the fact that human sexuality isn’t black and white?

Should gay men share toilets with women, so that no unwanted contact occurs? Who would be able to tell? The entire notion of sex-appropriate toilets is in itself ludicrous.

So does this mean we should introduce

unisex toilets? Due to the practicalities of security, probably not.

Rape is still a big issue in our society, especially with nightclubs serving copious amounts of alcohol. No amount of preemptive education will be able to prevent it happening with a 100 per cent certainty.

But this doesn’t mean gender and sexuality issues should just be ignored.

In an ideal world, nobody would mind a person dressed as a woman using a urinal amongst men, or a gay man flirting with another in the toilet. Homophobia and transphobia would not exist, and make the whole discussion about unisex toilets pointless.

But unfortunately, reality bites hard for some, and the most we as a society can do is change this by accepting and embracing sexual minorities.

Hopefully, this debate about unisex toilets will raise awareness and make society more open to those who would otherwise have no door to walk through when nature calls.

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

www.forgetoday.com // comment@forgetoday.com

11

COMMENT

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could have a first daughter who’ll walk in the footsteps of empowering female monarchs such as Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria

No longer do you need ‘crown jewels’ to reach the throne Fay Guest So, last week in Australia, Commonwealth leaders decided to change the ancient rules surrounding rules within the British Royal family.

Up until now they had prevented an eldest daughter of the heir to the throne succeeding ahead of a younger brother, and had also prevented any member of the Royal family marrying a Roman Catholic.

‘In other words, women have the power to change the world, so why not let them try?’

About time too. I respect that in a different time, different rules applied, and therefore won’t criticise rules made my people who thought they knew what was best in times gone by.

We are however, now in the 21st century and times are a-changin. Let’s start with the marriage rule.

All we have to do is look back 30 years to the ill-fated marriage of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

Obviously the matter of religion was not the problem within the marriage; the problem was that one of the people within the marriage wanted to be married to someone else.

If he had been allowed to marry Camilla

they would now have been married for decades and would be held up as an example to all of the values of marriage and the family. If only.

The scandal that surrounded them and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, blighted the Royal family for years, all because the Prince of Wales needed to marry a suitably connected, Protestant virgin, and a virgin Camilla was not.

Different time, different ways, but the Royal family couldn’t weather another marriage-collapse storm, and so for the future of the monarchy, it’s probably quite a good idea to let them all follow their hearts rather than the rules.

However, there are few pro-monarchy people in this country who would wish our Queen to be anyone else.

The 1701 Act of Settlement not only banned members of the Royal family marrying a Roman Catholic, it also banned any Roman Catholics from ascending the throne.

Had this law not been put into practice, our current monarch would be King Francis II. As it is, Francis is Franz, Duke of Bavaria. But how different things could have been.

Not that there should be any discrimination toward Roman Catholics, but this country would have lost out on one of the most dedicated, committed and hard working monarchs of all time.

Onto the more high profile change to the rules: allowing an eldest girl to succeed to the throne even if she has younger brothers.

Next year will mark 60 years since Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth. Last week, she and the Duke of

Edinburgh, aged 85 and 90 respectively, completed a gruelling tour of Australia.

Earlier this year they completed a similarly gruelling, historic and important trip to the Republic of Ireland.

Her Majesty’s visit to Ireland, a country to have been struck with troubles and conflict over the years, served to soothe some of the hurt between us.

‘To survive, the Royal family needs to move with the times and appreciate public mood’ Considering that her husband’s uncle, Lord Mountbatten, was murdered by the IRA, causing devastating grief to her and her family, the Queen behaved with remarkable aplomb and dignity. For six decades she has done this, becoming a much-loved figure around the world.

So it seems inconceivable that it would be law that a girl could not become Queen when we’ve had such a good one for 60 years.

Obviously, it is definitely likely that a king could do an equally fantastic job, and this we will find out in years to come, as we currently have two kings in waiting.

But as the Queen said in her speech at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Perth: “The theme this year is Women as Agents of Change. It reminds us of the potential in our societies that is yet to be fully unlocked and it encourages us to find ways to allow all girls and women to play their full part.

We must continue to strive in our own countries and across the Commonwealth together to promote that theme in a lasting way beyond this year.”

So in other words, women have the power to change the world, so why not let them try?

The Royal wedding in April marked a massive change in the face of the monarchy: it is cool to be a royalist again and therefore “the Firm” has to move into the 21st century.

Royal duties are essentially careers for those that undertake them, and any other “employer” would be rightly taken to the cleaners for favouring men over women.

David Cameron was quite correct in trying to avoid a constitutional crisis should the Duchess of Cambridge give birth to a daughter from a first pregnancy, because a constitutional crisis it would be.

Just imagine the uproar. A million people were on the streets on London for the Royal wedding in April and many more millions watched around the world, full of hope for the future and the new up to date monarchy that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are a big part of.

If the rules stayed in place regarding succession by a first born daughter, all those people would surely be wondering where the monarchy we were all so proud of in April had gone.

While the British Royal family is at the very heart of the tradition of this nation, and some things should not change, to survive they do need to move with the times and appreciate public mood.

With the Queen behind the changes to these rules, they have managed to do exactly that.

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COMMENT

No let off from housing rush Olivia Adams I thought I must be dreaming when a man was floating outside my bedroom window at eight o’clock on Saturday morning. We made eye contact through the gap in my blind, but I sleepily dismissed this as part of my dream and went back to sleep.

On opening the blind at a more reasonable hour, sometime in the afternoon, I saw a big ‘TO LET’ sign on the side of the house. I should have been more worried about the eye contact I’d had earlier with the man, but instead I was more outraged by the fact that we have been living in our new house in Crookesmoor for 42 days, and already we are being pushed to move out.

We had received a letter telling us that if we didn’t sign up to another year on the tenancy agreement, viewings of our house would commence on November 1. Once we had replied stating that we won’t be staying on, the ‘TO LET’ sign was put up and listings of other houses available with our letting agency came through the door.

It is the first year students I feel the accommodation rush affects the most. They have only known the people they are living with for about six weeks, and already the pressure is mounting to sign up for a house before all the good ones are gone. It can be overwhelming to have letting adverts mounting up in your letter box when you are just about settled into your flat.

Time and consideration should be put in to who you want to live with the following year, and in my opinion, it is too soon to tell if you are going to clash with someone over the minor things – such as sharing the television remote, or the bigger issues like splitting the bills.

Being a fresher last year, my flat mates and I assumed that all students living in a city were viewing houses with people they barely knew in November and December.

But Sheffield is unusual in this pressured rush – most other city students don’t consider finding houses until January. At the University of Leeds the majority of house listings don’t even come out until the New Year, and most students sign for a house between mid to late January.

So why the mad rush? When walking down Broomhill there are flashing ‘letting available’ signs everywhere you turn, with houses already ‘let.’ This madness confuses me: surely there is enough student housing to accommodate the students of Sheffield? The accommodation rush is therefore simply unnecessary, but just a bad habit encouraged by greedy letting agents.

I would suggest ‘beating the rush,’ but I fear that would mean house searching the summer before you have even moved into your accommodation for September.

We’re all feeling the pressure to lay down a deposit Image: Boyce Duprey/Flickr

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Jared Barazetti-Scott Being a very sociable bear the panda enters a café, it then eats, shoots and leaves. Discounting the possibility of an armed panda entering Starbucks, this grammatical construction is clearly misleading.

We have learned this week that students, as well as being incapable of waking before midday, are also lousy job applicants. A leading consultancy firm has slammed the “lazy” culture that underpins student jobseekers.

18 to 25-year-olds are the clear culprits with 71 per cent of their CVs found to contain spelling and grammatical errors, while 45 per cent were guilty of writing over the two page standard limit.

Well strike me down and call me Kenneth! That’s the last nail hammered into the proverbial student coffin; we are ripe for unemployment with our illiterate ways and funny dress sense.

While I don’t dispute the importance of clarity in writing, let’s keep some perspective. In my mind, grammar rules are comparative with national days; its good to know their meaning, but hardly essential for the continuation of humanity.

In writing this article I have Microsoft suggesting I capitalise its company name and place a strategic comma prior to deploying the word which.

Failure to obey the powers of the leviathan will result in the user having their document underlined in aggressive green marker, a punishment that hardly fits the crime.

Lynne Truss, whose quote began this article, bemoans the state of punctuation in the UK. She marvels at the population’s inability to utilise an ellipsis or pay credence to a colon.

Quite what she thought of the satirical publication ‘Eats Shites and Leaves: Crap English and How to Use It’, is as yet unknown.

Though there is a certain novelty to watching Truss’s long lost sister Susie Dent – Countdown’s resident word anorak – providing meaning to the modern day meaningless; surely the beauty of language lies not

Employers are not impressed by our CVs only in how it’s written but how it’s delivered.

As many famous orators, authors and entrepreneurs will attest, there is more to success than a sterile CV and a spell-checked covering letter.

‘While I don’t dispute the importance of clarity, let’s keep some perspective’ John Lennon, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, all of whom were diagnosed with dyslexia, went on to carve out successful careers in professions that rely on expression and communication.

In an era of social networking and abbreviations, we have to ask with

Image: hectorhannibal/flickr which language 18-25 year olds will more readily associate with: that of a lol or rofl, or Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Grammar and spelling, rather like skirting boards, are functional if little understood facts of life.

Their importance, however, rests with their instrumental, not intrinsic value. For this reason I voice opposition to Lynne Truss , who hankers after a bygone era where, like nostalgia, the present is tense and the past perfect.

So lets hear a collective hurrah for a holistic approach to communication, where a misplaced apostrophe need not equal catastrophe, and where applicants are judged as people rather than processors.

Employers should no longer withhold opportunity on the basis of grammar and spelling mistakes, much of which is the preserve of lexicographers and losers.

D.A.R.T.S. Forge Press takes its satirical aim

Choo-choo-loos: According to our Students’ Union, we attend a university that is lesbian, gay and trains-gender friendly.

The paper discussing the introduction of new unisex toilets to the Union, contained a typo; revealing that it is sympathetic towards locomotives,

Come along to the next comment meeting and let us know!

Our next meeting is at 5:30pm on Tuesday November 8, in Gallery Room 3 (level two of the Students’ Union)

Students’ CVs full of panda-monium

Like a Virgin, flushed for the very first time

rather than trans-gendered individuals.

Quite what their train of thought was we may never know, but I think it’s fare to say our Union officers have slightly gone off track with this one.

Website of the week:

Hallam’s notice board poll

Ok, so not technically a website, but still a most comprehensive source of amusement on t’interweb.

In an attempt to increase democracy within the Hallam Union, their officers created a Facebook poll, asking their subjects what colour they would like the new Hallam Union notice board.

Whilst quite amusing in its own right, University of Sheffield students went one further - creating their own answer to the poll; that they believe the Hallam notice board should be Black & Gold!

Now over 1,100 students have voted for the University of Sheffield’s colours to be those chosen - that is six times the number who voted for the second most popular answer: another Uni of Sheffield creation “Hallam can afford a notice board?”

Quote of the fortnight:

“Our home. Our children. Our future. ”

- Nick Clegg’s keynote speech in Birmingham for the Lib Dem Autumn Conference. We can’t help feel that this should have been followed by a mention that the Coalition Government is doing its very best to, er, ruin all of these things.

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

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Tis the season for slutty spirits and hot hedgehogs Betty thinks Halloween is the perfect excuse to get dolled up and hit the town, but others don’t agree

Josh Carey Prepare your pumpkins and collect your kindling, we have now settled into the depths of autumn.

It’s that time of year when small children smash their way into the homes of OAPs and demand sweets; when any childless person with pubic hair spatters themselves with red paint and tears holes into Primark’s latest clothing range; when fully grown adults watch out-dated horror films on a volume that renders their door bell useless.

‘Really, I think we should go back to the origins of both these festivals’

Yes, that’s right, I hope you’ve all enjoyed the pun filled ‘scarily fun’, ‘spookily joyful’ festival that the Celts called Samuin (summers end). It is now considered by many to be just another corporate holiday,

during which regular foods, in slightly different colours and shapes, fill those shelves near the tills in supermarkets that were made only for 2 for 1 offers on Pepsi and Doritos.

Whether you controversially attempted to recreate the look of a recently deceased celebrity or reinvented your favourite bedsheet into a slutty ghost costume, this is yet another perfectly dire excuse to dress up and drink up only to wake up to a semi-costumed snoring animal to remember exactly what it was you wanted to forget.

Ah yes, and then there is Bonfire night, where communities collect together on large fields and begin the happy British tradition of creating a perfect home for the friendly neighbourhood hedgehogs and then torching the lot of them.

Standing astride the pile of scorched quills stands a man who reminds us of what can happen if you mess with the government.

We rub our hands together in the bitter cold and watch our breath freeze in the air and shatter into shards of salivary ice on the floor.

Eventually we see the night

off with a firework display, something that manages to push the toffee apple down to fourth position in the rankings of most underwhelming things ever to have been invented, just behind 3D cinema and wedding receptions.

‘This is yet another perfectly dire excuse to dress up and drink up’

Although Guy Fawkes takes the medal for starting such a festival off, it wasn’t always him atop the bonfire. Oh no, has any British festival such a simple past?

Before now effigies of prominent figures in the Catholic church were scorched, the Pope being a firm favourite of puritanical England - though they generally settled for any old figure of hate.

Really, I think we should go back to the origins of both of these festivals.

Get together with your friends and family and bring all the wood you can find.

Then, erect an enormous straw doll with David Cameron’s

Image: quinn.amya/Flickr face strapped to the top, or, alternatively, whichever of the X Factor lot has grabbed too many headlines that week.

And then get the children of the neighbourhood to dance around happily throwing their homemade Molotov cocktails into the middle, shrieking with delight before tearing down whatever’s left and using the tortured remains of your selected celebrity as a sweetless piñata, to prepare the little kiddies for a lifetime of disappointment.

And as for Halloween, I spend it in the same way it was intended; a festival of the dead.

I sit hunched in a corner of my living room, festively drinking a bottle of blood red wine and running to the hall to scream in the faces of those who dare to darken my doorway with their tiny, tiny shadows.

I’ll wish that all the rock and roll zombies, Twilight look-alikes, and half-hearted thriller costume wearers outside would join those who were originally the centrepiece of the Hallows Eve festivities in the grounds of medieval churches and the memories of their respective families.

Editorial Minnows need to fight the giants back

Sainsbury’s application to open a new store near the University and Students’ Union will strike another blow for local independent stores in Sheffield.

If the store gets approved it shows the greed of theses major chains. There will be three stores from the big supermarkets in close proximity to the University, including the Tesco on West Street, and the Sainsbury’s near the Arts tower, which is only 0.3 miles away from the site for the newly proposed store.

The stores are taking away valuable business from small independently run shops and forcing them to have to close.

Family businesses that have been open for hundreds of years are closing all around us just because it is more convenient and a little bit cheaper for us to visit one of the big names we know.

The delightfully named Fruit-A-Peel in Broomhill is a prime example of the type of independent businesses that come under threat from the ‘big boys’ moving in across the street.

The quality and price of the store’s products are far superior to that of the Euro Spar that is just across the street.

Yet we chose not to use it as the name isn’t familiar to us.

Greasy spoon café Belly Busters, on Glossop Road (just down from the Union), who served some of the largest portions you could imagine recently shut down to be replaced by a Greggs.

These large chain stores do have their advantages for us students. Who doesn’t need to buy cheap when the purse strings are drawn tight?

They do make jobs for the local community, but they are damaging the city we are living in.

In the overall scheme of things, as shortterm visitors to the city, we should be trying to embrace its originality before we end up killing it and every street turns into a row of brand names.

The closing date for comments about the new Sainsbury’s proposal is November 16 2011. The site is Upper Hanover Street, where HSBC used to be.

Matt Burgess - Forge Press Editor matt.burgess@forgetoday.com

To give your view, tweet @ForgeComment or visit www.forgetoday.com/comment

Gaddafi’s death just the tip of a hypocrisy-ridden iceberg Alex Chafey On October 20 2011 the world awoke to the news that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi had been killed. This savage dictator was responsible for political and racial persecution and presiding over a military dictatorship for 42 years, and rightly received little sympathy from political leaders around the world.

William Hague condemned Gaddafi’s extra-judicial killing but clarified: “At the same time we are not going to mourn him”. Hillary Clinton also appeared to be pleased, saying this was the start of a “new era” for Libyans.

David Cameron opted for a low-key remembrance of Gaddafi’s victims and President Obama said: “The shadow of tyranny over Libya has been lifted”.

Slightly less publicised however was the death, on October 22, of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al

Saud, first in line for the throne of Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

For the sake of comparison I should point out that the Saudi Arabian royal family is one of a very small handful of absolute monarchies that still exist in the world.

Its law is a literal interpretation of Sharia law, where the maximum punishment for homosexuality is public execution, women are not permitted to drive and make up only 5 per cent of the work force, the lowest in the world. Political opponents are locked away or executed, and punishments handed out by judges include lashing, stoning, beheading and amputation.

So when Sultan died this week, one could be forgiven for assuming the reactions amongst our leaders would be similar to those for Gaddafi.

Sultan, however, died not at the hands of victorious rebels, but in a comfortable hospital in New York. Clinton’s scathing condemnation of Sultan went as follows: “The Crown Prince was a strong leader and a good friend to the United States over many years, as well as a tireless champion

for his country.” He also stated that the US’s ties with Saudi Arabia were “strong and enduring”.

I wonder if this apparent reversal of Clinton’s stance on brutal regimes is anything to do with the fact that under Sultan’s watch as Defence Minister, Saudi Arabia became the world’s biggest importer of US arms.

‘Sultan died not at the hands of victorious rebels, but in a comfortable hospital’ If you’re expecting some harsh criticism from our own William Hague, you’re about to be disappointed: “[Sultan] served the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for many years with great dignity and dedication.

His contribution to the prosperity and development of the Kingdom will long be remembered.”

Prince Charles also weighed in, literally

adding insult to the injury suffered by the vicious Saudi regime’s victims by sending a “letter of condolence” to King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.

Why haven’t these people learned their lesson? On the day of Gaddafi’s death, embarrassing footage of Tony Blair and George Bush with their African partner-incrime resurfaced on our TV screens. Is that what Hague and Clinton hope to emulate?

By cosying up to and praising the Saudi Royal family, Western leaders not only sacrifice the moral high ground on the international stage, but send out a message of tolerance for the persecution of women, LGBT people, religious minorities and political dissenters, therefore offending the majority of citizens in their own country.

They also potentially cause problems for themselves at a later date if revolution were to break out there. Support the Saudi royal family and be the enemy of freedom, or support the rebels and face accusations of hypocrisy. Although it seems unlikely Mrs Clinton will be concerned with the prospect of appearing hypocritical when there are weapons to be sold.

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FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out Yet another cool new acronym has emerged from our current social networking culture, Forge Press explores what FOMO is all about Words: Lizzie Jewell

I

t’s a pretty common feeling for the likes of me. You know when you’re too skint, too tired, a bit ill, drowning in a torrent of seminar reading and essay deadlines? Yet all it takes - for me, as I seem to be lacking in any sort of solidarity - is one word. “Pub?” And as if by magic I’m suddenly dressed to the nines and still in the club when the lights come on at the end of the night. Always an obvious indicator that you’ve had too much and it’s time to go home.

This is all because I’m paralysed with fear of being the one who doesn’t go out and ends up missing out on the best night out that ever took place ever. If something so rare and amazing might happen which will never be repeated, how could you say no? This feeling has plagued me for as long as I can remember, yet a new trendy acronym has come out, dubbing it “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) and it’s a movement that has been gracing headlines of the likes of The Guardian and The New York Times.

While feeling like this is nothing new, it seems to be getting worse, and calling it something abbreviated and stylish only solidifies it into a concrete phenomenon. Yep, it’s yet another new acronym for the BBM, ROFLMAO, ASBO generation, and it’s not going anywhere.

Depressingly, this problem has apparently been getting worse over the last few years. With the advent of social networking and mobile internet, we can get updates of how amazing other people’s social lives are 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Somehow spending the evening with your Friends box-set in your pyjamas isn’t a luxury, but a source of social stigma and pity.

You’re the one that’s missing out.

Thanks to Foursquare and Facebook, you can find out that your course-mate is having the time of their life, shedding light on the fact that you haven’t actually moved from your duvet for a while now.

And what about having all those fabulous parties you weren’t invited to displayed before your very eyes.

Makes you feel brilliant, doesn’t it?

Not that I’m trying to imply that being perpetually tuned in to Twitter makes you any cooler.

In fact, I get pretty annoyed when people constantly post about what a nice time they’re having - do you actually speak to people? Is it really possible to interact with your peers

“

Somehow spending the evening with your Friends box-set in your pyjamas isn’t a luxury, but a source of social stigma and pity

”

when you’re glued to your iPhone, updating every last one of your acquaintances twice a minute with what you’re up to? But does this mean missing out in a different way? Are social networks actually counter-productive to your social life? It seems to me that, when used excessively, they have two main effects: firstly, to make those not out on the town feel bad about it.

Secondly, to distract and detract from how much fun the people who are actually out are having. As Hephzibah Anderson put it for the article on FOMO in The Guardian, “We’re too busy tweeting about the scent of those roses to actually breathe it in.”

Comfortingly, I’m not the only one plagued by FOMO. Anna Sproul set up the blog NOMOFOMO (www. nomofomo.com) in 2009 exploring the phenomenon. She writes that “FOMO makes obsessive cataloguers of its sufferers.” Not just social networking updates, but photo albums, blog posts, pins on maps.

I’m sure I’m not the only one with a world map with X’s drawn on it on my bedroom wall. Why is having been there not enough? We do we feel the need to prove it? I have hundreds of photographs stuck on my wall, am I just trying to show that I’ve been there, done that?

In addition to cataloguing what I have done, while contemplating my obsession with FOMO, I considered something. How much does trying to be a social butterfly detract from the other important elements of your life? If you say yes to every single social engagement you’re invited to, what else do you miss out on? If you’re anything like me, a particularly heavy night out leaves me feeling fragile to say the least. I don’t respond well to being hungover, and it can often leave me looking and feeling like an extra from Shaun of the Dead (minus the blood). This surely means I’m missing out on other things. My studies must suffer at least a bit, and my finances definitely take a hit. If I didn’t transform every student loan into vodka, what else would it have gone on?

So you’ve got your degree, and maybe a part-time job. Then there’s the recommended number of hours of work towards your degree that you’re supposed to do outside of lectures - it varies from course to course, but the general consensus is that it’s far more than the average student would possibly consider.

“

We’re too busy tweeting about the scent of those roses than to actually breathe it in Hephzibah Anderson, The Guardian

”

Add to that a social life, a couple of nights out, and for the lucky ones maybe a significant other. This poses the question: how do we fit it all in?

It seems as if the only way to have it all and get everything done is to be severely sleep deprived.

Unfortunately, we live in a city where there’s quite a lot to do.

The University boasts a million and one things to spend your time and student loan on, plus you can’t walk through town without getting bombarded with leaflets and flyers, all claiming that their venue is the one and only place to be. Their offers are the cheapest, their music is the best. They even have a DJ set by that celebrity you’d forgotten existed.

How can you refuse?

As it turns out, some people can, I’m just not one of them. My beloved housemate can just say no, if she reckons she won’t enjoy it that much, suspects it’ll be expensive, is faced with the dread of a 9am lecture the following day, she’ll just stay in, quite happily. She’s lucky enough to not be plagued with FOMO, and as a result is probably a lot better at life than I am. She saves her money, doesn’t get the burning ache of the pain of high heels, and isn’t crippled by a hangover while she’s at uni. And she’s also perfectly content with it, but I don’t understand her.

After some consideration, I’ve decided that an element of FOMO is probably a good thing. If you’re a student, then it’s probably better to spend these few years living up to the rowdy, depraved reputation, because let’s face it, it doesn’t last forever. To be frank, if you graduate and all you’ve got to show for it is a degree, then you have missed out; being a student basically gives you a free pass to stay out all night, sleep til noon and spend the rest of your day watching Countdown. Although it’s sometimes a chore to find, I guess the best thing we can hope for is to find a balance.

I reckon there’s worse things in life than a bit of FOMO. Especially if you call it something a bit more favourable. Something that sounds more exciting and positive like a lust for life, a desire for adventure, carpe diem and so on. Although it might be slightly detrimental to your degree, your health and your finances, fear of missing out ensures that most of the time, you don’t miss out. Fellow FOMO-ers, I salute you. I don’t care if you have a 9am lecture tomorrow morning, I’ll see you on the dancefloor.

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

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Forge

2:11 AM

Messages

Matt Matt

Edit

Come to West Street, we’re having the best night EVER What are you doing?

Just bar-crawling, but it’s really great, everywhere’s rammed.

You’re really missing out!

I’ve got a 9am tomorrow So do I! :) You only live once!

I’m on my way!

Send

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The Disaffect Youth

From Clegg to Obama, why are so many stude with politicians? Is disappointment and betra part of politics?

Words: Nicholas Try Pictures: Liberal Democrats & Matt Ortega

Y

es we can was the calling card of Barack Obama in 2008 but as 2012, and reelection approaches its looking more like “no we can’t” after a string of broken promises, and failed initiatives. This is definitely not the era of ‘hope and change.’

Similarly here in Britain, the so called ‘Cleggmania’ which followed the televised election debates of 2010, brought Sheffield’s own Nick Clegg out of the wilderness of Liberal Democrat politics and into the national consciousness.

Both of these politicians arguably owe their positions of power to a large extent to young people, to students.

Nick Clegg was a fresh face, who spoke in a direct, casual style about issues that mattered to large numbers of the student population including tuition fees and green energy.

But what engaged us with him, ultimately, is what drove many young people away.

As a result, this invites the question: is it inevitable that young people in society become disaffected with politics? Looking at the two examples on either side of the Atlantic, it would seem so.

“

When students hear speeches riddled with broken promises is it really a surprise when they don’t turn out to vote

”

Clegg reneged on his pact with the electorate; he “sold his soul” as one Daily Mirror headline professed.

By going back on his promise to students that he would never increase tuition fees, Clegg seemed to seal his own fate.

When a Liberal Democrat candidate lost out in local elections in the town of Beverley, he claimed in an interview that what surprised him most was that young people weren’t turning out to vote.

But when students hear speeches riddled with broken promises, failed initiates and see seemingly genuine politicians turning their backs so readily on the pledges they have made, is it really a surprise when they don’t turn out to vote?

Similarly in the US, Obama’s story echoed Cleggs’. Walking triumphantly into the White House on a cool, crisp January morning in 2009, it seemed as though anything was possible.

“The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation” just some of the inspirational words Obama gave to America’s younger generation.

When such excitement builds up, and there is a feeling that revolutionary changes will be made,

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FEATURES

ted

ents disengaged ayal really just

of course expectations cannot possibly be met. Issues such as the economy and environmental protection take time; they are slow drawn out processes that cannot be fixed with the flick of a magic wand. Compounded by the rise of the Tea Party movement, and high unemployment figures, the reelection of Barack Obama is looking precarious.

Young voters in America were promised change. But what was that change? With a system of government that requires the White House to work in tandem with the Senate and the House of Representatives, compromise, deal making, and partisan politics is inevitable.

Indeed, it is what the Founding Fathers intended.

When the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, Obama did not have the luxury of doing whatever he wanted.

He had to make concessions on issues such as universal health care, environment legislation and laying off huge numbers of public sector workers.

But in doing this, it seemed to those millions of ‘college kids’ as though he was just the same, another politician not delivering.

Rather than changing Washington and getting spending under control,

“

We campaign in poetry, but govern in prose Maria Cuomo, former Governor of New York

”

America now has the largest budget deficit in its history.

So, with re-election for Obama coming up next year, and Nick Clegg being reviled in the eyes of much of the public, a strategy must be employed to win back the youth vote that many commentators have said put them into office in the first place.

For Clegg, the tuition fees debacle will be difficult to recover from. In an ICM poll he was voted the most deceitful politician in the country by young people. One third of people polled said they cannot trust him anymore.

This is a huge turn around, considering after the first television debate he was named the most popular political leader in the country since Churchill.

Nevertheless, many believe Clegg and the Liberal Democrats have done a lot to be proud of. They have taken everyone earning under £10,000 per year out of tax.

They have tempered NHS reforms, and with Chris Huhne heading the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the Lib Dems have pushed green policies such as the creation of a green investment bank.

The Lib Dems have done a lot, but arguably have failed to communicate it. Maybe people just aren’t listening.

Perhaps the only hope for the Lib Dems not being decimated at the next election is if Nick Clegg is removed as leader.

However a better PR strategy, and a stronger assertion of differences between the two coalition parties could win the public back over.

For Obama, there is an equally difficult mountain to climb in terms of winning re-election. His controversial way of dealing with the deficit has given him a meagre approval rating of 39 per cent in a recent poll.

In 2008, it was all about the ‘e-election,’ the ‘change’ campaign, the internet, young people, and inspiration.

But with a nervous electorate this will not hold water. People want substantive policies that will give America sustainability for the future.

Who the Republicans choose as their candidate may affect Obama’s chances. If they go with a Tea Party style politician such as Texas’ Rick Perry, or the firebrand Michele Bachmann, Why? Because no matter how much young people are disappointed, many young Americans think the consequences of a Tea Party presidency would be too dire to contemplate.

In reality, if a moderate conservative who appeals to independent voters, and has a business background such as Mitt Romney runs, then Obama could be in trouble.

Looking at Obama and Clegg, it is easy to see that there is an ocean sized gulf between promises and reality, expectation and deliverance.

As former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo once put it, “We campaign in poetry, but govern in prose.”

But with this problem, how can young people sustain an interest in political life?

After all, politics is central to our existence.

No we are not in love with politicians, but by not engaging what right do we as individuals have to complain about the cuts, education policy, and every issue that affects our lives?

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THE

WISDOM OF WORDS We get the inside on Off the Shelf, Sheffield’s biggest literature event, which is being held this October across the city Words: Tobias Hill Art: Jonathan Robinson

W

h i l e Sheffield may be m o r e associated w i t h steel than p o e t r y, one event this Autumn has focused on poems inspired by the city.

Throughout this October, the Off the Shelf literature festival has been holding almost 200 events across Sheffield to celebrate the diversity of language, song and rhyme.

Despite having the slightly unpoetic name, Sheffield Poems was an evening at the Banks Street Arts Centre that gave a platform for three poets who have produced work based upon their experiences and impressions of the city. The poets - Agnes Lehoczky, Helen Mort and Alan Payne - all have links to the local area.

Agnes Lehoczky and Alan Payne both moved to Sheffield from other countries; their poetry has explored the unique character of the city from the eyes of a new comer. The last poet of the three to perform at Sheffield Poems was Helen Mort who was born in the city, but has since moved away, and has wrote poetry about her memories of Sheffield. All three poets discussed their work and read extracts during the event.

Sheffield Poems was part of the Off the Shelf festival, which is held annually and celebrates all aspects of reading and writing. This is the 20th year the festival has been held. Attended by a large number of famous people, the festival holds

“

The Off the Shelf festival celebrates all aspects of reading and writing

”

events across the city ranging from writing workshops to lectures, children’s events to poetry readings.

While the festival is organised by the city council a large number of organisations are involved including the University of Sheffield and the Student Union.

Some of the poetry covered during Sheffield Poems has been written specially for a project called Citybooks Sheffield. This is a scheme funded by the European Union, and is attempting to produce a unique portrait of Sheffield by a range of different artistic mediums.

Both Agnes Lehoczky and Helen Mort have written poetry for Citybooks Sheffield. The project is intended to generate artwork and writing that portrays the character of fifteen of Europe’s less well known cites Five authors, a video artist and a photographer have been enrolled in the project to produce their artistic impressions of Sheffield.

Two of the authors and the photographer are locals to the city; and the others come from different areas of Europe, and will spend time in Sheffield before producing their contribution.

Each of the authors will write a ‘Citybook’ based upon their impressions of Sheffield. The citybooks can be written either in poetic or prose form, but Sheffield must be the major theme of the work.

Once completed the citybooks will be published in several formats, both digitally and in print; they will be available in English, French

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21

FEATURES

“

Part of my ambition is to develop literacy links, and working with Off the Shelf is a perfect opportunity Simon Armitage, Professor of Poetry

”

and Dutch. Agnes Lehoczky and Helen Mort read extracts from their citybooks at Sheffield Poems. The citybooks Sheffield project will run until the spring of 2012.

Agnes Lehoczky’s citybook is called Parasite of Town, and is a sequence of poems which explore the urban landscape of Sheffield from the eyes of an outsider. Her citybook is written in a prose poetry style. This is where a poem is written without line breaks, but reads like poetry.

Poetical techniques such as rhyme, repetition and heightened imagery are also used. The poem follows an unnamed narrator who is wandering through the streets of Sheffield discovering the city’s visible and unseen landscape and architecture.

God of the Gap is the citybook written by Helen Mort and is drawn from her childhood memories of Sheffield. The poem is a dream sequences exploring Sheffield by night, and combines both recollection and fantasy together.

The narrator of the poem is moving through a city where all identify features have been removed, and is attempting to bring back the city’s familiarity.

The poem also takes elements inspired by the supernatural. Both citybooks mentioned were published this Summer.

She is currently the resident poet at the Wordsworth trust, an organisation funded by the Arts Council to support young writers, and is the youngest person to hold the post.

Dr Agnes Lehoczky works as a lecturer at the University of Sheffield and as a translator, alongside writing poetry. She was born in Budapest, and her first two collections of poems were published in Hungry.

Since moving to the United Kingdom in 2002, she has also published poems written in English, and won awards for her writing.

She gained her PhD from the university of East Angela before moving to Sheffield. Dr Lehoczky currently teaches creative writing for the Masters course in the English department.

Her work has won prizes and she has published two poetry pamphlets.

The third poet to perform at Sheffield Poems was Alan Payne. He was born in the Caribbean and spent part of his childhood there before moving to Yorkshire. He worked as a primary school teacher in Sheffield, but has since retired to write poetry.

His published work is based upon his experience of moving from the Caribbean to Yorkshire, reflecting and comparing both locations. The collection of poems begins in the Caribbean before moving location to Yorkshire and describes the change in culture and landscape.

While Sheffield Poems focused on poetry written about Sheffield there was a range of other events at Off the Shelf looking at other aspects of poetry.

The poet laureate Carol Ann Duffey appeared at the Union to discuss her work and the University of Sheffield’s Professor of Poetry, Simon Armitage, has been acting as a guest curator in this year’s festival.

“Part of my ambition as Professor of Poetry is to develop and strengthen literary links between the University and the city, and working with Off the Shelf is a perfect opportunity. I’ve been connected with the festival for several years now, from its modest beginnings to the major event that it has become,” he said.

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Lifestyle & Travel

Fashion Food & Drink Health & Fitness Travel Sex & Relationships Technology

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

This fortnight...

We’re procrastinating...

We’re finding all sorts of ways to avoid doing our assessments...

FOUR OF THE BEST

Places to indulge in hot chocolate Twenty Two A

CaffÈ Nero

Cocoa This café on Norfolk Row oozes charm. A frothy mug of milk with a chocolate bar melted into it makes one of the smoothest cups of chocolate you’ll ever drink. Mix it up by trying the different flavours.

You know you want to.

fancie

The popular Italian chain consistently delivers a good cup of chocolate. One of the best things about it and one reason it’s on the list, the tiny Belgian chocolate buttons sprinkled on top of the whipped cream; molto dolce!

Tucked away on Ecclesall Road, this shop is an apothecary of all things sweet. Sink down on one of the sofas and try their hot chocolate, thick and sweet as you like, served with a pot of milk. The fresh cakes make it all the better.

What better way to take a break than a delicious cup of creamy hot chocolate with a delicious cupcake?

In Meadowhall, The Winter Gardens and on Sharrowvale Road, it’s the perfect midshopping break.

Sabreen Ali

Student life

Caffeine tablets

Working wonders or endangering students’ health?

Ina Fischer Some students consider them indispensable study aids, to others they are the epitome of good intent gone wrong: caffeine tablets.

You see packets of PRO PLUS® littering desks and work spaces in the library, you hear stories of course mates who only managed to meet their deadlines because they consumed enough caffeine pills to keep them going for days without sleep…and then you hear stories like that of 19-year-old James Stone who died from a caffeine overdose in November 2006.

According to his parents, Stone was in the process of job hunting and consumed “No-Doz” caffeine tablets to stay awake during his search.

Yes, moderate intake of caffeine is usually harmless and can increase a person’s alertness, but the danger of using caffeine pills to stay awake lies in the difficulty to dose the intake.

Because caffeine intake, usually in the form of coffee or energy drinks, represents an integral part in many people’s everyday lives, it is easy to underestimate the detrimental effects an overdose can have on the human body and mind.

Nobody could drink enough coffee or Red Bull to induce serious side effects such as dizziness, agitation, tremor or nausea, but with little white pills that take about an hour to be fully absorbed into the blood stream, it’s harder

to control how much you’re takingand how much you really need.

Caffeine pills are especially popular with university students as they’re an inexpensive and practical way to stay alert during late night study sessions.

PRO PLUS®, one of the most commonly available types of caffeine tablet in the UK, claims to provide students with “a fast acting caffeine boost that can relieve the symptoms of fatigue and tiredness and help you feel more awake.”

PRO PLUS® is one of the more ‘harmless’ types of caffeine pill, as one tablet ‘only’ contains 50mg of caffeine, which is roughly equivalent to a small cup of coffee.

Many types of caffeine tablet can contain up to 200mg.

Still, even the consumption of comparatively ‘weak’ PRO PLUS® tablets can already evoke unwanted negative side effects.

“I took a few PRO PLUS® once and ended up feeling really weird and panicky, almost as if I was drunk,” said Molly Fisher, a postgraduate student at the University of Sheffield.

Most students don’t recognise caffeine tablets as the psychostimulant over-the-counter-drugs they are, subsequently taking too many tablets at once or disregarding package instructions.

Another danger connected to repeated or excessive consumption of caffeine tablets is that of addiction.

According to researchers at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, caffeine is the most

commonly used mood-altering drug worldwide.

Students who repeatedly use caffeine tablets may start to depend on the increase in energy and mental alertness that they allegedly provide.

Once the habit is interrupted, withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, agitation or nervousness can occur.

Despite knowing about the risks involved, many students continue to rely on caffeine tablets as a means to stay awake and finish their assignments.

Ben Williams, a third year student at the University of Sheffield, admits to using caffeine tablets a couple of times each week and more regularly during exam periods.

He said: “When you take energy pills it’s a more gradual release than it is with coffee or energy drinks. It means they’re better for situations like exams where you want a delayed reaction and don’t need crashing too soon.

“Of course, they can be dangerous in large amounts, but so can just about anything at the coffee shop you just have to find the right level and be sensible.”

Whatever your position on the issue, be aware that caffeine tablets should never be taken to substitute sleep.

There are healthy ways to stay alert and focused during the day and night. Time management, a good night’s sleep and a balanced diet will work w o n d e r s compared to any over-thecounter-drug.

Alisha Rouse We live in a world ruled by 21st century technology.

You can’t sit on a bus, train or wait in the queue for Coffee Revs without seeing the top of your fellow humans’ heads buried vigorously into their smartphone.

My Blackberry is my best friend. I call it Blair (after both my Gossip Girl alter-ego and a certain weirdly attractive politician).

Blair comes everywhere with me and is never far from my palm; she is there through the good, the bad and every “oh my god! Who‘s that actor?!” Google moment.

However, the ladies at Lifestyle like to set a good challenge and I am certainly the perfect candidate: a genuine victim of iPhone-itus.

In an age that updates itself by the second, how easy is it to go five days smartphone free?

Day One:

It’s 9am and I have already resorted to coercing my housemates into helping me with this challenge.

As my human alarm burst into my room, she grabbed my dearest Blackberry from my hand

(where it had slept with me, we’re close like that) and proceeded to hide it somewhere in the house.

It’s fine, I say, I can do this.

So I grab my bag and head for lectures, a mild sweat already on.

Day Two:

Surprisingly, the plan thus far has gone off without many glitches.

In fact, rather than checking my Facebook in lectures, I paid attention.

I made more notes than ever and notes that I actually understand. I now know what a dependant variable is! Huzzah!

However, I am the Billy of the lecture theatre.

Unable to send the mandatory “I’m almost there! Meet you outside Hicks in five” text, I am sat by myself.

Despite this small mishap, I am doing okay. Generally, I have found myself thinking more.

My hands and head being free from the shackles of 21st century technological oppression, I’ve started to consider the more meaningful things in life: the air, the trees, the sound of a child laughing.

Day Three: I

no

longer

know

Movember special

who

I

Caitlin Parr It’s that time of year again - no, not Christmas (the famous beverage advert hasn’t been on yet) – it’s Movember.

Formally known as November, this special time of year is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer, but also for other cancers and illnesses that affect men.

In aid of the season, men all over the world can be seen sprouting their facial best and donning moustaches that could bring even Hercule Poirot to shame.

But if a bushy beard isn’t something that’s quite within your reach, these alternatives could tickle your fancy instead.

For those of you with a sweet tooth, Spanish designer Diego Ramos has combined moustache style with smooth confectionary by creating a range of chocolate moustache lollipops in aid of Movember.

Soon to be available at Selfridges, the range of 24 flavours and shapes means there’s a moustache for everyone!

These oversized adaptations come in various kinds of chocolate including milk, white and dark; some have fruity themes of strawberry and orange - but if you prefer there’s also a caramel chocolate too.

The variety doesn’t stop at the flavour.

Mr. Chocolate has a range of moustache styles from long gringo ‘taches to neatly preened handlebar numbers.

Whether you’re male, female,

“I moustache you a question, but I’ll shave it for later.”

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

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Gossip Girl season 5

Cleaning

The new season of Gossip Girl has finally started in the UK so we’re spending more time on the Upper East Side than in the IC.

Hoovering, tidying, organising our folders into a colour-coded system... anything is better than starting this essay.

23

sporcle.com We’re spending our spare time attempting to name all the US states and guessing the Greek alphabet.

Five day challenge

Could you survive without your mobile phone?

What do I do with my hands?

Will everyone on the bus think me a freak for having free hands?

I proceeded to bite my hair and play with my feet.

I exited my small hell on Crookes Road, swaggered home and demanded my housemates return my Blackberry.

They giggled and proceeded to eat biscuits – whilst texting. The pain.

Day Five:

am or what I am doing.

I have no idea what my plan is for the day and barely what my own name is, all I can think about is the sweet, sweet relief of my precious returning to me.

My current state is reminscient of Gollum stalking about a mountain in Lord of the Rings.

a child or an adult, these novelty pieces are fun to look at and are sure to be fun to eat!

The Mr. Chocolate moustaches bring some light-hearted fun to Movember, promoting the issues raised to people of all – and in all – shapes and sizes!

For a slightly more practical approach to donning a beard, Amazon has some brilliant innovations including beanie hats with a knitted beard attached, complete with moustache and gap for your mouth.

These winter warmers come in various colours and styles with peaked or simple beanie hats and beard colours ranging from black to toasted almond.

In fact, I am so bored I have resorted to starting an essay that is not due in for another three weeks.

Day Four:

If there was a line of sanity, roughly 10 minutes before Tom Hanks named that volleyball, it

was thoroughly stepped over last night. The trigger? I took a bus.

On a bus, loyal reader of my slow demise, you will now notice there is no one not on their phone.

In fact, my fellow riders of the 52 are so buried into their mobile joys, that I’m not entirely convinced any of them have faces.

I can almost smell the relief of my Blackberry sitting in my palm.

My house alarm went off today and with no knowledge of what the security code could possibly be and no ability to call anyone to ask, I had to leave the screeching alarm on for three hours until my housemate wandered home.

By this point almost all of my already thinning hair had cascaded onto the floor and I had eaten five packets of Doritos.

To add insult to serious injury my long-distance boyfriend was due at my house two hours ago, and is still yet to appear.

Is his train late? Has Nottingham train station been the victim of a sponteanous nucleur attack? I don’t know. And you know why?

Because I can’t check BBC news.

Despite the rudeness of constantly updating your Facebook status or the annoyance of that many inconsequential tweets in a day, the truth is that smartphones are so popular because they are practical.

You have the power of the internet at your fingertips, you can call any of your friends or family at the touch of a button and make sure you are always in contact.

Remember that terrible few days when the Blackberry internet network crashed? The drama that ensued is testament to how smartphones have revolutionised mobile technology; none of us were satisfied with simply making a call.

However, when you’re sat in a lecture or having coffee with a friend, it serves you a little better to just put it away.

Twitter will still be there when you’re done. Promise.

What’s on your mind?

Comment on this article online: www.forgetoday.com

“I’d love to stay, but I moustache...”

The brightly coloured hat and beard combination is sure to bring a smile to the faces of people you pass (possibly at your expense, but hey, it’s for a good cause) and spread the word about the issues raised by Movember.

If you’re feeling super charitable and like to look good, Toms has brought out a special Movember style range, stitching a moustache onto the outer side of their shoes.

The shoes are available in men’s or women’s Classics, and a Highlands style, each with their own white ‘tache sewn on.

Toms has further announced that they will make a monetary donation for every pair of moustache shoes sold.

Although not the most practical shoe now the colder months have arrived, this never seems to bother hardy Sheffield students.

Following the theme of offering donations with purchase, ‘starsNscars’ on etsy.co.uk is a shop run by a woman in London who handmakes all her designs to order, making each piece unique and special.

To celebrate the month of Movember, this etsy shop sells hand-

made moustache necklaces and rings and will donate £1 for every item sold to the Movember Foundation in aid of prostate cancer.

There are four options to choose from including the Handlebar, Hillbilly, Poirot and Dali shapes and each one comes on a silver-plated chain or ring.

At £7 a piece, these trinkets are well worth a look and mean us girls can pop on a moustache whenever we like too!

Next time you have a drink, why not do it in style? Ditch the £3 rosé and opt for one of these unmistakable moustache pint glasses instead.

You can order them online via breadandbadger.com for under £10,

shipping not included.

Not a fan of beer? There’s no law against filling a pint glass with squash, juice or even mulled wine...

These are only a few of many fantastic moustache accessories out there, many available on the internet and through retailers like Urban

Outfitters and American Apparel.

See? There’s no excuse to skip out on Movember.

Haven’t quite found what you’re looking for?

Just cut along the dotted line and voilà, your very own moustache.

Forge Lifestyle & Travel wishes you a happy and successful Movember!

24

www.forgetoday.com // lifestyle@forgetoday.com

Friday November 4 2011

FORGE PRESS

Lifestyle & Travel

Technology

iPhone 4S: A massive disappointment? the Scottish accent.

In light of this recent update, people the world over are starting to get wise to Apple’s game: intentionally making the phone not as good as it could be at the time of release so they can sell the phone again with minor advancements but at major profit.

In my opinion, the iPhone 4S does not warrant the extra money.

If you are contemplating an iPhone, the iPhone 4 would more than suffice, with its HD screen and five megapixel flash camera, now offered well within a student budget.

However, more devout Apple followers might consider waiting until next year before getting their hands on the iPhone 5.

Apple is riding off the back of its strong brand image and reputable customer service but for how long is questionable, particularly following the death of co-founder, Steve Jobs.

Wesley Young

Abs instead of labs?

Everyone’s done it at some point or another. There you are casually waiting for a lecture to start when the best looking person you’ve ever seen walks into the room… and up to the front.

Yes, they may quite possibly be sex personified, but they are also your lecturer.

Whilst this by no means stops them from becoming your object of fantasy it does, alas, put a bit of a kibosh on you acting upon your desires.

Or at least it should be.

Need I point out that studentlecturer relationships are wrong, unfortunately.

Lecturers are in a position of trust and to breach that would be very dodgy, not to mention a potential career ender for them.

It’s understandable for an infatuation to occur; they command authority, you admire them, they are insanely clever yet also quite possibly the coolest person you’ve ever met.

Also, in some cases they may not be that much older than you, especially if you took a gap year or two.

Don’t let the closeness in age fool you though, in terms of life experience they are decades in front and it’s true that we are all fairly naive until we actually leave the bubble of university.

You also have to bear in mind being the teacher’s pet is never a way to make friends.

One whisper that you got that first because of your skills between the sheets, as opposed to those on the page, and you can say goodbye to having friends at university.

Even more worryingly, just a hint of nepotism and your entire academic record could be reviewed and all those late nights in the IC are suddenly obsolete compared to those few you spent with that special someone.

Being in a relationship with your lecturer is also unlikely to bode well with your friends or housemates.

Everyone likes to let off a bit of steam by having the occasional rant about that incredibly boring lecture or the annoyingly pedantic seminar tutor.

When you’ve finished turning the air blue do you really want to turn around and see them sitting behind you enjoying a nice cup of tea in your favourite mug?

Awkward. If in doubt about such a situation look to the holy grail to guide you: FRIENDS. If Ross Gellar can’t make it work, it’s highly likely you can’t either.

All in all, the best advice is: find someone your own age. Things will very rarely go well if not.

That being said there’s absolutely no harm in wiling away a boring lecture gazing adoringly (yet platonically) at the lecturer.

Aaahhhhh.

Charlotte Green

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, you should all be aware of the latest update to arguably one of the world’s most revolutionary mobile phones – Apple’s iPhone 4S. Before it was first revealed to the world on October 4 at a hot-billed press conference, there were many rumours flying around cyberspace of a massive overhaul to the old iPhone 4’s functional capabilities – including 3D imaging and a bigger screen – as well as a fresh new look.

It was widely hoped by some that they would see a completely re-designed, revolutionary iPhone 5 on show in California a few weeks ago.

However, to many Apple fans and neutral tech-savvy onlookers, the announcement of the latest iPhone was very much an overhyped disappointment.

According to a recent survey carried out by MyVoucherCodes, over a third of Brits were “disappointed” with the new iPhone 4S having “expected more differences” in the phone’s features compared to its predecessor – the iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4S offers improvements to the phone’s processor, an upgrade from a five megapixel to eight megapixel camera, alongside the option to purchase a 64GB version of the model to store more photos, videos and music.

Aesthetically, there are no changes compared to its older brother.

Although this should come as no surprise, considering a similar situation back in 2009, with the release of the iPhone 3GS looking like the identical twin of its

Fashion

Apple’s future after Steve Jobs predecessor, the iPhone 3G – albeit offering a lot more in the way of new features, such as video recording.

The iPhone 4S was released in the UK and US on October 14.

Many early predictions were confirmed, such as the faster processor and better quality digital camera, as well as utilisation of what Apple believes to be the ‘next big thing’: voice control.

In April 2008, Apple purchased a software company known as Siri who developed natural language recognition.

A voice-activated personal assistant is now built in to the new iPhone 4S as standard, offering to set reminders, message people and book cinema tickets on command.

Reactions to the virtual assistant have been somewhat positive; despite a recent BBC report which found it had problems interpreting

The day after the curtains were lifted on the eagerly-anticipated next instalment of the iPhone, the widely proclaimed father (and former CEO) of Apple, Steve Jobs, died aged 56 after suffering a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

The visionary leader of one of the most valuable companies in the world has left huge shoes to fill.

Many will wonder what the future holds for Apple in the wake of Steve Jobs’ untimely death.

Reports suggest he was working on the next iPhone [5] until the very end, leaving no doubt that it will be just as revolutionary as it began.

The tech giant is certainly financially secure based on the momentum of sales in Macs, iPods and iPads.

Emerging trends suggest greater investment into 3D technologies, gaming and mobile applications

plus a significant shift in syncing documents and photos online – to the ‘cloud’.

Undoubtedly, the future of Apple is in fine hands if the company continues to live by Steve Jobs’ motto: “A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

iPhone timeline April 1, 1976 Apple co-founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak October 2003 Steve Jobs diagnosed with cancer January 9, 2007 First iPhone unveiled July 11, 2008 iPhone 3G is released June 19, 2009 iPhone 3GS follows the iPhone 3G June 24, 2010 iPhone 4 is released August 25, 2011 Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple October 4, 2011 Unveiling of the iPhone 4S October 5, 2011 Steve Jobs dies of pancreatic cancer October 14, 2011 iPhone 4S is released

Pack up your troubles in your uni bag...

Eleanor Corcoran At university, most of us find ourselves carrying around our entire lives in our bags all day.

The most common culprits that find their way into our bags, causing at the very least some sort of repetitive strain injury, are laptops, textbooks, folders and everyday essentials like an extensive collection of colourful highlighter pens.

So, to ease the pain (quite literally), here is a list of practical yet nevertheless fashionable (not back breaking) bags to use in and around university.

An obvious choice is the trusty ol’ backpack. Now, many of you may recoil in horror at this thought, but the backpack is actually having quite the comeback...

Last season’s pret-a-porter catwalks were dotted with trendy adaptions of the backpack style.

They may be a bit smaller, but sleek in design and beyond comparison to the rugged Eastpack collecting dust in the back of your closet.

Nowadays, fashionable backpacks are cheap to buy and come in numerous contemporary styles, such as trendy canvas with leather trims and block colours.

They are big enough to fit a laptop and are the most comfortable choice, especially if you’ll be carrying it around all day.

Many modern backpacks also come with added individual pockets perfect for storing your valuables.

Rummaging for your house keys will be a thing of the past.

An alternative to a backpack is the satchel, also known as the ‘messenger bag’.

Big enough to fit everything you could possibly need for your day, whilst at the same time stylish and complementary to almost any outfit.

Surprisingly sturdy and usually flaunting a witty slogan, canvas bags are brilliantly fashionable and very good for carrying around, well, everything and anything.

So there we have it, a round up of the best bags to take to and from uni everyday.

Hopefully an aching back and lost assignments can become a thing of the past.

Several companies now produce customised satchels in any colour you could wish for. You can even get your initials embossed, should you feel inclined.

Alternatively, most high street designers offer many different styles of satchel to choose from for both men and women.

For the environmentally conscious amongst you, canvas bags may be the way to go.

They are incredibly handy to carry large or heavy things to and from university each day.

If you’re lucky, you might even get a promotional one for free.

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011 www.forgetoday.com//lifestyle@forgetoday.com

25

Lifestyle & Travel

A year of (a)broad decisions...

Organising a year abroad can be a daunting experience. We have two students, one preparing to go next year and one who has just returned, with their stories to calm your nerves Getting ready to go...

The subject of the year abroad hit me like a dictionary to the face at the beginning of this year (ironically, the item I will probably need the most).

Of course I knew that I would have to start thinking about what will probably be the most important year of my degree but, like a typical student, I threw myself into the delights of Freshers’ Week.

Before you know it, you’re in the first of very many year abroad lectures and leave feeling completely baffled.

The first and obviously biggest decision, is what to do on your year abroad.

The University of Sheffield offers three options - studying, teaching or working, depending on which/how many languages you study.

For example, if you study Russian, your only option is to study at a Russian university.

For me, studying English Literature and German, I had the full three options open to me which meant even more choice.

Each option obviously has its pros and cons.

Just returned to university...

Zoe can’t wait to go abroad for exciting new experiences

Not great for an impulsive decision maker.

Although I immediately dismissed studying at a university in Germany, mainly due to not wanting to study for another year, this would be where I would meet the most young people.

But would I actually speak German aside from academically? Would I just mix with international students?

I wanted to do something different, so teaching and working became my options.

Both would provide me with an income (a completely alien but appealing concept to most students) and both would hopefully immerse me in German culture.

Teaching and work placements have different application processes, teaching being the easiest.

A few clicks online and you’ve applied to be a British Council Language Assisant.

As far as work placements go, lots of luck and determination appear to be the qualities needed to secure a placement in a country where you don’t speak the language fluently.

I spent a mad evening searching for internships at German newspapers, only to realise that it unfortunarely might be a bit too advanced for me.

But making the decision is only the start.

Firstly, I have to fill out lots of forms. Then it’s a waiting game to find out if I’ve been accepted, and then again to find out exactly where I’ve been placed.

It’s all very uncertain.

But I’m excited. I get to spend a year experiencing things that can’t be taught in lectures.

Bring it on.

Zoe Antell

We exited Pulkovo airport, 18 British students met by an 18-seater Russian minibus for the six hour ride north.

As they started to drystone wall the aisle with four month’s worth of luggage, my first thought was “you have to laugh, or you’d cry.”

To sum up a year abroad, it’s that combination of experiences so unique and hilarious and moments of utter panic.

But would you want it any other way?

As a French and Russian student, I split my year between the two countries, and opted to head to Russia first.

This meant I was able to avoid the coldest winter month of February (though -23ºC in December was not to be sniffed at).

Then I could eat my way through France.

I’d suggest those splitting their year to visit the country of their weaker language second, leaving everything you’ve learnt fresh in your mind.

But final year was the least of my worries.

Organisation beforehand seems to leave your year

Richard saying goodbye to his French school

as one big question mark – where to go, where to live?

A good tip is to make use of students in the year above as they’ve been in the same situation. We love to share our knowledge of hidden bars or fare dodging.

In Russia, I attended a course for Brits at Petrozavodsk State University.

Avoiding the capital and heading to a smaller city forces you to speak the language and opens you to so much more variety.

Ballet and opera for £4, walks to the forest for crosscountry skiing, and regional food like no other (I visited the Arctic Circle, I can recommend reindeer tongue pizza).

Living with a Russian host was the hardest part, each with their own rules yet universal love of over seasoning food with dill.

People ask me to compare the countries but they’re so different that it’s unfair.

Being a language assistant in France is the option with the most money for the least work, but try explaining your own language beyond “it just is” and making teenagers discuss the Royal Wedding with you.

My other advice is to organise accommodation in the country, stay in a hostel for a few days, or you’ll have my landlord, who counted every teaspoon when I moved out.

Other words of advice?

Have a safety net of English friends, but talk to everyone.

Say yes to everything, travel, travel, travel as you’ll never again have so much time to explore and so many places to see.

And you’ll never be so happy to see an omelette after months of stodge for breakfast.

Richard Alderman

We ain’t afraid of no ghosts...

...but Sheffield was full of them on the Sunday before Halloween for one of the biggest celebrations in the country, Fright Night. Lifestyle went along to see what all the fuss was about

Will Sanders It is surely a cliché to begin a Halloween themed article with a Ghostbusters reference, but there has most definitely been something strange going on in the neighbourhood of late.

October 30 saw ‘Fright Night’ arrive in Sheffield, a Halloween street carnival on a gargantuan scale, which draws up to 40,000 people to the city centre each year.

Clearly, it’s captured the imagination of the locals but, judging by the blank looks I received from friends when I raised the subject, it remains an event which will pass unnoticed in the calendars of a great number of students in the city.

Perhaps a celebration of this magnitude would be more readily associated with our counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic, but the popularity of ‘Fright Night’ will testify that Halloween parties are a growing trend in this country as

well.

University cities seem to fare particularly well in terms of Halloween revelry. For up to a fortnight, the merest whisper of the word ‘Halloween’ provides an incentive to venture forth and party, lining the streets with some spectacularly elaborate costumes in the process.

Against this backdrop, it is surprising that ‘Fright Night’ has failed to really penetrate the student consciousness.

On paper at least, the combination of fancy dress, free entry and a carnival atmosphere stacks up nicely. I approached the day with mixed emotions, however, as the pillars of the local community, such as my hairdresser and a checkout assistant, had declared it “one for the kids”.

They were backed up by the website for the event, which advises that all children are accompanied by an adult, as well as the fact that it’s all wrapped up by 8:30pm.

On the plus side, there were promises of a number of curious spectacles, with Giant Cycling Hip-

po and Shopping Trolley Grannies sounding particularly intriguing.

The jury was out.

Approaching ‘Fright Night’ was actually a surreal moment, as the buzzing crowds conjured up images of Rio rather than Sheffield.

Enormous throngs of people were punctuated by street vendors and performing artists, whilst fairground rides lit up the sky.

It seemed as if half the roads in Sheffield had been sealed off for the occasion, with the attractions spanning from City Hall to the Millennium Galleries.

In the midst of the masses was Titan the Robot, a robotic dance suit which has brushed shoulders with stars such as Rihanna and JLS. Clearly, this was going to be a departure from the usual Halloween experience of an alcohol-sodden night at the Union.

Besides some outrageous fancy dress outfits, the most striking aspect of the crowd was the diversity of people. From infants to pensioners, there seemed to be representatives from every area of the commu-

nity, although my initial fear that it was a child-orientated event seemed to be justified by the sheer number of youngsters.

The atmosphere was pleasant but anyone expecting a relaxed vibe in the style of the Tramlines festival would have been disappointed; it was genuinely difficult to negotiate the streets at certain points, for fear of mowing down a whole army of miniature ghouls.

Incidentally, this is the only instance when it is acceptable to express disgust at the appearance of somebody’s child within the parents’ hearing.

Pressing on to the attractions, there were a few more highlights to rescue the occasion from the grips of child-orientated monotony.

The Dr Who Tardis at the Millennium Galleries added a touch of stardust, as did the Ghostbusters car, and the urban street dancers were genuinely talented.

Also worth a mention was the ‘zombie enclosure’ which was the work of the University of Sheffield’s own ‘Professor Vanessa’ Toulmin. Numerous stu-

dents, fresh from zombie acting school, were trapped in an enclosure by an enthusiastic keeper who violently quelled their attempts to escape and attack the audience. It was a fantastic effort.

For the most part, though, my trepidation prior to the event was vindicated.

Some aspects of ‘Fright Night’ are interesting and it’s a pleasant atmosphere, but if you’re over the age of 10, I could only really recommend it on the grounds that it’s free.

In fairness, perhaps the event simply reflects the fundamental issue with celebrating Halloween, as it holds more appeal for youngsters than adults.

Unless, of course, you manage to regress a few years through intoxication.

My verdict: by all means get dressed up and check out ‘Fright Night’ if it takes your fancy, but as Halloween entertainment it can’t quite match the ghastly horrors of the inside of your favourite bar.

Photos by Taylor Fleischner

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FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011 www.forgetoday.com

PUZZLES & HUMOUR

Coffee Break The real news this fortnight: America supersizes again

overheard On Devonshire Green: Girl: “So what? Your Gran has died, it happened two days ago!

Get over it already!”

in sheffield

In the Union Shop: Girl: “Yes, and then I can sit on you and you can ride me around.”

The strange news this fortnight: Headless Chickens are not just a myth This news is so truly amazing that it had to be shared, despite occurring a little over 66 years ago.

On September 10, 1945, Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado was sent out into the yard to dispatch a Wyanadotte rooster that was destined to be supper for the in-laws that evening. Lloyd had been repeatedly told by his oh-so-beloved motherin-law that she was particularly fond of the neck meat, and so being the dutiful sonin-law he positioned the axe to give a nice length of neck meat.

However, the rooster apparently staggered about with his mostly severed head before returning to the chicken yard, alive.

The next morning Lloyd found the rooster happily sleeping with what was left of his head tucked under his wing. Lloyd respected the determined little rooster’s will to live and so decided to find a

way to feed it, naming the little critter Mike.

He started feeding Mike water and grain using a dropper, and a week later took Mike to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City (250 miles away). The scientists there found that Mike was able to survive with no head due to the fact that “the axe blade had missed

the jugular vein and a clot had prevented Mike from bleeding to death.

Although most of his head was in a jar, most of his brain stem and one ear were left on his body. Since most of a chicken’s reflex actions are controlled

by the brain stem Mike was able to remain quite healthy.”

Mike went on to live another 18 months, and became known as “The Headless Wonder Chicken” with people paying 25 cents to see him. Fruita residents described Mike as being “a big fat chicken who didn’t know he didn’t have a head” - “he seemed as happy as any other chicken.”

Apparently, Mike was in such excellent health that even animal-rights activists found it hard to complain. His family insured him for a whopping $10,000 and he was even awarded a Guinness World Record.

Unfortunately, Mike choked to death in the middle of the night when his eyedropper couldn’t be found to clear the obstruction. Mike’s spirit lives on though in the celebrations held on the third weekend of May every year, in Fruita.

small American snack will set you back $2000 but will helpfully provide you with 540,000 calories, the amount an average female should eat over a period of 270 days.

In case anyone was considering recreating the monster, it took 22 hours to cook and used 15lbs of lettuce, 30lbs of tomatoes, 36lbs of cheese and 30lbs of bacon – probably a little out of reach of a student budget and a little too big for a regular oven.

However, you are in luck!

A smaller, British cousin of the Absolutely Ridiculous Burger exists in Norwich at the Over De Flames restaurant. This smaller, more conservative version is a mere 30cm in diameter and has just 13,464 calories. Again served with fries and a milkshake, this whopper will set you back £30 and about nine months of strict dieting, however to those who can consume the whole thing in less than two hours the burger is FREE. Bring it on!

It’s official, America has managed to supersize food even further.

For anyone that has been to the varied and wonderful states of America the sight of overly large and slightly nauseatingly gigantic portions isn’t unknown, however Mallie’s Sports Bar and Grill of Michigan have taken it to a whole new level.

The manager, Jason Jones, said he was desperate to beat his previous Guinness World Record of 134lbs. His new supersized burger weighs in at a colossal 338lbs (24 stone) and has aptly been called the ‘Absolutely Ridiculous Burger’.

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Zealand

Image: Bob Jagendorf/Flickr

Air New Zealand wowed the world (well maybe me) with their amazing new services and aeroplane layouts.

However, they have gone one further with their new set of adverts, and yes they’re even better than the on-flight safety information video (oh, YouTube that too if you haven’t seen it yet). Introducing “The Inseparable Sheep Twins” with guest star The Hoff.

YouTube: The Inseparable Sheep Twins - Mason’s Dream #cuddleclass

The steepest street in the world is Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand, with an incline of 38%.

So in comparison, Conduit Mountain weighing in at little over 20% is a doddle!

In fact, the steepest hill in Sheffield is generally considered to be Blake Street.

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watch it:

Air New Adverts

Random Fact of the Week:

Crossword Puzzle: 1

omg, Have you seen...?

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Across:

Down:

1. What is often built from garden material and burnt on the November 5? (7) 7. Odious, offensive (9) 8. Well supplied, copious (8) 9. One instructed in the mysteries of a secret system (5) 11. One related on the father’s side, paternal (6) 13. Self-image (3) 14. Slang for marijuana (3) 15. Capital of Norway(4) 16. Provided (6) 18. Who was English and Scottish King when the Gunpowder Plot happened? (5) 21. Stimulate, form a protective coat (9) 22. Not characterised by vital processes (9) 23. Which country is commonly connected with the invention of the firework? (5) 24. Protozoan that are able to change shape due to the movements of cell processes (6) 25. Mad, loopy(4) 27. What word originated from this period and through the 20th Century has gained its meaning today of any male person? (3) 28. Commonly referred to as the ‘Great British Pastime’ (3) 31. Which Jesuit was hung for high treason for his involvement with the lead conspirator, Henry ….? (6) 32. Norse god of the sea (5) 34. Furnace used to heat calcium carbonate (8) 35. Essential oil (9) 36. In which month were the conspirators hung? (7)

2. Citrus fruit (7) 3. What do you do to fireworks? (6) 4. Which vegetables are often cooked on the fires burned throughout the night? (8) 5. Surpass, outdo (5) 6. Idiotic person (4) 10. In the Harry Potter stories by J. K. Rowling one of the characters is named Fawkes, what kind of creature is it? (7) 12. Hungarian beef stew (7) 17. Charge, payment (3) 19. Prominent, lofty (7) 20. What was the purpose of the original wheel that Catherine Wheel fireworks were named after? (7) 22. Hostel, lodging (3) 23. Which religious faith were the plot conspirators? (8) 26. Someone who gathers grain after the reapers (7) 29. What is the name of the traditional cake eaten on the 5th November? (6) 30. US physician who specialised in diseases of the intestines, Bernard … (5) 33. A mountain pass (4)

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011 www.forgetoday.com

27

PUZZLES & HUMOUR

With Holly Wilkinson More Puzzles:

The Problem of Procrastination

Sudoku

Sudoku 2

Procrastination, the bane of every student’s work ethic.

The good intention is there; you’ve dragged yourself out of bed, packed a bag full of reams of notes and bottles of water, careened down Conduit Mountain and gone to the IC with the intent to spend the whole morning furiously working.

Then you get there, the stressful environment of scratching pens and rustling papers confuses you. You want to react against this world of organisation and productivity.

You feel forced to work, and no one can force you

Easy

1.

Organising – Suddenly filing your notes in alphabetical order, tidying your desk, doing the laundry which is two weeks old and finally doing the washing up is much more palatable when avoiding work.

Medium

3.

Plan ahead – write down a list of all the things that need to be done, you’ll feel like you have accomplished something and then can conveniently leave the most important thing until last.

4.

Meetings – If

the epic failing of your work ethic (or lack thereof), there is another choice. Productive procrastination.

Productive procrastination involves avoiding work (winning!) whilst still being able to return home saying “I have accomplished so much today, I really am the best student ever”. The clue is in doing the tasks that are regularly ignored, but easily more inviting than that 2,000 word lab report due on Tuesday. When those tasks start to become tedious then there are always the activities that all good workers undergo to ‘recharge’. come to you, in a way that the IC just can’t (that’s the excuse anyway).

Top 10 procrastination activities:

2.

Network – Haven’t called home in a while? It’s not something you can put off, I mean your parents will worry about you and you wouldn’t want that now.

Oh and those friends you’ve been meaning to text back, that had better happen right away too.

Sudoku 3

to work, you’ll just take a break, settle into it first.

That is the beginning of the end. Before you know it you have watched an hour of YouTube videos, caught up on the celebrity gossip, checked every sports result in the last month and know the top 40 music singles.

The day of “being the best student ever” has failed.

Again.

However, whilst that sort of procrastination represents

you’re not going to be productive, you might as well take other people down with you.

5.

Go to lunch – You need to eat, might as well do it now so you can’t use it as an excuse later. There is always a fellow procrastinator that is also dying for a coffee break.

6.

Exercise – You’ve paid the outrageous membership fee so it’s only right you get the full use of the gym, and doesn’t your mother always say exercise increases concentration (or something like that).

7.

Take a walk – A walk unburdens your mind and allows great ideas to

8.

Shopping – one cannot live on books alone, and the wonders of the world wide web mean that you can order the toiletries you need, the food to stimulate your brain and the clothes that are necessary to survive straight to your house from the comfort of the IC. 9.

Come up with a great idea – Yes, the chances are it will be what you’re going as to the next themed social but studies have shown that entrepreneurs and other creative people tend to get their best ideas during down time. Procrastination has created many a brain child.

10. Read a good book – If you’d rather not think for yourself, you might as well absorb the great ideas someone else took the trouble to record.

The Useful news this fortnight: The Flaws of Different Drinks

Hard

Slightly intense, overly addicted fans of How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) will be familiar with the theory of different alcoholic beverages having different effects on their drinkers.

It is an intriguing idea that involves being able to control your drunk self by knowing which drinks cause you to act in which way. Since the beginning of this year, I have tried to pay particular attention to

the drinks I’m consuming and the reactions they have provoked, as well as subtly (not at all subtly) involving my housemates.

Whilst the results are probably massively flawed, and completely unreliable, they do seem to have thrown up the idea that the theory may well have a

uncontrollably and gin seems to make others very pensive and scholarly. So maybe there is a truth in the tale after all, or may be it’s something else.

The experiment could form part of the procrastination list (being the right balance b e t w e e n fun and informative), or at least a very feeble e x c u s e for your behaviour l a s t

Coffee Break’s Word of the Fortnight: Bellicose (adj.) - Inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious.

(Origin: 1400-1450, Britain; from late Middle English derived from the Latin bellicōsus, equivalentto bellic(us) pertaining to war (bell(um))

foundation.

For one of us Jagërmeister makes them emotional and vodka makes them angry, for others vodka makes them into a high and mighty knob, and everyone agrees that red wine sends you to sleep.

Pimm’s makes some laugh

night.

So next time you’re out remember what happened last time you were on Cheeky Vimtos and quad-vods (if a memory was formed), and maybe stick to water.

Trending

Hot Reading week is HERE! Bonfire Night fireworks!

Desperate Scousewives – do the British people never tire of laughing at themselves? No, and neither do we.

Two schoolboys hand in £5,000 – honesty isn’t dead.

‘Wayne Rooney’ is the most popular choice for people to legally change their name to – really?

Kelly Rowland abandoning her acts – not very professional Kelly!

Lindsay Lohan posing nude for Playboy for $1 million – how the mighty have fallen.

X Factor drama does it ever stop?

Javan rhino ‘extinct in Vietnam’.

Cold

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www.forgetoday.com // sport@forgetoday.com FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

SPORT

Matchdebating

Debate: Is the future of British tennis set to be ace or will it just be a load of balls?

British authorities New crop of kids have wasted money has the potential Jay Allan

How far can a quarter of a billion pounds get you these days? In British tennis, not very.

It has been over five years since Roger Draper became head of the Lawn Tennis Association, and after spending as much as £250 million, his attempts at reigniting the diminishing flame of British tennis has brought a continuation of disappointment, frustration, and more Alex Bogdanovics.

“Roger Draper has neglected grassroots tennis for far too long” The farce of British tennis can be seen by simply looking at some of Draper’s empty promises. In 2006, he predicted that Britain will have five players in the top 100 by 2008. The reality? Only Andy Murray and Anne Keothavong made the cut.

Comparing these figures to our international neighbours paints a horrifying image.

By the end of 2011, Britain will have four

players in the top 100. That is 14 fewer than Spain, 12 fewer than France, and worryingly two fewer than Serbia, which has a population of eight million.

So where has all the money gone?

Draper has spent big cash on star names such as Brad Gilbert (who trained Andy Murray and Andre Agassi) and Paul Annacone (Tim Henman and Pete Sampras’ trainer) to teach some of Britain’s best juniors the technique and mentality needed to become eventual Grand Slam winners.

Both have since taken their fat pay cheques and vanished off the tennis radar.

The main problem Draper has found himself in is that he has

coached in the right way to hit a ball over the net. Local parks have left their courts in tired and derelict states.

And still, families cannot afford to buy their children rackets, a set of balls, and club membership.

If we are to see real progress in the British game, then Draper must spend money on providing better coaches and safer surfaces for young hopefuls at an affordable price.

If he doesn’t, then the LTA should give that £250 million to someone else.

naively neglected grassroots tennis for far too long.

Kids at a young age are not properly

Select BUCS fixtures

Men’s fourths vs Leeds Met seconds GOLF Mixed firsts vs Northumbria University thirds

BADMINTON

HOCKEY

Men’s seconds vs Durham University seconds BASKETBALL

Men’s fourths at Leeds Met fourths

Men’s firsts at Northumbria University seconds

Women’s firsts vs University of Cambridge firsts

FOOTBALL

Women’s seconds at Teesside University seconds

Men’s seconds vs Leeds Met thirds

Uni’s women’s football.

Britain hasn’t been a world leader in tennis in the last few decades.

We’ve had Tim Henman struggle to get past various Wimbledon semis, numerous false dawns, and although time is still on his side, Andy Murray seems incapable of beating the Rafael Nadals and Novak Djokovics of this world when it matters.

But it does look as though British tennis has as bright a future as it has had in a long time.

Three of the four semi-finalists at the boys tournament at the US Open were British, with Oliver Golding coming through to take the crown.

Men’s thirds at University of Sunderland thirds

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9

Anthony Hart

Women’s thirds at Leeds Met fourths Women’s fourths vs Durham University fourths LACROSSE Women’s firsts at University of Leeds firsts NETBALL Women’s seconds at Leeds Trinity thirds Women’s thirds at University of Hull seconds RUGBY LEAGUE Men’s firsts vs Leeds Trinity firsts

Obviously sport is riddled with people who showed promise early in their career, before ending up doing pretty much nothing with their careers.

But the fact that we had so many Brits in the semifinals, and one going on to win it, can only show that the potential is there. It is now up to the players, and their coaches and support networks to make sure the young talents get the best out of themselves.

“British tennis has as bright a future as it has had in a long time” After all, previous winners of that particular tournament in the past decade include Andy Murray, Gilles Muller, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet. All four have gone on to play at the highest level of senior tennis.

Their performances can’t be classed as flukes either. Golding reached the RUGBY UNION Men’s firsts at University of Nottingham thirds Men’s thirds vs Leeds Met fourths Women’s firsts vs Loughborough University firsts SQUASH Men’s firsts at University of Manchester seconds

junior Wimbledon semifinals in 2010, while George Morgan from Bolton, one of the Flushing Meadows semi-finalists, won the boys doubles title at Wimbledon this year and reached the Australian Open singles semi final.

British women’s tennis also seems to be on the up.

Elena Baltacha climbed into the top 50 of the WTA World Rankings this week, while Heather Watson and Laura Robson are two young talents who are on the up.

For the first time since 1990 there are three British women’s players in the top 100: Baltacha, Watson and Anne Keothavong.

I don’t think it’s unrealistic that at such a young age both Robson and Watson should climb the rankings, and given the lack of depth in women’s tennis at the moment, where for a while nobody seemed to want the honour of being number one in the world. why couldn’t one of them have a decent run in a Grand Slam tournament in a few years time?

I’m not going to lie and claim we’ll win the Davis Cup ten times in a row.

But I do see a better future for British tennis, and I think we’ll have more reason in the future to watch Wimbledon (and for some of us, other tennis tournaments, which do exist) more in expectation than in hope.

Women’s firsts at Newcastle University firsts TENNIS Men’s firsts vs Coventry University firsts Men’s seconds vs Leeds Met thirds VOLLEYBALL Men’s firsts vs University of Hull seconds WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16 RUGBY UNION

Men’s seconds vs University of Leeds thirds

Men’s firsts vs Sheffield Hallam firsts

Men’s thirds at University of York seconds

TENNIS Men’s firsts vs Sheffield Hallam firsts

FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

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www.forgetoday.com // sport@forgetoday.com

SPORT

Unlucky for some: Steelers win 13-goal thriller Ice hockey Elite League Sheffield Steelers Dundee Stars

8 5

Matthew Smith Five goals in the final period saw Sheffield Steelers win an amazing game of ice hockey against Dundee Stars.

Dundee scored the first goal after six minutes, with John Dolan and Dan McGoff denied in a goal mouth scramble before Jeff Hutchins turned home.

However, it was 1-1 one minute later, as debutant R.G. Flath squeezed the puck under goaltender Chris Whitley’s body from close range.

Steelers have let themselves down by indiscipline in recent weeks, and so it proved again; while Jason Hewitt was in the sin bin, Dolan scored in the topcorner.

The Motorpoint Arena crowd were well and truly silenced on 16 minutes, with Dolan powering home his second and Dundee’s third before the interval.

Steelers looked to apply early pressure after the break, and

got their reward on 23 minutes through Rod Sarich, but Dundee restored their two-goal advantage instantly; McGoff headed straight up the other end to set up Chris Zarb for 2-4.

Nevertheless, Steelers on 27 minutes struck back as Flath continued to endear himself to his new fans by netting again.

Steelers were now entirely dominant, and got their crucial breakthrough instantly in the third period. Chris Whitley was at fault, spilling a doddle at the feet of Lee Esders..

Steelers deservedly gained the lead for the first time seconds later, as Jason Hewitt’s brilliant run down the right was matched

by King’s finish, yet the best was yet to come.

It came in Sheffield’s sixth, Rod Sarich beating the entire Stars team, including the goalie, with a mazy run and finish. The impact of such a goal was illustrated by the shell-shocked Stars calling a time-out immediately after.

This did help the away side however, as Hughes finished powerfully for 6-5, giving hope, which was ultimately dashed when Colt King unselfishly setup Ryan Finnerty, before getting a goal himself.

Owls stay in hunt Football Npower League One Wycombe Wanderers Sheffield Wednesday

1 2

Anthony Hart With a third of the season now out of the way, Sheffield Wednesday look like strong early contenders for automatic promotion from League One. The Owls sit just two points off second place. As well as maintaining their perfect record at Hillsborough this season, Gary Megson’s side have by and large replicated their performances on the road, most recently beating Wycombe 2-1 at Adams Park last weekend.

Jose Semedo gave Wednesday the lead after 23 minutes, tapping in from short range after Ryan Lowe hit the post. However 15-year-old Jordan Ibe equalised six minutes later when he went on a short run before successfully finding the target from 18 yards out. Ibe was then booked for celebrating with his family in the stands.

Semedo and Lowe teamed up for the Sheffield Wednesday winner.

It happened in the 35th minute, with the Portuguese midfielder’s cross headed in clinically by Lowe to give the away side another three points.

Wycombe’s Gareth Ainsworth was sent off for two bookable offences, while Megson was sent to the stands. Megson took exception to the referee’s insistence that Rob Jones go off the pitch to change his shirt after suffering a cut.

“I was getting the hump because I couldn’t get him on the pitch.

They (the officials) wanted him to have a new shirt, it’s not the right shirt and I threw it down because it’s not the right shirt and I got myself sent off,” Megson told the BBC. Luckily for the Owls boss, he has avoided a fine or touchline ban by the FA as they regard his dismissal as having been the end of the matter.

Wednesday’s next game is at Hillsborough, as they take on Brentford on November 5, while the following week they travel to Morecambe in the first round of the FA Cup.

Steelers came from behind to win an incredible game at the Motorpoint Arena.

Photos: Steelers Official

Blades denied win in epic Football Npower League One Sheffield United Exeter City

4 4

Ollie Turner Sheffield United were left to rue horrendous individual errors and poor defending as they drew 4-4 with Exeter City at Bramall Lane.

Despite two goals from Matt Phillips, and going 3-2 and 4-3 up at points in the game, mistakes and shocking defending meant the Grecians made United pay.

United started poorly, and as early as the ninth minute they were behind, thanks to an embarrassing error between left-back Marcus Williams and inexperienced goalkeeper George Long.

A hopeful through ball from leftback Scott Golbourne managed to evade captain Nick Montgomery and seemingly looked set to be dealt with by one of the two United players, however as one waited for the other to clear the ball, it squirmed through for Daniel Nardiello to tap into the

empty net.

United were sluggish to close down and weak in the tackle, and this was emphasised in the 24th minute when they conceded yet again.

It was too easy for Golbourne to evade two Blades’ challenges, before laying off Scott Noble, who had far too much time. His shot took a wicked deflection before looping over Long.

The Blades were rarely an attacking threat in the first half but managed to salvage a goal just before the stroke of half time; Blackpool loanee Billy Clarke sprayed the ball out to Williams, whose cross was volleyed home

by Matt Phillips, making it 2-1 going in to the break.

United started the second half on the offensive, looking particularly dangerous from crosses and set-pieces, and in the 65th minute they got the equalising goal their domination deserved.

Phillips played in Williams on the overlap down the left hand side, who swept in a low cross for Billy Clarke to stroke the ball between Krysiak’s legs and into the back of the net.

It was 3-2 only minutes later.

From a short corner, Harry Maguire connected with a high, looping Stephen Quinn cross and Matthew Lowton managed to hook the ball in, completing the second half fight back.

However, that wasn’t the end of the goals as Exeter City managed to hit the Blades on the break; Daniel Nardiello managed to hold the ball up well before chipping the ball into the box for John O’Flynn to head past an indecisive Long. Calls for offside were ignored, and rightly so.

Only two minutes later, though, United were back in front.

An aerial ball into the box from Harry Maguire was flicked on by substitute Ched Evans and the impressive Phillips powered home his second of the game, making it 4-3.

Merely seconds later the Blades were left to bemoan poor defending and decision-making once again.

Maguire failed to win an easy header; Long sprinted off his goal-line far too early and made Richard Dunne’s mind up for him, as he chipped the ball agonisingly over Long and into the empty net to make it 4-4.

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www.forgetoday.com // sport@forgetoday.com FORGE PRESS Friday November 4 2011

SPORT

Emphatic win for basketball over hapless Huddersfield Men’s basketball firsts BUCS League 3B University of Sheffield Uni of Huddersfield

63 30

Stuart Hill The University of Sheffield men’s basketball firsts claimed a comfortable victory in their top of the table clash against Huddersfield.

Both teams had won their opening two games but it was Sheffield who followed up wins against Leeds Met thirds and Hull firsts with a third straight victory, courtesy of a confident performance based on an extremely solid defence.

Despite the overall ease of the win in the end, it was the visitors who were the better team in the first quarter.

Sheffield had claimed an early 8-2 lead but were lucky to end the quarter level at 14-14 after Huddersfield missed a number of free-throw opportunities.

The second quarter started evenly with both sides exchanging points, but soon Sheffield were in front and never looked back, with Dan Bells particularly lively.

The home side’s increased aggressiveness on rebounds was a major factor in them taking a 31-22 lead at the halfway point.

The second half of the game saw Sheffield become even stronger and Huddersfield slowly faded

out of the game, increasingly unlikely to get back in to it thanks to Sheffield’s defensive play.

On the offence Sheffield were clinical and were unlucky not to go further ahead when Jes Abiola was fouled under the basket having looked sure to score.

Sheffield started the final quarter with a 43-25 lead and that continued to grow until the final whistle.

The size of their lead meant that keeping the scoreboard ticking over would be enough to win the game, with the re-introduction of James Rowe helping them increase their points tally.

Some great team play was finished off right at the end by Chris Ratcliffe to make the final score a comfortable 63-30 win for Sheffield.

The second half defensive performance by Sheffield was certainly impressive, restricting Huddersfield to just eight points, as stand-in captain Andreas Papamichail pointed out at the end of the game: “We made a slow start, like in our previous two games,” he said.

“But we picked up our game and showed really good fitness. I was really pleased with our secondhalf defence which allowed us to score a lot of points on the fast break.”

The win will give Sheffield great confidence ahead of a difficult trip to play Northumbria seconds in their next fixture, which is a cup tie.

Hallam join queue of netball victims Women’s netball firsts BUCS League 2B University of Sheffield Sheffield Hallam

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Jack Presswell

Sheffield punished a poor Huddersfield side.

Photos: Nurul Liyana Yeo

There was a larger crowd than usual at Goodwin Sports Centre to watch the University of Sheffield netball firsts maintain their unbeaten start to the season with a well-deserved victory over local rivals Sheffield Hallam.

Despite Hallam being the pre-match favourites, Uni were the better team on the day and prevailed in what was a physical contest. They led the match from start to finish, avenging last year’s heartbreaking Varsity defeat in the process.

The game started at a frenetic pace with both sides giving away plenty of penalties and plenty of possession.

Midway through the first

quarter, Uni took a hold of the game and started to play better netball whilst Hallam remained sloppy in possession.

At the end of the first quarter Uni deservedly led 12-6.

The second quarter was much more physical as Hallam stepped up their game in an attempt to reduce the deficit. However, the Uni players refused to be bullied and gave as good as they got.

As half-time approached Hallam’s frustration grew as they couldn’t impose themselves on Uni and the home side took a 19-12 lead into the interval.

In the second half Hallam still couldn’t find a way back into the contest as Sarah Smith and Steph Bryant continued to restrict Hallam to limited shooting opportunities.

At the other end, Uni outscored Hallam for the third quarter running.

Hallam were left needing a 10 goal turnaround in the final quarter and, to their credit, they came out fighting, making

an early attempt at a comeback scoring three unanswered goals to cut the gap to six.

Uni soon regained their composure though and were able to hold firm. They defended well against a barrage of attacks and as Hallam tired Uni closed the game out to win 37-28 and keep their place at the top of Northern Conference 2B. After the game, coach Kate Vivian said: “It’s a fantastic win.

We came into this game with them as favourites. We were a bit nervy at the start but seven minutes in we started pulling together.

“It was a tough, physical game but it was all about team play, backing each other up and supporting each other. They were absolutely brilliant; I’m a very proud coach.”

Captain Janicke Pilkington added: “We played well from the defence right through to the attack. It was a tough match but ultimately we just played our game and came through it.”

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Uni brush Hallam aside in straight sets Men’s volleyball BUCS League 2B University of Sheffield Sheffield Hallam

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Jack Burnett The University of Sheffield’s men’s volleyball side coasted to victory against Hallam’s second string, winning in straight sets after an imperious display at Goodwin.

Though they were forced to work hard for the first set, eventually taking it 29-27, the

remainder of the game was a formality for a Uni side inspired

by Damien Imschoot’s powerful serves and the attacking prowess of Hiroki Shibata.

The win kickstarts Uni’s season after a 3-0 loss to Durham in the first round of fixtures.

Shibita ensured the game’s first point went the way of the home side, spiking Jamie Brown’s set.

Hallam struggled at the net from the start, with Uni’s Peter Dansco and Jack Paveley getting in a number of good blocks.

It was Paveley who stretched his side’s lead to 5-1 after the duo had brilliantly kept the ball alive twice in quick succession.

Uni appeared destined to take

Uni were convincing as they came out on top in the volleyball derby.

the set but slowly allowed Hallam back in to it. Chris Martin’s spike reduced the deficit to a point at 18-17 despite Blagoy Angelov’s valiant diving attempt to stop it.

Having trailed for the entire set, the visitors took the lead heading towards its final stages when Lasse Mueller’s finish put them 23-22 up.

Uni regained the advantage in somewhat contentious circumstances; Hallam’s Bjorn Barthel was adjudged to have touched a post and his side found themselves 25-24 down.

Points from Uni captain Ramon Husein kept Hallam on the back foot after they equalised a further three times, before Uni finally

secured the elusive two-point lead to win a mammoth first set 29-27.

If winning the first set proved arduous, the second was anything but.

Uni raced to a 13-1 lead, Imshoot setting them on their way with a sizzling ace that he would repeat on numerous occasions throughout the remainder of the game.

When Hallam did manage to return the serve, the ball often found its way to the capable hands of Shibita, who consistently provided finishes of the highest quality by feigning a powerful spike before deftly touching the ball over the net.

The set ended as it had started: Imschoot’s jump serve was too powerful for his opponents, handing Uni a comfortable 25-11 set win.

With Uni tails up and Hallam making an increasing number of basic errors, the end result was not in doubt.

Dansco offered a couple of sublime serves of his own while Jamie Brown put in some good blocks, denying Hallam a lead throughout the third set.

Husein’s ace gave Uni a 2415 lead and then, after two points from Martin delayed the inevitable, Stephan Vogt pounced to give Uni the set at 25-17 and the game at 3-0.

Photos: Nurul Liyana Yeo

Men’s hockey draw Men’s hockey firsts BUCS League 1A University of Sheffield Newcastle University

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Tom Maw Sheffield’s men’s hockey firsts were left cursing defensive errors and missed chances as they departed Goodwin with just a point against Newcastle after a hard working display.

Despite their midfield dominance, Sheffield could not turn this into goals and it was Newcastle who found a foothold in the game and really started to press the home side.

As a result, errors crept in to their play and they were increasingly indebted to goalkeeper Clem Teagle, who kept Newcastle at bay.

As the half wore on, Sheffield began to turn the screw and forwards Jed Mills, Marcus Booth and Ross Barrable started to look dangerous in the final third of the pitch.

This resulted in four penalty corners which came to nothing despite the best efforts of the

home side. Despite this, the game was increasingly open and both sides could easily have gone in to the break ahead, but the half time score remained 0-0.

The second half was one that will not last long in the memories of both defences.

Newcastle came out all guns blazing and really piled the pressure on Sheffield. Whilst they coped admirably, it was from one defensive error that Newcastle took the lead midway through the second half; the right back was dispossessed, and the away side walked the ball around goalkeeper Clem Teagle into an empty net.

This kicked Sheffield into gear and they started to play some excellent hockey, with Owen Davies, Joe Battman and Sean Collins looking dangerous down the flanks.

This time it was from a Newcastle defensive error that Sheffield equalised as Matt Godden poached the ball and ruthlessly slammed it home after an exchange of passes with fellow midfielder James Wright.

The final result was possibly the only fair conclusion after such an even game.

Newcastle were lucky to get a point from the hockey.

Photo: Andrey Vasilyev

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Kennedy goal shoots down Northumbria

Uni rue misses as York snatch late draw Men’s football firsts BUCS League 2B University of Sheffield University of York

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Matthew Smith

Wednesday’s win maintains the women’s hockey firsts’ perfect league record this season. receiving the ball on the right could get back into the match.

Women’s hockey firsts hand side. She slammed home Forward Lisa Troeder continued from close range, to put Sheffield to find good positions, but was BUCS League 1A in charge. let down by a lack of support up The hosts continued to press front.

University of Sheffield 3 This all changed on 51 minutes Northumbria University 2 their opponents and it was difficult to see how Northumbria when the away team scored.

Adam Hancock The University of Sheffield women’s hockey team pulled off a dramatic last minute victory against Northumbria.

The first half was a very close affair with both sides looking defensively sound.

Hayley Tydeman had the first real chance for Sheffield when she forced a fine save from Northumbria keeper, Amy Schofield.

It was an eventful afternoon for Sheffield defender Heather Shillitoe who twice had to leave the pitch after being struck on the thigh by a flying ball. Her first injury came when she defended a short corner, receiving a blow after a powerful shot by Keira Corbert.

The game remained tight until Millar broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time. She found herself free in the D and slotted home from close range.

The second half was only four minutes old when Sheffield doubled their lead. Millar again found space in the D after

Photos: Andrey Vasilyev Troeder found herself through on goal and rounded Sheffield keeper Harriet Galpin to slot home.

The momentum was now with Northumbria and they equalised only four minutes later.

After a scramble in the D, Troeder picked up the ball and slammed home through a crowd of players.

Almost straight after the equalizer, Millar missed the chance to put Sheffield ahead.

She picked up the ball in a similar position to where she scored her second goal from, but this time shot high and wide, missing the chance for a hat-trick.

The game was now end to end.

Shillitoe was again injured as she blocked a drive from Penny Brow.

Both keepers were forced to make saves as the match reached it’s end. Corbert nearly won it for Northumbria with a strong shot, but she will regret missing as Sheffield snatched the win in the final seconds.

Beth Kennedy ran on to a through ball from the midfield.

She found herself one on one with the keeper and kept her composure to slide the ball into the bottom left hand corner, sparking joyous home celebrations.

It was a fine finish from Kennedy who took the plaudits at the end of a hard fought contest.

The desolate silence emanating from the Sheffield players in their post-match huddle was perfectly illustrative of the mood following their 1-1 draw with York, a game in which the home side missed bagfuls of chances before being hit by a set-piece sucker punch at the death.

Following a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Durham the previous week – a result coach Ian Lawson, standing in as manager against York in place of the holidaying Peter Cooper, put down to showing too much respect to the opposition – Sheffield were looking to make up lost ground.

They were the better team in the close opening exchanges, Sam Strong nodding a Jake Stevens corner just wide. Then, in the 18th minute, just as York looked to step up their game, Sheffield gained the lead.

They may not have had professional-looking kits – a clash with York’s yellow and black stripes saw the home side don a hotchpotch of red T-shirts to avoid confusion – but the style shown by Dave Kettle in his work down the left was worthy of any game. He found Dom Agnew 12 yards out, who was given far too much time to control and finish in the corner.

Afterwards, it appeared to be a case of when Sheffield wanted to score next – Tolua had a great chance after the York keeper fumbled a Will Doyle drive, but his effort on the rebound hit the inside of the post and bounced out. Doyle then played in Stevens, whose shot was wide of the left post, before Kettle curved one millimetres wide from the edge of the box.

However, it remained 1-0 at the break, and Sheffield were never quite as dominant again.

Sheffield would have been looking to keep the pressure on in the second half, but the pace dropped dramatically from the intensity of the first period, with play disjointed and passes misplaced.

York for the most part looked well off the pace – they had lost both league games prior to Wednesday, and failed to test Sheffield keeper Adam Seymour until 79 minutes in, when a free kick from 28 yards required tipping over.

There was time for another horrid Sheffield miss; sub James Shields put a Kettle ball wide of a gaping net after a bad bobble sent the ball off his shin.

It was York who struck though. A hanging corner looped over Seymour’s head, and was knocked in at the far post, leaving Sheffield’s firsts rightly devastated at the final whistle.