Forge issue 65

INSIDE: GRAVITY/ CALL OF DUTY/ PRIVATE VS STATE/ GARY NUMAN/ TOM J. NEWELL/ NIGHTLINE/

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The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield. Est. 1946.

Issue 65 Friday November 22 2013 @ForgePress /ForgePress

Police and taxi crash outside the Harley

Read the story on p. 3

Photo: Amelia Heathman

Inside: Rae-ning on Sam’s parade petition to remove education officer p. 2

Paralysed car crash victim wins multi-million pound settlement 4University of Sheffield student Rosie Mayes can now live with ‘independence and choice’

Camille Brouard A University of Sheffield student has received millions of pounds and lifelong annual payments following a three-year legal battle after a car crash that left her paralysed from the neck down.

Rosie Mayes, from Gleadless, was 20 years-old when the crash happened in 2010. Her then-boyfriend was driving when the car lost control, hit an embankment and overturned.

She was trapped upside down in the vehicle on Stubley Road, Dronfield, as firefighters spent 30 minutes cutting her out of the wreckage.

Mayes spent 12 days in intensive care over Christmas with family at her side and a further nine months in the spinal injuries unit at Sheffield’s Northern General hospital.

She is now tetraplegic, paralysed from the neck down, with only limited movement in her right bicep and will be wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life.

Mayes, now 24, said: “I feel so relieved that now I can move on, without worrying

Games talk:

Why is text speak used so often?

Fuse, p. 4

about whether or not I can afford to live my life with independence and choice.”

She continued to say that she didn’t think it would be possible for her to return to university when she was first injured.

The driver was not prosecuted but 19 months after the crash his lawyers contested responsibility for the incident, meaning Mayes had to attend a three-day liability trial at the High Court in Leeds.

The high judge Justice Singh ruled in Mayes’ favour and the driver’s lawyers received penalty points against them for “unreasonable conduct to a high degree” in contesting liability.

Mr Justice Singh said to the driver’s lawyers: “I appreciate you would normally be entitled to costs on a standard basis unless the Court would wish to show a mark of disapproval towards the other party for unreasonable conduct to a high degree which in this case the defence conducted themselves during this trial.

“I accept the standard of conduct has reached this degree on three grounds.”

After the trial had ended, Mayes’s father Andy Wynne said: “I am appalled

Arts explore: Our best-loved heroine, Fuse, p. 5

that insurance companies feel that it is acceptable to employ such tactics, particularly in such a clear cut case.”

The case was won by Mayes in February 2012 and the final sum of the payout came through in November 2013.

Mayes said: “It was a surprise when everything was finally completed, as the case had been going on for over three years and had become part of my life.

“It was a long case with a lot of pressure and very difficult times, especially alongside coming to terms with what had happened to me.

“But thanks to my family, friends and legal team the result has been as fair as I hoped.”

The money Mayes received will go towards 24-hour care, physiotherapy treatment, accessible accommodation, specialist equipment and adapted vehicles.

She lives at home with her parents whose house has been adapted and extended to support her disability.

She said: “The cost of living is vastly increased when you have a disability and the compensation will have to last for my

whole life.”

Mayes has since started her final year of a History undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield. Before her injuries she studied at the University of York.

She said studying since her injuries is “a completely different experience compared to being a student as an able-bodied person, as you have to study in a different and more time-consuming way.

Mayes has also concentrated on raising money for charity since her injuries.

Over the last few years her family and friends have supported the charity Spinal Research, which is making important medical advances in the field of spinal cord injuries.

She has also raised money for Dogs for the Disabled, a charity that trains assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities and children with autism.

Mayes and her friend have raised over £1,000 for the charity on their JustGiving page, holding an event for it earlier this year.

Features talk:

The genius behind the Harley’s artwork, p. 16-17

C

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Students gatecrash Israeli deputy ambassador’s speech in Firth Court

fuse editors fuse@forgetoday.com Amelia Heathman Karen Scattergood HEAD OF ONLINE matthew.smith@forgetoday.com matthew Smith News news@forgetoday.com Lauren Archer Camille Brouard Aidan Phillips Comment comment@forgetoday.com Tom Schneider Ben Scull LETTERS & COFFEE BREAK letters@forgetoday.com Lucy Copson Features features@forgetoday.com Martina Danelaite Ina Fischer Elsa Vulliamy Lifestyle & travel lifestyle@forgetoday.com Ellie McCaldin Hannah McCulloch Sport sport@forgetoday.com Peter Grieve Thomas Pyman Jack Taylor Music music@forgetoday.com Nicky Crane Rachel Smith Games games@forgetoday.com Joanne Butcher Reece Nunn Screen screen@forgetoday.com Kate Lovatt Will Ross Arts arts@forgetoday.com Lizzie Hyland Rhiannon Pickin COPY EDITORS Rosanna Austin Chloe Chloeman Katie Mealey Elizabeth Richardson Matthew Smith Beth Topham

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Vi ew s e x pr e sse d a r e n ot nec ess a r ily t h o se o f t he Uni ver sit y, t h e Un io n o r t he edi t oria l t e a m . I n t h e f i r s t i ns t an c e a ll c o m pla in t s shoul d be a ddr e sse d t o t he Manag in g E dit o r, a lt h o ug h a f orm al pr o c e du r e e x is t s .

Protesters from Palestine Society outside Firth Court Camille Brouard & Aidan Phillips Former Students’ Union president Abdi Suleiman and others burst onto the stage of a Sheffield Model United Nations (SheffMUN) conference last Thursday to protest against the presence of the Israeli deputy ambassador.

Suleiman, History councillor Minesh Parekh, education officer Sam Rae and a member of the Palestinian Society were initially blocked from entering Firth Court alongside about 20 to 25 other protesters.

The protesters managed to go through a back door, but were stopped from getting into the hall by multiple security guards.

Most of the students were unable to get in, but the four protesters managed to find their way through another door, only to unexpectedly end up on the stage of the event.

Suleiman gave an impromptu

speech in which he explained the current situation of Israeli occupied territories and opposed deputy ambassador Alon RothSnir’s presence at the event. He was told that if he and the other three didn’t heckle they would be given a chance to speak after the deputy ambassador.

After the Lord Mayor of Sheffield and the deputy ambassador spoke, Suleiman delivered another speech with chants from the protesters outside of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” audible inside the hall. The protesters then left of their own accord.

Protesters blocked the deputy ambassador as he left and tried to block the University of Sheffield car he was in from leaving the Arts Tower car park.

Suleiman said approximately 120 people were attending the event.

He said: “I don’t blame the

Photo: Camille Brouard students [from the Model UN] who organised this, for students to have organised something on this scale is incredible.

“But it’s disgraceful that the deputy ambassador of Israel has come here. It normalises the state of Israel, and anything that does that is bad.”

Regarding the actions of security officials inside, he said: “It’s not their fault that they did it, it’s their job.” He said between 10 to 20 security officials were present, the majority of which were University of Sheffield staff.

Palestinian student Malaka Mohammed, who was planning to attend the conference, said she wasn’t told the ambassador was going to attend the conference and that students should have been informed about his presence beforehand.

She said: “I don’t accept the idea of sitting in the same place with someone who kills and detains my country’s people, I

find it really offensive.”

Palestine Society members found out the deputy ambassador was going to speak at the event only two hours in advance.

President of SheffMUN Codrina Cretu said the deputy ambassador’s presence at the event was announced on the day as requested by embassy staff and South Yorkshire Police, saying “SheffMUN had no responsibility or say in when this would be announced.”

She said: “We are aware of the Students’ Union’s policies, and as far as we are aware the ambassador visit did not contravene any specific policies.

We believe he did not enter Union grounds.”

An updated End Israeli Occupation policy was passed by referendum in October 2012, with 2,194 votes for, 420 against and 689 abstentions. It is up for review in October 2015.

Rae-ning on Sam’s parade Aidan Phillips A petition calling for a vote of no confidence in education officer Sam Rae will go to debate at next week’s Union Council.

The petition has divided students, receiving more than 300 votes in just one day.

Started on Wednesday November 20 by Matt Brown, the petition reached more than 100 votes by 1am Thursday morning.

Signatures for and against include exStudents’ Union president Abdi Suleiman, president of the University of Sheffield United Nations Association Codrina Cretu. and multiple SU councillors. At the time of print it stood at 60 for and 263 against.

The petition calls on students to “mark their vote of no confidence in our education officer and to support a referendum to remove him from office” following Rae’s involvement in a protest against the presence of the Israeli deputy ambassador at the Sheffield Model United Nations (SheffMUN) conference on November 15.

In it Brown said that he does not wish to be drawn on the political content of Rae’s protest “but to highlight the deeply embarrassing nature of his actions in front of esteemed guests, politicians and ambassadors.”

In a statement to Forge Press he said: “I by no means expect the petition to raise 1,000 signatures, nor do I expect Mr Rae to be forced from office.

“But if we can ensure that SU officers are

reminded of their responsibility, not just to enact a manifesto pledge in whatever fashion they so wish but to act in all of their duties with the professionalism that their £17,000 salary demands, then I will consider the campaign a success.”

Rae said: “The SU’s End Israeli Occupation policy requires us to participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against organisations complicit in the illegal occupation of Palestine.

“A crucial part of this is boycotting persons acting in an official capacity on behalf of the Israeli government, such as deputy ambassador Alon Roth-Snir. The BDS tactic is not about boycotting everyone from Israel, it is targeted at officials and representatives.

“Because his presence was kept secret until the day, I was unable to challenge it through normal bureaucratic channels. Therefore the decision I made on the day was that the best way to enact the policy I am mandated by students to uphold was to protest the deputy ambassador’s speech.”

Following the protest, Cretu said: “We are aware of the SU’s policies, and as far as we are aware the ambassador visit did not contravene any specific policies.” SecretaryGeneral of SheffMUN 2013 Dario Panada said SheffMUN has not made any statement endorsing the petition as a society.

Suleiman strongly supported Rae, saying: “The SU has a boycott policy which includes boycott and disallowing free platforms for an

Education officer Sam Rae official apologist of the Israeli state.”

Some students felt the invitation to the deputy ambassador did not contravene this policy.

Tahmid Chowdhury said: “The clause states ‘lobby our University to divest itself from and terminate any contracts with companies that are complicit in the occupation of the Palestinian territories.’ Quite clearly an Israeli talking about free education is not against this.”

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Police and black cab collide outside the Harley bar leaving driver hospitalised

UniNEWS

Interesting stories from other universities around the country

Students ‘black Somalian pirates

up’

as

Law students from the University of Edinburgh caused an outrage after they dressed as Somalian pirates for an “Around the world” themed social last Friday.

The unnamed students darkened their faces for the costume and various members of the University’s student community deemed the action racist. A member of the University’s Tibet, Amnesty International and Vegetarian societies said they didn’t condone racism in the student body.

The Law society president apologized on the societies’ Facebook page.

Estel Farell Roig

Wrecked vehicles on the corner of West Street and Upper Hanover Street Aidan Phillips A head-on collision between a police car and black cab near the Harley bar on the night of November 19 left a taxi driver hospitalised.

The police car had been responding to an incident at the time of the time of the collision which occurred at the crossroads of Upper Hanover Street and Glossop Road.

The 45-year-old driver of the

black cab was taken to Northern General hospital with minor injuries.

The crash left the front bonnet torn off from the police car, detached a front wheel from the black cab and smashed an advertising billboard.

Sergeant Steve Ellis, investigating at the scene, said: “The police vehicle was responding to an incident and had emergency lights on.

“It came through a red light at

Sheffield graduate bailed after 60 days in jail Camille Brouard Sheffield graduate Kieron Bryan has been granted bail by the Russian authorities after spending over 60 days in jail for filming Greenpeace activists in the Arctic.

One member of the group dubbed the Arctic 30, Bryan and four other activists were granted bail on Wednesday and are expected to be released this weekend It is not known whether the bailed Arctic 30 members will be able to leave Russia because the charges of hooliganism against them have not been dropped.

Of the ship’s crew, 17 have been released on bail this week and 12 more are scheduled for hearings, but Australian activist Colin Russell has been denied bail and might spend three more months in jail.

Bryan said in a video published by the Guardian: “to be accused of hooliganism, doing my job as a reporter, is the same as suggesting that every journalist who works in a warzone is a soldier, or that the court reporter here today is somehow responsible for the outcome.”

Greenpeace’s ship was taken over by the Russian authorities on September 19 after activists climbed the Russian company Gazprom’s oil rig Prirazlomnaya in a peaceful protest. The group were charged with piracy, which carries a 15 year sentence. This charge was downgraded to hooliganism, which could result in two to eight years in jail.

Photo: Amelia Heathman the junction, the taxi was coming up Glossop Road.

“The taxi driver didn’t see the police car and they collided.

“The police driver and passenger were uninjured.”

A nearby onlooker on Glossop Road said the collision occurred around 8pm, with an ambulance arriving around 20 minutes afterwards. Chair of the taxi association in Sheffield Hafeas Rehman later said he was not fully aware of the details behind

the incident yet believed the taxi driver is not employed by any company. Mercury Taxis, REM Airport Services and S1 Taxis Ltd have all confirmed that the taxi was not employed by them.

Following the collision, police set up a cordon blocking off the left-hand side of Upper Hanover Street heading southwards. Police cars also blocked off the traffic lights on the opposite side of the crossroads as late as 9:30pm.

Campaign calls for cops off campus

the public safe.”

In previous months ULU’s vice president Students’ Union officers, professors and was arrested for intervening in a stop and activists from universities across the country search he believed to be racially motivated and are calling for a reduced police presence on a ULU activist was arrested for using chalk to UK campuses following a series of high profile write on a university wall, leading to police run-ins between students and police officers. forces being accused of using disproportionate On November 14 University of London force.

Union (ULU) president Michael Chessum was Following these events, a ‘Cops Off Campus’ arrested for organising a demonstration on campaign has been launched, originating in campus. On the same day a police officer was London and now spreading to campuses up filmed offering an activist from the University and down the country. of Cambridge money to spy on fellow students Regarding the police presence on university and monitor political unrest. campuses, University of Sheffield Students’ The officer, whose name has not been Union president Ally Buckle said: “Protest revealed, offered the activist £30 to spy on a serves an important role on campus as part of meeting and report back, saying: “You might a democratic organisation. I would hope that go to a UK Uncut or Unite Against Fascism police would not need to be involved in this meeting one evening. You might get say £30 provided there is no immediate danger to just for your time and effort for doing that.” anyone involved”.

The officer told the activist not to “think A statement from the Sheffield Higher too deeply” about the offer.

Education Solidarity group read: More than 100 academics from “This is part of a dark trend in which Cambridge University have signed a letter management, security and police calling on vice chancellor Professor are increasingly working together Sir Leszek Borysiewicz to to repress the independent condemn the actions of the thought and critical action of local police force, expressing students.” their “grave concern” at the Student activists “unjustifiable surveillance” at the University tactics and warning of the of Sheffield “chilling effect” they may are planning have on student campaigns. campaigns Simon Parr, a g a i n s t chief constable of the police Cambridgeshire police, p r e s e n c e has defended the tactics, on campus, telling the BBC: “We are f o l l o w i n g gathering intelligence recruitment from a number of sources, sessions at the as every force does, on Activities Fair and things we believe may on the Students’ Photo: Matthew Smith be of interest in keeping Union concourse.

Lauren Archer

Photo: Wikipedia

Student petition vs University of Leeds PhD student Sanaz Raji has started a petition against the University of Leeds’ vice chancellor after two years of campaigning against a revoked scholarship from August 2011.

In the petition she said the University had failed to take into account a broken ankle which lead to a period of inactivity, despite providing a letter from her doctor.

Her appeal was rejected in April 2013, and she is now planning to bring her case to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

A University of Leeds spokesperson said: “Ms Raji’s appeal was against a decision to withdraw her University scholarship because of insufficient academic progress.”

Beth Cunningham Tab breaks infrignement laws

copyright

Cambridge University’s section of The Tab has been forced to rename its “Rear of the Year” competition after a trademark infringement with the Rear of the Year awards.

Organiser of Rear of the Year Tony Edwards said: “I find it depressing that these people don’t appear to have the creativity and imagination to do something original.”

The Cambridge Tab has now changed its name to “Best Bums 2013” and said on their website: “Update: Due to copyright infringement with Rear Of The Year Ltd, we have been forced to change the name of our competition to Best Bums.”

Karen Wong

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More than 130 staff petitioned Uni University staff SCIENCE & for living wage at October’s strike to strike again Technology

Fusion reactor breakthrough

Lauren Archer

plasma

An important development in creating commercially viable thermonuclear fusion has been achieved by researchers at the EAST fusion reactor in Hefei, China.

Fusion reactors superheat hydrogen into an extremely unstable plasma until it fuses into heavier elements at over one hundred million degrees celsius.

The plasma must be contained within powerful magnetic fields generated by superconducting electromagnets or the reaction will break down.

EAST maintained a plasma pulse for a record breaking 30 seconds, a tenfold increase in plasma confinement time.

Daniel King Tumour mouse models tested for temperature Keeping lab mice at a constant temperature between 20°C and 26°C could affect the accuracy of immune drug development, according to recent research conducted at the Roswell Park Institute, New York.

Mouse body temperature ranges from 30°C to 31°C. Scientists had not explored the effect of “cold stress” on mouse tumour formation.

The recent research involved housing mice in sub-thermoneutral or thermoneutral temperatures and injecting them with cells from four types of tumour.

Mice formed tumours more slowly at the higher temperature.

Victoria Stanway

Photo: Wikipedia Commons Ancient ancestor inbreeding unearthed by new genomes The sequencing of new genomes from Neanderthal and Denisovan remains has unearthed evidence of frequent inbreeding between our ancient human ancestors.

The new genomes also suggest the Denisovans bred with a third unidentified human ancestor who occupied Asia over 30,000 years previously.

Mark Thomas from the University College of London commented on the findings: “What it begins to suggest is that we’re looking at a ‘Lord of the Rings’-type world—that there were many hominid populations.”

Victoria Stanway

Living wage campaign members Olivia Blake and Charlie Mayer Aidan Phillips As staff prepare to join the picket lines again, more than 130 staff members signed a petition to pay all University of Sheffield employees at least a living wage at last month’s staff strike.

The University of Sheffield’s living wage campaign gathered 133 signatures from staff, including senior lecturers, which were sent to the University’s Executive Board (UEB).

Figures from the National Union of Students (NUS)

show that three per cent of the University’s staff are employed below the previous living wage rate of £7.45 a hour. It has since risen to £7.65 an hour.

The ratio between the lowest employee salary and vice chancellor Keith Burnett’s as of August 2012 was 22:1. Burnett receives £282,514 more per year than the lowest paid staff member.

Living wage campaigner Harry Barham said: “The amount needed to pay the living wage to all staff is relatively tiny in terms of the University’s surplus, but would

Union Council remains clear on ‘Blurred Lines’ Aidan Phillips Blurred Lines will continue to be absent from Foundry and Fusion playlists after Union Council approved the officers’ decision to stop all SU employees and sponsored DJs playing it on SU grounds.

The decision was approved despite a Forge Press survey of 589 students showing that 46 per cent of respondents thought anyone on SU grounds should be able to play it, compared to only 31 per cent who supported the

SU’s stance.

Results also showed that 80 per cent of respondents thought the decision should go to referendum.

The policy – which stops SU employees from playing the song on SU grounds but allows anyone else to do so – was agreed by all officers during the summer on the basis that it violated their policy on zero tolerance to sexual harassment.

Councillors voted it through as part of a review of women’s officer Kat Chapman’s annual policies.

Free sport for cancer patients Jessica Pitocchi Sheffield children’s hospital and Sport Sheffield are collaborating for the second time to run a free sport and activities day for young cancer patients.

The event ‘Do It For You’ (DIFY) gives children aged 12 to 16 who are undergoing or recovering from cancer treatment the opportunity to try a variety of games and sports.

Research has revealed that children who undergo treatment are less likely to lead active lifestyles.

Photo: Rosie Carter-Rich

The project, developed in 2012, attempts to combat this by encouraging physical fitness for all ability levels in a family environment.

Last year’s event received over 200 visitors and the project has won three awards.

One child, who attended last year, said: “I can’t normally join in with P.E at school but here I knew I was safe and I had a go at everything.”

DIFY is on Sunday November 24 at 10am at the English Institute of Sport on Coleridge Road.

make a world of difference to those currently receiving what can only be described as poverty pay.”

Ian Wright, head of employee relations at the University of Sheffield, said: “We will use our revised reward and recognition strategy to address the issues of our lowest paid staff in a way which best supports our staff and overall objectives.”

Figures released by the NUS show that over 12,500 university employees nationwide are paid below the living wage.

Another national university staff strike has been called for next month unless unions and employers can negotiate a better pay offer.

Following a four-year real terms pay cut of 13 per cent, staff members were offered a one per cent pay rise this year, still below the rate of inflation.

A real terms pay cut means that wages have stayed at the same level while the cost of living has risen.

On October 31, members of the University and College Union, Unite and Unison called a strike.

Now, joined by the Educational Institute of Scotland, the workers will strike again on December 3 unless pay conditions improve.

The University of Sheffield’s vice chancellor Keith Burnett received a seven per cent pay increase in 2011/12, bringing his salary up to £311,000. He did, however, take a five per cent cut on that increased figure in 2012/13.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “Nobody wants to be on strike, but a 13 per cent real-terms pay cut as vice-chancellors’ pay continued to increase and universities’ surpluses built up simply is not fair.”

“We are disappointed and annoyed that the employers are still refusing to talk to us and have wasted the past few weeks trying to undermine their staff’s actions.”

UCU said talks on November 20 aimed at resolving the pay dispute ended without a resolution.

During the first wave of strike action students occupied the Richard Roberts lecture hall and formed a moving picket line.

Students formed a support group called Higher Education Solidarity Sheffield, and have mandated to continue to support staff.

Students launch Sheffield’s first housing co-operative

Jamie Risner, Rosie Evered and Roy Clutterbuck Camille Brouard A Sheffield student housing cooperative is set to be one of the first of its kind in the UK. Civil Engineering masters student Jamie Risner, architect Rosie Evered and writer Roy Clutterbuck are aiming to provide students with cheaper housing than in the private sector.

The houses will be completely student-run and the three hope to move students into the first house by July 2014.

Risner said: “Currently students are a very transient population, often out of favour with their neighbours.

“Their houses are poorly maintained and landlords rarely

Photo: Jamie Risner

make any changes. A student housing co-operativer provides more transparent housing management, whereby the students can see where their money goes, choose who fixes their house and decide how surplus rental income is spent.

“Any house we buy will be taken out of the housing market and become a self-sustaining cheap student accommodation for the long term.”

The trio plan to pay back mortgages if the tenants pay a certain amount, on average £65 per week. They are attempting to raise £50,000 and contribute £10,000 themselves for the first house.

Similar models have run in the US since the 1920s.

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Activists occupy SU bank to protest student loan sell-off Lauren Archer A group of activists occupied the Students’ Union’s branch of Santander bank on November 20 to protest against the planned privatisation of the student loan book.

Students from the Autonomous Students Network, the Higher Education Solidarity campaign and broader left-wing campaigns stood in front of the bank, shutting it down for an hour.

Five activists blocked the entrance to the bank with a banner reading ‘For liberty, equality, solidarity. For anarchy’, while others gave speeches about the government’s plans to sell off student loans to private companies.

About 30 students in total attended the occupation.

They also spoke specifically about Santander and its history of tax avoidance and investment in weapons companies.

After about 10 minutes security guards arrived and spoke to the activists, filming them with bodycams. Some guards removed the cameras from their uniforms and filmed activists’ faces.

One security guard was

overheard saying to an activist: “We know who you are, I saw you last week.”

An activist who stood in front of a security guard’s camera was pushed away by another guard.

When asked why they were filming the protesters, the security staff declined to comment.

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “When filming takes place it is in the interest of the health and safety of staff, students and members of the public. A camera may be removed from a uniform if filming is obstructed.

“All footage obtained is held securely and managed in line with the Data Protection Act.” Activists have reported feeling “uncomfortable” and “intimidated” as a result of the security tactics.

The occupation was a protest against the privatisation of student debt, as part of a national day of action called by the Student Assembly Against Austerity, which involved demonstrations in universities up and down the country.

A statement from the Student Assembly said: “The government

has announced its plan to sell off student debt to private companies.

“In order to make the student loan book more profitable, a secret report for the government written by Rothschild Bank has proposed retrospectively increasing the cap of interest on student loan repayments or scrapping it all together. This essentially means a retrospective hike in tuition fees.”

A government-commissioned report, produced in conjunction with Rothschild investment bank, was revealed by the Guardian earlier this year. The report detailed strategies that would make the loan book a more attractive commodity to potential buyers.

Ideas included raising interest rates, and therefore repayments, for existing graduates.

The document ‘Investing in Britain’s future’ set out plans for central government to sell off £15 billion of assets between 2015 and 2020.

The report said this will include “at least £5 billion of land and property to support growth and drive efficiency, and at least £10 billion of corporate and financial

Students occupying the SU’s Santander branch assets which will contribute to the government’s aim to reduce public sector net debt, including proceeds from the pre-Browne Income Contingent Repayment student loan book”.

Photo: Lauren Archer The day of action was intended to build on work by the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) who targeted Lib Dem MPs last month regarding their u-turn on tuition fees.

SU officers to experience access issues for themselves Lauren Archer

Portobello - As the lift leading up to the second floor has to be operated by a porter on the first floor, physically disabled students on the upper level have to rely on an able-bodied student passing to get back down again.

TILL - The Institute’s offices moved in October 2012 to buildings with steps leading up to the front doors, meaning wheelchair-bound students cannot enter.

A map depicting access issues across the University campus

IC - Frequently locked after 5pm last year, students trying to use the disabled access door had to bank on a staff member being at the welcome desk and seeing them in order to gain entry.

Students’ Union officers and a University pro-vice chancellor will be spending the day in a wheelchair on November 22 to empathise with those who face access issues on a daily basis.

Women’s officer Kat Chapman, sports officer Emily Dibble, activities officer Alice Lord and pure science pro-vice chancellor Tony Ryan will be doing their day’s work in a wheelchair in an attempt to better understand the access issues that disabled students and staff members face.

They will visit different areas of the University and SU with a view to improve the lives of disabled students by drawing on their own experiences.

The Estates and Facilities Management department will also be holding an open forum from 11am to 12:30pm in the SU gallery, giving students an opportunity to talk to them about access issues and needs.

Forge Press has spoken to students and uncovered a number of access issues across the University campus, with a few of the worst in the infographic opposite.

Infographic: Aidan Phillips

mature

Student cashes in on £3,000 prize draw

Medical student beats Ironman course record

‘Pioneering’ research on children’s eating habits

Sports activities for mature students’ children could become a regular thing if Union Council agree to the proposal.

Mature students’ councillor Michelle Cardwell said a lot of mature students do not go into the Students’ Union because “they feel alien”.

She said: “People shoving flyers in our faces as we walk up the concourse does nothing to relieve this alienation.

“By organising events exclusively for the families of mature students we feel more included. I want to break down this avoidance of the Union building.”

Describing the idea as “positive”, SU president Ally Buckle said that he is “going to start hosting major events for students and their parents.”

The council agreed that the proposal will be discussed at their next meeting.

A freshers student at the University of Sheffield had a stroke of luck as she was awarded £3,000 after winning a prize draw.

With 10,000 students across the north of the country entering First Bus’ prize draw competition, first year Dental Hygiene student Jodie Wilberforce was the lucky one to be picked at random.

Presented with a novelty oversized cheque by a man in a bear suit outside the Students’ Union, Jodie said she knows it’s really boring but she’s going to try and save the money.

She said: “I’m going to try and be sensible and save. Although there will have to be a shopping spree, and some nice Christmas presents for the family. And I should get the flatmates something, as they all entered as well.”

Travelling across 140 miles of Hawaii via bike, sea and running, a Sheffield student beat the course record at the world Ironman triathlon championships.

Catherine Faux also won in her age group and became the fastest female amateur.

Her time of nine hours and 15 minutes was almost half the maximum time limit.

Catherine has been shortlisted for triathlete of the year by Beyondgoinglong.co.uk. She only took up the sport four years ago.

Dr Tim Chico from the University’s Department of Cardiovascular Science said he “would be surprised if this was not the most impressive sporting achievement by any current University of Sheffield student of all time.”

The University of Sheffield has described research showing that schoolchildren prefer pizza and desserts to nutritional food as “pioneering.”

Findings showed pupils prefer pizza, sandwiches and desserts to nutritional food despite the wide range of hot meals offered by secondary schools.

Among the 2,660 pupils chosen, the results showed that children receiving free school meals (FSM) are more likely to choose freshly prepared dishes of the day.

Lead author Dr Hannah Ensaff from the University’s Department of Oncology said: “The school food environment is an obvious public health intervention, particularly as children today seem to rely more on school food than decades ago.”

SU sports for students’ children

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Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

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NEWS

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Conference campaign for official children’s day

Ghaniya Bi A conference campaigning for the UK to officially recognise children’s day was hosted in Sheffield on Wednesday November 20.

The event was organised by Youth Can Achieve (YCA), a nonprofit organisation which aims to “motivate disadvantaged young people across the UK”.

Hosted in Leopold Square Hotel, 29 people were present for the event’s final panel.

Councillor Nikki Sharpe, founder and chief executive of YCA, said: “This is an inaugural conference where we’re going to grow the children’s day idea and campaign.

“We’re hoping this is going to be the start of the struggle to get this date firmly recognised by the government.”

At the conference, Lord Mayor of Sheffield Vickie Priestley said a national children’s day on November 20 would “celebrate and remember an event that made a difference to the lives of children.”

She said: “If we have a mother’s day and a father’s day then why not a children’s day.”

The conference was supported by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

Claire Reading, NSPCC community fundraising manager,

said: “It’s fantastic that Nikki has [helped plan to bring] the first children’s day to Sheffield.

“The NSPCC believes that it is everyone’s responsibility to listen to and protect all children.

“We can all help make a difference for all children and young people and I really hope the day will help the community of Sheffield come together to raise awareness of the issues that affect children and young people.”

Sharpe has written to MP Timothy Loughton, former under-secretary of state for children and families, asking the UK to officially recognise November 20 as children’s day in the UK. She wrote: “A national children’s day would celebrate and value our children and young people.

“It would showcase the work that young people do in society, in their communities, as carers, and as our country’s future, and it would remember children who lose their lives due to neglect and abuse.”

What’s on your mind?

Comment on this article online: www.forgetoday.com

DOT COM

National Children’s Day conference

Photo: Aidan Phillips

Lecturers turn on University in defence of ‘secret gardens’ Aidan Phillips Nearly 50 residents have objected to the University of Sheffield’s plans to demolish Tapton halls of residence, including two lecturers and one staff member.

Dr Linda Kirk, Professor emeritus Pauline Harrison and Dr Jane McLeod are among the 48 residents who have emailed the council objecting to the University’s plans which have been facing criticism ever since they were first submitted six years ago.

All three have spoken out against plans to develop on the site’s historic ‘secret garden’, a Victorian botanic garden which contains more than 2,000 species of plants.

In her letter of objection on October 14, McLeod said she believed the University’s proposals would “introduce an irreversible negative change in the community in terms of the loss of an historic garden, which ought to be preserved not destroyed.” She also expressed concerns about the increase in housing and the impact it could have on parking in the area.

The Broomhill Action and Neighbourhood Group has

also continued its opposition to the University’s plans, with secretary Lee Kenny saying the new proposals “represent a significant step backwards”.

In response, director of estates and facilities at the University of Sheffield, Keith Lilley, said: “The University has worked with Taylor Wimpey to ensure that the disused site can bring a much needed housing development to the city.

“The proposals include fewer apartments and more family houses than the previously approved scheme and traffic volumes will be lower.”

Originally used by the University as a hall of residence for thousands of students, the University’s council filed an application in 2007 to demolish the site and develop housing and flats.

The application was met with opposition by local residents. Despite councillors eventually approving the proposals in 2010, no developments were made due to what planning officers said were “changes in the market and ability to secure funding.”

The revamped plan, with anticipated profits of over £3

million, detailed the number of houses dropping to 94 properties and 10 converted apartments, was submitted in September 2013.

The layouts also included the University’s intentions to develop within the botanic gardens.

The University has dismissed arguments in favour of the botanic gardens in the past, with ex-director of external relations Carrie Warr telling the Sheffield Telegraph in 2010: “There is no secret garden. The only things left that are historic are the walls.”

Her comments were opposed at the time by councillor Paul Scriven, who said that any attempt to destroy the walled garden would be “an act of vandalism.”

In April 2005, residents held a public meeting to discuss the initial plans to build the Endcliffe and Ranmoor student villages.

In December 2003, residents publically criticised the number of student houses in the area at a forum meeting, with one mother reportedly breaking down in tears as she tried to describe what life was like living on a street packed with students.

Mysterious locals spotted clowning around town Camille Brouard

Clown prankster lurks on Sheffield street XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Photo: ‘Sheffield clown sightings’/ Facebook

Clowns similar to the infamous Northampton prankster have been spotted around Sheffield and have gained a popular online presence.

The ‘Sheffield Clown Sightings’ Facebook page and a Sheffield Forum thread said the clown has been spotted in the city centre, London Road, outside the West One building, Parson Cross and Ecclesfield woods among other places.

A balloon with ‘Sheffield clown was here’ written on it was found tied to a fence near Hillsborough park.

One user sent in a picture of a clown sighting on Sunday November 17 and said: “I was laid in bed and could hear someone or something making a noise outside, it sounded like someone coughing.”

Another user sent in a picture to the page two days later saying: “This is in Rotherham, Brinsworth last night next to my car scary [...] Just starin [sic] around and walkin [sic] up slowly”.

The Northampton clown, first spotted on Friday September 13, was revealed by the Daily Mirror to be Northampton University student Alex Powell, 22. Powell dressed up similarly to Stephen King’s character Pennywise from the film It. The ‘Sheffield Clown Sightings’ Facebook page has over 7,000 likes less than two days after it was created.

Similar clowns have been spotted in various places like Mansfield, Rotherham, Chesterfield and Lincolnshire since the appearance of the Northampton clown.

One Facebook user said: “The only real clowns are the people who give it the time of day.”

Have you seen the clown?

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FO R GE PRESS Fr i day Novembe r 22 2013

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Locals light candles for annual transgender remembrance service

NEWS National News Clooney lookalike receives unusual request A George Clooney lookalike was offered £5,500 to sleep with a man’s wife as a 40th birthday gift.

After turning down an initial proposition of £5,000, Gary Tate considered the higher offer of £5,500 but ultimately declined, despite the businessman insisting he and his wife had an “open relationship”.

The 56 year old has travelled the world as the star’s double, but is more used to customers requesting cleaning services from him being the owner of his own firm.

Keri Trigg

Manchester male makes expensive, drunken decision

Around 50 people held a candlelit vigil to remember those who had died in recent years Hannah Boardman Around 50 transgender people, family, friends and supporters gathered in the Peace Gardens on November 20 to commemorate the hundreds of transgender lives lost through murder or suicide each year.

This year, there have been 238 reported transgender deaths as a direct result of transphobia,

many in extremely violent and horrific ways.

LGBT Sheffield spokesperson Nell Stockton said the actual figure is likely to be much higher.

She said the turnout was brilliant, saying: “I would have been really happy if 30 had turned up.”

International Transgender Day of remembrance has been marked worldwide every year

since 1999.

The memorial began in honour of Rita Hester who was violently stabbed and left for dead in her Boston apartment in 1998.

LGBT Sheffield’s transgender welfare officer Huw Birch said commemorating the event is important because “despite of all the recent progress that has been made in the UK, visible transpeople do continue to suffer

Half of Sheffield MPs were absent for a vote over the bedroom tax.

Meg Munn, David Blunkett and Nick Clegg did not turn up despite two of them voicing their opposition to the policy.

The motion to abolish the policy immediately failed after 252 MPs voted in favour of keeping it against the 226 who voted for it to be abolished.

Blunkett said that he did not attend as he was in India for a trip which was “arranged months ago before the government offered the opposition a day to choose a debate when we previously had been told we would be in recess.”

Munn and Clegg have not responded to questions asking why they did not attend.

Labour party whips did informally organise a pairing system of absent Labour and Conservative MPs so that their absences would not affect the vote.

Clive Betts, Paul Blomfield and Angela Smith, the other three Sheffield MPs, did attend and all voted for the abolition of the policy.

Blomfield said: “These 252 MPs defended a policy that inflicts hardship and suffering on children in poverty and penalises over 400,000 people with disabilities.

“For the vast majority of those affected, there simply aren’t smaller homes for them to move to, which means vulnerable people are hit hard through no fault of their own.”

The bedroom tax, officially known as

Lauren Archer

Beth Cunningham

the ‘under-occupancy penalty’, affects over 6,700 people in Sheffield alone, with only 167 one- or two-bed social sector properties available to downsize into for those affected.

The vote on November 12 saw Liberal Democrat president Tim Farron and one other Liberal Democrat joined Labour in voting against the bedroom tax.

In April 2013, the government introduced the ‘under-occupancy penalty’which leads to housing benefit claimants with one spare bedroom losing 14 per cent of their benefit and those with two or more losing 25 per cent.

The government has defended the policy against opposition from trade unions, campaigners and politicians, saying it will save taxpayers £500 million a year and will free up larger houses for those suffering from overcrowding.

Labour has said the most vulnerable in society will be at a further loss as a result of this tax.

What’s on your mind?

Comment on this article online: www.forgetoday.com

harassment on a regular basis, which can turn to violence.

“This day will only stop being important when transphobia is no longer a regular occurrence.”

There was also a short walk to a second event at the Sheena Amos Youth Trust at Scotia Works, Leadmill Road, Sheffield where there were guest speakers, poetry and the launch of a new transgender youth service.

Hundreds caught without TV licence

No show for half of city’s MPs in bedroom tax vote Neelam Tailor

Photo: Aidan Phillips

A Mancunian teenager woke up in Paris after an eventful night out in his hometown.

After leaving an Oldham nightclub, Luke Harding asked his taxi driver to take him to Manchester airport and booked a seat on a 6am flight to the French capital using his smartphone.

He woke up hours later in a toilet cubicle in Charles De Gaulle airport, nearly 400 miles from home.

Harding told the Mirror: “I went to drop my friend off at his house in a taxi but for some reason I randomly decided that I don’t want to go home but stay out instead.”

DOT COM

Almost 800 people in the Sheffield area have been caught watching live television without a licence over the past year.

TV Licensing has revealed that, between October 2012 and September 2013, around 780 people in the S-postcode area were found to be watching television illegally.

The S-postcode area includes Sheffield, Barnsley, Chesterfield and Rotherham.

TV Licensing has issued a reminder to students that they could face prosecution and a £1000 fine if they watch or record television as it is broadcast without paying the licence fee of £145.50 a year.

Students listed online subscription services, such as Netflix and LoveFilm, as popular and less expensive alternatives to traditional television.

Chemical Engineering student Craig Waterhouse, 21, said: “I don’t have a TV licence because I live in a house of two and it’s just far too expensive. Most of the things my housemate and I watch are on iPlayer. But I’d go for it if the licence was cheaper.”

Although figures from TV Licensing show that less than one per cent of UK households only watch television programmes online, a growing number of people throughout the country are deciding not to buy a TV licence.

The Telegraph reports that in 2012, 428,359 people reported to the BBC that they did not need a TV licence, nearly 3,000 more than the previous year.

Photo: Cavendish Press

3D aid in face reconstruction A team of Swansea surgeons are using innovative 3D printing technology to rebuild part of a man’s face which was crushed during a motorcycle accident.

Images of the undamaged side of the patient’s face were used as guides to assist in the repositioning of cut bones, and to create titanium implants.

The procedure, which will be carried out at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, is thought to be a world first in its use as a reconstructive tool following an injury.

The project is featured at an exhibition at the Science Museum in London which runs until July.

Andrew Parkinson

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Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

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COMMENT

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Police profiling is evidence of institutional racism Minesh Parekh Black and ethnic minority people are six times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched by police.

This revelation comes from a report by the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) who also revealed a high number of searches accompanied by low arrest rates, which could suggest that the police are unjustly and disproportionately racially-profiling BME individuals.

The main revelation to come from this is that there seems to be a culture within the police force which is predisposed to judging people by their colour.

The majority of stop-and-searches occur under Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, which requires an officer to have reasonable grounds to suspect that they’ll find stolen or prohibited articles, including weapons.

What the EHRC’s reports suggest is that some members of the police force consider a dark skin colour to be reasonable grounds; it’s acceptable to assume black or asian people are more likely to be criminals.

“There is a culture within the police force which is still racially-presumptuous” Police have argued in favour of stopand-search powers as they’re “critical in efforts to tackle knife, gun, gang and drug-related crimes”, but surely it’s clear that this is indicative of endemic racial profiling?

Surely when this disproportionate use of said powers on minority groups is coupled with a low arrest rate it’s clear this prejudiced policing is completely unfounded?

I don’t think it even requires noting that racially charged stop-and-search policies don’t work; it’s clearly an affront to minority rights and is used in part to serve racist conceptions and prejudices.

Racial profiling like this isn’t even unique to our police force – new proposed immigration laws are equally worrying.

To stop illegal immigrants settling in Britain, landlords could be handed powers to judge whether someone has a right to live here – i.e. their ‘Britishness’.

It doesn’t require a great imagination to see how this could led to legislated mass racial profiling. There is evidence that racial profiling still happens (as spelled out by the EHRC report) and Theresa May’s proposed laws could allow it to be enshrined in legislation for the purposes of bigoted landlords.

There is a culture within the police force which is still racially-presumptuous but in this, they’re reflective of a wide segment of society.

The most worrying thing about this is the continued view that this is normal: there’s no outcry when black people are searched 29 times more than white people or when landlords might soon be allowed to judge ‘Britishness’ on race.

In society, racial profiling is widespread.

Yet there has been no real attempt to stop it.

Photo: Neil Hall

PM must not steer us to the brink again Tom Schneider ‘The recovery has taken hold’. Hardly a hymn to unrivalled prosperity for all, but the Governor of the Bank of England’s words have been greeted with barely concealed smugness by many in government. George Osborne even hailed the “proof ” that “our economic plan is working”. I would hardly say that a ‘recovery taking hold’ after three and a half years of power equates to “proof ” of the brilliance of the coalition’s economic policies, nor would I say that everything is rosy in the British economic garden but these are arguments for some grey people in grey suits to have.

Instead, I want to cautiously buy into an iota of the establishment’s optimism by, just for a couple of minutes, thinking about the future.

First off, let’s just remember why we need a recovery. The British economy is still catching its breath from the single biggest failure of capitalism for generations. Why did it fail? Because someone left the gate open for capitalism to get seriously carried away.

What the IMF calls the “shadow banking system” (hedge funders, investment bankers, essentially all the key characters in the films “Trading Places” and “American Psycho”) were not subject to stringent enough regulation. Banks exploited this by pushing risk into these places and the network of institutions grew so systemically important that the whole shebang became “too big to fail”. Unfortunately, its theoretical inability to fail meant little when it did just that.

All this means that Joe and Joanna Bloggs

had to bail these institutions out in order to keep the capitalist ship afloat. This should teach us that unbridled capitalism is, at best, a volatile vessel and, at worst, just not seaworthy without decent regulation.

Therefore when I hear positive economic news, I struggle not to think of bankers rubbing their hands, ready to reduce the British economy to a rich man’s fruit machine once again. While from the opposition we hear relatively reassuring noises about regulating an out of control energy industry, the government don’t sound so convincing.

Last week, our dear leader (straight-faced, while actually sitting on a golden throne) talked about “a leaner, more affordable state”. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a fatter, less affordable state but I don’t want the government to think that we should let the economy get on with fixing and then growing itself. If that solution worked, then the taxpayer wouldn’t have needed to bail

“If unregulated capitalism worked, then we wouldn’t have needed to bail anything”

anything out in the first place.

Furthermore, because we bailed the whole system out, we have an added interest in having a hand in restructuring it again. Now that our money stopped these institutions from going under, let’s make them genuinely accountable to us. I want a financial system and an economy that works for us, the people. Does this make me radical? All I want is for the banks to operate within parameters of risk that we set, and to enforce these parameters upon

them. I can even frame it in terms free market capitalists will understand: I want to recoup my investment. We lent these banks our not inconsiderable piggy bank and we

“If the wrong option is chosen it could mean much worse than Tory electoral oblivion” never want to have to do that again.

So while I hope that Cameron’s rhetoric turns out to be just that, I am unnerved by his apparent sincerity. If this government picks the wrong option then it could spell much worse than inevitable Tory electoral oblivion (you don’t have to be a genius to know that the idea of bankers and Tories in bed together makes most of the electorate feel quite nauseated).

Consequently, I can look Cameron straight in the eye and implore him that a smaller state as “servant not master” to the capitalist system is a tried, tested and failed method. It won’t help you win in 2015 and it will lead to a crisis that could be even worse than this time. How do I know? Because the last PM to use those words to describe the relationship between the state and the economy was the one who set us on this collision course last time. Her name? Not sure I need to remind you.

Got an opinion on the topics discussed thisw fortnight? contact us letters@forgetoday.com

FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay Novem b e r 22 2013

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COMMENT

Private schools: an unfair advantage?

After Sir John Major’s recent comments, Forge Press debates if private schools are beneficial for society Joseph Brennan I went to a private school for seven years.

Only when I was 17 did I learn about the sacrifices that my parents and my Gran made to keep me there. It made me work even harder and got me where I am today.

We need to go beyond the binary opposition of private versus state education. Not all private schools offer a better education, and those who go there are not all posh toffs. Neither are state schools educational wastelands, populated by violent yobs. This type of thinking, which has been perpetuated by Sir John Major’s recent remarks, only serves to increase division and foster an “us versus them” mentality that gets us nowhere.

“I will send my children to the best school possible” Unless the government fund schools to the extent that they can have facilities to outdo those of private schools, then private education will continue to be in demand.

The more straightforward action of abolishing private schools would do more harm than good. Those born into wealth may not have such a massive advantage in life as they do already. However, many private school students are backed by parents who had to work their way up from humbler backgrounds to get their children a private education.

They are ordinary people who just want what they think is best for their children.

Getting rid of private schools would be a slap in the face to those people, as if their ambitions were somehow morally wrong and that they should be happy with their lot.

That being said, one of the great criticisms of private education is that it endows students with an unhealthy sense of entitlement. I don’t think this attitude is exclusive to private school students and could be attributed more widely to first-world teenagers. I also think any snobbery I encountered at school was already ingrained in those individuals by their family beforehand. Private school did little to deter their abhorrent attitudes, but there is a limit to what teachers can do to reverse that way of thinking.

I think British schools would do well to adopt a way of thinking from Japan. Most schools there do not employ janitors, because students and staff are expected to clean up after themselves.

This is apparently rooted in a Buddhist belief that the act of cleaning leads to moral virtue.

This culture could be applied to British schools, both private and state, to engender a sense of humility in students, which I think Sir John Major would welcome.

In the end though, as long as there are private schools like the one I attended; where students were treated by teachers as people (again, not a feature exclusive to private schools) and the fees were used to offer constructive extracurricular opportunities, then I will never be able to call for the disappearance of private schools.

If I have children, I will obviously try to send them to the best school possible. If that school is private, then I will work my fingers to the bone to get them in there. Just like my parents did for me.

Photo: Dulwich College

Isaac Stovell Private schools, to put it boldly, are not a good thing. It may seem harmless enough for parents to wish their child a better education, to give them a better start in life – and these are understandable positive motivations – but the unfortunate result is that those children do get a better start in life. This is regardless of their comparative academic skills, rather a reflection of how much their parents are willing to pay to ensure it. This makes a mockery of freedom of opportunity, and has devastating long-term effects for society, as we can see from the current Cabinet.

Out of the 31 current Cabinet members, 14 went to private schools. Consider that around six and a half per cent of children in the United Kingdom attended private schools, and yet following the 2010 election, 38.6 per cent of Liberal Democrat MPs and 54.2 per cent of Conservative MPs had had that same privilege of a higher-quality, higher-prospects education because their parents could afford it.

This is not to cast doubts on the intelligence or competence of our political class – running the country takes an immense amount of each, which I think our government does, largely, have.

What it lacks though, from their privately educated backgrounds, is representation. One’s chances of success should be determined by merit and effort not because of family wealth - after all, the average private secondary school costs around £9000 per year. Many people are therefore excluded from a particularly reliable method of ensuring a life of affluence and influence.

Simply look at

data for our social, economic and cultural elite in the UK. Top figures in politics, civil servants, the military, police, banks, business, actors, lawyers and journalists; of the most prominent 8000, a staggering 44 per cent were privately educated. A proportion of public-schooling among the powerful is about seven times higher than the proportion of public-schooling in general – that should surely leave some heads to be scratched over whether it’s truly fair.

“Private schools create a bourgeois that maintains its position for generations” A dangerous side-effect of this is that the privately-schooled rich and powerful then go on to send their children to private schools, because they can then afford it.

It creates a bourgeois; a higher class that is able to maintain its higher position throughout generations, as once top jobs open, chances are relatives of schoolmates can put personal recommendations in for each other.

This results in an ongoing ruling class that controls much of the media, corporations and the government with immense power and vested interests. It’s only in their interests to maintain their position, and so the poor, the marginalised, the destitute, go neglected, unless aiding them improves the elite’s chances of remaining elite.

Empathy can be ruled out as a reason for the bourgeois to enact social justice; from a cushy life of ease and provision, they would have no real grounds to understand what such problems feel like.

This is a core aspect of conservative thought, and I think it’s downright callous.

Private schooling is an essential part of the elite’s means of maintaining its dominance over society, and for that I think they should be done away with. Nam bonum societatis.

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Photo: Wellington College

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Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

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Gender equality defies quantification Matthew Smith Recently, Swedish cinemas made the move to introduce new censorship into their film ratings, based on the infamous Bechdel test. This test, if you are unaware, runs on three criteria – are there two named female characters in a film? Do those two characters have a conversation? And is that conversation about something other than men?

When applied to mainstream releases, an extraordinary number of films completely fail these apparently simple rules, which is now used as a stick to beat cinema with, for its apparent misogyny.

“The Brechdel test is too broad and inherently flawed” Now, in Sweden, films will get a special ‘A’ rating if they pass the Bechdel test. A badge of honour, as

it is meant to be.

However, this ignores the fact that the Bechdel test is too broad, too general in its application of labels of sexism, and so is inherently flawed. Passing the test does not automatically make a film Thelma and Louise.

My case in point: Gravity, a film about a highly capable and self-preserving female astronaut, fails the test. Sex in the City, a film which actively promotes all the worst materialistic female stereotypes – that if you identify

as female, your goal in life is to acquire shoes – passes the test.

What the Bechdel test does, and therefore what these cinemas in Sweden are doing, is trying to control what people see and think, which (and this may sound like a terrible trailer) in a world where levels of censorship are already high, simply won’t ring true with audiences.

The Bechdel test attempts to quantify the unquantifiable.

Feminism doesn’t need to be categorised, because believing

Photo: Thelma and Louise

Editorial

We shouldn’t censor anyone, no matter their opinions Hello and welcome to another issue of Forge Press - hopefully your deadlines are not too stressful.

This fortnight in the media hub, everyone has had opinions about the Israeli deputy ambassador, Alon RothSnir, coming to the University.

The debate has mostly concerned whether we, and I say we referring to society as a whole, should give everyone a platform to express their views.

I think we should. Yes, even the BNP and the EDL should be able to air their opinions in public as far I’m concerned - hiding views like these away gives them more advantages: everyone loves an underdog.

We can also hold people to account on their views and actions if they are given publicly.

Not allowing someone to speak publicly is censorship and nobody has the right to silence someone else.

I understand why the Palestinian society were angry about Roth-Snir’s appearance, however they had a fantastic opportunity to question a man with a lot of power about the actions that Israel is performing against its occupied territories, as did the rest of

Nicola Moors - Forge Press editor

the University of Sheffield.

His appearance highlighted the atrocities in Israel by the response it provoked, so bravo to those who protested.

Forge Media are getting involved with the homeless shoe box appeal in Sheffield, which aims to give necessities to those less fortunate during this festive time of year.

We would love if you could help us every little helps after all. All you need to do is fill a box with things like tinned meat, tinned fruit and a toothbrush, for example, and bring it to one of our wrapping sessions for some festive cheer. You could even personalise yours with a Christmas card.

The appeal would like the shoe boxes

by December 16 so they can be sent out in time for the big day.

In the meantime, I’m off to the Guardian student media awards next week in the hope that ex-editor, Alisha Rouse, or ex-news editor, Jonathan Robinson, will bag the student reporter of the year award. Speaking of which, I still need to buy a dress for.

nicola.moors@forgetoday.com

D.A.R.T.S.

“If a film is offensive, word of mouth gets out and the film bombs”

Essentially, Swedish cinemas are saying that they don’t believe audiences are sensible, and need a helping hand to find their films. Audiences are much more sensible than that. The successes of intelligent blockbusters in recent years, like Inception and Gravity prove that.

We shouldn’t use inaccurate measurements to check how insulted we feel over a film. That is something which should be apparent if what is on screen is offensive or not.

If it is, then we tell our friends, who tell their friends, not to see a film. Word of mouth gets out, the film bombs: success.

The only way Hollywood will broaden its output is by seeing that misrepresenting women is not financially viable, not by a domineering system.

Also, if you want a depressing film stat, don’t look to Bechdel, look to the fact that of 86 Best Director Oscar winners, only one has been female.

Forge Press takes its satirical aim

Word of the fortnight (really?)

It’s ‘selfie’. I’m serious. The Oxford English Dictionary has christened the hymn to narcissim to be their ‘Word of the Year’. The BBC News article that accompanies this story shows a slightly bemused-looking Pope Francis being accosted by a host of smart phone-wielding teenagers. Could potentially be the first time I can honestly say I empathise with the Pope. Perhaps he should upload it to Instagram? #HolySeeOnTour #bighatbigattitude #megalol

Twitter account of the fortnight www.twitter.com/BestoftheMail

If you’re ever feeling that there is too much rationality and clear-thinking in the great collective mind of the great British public, boy do we have a panacea for you. ‘Best of the Mail’ is a truly extraordinary Twitter feed that takes the most outrageous comments posted on the Daily Mail website. Here are a few gems: In reacting to the Phillipines disaster: “strange they keep building their houses out of bamboo, why don’t they build their houses underground?”

Here’s a respectful reaction to the recent death of the pioneering musical genius, Lou Reed: “neither my late wife nor I have ever heard of this man’s so called music. I expect he was a socialist”.

Quote of the fortnight: ‘I’m perfectly happy with my medium-sized penis’ Anonymous Forge Press section editor

that men and women are equal isn’t something that needs to be reasoned, as it is simply common sense.

Python of the fortnight

No we haven’t replaced our animal of choice here at Comment (it’s feline-based by the way).

Instead, just when you thought they were no more: they has ceased to be: they had expired and gone to meet their maker: they were bereft of life, Monty Python have returned!

Terry Jones took everyone by surprise when he informed the BBC that they were to unite for a special stage show next year.

I just hope they can ignore being hailed as the next messiah, shake off any flesh wounds, and more importantly ignore the spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam to work as an anarcho-syndicalist commune taking it in turns to act as executive officer for the week.

Or, alternatively, just have a succesful show.

Now for some Movember inspiration

Good luck everyone...

Friday Novem b er 22 2013 F OR GE PR E S S

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Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

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Sheffield SU Highlights

Friday 23 November - Thursday 5 December /sheffieldstudentsunion

@sheffieldsu

MONDAY 25 NOVEMBER

SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER

‘Film Week’ meet and greet session Find out about what Film Unit do 17.00, Activities Zone, free

Rudimental present Black Butter Records Takeover 23.00, Foundry, Studio, Fusion, £12 Earlybird/£14adv

SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER

20.00, The Interval, free

Give it a Go Fashion Design Course 18.00, Gallery Room 2, £7.50

TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER

Bummit 2014: Split, Croatia tickets on sale online 20.00, SU Box Office online only, £75

SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER

Christmas Craftivism

Make a statement this Christmas with crafts

11.00, Activities Zone

TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER

Film: Mud

Matthew McConaughey stars in this coming of age drama

15.30 & 19:30, SU Auditorium, £2.50

CHRISTMAS

CHARITY

FOOD COLLECTION

PLEASE BRING GOODS SUCH AS: Tinned meals, e.g. stew, pies, curry

Bring your unwanted dried or packaged food items to the Christmas tree in the plaza at your Students' Union. Donated items will go to a food bank, helping hungry people and families in Sheffield this Christmas.

Sunday Screening: The Grinch MONDAY 2 DECEMBER

THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER

2nd - 20th December

www.sheffieldsu.com

Tinned Meat and fish Jars, packets and tinned sauces Tinned veg and soup Dried pasta, rice, noodles Packets of savoury rice, instant mash, noodles Cereals

sheffieldsu.com/christmas

Make your own Christmas Cards 19.00, High Tor 5, Endcliffe

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Friday Novem b er 22 2013 F OR GE PR E S S

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Your

Moor Market Enjoy fresh value everyday from our bakers and butchers, organic local produce and artisan food. Taste authentic dishes from around the world, Jamaica to Russia, China to Thailand and back to the UK. Look out for the Student Discount signs displayed on many stalls, bring your NUS card when you visit.

Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm Facebook/moormarket @sheffieldmkts 0114 273 5281 www.sheffield.gov.uk/markets Sheffield City Council • This poster is printed on paper from a sustainable source

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Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

Children’s Voice from the slu The 50,000 children living on the streets of Delhi are subject to constant violence and exploitation, but they’ve finally found a voice. Sarah Navin looks into the inner workings of Balaknama a newspaper entirely run by slum children.

A

meeting with the police to debate injustice seems like an average day in the life of any investigative reporter.

The difference is, this reporter is a child from the Indian slums in New Delhi.

In fact, over 20 children have arrived at the local station to discuss issues affecting their lives as street kids.

The youngest reporter is eight years of age. Newspapers the Times of India and the Indian Express could be finding themselves some new recruits in the near future.

The children are all journalists for their own newspaper called Balaknama, or Children’s Voice. They are desperate for change and writing for the newspaper gives them the power to be heard. A quarterly broadsheet published in Hindi, all content comes directly from their experiences in the slums.

In a documentary called Slumkid Reporters, which aired on November 1 on Channel 4’s Unreported World, journalist Mary Ochota follows 18-year-old Vijay Kumar, chief reporter for Balaknama.

As an 11 year old, he was taking drugs and in trouble with the police. Now, he aspires for a better future for kids that grow up in unsanitary, exhausting and dangerous conditions, and wants to make it happen one article at a time.

“For them it will be heaven. It will be completely different, like a dream.

Everything that I have seen in my childhood, they will not experience,” he says.

The big stories for the upcoming issue are the consequences of

banning child labour, police harassment of street kids, bosses not paying child workers, and the troubles of children without birth certificates being denied citizenship benefits such as healthcare.

“

Writing for Children’s Voice helps the young people heal from the distressing and traumatic experiences in their lives

”

Of the 1.3 billion people in India, 60 per cent of the population is under 25.

In Delhi alone, Save the Children India estimates there are 50,000 children living on the street who are too poor

to attend school.

These children face verbal abuse, violence from drug users, sexual harassment and treatment as thieves.

Mary Ochota says it’s easy for street kids to get into the wrong hands. “Vulnerable to traffickers and pimps looking for fresh meat, street kids are easy prey.

“Runaways, abandoned kids, and orphans are lured in with the promise of food and somewhere to sleep.”

With no access to education, they become rag pickers and beggars, look after children much younger than themselves or are married off at an early age. If they can find a job, they face long working hours.

Areth is 15 years old and supports his sick mother and four brothers and sisters by working at the local chicken market 13 hours a day. He slaughters 200 chickens a day surrounded by the putrid smell of blood and rotting animal corpse.

“I can’t sleep at night and get more freaked out. There is nothing I can do about it. I think about finding another job but I can’t find anything decent. There’s no one else to earn money. I’m the only breadwinner,” he says.

A new child labour law in India could mean that children under 18 are banned from this type of work, which would be devastating for his family. “If the government tells me not to work, my family and

I will die of hunger.”

The young people from Children’s Voice are campaigning to stop the government from making decisions without considering the dire circumstances they cause.

18-year-old Shanno, from the Sunder Nagari slum, is the editor of Balaknama.

Shanno joined the newspaper at 11 years of age after previously working in a garment factory and learning to read in outdoor charity classes. Her dad died last year and her mum works as a seamstress.

Her mother worries a lot because they don’t yet have the funds for Shanno to study, but she promises her mother a brighter future lies ahead. “Don’t worry.

I’ll get an education and then we’ll have everything.”

Vijay and Shanno run editorial meetings in a gloomy and drab basement in New Delhi, where more than 30 children have gathered to share their stories, deciding on material for the next issue.

A boy, approximately aged 14, stands in front of the group and raises his concern about police demolishing their huts.

Another boy of around seven speaks

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FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay Novembe r 22 2013

ums Artwork: Philippa Spotiswoode about the heavy rain causing flooding which killed one man and made many others sick.

The main issue discussed is the recent severe beating of two children by police at a local market.

Badshah, 12 years old, says he is regularly beaten by police accusing him of theft, and volunteers to write a complaint to the police chief. The fact that he can’t read and write is not an issue, with roughly half of New Delhi’s slum kids being illiterate.

Badshah gets help from Vijay and dictates his thoughts to him. “Write that if children are beaten up again and again, the policemen should be suspended.”

The letter is published in India’s national newspaper. It’s clear that these kids are really starting to get noticed.

Balaknama gives the children a purpose, a welcome deviation from wandering aimlessly on the streets.

For once in their lives they feel as if they are contributing to something meaningful in a way that they never thought possible for children like themselves.

“When I joined Balaknama, my friends used to make fun of me. But now when they read my articles and see me grow in my life they wish they too had done so,” says 14-year-old Govindi.

Chandni calls herself the newspaper’s crime reporter, and says everyone who faces problems comes to see her. “I felt like a superstar when my photo first appeared in the newspaper with my name on it. I became popular overnight.

I’ve never looked back.”

All the editorial layout designs happen with pen and large sheets of paper as the contributors gather on the floor during meetings, but it goes through the printing press and turns out like any other professional newspaper.

Founded in 2003, Balaknama is sponsored by a federation for street children in northern India, called Badhte Kadami. The newspaper is made possible by its association with Childhood Enhancement through Training and Action (Chetna), a non-governmental organisation in Delhi.

They also offer support groups and workshops to help children deal with suffering, as well as providing health services, counselling and drug rehabilitation.

Chetna’s director Sanjay Gupta says that writing for Children’s Voice helps the young people heal from the distressing and

traumatic experiences in their lives.

“

I’m very happy that Children’s Voice will reach out to so many kids and those children will become powerful Vijay Kumar - Chief Reporter

”

Chetna is not the only one trying to empower India’s poorest children. In 2012, the NBC published a story about Rajesh Kumar Sharma, a 40-year-old father of three who set up a free school under a bridge in New Delhi.

Vijay hopes to work on a national newspaper and Shanno dreams of working as a children’s lawyer. Both 18 years of age, Vijay and Shanno must step down from their leading roles in the newspaper and will both work for the charity that funds the paper in the meantime.

Vijay hopes that some new children from the team will step into their roles so more children can continue to learn to read and write with their peers. “I’m very happy that Children’s Voice will reach out to so many kids and those children will become powerful. From those, a few will emerge as the future editor’s of Children’s Voice”.

This means the newspaper will continue to provide a safe environment for children to raise their concerns and fight for their rights. Most of all, it allows street kids to live life with a purpose and realise they can be a vehicle for change.

@forgefeatures /forgepress features@forgetoday.com

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Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

The beautiful monsters of

Tom J. Newell M

aking a name for yourself as an artist can be tough. It’s even harder when you find out that the URL with your name is permanently in the hands of a middle-aged American guy who uses this one-page-site to brag about a giant lobster.

“He is the reason why I started using my middle initial. It’s dead space on the internet, but I kind of like it. I’ve been meaning to draw him and his lobster for years,” says Tom. Coincidentally, Tom J. Newell sometimes features maritime creatures in his work, but this is not what has earned him recognition in Sheffield and beyond. He is an inimitable and progressive artist and illustrator, exploring obscure themes and creating sinister characters.

“

He can put his hand to pretty much anything Emma Hudson, The Old Sweet Shop

”

The smell of ink quickly overcomes the trickle of steam coming out of a paper coffee cup.

Tom turns down the volume of the music in the Old Sweet Shop, where he exhibits his work.

“I’ve always wanted to be an artist,” he admits.

His encouraging parents would have never guessed that drawings of houses with little doors, a couple of windows, a few clouds and a green line for grass would turn into stylized animals, mythical beasts, and creepy monsters. His fine arts lecturers at Sheffield Hallam University would have probably never guessed it either.

Born and raised in Chesterfield

by Martina Danelaite but now based in Sheffield, Tom became a prominent feature in the city’s buzzing arts scene over the years.

It wasn’t easy at the startdesigning a few gig posters here and there just didn’t cut it for Tom. As in a lot of industries, most certainly the creative ones, wedging any body part into the door of someone likely to give you a break is essential. For Tom J. Newell, that someone turned out to be Emma Hudson, the owner of the Old Sweet Shop, who has been his mentor and curator for seven years.

“He is always pushing himself and thinking up new and interesting ideas for works. I love the fact that he can put his hand to pretty much anything and keep his style flowing through each piece,” she says.

From the remarkable large-scale pieces taking up entire walls to smaller prints and everything in between, Tom’s creative process has its roots in alternative culture.

Hip-hop, skateboarding, tattoo art and graffiti all flow into the dark imagery that is representative of most of his work.

Dipping his ink pen into various disciplines for inspiration, even sometimes from further afield, has allowed him to produce truly unique work.

Tom’s hand-drawn pieces merge humans and animals, the real and surreal, all the time relying on as little technology as possible in the process. Not only is his work original and thought-provoking, it also strikes a delicate balance between subject matter and technique.

He usually starts out with images and tiny scraps of paper collected from Google, books or magazines, which Tom then develops into something novel in the space of two or three days.

The delivery method differs of course: smaller ink pen and paper work is scanned in and electronically sent to clients anywhere in the world. The larger stuff he paints straight onto walls, leaving no room for error.

According to the artist himself, live painting is his favourite sort of work: “I did a session for Sheffield DocFest and another one very recently in the Millennium Gallery.

It’s hard work all the way through and you don’t get to enjoy the event like you would if you just put up a picture and have a drink of wine.

But it also takes the pressure off you mingling and chatting to people. I’m a bit of a loner.”

Having said that, his work speaks for itself and luckily you don’t have to go that far at all to find some of

it in Sheffield.

Exhibited in more traditional spaces like galleries and indie shops, Tom’s artwork can also be found on the walls of various venues. A huge wall mural of an octopus with its tentacles sprawled out is only one of the many works he has done for The Harley.

“

I’m getting a Tom J. Newell burger tattoo soon!

Charlie Leaver, The Harley

”

Charlie Leaver, marketing manager for the Harley and brand manager for the Twisted Burger Company, commissioned Tom to design their new menus and hasn’t been disappointed: “Tom’s work is definitely appealing to a more alternative audience. It’s edgy, interesting and very bold.

“It attracts a non-mainstream audience without alienating the mainstream. I’m planning on getting a Tom J. Newell burger tattoo soon!”

The recognition doesn’t stop there as Tom has exhibited and worked in Leeds, Manchester and other places around the UK. For five years he worked from a small studio in London, drawing on a kitchen table and working parttime in an art shop.

“There are so many people trying to make it in London that you feel a bit lost at times. But I did get to meet lots of new people and experiment with different techniques,” he says.

Tom has no regrets about moving back to Sheffield. Although the city is more like a big village where everyone knows each other, it does have a buzzing art scene where artists like him can thrive.

According to Tom, there is constant slow transition of talent: when the more experienced artists

move on to bigger projects, another set of artists comes through the smaller galleries and art shops.

Unfortunately, the vibrant art scene in Sheffield also means that a lot of companies and clients think they do not have to pay artists.

“People will approach you and say that they can’t afford to pay you but promise that they will give you a lot of exposure. The currency of exposure is a really bad thing and the more artists take up these kinds of offers, the worse it gets.

“You can’t pay rent with exposure. And even if I finish a project and get paid for it, it still might not be published. It’s a real shame because once it’s finished, you just want people to see your work,” Tom says.

Trying to etch out a living as a freelancer and balancing the creative pursuits with the administrative side of it all is something that all artists have to struggle through.

But it is all worth it in the end says Tom, reminiscing of a particular moment when the fulltime artist notion fully dawned on him: “When I first designed a record cover, before the record company even mailed me a copy of the finished product I was in a record shop flicking through the racks – and there it was! That feeling is really amazing.”

It seems as if Tom has everything going for him, yet he is constantly trying to improve and find new creative outlets. Album covers, gig posters, comic books, prints, t-shirts, murals, live painting… the variety of Tom’s creative expression is unlimited. When he is not busy drawing, the self-confessed record junkie sometimes works as a DJ. He has also contributed to Dazed and Confused magazine and The Stool Pigeon. And if that wasn’t enough, Tom is continuously involved in charity work, such as entertaining children patients on the ward and in the waiting room of a Sheffield hospital.

Tom’s ever-growing audience and fan base will continue to be hypnotised by his work, often made up of black and white ebbs and flows, whirls and lines.

Riding on the crest of a wave that is his career, Tom J. Newell is looking to publish a full length graphic novel, do some work for his favourite record label, and focus on specifying his personal style.

He sits back and contemplates briefly, his coffee having run out a long time ago. With true gentleman-like humility, he concludes: “Sometimes I feel almost too lucky to be doing what I want to be doing.”

FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay Novembe r 22 2013

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Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

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FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay Novembe r 22 2013

@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL

WHAT NOT TO MISS THIS FORTNIGHT

By Karen Wong

NTEERING 24-HOUR VOLU

barista training

Saturday November 22 from 5pm. Drop into the Volunteering Office for details and to book a place

Sunday November 24 from 7pm to 9pm at Coffee Revolution. Tickets sold in advance, £4 at box office

Volunteers will be excited to know that Sheffield’s biggest volunteering event is back again. Get involved with this jam-packed 24 hours crammed full of amazing opportunities across our city. The range of activities on offer this year is bigger than ever.

Amongst other events, you can decorate a music hall, help out at Heely city farm or give a hand creating a home for asylum seekers in Sheffield. It is also a great opportunity to meet people and get involved with something that could really make a difference.

Obsessed with coffee making? Coffee Revolution is going to introduce you to the art of making a good coffee. You will be led by expert baristas and even be able to drink everything you make, which basically meets the cost straight away. You will learn how to tell the difference between different types of coffee and how to make the perfect espresso. Who knows, you may discover that coffee making is your calling in life and decide to set up your own café. Or at least save a few pennies by making your own Americano in the morning.

Saturday November 30 from 11am to 5pm at the town hall. Entry £2, students £1

Sunday December 1 from 12pm to 5pm at Shalesmoor.

Free entry

The winner of the best vintage fair in the UK is returning to Sheffield once more, and just in time for Christmas shopping, too. This fantastic fair brings with it more than 40 of the UK’s best vintage traders, selling the weird and the wonderful. Stalls sell affordable vintage clothing, accessories and home ware as well handmade items. Check out the vintage beauty parlour, where you can get your hair done in classic 60s style. Not to be missed is the kitsch tea party, which sells a range of tea and home-made cakes.

Fancy shopping for a bargain whilst supporting lots of local charities? The Nichols Christmas market is here for all Christmas lovers and traders. Each year Sheffield celebrates the festive season with a wonderful event which is suitable for all ages. To get you in the Christmas mood there will be mulled wine and a choir, as well as plenty of stalls where you can find that perfect Christmas present. It is also a great opportunity if you have crafts or jewellery you would like to sell.

Email nicholsbuildingevents@gmail.com for a booking form if you are interested in having a stall.

lou lou’s vintage fair

ARKET CHRISTMAS M The NICHOLS

Fashion

By Ellie McCaldin

Lifestyle loves For those of you about to embark on the dreaded Meadowhall Christmas shopping expedition get prepared to see a whole lot of tartan. The trend fits in perfectly with the winter season and with most retailers combining the look with bows and peter pan collars these dresses really are a fast track to cute.

Primark are providing an absolute bargain with this dress, available in a variety of colours, costing only £13.

The only issue with this pattern is that with both horizontal and vertical stripes it can be slightly unforgiving on curvier girls.

To rememdy this try to find tartan pieces with panelling, or combine it with a leather jacket to slim-line the look.

Image: Primark

Five gaps more interesting than a thigh gap

by Daniellie Southcote-Want You may not have heard of the thigh gap but it’s pretty self-explanatory. Instead of a flat stomach and a perfect bum, the powers that be have decided that having thighs that don’t touch is the latest yardstick for female beauty. In reality, the thigh gap is basically impossible for most women because it mainly depends on bone structure. If, like me, you’re sick of being told to meet impossible beauty standards, here are some other gaps to concern yourself with.

The GAP Looking for bland, inoffensive clothing that mums and chino-wearers everywhere love? Do you feel that your wardrobe could use an injection of exciting khaki and pastel colours? Then look no further than the GAP store. With their stylish range of cords and capri pants available in every colour under the sun, you’ll never put a fashion foot wrong. Plus, with that new GAP cardi you’ve purchased for the completely reasonable price of £39.95, no one’s going to be looking at your thigh gap.

Mind the gap If you’ve ever been on the London Underground, you’ve probably heard of this famous gap. It started off as a simple warning to passengers to help them avoid being crushed under the wheels of a train. First recorded in 1969, the phrase can be heard in most tube stations across the city. Now it has become a cultural reference in its own right.

Not only has this iconic phrase been used as a title for books, albums, and even a theatre company, it’s possibly the only public safety announcement that has its own board game. Take that ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’.

Madonna’s tooth gap Madonna was possibly the first celebrity to show us mere mortals that *gasp* famous people have dental imperfections too. Though she’s been in show business for over 30 years and is one of the most recognisable women in the world, the ‘Material Girl’ has refused to pay a visit to the orthodontist and close the gap between her teeth. And good on her, I say. She’s not the only toothy celebrity. Anna Paquin, Vanessa Paradis and Seal all sport gappy pearly whites.

Gap years Immortalized forever in THAT Youtube video, gap yahs are fast becoming a rite of passage for students. No longer is it acceptable to spend your year out recovering from the trauma of A Levels, working a part-time job and going on a boozy trip to Malia.

It’s not a gap year unless you’ve left the continent, helped build a shed for those less fortunate and got wasted covered in UV paint on a beach in Thailand. Oh, and don’t forget the obligatory sky-diving photograph. Because what else are you meant to use as your Facebook cover photo?

The gender pay gap Now this is actually a gap worth worrying about. Did you know that because of the gender pay gap, women work from November 7 until the end of the year for free?

On average, women earn around 15 per cent less than men. Reasons for this vary.

Women are more likely to work part time jobs or have jobs in the public sector which are adversely affected by austerity measures. Women are also still viewed as primary caregivers and find it more difficult to get back into work after having children. This year, November 7 marked Equal Pay Day. Despite the Equal Pay Act being passed over 40 years ago, there’s still a massive gap between women and men’s earnings. So if you’ve got to be concerned about any gap, girls, then this is the one to donate time to.

Top five: Movember Products

By Ellie McCaldin Mr. Mo books- Adam Hargreaves, son of the original creator of the Mr. Men series, has collaborated with Movember 2013 to pen Mr.Mo. With 60p from each copy going towards Movember the short story is perfect for nostalgic types or particularly generous siblings who want to hand down the Mr. Men tradition.

Moustache soaps- Hopefully most men supporting Movember realise that their facial fur needs as much love and care in the bathroom as the rest of them. If you’re already savvy on the grooming front (or you need to remind someone to take a bit more care) then head over to www.perpetualkid.com to buy a set of four for $9.99. Mainly worth it for the intruiging choice of scent (caramel tobacco) and the individual names of the soaps: ‘The Rich Uncle’, ‘The Wrestler’, ‘The Sheriff’ and ‘The Walrus’.

Wild Man styling wax- Of course there is a huge amount of choice on the web when it comes to finding a styling wax for your tache. However, we picked Wild Man mainly because we’re fools for a good marketing ploy, which Wild Man’s ‘Feel rugged. Look Smooth’ tagline provides in abundance. Available online from £13.50, this wax is a great buy for those attempting the Salvador Dali look.

Hp Sauce, ‘Saluting mo’ bros this Movember’- Perhaps this isn’t the product which instantly springs to mind when you think of moustache season but this Movember Hp sauce is supporting the charity by donating over £10,000 over the month to participants.

The company have released 2.5 million of their specially branded bottles and are running competitions and challenges throughout the month which can be found on their facebook page.

The Beardo hat- The perfect combination for those of you having to put up with not being able to grow a beard whilst also battling the cold November winds of the North. The Beardo hat can be purchased online at www.beardowear.co.uk for £24.99.

There is also a very seasonal santa hat version available for £25.99 or a painfully cute children’s version of the original for £20.99.

Image: Beardowear.co.uk

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LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL

@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

Travel

On a shoestring: Barcelona

Barcelona is known for being a relatively typical tourist destination. However, stray slightly off the beaten track and you will find yourself away from everything and everyone.

I wanted to explore this culturally abounding city, but I only had £300.

I kept my eyes open and the Easyjet sale graced me with a return flight for a mere £30.

On top of this, I paid £10 a night for a hostel in an amazing location. Pension Solarium is situated right next to Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s central street, which is overflowing with shops, restaurants and museums and leads down to Barceloneta beach. Hostel Rembrandt is a cheap alternative in a similar location.

An absolute must for anyone, especially if on a tight budget, is La Boqueria market.

My hostel was two minutes from the rows of Spanish food stalls, piled high with fresh, affordable produce. I had a Spanish omelette for breakfast, which was made right in front of me and only cost €3.50. I also bought a delicious paella for lunch. Rather than sitting in a café, I got to eat breakfast whilst exploring the city.

Fashion

Another great way to save money on meals is to go to cafes that serve a ‘menu del día’.

This is a set three-course menu with wine for little more than the price of a snack, which usually runs from 1pm until 3pm. Originally created in the late 1930s, ‘menu del día’ means that everyone can eat well, including us penniless students.

By Neelam Tailor place in the city and I enjoyed cycling through the light sandstone streets and listening to the different street musicians.

When dinnertime approaches, it is easy to be tempted by the vivacious atmosphere of the restaurants that line Las Ramblas.

But, from experience of being ripped off, these are all marketed at lavish tourists.

I recommend walking through the cobbled streets venturing into the many hidden tapas bars that are woven all the way through Barcelona.

Another great way to discover the less touristy areas is by bicycle. I recommend weaving through the narrow streets at around 1.30pm, siesta time, when La Boqueria market, photo: the streets are quieter and Neelam Tailor more atmospheric. We watched the architecture change as we On my third day I travelled slowly entered the charming old town. The by cable car up to the famous Mount Monjuic old town or Gothic Quarter was my favourite and saw the whole of Barcelona from above,

which was beautiful. Mount Monjuic has a lovely castle to explore during the day, and by night it hosts the ‘Magical Fountains of Monjuic’ –huge, colourful fountain displays accompanied by music. For us it made the perfect start to a night out.

The nightlife in Barcelona is by far one of the best I have experienced. But be warned, it starts very late; many clubs do not open until 2am. We had to adjust our usual routine so that we actually made it out.

After pre-drinking at our hostel until 1am, we went to Ocaña, a perfect bar for sophisticated cocktails and delicious food. Right next door is Jamboree - a jazz club in the evening, which is transformed into an intimate and stylishly grimy R&B and hip hop club. Opium, a nightclub right on the beachfront, is also a brilliant night out.

Barcelona has something to offer for every mood; culture, nightlife and relaxation. I feel like I only experienced a very small proportion of the city and, if Easyjet would be so kind, I would love to go again.

Concourse Couture

By Nikita Kesharaju

Lucy Wilkinson First Year, French studies Wearing: scarf from a vintage store, jacket from Miss Selfridge and skirt handed down from her grandma

Matt Clarke Third year, English Lang and Lit Wearing: coat from American thrift shop, cravat from a vintage store, jeans from ASOS, bag from Topman

Darcy Chittmittrapap Fifth year, Architecture Wearing: coat from Primark, shirt from Thailand, socks from Topshop, shoes from eBay, bag from Primark

Hugo Lynch Third year, Materials Engineering Wearing: shoes from Dr Martens, jeans from Levi, jumper from Cow, jacket from Carhartt

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FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay Novembe r 22 2013

@forgelifestyle /forgelifestyle lifestyle@forgetoday.com

Review

LIFESTYLE&TRAVEL

Spotlight on: Blue Moon cafe

By Hannah McCulloch and Ellie McCaldin

The best piece of advice I ever recieved whilst travelling was: if you want to get good food, find where the locals go. Turns out it’s a rule which translates well back home too.

Popping into the Blue Moon Cafe, just next to the Sheffield Cathedral, there was not a student (or an empty seat for that matter) in sight. Instead the cafe was packed to the rafters with lunching mums with adorable babies and elderly couples out for cake- a secret getaway from the student world.

The most striking aspect of the cafe is the building itself. Originally the site of the Sheffield Cathedral parsonage, the building was later converted into an auction house before eventually being turned into what is now the Blue Moon Cafe.

The incredibly high ceiling has been repainted to mimic the china blue and white of the old auction house. The individual feel created by it is further complimented by walls covered with local artwork, p h o to g ra p hy

Health

and cork pinboards packed full of flyers for upcoming gigs, yoga classes and housemate requests.

Our first choice from the menu was the sweet potato soup of the day (£3.70), which comes with bread. The soup was amazing,and tasted far better than any boring bowl of Heinz, or the standard cafe carrot and coriander we’ve had before. Sweet potato soup can easily turn out bland but this was beautifully spiced and authentically homemade.

For £6.25 you can have a plate piled high with salad and one of their hot specials.

Much deliberation went into our choice but in the end we sampled the roast pumpkin, red pepper and chickpea stew, vegan friendly of course. The pumpkin was cooked to perfection but the sauce could have done with more spice- the dish would’ve been ideal for those who find spicy, salty stew too much.

Our second choice was the gluten-free cauliflower manaca, which came with brown rice, cheese, mushrooms and basil and was easily the best main we tried that day. The dish was perfectly cheesy without being overwhelming or too heavy and the occasional hits of crispy baked cauliflower cheese were amazing.

Eating out vegan has its plus points: after a plate piled high of nourishing stew and salad you don’t feel weighed down, you just feel content and full.

The cafe also has a range of cakes, brownies and flapjacks, with gluten-free and vegan options all priced at £2.45.

We were even offered soya cream to go alongside it. The vegan chocolate cake made with soya margarine is definitely one for the chocoholics. Anyone who can’t eat a whole bar of 80 per cent coca dark chocolate should probably share.

That being said, maybe the reason we were a bit overwhelmed was because

we also opted to try the chocolate and coffee torte which was intensly decadent, with an amazingly crumbly cheesecake-esque basetotally worth it.

The cafe also does generously-sized coffees that pack more than a decent caffeine punch. All milk based drinks are available as soya alternatives.

A vegan and gluten-free friendly cafe, this is a great place to go for those who prefer not to eat meat and animal products.

If you need any more of an excuse to visit, the cafe is also hosting a music night every Friday from 6.30pm until Christmas.

People say dining out vegan style is boring but the Blue Moon Cafe provides the perfect defence. With a great atmosphere, friendly staff and a wealth of guilt free lunch options, Blue Moon Cafe could be the perfect pit stop on your next trip to town, so don’t overlook it.

Photos: Hannah McCulloch

Nightline: for students, by students

By Nightline

With Nightline awareness week just gone we were lucky enough to catch up with one of their members who gave us a personal account of why Nightline is so important for the student community.

Chances are you thought you knew the best kept secret in Sheffield. The little bakery down the hill or that amazing steak house round the back of the estate. However, those aren’t really secrets are they? Not like the secret I’m about to share with you.

Working tirelessly around degrees, jobs and social lives, approximately 60 volunteers run Sheffield’s Nightline service. An anonymous and confidential phone line run for students by students just as their tagline says. So there it is. The big juicy secret: Nightline.

“Oh that’s not much of a secret”, I hear you say. Perhaps you’re right and you’re one of the very few clued up on what Nightline is there for. But like I said, you are one of the minority. It’s the best kept secret because only a handful of people understand why the service is even there and many take it to be a joke or waste of time.

So what are the common misconceptions?

For starters the main one is “you have to be crazy to call Nightline”. No. There are a few issues with this statement, firstly what

on earth is your definition of “crazy”? Is a crazy person someone in a mental health hospital? Is a crazy person someone who is over emotional or withdrawn?

Is a crazy person someone on anti-depressants and medication? Or is a crazy person actually just a person that you don’t fully understand?

The huge stigma attached to mental health issues is not something any one person can address in one article. It will take years to fully break down the social barriers built up over time but organisations such as Nightline lend an ear to those who need one.

So no, you don’t have to be crazy to phone up. “Nightline is there to listen not lecture.” As a non- advisory, nonjudgemental service, callers are not subject to guidance; instead they are encouraged

to come to their own conclusions on their situation having been able to talk about options that are available.

“So do people actually use the service seriously?”

Yes. Open after most other University services shut, from 8pm – 8am during term time, they are a priceless resource for those with nowhere else to turn when the conventional outlets close.

Also, being an information s e r v i c e , nightline can provide useful information for both Sheffield Hallam and University of Sheffield students in a pickle after hours. Questions from callers vary immensely, from students who have lost their keys and are seeking advice for what to do when locked out of their house, to those unsure of how

to handle rowdy neighbours. Sometimes the caller might just want help finding the nearest pizza takeaway. Nightline is able to provide these little nuggets and many more should you ever be stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“What if I don’t want to talk out loud?”

No problem. Nightline has an e-listening service open through term time and, more importantly, throughout the holidays, for students who find it easier not talking about any problems or issues. The service aims to respond to emails within 48 hours, even during holidays. With all the emails going through an anonymiser, confidentiality is kept intact and this service can be invaluable to students who really need reassurance and a non- judgemental body to speak to.

The service is a vital resource for every student who needs it, be it a one time wobbly or an ongoing issue you that you need to talk about. So this Nightline Awareness Week give the Friends of Nightline a moment of your time and take part in one of the events going on around campus.

Photo: Ellie McCaldin

22

Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

COFFEE BREAK TWEETS OF THE FORTNIGHT

@FPCoffeeBreak /forgepresscoffeebreak

Once called “the graffiti Mecca of the urban art world”, Berlin has a booming street art industry.

It began in the 1980s, when West Berliners began to graffiti their side of the Berlin Wall until it was completely covered in artwork from artists across the world. After the Wall came down in 1989, street art began to spread to the rest of the city, artists creating these colourful murals that can be seen across Berlin.

Photograph of the fortnight: Street art in Berlin

Photo: Rosie Kenworthy

Eat your heart out, Harry Potter We might have missed out on our Hogwarts letters, but we’re not all complete muggles.

Scientists at the University of Texas have come one step closer to developing electrically powered ‘invisibility cloaks’ that can conceal objects from different light frequencies or even make them more visible than normal.

Leader of the study, Professor Andrea Alu, explained how this works: “For example, you might make a cloak that makes an object invisible to red light. But if you were illuminated by white light, which contains all colours, you would actually look bright blue, and therefore stand out more.”

The team of scientists believe that complete invisibility is impossible to achieve - as illustrated by the explanation above, while the cloaked object

may be invisible under one colour of light, it will be made more visible under a different colour.

The first functioning invisibility cloak was created in 2006 by Professor David Smith of Duke University in North Carolina, concealing a small copper cylinder by bending microwaves around it.

Although much research has been done on the theory behind this kind of technology, no invisibility cloaks like the ones proposed in the current study have been made yet.

Unfortunately, since total invisibility is thought to be unachievable, we might not be tiptoeing unseen into our lectures at twenty past or bypassing the queue for John’s Van to grab a sneaky sandwich any time soon.

Word of the fortnight Kintsukuroi, verb phrase, noun: 1. “To repair with gold.”

2. The art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken.

...

now k u o y id

D

There is a metro station in Moscow that is offering a free ticket to passengers who can perform 30 squats within two minutes, as part of a campaign run by Russia’s Olympic Committee to promote next year’s Winter Games in Sochi.

The small town of Talkeetna, Alaska in the US has had the same honorary mayor for 16 years.

Mayor Stubbs was elected in 1997 shortly after he was found in a box full of kittens in a car park. Stubbs is in fact a cat.

The new Movember November is a month of chilly winter days and snuggling in a blanket with a mug of hot cocoa.

It is a time of bonfires, of treacle toffee and of fireworks.

It is the time for men across the country to let their facial hair flourish.

It is the time for parents to convince their children that their toy dinosaurs come to life while they’re asleep and rampage through the house on a mission of destruction.

Refe and Susan Tuma have made it a yearly tradition to convince their young children that every November their house is invaded by a group of plastic dinosaurs: they position the toys in lifelike poses after their children have gone to bed, sometimes going as far as to vandalise their own house in order to keep up the illusion.

It began innocently enough: the dinosaurs broke into a box of cereal and made a mess all over the table. The next morning they were caught raiding the fruit bowl, and the morning after that the refrigerator.

Things escalated quickly from there. More recently the dinosaurs have smashed vases of

flowers, had a karaoke party and spray-painted the walls of the house, as seen below.

Although some might say the Tumas have taken things slightly too far in the name of a good prank, Refe had this to say on the matter: “In a time when the answers to all the world’s questions are a web-search away, we want our kids to experience

a little mystery. All it takes is some time and energy, creativity, and a few plastic dinosaurs.

“Childhood is fleeting, so let’s make sure it’s fun while it lasts.”

Find more of the dinosaurs’ antics at: www.facebook.com/dinovember

Photo: Refe and Susan Tuma

23

FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay Novembe r 22 2013

@FPCoffeeBreak

COFFEE BREAK

/forgepresscoffeebreak

Puzzle Page: sudokus Medium

Easy 4 2

9 7

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Quotes of the fortnight

“

He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

“

”

Chinese proverb

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

”

dingbats

Across:

Down:

1. Unites ducks, worms and videos (4) 3. Collective term for a group of ferrets (8) 9. Cure-all (7) 10. Painful or unpleasant; very poor (5) 11. Occurrence (5) 12. The idea of a ‘perfect’ society, explored much in fiction (6) 14. Willy Wonka’s line of business (13) 17. Damage; weaken (6) 19. Official inspection of a company’s accounts (5) 22. Heavily weighed down (5) 23. Bambi’s furry friend (7) 24. Award or privilege granted as acknowledgement of merit (8) 25. A protagonist of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (4)

1. How much it costs to feed the birds? (8) 2. Tubular pasta (5) 4. Pure (13) 5. Pingu’s abode (5) 6. Scholarly (7) 7. Bean used in the production of vegan-friendly milk (4) 8. Grim Reaper’s weapon of choice (6) 13. Once-common medical diagnosis for women suffering a variety of symptoms (8) 15. Way of life where people move from one place to another (7) 16. Opposite of transparent (6) 18. To make invalid (5) 20. The youngest dwarf (5) 21. Impassioned request (4)

Dingbats are visual word puzzles from which you must identify a well-known phrase or saying.

1.

2.

Find the answers to this fortnight’s puzzles online at: www.forgetoday.com/category/coffee-break

24

Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

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25

FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay Novembe r 22 2013

@forgesport

SPORT

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Matchdebating Is AP McCoy the greatest sportsman of all time?

International stars blow McCoy away

McCoy is furlongs ahead of the rest Will Aitkenhead “ G r e a t men are not born great, they grow great,” said Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather.

Few other quotes are apt in encapsulating the essence of greatness in simple terms.

Few would argue that Anthony McCoy, recordbreaking jump jockey, has grown to greatness across a generation.

His achievements in horse racing, indeed in the world of sport in general, are simply incomparable.

Defining greatness in sport is never an easy task.

It involves many things; longevity, superiority, natural ability, bravery, hard work and perhaps above all else the desire to never give up.

The man from County Antrim in Northern Ireland, known by most as ‘AP’, has all of these and more.

He had long achieved greatness before reaching the remarkable figure of 4,000 career winners last week, following his 18 consecutive Champion Jockey titles. To put this in perspective, the previous record was eight.

Statistically, McCoy knows that every sixteen rides he will end up with his face in the turf after a fall.

The bravery required to be a jump jockey stretches far beyond most sports and McCoy continues to do so despite breaking almost every bone in his body at some point, including his back.

Can you imagine a top class footballer choosing to put themselves in such a situation day in day out?

At five foot 10 inches, McCoy is tall for a jockey, which means he has to work harder than most to stay keep the right weight.

He only eats dinner four times a week and breakfast and lunch consist of cups of

“He had long achieved greatness before reaching the remarkable figure of 4000 career winners” tea and jelly babies.

He has won every major race there is to win in the sport.

The Grand National, The Gold Cup (twice), The Champion Hurdle on three occasions, the Queen Mother Chase and the King George VI Chase to name just a few.

His ride on Don’t Push It in the 2010 National typified his greatness. It was a combination of skill, timing, strength and sheer bloodymindedness that got him over the line in front, finally ending his 15-year wait to win the world’s most famous horse race.

His ride on Synchronised in the 2012 Gold Cup was equally brilliant.

His longevity, bravery and hard work are all without question.

His natural talent is something that gives him the edge over others jockey.

The ability to judge when to hit the front or when to sit in and wait. That natural ability to get the best out of any horse. It is little when surprise that when McCoy is

confirmed to ride a horse, it’s odds invariably drop dramatically.

He is quite simply not only the greatest jump jockey of a generation but the greatest sportsman of a generation.

Of course there have been sportsmen and women who dominate their sports for a period of time. Sebastian Vettel, Serena Williams, Sachin Tendulkar, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, to name a few. But none have dominated for as long as McCoy, not even Phil Taylor.

The undisputed champion of his sport must sit at the top of the tree across all sports.

Dom Smith There is no doubting the enormity of A.P McCoy’s achievement, his 4,000th win this month merely allows people to celebrate what we all already know, that he is one of the the greatest race jockeys of all time.

But anointing him as the greatest sportsperson of his generation, let alone of all time, is much more problematic. For starters, to make a rather obvious and blunt point, McCoy’s successes are never truly just his own. His skill of powering horses towards victory is undoubted, but he is blessed with being the main jockey of the most illustrious stable in British hunt racing.

The horses on which he rides are the best of their kind, bred to race and trained by the incredible Jonjo O’Neill.

Just as

18 time champion jockey AP McCoy

Photo: Dam Heap (Flickr)

Forge Sport awards

Sebastian Vettel would struggle in a moderately sized hatchback, McCoy couldn’t have won the Grand National on a tired old nag.

So is it not true that the winner of all of those 4,000 races has been the horse, the trainer and the owner, just as much as McCoy? Horse racing is also undoubtedly an exciting and dramatic sport with fans all over the world.

But, really, McCoy is only well-known in Europe, not in America or Australia, where racing is a game governed by different rules and with its own fans. He is only really a hero in Britain and Ireland.

Which really raises the issue of what makes a great sportsperson anyway.

There are those, like McCoy, who stand head and shoulders above their competitors – literally in the case of Usain Bolt, figuratively for Lionel Messi.

But these two men transcend the sport in which they are so accomplished and are recognised globally simply for their excellence.

Big companies fall over themselves to associate their brand with Messi and Bolt, and most importantly, kids aspire to emulate them.

Their stories are so well known across the globe – Messi overcame a growth hormone deficiency to become one of the greatest footballers of all-time; Bolt had to be persuaded away from playing cricket to concentrate on his sprinting.

They are not simply great with a ball at their feet or with 100m of track in front of them, they are

role-models to children from Buenos Aires to Kingston and beyond.

McCoy may well be great, but his reach is somewhat more limited.

“McCoy couldn’t have won the Grand National on a tired old nag” But of all of this begs a good question. Does the fact that more people know who Messi, Bolt or Floyd Mayweather are mean they are any better at their sport than McCoy is at his?

Not really.

A truly great cricketer in Sachin Tendulkar retired this week, and rather than reflecting on his immensity as a player and a man, the debate has already begun on where he sits in the mythical rankings of alltime greats. Debasing the Little Master’s career to mere numbers is perhaps just as much a zero-sum game as comparing jockeys with footballers, sprinters or boxers.

To watch a mazy run from Messi, a booming overhand right from Mayweather or a sumptuous cover drive from Tendulkar is a joy in its own right. Watching Usain Bolt and AP McCoy roar free from a tight crowd to take glory in the last few seconds similarly.

To begin comparing them is almost impossible, as to do so detracts from their unique, one-off brilliance.

Let’s just enjoy them while we can.

Forge Sport editor Tom Pyman chooses his heroes and villains of the week Cristiano Ronaldo

üü

The Real Madrid forward scored an amazing hat-trick for Portugal to secure their place at next summer’s World Cup.

Stuart Broad

ü

Despite boos from the partizan Aussie crowd the England seamer took five wickets on the opening day of the Ashes series to put England in control.

England

û

Roy Hodgson’s side suffered back-to-back defeats against Chile and German and were booed off at full-time by supporters at Wembley.

Michael Clarke

ûû

The Australian captain was caught out for one on the opening day of the Ashes in Brisbane.

26

Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

@forgesport

SPORT

/forgepress sport@forgetoday.com

Sports personality of the week Forge Sport Editor Peter Grieve met women’s netball club captain Yasmin Vines for an interview

As netball club captain, what responsibilities and roles do you have?

My role for the year is to be ‘club mum’. I have to make sure that all the girls know they belong to SUNC, what SUNC should mean to them and to be a to represent the club in general.

Most importantly, my role is to be passionate and enthusiastic at all times. I eat, live, sleep and breathe netball and I have to pass it on to each and every one of the girls to show the pride we have in belonging and playing for SUNC.

“My role is to be passionate and enthusiastic at all times” Your club name is Tarzan.

What is the meaning behind it, and why do you have club names?

This is where the social side of the club comes in: throughout the first weeks of the term we attract a lot of girls because netball is a massive sport. To welcome everyone into the club, we play word association with your surname to get everyone involved.

Vines > Jungle > Tarzan! I have one of the simpler names to explain, fortunately.

What is a normal social for you?

A normal social involves dressing up - I am known for my disastrous choices and returning with a lack of outfit by the end of the night - and having a good time with all the girls.

We all meet at Viper Rooms and have the chance to let our hair down. It’s the time to show off how close we are as a club by playing games, congratulating

everyone on their games and doing weekly match reports for all the teams including the development and BUCS sides to show our successes within the club and obviously have a cheeky beverage or two.

What is the best social you’ve experienced?

I can’t say I have a particular favourite social because I enjoy every week. We do a lot of different activities based on the theme of our social. For example, SUNC army week we had a mini assault course to complete; involving balancing on wobble boards and running through ladders.

What is your best sporting memory?

The best memory by far was winning our Varsity match last year. We had one of the biggest netball crowds we’ve ever had and the club beat Hallam 2-1 overall which as amazing. It wasn’t just about the games, but about the atmosphere.

We absolutely outshone Hallam with our commitment and support to the teams.

What facilities do the University provide you with?

We train for two hours on a Thursday for BUCS but we are desperately struggling as our development girls unfortunately only get an hour on a Monday night. We also have a big focus on fitness this year by having two fitness sessions; spinning on Fridays and circuit training and runs on Sundays. Netball are always good at getting up for 7:30am Friday Cardio sessions.

Aside from netball, who are your favourite and least favourite sports clubs at the University and why?

I have to say I am guilty of being too busy to watch other sports at the Uni, but within the club a lot of the girls pop along to rugby and hockey matches.

We are planning a social later on in the season to watch an American football game and an ice hockey game in an attempt to gain some ideas and get involved with other sports at the university.

What does V a r s i t y mean to you?

To me, V a r s i t y epitomises success. Varsity is the chance to finish the season on a high and showcase our club. We pride ourselves in our support throughout the year and Varsity is a prime example of this. All of our girls are there for every single m a t c h , meaning some girls are sat

watching for over five hours plus warm-up-time. Varsity is the ultimate opportunity to celebrate the success of our club and the atmosphere is absolutely surreal!

Two years ago, Netball was club of the year. Would you say that the club is still operating at the same level, and what are you doing to try and regain the award?

The club is going above and beyond the achievements of two years ago. We want to claim it back from Cycling and we are doing more than ever to do so. We have put on extra fitness sessions to show dedication within the club and are getting involved in every activity possible. For example.

Dolly is our 1s team captain and is also on the sport’s committee, so she took part in the charity spinathon last week- every one of the sport’s committee came to congratulate Dolly on the support from netball they had to spur them on which is absolutely fantastic to hear. We all pride ourselves on being part of SUNC. We are working very hard to prove we deserve a 4th team in BUCS and extend our successes within the University.

“Varsity is the chance to finish the season on a high and showcase our club” From freshers’ trials through to Varsity; how does team selection work? What merits a position in the first team, how serious are the trials, and how often does someone

get promoted from the development teams?

Teams can fluctuate throughout the year but principally trials are the main opportunity. To prove yourself to be part of any of the teams trials are key. Getting on to a team proves player ability, sociability, accurate game reading, involvement, fitness and most importantly passion.

Our mentality is what drives us throughout the year. Development to BUCS promotion often occurs during exam period but this year two girls have already come up from development because we felt they were ready for BUCS fixtures.

Do you think someone deserves to be our sports personality of the week?

Let us know at sports@forgetoday.com

More articles online Read more reports, fixtures and features online all fortnight

DOT COM

This week’s contributors Peter Grieve Jack Taylor Tom Pyman Will Aitkenhead Philip Carpenter Robert Milne Simon Watters Joe Bamford David Conway Dominic Smith

DOT COM

Table tennis tear Liverpool apart Men’s Table Tennis BUCS Northern 1A University of Sheffield University of Liverpool

11 6

David Conway University of Sheffield table tennis men’s 1s, shrugged off a slow start to maintain what has been an excellent season so far by claiming victory over Liverpool.

The result means Sheffield are now unbeaten in 5 as they look to reclaim their title.

The afternoon was far from easy for Sheffield, as they found themselves 3-1 down in matches, with all of the team losing their first round of matches apart from Captain Mike Fraser who was in excellent form and didn’t lose a match all afternoon.

Sheffield showed great resilience to come back into the contest, with Biao Young, also known as “the great wall of

China” levelling proceedings with a comfortable 3 set victory on an afternoon in which he was below his usual high standards.

With the momentum now on Sheffield’s side they took the lead after captain Mike Fraser showed great ability and experience in grinding out a five set victory, providing inspiration for his team mates.

Sheffield was now in full control of the proceedings and all of the team seemed full of confidence.

A gulf in class began to emerge as Sheffield formed a comfortable gap and victory appeared in sight after James Atkins won a great five set encounter with scores of 11-10, 13-11 and 14-12 to make the scores 6-4 in matches.

Liverpool had no response, with the ever improving George Cox putting in a mature performance to extend Sheffield’s lead and apply even more pressure to Liverpool.

In the final singles match Biao then sealed victory and ensured

Sheffield stayed top of the National 1A league with a 3-2 set win to make the score 10-6 going into the doubles match.

The doubles saw captain Mike Fraser and George Cox pitted together as they looked to end the day with a convincing final performance.

The duo did not show any signs of tiredness and put in a superb display in which they beat Liverpool 3-0 with scores of 11-9, 11-8, and 11-8.

After the game Captain Mike Fraser said: “We could have played better but we showed good combinations at times.”

Mike also commented on the team spirit saying “as a team we support each other all of the time.”

Sheffield will hope to continue their rich vein of form into their next game against Nottingham 2s in the BUCS table tennis trophy, which is next week at home.

Mike Fraser in fine form

Photo: Philip Carpenter

27

FO R GE PRESS Fr i d ay Novembe r 22 2013

@forgesport

SPORT

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Scousers steal victory from Sheffield grasp Women’s Volleyball BUCS Northern 1A University of Sheffield 1s University of Liverpool 1s

2 3

Simon Watters Sheffield University Women’s volleyball lost an excruciatingly close affair with Liverpool University on Wednesday. The home teams’ form was good coming into the match, having won 5 of their last 7 matches at both the student cup and in their BUCS fixture the previous week.

Early in the first set outside Jana Ru spiked superbly, while opposite Kate Lord scrambled well frontcourt. Sheffield’s power and organisation was telling but Liverpool stayed with them, Sheffield stealing the first set 2523.

Sheffield continued their power on the hit in the second set, matched with tenacious defence, epitomised by libero Constance Chow. Liverpools’ serving was much improved in the second set, while Sheffield’s remained solid.

Jana Ru continued dominating, with 3 consecutive kills midway through the set. Liverpool then began to switch on, taking the set 25-20, the scoreline more emphatic than in reality.

Liverpol began the third set with 5 unanswered points, only for Sheffield to score 5 right back. The visitors were covering

the court superbly in defence, while Sheffield struggled for serving consistency. Liverpool were struggling to finish points, hindered by Ru’s coverage of the backcourt, which was as superb as her frontcourt coverage.

Sheffield then powered away to take the third 25-20.

University of Sheffield struggled on serve in the fourth, as their defence started to crack, with Liverpool dominating and taking it 25-17. There was controversy at the end of the set as the match has run on so long.

For a time is appeared Sheffield would have to forfeit, but Sport Sheffield were sympathetic enough to let the final set go ahead.

A frantic fifth set felt like a separate match in it, with blood spilt over every point. Sheffield serve was shaky but Ru was solid and spectacular and made 3 more consecutive kills. Each rally seemed to last forever but it was Liverpool who emerged victorious 23-21, with Sheffield having saved half a dozen match points prior to this.

Setter Kaytee Gigantor played superbly after an 18 month injury lay off while Kate Lord had the game of her life. Next week is a must win game if the women of Sheffield are to avoid relegation.

Of what was witnessed today, there is certainly the potential to do so but putting it into practice may prove a taller order.

Volleyball player tipped for the top

Photo: Philip Carpenter

Durham defence denies Sheffield Men’s Hockey BUCS Northern 1A University of Sheffield 1s University of Durham 1s

0 1

Joe Bamford The University of Sheffield men’s 1st team were denied a point by a resolute University of Durham defence in a freezing cold Wednesday evening at Goodwin.

A goal from the visitors inside the first five minutes of the game was enough to settle the match, with Sheffield trying in vain to get back on terms.

In a frantic opening to the game as both teams struggled to keep hold of the ball; however Durham soon settled into a rhythm and kept possession well in defence.

In one of their first meaningful attacks they managed to catch the home side out at the back with a quick break which resulted in a

solid strike being fired low past home goalkeeper Clem Teagle.

Following the goal the away side dominated, maintaining pressure on the Sheffield backline but struggling to create a clear-cut opportunity. The defence, marshalled by captain and keeper Clem Teagle, were well organised and determined not to let the game slip beyond them.

0-1 at half time and the game was still there for the taking.

Despite Durham’s early pressure and strong all-round play, they hadn’t fully capitalised and had left the game wide open.

The stage was set for Sheffield to come out second half and take the game to Durham; and that’s exactly what they did. Starting to get a foothold in the game, Sheffield began to create chances and forcing the keeper into some great saves.

Midway through the second half Sheffield thought they were

back on terms, relief felt both on the pitch and by the spectators on the touchline. However the goal was controversially ruled out, as the shot by Tim Brown was deemed to have been struck from outside the D. Cue protests from the home side and spectators alike.

The frustration was clear to see but Sheffield didn’t let that faze them, and didn’t let the tempo drop. Chances continued to be created and missed with the pressure on the Durham rearguard being intense.

The Durham defence who somehow withstood an onslaught in the final minutes, but held out for a narrow victory, sending them home with all three points while Sheffield were left to rue missed opportunities which could, and probably should, have seen them take at least a point from this.

28th minute, as the ball dropped in the box, was fired home but ruled offside, a close shave for Sheffield.

Sheffield fought back into the first half. Wide-man Josh Thompson chased a lost cause that the keeper had left and managed to reach it forcing a save from a tight angle. The biggest chance of the first half fell to Captain Eric Wedge-Bill who went through on goal and really should have finished but put the ball wide, he looked desolate as he walked back with his hands covering his face.

Sheffield then lost star defender Pat Howard as he made a last ditch questionable challenge in his own box and was forced to hobble off with injury.

The second half began with a striking rainbow and Sheffield clearly on top. There were more chances in the first five minutes than the entirety of the first half. Manchester had another penalty shout but again it was not awarded. Andrew Sweeney

came on and made a difference for Sheffield as he got at his opposing full-back.

Ultimately, the game was lost due to bad luck. A disaster at the back led to the ball being headed past the goalkeeper off Sheffield’s own post and passed into the open net by the Manchester forward.

Goals came against the run of play, an own goal from Tom Bland’s header made it 0-2 and finished off Sheffield. Heads dropped and there was no way back. Losing their key centre back and conceding two unlucky goals was Sheffield’s downfall in this well fought clash.

Waddle wings in for Manchester win Men’s Football BUCS Northern 1A University of Sheffield University of Manchester

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Rob Milne

Mixed golf 1s held to a 3-3 draw by UCLAN 2s in BUCS Northern 1A Photo: Philip Carpenter

It was a piercing cold day over on the playing fields but top of the league Sheffield went into the game with confidence that they could get the victory over a tough purple and white Manchester team. With England legend Chris Waddle coaching Sheffield from the side-lines all signs pointed toward a Sheffield win, looking to continue their run of good form following a 1-0 victory over Leeds Met Carnegie in the Northern 1A. The game got off to a disjointed start with both sides opting for the long ball over the technical approach, the ball never really settled on the floor.

Manchester pressure ensued and they had a disallowed goal in

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Fri day November 22 2013 F O RG E P RESS

@forgesport

SPORT

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Sabres season starts superbly

Sabres halted by a crunching tackle

American Football BUCS North Western

Sheffield Sabres Lancaster Bombers

42 6

Phil Carpenter The Sabres kick-started their season with a composed and calculated victory over a battling Lancaster team last Sunday.

The Sabres defence looked rock solid all game, causing Lancaster to repeatedly throw incomplete passes and punt out of frustration. As a result, Lancaster made just 72 yards all game, compared to Sheffield’s 328, despite the visitors having greater possession.

Lancaster managed the last points of the game in a drawn out last quarter but it was their defence that rescued them from a seemingly certain whitewash by intercepting an ill-advised pass on the Sheffield goal line.

It was an easy walk in for Lancaster’s no. 58, who capitalised on the one weakness

Photo: Phil Carpenter shown by the Sabres in this early season game; incomplete passes.

Sheffield outclassed their competitors in this arena by some margin with some truly spectacular pass completions on show for the appreciative crowd.

It’s fair to say that it won’t be long before any first game rustiness is sorted out and the Sabres will begin to rack up some impressive points differences this season.

There were a number of outstanding individual performances including that of Ola Fashoro who made one of the most spectacular catches that is likely to be seen all season. This gave the Sabres a strong position that allowed James Sharrock to make the first touchdown of the season early in the game.

The touchdowns continued to roll in the second period of the game, including one for Naoya Misu who showed real class on his Sabres debut following his previous playing experience in Japan.

The third period started with the same dominance as the second

finished, with a cheeky onside kick off throwing Lancaster into disarray and unable to stop Martin Airault’s onslaught that saw him shrug off numerous tackles and outpace the entire defence to score an immediate touchdown.

A two-point run in for Sam Kennett following Cameron Readman’s touchdown to round out the scoring in the third before the final points were added in the fourth to finish up the game.

The highest praise has to be given to the Sabres defence which managed four sacks between Akin Adeleye and Mike Smith, both of whom appeared unchallenged and unfazed as they careered through Lancaster’s offensive line.

The Sabres will surely have a dominant season but only time will tell if they can come out on top of their closest competitors Derby, Liverpool and Hallam, and if last years’ Varsity win can be repeated.

settle, Sheffield in particular maintaining possession well.

Despite this, the 1s struggled to break down their stubborn opponents, with the Hallam rearguard standing firm as Sheffield continued to knock on the door.

But it was only a matter of time until Sheffield scored; and the breakthrough finally came towards the end of the first half courtesy of Bazley-Harrison in the second phase of play following a short corner, a fierce strike coming in from the top of the D. With the deadlock broken, Sheffield began to assert their dominance with slick passing and pace down the wings.

The pressure eventually told with the umpire awarding a penalty flick, Hallam venting their frustration by fouling a Sheffield forward deliberately in the D. The Hallam keeper managed to pull off a great save, diving to her left to keep the deficit at just one.

Half time came with Sheffield on top, but the second half started as a much scrappier affair with both teams battling for the ball.

Hallam started putting pressure on the Sheffield goal and won two consecutive short corners.

However they barely forced a save out of the away goalkeeper, such was the solidity of the Sheffield defence.

Sheffield Sabres in action

Photo: Phil Carpenter

Hallam hammered by hockey 1s Womens Hockey BUCS Northern 1A Sheffield Hallam 1s University of Sheffield 1s

0 3

Joe Bamford The University of Sheffield went top of the table at Abbeydale on Wednesday after a win against arch-rivals Sheffield Hallam.

Captain Sarah Bazley-Harrison scored all three goals for Uni in a very open game.

The 1s will reflect on the game as a comprehensive win, although it could, and probably should, have been more.

After a frantic first few minutes both teams began to

It wasn’t long before Sheffield started to create chances again with only last ditch Hallam defending denying the Sheffield strikers.

All the pressure eventually told as midway through the second half, Sheffield scored the second goal that their play deserved, from a familiar source.

A crisp injection from a short corner was stopped dead for Bazley-Harrison to hammer home her second of the game and give the visitors some much needed breathing space.

From that point onwards Sheffield dominated, creating chances at will and Hallam resorting to keeping possession

at the back to avoid conceding again. But even this wasn’t going to keep Sheffield at bay for long, and Bazley-Harrison completed her hat-trick in the closing minutes, again from a solid short corner.

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