Issue 9

Your new Union President Paul Tobin Page 9 The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield // www.forgetoday.com

Hicks sit-in by Gaza activists splits Union

Friday March 20 2009 // Issue 9

Fire alarm concern in Arts Tower

By Leanne Rinne

By Robert Golledge A group of activists have occupied the Hicks Building, claiming that the University has failed to enter discussions with students after last month’s mock death Gaza protest outside the Union.

The occupiers, who are a collection of individuals and members of activist groups, have issued a list of demands to the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Keith Burnett.

The protesters have occupied lecture theatres five and six, with the University closing off lecture theatre seven which is in the same corridor.

The group demand that the University: ‘Issue a statement condemning the disproportionate actions of the Israeli state against the Palestinian people.

‘Create a special programme of five Palestinian scholarships and waive all fees for current students from the occupied territories.

‘Enter into an academic partnership with the University of Gaza.

Arts Tower.

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Inside...

‘Donate old books, computers and other relevant equipment to the University of Gaza, and pay for the transport of these materials.

‘Publicise the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal on University of Sheffield notice boards, website and via email.

‘Initiate a programme in partnership with students of divestment and ending links with the arms trade.

‘Allow those studying Medicine to carry out their electives in the occupied territories of Palestine.

‘Commemorate the United Nations Palestine Solidarity Day on November 29.

‘Echo the Occupation’s statement of support with Israeli students who have been imprisoned for refusing to serve in the IDF.’ The group have also demanded that University students and staff, who are involved in and support their occupation, face no

Photo: Sam Bennett

Pro-Gaza protesters are occupying the Hicks building. repercussions.

The occupation started at 7.15pm on Monday, March 16, and at the time of going to print the protesters were still staging their sit-in.

The University has said that for each day of the protest they have had to reallocate the lectures of over 1,000 students.

The occupiers have stated that their occupation was not intended to disrupt lectures.

A statement from the group said: “All participants taking part in this occupation have agreed to a code of conduct. This means that all of us are dedicated to showing respect to the space we are occupying, for University workers and, very importantly, for our fellow students’ right to study.

“For this reason we have let

the University know that they are welcome to continue holding lectures in the occupied space, and that we would move to the back or out of the lecture theatres entirely for the time they are needed.

“Regardless of this the University has decided to cancel the lectures scheduled for the lecture theatres we are occupying.

“We are sorry that they have taken this course of action and hope they will revert this decision.

“We wish to let all students and staff know that the occupied space is open to everyone and that all are welcome to come and talk, discuss or just drop by and show their support for our movement.”

On Tuesday morning the Union of Students’ Sabbatical team issued a statement opposing the occupation: “We condemn the

occupation of lecture theatres in the Hicks Building which has been organised by a small and unrepresentative minority.

“Disrupting the academic work of our students does nothing to help the cause of peace in the Middle East and justice for the people of Palestine, which the Union supports.

“We urge those responsible to end their action immediately, and call on all Union representatives and committees to join us in demanding the end of the occupation.”

The Sabbatical Officers were split, with President Dave Hurst, Education Officer Rebecca Watson and Women’s Officer Fiona Edwards in favour of the occupation.

Continued on page 8

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A lecturer from the University of Sheffield has made a series of complaints about conditions in the Arts Tower, including the possibility of asbestos leaks.

The staff member from the School of East Asian Studies, whose identity has been withheld, has raised concerns about health and safety and the structure of the Arts Tower since 2006, but claims that nothing has been done.

In a formal letter to senior University personnel, which was leaked to Forge Press, he lists over 10 different complaints, including a claim that the Arts Tower fire alarm failed to alert all of the floors in the building last month.

On Thursday, February 19, a regular fire alarm test was carried out in the Arts Tower at 9.00am.

But when the actual fire alarm went off at 9.50am, the staff member claims it did not sound on floors five and six.

The lecturer was in the paternoster when the fire alarm went off, and he found it difficult to evacuate because of the obstructive Tensabarriers.

After the alarm had been going for 15 minutes, he told the Arts Tower porter that the alarm was not working on some of the floors.

He wrote: “I went to the main entrance of the Arts Tower to inform the porter Pete, whom I know […] though one of the security personnel was about to prevent me.”

At this point the security official told the lecturer that a party had been sent upstairs to the two floors.

According to the staff member it was not until 20 minutes later that most of the people on floors five and six finally found out about the alarm after a phone call made from Western Bank Library.

This is only the latest incident which he is extremely concerned about. He has also complained repeatedly about dust floating up and down between the floors in the Arts Tower, and the level of noise disturbing lectures.

In response to this complaint, a University spokesperson said: “It is inevitable as part of a construction project that there will be an element of noise and disruption and staff were advised to let us know if this caused any problems.

Continued on page 4

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The Brew Team have created a new ale which is on sale across the University and at The Edge in the Endcliffe student village.

By David Thomas

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

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The University’s student Brew Team have unveiled this year’s new ale.

With the assistance of Thornbridge Brewery, students have created Redbrick.

Scott Murcott won a competition to name the ale, receiving a mini cask as his prize.

The new beer will be rolled out in bars across the University, including The Edge and Bar One. The Brew Team comprised six students, including two in their first year. The project involved several trips to the Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell.

Whilst there, the team tried a range of ales in order to decide on

the flavour they wanted for their own beer.

After choosing the flavours, the resident brewing team at Thornton attempted to create the beer to the students’ specifications. The team were also able to try their hand at brewing the ale themselves at the Bakewell brewery.

Josh Taylor, Architecture student and member of the Brew Team, said: “Being a fan of real ale, I jumped at the chance to become part of the team.

“After some meetings with the brewers and tasting various beers, we decided on which flavours were most desirable in our beer and Thornbridge tried to create it.”

Taylor hopes the new beer might convert students to a more

Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to press.letters@forgetoday.com Text us on 07765363716 rounded appreciation of fine alcohol.

“Whether having it on sale at The Edge and other University bars will wean some of the hardcore White Ace or VK drinkers off their tipples remains to be seen,” he said.

Alex Buchanan, of Thornton Brewery, said: “It is fantastic that we can work with this group

Photo: Sam Bennett

of students to increase their understanding of the brewing process and the technology behind making beer, and to make the process fun.”

The project was created to provide students with a “better attitude towards alcohol,” according to Thornton Brewery.

Taylor, however, was slightly more sceptical. He said: “I don’t know about the changing attitudes - if people have joined the team it’s because they like good beer and want to have a hand in it themselves.”

The new beer is 4.9 per cent, with a copper colour and a malty but refreshing flavour. Last year students created two beers, Belay Bob and Belay Betty.

Favourite mugs improve taste V-C salary blunder

By Kirsty McEwen Drinking your morning cup of tea or coffee from your favourite mug can actually make a difference to how it tastes, a University of Sheffield researcher has discovered.

Dr. Tom Stafford, from the Department of Psychology, says that our morning drink is often a highly ritualised routine.

He said that the addictive nature of the caffeine in drinks like tea or coffee means that we become taught to enjoy it more if we consume it in a certain way.

“All drugs hack the brain’s learning systems so that we are taught to enjoy the hit if administered in a certain way.

“Drinking is very ritualistic and people become addicted to the

way, for example, they want their brew made.”

This phenomenon has also been seen in beer drinkers using their own tankards when drinking their ale of choice.

Psychologists found that having their own glass “intensified the sensation of pleasure” when drinking beer.

Dr. Stafford compared such rituals to any sort of pattern adopted by people who are addicted to something.

“Caffeine is a drug of reward and people develop passions on how the drug is delivered. Wherever there is drug use then rituals will always develop.

“The long association with the delivery of a morning cup of coffee or tea means that people genuinely think it tastes better out of a particular cup.

“It might be irrational or arbitrary but it’s absolutely true.

Your daily brew tastes better from your favourite mug.”

The study also found that 65 per cent of Britons have a favourite mug for drinking tea out of in the morning.

Psychology student Sophie Conlon said: “I have my favourite mug for drinking coffee, but I don’t think it tastes better. If I drink my tea out of my china teapot it tastes better though.”

Second year English student Liam Firth said: “I prefer to drink coffee out of earthenware, and tea out of fine china.

“Maybe there’s something of a background in it in the way the two drinks have been differently valued over the past.

“Tea always used to be a drink of the rich, hence the china.”

By Robert Golledge The University of Sheffield is calling for a correction and an apology from a national publication and staff union after they inaccurately reported the Vice-Chancellor’s salary.

Times Higher Education (THE) and the Universities and College Union (UCU) reported that Professor Keith Burnett’s salary was £298,000.

A University spokesperson said: “The information relating to the salary of Professor Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield for the year ending July 2008, published by The Times Higher and contained in the UCU statement released under embargo today is grossly inaccurate and misleading.

“The University’s financial statement details the ViceChancellor’s salary as £191,000 for 11 months. This annualises to £208,000 for the 2007/08 period.

“The figure released by The Times Higher and UCU stated that the salary was £298,000 and an increase of 39.3 per cent.

“These figures are totally inaccurate. This is damaging both to the Vice-Chancellor and to the University of Sheffield, and we are calling for an immediate correction and apology from both parties.

“We also require them to take meaningful steps to repair any reputational damage.”

Professor Keith Burnett took over as Vice-Chancellor in October 2007 after predecessor Bob Boucher retired.

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

3

Speaker conmen target students

By Katherine Purvis Several Sheffield students have been targeted in recent months by conmen selling poor quality audio equipment from white vans.

The scam is a common one and has been operating for years in America and Australia, as well as in other British cities such as Leeds and Nottingham.

After gaining the attention of a potential buyer, the conmen typically state that due to a processing error they have an extra set of speakers that need to be sold on.

The sellers claim that the speakers, which are usually surround sound or home cinema models, are worth at least £1,000.

As the salesmen appear to need to get rid of their goods quickly, they offer a ‘discounted price’ - usually around £500 for two speakers, happily presenting ID cards and catalogues in order to legitimise their trade.

In reality, a pair of such speakers would retail at no more than £150, due to their inferior quality and poor manufacture.

An internet search will reveal several forums, such as AVforums. com, where users admit they have fallen victim to this scam and warn others of it.

Most were fooled by the highly professional attitude and the well-polished routine the conmen adopt to trap buyers, as well as the expensive and upmarket appearance of the Definitive Sound Technology speakers.

Some users of the forum have said they intended to purchase the equipment cheaply and then sell them on to make a profit, but after learning the lesser value of the products they realise that they have been conned out of hundreds of pounds.

Charles Rowat, a second year English Literature student, was targeted on Brunswick Street last month.

He said: “At the time it didn’t occur to me that it might be a hoax. I just saw it as way to make some quick cash.

“I paid £500 for a pair of speakers but after releasing my mistake I’m mortified. I’ve taken on extra shifts at work to earn the money back.”

Keeping them for personal use is somewhat precarious as several online reports alert owners to the dangers of connecting these poorly constructed speakers to amplifiers due to the risk of overheating and short circuits, which in turn can lead to fires.

Unfortunately, there is little anyone can do after being caught out by this scam.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

MUSE results problems

By Rachel Blundy

Charles Rowat was sold speakers for £500 from two men driving a white van.

Police are mostly unable to help, as the operators often use rental vans and give fake details, rendering them virtually untraceable.

However, South Yorkshire Police do recommend reporting any similar incident as such behaviour could be deemed illegal, especially as these conmen often operate from unlicensed premises

and without paying tax.

A student from Sheffield Hallam University, who was targeted on Ecclesall Road last October, said: “Never make a decision on the spot that involves money. I paid £300 for a pair of speakers and now I’m regretting it.”

Union Welfare Officer Kathryn Axon said: “Students should be wary of things that seem to be too

Photo: Katherine Purvis good to be true.

“You should always be sceptical of offers from people from white vans who approach you from the side of the road.

“If students are short of money they can get in contact with the Union and University who have financial hardship funds and money experts who can help with personal finances.”

Thousands of students at the University of Sheffield were unable to retrieve their examination results after the online server MUSE unexpectedly collapsed.

The debacle left many frustrated students unable to access their results until the evening of Wednesday, February 11.

Second year student Tom Hastings said: “After a long buildup to the examination results, full of nerves and anticipation, it was extremely annoying to find that the system had crashed; especially when some of your peers had managed to log on before it failed.

“Essentially, they should have known how many people were going to log on for results, and taken account for this.”

Hannah Shroot, a second year History student from Crookes, said: “I felt a bit let down after waiting a month for results. I would have expected the University to be prepared for any problems that might have occurred.”

She admitted, however, that it did seem as though CiCS, the University’s information technology management service, had “tried their best to fix the problem as soon as possible.”

Sophie Duncan, a third year dual Philosophy and English student, criticised the University for releasing every student’s result on the same day.

She stated: “It’s ridiculous. All my mates were affected and were equally fuming. The one time the system needed to work it could not cope.”

A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield said: “MUSE failed at around 09:45 on Wednesday, March 11, 2009.

“This was the morning when student examination results were released through MUSE and, although there was a relatively high level of usage, it is not clear at this current time if this was the cause of the failure.

“The University’s Corporate Information and Computing Services do regret the inconvenience caused by this loss of service and are currently investigating the cause in conjunction with the system suppliers.

“Student examination results were released in a similar way last July without any problem.

“A full incident review will be held this week to help prevent such problems in the future”.

Vice-chancellors step up call to raise degree fees

By Michael Hunter Two-thirds of university chiefs in England and Wales want to see tuition fees doubled - a move which could leave some graduates facing debts of £32,000.

In a survey by the BBC, more than half of the 53 vice-chancellors who were quizzed said they would like to see the current cap of £3,500 per year rise to £7,000.

This would leave students on average owing £26,000 when they graduate, according to a report by Universities UK (UUK).

The report has sparked outrage from the National Union of Students (NUS), who have

criticised the proposals and urged the Government to scrap fees altogether and consider alternative methods of funding.

NUS President Wes Streeting said: “In the context of the current recession, it is extremely arrogant for university vice-chancellors to be fantasising about charging their students even higher fees and plunging them into over £32,000 of debt.

“This UUK report assumes that higher fees are inevitable, and that the shambolic current system of student support will remain in place.

“With this report, vicechancellors are being extremely complacent about how extending

the current system would allow market forces to run riot in our universities.

Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to press.letters@forgetoday.com Text us on 07765363716 “Poorer students would be priced out of the more prestigious institutions, and this must be avoided at all costs.”

At a parliament lobby next

week, the NUS will meet with MPs to discuss a new system of payment where graduates make a contribution to higher education based on how much their degree has benefited them financially.

“We believe there is an alternative way to fund higher education that is fairer for students, but still generates the kind of income the sector so badly needs,” said Streeting.

“We will also be calling for all financial support to be based on how much a student needs it, not where they happen to be studying.”

Although the University of Sheffield’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Keith Burnett, was not

surveyed by the BBC, he refused to rule out supporting a fee increase.

He said: “I firmly believe that UK Higher Education needs to be adequately funded to maintain its world-leading status.

“For this reason, it is essential that government and society enter into an informed debate about appropriate funding for universities, both for students and with regard to its vital role for the health of the economy.”

An independent government review of tuition fees is due to take place in 2009, with any changes to the current system likely to affect around a million students on undergraduate courses.

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FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

NEWS UNIVERSITY

Uni reply to Tower concerns Continued from page 1

“The University has taken great efforts to minimise noise by working as much as possible out of office hours and not allowing drilling during exam periods.”

The lecturer’s complaints also include heating problems in the building, which he claims the University has been aware of for “a long time”.

He writes that sunshine or the use of computers is what raises the temperature above legal minimum temperatures.

On February 2 this year he recorded the maximum temperature in his south-facing room at just eight degrees celsius.

The staff member does not expect the heating to be fixed until June this year when refurbishment work commences.

It is expected that the main refurbishment contract for the Arts Tower will be completed by October 2010.

He wrote: “It is clear we should not be in the building in its current state, or even in recent years.

“For those of us working in the place some sense that we are listened to would be very welcome.

“Indeed, the only response I have received at all directly, back in the ’90s, was that there was no asbestos problem in the Arts Tower, which since proved hugely incorrect.”

Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to press.letters@forgetoday.com Text us on 07765363716 In response, a University spokesperson said: “All current known locations of asbestos are fully encapsulated and identified on the asbestos register for the building or are of a type which is known to not release fibres.

“All accessible asbestos will be removed once the floors have been fully vacated.

“The University has employed an independent industryrecognised company for carrying out daily air-reassurance testing on the areas affected and upon completion.”

The lecturer concludes his letter by writing: “There are, of course, many other concerns that I and others have raised in the past that have not been dealt with.

“Attempts to alert Estates personally or through official channels, or to raise points through the Arts Tower User Group, are often futile.”

A spokesperson from the University of Sheffield said: “The University takes concerns aired by staff and students very seriously and will be investigating recent complaints.

“It has been impossible to move all staff and students out of the building before work commenced.

“The Department of Estates has worked closely with colleagues in the Arts Tower to implement a decanting strategy to ensure staff and students are relocated as swiftly and efficiently as possible.”

Forge Press would like to point out that the staff member in question was not responsible for the leaking of the letter.

Girls evicted as landlord misses a year of mortgage payments

By Sophie Lightfoot Five female students returned to Sheffield after Christmas to find they were to be made homeless due to their landlord failing to meet the property’s mortgage payments.

The girls received an eviction notice on their return from the Christmas holidays and soon found that current laws gave them few legal rights to their rented property.

As the five girls rented their home through a letting agent representing a number of different landlords rather than with a landlord directly, they had no idea that the security of their tenancy was in any danger until they received a letter from the courts explaining the severity of the situation.

Neither they nor their letting agent were aware of the fact that their landlord had defaulted on their mortgage payments since March 2008 until the eviction letter appeared.

Had they failed to attend a court hearing in which the repossession was discussed, the girls would have had as little as seven days to find a new home and move out of their house on Roebuck Road in the Crookesmoor area.

Maria Chadwick, one of the residents, said she was shocked to discover that they had “absolutely no rights to the house” after a repossession order was granted.

The court hearing took place on the first day of term, causing the housemates additional stress.

Laurie Bazin, another of the housemates, said: “Going to court was not a nice experience.

Although we were aware of some of the things being said, we weren’t entirely sure how a decision was going to be made.”

The courts granted the tenants 42 days - the maximum time allowed - to find themselves new accommodation, but the five have subsequently had to split into two separate houses.

The housemates, who held a party before moving out of their house, described the stresses of

Maria Chadwick, Laurie Bazin, Jess Alcock, Annabelle Lee & Lydia Cooper are being evicted. Photo: Sam Bennett dividing communal possessions and moving into separate houses.

Bazin spoke of being “torn between feeling sorry for [the landlords] and being absolutely furious with them for letting us sign a contract when they were already facing financial difficulties.

“This is all a result of our landlords overstretching themselves and being too greedy with property they can’t afford.”

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has recently reported a 54 per cent rise in the number of homes repossessed by lenders in 2008.

Approximately 40,000 homes were repossessed last year, up from 25,900 in 2007, meaning that 2008 saw the highest rate of repossession in 12 years.

Kathryn Axon, Union Welfare Officer, said: “Anyone worried about their housing can seek help from the Student Advice Centre.”

Medic finds lost Alzheimer’s patient

By David Thomas A student has been praised after coming to the assistance of a wandering Alzheimer’s patient.

Hassan Rehmani, a fourth year medical student, came across Carrie Asbery at about 8pm on Carter Knowle Road in Sheffield on Tuesday, March 10.

The great-grandmother, 86, had been on the verge of hypothermia, and required further treatment at the Northern General Hospital.

Mrs. Asbery has suffered from dementia for six years.

Rehmani’s actions may have saved her life, after she wandered two miles from her nursing home, Grange Crescent.

Recalling the information taught in one of his modules on elderly care, Rehmani quickly established that Mrs. Asbery was suffering from Alzheimer’s and possibly hypothermia.

But when Rehmani, 21, contacted Grange Crescent, he was told that Mrs. Asbery was

still in her bed. The blunder was only realised when Rehmani insisted that they were wrong.

After helping to take Mrs. Asbery to the hospital, Rehmani called in on the nursing home, but was told to leave by staff.

He said: “I spoke to a team leader who was immediately hostile. I was quite upset about the lack of concern about how Mrs. Asbery was.”

The home is run by ShefCare Ltd. David Roulston, the Chief Executive, insisted that security at the home had been improved since the incident, and that the safety and security of residents was paramount.

“A full investigation is being carried out. The member of staff in charge that evening has been suspended pending further investigations,” he said.

Mrs. Asbery’s daughter, Jean Fletcher, said: “She could have been out all night. It just doesn’t bear thinking about. I am very grateful to Hassan. I think he will make a great doctor.”

Hassan Rehmani with Carrie Asbery & Jean Fletcher. Photo: Sheffield Star

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

5

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Concerns mean nursery will not be sold

The nursery will remain under the ownership of the Union and University after parents voiced concerns about plans to sell it.

By Katie-Marie Bailey Controversial plans to sell the jointly owned Union and University nursery have been called off as a result of increased pressure from parents.

The proposals were originally leaked in February but faced an unwelcome reception from parents who were concerned that the standard of childcare provided could be compromised if the nursery was sold.

However, after considering the views of all people involved, Union Officers have now decided to stop all proceedings to sell the nursery, and it will therefore remain under the current system of joint ownership.

Union Welfare Officer Kathryn Axon said: “We understand that there was an inadequate consultation period in place.

“As a result of the meetings we held with parents and staff and subsequent emails received, we have decided to stop the sale of the nursery.”

Union Officers were considering the sale because they believed that it was no longer serving its purpose as a ‘student parent’ nursery. Less than 20 per cent of the nursery’s current intake is from student parents, making it less integral to the Union and University’s core aims.

However the proposals were met by heavy opposition from parents who were keen to keep the nursery

under Union ownership.

They launched a campaign to prevent the sale of the nursery, and are happy that the plans have now been scrapped.

Chris and Jo Ingold, who have a 21-month-old son at the nursery, said: “We were elated about the decision, which was in response to the huge strength of feeling from parents and students in support of our campaign against the sale.

“There’s been a brilliant and passionate campaign from parents and other students, especially the Union Women’s Committee, that has clearly made an impression.”

However, they are still concerned about the future of the nursery, and so will be looking to increase the standing of the

nursery with the Union Council.

“Although we’re thrilled about the Union’s change of heart, we’re still really concerned that the Union still thinks the original reasons for the sale are still there.

“The nursery is still not in the Union’s or University’s core aims, so we’re campaigning to make sure it becomes a core aim.

“We’ll also be taking a motion to Students’ Union Council to force the Union to properly consult parents and students first before any future attempts to move the ownership of the nursery start, rather than just before the sale is finalised.”

Nigel Hallam, the Union’s Director of Operations, and

Kathryn Axon sent a letter to parents on Thursday, March 12.

They said: “We would like to thank those of you who attended the meetings and those of you who have contacted us individually.

“We have now had an opportunity to reflect on all the issues that have been raised with us, and to discuss the proposals further with the University, arising from which we have decided not to proceed with the transfer of ownership or management of the nursery.

“We do hope that you appreciate the reasons why we were considering the transfer, but on the basis of the views we have received, we expect that you will be pleased to know that we will not be proceeding.”

Below-inflation grant for University funding

By Michael Hunter The University is set for a belowinflation increase in government funding for research and teaching in 2009/10.

It will receive £116.4million, a 1.89 per cent rise on last year’s total. But with inflation having risen by four per cent over the past 12 months, it means funding has actually fallen by over two per cent in real terms.

Sheffield is one of 56 universities to have its Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant cut from last year, while 87 institutions saw their year-on-year funding rise at a level above inflation.

The HEFCE grant represents one-third of the University’s income and is its largest single source of funding.

But despite the below-inflation rise, Vice-Chancellor Professor Keith Burnett has expressed

his delight at the outcome, and reserved praise for University of Sheffield staff.

He said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those of you who teach students or contribute in any way to this important activity.”

Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to letters@forgetoday.com Text us on 07765363716 Of Sheffield’s grant, £69million will be used to fund teaching while £45.6million will go towards research projects.

How the grant will be allocated throughout University departments has not yet been

announced.

Sheffield’s research fund rose below the inflation rate at 1.27 per cent but the University remains in the top 10 best-funded research institutions in the country.

Professor Burnett added: “We should not be complacent about what this announcement means for our finances.

“As you are all aware, we face extremely challenging economic times nationally and internationally. Consultancy and research funding from business and charities is scarcer, and we cannot take for granted the level of income from government sources in the medium term.

“Over the coming months, the University will carefully consider budgets, looking at all aspects of both income and costs, taking a strategic view of the University as a whole, and seeking to ensure the sustainability of all disciplines.”

This year’s HEFCE research

fund has been divided between more institutions than ever, and as a result Russell Group universities have received only 60 per cent of the overall funding, down from 65 per cent in 2008/09.

The University of Sheffield is one of the 20 Russell Group universities. The Russell Group comprises the UK’s leading research-intensive institutions.

The research allocations for 2009/10 were made with the benefit of a recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the first of its kind in seven years.

The RAE, which evaluates the quality of research across the research-intensive universities, was carried out in December, with Sheffield receiving positive feedback.

Vice-Chancellor Burnett added: “The HEFCE grant is the largest single income stream for the University, providing us with about a third of our income.

“The total grant is composed of £69m of teaching funding, £45.6m of research funding and £1.8m for HEIF (Higher Education Innovation Fund).

“Sheffield’s strong performance in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise has placed us in the top 10 in England for total HEFCE research funding for 2009/10 - an increase of 1.27 per cent over our funding for 2008/09.”

The University of Nottingham was the biggest winner of the Russell Group universities as its grant was increased by almost 10 per cent on last year, to a total of £128.6million.

Major losers in the wake of the announcement include the University of Essex, the London Business School and Thames Valley University, who suffered an 11 per cent decrease.

Overall, HEFCE have allocated nearly £8billion to English universities.

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NEWS LOCAL

Phone theft after girl refused dance

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

Bikers rev up in Weston Park

By Paul Garbett A Russian immigrant stole a student’s mobile phone after she refused to dance with him at a Sheffield nightclub, a court heard.

Vitalij Petrochenkho, aged 18 of Ventnor Place, Nether Edge, admitted he stole a Sony Ericsson mobile phone and set of keys from the girl’s handbag at Embrace nightclub in the City Centre on Saturday, February 7.

Sheffield Magistrates Court heard that the unemployed Russian asked Holly Underwood, a 19-year-old Sheffield Hallam student, if she wanted to dance, but then began to steal items from her handbag when she spurned his advances.

The prosecution claimed that Miss Underwood had spotted Mr. Petrochenko interfering with her handbag and later noticed that her mobile phone and house keys were missing.

After picking up her mobile phone and keys, Mr. Petrochenko attempted to quickly leave the club by running through staff areas.

But he was halted by security staff, who found the stolen mobile phone nearby.

Petrochenko’s solicitor, Mrs. Bradford, said: “He was very drunk at the time and has little recollection of the incident, but is full of remorse for the events of that night.”

Mrs. Bradford added that Mr. Petrochenko was someone who was “influenced heavily by alcohol and would not carry out such behaviour when sober”.

She also claimed that he has not drunk alcohol since the night in question.

Magistrates ordered the teenager to serve 80 hours of unpaid work and be the subject of a six month surveillance order.

However, they ruled he should not have to pay £43 court costs after the defence highlighted his current lack of income and the fact he was financially dependent on his mother.

She was said to know nothing about the incident.

More than a thousand bikers descended on Weston Park in the annual Easter Egg run for Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

By Amy Taylor Western Bank traffic came to a standstill last Sunday as motorbikes took to the streets for charity.

Over a thousand biking enthusiasts drove a course around the city in an annual fundraising event for Sheffield Children’s Hospital, before arriving at Weston Park around 11am on

Sunday, March 15.

The bikers took part in the 10th annual Easter Egg Run, which started at South Yorkshire Police Operations Complex. They rode through Attercliffe, The Wicker and West Bar, before ending at Weston Park, directly opposite the Children’s Hospital.

Bikers contributed £2 to join in the convoy, and volunteers took bucket collections after gathering

in Weston Park, with all money raised going to the Children’s Hospital Charity.

The group, which was led

by Doncaster-born motorcycle champion James Toseland, afterwards delivered Easter eggs to the young patients in the hospital wards.

Toseland is the world super bike champion and a current MotoGP rider. He was raised in

Photo: Mark Duell

Rotherham, but now resides on the Isle of Man. He said: “It’s so nice to see the event growing year on year. We had over 1,000 bikers turn out this year, which is amazing.

“I really enjoyed meeting the young patients at The Children’s Hospital. They are the bravest kids you’ll ever meet and I’m glad that my visit brought a smile to their faces.”

African family in Crookesmoor could be deported

By David Thomas A Crookesmoor family who allege that they were the victims of violent persecution in Zimbabwe face deportation from the UK. Priviledge Thulambo and her daughters, Valerie and Lorraine, were accused of creating a “wholly fabricated account” by an immigration judge at the UK Border Agency.

They have been held in a detention centre for three months and could be deported as soon as April.

Lorraine attempted to hang herself after the rejection of a judicial review application.

Zimbabwe is in an intense state of political unrest, under the authoritarian reign of President Robert Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party.

A political agreement with

the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has so far had little affect on reversing Mugabe’s policies.

The country is currently in the grip of a cholera epidemic, hyperinflation and widespread poverty.

Priviledge Thulambo presented a number of harrowing and distressing stories to the court.

Mrs. Thulambo claims that her husband, allegedly an MDC activist, was savagely beaten

by ZANU-PF thugs because of his support for the political opposition.

Mrs. Thulambo claimed that her two daughters, then aged 11 and 9, were raped, whilst she herself was beaten and sexually assaulted.

She also said that her brother was murdered by being forced to drink rat poison.

The immigration judge, however, was not persuaded by Mrs. Thulambo’s accounts.

Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to press.letters@forgetoday.com Text us on 07765363716 “It is my view entirely that [Mrs. Thulambo] has presented a wholly fabricated account of her persecution,” said the judge in 2004.

The UK Border Agency believes that the Thulambo family are not Zimbabwean after all, but simply illegal immigrants from neighbouring Malawi.

Mrs. Thulambo claims that she obtained a forged Malawian passport in order to flee Zimbabwe.

She argues that if she was

deported to Malawi, the authorities there would immediately deport her back to Zimbabwe.

Mrs. Thulambo claims she was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she ran a clothes shop, but this has been disputed by the Border Agency, who claim that her Malawian passport is genuine.

The case for the prosecution was strengthened because Mrs. Thulambo came to Britain on a Malawian passport. She did not appeal for asylum immediately on rrival, and used forged papers to get work as a carer.

The Thulambo family’s attempts to stay in the UK have garnered a great deal of support in Sheffield.

Nick Clegg, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats and a Sheffield Hallam MP, has backed their campaign.

He has called Mrs. Thulambo a “respected and well-liked member of the community”.

He also slammed the decision

to deport Mrs. Thulambo and her family.

The family have been active members of their local church, St. Mark’s, who have held a vigil for them.

Mrs. Thulambo’s daughters, Valerie and Lorraine, have adapted well to their life in Britain.

Valerie, 21, has passed three A-Levels and has a place at university to study Law, whilst Lorraine, 18, currently goes to college.

Their mother was hoping to train as a nurse.

Family friend Helen Fisher said that the Thulambos had “spent their time in Britain trying to improve their situation because they wanted to contribute to British society”.

The Thulambo family face a final appeal at a hearing on Monday, April 6, at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Centre.

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

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Staff member voices concerns over CCTV in Jessop building

By Martha Kelner A University of Sheffield staff member based at the Jessop site has voiced concerns over the CCTV cameras in the newly opened buildings, claiming they are in breach of the common code of practice.

The complainant, who wishes to remain anonymous, is concerned that the cameras may be used to monitor and record teaching methods under the guise of providing safety and security for staff and students.

The staff member also says the building’s glass partitions and level of surveillance makes it difficult to hold private meetings with students, which is important for dealing with personal issues and matters in confidence.

The staff member also states that the CCTV cameras are capable of capturing six frames per second and offering 360 degree surveillance.

At the £21.2million Jessop West development, teaching rooms on each floor are separated from the main hub only by a glass partition.

The staff member claims the cameras’ manufacturer state the cameras can “monitor images with astonishing detail, regardless of the lighting condition.”

Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to press.letters@forgetoday.com Text us on 07765363716 This means that they offer an unobstructed view of teaching and learning spaces, which are mainly used for small presentations and seminar lessons.

The concerned staff member questions the justification of having the cameras trained on lessons, and is keen for both staff members and students to assert their right not to be observed by cameras during lesson time.

When operating cameras in a public space, a Code of Practice is in place to protect the privacy of the public, stressing that an ‘impact assessment’ must be carried out to ascertain the likely

effect the CCTV will have on people’s privacy.

The University staff member claims this obligation was not correctly fulfilled and those who are placed under surveillance were never asked to give their opinion.

The staff member said: “The CCTV Code of Practice also enforces the need for prominently placed signs that are clearly visible to advise people that they are being monitored and recorded.

“This is not adhered to in the Jessop West building, where the need for CCTV signposting is particularly important given the discreet nature of the cameras in place.

“The use and availability of images and recordings from the camera is also of particular concern; the University of Sheffield’s own CCTV Code of Practice, while prohibiting the distribution of recordings to third parties, makes no mention of the restrictions on watching live time images.”

The member of staff is worried that Heads of Department could potentially observe lessons, or even monitor meetings.

The staff member is encouraging students to get in touch with their Head of Department if they feel uncomfortable about the CCTV use across the University.

The University of Sheffield maintains that the primary use of CCTV cameras on campus is to ensure the safety and security of both staff and students, and they refute the staff member’s claims that they have broken the law.

Richard Yates, Security Services Manager at the University of Sheffield, said: “The University has installed a comprehensive CCTV surveillance system throughout the campus and student residences.

“This has been installed to reduce the fear of crime generally and to provide a safe public environment for the benefit of those that work, live and visit the University.

“It is operated with respect for an individual’s privacy, as outlined in the University’s CCTV Code of Practice.”

It is believed there are approximately 4.2million CCTV cameras in the UK (one to every 14 people), and that Britons are caught on camera up to 300 times a day.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Warning of mumps outbreak

By Oliver Hughes

CCTV cameras at the Jessop building.

Main photo: Sam Bennett

A recent outbreak of Mumps has been reported amongst a handful of students, the University has confirmed.

Around 15 students have been diagnosed with the virus, which causes headaches, fevers and swelling of the parotid glands which are located in front of the ears.

Even though cases are reported to be on the wane, students are still advised to check they have had the MMR (Mumps, Measles and Rubella) vaccine.

The vaccine takes around three weeks to develop immunity in an individual and therefore cannot stop an outbreak, but protects people from future epidemics.

Mumps is usually spread from person to person by coughs and sneezes. Occasionally, it may be spread by direct contact with the saliva of someone with mumps.

Union President Dave Hurst missed several days of work due to contracting the infection after a visit to the Endcliffe Village.

The virus is also susceptible to spread several days before the symptoms start, and until just after the swelling has settled.

Union Welfare Officer Kathryn Axon has informed students afraid of infection to seek a doctor as soon as possible, and advises those infected to quarantine themselves to avoid further infection to others.

“Any student concerned about mumps should visit the University Health Service and talk to them about getting the MMR vaccination.

“If a student has mumps then they should stay at home to avoid spreading the virus further,” she said.

Those infected are advised by the University Health Service to stay at home for five days after the swollen glands appear and to keep social contact to a minimum during that time.

Jean Chambers, a Specialist Nurse at the Health Protection Agency, highlighted people that might be susceptible to infection.

She said: “Somebody who is infectious, like with quite a lot of viral infections, tend to be highly contagious.

“So if you’re un-immunised or have not had the disease then you are at risk because it is circulating.”

Bollywood Society put on Desi Rhythms showcase

By Amy Taylor Sheffield students hailing from diverse backgrounds and cultures are staging a charity fashion show as part of the Union’s World Week event.

Designed to promote creative arts, the charity show will be held on Tuesday, March 24, at the Octagon and will feature ethnicinspired creations from local boutiques and Sheffield fashion graduates.

The after-party will feature DJs and bands from a culturally diverse range of musical backgrounds, including Tigerstyle and Jaz Dhami.

Sponsored by the Alumni, Innovations Fund, and STA

Travel, Desi Rhythms is being supported by local businesses and has attracted the attention of both local and national media, including BBC Asian Network.

The event has been organised by a group of students from both the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam.

Sophie Morrell, a second year Management student, said that the group came up with the idea after noticing the diversity of cultures in Sheffield and the lack of events to promote them.

She said: “Desi Rhythms is an event full of culture, art and fun.

“As one of the seven female organisers, I can say we are very excited and cannot wait for the day. It’s an event unique in its form, and certainly one not to be

missed.”

The show is being held in aid of two charities: the Chernobyl’s Children’s Lifeline and The Open Minds Theatre Company (Kashmir Project).

Desi Rhythms is just one of the many events being held as part of the University’s World Week.

Beginning on Monday, March 23, and running until the weekend, international communities and societies will be holding events offering students the chance to experience different cultures and diverse traditions.

The organisers expect a large turnout, and aim to raise £2,000 to share between the charities.

Tickets are priced at £15 for students and £17.50 for nonstudents.

Members of the Bollywood Society.

Photo: Jonathan Jackson

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FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

NEWS UNIVERSITY

Two-thirds of students from the North

By Mark Duell & Natalie Bowen Almost two-thirds of University of Sheffield students from England are northerners, according to admissions data.

Sixty-four per cent hail from northern counties, although the proportion of southerners is growing. Over half of those from the north are from Yorkshire.

The results have been analysed using a 2007 Department of Geography project to plot a northsouth dividing line.

The lines runs between Bristol and Grimsby, defining Lincoln as southern and Worcester as northern.

The proportion of English students moving to Sheffield from the south has grown over the last three years, making up 36 per cent of students in 2008, compared to 35 per cent in 2007 and 31 per cent in 2006.

Professor Sir Martin Harris, head of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), believes northern students are less likely to move to the south when choosing a university.

He said: “Roughly speaking, the further north you go, the more difficult it is to get a young person, no matter how talented, to apply to a university in the south.

“Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield can pull southerners north, but Exeter can’t get applications from Sunderland.”

The southern counties with the highest number of Sheffield students are Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and Surrey, although many others come from Essex, Kent and Leicestershire.

Yet there is a stark contrast in geographical background within the south, as far fewer students come from south-western counties than the south east.

Claire Warner, a second year Dentistry student from Exeter in Devon, said: “Nearly everything in the north is a lot cheaper.

“But there are better courses for different things in the north and the south, and choosing where to go is more based on the course.”

Northern counties with the highest number of students at the University of Sheffield are Yorkshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire, Southern counties with the lowest number are Rutland, Cornwall, Dorset and Wiltshire, but some northern counties also produce few Sheffield students, such as Cumbria, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Number of students from English counties Over 2000 1000 - 2000 500 - 1000 250 - 500 0 - 250

The graphic highlights which areas of England the University of Sheffield attracts its students from. The north/south divide is also shown.

University may enter negotiations with protesters

Continued from page 1 On Tuesday morning a letter from the University of Sheffield’s solicitors DLA Piper UK LLP to the occupiers was issued, demanding their vacation of the Hicks Building.

The letter said: “We request that you vacate the Premises by 9.00am tomorrow morning March 18, 2009. Should you fail to vacate the Premises, possession proceedings will be commenced against you in the Sheffield County Courts tomorrow.

“Damages for trespass and nuisance and our client’s legal costs will also be claimed.

Enforcement action will also be taken once a possession order is

obtained.”

The letter also stated that whilst the identity of many of the protesters was unknown, the University had been able to identify a number of the occupiers who will appear as the defendants on the court order.

The possession order was obtained by the University yesterday. Subsequently the Union Sabbatical team met with the Vice-Chancellor and Pro-ViceChancellor Paul White, who have since expressed a willingness to enter into negotiations with the protesters.

They had previously ruled out such talks as the group is not a recognised Union society.

In response, the occupiers

released a statement stating: “We welcome your suggestion of negotiations and are fully committed to open negotiations between the University management and all parties involved.

“We believe that the best way to facilitate these negotiations would be to hold them in Lecture Theatre Seven in the Hicks Building (which has not been directly occupied) and allow any and all students who support the demands raised (including members of Sheffield Students Against Israel’s Attack on Gaza, all members of the occupation and any members of other supporting organisations) to participate in negotiations.

“We feel this model is in the best interests of democracy and openness. We look forward to your response.”

The Union Officers, Councillors and Societies are totally divided on the occupation.

Finance Officer Alex Pott, who is against the occupation, and Women’s Officer Fiona Edwards, who is in favour of the sit-in, have had a series of heated exchanges on their blogs.

Edwards has been accused of promoting her own political agendas rather than representing the University’s students, whereas Pott has been accused of bullying Edwards.

The Union’s Amnesty International group, Campaign

for Nuclear Disarmament Society, Philosophy and Architecture Union Councillors, Turkish Society, People and Planet, Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, No Sweat, Student Action for Refugees (STAR), Cinema Syndicate, Communist Students, Students Respect, Socialist Students, and the Woodcraft Folk Society have all called for the Union to withdraw its condemnation.

The Jewish Society and Chaplaincy have said that the occupation has caused them a great deal of fear and discomfort.

At the time of print nearly 200 hundred people had joined an online group calling for the end of the Hicks occupation.

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

9

Union President-elect Tobin wants to be friendly figurehead

By André Nunn

President-elect Paul Tobin in the Union of Students.

Photo: Adam Harley

Fresh from his election win a fortnight ago, Union Presidentelect Paul Tobin promised to be the Union’s “friendly figurehead” as he discussed his plans for next year.

On the campaign trail, Tobin promised to support students from the moment they arrive in Sheffield, to push forward with environmental issues, and to encourage students to integrate into the wider community.

He wants to work with councils and unions both locally and nationally to push green issues to the forefront of Union politics, with plans to ensure every student community knows where their nearest recycling centre is and to transfer to as many renewable sources as possible.

Tobin said: “Twenty-eight per cent of our Union sources are renewable but it’s higher in other unions. We need to lead the changes.

“Unions need to work collectively together. The Union is a powerful voice, we can try to make sure Sheffield as a whole becomes more aware.”

He also plans to introduce a scheme called ‘Adopt A Charity’ in which students will be encouraged to volunteer for a charity and receive a certificate at the end of their contribution.

This would be similar to the Sheffield Graduate Award which the University organises.

He said that students often want to volunteer but feel they should be spending their time at university doing things that will directly benefit them.

By introducing this scheme he hopes more people will get involved in volunteering.

He wants to organise cheap nights out for first year students in the different Halls of Residence to allow more integration between those who, otherwise, might not meet many people outside of their block.

Tobin decided to stand for President after seeing friends and peers being let down by what he says is a failure of the current Union system.

“It was frustration with people

I know who dropped out because I thought they could have succeeded with the right support.”

He thinks being more approachable will enable students to make their voices heard about things that concern them, and he promises to look into any issues that are taken to him.

Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to press.letters@forgetoday.com Text us on 07765363716 “We are a big community, but so far people have felt they can come and say ‘hi’, and that’s the sort of community I want us to be.

“The idea of being a friendly figurehead for the entire University is exciting and something I look forward to.

You do definitely need to be out and about and an approachable person. And easily recognisable.”

The introduction of e-voting this year was credited with making the voter turnout in this year’s Officer elections the highest ever recorded.

“You’d think people would want to make their voices heard, but the voting is over in three days and they don’t get the chance to come to the Union,” Tobin said.

“With internet voting increasing the turnout, I think the elections are becoming less and less of a popularity contest.

“You need the qualities and experience to ensure people that don’t know you still want to vote for you.”

However, he understands he has work to do if he is to maintain or increase such an interest in Union politics, which he admits seems to “fade” a couple of weeks after elections.

“I want to be a well-known face all over the place and hopefully if people actually see me about and see that I’m approachable and will listen to people, that will have an effect on the turnout next year.”

Tobin will take office on Wednesday, July 1.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

RAG holds event week

By Victoria Hawkins

Students are being asked to think of others as Sheffield RAG puts on a week of fun-filled fundraising events.

The fundraising society started with a pirate bar crawl on Monday, and they are finishing with RAG Pop Tarts tomorrow night to raise money for local and international charities.

They hope to raise more than £5,000 for various organisations across Sheffield and beyond.

The idea of the week is that different Union societies host their own fundraising event to raise money for their chosen charity.

RAG, which stands for ‘Raising and Giving,’ has a committee that helps organise and oversee the week, making sure it runs smoothly.

Organisations such as UNICEF, the Anthony Nolan Trust, and World Vision will benefit from the week, as will local charities.

All sorts of societies, from American Football to Nightline, are raising awareness and money for their societies or charities.

Activities included University Challenge in the student auditorium, a hot dog eating competition, a 24-hour fast, rounders, cheerleading, and much more.

Volunteers have also been out on the concourse and at Sheffield train station with buckets collecting loose change.

Activities Officer Matt Fox said: “Last year RAG week raised £5,000 for charity and this year we hope to raise the same amount and more.

“RAG has already raised £15,000 this year and a lot of organisation has gone into this week. They’ve done a really excellent job, and doing RAG is a really fun thing to do.”

The RAG society has changed its image so that it welcomes more faith groups. The emphasis is moving away from dare-devil stunts to extreme challenges and focus on the charities the money is going to.

Marcus Hylett, chair of the RAG committee and a third year Maths and Physics student, said: “We got rid of the old tag line ‘Bad for a good cause’ and changed the logo so it didn’t have devil’s horns on it. Now more people can take part in raising money.”

Audience demand refunds after Finley Quaye gig

By Charlotte Chelsom-Pill Students are being denied refunds after a Finley Quaye gig at the Union last Friday ended when the artist stormed off stage.

Audience members have reported that Finley Quaye, who is currently touring the UK, was behaving strangely from the beginning of the show.

Katrina Black, a third year English Literature student, said: “He was wearing what looked like a massive wig and big sunglasses which hid his face.

“He wouldn’t sing facing the audience. He either had his back turned, or stood to the side crouching over, with his hair covering his face.

“He also went off to the side of the stage in-between songs.

“When a member of the audience called for him to take his wig off, he replied: ‘I’ll do this for nothing,

you can have your fee back. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, fuck you all.’ He then left the stage.”

He also failed to bring a warmup act, meaning the gig was considerably shorter than billed, lasting only 50 minutes in total.

Students have been told that the Union is unable to refund the £13 tickets.

Finley Quaye was the 1997 Mobo winner for Best Reggae Artist, and the 1998 Brit award winner for Best British Male.

Ben Hurrell, a second year Biblical Studies student who went to the show with his girlfriend, said: “Even from the start Finley Quaye was acting strangely.

“He wasn’t there to put on a good show. He didn’t interact with the crowd, and seemed angry.

“It wasn’t what I was expecting; I wasn’t aware that he had a reputation for that kind of

behaviour.

“I’m annoyed to spend £26 on tickets for me and my girlfriend to go and see someone who didn’t want to be performing.

“I’m disappointed, having been told I could be my money back and now being told I can’t.”

Have your say Comment on this article at Forgetoday.com Send a letter to press.letters@forgetoday.com Text us on 07765363716 Union Finance Officer Alex Pott said: “Although he stated that he wouldn’t take a fee for the gig, he has in fact invoiced the Union.

“We are not condoning his actions, but he did perform for 50

minutes, meaning he fulfilled his contract.”

An apology has been released

by Chris White, head of Entertainment, on behalf of the Union. He said: “It is a great disappointment to us that Finley Quaye did not perform with more enthusiasm once he was on stage.

However, from a contractual point of view he did fulfil his obligations - giving a performance of sufficient length and to a standard he himself presumably thought acceptable.

“I would also like to apologise if there was confusion about refunds being offered after the show, but this was never our intention as we quickly assessed on the night that we had fulfilled all our obligations to our customers.”

The Union has confirmed that audience members will be entitled to free entry for a Union night of their choice.

Finley Quaye stormed off stage.

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FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

LETTERS

Have your say

Star letter: Women’s Minibus debate drags on Dear Forge, Reading the debate between Jo Wendel and Roz Glynn (Forge Press, Issue Eight, page 15) on the subject of the Women’s Minibus has got me thinking.

I think that there might be a way of preserving what Jo sees as valuable in that “the Women’s Minibus is there for women first and foremost” whilst evading Roz’s problem of “falling numbers of users” and the fact that the service is “not getting the business it deserves.”

Jo flagged up the issue of space problems and how a first come, first served system might mean men got prioritised over women, meaning women had to walk home alone. I think this could be avoided by making the minibus into a female-priority minibus service.

If it were acceptable to enough people, a system

Star letter is sponsored by Your Harley

The winner receives a free meal for two and a Lock-In membership at Your Harley can be implemented where men are allowed to use the service if there are spaces after women have been catered for. This would mean that there is less of a risk of the service not making the money that it

needs.

Of course space could still become an issue if there were so many women that they would not all fit on themselves. If this were a problem though it would be a problem regardless of whether or not men are allowed to use the service.

Jo raised the concern of motivations for a cheap lift.

If women are catered for and there are men needing a lift does their motivation really need to come into it?

Whether they’re feeling lazy or not doesn’t really make a difference- it’s £1.50 for the Union and nothing lost for women.

In short then I think there can be a solution to this issue that is sensitive to both the financial needs of the Union and the difficulties faced by women.

Yours, Stephen Wright, History and Philosophy, Third year

Forge Press letters - your page, your voice

If you’ve got a reaction to something we’ve covered, or if you just want to get something off your chest, we want to hear from you. email: press.letters@forgetoday.com or text: 07765363716

Rise Against

Write: Forge Press, Union of Students, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TG Email: press.letters@forgetoday.com Text: 07765363716 Please include your name, course and year of study.

We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space. arrogance and audacity to sneer at McIlrath’s songwriting skills.

While I’m pro-freedom of speech, I would ask Blundy to get up on stage at the Academy and belt out the lyrics to one of her songs before she trashes someone else’s so outrightly.

It wouldn’t matter quite so much if Rise Against were anything short of amazing, but what they are doing is indisputably so different from so many other bands of the same genre at the moment, and I feel it is a great pity that Blundy couldn’t even

manage to acknowledge this.

And as for his “political laments” leaving “a sour taste in the mouth”, I would suggest she replace the definite article with a first person determiner in her reviews from now on.

Because all four of the times I have seen Rise Against live, I have felt inspired by McIlrath’s words and experienced no such taste. I do not appreciate being spoken for.

David Sheldrake, Computer Science, first year

Natalie Hibbs, Psychology, third year

Jeremy Barber, Physics, third year

“My mugs are always broken. It’s the way you make it that’s important.”

“Yes, tea definitely tastes better in my favourite mug, I have no idea why!”

“Not really, a glass is a glass.”

Dear Forge, I have a bone to pick with Rachel Blundy (Fuse, Issue Eight, page six), who dubs Rise Against, one of the freshest-sounding and most passionate punk rock bands around at the moment, as having “so many successively bland songs”.

I drastically beg to differ with this. Not only does she highlight ‘Ready to Fall’ as one of the “few” tracks that stood out, but she actually has the

Yours, Grace Crook, Modern Languages, First Year

Does tea or coffee really taste better in your favourite mug?

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

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COMMENT

Going for the best course, not the furthest University away, makes sense

Moving away to see a different culture is a big part of Sheffield’s appeal

By Michael Hunter

By Sophie Smith

So, southerners are more likely to move up ’ere than us northerners are to go down there.

Whether you’re topping up the tan on Blackpool beach, splashing gravy over your chip butty, or killing your brother’s kestrel, the north of England could never be accused of ditching charm for glamour. Although there is a Harvey Nicks in Leeds.

But are northerners guilty of allowing a feeling of comfort to override their sense of adventure?

Or, perhaps more shockingly, has the north become a more attractive proposition for students?

It is cost which magnetises a large percentage of people to remain in their own regions.

Who can blame them?

To some, a three-year fleecing from a succession of landlords is a prospect that is hardly alluring.

In terms of affordability, the north is certainly a nappealing location. Figures published by university guide Push.co.uk in August last year revealed that my hometown, Middlesbrough, is the cheapest place to live as a student in the UK. University of Teesside students can expect to pay, on average, a weekly rent of just £41.57; I clearly didn’t think this through.

The research also took into account living costs and alcohol prices and, with the cloud of recession hanging over us, you can’t help but feel more and more university applicants from the south will be striving to escape the horror of the

A student’s choice of university is based on many elements. It may be the course, the location, or the university’s reputation.

Student diversity is an intricate part of all universities, especially those belonging to what is a considered a strongly multicultural country.

Yet like so many others I’m from a rather ordinary background, born into small town suburban life and sprouted from a lower middle class background.

It wasn’t until I was 17 years old that I was bombarded with a time limit to make decisions that I wasn’t ready to make.

I always knew I wanted to go north.

However, like so many others in England who are left bad tempered by the poor weather and public transport price, I’d fly Ryanair to the nearest hot country for my holidays and never really went in the direction of the M6.

I only applied to northern universities, and I was really excited about experiencing city life and exploring the beautiful countryside of the north, such as the Peak and Lake Districts, which shamefully I have never visited.

I enjoy putting myself in new situations and I was all too willing to leave my quiet seaside town and immerse myself in this

The North is drawing students from the South. £3-plus pint.

I fell just short of crossing the so-called north-south divide, which according to experts intersects Lincolnshire (and not Watford).

The north has become a more attractive proposition Course reputation and the bright lights of a city can sway decisions, and it was the latter that did for me.

But it wasn’t through conscious effort, and those who do stay a little closer to home should not be criticised for pursuing a course which betters their career opportunities rather

than flying the nest to their detriment.

Sheffield, along with Leeds, Newcastle, and Manchester, has a bustling student presence which creates a buzz and an atmosphere which perhaps hasn’t been replicated further south than Grimsby as yet.

Let’s look at these figures in a positive way. Yorkshire folk are reluctant to look elsewhere, while students from the south are keen to migrate. Our University, and our city, must be doing something right.

So, in a fit of Sheffield pride, let’s all - from north and south - raise a glass to Sean Bean, stainless steel, the Crucible Theatre, the Human League, and Henderson’s Relish.

new life.

Besides, they always say that the northerners are friendlier and have more fun, so I thought ‘bring on the fizzy beer with a large head’ and packed my bags.

Student diversity is an intricate part of all universities The temptation of popping home so mum can do the washing sometimes needs to be taken away, especially in the early days when so many are (understandably) way out of their comfort zone.

The north/south divide has been the subject of good humoured debate for decades. It has existed in our national psychology since the industrial revolution and culturally, socially, and

politically there are some undeniable differences.

In a study published in The Observer in October 2007, Danny Dorling, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Sheffield, said that the division between north and south is based on factors such as house prices and life expectancy.

However, there are poor areas in every city in the world.

In general living costs are cheaper in the north, which works in favour of students, especially when the University offers endless activities to satisfy even the fussiest applicant.

Not to mention that we’re only short train journeys away from Manchester, Leeds, and Nottingham. In reality many of us will live close to our families when we are older so university is an amazing chance to experience a new, more detached environment on a temporary basis.

Get involved in supporting our Varsity teams Each issue a member of the Union Officer team reports on their aims, objectives and activities.

The event of the year is back, and this year it’s bigger than ever!

Varsity is the annual inter-university challenge between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.

Over the next two weeks our teams will be competing in 70 fixtures, involving 30 sports and 1,500 students.

Ella White, Students’ Union Sports Officer.

For pride and glory our sides will be playing to win the much coveted Varsity trophy.

Traditionally, Hallam are the sports university in the city because they have a considerable amount more funding, making the University of Sheffield the underdogs.

In recent years this has reflected in the Varsity scores with Hallam dominating.

However, last year saw the revival of the University

of Sheffield as we held Hallam to a 20-20 draw.

Varsity XIII looks to be as exciting as ever, with hardly anything separating the two universities in BUCS points this year.

You can expect a great showcase of the amazing talent from our Uni competitors in a game that means everything to them.

They’ll be playing with passion in their hearts and black and gold on their chests.

It’s not just an event for

those competing on the pitch, though. Varsity is an opportunity for people on the sidelines to get their face paint on, don the black and gold and be proud to be from the University of Sheffield.

The Sports Committee and I, alongside Hallam, have been working hard over the past few months to make sure the events are as enjoyable as possible for everyone.

Finals day this year will be at Abbeydale Sports

Club on Wednesday, April 1.

In addition to the rugby, hockey, lacrosse, badminton, tennis and ultimate frisbee, taking place that day, there will be a DJ, inflatable games, music, a barbeque, food tents and beer stands.

Buses will be running all day from Bar One and the tickets cost £3 from the Union box office.

For full details of fixtures and events, please go to www.varsitysheffield.com.

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FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

COMMENT

Councillors lacking meat on the agenda bone

By Kyle Christie Every other Thursday, a select group of students indulge in debate, discussion and free tea in the grandeur of Firth Court’s Tapestry Room.

Surrounded by pictures of old University Chancellors, these selfless individuals are our collective voice, our method of scrutinising those mischievous Officers, and the means through which our grievances and proposals are guaranteed a hearing.

But Union Council (for which other body could deserve such praise?) decided not to bother with their most recent meeting.

The meeting was cancelled due to a lack of items for discussion Council, which consists of the Union Officers, an elected student from each department and a student from certain ‘representative’ groups, exists to ‘represent the views of students from their department or group, make decisions on behalf of all students and oversee the work of Student Officers.’

Every Councillor - that is, all 48 of them - have the chance to bring any item to the meeting. So if you email them - be it about a new

departmental timetable, changing prices in the bars, leafleting on the concourse - they can bring it up, irrespective of whether it is academic or not.

In addition, we expect our elected representatives to be on the ball in their joint realms of their department and the Union.

They must surely come across a range of important issues that deserve airing at the highest body of the Union.

Any member can bring an item forward as ‘Councillors’ business’ onto the agenda.From stickers on the concourse to printers in The Source, no issue is too small.

Sadly, the agenda appears to be getting thinner every fortnight.

Over the seven meetings scheduled so far this year, only three have seen Councillors bring items to the agenda.

Even more extraordinarily, Councillors have only brought items to Council 11 times in all.

To add to this, those Councillors bringing items forward tend to be the same ones.

Subsequently only seven members, or 14.5 per cent of those we elected to Council, have ever bothered bringing an item to the meeting as ‘Councillors’ business’.

The most recent meeting was cancelled due to there being so few items on the agenda. It wasn’t even worth holding.

So, 14.5 per cent. Well, it’s

Union Council has been reduced to a tea-soaked exercise in inactivity. greater than the turnout most of them were elected by to a role which, it appears, they’ve decided isn’t worth actively fulfilling.

Considering their record, it’s not even enough of a shock to make them spit out their complementary beverage.

Oddly, Council meetings still go on for hours. But the lengthy debates tend to be led by Officers, not wider members.

In fairness, the situation is a little more complex. Councillors are still students with full-time lives to lead and the Union is a hard body to fully understand in

Name game needs initiative

By Samuel Valdes Lopez Homer J. Simpson once said that beer is the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.

That might be debatable. But if one were to approach the more pragmatic and admittedly fun idea, shouldn’t one at least be nice to our bubbly messiah?

A new brew of beer made in a joint venture between Accommodation and Campus Services and Thornbridge brewery, with help from a group of students, has been named by a vote.

This is a popular trend, it seems; a famous brand of crisps is doing something similar, but involving the population at large and using unusual flavours.

Here’s another quote: “What’s in a name? That which we call

a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Does a name really matter?

William Shakespeare doesn’t seem to think so.

Yes, you could have a catchy name for a brand, but if it’s a nasty, watered, yellow brew, would the name be enough to save it?

On the other hand, you could have Ambrosia in a bottle, but if the name wasn’t catchy enough, would it be as popular?

Sure, there are beers with terrible names and taste, but a name really can make or break any kind of brand, even

if it feels a little superfluous to approach such a socially important beverage from this angle.

It is all fine and dandy that Thornbridge has allowed students to vote for the name of their new product, but past choices feel a little lacking.

It’s time to get creative, fellow drinkers.

Rock climbing terms might be fun to a selected few in the know, but us mere pot-bellied mortals might miss the joke.

a short period of time.

Members of Council also can, and do, bring items up with Officers privately and some Councillors, especially those representing specific groups like disabled students, do work particularly hard.

One of the reasons for this is their requirement to report back to the relevant committee.

Departmental Councillors have no group of students to report back to unless they make an effort to do so. It would seem obvious to use the Staff-Student committees for this purpose.

Cartoon: Kate Carson But amidst the meaningful debates and unengaged members of Council, the spotlight returns to the wider student populace us lowly unelected types. How often do we bother contacting our Councillor? Are we even that aware who they are and how we can use them?

They asked for a line on their CV and for a springboard into Union politics. In turn we should expect them to be a little more active than they are - but recognise that we have a significant part to play in filling up their inbox.

Fail for web results

By Jo Wendel On Wednesday, March 11, thousands of students woke up with nausea, which for once had nothing to do with the previous night. Results Day was upon us.

The whole day was quickly taken over by questions like “How did exams go?”, “Checked your results yet?”, and the inevitable “Did you fail anything?”.

While others chatted away about their amazing Law marks, or unfair average, some of us were left in the cold. MUSE had shut us out.

As much as we’d try and log in, the University website could seemingly not deal with so many keen students.

Not only were we still blissfully unaware of any fails, we were also missing out on potential

celebrations. With a big red box saying MUSE was currently unavailable, and a link to a Twitter page, we were left hanging.

Unfortunately, exam results did not appear amongst the services still up and running.

Between two afternoon lectures I hurried to the I.C. A girl two computers down was speaking loudly on the phone to a friend.

She had got a first in one of her modules and - quite literally wanted everyone to know.

“Oh my God, yeah, I got seventyfour per cent! I’ve been phoning everyone!” I wanted to smack her.

But more importantly, I wanted my grades too.

Two lessons from Results Day. Firstly: be humble. Secondly: if you choose to release results online, for heaven’s sake at least make sure your servers can manage it.

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

Editorials People power keeps nursery user-led The concerns of users over the possible ramifications of selling off the Union and University nursery mean that it will now continue to be jointly owned by a body which is led by the students who the nursery is there for.

Whilst a number of safeguards to protect the long term rights of parents in the event of a sale were in place, many users were still unhappy about the plans to sell the nursery.

This is, then, a two-fold success story. Parents raised their concerns and protested vehemently against the proposals in a public meeting.

Impressively, the Union and University listened to and addressed those concerns. They

have pledged to keep the nursery under their control and therefore have given the nursery’s users a say in how it is run.

This show of democratic engagement between the members of the Union and University and the chief decision-makers in these bodies shows that protesters who are prepared to negotiate over their demands and concerns can find that people are more inclined to meet their needs.

The University and Union have proven that they are willing to address the concerns of their students.

Perhaps the Sheffield Occupiers, still holed up in the Hicks Building at the time of going to print, should think about taking note.

The disturbances occasioned by the refurbishment of the Arts Tower are unavoidable, and the University has done as much as possible to prevent disruption to students and staff alike.

However, the allegations by a member of staff that the fire alarm did not sound on two floors of the building last month after the alarm had been activated is deeply concerning.

Furthermore, the fact that it was not immediately possible for the lecturer in question to exit the paternoster due to the placement of Tensabarriers raises further

issues over the adequacy of the building as a teaching space while works are ongoing.

One of the driving forces behind the building works is the desire not to affect working patterns for those who use the building.

But working on a building while it is simultaneously being used as a teaching space cannot be allowed to compromise the safety of the staff and students who use that building on a daily basis.

Nothing is infallible, but appropriate measures must be put in place to prevent similar instances in the future.

Fire alarm fiasco

Naïveté and greed So, a couple of men approach you in the street offering to sell you some high quality, surround sound speakers .

The speakers, they tell you, are worth £1,000. This is where the conversation should stop, and you should realise that you are being duped.

If the speakers are worth that much, then they wouldn’t be touting them to you for half that

price, would they?

They tell you that they want a quick sale. Of course they do; the faster they are off the street, the less likely they are to get caught by the police.

Whilst I sympathise with anyone who has been exploited in this way, it does seem that conmen like this are able to play upon either gullibility or greed (or a combination of the two).

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COMMENT

Having your own space makes a difference

By Amris Kaur You’ve got to love a good train journey; it’s part of the experience of going away for the weekend, and everyone has their own way of relaxing.

Dr. Angela Carter, an occupational psychologist at the University of Sheffield’s Institute of Work Psychology, has recently suggested that people try and maintain a personal bubble on trains in order to “protect our time and space”.

This can be done in a variety of ways. Avoiding making eye contact with anyone is important, and listening to music is also a favourite way of avoiding contact with fellow travellers.

This might be because whether you are looking out the window into a beautifully fragrant field of rapeseed, or a meadow of electricity pylons, good music seems to make everything more profound and meaningful.

The tortured poet inside you contemplates the agonising beauty of this symbol of human progression, and simultaneous tearing apart of nature.

Your mind wanders while the music of Animal Collective aids you on your consideration of lofty topics, and you completely miss your stop and end up in Watford.

Another preference is bringing out your reason for existence; a shiny mobile phone that you have not yet lost. The journey seems to go by very quickly and parents, grandmothers, friends, cousins and chance associates across the country are left with beaming smiles on their faces after catchup on phone calls. It’s just a shame you are in the designated quiet carriage.

Alternatively, you could manage

Music and no eye contact preserve personal space. Cartoon: Mark Mackay your business empire from Coach D; there seems to be no end to the businessmen who set up their laptops at Sheffield and solemnly contemplate all manner of colourful and complex-looking spreadsheets. Or are they playing Solitaire?

Then again, it can be very calming to sit back with your Boots meal deal and watch people moving up and down the carriage, or observe the changes from city to country and back again in the

landscape outside.

While shooting from one end of the country to the other, trains create an ideal space in which people can create their own zone and relax in their own ways until they reach their destination, but this is possibly at the cost of friendly communication between strangers.

Maybe you could even strike up a conversation next time you’re on a train. Just remember not to do it in the Quiet Zone.

decide to get involved it is highly unlikely that they would have any effect on Israeli policy.

I can’t see Ehud Olmert saying: “The condemnation of much of the world is one thing, but now the University of Sheffield has weighed in I’ll have to stop the bombing.

I mean, Eddie Izzard went there.”

Symbolic protests may make the participants feel better and raise publicity.

But the situation

in Gaza isn’t exactly off the news agenda and most people already have entrenched views on it.

Even if the University gave into their demands it would make little difference to the Palestinian situation.

If the protesters had put on some fundraising events for charities working in Gaza then they would have made at least a small difference to the people living there.

The only real outside influences on Israeli policies are the purse strings of the US State Department, and harassing the University won’t affect this one iota.

The Hicks occupation will do nothing for Gaza

By Alex Orton The Hicks Building occupation embodies the best and worst of student protest action.

The idealism of supporting people in a war-torn country is laudable, but making daft demands demeans the idealism.

Asking the University to condemn Israeli actions in Gaza is unfair.

The University is an educational institution, not a political one. It should confine its policies to what happens on its own campus, not go around making foreign policy announcements.

Students are perfectly free to hold peaceful protests on the concourse as long as they keep their statements to the facts and don’t vindictively criticise another group.

To be fair to the majority of the pro-Palestine activists, they

have protested about Israeli policy without breaking into antiSemitism.

The Union of Students is a political body. If the protesters want a statement made by them then that’s perfectly reasonable.

The University, however, is a collection of buildings with lecturers in them and should confine its self to dealing with that.

The University is an educational institution, not a political one Occupying a couple of lecture theatres seems a bit weak; the point of a sit in protest is to disrupt people’s day-to-day life so they are forced to negotiate with you.

All the current occupation accomplishes is publicity, which

begs the question: why not just protest outside on the concourse or another public place?

Demanding scholarships, donations, and University partnerships with the occupied territories is fine; everyone wants to give the underprivileged a hand.

But why just Palestine? Why not Iraq? Citizens there live with explosions, gun attacks, and ruined infrastructure.

Perhaps Palestine has become a bit of a pet project at the expense of other worthwhile causes.

The NUS Conference is coming up and it would have been an ideal time for our delegates to speak in support of pro-Palestinian proposals.

However, because Dave Hurst forgot to submit our Union’s proposals to the conference our delegates aren’t allowed to speak on any proposals.

Even if the University did

14

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19

FEATURES

Are two heads better than one?

By Caroline Vann I think it’s safe to say we’re all familiar with that feeling of dread that quickly ensues when your seminar tutor mentions the words ‘group’ and ‘work.’

You reluctantly anticipate the awkward discussions and long, silent pauses that are about to commence as you await the group allocations. You may also be getting a little concerned that you haven’t actually done the reading and the rest of the group are going to foil you, or maybe you actually have done it and the rest of your group are going to sit back and leave it all to you because they don’t have a clue. Whatever your qualms about group work, it doesn’t look like it’s a phenomenon that’s going to go away any time soon, so should we just accept it and get on with it? And is there really any point to it at all?

Despite finding group work situations horribly forced and uncomfortable when they initially arise, I have never really minded working alongside other people and would actually go as far as to say I sometimes enjoy it. This year particularly, I have made some good friends in my various seminars through being put in groups to work. Working with other people can also encourage you to contemplate viewpoints and opinions that you would never have considered if you had been working solo.

There is usually one person who doesn’t pull their weight On top of this, it’s important to consider the long-term benefits.

Admittedly this is hard when you’re tired, hungover and would rather be anywhere but in a stuffy room making forced conversation with people you probably don’t know, but really, there are some. There are very few work environments where you won’t have to interact with your colleagues and it is not unusual to be asked by an employer if you have any experience of working in a team. By gaining this team work experience early at University and developing your interaction skills before heading out into the big bad world, you are already ahead of many other potential candidates for a job.

During my gap year I worked with a team of people on a local travel project. We worked long hours and had daily team meetings.

There was a lot of pressure on us to meet targets and in this situation, it was crucial to have a team that could interact, listen to each other and collectively come up with ways in which we could improve our approach. As a team we all worked exceptionally well together, with the exception of one woman. She was a free-lance artist, and had worked on her own, from the home in which she lived alone, for the past 25 years.

Cartoon: Mark Mackay

Group work: Beneficial or does it bring out the worst in people?

She talked over people, refused to listen to suggestions and advice and would try as much as she could to go at it alone. Tensions grew within our office until finally somebody confronted her. She was forced to admit that she just couldn’t bear having to consult other people, consider different ideas and work in a group – it wasn’t what she was used to. She had never had the experience of working with others and in this case, it hindered her greatly, as well as impacting heavily on the work of her workmates.

By tackling issues of working with others early, in the lowpressure environment of University seminars, you can gradually gain the necessary skills for work and develop them over three or four years, instead of being thrown in at the deep end when you do finally enter into employment. Katy Mack, a second year History student says: “The earlier you begin interacting with people, the more confident you become, which definitely can’t be a bad thing when it comes to finding a job.”

So, we’ve established that the long term benefits are invaluable but how about group work in the short term? What are our issues with it and is it really doing us any good?

Helena Cobb, a third year Medicine student says: “The success of group work depends entirely on who you’re put with – it can work out or it can go totally the other way.” Rightly so, the composition of your group can pose the biggest concern. There is usually at least one person in

the group who doesn’t pull their weight, and then you’re faced with the dilemma of what to do about it. As their equal, working on the same project, on the same course, do you have the right to tell them how they should be working and what they should be doing? But on the other hand, if you leave it, your work as a whole will suffer and they will get the credit for the parts that you have done.

At this University, with group projects that will eventually be handed in, it is necessary at the end of the process for each person in the group to sign a cover sheet with their name and the percentage they put it. If the effort was equal, everybody will write 100% next to their signature, but if one person truly did not put in the work, then the rest of the group can elect to agree that the said group member will not be put into the 100% bracket, in which case, their grade will be severely affected. This may sound harsh, and I suppose you have to be strong willed to do it, but if someone hadn’t written their own essay, they would not get the grade, so why should it be any different when the assignment is a group one.

Nobody likes to admit they’re a slacker, but I have to confess that I possess some of the qualities of one. My work is usually late and I can never seem to keep on top of my time-keeping. This usually only affects myself and it is just me who has to face the consequences.

But when put in a group, the pressure is suddenly on. I do the work, I go to the group meetings and I put in as much time as I

can, because if I fail at the task in hand, so do the rest of the group and I certainly do not want to be held responsible for that.

Maybe if group work is what it takes to improve the effort and motivation of the individual, then this is the way forward.

Over-confidence can also cause problems. It is not unusual to hear about groups in which one person

She was forced to admit she couldn’t bear having to consider different ideas will dominate the discussions and take complete control of the work.

James Davidson, a first year Management student says: “If you get one person who is really outspoken, then the whole group suffers. After a while of not being able to put your point across, you will probably just give up, which could then look like you’re just not bothered.”

However, is a louder voice within a group sometimes necessary to get discussions going? It is all about the approach. Whilst being confident is a positive thing in terms of group work and getting things started, the ability to listen is equally important.

And what if you’re shy?

Although it can be a particularly difficult obstacle to overcome and the prospect of working in groups can be daunting, it is important that it is not allowed to hinder somebody’s opportunities.

Usually, group work is done in small numbers, which means that

it can be an excellent opportunity to improve self-confidence slowly, with fewer people to address than in a general seminar.

From the outside, shyness can be seen as frustrating, but when working in a group with somebody who is quieter and more withdrawn, helping to gently encouragement them is always going to be far more beneficial than interrogating them or trying to force them to speak.

I recently attended a seminar on Knowledge Transfer and in this particular case the knowledge being transferred was about working within a group. I listened to a group of fourth years explain how they have gone about group work in the past and what they learnt, but what it really taught me was that each experience is unique. Each group works differently and over your time at University you will work with a variety of people. You may enjoy it, you may hate it, but whatever the outcome, you will definitely learn something and inevitably gain skills that you will continue to reply on throughout your life, whatever path you take.

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FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

17

FEATURES

The tricky dilemma facing consumers

Chain stores provide convenience and choice

By Angus Hutchison Asking people their opinions on chain stores often elicits a confused response. Some consumers are blasé about the whole process. For others there might be a lingering anxiety about the possibility that chain stores might slowly be taking over the world, luring the customer in and mesmerising them with pale strip lighting and two-for-one offers on Ben & Jerry’s.

Thoughts might cross the mind about the repercussions of chain domination, such as what this means for the quality of the product that I am buying, and how are chains able to sell items at such low prices?

In any Topman you go to nationwide, you’re going to get the same service This was the fear articulated by Armando Iannucci in his visionary television comedy, Time Trumpet.

In this fictional world, by the year 2013, Tesco had changed its slogan from ‘Every little helps’ to ‘We now control everything in your lives’.

The sketch presents the supermarket establishing a ‘retail country’ by invading Denmark. You would have thought it would have made sense to start with Iceland.

This is a fear based on facts.

Tesco has expanded enormously over the past century since Jack Cohen sold groceries from his East End stall in London. In 1919 Tesco made a profit of £1 on its opening day.

Today, one pound in every three pounds spent in British supermarkets belongs to Tesco.

In 2006, the company made £46.6billion in sales. This is more than the Gross Domestic Product of Egypt.

So what? Big budgets and respected brands mean that the consumer gets better quality and service, right? Alice Jones, from Sheffield’s branch of Topman, said: “We provide really good service all around. In any Topman you go to nationwide, you’re going to get the same level of service.

Big business seems good from the employment perspective too. Tesco employs more staff worldwide than the population of Bristol, and career prospects inside chain stores are good too.

Jones continued: “Training and development is better because there are a lot more positions you could go to.

Local businesses treat us like people not purses

“In a small company there isn’t really anywhere you can go unless you take someone’s job if they retire. Everyone’s always promoted to area jobs and to regional jobs.

It’s more easy to progress.”

However, a few large chain shops turned me away when I tried to ask staff about their stores. I was pointed in the direction of PR departments where I would receive nicely worded, public friendly statements.

Michael Sandford is from the University of Sheffield’s student group Speak, which is a network of students who frequently campaign on issues of corporate accountability for multi-national companies.

He believes my inability to gather opinion is simply explained.

“Bigger companies are impersonal.

The supply chain people at one end are alienated from people at the other end.”

I was not trying to elicit disparaging remarks about their own employers from chain store staff; it was an attempt to give them an opportunity to defend their strategies and identify their strengths.

Declining to comment is a reflection on how far the staff controlling big businesses are disconnected from those lower down the supply chain.

This impersonality feeds a negative impression that people sometimes have of big business which is that Western consumerism rides on the back of exploitation in poorer countries.

Business pressures can mean that workers in the developing world can be denied the basic living standards that the developed world takes for granted.

By Daniel Baird Its little suburbs may be a ragbag of students, families and the elderly, but Sheffield’s character today still emerges from the local establishments that manage to thrive despite the dominance of big business in this country.

The city has a populace that remains receptive to originality, authenticity and looking beyond the bullying bravado of supermarket and retail chains.

I wish I had discovered Sheffield’s mercantile individuality earlier in my time at University. In my first year, however, I was in halls having some mass-produced slop thrown at me and working part-time at an international clothes retailer which led to Meadowhall booming with laughter as I fed it back my wages in return for wardrobe additions that left me looking like every other fresher.

Tim does not hesitate in describing their appeal to the ethical consumer

It is so important that there are laws and regulations Asha Rogers, also a member of Speak, clarified this issue further.

“Whilst big companies are by no means the only ones responsible, their sheer size and dominance in the global market - which influences what we consume, how often, and who pays for it - means that their conduct has the potential to be far more destructive, particularly to workers and communities most economically vulnerable.

“Often there just isn’t the choice to work elsewhere. This is why we think it’s so important that there are laws and regulations and not just voluntary guidelines.

University groups like Speak, No Sweat, and People & Planet are all campaigning on these kinds of issues.”

Speak lobbies companies to sign

FEATURES

The nation’s top brands provide expansive choice in line with popular demand. up to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), which aims to improve the lives of workers in global supply chains. For all the jokes about Tesco’s ‘plans for world domination’, the chain was actually one of the founding members of the ETI. According to the initiative, “tens of millions of people around the world work in factories, packhouses and on farms to produce shoes, toys, electrical goods, food and other products destined for sale in wealthy countries like the

UK.” The ETI’s statement highlights the crucial points of contention for human rights groups which campaign for workers’ rights: “Many of them work in hazardous conditions, often for pay that barely covers their needs. They may also be discriminated against, harassed and prevented from joining or forming trade unions.”

Transparency and accountability would regain consumers’ trust The sheer size of many organisations involved in the ETI means that it becomes more difficult for them to monitor operations further down the supply chain. Consumer demand for cheap goods makes it more difficult for a business to maintain its own

Photo: Daniel Baird

ethical standards.

As the UK wades through economic recession we have seen familiar chains collapse around the country. Now is a time where businesses and consumers are evaluating their expenditure, methods of spending and attitudes towards new purchases. The promotion of financial growth above sensible trading has been shown to be unsustainable.

It is also a time now when companies can examine their business model.

Through transparency and accountability, brands would be able to gain the trust of consumers, rather than creating uncertainty about what they will do to increase profit, and their use of dubious methods.

A new approach would solidify a popularity that is currently rooted in the choice and convenience that the corporations’ scale and extended opening hours provide.

Now, in my fourth year in Sheffield, I still look incredibly ordinary but, crucially, I am now aware that if I wanted to pretend I was in a band I could find affordable, ethically produced and original accoutrements to complement those ambitions.

Cow on West Street is a Yorkshire-based business (started by two guys and originating in Leeds) that has recently opened stores in Nottingham and Sheffield.

Cow employee Tim does not hesitate in describing their appeal to the ethical consumer. “Obviously with vintage it’s recycled. Ours is mainly sourced within Europe.

We’re aware of our carbon footprint in that respect. We check all the places that the products come from, we know it’s all great quality.”

Tim need not stress that they provide a unique experience for their clientele. This is clear the moment you enter to the left of the Wendy-Housestyle hut framing the cash register, which sits alongside a plate of muffins and complimentary yellow Cow badges.

He did, however, add that: “I think we offer a customer experience. I tend to think that in comparison with other vintage stores we view our customer service from more of a high-street perspective, in terms of greeting people and the products being well merchandised.

Our staff are also knowledgeable about the product itself.”

Having only bought a waistcoat and rootin’ tootin’ booties

Hayman’s Butchers in Crookes pride themselves on providing a personal service. to complete a dandy highwayman costume for an ’80s fancy dress party, I am in no position to preach about how this retail experience has affected my daily life.

I have, however, tried to embrace local business when it comes to eating well.

Just Natural in Crookes is a firm favourite.

A simple and reassuring name and great quality when it comes to a big Vitamin C hit after some unsavoury student living.

When I think of why I am fighting the corner of local businesses, it has to be due to the feeling that comes with being treated like a person rather than a wallet.

When I first went to Hayman’s Butchers in my

third year, the small shop made a big impression for that very reason.

The owner was always smiling and interested in whoever came in. As a young lad from the south I’m sure I might have once bristled at being called “love” by another man, but I appreciate the otherness of it and wonder at what a difference it would make if we all addressed each other with comparable humanity.

Ron Hayman appreciates that they are seen in such a light. “It’s a more pleasant thing than the supermarkets; we have a laugh with people. That’s what we try to aim at, to make it personal, having banter with the customers and what have you, which is what it’s all about.

“Our stuff is all from local farms.

The reason we do quite so well here is that the meat that comes in is mature style; we hang it as well, which is the difference from supermarkets and ourselves. So we can guarantee the tenderness of the meat.

“The price is cheaper as well because we can keep our eyes on things. We can trace the prices, we can attend to them straight away. We’ve been here 30 years, I have. The establishment’s been going since well before the 1880s…

You’ll have to excuse me…” Our discussion is cut short by a steady

flow of customers into the little shop and Ron’s desire to give every person who enters his undivided attention as best he can.

The store’s been going 14 years in Sheffield so people trust us really This attention to detail in customer service is clearly a fixture amongst Sheffield’s independent stores. Martin Leverton at Reflex Records said: “We cater more for the individual customer’s needs as opposed to just plonking stuff on the shelves.

“We’ve got more expertise in the field we’re selling in and people always ask our advice. Whether it’s on records, guitar amps or whatever, we’ve got an expert in the field in house.”

Reflex Records is also representative of the impact local businesses have on the city itself.

Martin went on to say: “We’ve also got record labels. Reflective Records is our label, we also run club nights at the likes of Plug.

So we encourage local artists and talent to sell their work on our own record label.”

It is this individuality and the desire to go beyond the minimum

Photo: Daniel Baird expectations of providing the product that makes these independent retailers intrinsic to Sheffield. “We have a repair department, we have a hire department and we’ve second hand stuff, so we do quite a vast array of different things. The store’s been going 14 years in Sheffield so people trust us really,” said Martin.

I write whilst fully conscious that I am presently little more than a high-street mannequin, strangled from top to bottom in personalitysapping cotton.

And yes, this morning I picked up several bags of shopping from the supermarket. I am aware that my sun roasted tomato and mozzarella pasta pillows might well taste of little more than my own hypocrisy, but it only goes to show just how enticing the added boons of greater choice and the convenience of paying on card can be.

I certainly feel like a sell-out on a regular basis and I think it is inevitable that we will put our hand in our pocket for businesses that operate by means that we might not agree with it. If nothing else, it is important to have an awareness where all our actions are concerned and, in such a materialistic society as ours, where and what we buy undoubtedly makes a statement about who we are.

Screen Yorkshire / It’s Alright Ma / Resident Evil 5 / Yeah Yeah Yeahs

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Silver, small & Yorkshire screen Feature: Screen Yorkshire Do you keep on spotting scenes of Sheffield and the surrounding area whenever you switch on the telly? It’s no coincidence.

Screen Yorkshire, the company responsible for supporting local interactive media in Yorkshire, create an abundance of television programmes and films, which are all based in the Yorkshire area.

Rachel McWatt, marketing and communications officer for the agency, told me about the regional screening agency and explained what they do for local television.

Defining the company as “very Yorkshire,” McWatt says that Screen Yorkshire was first set up in 2002 by the British Film Council, and since then the regional screen agency has expanded as well as diversified the type of projects they take on.

Sheffield has been the inspiration for the setting of several films “We aim to create a sustainable infrastructure for the agency and region,” she says. “We support many companies that are based in the region such as Rollem productions in Leeds (responsible for Fat Friends and Strictly Confidential) that have gone on to be very successful.”

McWatt explains that the difference between a regional screen agency and other types of agencies is that regional one only offer support to people based in their area.

“The money we get from the British Film Council is specifically for people based in Yorkshire. It goes towards supporting local businesses, as well as creating

jobs in the Yorkshire area.”

Since the agency first began, Yorkshire has become a hub of screen production, which would not have been possible if Screen Yorkshire wasn‘t in existence.

Screen Yorkshire have been responsible for award winning films like This is England and The History Boys, as well as a range of television programmes such as Spooks: Code 9, Survivors and Lost in Austen.

Sheffield itself has often been the inspiration for the setting of several television programmes and films produced by Screen Yorkshire; for example Hush, Ken Loach’s Summer, and even a series screened in America known as Crusoe.

McWatt describes Screen Yorkshire’s latest project Red Riding as “very exciting”. Screened this month on Thursday evenings on Channel 4, the television programme stars Sheffield’s own homegrown talent Sean Bean and is based on the novels by David Pearce.

“It has been a fantastic success for us to have invested in Red Riding through our production fund,” she says. “Screen Yorkshire provided crew, location and support for the programme and it has helped to build a good profile for Screen Yorkshire at a time when we have suffered some bad news.”

By “bad news”, McWatt is referring to the closure of ITV Yorkshire earlier this month, signifying that the media world is feeling the affects of the credit crunch.

“Programmes such as Red Riding reflect that the industry is still alive and well in Yorkshire,” she said.

“We are working with Yorkshire Forwards and ITV Yorkshire, as well as other partners such as the BBC, to provide support for people affected by the closure of the studio.”

Further plans to combat the disruption the closure of the studio has caused include an increase in productions occurring in Yorkshire.

“Although the studios will be going we want to make sure there are further productions, and ensure there is still a lot going on here, and jobs are being created in Yorkshire. There will be extra support for those people who have lost their jobs, and all this is going to be going on over the next couple of years,” she says.

But why is regional television important? McWatt answers by stating she believes it is imperative for people from and living in the Yorkshire area to have something they can relate to in the media.

“They need to be able to identify with the stories and characters

they are seeing on screen, and you get that result when stories are written about the area and what affects the area.”

McWatt gives an example of this in the Screen Yorkshire production Unforgiven, written for ITV by local writer Sally Wainwright who set the series in West Yorkshire.

Shows such as Red Riding reflect that the industry is still alive in Yorkshire With a job in the media industry being a popular career aspiration for many university graduates, McWatt details how students can become involved with Screen

Yorkshire. “We provide training, and work with regional production companies to help run work placement schemes for people who want to get into the industry.

We also run our own schemes which you can find details about on our website.”

Whilst acknowledging that it is competitive to get into regional television, she advises graduates to do their research and have a clear idea of what exactly they want to do.

“Work experience is also incredibly useful and important if you want a career in regional television, contact the broadcasters like the BBC who do have their own schemes for work experience.”

Alexandra Rucki

Andrew Garfield in the first of the Red Riding trilogy, a production Screen Yorkshire was involved in.

32 high definition television column inches

Fuse

Friday March 20 2009

TV Column

2

Ronan Keating’s pasty skin. Cheryl Cole’s ballooning feet. Chris Moyle’s obligatory moobs. Within three minutes of Kilimanjaro: The Big Red Nose Climb (BBC1) we have already become disturbingly introduced to the nine celebrities hauling their primmed and pampered bodies up the surface of Africa’s 16,000ft mountain.

The six-day climb to the top brims with reassuring hugs, moaning about moaning, and the juxtaposition of uplifting and mournful music that usually litters these ambitious charity exploits.

But none of this takes away from the joy of watching Chris Moyles desperately trying to buoy the mood with his attempt at jumpstarting a real career in comedy whilst Cheryl Cole projectile vomits on her lesser band-mate from Girls Aloud.

Meanwhile, 4,000 miles away, 10 more famous faces are tottering around the streets of London, clutching leatherette executive

Can’t escape that feeling? briefcases in Comic Relief Does The Apprentice (BBC1).

Even though this was a show

made for them all to shine in their own little way (Gok Wan and Alan Carr to stereotypically do

the spangly costumes and the decorations, Carol Vorderman to return to the number crunching after being booted from Countdown, and the two business persons to measure profit margins), it quickly descends into The Jonathan Ross Show.

And rightly so, seeing as he and his non-elected sidekick Jack Dee are the funniest and most enjoyable thing to watch as they bounce their quips off each other like a new Laurel and Hardy.

From the very start Ross is perpetually biting his lip with a cheeky grin, fighting his every instinct to laugh at the faux serious nature of Sir Alan’s boardroom, staring across the expansive table at Sugar’s two poe-faced comrades, Margaret and Nick.

After the success of their award laden BBC ‘dramedy’ Gavin and Stacey, stars James Corden and Mathew Horne are starting to cash in on their current cache. With a third series of G&S on its way, and the pithily titled Lesbian Vampire Killer feature film in the can, it’s surely the perfect time for them

to knock us out of the park with a funny, inventive and original new sketch show entitled Horne and Corden (BBC3)? Wrong.

What follows is a sketch about a gay war reporter, a cock-drawing class in a boys’ school, and a bloke who takes forever to reach orgasm. Clever, see? It’s crude, but that’s not the problem; crude can be funny. Not here though, as it’s just too easy. Corden taking his shirt off in three sketches suggests they are struggling for witty material and revert to simple in-yer-face gross-out.

Couple this with the fact they face stiff competition in the shape of better comics such as Cambridge Footlights alumni Mitchell and Webb, Horne and Corden are just exposed as the fresh-faced, inexperienced amateurs they unfortunately are.

This is a real shame as they clearly have cultivated a good relationship in their previous work, and Corden especially is brimming with charisma and charm.

Adam Jelley

broadcaster is looking to save money in its schedule and drama is one of the most costly areas.

As mentioned earlier, British television has many popular reality and entertainment shows which can draw just as large viewing figures as even the best drama series, be it British or American.

It would be wrong to suggest that American drama is infallible Also, reality shows are often far more formulaic which makes them comparatively lower risk new products than expensive drama serials. In such hard financial times, creating British drama is fairly low priority, especially when we have such fantastic imports coming from across the Atlantic.

So, for the time being at least, embrace the American way; if we can’t beat it we may as well enjoy it.

Matt Smith

Sylar might be part of a golden age for now, but if ratings don’t improve for Heroes it could face the chop.

Screen

Clearly, American TV is currently offering a diverse and innovative range of programmes which British TV can not compete with.

The reason that this division in quality has appeared is perhaps less clear, but there are certain elements of recent American TV which British drama is currently missing.

First and foremost of these is innovative content; many of America’s biggest recent hits have been highly unusual concepts and yet on screen they have created drama which is incomparable to anything else.

Perhaps the most famous of these surprise hits was The Sopranos, one of the forerunners of the current ‘golden age’. The Sopranos depicted the life of Tony

very easily. Fans of Prison Break will recollect how after its first two well-planned seasons it quickly lost its way, and few were surprised or even disappointed when it was finally cancelled.

Still, despite some failures, the successes of American drama (even those short-lived series) easily outweigh those of our homegrown drama.

That being the case, it seems strange that British broadcasters don’t simply follow the formula laid down by America to create our own hit shows.

Unfortunately the reasons for not doing so are not through ignorance, but in fact mostly financial.

During the recession nearly every single

Arts

The successful American imports are keeping British viewers satisfied

convoluted to last over several series and the excitement of these shows can turn into melodrama

Games

In recent years, fans of homegrown television drama could be forgiven for feeling underwhelmed by the quality of British output. For every hit like Life On Mars or Doctor Who there are countless forgettable flops including Bonekickers and Rock Rivals.

However, the many successful American imports filling the schedules of all the big broadcasters are keeping viewers satisfied.

US drama imports are creating huge critical and ratings successes in Britain, throughout the world, and, most importantly, in their country of origin. Many critics and fans alike are hailing this trend a new golden age in American television, and when compared to our own ailing industry it’s not difficult to see why.

While Britain may currently have some of the most successful reality and entertainment output with shows like Pop Idol and Strictly Come Dancing selling all around the globe, it is the American dramas like Desperate Housewives, The Wire and Lost which are claiming all the plaudits.

Soprano and the conflicting nature of his separate lives as a family man and a mafia boss.

Broadcasting on the American HBO cable channel allowed the show a greater artistic freedom as it was not subject to many of the same censorship rules of the more mainstream channels.

However, despite its unusual premise, it was in fact a huge success and has been deemed by some critics as the greatest drama series of all time.

Of course it is not just the concept itself that creates the hit but the storytelling that goes with it. In the last few years American television has created a specialisation in story arcs that can last up to a whole season, which very few British dramas replicate. Drawing on a style that was once more familiar in soaps, shows like Lost and Heroes rely on continuing story lines that bring back viewers every week.

While such shows are often criticised for their complicated storytelling, for regular viewers this style rewards their dedication in continuing to watch the series.

This method has even filtered down into simpler concept shows like Desperate Housewives, and as such series come towards their final episode they become unmissable event television.

Obviously, it would be wrong to suggest that American drama is infallible. Many shows have found initial success with the above formula, only to falter upon reaching its second or third season. Heroes is an example of this as despite its initial success, it currently faces cancellation if rating figures do not rise by the end of the third season.

In fact, fans of many US dramas will report a dip in quality somewhere in their favourite show’s production history and a subsequent struggle to return to earlier form.

Ultimately, some concepts prove too

Music

Feature: Golden age of American TV

Feature

A new golden age? America’s television alchemists

The past, the present, and the future of the BBC Feature: Profile of the BBC

the issue abandoned the pretence of impartiality long ago”.

The BBC has also been in the news a lot over the past year over various scandals, including offence caused by lewd comments to Andrew Sachs regarding his granddaughter by comedians Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand.

The BBC is perhaps most famous for its objective and unbiased outlook

denied. Until 1955 it was the only television broadcaster in the UK and therefore has had a huge impact on its citizens because until then the television channel and its radio counterpart were the only source of entertainment and information available.

Looking to its future, an iPlayer BBC TV catch-up system might be put in place on televisions connected to the internet as well as computers. However, there are currently problems – last April it was noted that the iPlayer is responsible for between three and five per cent of all internet traffic in Britain, which severely strains the network.

With a funding of £4billion per year, it is certain that the BBC will be running for a long time to come.

Whether or not it can substantially uphold its respectable and impartial reputation, however, is yet to be seen.

Grace Crook

Fuse

Further to this, there were remarks made about Margaret Thatcher featured on QI which upset and angered many viewers.

Much criticism stemmed from this, including a statement from former Conservative MP Norman Tebbit: “The truth is that the BBC doesn’t know that it is biased.

It thinks that Guardian-reading champagne socialists are the norm.”

Although these incidents have led to a slight decrease in the BBC’s popularity, with upward of 38,000 complaints from the public concerning the RossBrand incident alone, overall the corporation is still going strong.

Whether current TV shows reflect this, however, is controversial. Over the past few months the quality of BBC television programmes has been called into question.

Shows such as the new sitcom The Life Of Riley have been generally shunned by television critics, while QI still tries to shake off its Margaret Thatcher incident.

Debates have also broken out concerning freedom of speech and people’s right to privacy, and how much the BBC should be allowed to show as a public service broadcaster.

In spite of all of this, the cultural legacy of the BBC cannot be

Friday March 20 2009

The British Broadcasting Corporation television channel was established in 1932. It is distinct from other television channels in the United Kingdom in that it is a public service broadcaster (i.e. intended for public benefit and “free from both political and commercial influence and to answer only to its viewers and listeners”).

It is also the world’s largest broadcaster, beating its closest competitor - the American network CNN - with availability in 274million households, compared to CNN’s estimated 200million.

The BBC is perhaps most famous for its objective and unbiased outlook, different from certain programmes broadcast on most other channels.

Its official purpose is “to inform, educate and entertain”,

and programmes can be easily categorised under these headings.

For example, information (BBC News channel), education (BBC Bitesize) and entertainment (Strictly Come Dancing).

BBC1 tends to favour entertainment (Casualty, Hustle etc), while BBC2 tends to inform and educate (The Daily Politics, Newsnight), though there is a close crossover.

There are further extensions of the BBC including BBC3 and BBC4; however, these are only available to viewers on digital television.

In recent years, the BBC’s highly successful service has continued with programmes such as Gavin & Stacey, attracting millions of viewers and critical acclaim.

However, there are also various criticisms concerning the BBC, including allegations of bias on topics such as climate change, regarding which Jeremy Paxman states that “the BBC’s coverage of

3

Feature Music Games Arts Screen

Local musicians set their sights high in the city of steel The band have a distinct strategy in marketing themselves.

“We’ll use Myspace, we’ll exploit people; we’ll do anything we can to get people down the front really. In the run up to the gig tonight, we used Myspace to get the word out as much as possible, and this has spread to other cities, and so we realised its power [for touring bands].

Interview: Smugglers Run The listing proclaimed; ‘O2 Academy Sheffield - SOLD OUT’.

This was mildly surprising.

Of course, it meant to say Academy 2; but, at the same time, to play to a full upstairs crowd of a few hundred people is big news indeed for local lads Smugglers Run. “We are very excited,” frontman Liam Bardell proclaims. “All the hard work is starting to pay off.

Nothing has just fallen into place, we have worked for this…hours and hours of practising, hours and hours spent forcing people into coming to our first shows.”

When asked what sets them apart from other bands on the Sheffield scene, bassist Dave says that their energy is their key strength.

“Too many bands just stand there onstage, without any interest in the music they’re playing; we like to throw ourselves around a bit.”

Following this, Liam suggests that “Sheffield has a particular scene associated with it nowadays. We see ourselves as being an alternative to the Arctic Monkeys.”

Indeed, the band look to offer something more punchy. Dave bestows upon their music the tongue-in-cheek moniker “pussy punk” - to his bandmates’ apparent delight .

“We didn’t try to be different; we’ve just always found ourselves to be a little bit heavier. We like it raw. We’ve even talked about going down to Drop D tuning,” Liam states.

It’s at this point that drummer Robbie Hesketh breaks his silence: “We won’t.”

A point of conflict here?

“It’s just not something I’m really up for.”

No matter what, Liam has a view of how he sees the current musical climate, and hints that there is some vague strategy to the band’s choices.

We’ll use Myspace, we’ll exploit people, we’ll do anything

Their sights are set on big things, but learning about the possessive apostrophe might be a start.

“The mainstream is getting they don’t see themselves as a do this “when [they] can afford heavier and we’ve got our minds Sheffield band as such, all hailing it.” on that. When you start a band from elsewhere, but acknowledge They also plan to record with you’ve got to look not just at what its place on the UK’s musical Tim Hampton, the singer from is popular now, but what will be, map.

Bromheads Jacket, as soon as in, say, three years time.”

Liam asserts that he “came to they can.

Sheffield because of the music; it Do they have an idea of how they just seemed to be a place where want it to sound? Dave answers: We see ourselves as there was so much going on “Like a punch in the face.” This is But it wasn‘t all that clarified by Alex as “capturing the being an alternative musically.” he had originally hoped for. live experience” on record.

“Not to insult the city, it’s not as Before this can come together, to the Arctic cutting edge as say, London. In a the band have planned a fairly way I like that, because as a band, extensive tour in order to build Monkeys it’s easier to stand out. a fan base. They will be playing The band cites a wide range “Not to sound like we’re selling in each of their hometowns and of influences. When asked out, but would you rather play in “as many places as they can fit in who has made a considerable a town where there’s another 10 between”. impact, among others they list bands just like you, or one where Liam has one date in particular The Libertines, The Doors, Rage you’re something different?” he is looking forward to.

Against the Machine and even, Manager Alex steps in again at “Colchester,” he says in a distinctly perhaps ironically, local metal this point; “If anything, I suppose matter of fact tone, “because my outfit Bring Me The Horizon. that knowledge of Sheffield’s past brother-in-law lives there and he’s Liam gives the manager another success means we know that a copper. knowing glance: “I like to scream we can access the industry from “He’s promising to bring the every now and then, but I get told here.” whole force, so I’m thinking, off and to look after my voice!”

The first step towards really they’ve got a bit of money, we No matter how they slot into the breaking into the industry is might be able to bump up the local scene, the band stress that recording, and the band plan to ticket price a little bit!”

“The way I see it, if you’re playing to more than 10 people, then it was worth going,” says Liam, before politely excusing himself to answer a call.

Are they worried they might drive each other mad on the road? The answer is from guitarist Nathan Croot. “If anyone is going to drive us mad it will be him,” pointing at Liam, and then, mockingly: “Oh my God, I’m a superstar!”

Upon his return, Liam refutes the claim. “I think if our manager is around, he will be the one that drives us mad. ‘Everyone get on the bus now, we need to leave!’”

“It’s you who does that,” retorts Robbie, the drummer.

“Would we be playing here tonight if I wasn’t like that?! Do you want to play tonight? We’ve got [a friend] coming who knows the songs!”

Liam is, however, quick to defend the band’s solidarity.

“We’re just looking forward to the tour. We aren’t looking to make money from it; we just want to cover its cost. We’re students, we don’t expect to make money, we just want to make some fans and then maybe we can do the same tour in say a year, then they’ll bring their friends.”

Students, yes, but with grownup ambitions. No doubt we’ll be hearing more from Smugglers Run in the future.

Kyle Rice

Up and coming A beginner’s guide to...

Fuse

Friday March 20 2009

Feature: Local bands

4

Sheffield has shaken off its ‘grim and grey’ image to become one of the most cutting-edge cities in the UK, spawning a variety of eclectic musical talents.

Ever since the Arctic Monkeys blasted into the world’s consciousness, Sheffield’s music has been seen as vibrant and exciting - and rightly so.

Take the Mexican Kids at Home (two girls, two skateboarders, DJ, and a violinist known simply as Violin Tom).

They play a twinkling smorgasbord of delightful ditties.

Using the accordion, glockenspiel and banjos, their sound is charming retro-folk and utterly contemporar y.

It sounds twee, but punchy melodies and strong rhythmic Mexican Kids at Home

sequences dilute any fluffiness.

The Crookes have been making something of a name for themselves of late. Championed

by Steve Lamacq, they evoke a certain ’60s vibe. The band ooze charisma through catchy songs that you simply must clap along to; they are a melodious indie group with gutsy edge.

Do not be misled by the moniker of Darlings of the Splitscreen. This all-male three-piece play a funky blend of synth-infused electro with Hot Chip-esque vocals layered over the top.

Their sound has the character of ’80s electro with 21st century sensibilities; it is both modern and old-school, and disarmingly catchy. ‘This Is How We Roll’ is electro-quirky brilliance.

It is hard not to bop along to these Darlings.

“You bring the liquor boy / I’ll bring the crazy love,” they sing.

Yes please.

Alice Stride

#5: XL Recordings The year is 1989, Harry has met Sally, Manchester has dropped the ‘n’ for a ‘d’ and everyone is in the midst of a drug problem.

It is within this haze that we find the small label ‘City Beat’ in London, the musical brain-child of Beggars Banquet Records and Tim Palmer.

With the addition of Richard Russell and Nick Hawkes, the label becomes known as XL, thanks to a rather fresh-faced group known as The Prodigy.

Working alongside Beggars Banquet, XL primarily released dance and electronic music for the acid house ravers of the UK in the early ’90s, citing pirate radio and illegal raves as their inspiration.

Having released The Prodigy’s Experience and backed the likes of Liquid and House of Pain, Hawkes and Palmer left for bigger things, leaving Russell at the helm.

XL would not stay committed to the dance scene for long. Taking a leap of faith, Russell signed Badly Drawn Boy in the mid ’90s, much to the surprise of the media.

Radiohead released In Rainbows physically through XL in 2007.

In 2000, The Hour of the Bewilderbeest won Badly Drawn Boy a Mercury Music Prize and XL went supernova.

Signing everyone from The Avalanches to Peaches and Dizzee Rascal, Russell was snapping up every intriguing musical misfit from around the world, bulldozing the boundaries of genre and even luring Thom Yorke to release The Eraser through XL in 2006, only to bring back Radiohead a year

later for the physical release of In Rainbows.

In addition to these, the label now has the likes of M.I.A, Friendly Fires, Vampire Weekend, Beck and Devendra Banhart to its name.

XL’s constant evolution is its key to success, whilst maintaining its independent beliefs, making it one of the UK’s most diverse record labels of recent years.

Natasha Parker

Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz!

Music

Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ third long player comes delectably close to audio perfection.

Review: Fever Ray - Fever Ray

Fever Ray burns bright. sets the album off on a trail of spirituality and incredulity as the sacrificial beat coaxes you to offer the nearest moving creature to the gods.

‘When I Grow Up’ thuds and pumps, pounds and shatters

No, a whimper

across the marshy plains of some long distant jungle.

Layer upon layer of sound, from boomerangs to odd clicks and thrashes, keep you mesmerised for all of the four and a half glorious minutes.

‘Seven’ taps and snaps its way through the verse, spreading its way into the chorus for an oriental illusion of subtle imagination and indeterminate menace.

The immense ‘Triangle Walks’ jives and whistles as it elopes with you on a binaural fantasy of grandiose proportions, whilst ‘Concrete Walls’ seizes your fears and caresses them into a state of smooth serenity.

Fever Ray hits the pinnacle with ‘Keep The Streets Empty For Me,’ as it floats into a placid desolate dream world full of meditated musings, philosophically proposing “uncover our heads and reveal our souls / We were hungry before we were born.”

After nine stunningly creative songs, the album is brought to a close by the tribal beats and stirring synths of ‘Coconut’; a perfect end to 48 minutes of bliss.

Oliver Hughes

Missing the wow factor Review: The Wow Signal - Infinity’s Lobby

Review: Chris Cornell Scream This is not a normal Chris Cornell album; Soundgarden and Audioslave will never reunite.

Guitars (proper ones, not samples) are banned from here. And with that out of the way, what’s to say about this highly controversial album?

It’s not controversial in a sense of how the lyrics delve into deep philosophy or political statements, but on how they are simplified, going with the synthetic, void samples.

Sure, unlikely producer Timbaland has a massive collection of music samples and interesting sounds, and mixes them here quite well, but it is possible to overegg a pudding.

Cornell also seems to be in a languid state, singing without much enthusiasm (except on the P!nk-lite ‘Watch Out’).

It’s easy to jump and yell “sell-

out!” - an accusation that’s already making the rounds for this album.

It’s more like an experiment and not an unprecedented one: Faith No More’s Mike Patton pulled this off three years ago.

Enough criticism - let’s put the knives away for a moment.

The overall music overdoes the sampling, but they do melt together nicely, flowing almost seamlessly between tracks. Some of the samples are same old (reggae ton drums, anyone?), but a few of them are used inventively.

Cornell’s voice, damaged through years of abuse and a few infections, sounds much better this time around, fixing on a range that he can manage live.

Overall, it’s a mixed bag. It’s nice to see a musician really flex his muscles, but this might be heading more towards a sprain.

If you like any of Timbaland’s production efforts, especially Nelly Furtado’s Loose, you’ll probably enjoy this one. If you prefer your dose of Cornell to be a little more exciting, skip it.

Samuel Valdes Lopez

Flicker of promise Review: Official Secrets Act - Understanding Electricity

Cock rock calamities.

Jeremy Peel

Astute wordsmiths.

Yet, with ‘Bloodsport’, Official Secrets Act fall victim to that awful songwriting curse; the moment where, in an effort to be sincere and moving, it all goes ‘a bit Borrell’.

Mawkish and power-ballady in the overwrought, just-plain-bad way, it plods along with talk of “moon and shadow lands”, “having the sun delivered to the night”, and the frankly quite frightening chorus of “Wherever you go / I’ll be”.

Thankfully it’s an anomalous moment on a debut which might not pack a thousand volts, but certainly sparks along with a certain, defiantly English, eccentricity.

Helen Lawson

Fuse

arenas.

As for The Wow Signal?

Undeniably admirable for wearing their hearts on their sleeves, but until they plant their tongues firmly in their cheeks, the joke will be on them.

The jaunty musical leanings of this album often sound like they’ve been churned through a fairground carousel and the lyrics delight in simple narratives.

You know the type, all introspective observations about girls they fancy and attempts at pondering the puzzles of life, that tends to get adopted by overamorous teens to soundtrack the dizzy spells of first love.

‘The Girl from the BBC’ is Official Secrets Act’s calling card, with simmering bass lines and jerky guitars with communal chanting and call-and-response refrains, whilst the delicate guitar pickings of ‘Little Bird’ introduce pretty yearnings that turn into a jangly pop number that sounds, in the most complimentary way, like it’s been borrowed from The Maccabees via a dusting from Young Knives.

Friday March 20 2009

In its essence, Infinity’s Lobby sounds like a collection of offcuts from early Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd albums; full to the brim with pretty convincing midpaced riff showcases, epic ballads and trebly solos.

But although The Wow Signal have most of the tools required for the job – the grooves, the power chords and the fondness for leopard-print – they’ve somehow missed out on pub-rock’s most crucial element: an attentionseeking, falsetto-powered, boozy Adonis of a frontman.

Instead they have Andrew Mangold, whose uninspired mumblings only really manage to nail boozy.

Whilst incomprehensibility isn’t necessarily a bad thing in classic

rock, and his lacklustre delivery probably passes unnoticed buried beneath swathes of distorted guitar in Shoreditch pubs, the studio uncovers warts which not even a generous helping of reverb can hide.

The trippy acoustic build-up of ‘Still Hunting’ for instance - a poignant highlight in the right hands - subsides into directionless tedium, and it’s left to competent guitarist Paolo Kralj to pick up the pieces with funky asides and, of course, lengthy solos.

Yes, here is a band so willfully ignorant of all musical developments in the last 30 years that, by the time the final solo dribbles out it almost becomes endearing.

That said, it’s hard to justify the existence of a band with less potential than those other cock rock throwbacks The Darkness who, say what you will, at least had the tunes to carry their ridiculousness all the way to the

Helen Lawson

Dark, haunting and hypnotic; it’s what you’ve come to expect from The Knife. But three years on since the epic Silent Shout, Karin Dreijer Andersson is all on her lonesome, no longer stuck to brother Olof.

It is her chance to shine in the moonlight.

On first listening you may begin to wonder why on earth they didn’t just release this as The Knife.

Well, this record sparkles with more personal intimacy than you would usually come to expect from the Swedish duo.

The same deep, murky electronic beats are still clambering their way through, but no longer is there any potent dancefloor electro or profound bass making you inadvertently move your limbs.

It is a more secluded, leisurely synth-pop beat allowing characteristic artificially warped vocals to articulate about dishwasher tablets and looking after friends’ plants.

Opening with ‘If I Had a Heart’

the end, then it’s heartbreaking to face the prospect of losing one of our most innovative and consistent groups who’ve just given us the best album of their career. And in some ways it feels hard to provide the right words It’s Blitz! speaks for itself.

Screen

Karin goes it alone

of the title doesn’t appear - ‘Dull Life’ and ‘Shame and Fortune’ are textbook YYYs, teasing and sexy before jolting into action, powered by the assault of Brian Chase’s drums with O’s caterwaul dancing over the music.

O has been quoted as saying that the band are in “the autumn” of their career. If this is nearing

Arts

breathless best, as fragile as she sang ‘Maps’, and her new tenderness follows throughout.

The gentle cooing, and “You suddenly complete me”, of ‘Hysteric’ is a gorgeous paeon of love, whilst ‘Runaway’ is backed by the knee-trembling rumbles of a newly-recruited string section.

But don’t think that the ‘blitz’

Games

It’s a wry twist in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs tale that, having taken three years to put out new material, they’ve had to rush out the release of their third LP to try and plug its leak onto the internet.

And the wait has almost seemed like too long. 2007’s Is Is EP was tantalisingly brief and only documented songs that originated around the early days of the band. For It’s Blitz! TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek takes the production duties and gently nudges YYYs away from their signature characteristics: namely the omnipresence of Nick Zinner’s jagged guitars and Karen O’s yelps and squeals.

And Sitek succeeds.

In challenging Zinner to largely abandon the guitar in favour of synthesisers he pushes the band up and away from 2006’s

masterful Show Your Bones without disregarding what they previously achieved. The band’s output has matured, taking a softer, less abrasive approach.

This album is beautiful and considered. Adopting synths at a time when the instrument is enjoying a strong resurgence in popularity could’ve been dangerous for any other band, yet the synths blend into and enhance their trademark sound with ease and style.

Lead single ‘Zero’, draped in otherworldly disco beats, belongs to the band’s canon of great dancefloor tracks and yet isn’t even the best song here. The bravery they show in musical experimentation is also manifested in the way they choose to follow this. Pairing the dreamy, contemplative ‘Soft Shock’ and ‘Skeletons’ together in the first half of the album is bold - a move away from how they let their cousin ‘Turn Into’ bring Show Your Bones to a close.

‘Skeletons’ sees O at her

Feature

Blitzing away all in its wake

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Feature Music Games Arts Screen

Uncoordinated and immature Live: Crystal Antlers @ The Harley 11/03/2009 Crystal Antlers’ career must be a life of unavailing oxymorons, the most successful of which is the band name.

The company consists of diversity amongst its members, with one end of the spectrum being represented by an electric fan organ player (apparently pining to be born in a different era), whilst the other is supported by a desperately-seeking-coolness ‘percussionist’ known as Sexual Chocolate.

His main musical contribution consisted of hitting a hi-hat whilst waltzing around in sunglasses. In between, there are three other members, all of whom, it would seem, provide their own musical influences.

There’s a nauseating mix of genres fighting for attention here, without a definite one ever taking precedence. Elements of psych,

garage, alt and even emo are all pulling the band’s music in lots of different directions in what becomes an incoherent, muddled mess.

It is obviously intended to be a cataclysmic, cosmic cloud of noise and energy designed to overwhelm and knock back the audience.

But it doesn’t. It’s just boring and dismal listening to them trying to accomplish this goal simply by playing brashly.

It can be successfully done this way, as proved by Crystal Antlers themselves (having picked up decent reviews for other shows across the country), but it’s a bit of a hit-and-miss policy.

What is actually required is a certain level of control over the music and clear image of what is achievable; a juxtaposition to the overall musical style that is obviously lost on them.

However the most disappointing aspect of their performance is when the cacophony eventually subsides towards the final third of their set and something like an

Hero worship Live: Protest the Hero @ Corporation 6/03/2009 When I recently mentioned Protest the Hero to a friend, he responded: “Oh yeah, that band that’s all ill-advised beards and twiddly guitars.” On stage, they are much more than that.

Much has been said of the potential of the band. From the moment they take to the stage tonight, it is clear that it is coming to fruition.

They dominate the room with their sweeping and tapping dual guitar attack and razor sharp drumming, anchored by the soaring vocals of frontman Rody Miller.

He is particularly on form this evening, hitting the notes you would expect him to struggle with in the flesh and totally commanding his audience during and between songs.

At times the audience does attempt to command him. “I am not going to chug it! I did not smoke marijuana at high school and I will not bow to your peer pressure now!” Miller responds to

the crowd’s chants upon spying him swigging from a bottle of gin.

This playful heckling is the product of the party atmosphere the band brings to the stage.

There’s no cold rushing through of songs; rather, they interact with fans throughout, and this helps ensure the reception their songs deserve.

When the complex ‘Sequoia Throne’ is seemingly breezed through, the room goes utterly mental. The hairy metalheads air guitar away, the hardcore kids bounce with rare smiles on their faces, the young ’uns flail erratically, and every last fist and voice is raised for the singalong of the refrain.

There’s something inherently likeable about a band that put out an album that is essentially one long guitar flourish, with a dense lyrical concept about goddess worship, and yet do not come across as entirely pretentious and devoid of fun.

They extend that feel to the live experience, in a way that is refreshing in a scene that often takes itself all too seriously.

Kyle Rice

A sweet showing

Fuse

Friday March 20 2009

Live: Snow Patrol @ the Arena 4/03/2009

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Snow Patrol plodded along from the beginning to the end of their show at the Arena with geeky enthusiasm.

Admittedly, much of their music sounds jarringly similar, and as track after track was played their repetitive melodies and guitar riffs began to run into one another.

However, credit must be given to lead vocalist Gary Lightbody, whose acoustic rendition of Leona-covered hit ‘Run’ really was something a bit special.

An utterly overwhelmed fan was given the honour of holding the microphone to Lightbody’s mouth as he sang from the middle of the arena; his very soft, velvety voice floated over the hush of the standing audience and rang around the tiered seats.

The audience were also given

the opportunity to test their own vocal aptitude as Lightbody staged the predictable moment of pitting the boys against the girls in a “who can sing it back louder?” contest for ‘Shut Your Eyes’.

Perhaps to make up for some of the dullness of the music, the gig was visually very effective, with projected videos both on stage and behind the standing audience, and there was a spectacular cinematic encore.

There are few who would say that Snow Patrol are an exciting, must-see live band, and this attitude is probably attributable to the lack of variation and climax in their individual tracks.

But this group of five lads, who are getting back onto the mainstream radar, do have an extremely endearing quality about them. Their awkward boyish charm could make you want to stay and listen anyway.

Jade Chan

Crystal Antlers’ show was a peculiar genre mash-up. effort is made.

Unfortunately, the resulting sound is one of a fairly feeble American rock song. That was enough to decide upon an early

exit, as it was clear that Crystal Antlers were unlikely to find their flow or purpose in the last few songs, having been devoid of it all evening.

Photo: Gary Wolstenholme Ultimately, they demonstrated that their many contrasting styles only amount to moronic music.

Alistair White

Femme fatales falter Live: Ipso Facto @ Fuzz Club 5/03/2009 A carefully cultivated band aesthetic can do wonders for impact. But when the main chatter surrounding your act regards your role as a designer’s muse or a vague association with faux-gothtrendies The Horrors, it’s down to the live arena to elevate you up and away from accusations of style over substance. Unless the stylist is writing the material, this shouldn’t really matter.

After retrieving their drummer from the bar, Ipso Facto line up like a police identity parade composed of Louise Brooks clones.

The wall of monochrome manifests itself in the music.

The macabre arty-gloom stomps visit the dark psychedelia of the 1960s, treading similar ground to The Raveonettes’ output in sounding like it should be the background to a B-Movie.

Samantha Valentine’s hypnotic distorted bass and Cherish

Dark hearted discos as Ipso Facto take Fuzz.

Kaya’s funereal organ serve as the perfect foil for Rosalie Cunningham’s sultry vocals.

Playing a role pitched somewhere between Chrissie Hynde’s deep delivery, the archness of Kate Jackson and the drama of Siouxsie Sioux, Cunningham’s stage persona is aloof - she deadpans to the small crowd at one point that “You’ll know this if you’re a true fan.”

And therein lies the problem.

They’re already the darlings of the

Photo: Sam Bennett

London scene, having haunted it for a couple of years, and they seem to have a slight whiff of superiority about them.

Kaya sneers when a wellmeaning audience member offers their Snakebite in response to a plea for a drink, and interaction with the crowd is icy at best.

Believing in your own cool is one thing, but obvious disdain for the (paying) audience just isn’t.

Helen Lawson

Playful Playdoe win through Live: Playdoe + The Ruby Kid @ Fuzz Club 12/03/2009 Hip-hop at Fuzz Club? It may seem like an unlikely combination, but thanks to self-proclaimed ‘Neolectro Afrobotic Ethnotechno Mamas Boys’ Playdoe, the union is a blissful one.

Before they take to the stage, however, it’s the turn of local artist The Ruby Kid to attempt to convince us that tonight isn’t one big mistake.

With meaningful lyrics and an obvious message trying to be conveyed, The Ruby Kid is more than just your average commercial hip-hop artist.

He’s let down tonight not only by the fuzzy soundsystem but by his weak backing tracks which sound more like the demos you get on a child’s keyboard than anything substantial.

There’s not enough dynamic to the music to compliment The Ruby Kid’s lyrics and keep our interest, making the set drag on with a

Hip hot.

Photo: Sam Bennett

monotony it doesn’t deserve.

Luckily Playdoe seem far more focused on the musicality of their tracks, with songs such as ‘Pop

Like This’ combining infectious electro beats with catchy, narrative lyrics.

However, the South African duo still spend the night having to battle with sound issues, occasionally picking up pieces of equipment they need turning up and feverishly mouthing instructions to the techies.

This is the only real issue of the night though, as Playdoe put in a strong performance and even manage to get a minority of the crowd whipping out some slightly impressive hip-hop moves.

These fall short, though, of the onstage masterclass from frontman Spoek Mathambo on how to do “the dodgem”.

Playdoe manage to bring the fun back into hip-hop through their lack of egotistical lyrics and varied, engaging samples, showing us how the genre is likely to progress and leaving us safe in the knowledge that hip hop a far more diverse genre than many may suspect.

Ross Haymes

Games Arts You meet numerous old friends. Like your chainsaw wielding buddy who only wants to give you a hug. unknown horror. At some points it even feels like Gears of War. Only there’s a problem. Both the inventory and the controls restrict the gameplay by forcing you to stop to complete actions.

Making people stand still to fire would have been acceptable if the enemies you face are slow, shambling zombies; but here they’re not. In the time it takes to line up a shot you end up with a hatchet in the back of the head.

The same can be said of the inventory which does have the advantage of hotkeys for fights but the small number of item spaces does retract from the fun and is more a test of your micro-

Pathetic really Editorial

it entirely with white people. And again, the choice of Africa was not because Capcom wanted people to hate other races but more because the open savannas, foggy marshlands and fiery volcanoes look so much better than, say, dark, dingy urban landscapes.

So instead of listening to the rants of reviewers with nothing better to do than stir up a moral panic just play the game.

Sam Robinson

There will be blood...

Review: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

Brendan Caldwell

Dawn of a new day for Relic Review: Dawn of War II ‘Space Marines don’t chop wood’, according to Relic, so they’ve thrown out the conventions of the RTS genre in the creation of the much-anticipated Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. The standard base building and resource collection have been ditched. Instead, Dawn of War II mirrors a tactical RPG similar to the underrated Freedom Force series.

Your army consists of four small squads each filling a niche on the battlefield. You have a choice of stealth, assault jetpack, heavy weapons, grenadier squads, and a commander and giant robot.

Throughout you will be equipping these squads with armour, weapons and accessories looted during battle and earning experience points for new abilities.

Combat tactics have shifted to match this smaller force with a greater emphasis on taking full advantage of each squad’s strengths simultaneously in order to defeat a larger force.

The single campaign mode revolves around the Blood Raven chapter of space marines and an invading Tyranid swarm. They’re a newly introduced race of ravenous monsters, reminiscent of xenomorphs.

The Eldar and the Orks races also feature, the former being advanced effeminate snobs and the latter green football hooligans.

Missions consist of defending locations, killing a boss and the odd unique story mission. The lack of variety becomes apparent about halfway through, and the only thing driving you to continue is the role-playing elements.

Sadly this also comes to be a sticking point halfway, as once most of the useful abilities have been unlocked, the rest are just minor boosts in stats and don’t have really change how you approach battles. Its saving grace is online co-op, which splits control of your squads allowing for more complex tactics to be employed, meaning a lot more fun.

In the adversarial multiplayer mode the old RTS staples (bases, resources and gigantic armies) return. The simplicity of the campaign is a stark contrast to this mode’s large unit cap, four resources, tech tree, allies, hero upgrades and turret emplacements, all of which you have to take advantage of in the short roughly 20 minute time frame of a match. The multiplayer is much closer to the original Dawn of War style, but unit selection is limited and there are only five maps and two game modes.

Dawn of War II will most likely upset fans of the series, though it could be greatly improved with a more content and a greater focus on one aspect of play rather than spreading itself so thinly. Hopefully with mods and expansions it can go from good to great.

Brendan Allitt

Fuse

clichés. An early scene sees a strip joint owner telling our eponymous hero that attacking the town’s head honcho is impossible. In reply 50 Cent musters up all his inspiration and says: “Nothin’s impossible.” It hurts to hear this.

Still, it can be slightly enjoyable diving in and out of random explosions, firing a swarm of bullets into the bad guys. The bad guys are terrorists by the way.

Gangster terrorists.

Otherwise, the game adheres to the third person shooter formula quite devoutly. Buying weapons, quicktime events, vehicle levels, a cover system; even bullet-time makes a half-hearted appearance, like a shit rap star that just refuses to die.

You can buy this game if you want. But know this: if you do buy it then you are the reason 50 Cent is still making money. And for that you deserve to be shanked.

Sam Robinson

Friday March 20 2009

So this busta is supposed to pay you 10million K for your gig in the Middle East. But then he starts talkin’ some real whacked out shit about how he don’t have no dollah. Nu-uh, he ain’t gettin’ away with that, homes.

So you get all up in his grill and get your shotgun out, see how he likes that, yeah. But it’s cool, it’s cool. He gives you this dope diamond encrusted skull. It’s an artefact and shit. Aw yeah. That’s what am talkin’ bout. Sheeeeet.

It’s all aight until some ho shoots up your sick ride and steals your diamond skull. Well damn, that shit just ain’t right.

Time to get out yo 45 and round up some playas ‘cause nobody, nobody steals from

Fiddy Cent, biatch.

Ahem. It’s impossible to describe 50 Cent’s latest foray into the world of video games as a good thing, but if you play it with a sense of irony it’s a hilarious experience.

Once you get past the initial installation grief (a la Metal Gear Solid 4 and Assassin’s Creed), the game’s opening cinematic will leave you in tears. They may be tears of laughter. They may be tears of serious distress. But, rest assured, there will be tears.

There simply isn’t space to list all the rubbish features in this virtual abomination. The terrible voice acting is what stands out in particular. The cinematics are riddled with suicideinducing action film

range of characters does allow for different play styles whether it be Sheva for her sniper rifle or Safari Chris for his excessive use of rocket launchers.

Yet calling Resident Evil 5 awful because of these issues is unjustified. The series managed to completely change all of its gameplay to create a more frantic and stressful atmosphere so surely gamers can adapt to the different play styles. If you enjoy the feeling of impending doom and survival then get a copy of this. Just don’t blame me if you have nightmares about chainsaws.

For those eagle eyed you may notice that there’s no mention of racism in this issue’s review of Resident Evil 5. The controversy surrounding this game is really unfounded, and while it does add to the hype it also has the chance to damage the series’ image.

Reviewers have mixed views on this. One particular scene of a white woman being dragged away

by an African villager where she is infected is cited by many who regard it as racist. It’s not.

The choice of a white woman may have been a bad decision on Capcom’s part considering that some people take delight in slamming even the remotest of race references. But Capcom’s intentions were not to promote racist values; they just wanted to provide a cheap scare.

If anything it’d be more racist to set the game in Africa and fill

managing skills.

Enemies are also a mixed affair.

I say this because, while there is a good mixture of them who all have their weaknesses, it does at times feel like enemies recycled from Resi 4. New additions like the reaper are a force to be reckoned with but you’ll only meet a few on your travels.

Even in Mercenaries mode the frantic pace you’d expect is less in part due to a lack of special units.

Sure, it’s alright having eight large maps to test your recklessness on; but you can’t if there’s no real danger. That said, the option to play it in co-op mode does make it that little bit harder and the wide

Screen

Four years ago a new terror was born. The idea to scrap fixed cameras and add fast enemies in the fourth instalment of the Resident Evil series helped it to survive. By adapting and evolving it was given a much-needed breath of life. As always, though, there are issues.

Just like its older brothers, Resident Evil 5 has a split personality. On one side it provides fun zombie-killing action with a coherent and compelling storyline, yet it also has the niggling defects that divide the masses about its credibility as a gaming titan.

The game begins with Chris Redfield joining the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) in an attempt to stop any repeats of Raccoon City. His latest assignment takes him to Africa after an outbreak of (you guessed it) zombies.

Of course things never go right and we are treated to a variety of conspiracies and corrupt corporations. Granted, the plot might be a little daft in some parts but in a way this has become the series’ trademark.

As always you’re faced with overwhelming odds; except now you’re not alone. Co-op is the

major selling point of Resident Evil 5 but I’m a little reserved at its usage. In this day and age multiplayer seems to be included in everything and in most cases it’s tagged on as an afterthought to improve replayability and sales.

At times it feels like an afterthought in Resi 5. The coop play only shines in boss fights where teamwork is needed to excel, but these moments are far outweighed by parts where the game demands that certain doors can only be kicked down by two people.

Surprisingly, the AI has half a brain. For the most part she’ll cover your back better than your friend could but she then promptly disgraces herself by alerting a gang of enemies you’re trying to sneak around or even letting a chainsaw guy hack her head off.

But by introducing an in-game partner the game loses all sense of terror. Knowing you have a buddy watching your back feels comforting, and as a side-effect you get trigger happy (which isn’t a good tactic in a game based around survival).

Just like Resi 4, this suits the action-orientated gameplay it is now adopting. Boss fights acknowledge this and are designed to be as cinematic as possible, whether it is mashing the correct button to dodge a giant tentacle smash or running like hell from an

Music

Review: Resident Evil 5

Feature

The master of survival horror

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Feature Music Screen

Arts

Games

Well, Ma... It was just alright

Hannah Gumbrill, Joe West and Glenn Moore inhabiting their fractured worlds.

Review: suTCo - It’s Alright Ma It’s Alright Ma was suTCo’s latest offering of student writing and it was… Well, it was alright.

In this conceptually sound piece of theatre, the revolutionary decade of the 1960s is juxtaposed

with the 21st century. The most effective manifestation of this contrast came in the form of initially disorientating musical interludes.

These choreographed moments, complete with glitter ball, smoke and strobe lighting, were in stark contrast to the realistic narrative and seamlessly linked scenes, while providing some comedy.

The humour of this visual motif was, however, undermined slightly by the self conscious smiles that crept over some of the actors’ faces. Nevertheless, the symbolic onstage stripping from 1960s costume to modern day dress further enhanced the many switches between the two eras, and encouraged a comparison between them.

Shorts and sweet

Fuse

Friday March 20 2009

Review: S1 Salon - We Are All September 11th @ S1 Artspace

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The show was divided in two different set pieces. The first one consisted of five short films. It all started with ‘Jump!’ by Jordan Baseman, a quaint, honest interview with former DJ Steve ‘Krusher’ Joule.

Although amusing by the stuff on camera (an industrial remix of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ is a recurring joke), there’s a sadness permeating through all the fun and anecdotes from the former artist and TV presenter.

Be it by the setting (he lives in a council state) or the longing in his eyes, you can really feel the emotion in this short and sweet film. In a way, ‘Jump!’ represents the essence of the first half of We

Are All September 11th: longing.

Short two, a mock interview with ‘Rebecca Ann Harris’, starts with a somewhat disturbing (but thoroughly enjoyable) visual joke about September 11, segueing into Rebecca Ann Harris (short creator Robb Jamieson in drag) talking about River Phoenix and Jeff Buckley and doing wordplay about their short lives and their demises.

Again, relevance and longing seem to be the gist of it. A sort of non-sequitur follows, by Tobias Sternberg, making fun of Dreamworks studios’ logo. It’s short, succint, and probably the funniest part of the exhibition.

Alexia de Ville De Goyet, from Belgium, presents ‘Astral Chorus’, a triptych about three women’s stream-of-consciousness soliloquies. Their fears, hopes and memories are all the same, even if they don’t know each other. It is sad and delivers the message swiftly, but it never juxtaposes sadness like ‘Jump!’ did.

The last short, ‘Fassbinder’s Cleaning Ladies’ is the equivalent of a music cover, this time paying tribute to Werner Fassbinder’s film Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. The

original film is about an interracial relationship between a German cleaning lady and a Moroccan man.

This short manages to laud the film, but at the same time, mock it. It seems like a twist (or a riff) having a foreign man play all German parts himself, in a foreign accent.

The second half of the exhibition is focused in decay. Whether it is about how memories become muddled and fade away in the perfectly assembled but slightly too long work of Jeanette Iljon, ‘That’s Entertainment (The Conjuror’s Assistant)’. Reassembling footage from a party and playing with the speed, the main theme is about memories.

The last short, ‘Active Negative Programme’ by London’s James Richards, is a collage of disjointed videos, jumping from educational videos to strange dancing crowds.

Is it about memory? Is it using again the themes of decay and longing that the first half did? It seems to be a bit of a non-sequitur for the overall night, but it certainly made some of the audience chuckle.

Samuel Valdes Lopez

The play confronted a comprehensive selection of contemporary issues, including knife crime, alcohol and clubbing, through humorous conversations and a familiar rendition of the popular drinking game ‘Roxanne’.

However, while these overt references to both contemporary and 1960s issues were necessary to negotiate between the two eras, they were sometimes at risk of becoming patronising.

The characters that inhabited this fragmented world were well written, but not always convincingly acted. The feuding duo, Mary and Alan, opened the play with good pace. Tim Williams gave a witty and sensitive portrayal of the hen-pecked husband with a talent for making sandwiches (but apparently not for using cutlery). In contrast, Sarah Raine’s portrayal of his vicious wife was almost demonic, with a lack of light and shade that caricatured the perpetual anger of the character and was not entirely convincing.

Jennifer Ball played the ostensibly innocent daughter, Victoria, whose teenage protest against her parents is compellingly mapped on to her protest against society as a whole. Unfortunately, her character was reduced to a symbol, condemned to continually spout feminist, activist rhetoric.

Issues such as women’s rights were laboured in the various intellectual debates that permeated the plot and became slightly monotonous and frustratingly didactic. However, James (Joe West) and Simon (Glenn Moore) provided a welcome break from the play’s political agenda with their humorous and well-timed contributions, unlike Guy Gibson and Stephen Hall, who failed to make a lasting impression.

Despite a few stumbles over lines and one disappointing lapse in character (due to some spilt

scrambled egg) the piece was generally well performed.

The significance of the set was augmented after the interval when it was stripped of all pretence, leaving only the exposed skeleton of the scaffolding. The audience was reminded that it was watching a play through the use of various other Brechtian distancing devices, including the fact that the house lights remained on for much of the second act, while characters gestured to the sound box and occasionally interacted directly with the audience.

These techniques promoted an analysis of, rather than empathy for, the characters on stage and forced the audience to recognise the problems inherent in contemporary society.

The audience came face to face with the culturally deficient past and present The technical elements of the play were faultless. The lighting complemented the thoughtful staging, whilst the aural elements were impeccably timed throughout.

The music cues were particularly impressive as they often coincided perfectly with the minute action of a character turning a dial on stage and culminated in an alarming explosion.

The play came to a satisfying, if not clichéd, conclusion when 1960s society stood staring at the present day and the audience came face to face with the culturally deficient past and present.

It was consequently a thoughtprovoking concept, but one that left you feeling flat and only thinking ‘yes… and?’

Emily Hansed

The Handmaid’s Tale changed my life Testimonial The feminist themes and dystopian futuristic setting of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale have certainly lent themselves well to clunking A Level coursework comparisons to books as far-ranging as The Color Purple and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

This does not do it justice.

The main way in which The Handmaid’s Tale had an impact on me is that the portrayal of near-future society is made all the more chilling by drawing on aspects of our current world.

Women being forced to wear veiled cloaks, a brutal theocracy, public executions, work camps and informants are all present; you don’t have to look far to discover these in the 21st century.

The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the few novels to have a true social conscience and, despite being

published more than years ago, it still seems refreshingly original.

Add to this a fast-paced, engaging plot and Atwood’s flawless style, and you have a novel that is not easily forgotten.

Craig Purshouse

Arts

FROM IT’S ALRIGHT MA SCENE FIVE Mary storms into the house. Alan follows.

Shrimps 1 Slaughterhouse 0 Review: Last Laugh Comedy Club

Tori Harrison

Poem

Beautiful lazy jaw she had, Blew me away.

She smoked Camels and led astray Young boys. Selling flowers in the summer I saw her before. Tendrils of smoke Crept out her nose and I knew She’d make it big.

She never did.

So she orders another, another, another Calls her youth forever Tombstones, hipbones, joints weak, crow’s feet Can’t touch her yet.

I forget quite when we hit the bar, when she Spiked me, Robbed me and Stole the car.

Still, a beautiful lazy jaw.

Fuse

Slaughterhouse were inconsistent in their ability to tickle their viewers.

It often irks me personally as a student that comedy acts visiting universities tend to increase their level of crudeness, often in attempts to please younger generations.

The ‘Long Faces’ sketch was a poor example of such cheap attempts, and although the technical difficulties sucked the very last laughs from the evening it seems this wasn’t the only problem. The twisted tales of ‘Beryl Haines; naughty children’s author’ were a highlight of the show and such elements should credit the comedians another chance to return.

However, it was clear as I was pulled up onstage from my twitchy front row seat that the audience was only partially amused.

Alan exits. Mary is left. She pours herself a drink and turns the radio on. ‘Unhappy Girl’ by The Doors is on. After a while Victoria enters.

Friday March 20 2009

A Sunday night special at the Last Laugh Comedy Club often hallows the unveiling of a smoothly run, side-splitting show. With a warmup from the Shrimps (Sheffield Improvisation) who continue to thrive animatedly since their 2007 invention, and the return of the controversial Slaughterhouse Live the line-up advertised a bundle of unpredictable joy.

A full house (including an edgy front row) warmly beckoned their fellow students onstage. With the Shrimps so close to the heart of the University of Sheffield it’s often easy to turn a blind eye to any lukewarm elements within a performance. As a large comedy troop, shows vary dramatically in quality; different performances containing a range of members and abilities.

The select bunch chosen for this supporting act were on top form and provided high quality amusement that the Shrimps can offer. The Shrimps dealt especially

well as their shows are propelled by audience interaction, and are often challenged by the daring smart-arses at the front of the crowd who suggest a scene based on… for example… ‘lepidopterists’ (for those who don’t read the dictionary on a daily basis, that’s a butterfly collector). One big clap for the budding sea life of Sheffield’s comedy scene.

The Mancunian headliners shuffled onstage after an amusing introduction, attempting to fool the audience into leaving.

Unfortunately, this light-hearted jest spiralled closer to reality than hoped as the Foundry’s audio technology malfunctioned at a critical point. The quartet handled this electrical emergency bravely, erecting stand-in sketches that kept the audience distracted.

On the whole

Girl by Tom Sinclair

MARY: Well maybe if you’d done what you were supposed to.

ALAN: Which was what? I was at work for 10 hours a day, wasn’t that enough for you? I worked my fingers to the bone to support this family, and it’s still not enough.

MARY: There’s more to life than money, Alan.

ALAN: That’s not the impression you gave when you were talking to the Joneses last week.

MARY: Oh for God’s sake Alan, you know why I was doing that.

ALAN: For the same reason you always are. Appearance.

MARY: If you say so.

ALAN: I’m going to bed.

MARY: Don’t forget to have a little swig from your “secret” bottle in the airing cupboard before you go to bed. It’d be a shame if you broke tradition.

ALAN: Piss off.

MARY: …Well if that’s what you think Alan then what’s the point?!

ALAN: I didn’t mean it like that.

MARY: How did you mean it then?

ALAN: Look lets just leave it, shall we?

MARY: Like usual.

ALAN: I’m not the one who said we should come home early, was I? MARY: It’s not like we could’ve bloody stayed there, is it?

ALAN: How was I supposed to know the whole of Devon would be flooded?

MARY: We could have just stayed here, Alan. Why did we need to go all that way to just talk about things? We could just as easily have stayed here.

ALAN: But what if the neighbours heard, darling? We couldn’t possibly have had that now, could we?

MARY: What is that supposed to mean?

ALAN: It would be awfully bad form after all, if they heard us talking.

MARY: Like that would ever happen.

ALAN: It’s not like I didn’t try, Mary, but you were always too busy worrying about other things. About what Victoria was up to, about the neighbours, about those bloody curtains. I wanted to talk but you weren’t interested.

MARY: Mostly because you came home half drunk every night.

ALAN: That’s only because I ran out of money.

MARY: For goodness sake, Alan, take something seriously for once in your life, will you?

ALAN: Why do you think I went to the pub every night then? Ever thought about that?

MARY: Because you didn’t care enough about your family to come straight home?

ALAN: Because I knew if I did come home all I would get would be an earful about not doing what I was supposed to somehow.

Screen

Interview: Hannah Kirby

Games

I like observing people. Seeing how other people interact, learning about them, is what really interests me. I became really good friends with my drama teacher at school, and after I’d left we ended up devising some more together, and took a play to the Edinburgh Festival. Creating theatre like that felt like a light-bulb switching on inside of me. I knew, this is what I wanted to do.

It’s the interaction of drama that really inspires me. With suTCo, I’ve had the chance to be involved in the dramatic process; we’ve worked as a group, so the dynamic’s always different. I see myself as part of a process; it begins in ideas and thought, but grows through people.

There are the director’s and producer’s ideas, then the actors’ and technicians’ interpretations, and finally the audience’s reactions, which will always vary in the same ways as when people look at paintings or photography.

I always welcome constructive criticism - it shows people are paying attention.

As a result, I never really feel protective. I suppose that without me there wouldn’t be a play to put on, but that’s just as much the case with everyone else involved.

It might start with me, but that’s not the be-all and end-all: being protective would be pointless.

What I really love is seeing how people react to things. Everyone sees things differently.

One of my absolute favourite parts of the rehearsal process is seeing how people change my lines. Their interpretation of how the words ought to be said is always refreshing, always different.

Once it gets to the performance

Music

Patrick Hinton: Playwright

stage, the play ought to be stable (that’s only fair to the audience).

But during the read-through, the blocking, the rehearsals, it ought to keep growing. For new writing, for someone like me who’s not really got loads of experience, I think it should be like that. As long as I feel that my central theme stays true, I’m quite flexible; I think there are always different ways of doing things.

My only constant concern is that, when I write, there should always be a reason behind why people are talking. I find it hard to see why people just talk for the sake of talking. Having said that, as I learn more I suppose I might become a bit more of a control freak; maybe that comes with experience.

My latest play, It’s Alright Ma, was a more solo project, and the initial writing process was much lonelier. Just writing is definitely solitary: you mull over your ideas for longer, and let them sit. It emerges a more considered, honed and philosophical piece, and I suppose that’s powerful.

In devising, though, I’ve always played around with my work as part of a group, and that way you get more objective opinions. It might initially feel less deep, but it’s certainly more vibrant, and things snowball. There’s richness and diversity, and the depth comes later.

I’ve been exceptionally lucky with suTCo, in that I’ve been allowed to do both. University’s definitely been a supportive environment. In any closed society, with personal politics, there’s always the potential for a little funny business and if there were any I know my friends, like Dan Rutter, would be there with a little pick-me-up to get me back on track. So far, though, I’ve been lucky enough not to encounter any. After next year it’ll be a bit more daunting, but just this week I found out that my application to Central for an MA in Scriptwriting was a success. The challenge will be amazing…and I’ll hopefully continue to keep any inner controlfreakishness at bay.

Feature

‘It begins in ideas, but grows through people’

Original Arts

9

Feature Music Games Arts Screen

In with the new Kill Bill; Deathproof; while all of Quentin Tarantino’s works have been highly regarded by critics and fans alike, it was his second offering, Pulp Fiction, that became his signature work.

With more memorable quotes than you can shake a stick at, Pulp Fiction set the standard for brilliant dialogue, yet it is not only this which sets it aside as a modern classic.

As with L.A. Confidential, the film expertly subverts the norm, delivering an incredibly refreshing and undeniably cool take on the crime genre.

Throw in the iconic dance between Uma Thurman and John Travolta and Pulp Fiction’s status as a modern classic is set in stone.

Feature: Modern classics The term “classic film” inevitably conjures up images of black and white pictures from the ’50’s; films adored by the critics but generally ignored by the modern moviegoer.

What, you might ask, is so special about films such as Rebecca and Gone With The Wind that makes them virtually unassailable?

Is it merely that they were so well received in their own time, or do they still stand up to scrutiny despite the obvious advances in film technology since?

An interesting point of debate to say the least, and it is arguably unfair that classic films of old are often ignored in favour of the more flashy recent Hollywood offerings.

Impressive on a superficial level perhaps, but does modern cinema hold a candle to the simpler films of yesteryear?

Well, with the Union’s very own Film Unit, you have the chance to explore the realm of classic cinema on Sunday evenings and make up your own mind.

It seems reasonable to question what truly makes a classic a classic This aspect of Film Unit is a very appealing prospect. Where else can you see old favourites such as The Sound of Music on the big screen?

However, if we were to merely assign the term “classic movie” to those which predate your parents, we would surely be doing more modern cinema an injustice.

Surely not all films of the past 20 or so years can be so easily dismissed.

To this end, it seems reasonable to determine what truly makes a classic a classic, and take up the case of any recent contenders for the classic crown.

With the recent release of L.A. Confidential on DVD, the time is ripe to argue the case for what is highly regarded as one of the greatest films of the 1990s against some of its notable competitors.

L.A. Confidential “When I came to L.A. this is not exactly how I saw myself ending up”.

“Yeah, well, get in line”.

Sadly Kim Bassinger’s best efforts at intimidation didn’t do much to sway the Oscar vote.

The genre of film noir is a strange beast. It is so easy to fall for pretentious black and white characters, so easy to go for stereotypes and trashy lines.

It’s no wonder it dated easily and fell from the grace of studios.

But it’s always surprising when a film comes along, takes the usual stereotypes of the hard-boiled detective genre, and puts a twist on them.

L.A. Confidential is a story about deception, about perspective, about human nature. It goes for full-on grit, showing how our dashing archetypes are flawed.

The temptations are many: fame, power, and almighty greed.

The square-jawed heroes and criminals are not who they seem and the film takes a slow pace, relishing on telling a timeless story.

A massive body of lies and a trail of dead surround this perfect homage of film noir, while being a mix of James Ellroy’s original story and director Curtis Hanson’s own vision.

The worst crime witnessed by this movie? Losing the Academy award to Titanic.

Don’t get me wrong, although technically marvellous (Cameron ended up designing a special high pressure tolerant camera with his brother) and meticulously recreating the doomed vessel, Titanic is just a basic love story, with ‘you will feel something’ music that tugs at the heartstrings. It’s the same old boy meets girl, falls in love, rinse, repeat.

Insane details build up to a big twist that changes the characters’ morals L.A. Confidential transcends the boundaries of its pulpy roots: it’s a tale about human greed, whether for power, women or money. It’s about those double mirrors, where self judging isn’t clear cut.

It’s about being staunch in your beliefs and finding out they are detrimental to the job at hand.

How far are you willing to go to compromise your quest for justice to reach your goals? By the end, you see the consequences of such

endeavours.

In the tradition of gritty pulp detective stories, little details come back: small, inconsequential rendezvous are important; small coincidences render information that you wouldn’t pay attention more importance; little inane details build up to a big twist that changes the perspective and morals of the protagonists.

Again, not bashing Titanic, but in Cameron’s film the characters never move from their designated mark: poor dashing rogue, posh girl who falls in love, jealous rich lover, angry greedy mother.

L.A. Confidential takes our expectations from our heroes, whether the moralistic Sergeant Exley or the selfish Jack Vincennes, and transforms them, adding depth to their apparent shallowness.

CGI, amazing sets and costumes make a film easy on the eyes, but it is depth of characters and the evolution of their traits what really makes a film a true classic.

A modern classic? You betcha, buster.

The Matrix The surprise hit of 1999, The Matrix effortlessly achieved that which the other major sci-fi release of 1999 failed miserably to do; namely, astounded the critics and kick started a whole new phenomenon.

Again, The Matrix breathed new life into a genre which had arguably stagnated since the release of Aliens, simultaneously creating its own unique mythology whilst providing some of the most incredible action sequences ever committed to film.

Sure, the sequels were a let down, but the initial impact of the original has proven difficult to taint, still standing tall as one of the greatest films the past 20 years has offered.

So, there we have it, three modern contenders for the classic crown. Take that, Gone With The Wind.

Samuel Valdes Lopez & Jamie Cusworth

Pulp Fiction Reservoir Dogs; Jackie Brown;

Revolutionary rise of the anti-heroes

Fuse

Friday March 20 2009

Review: Watchmen

10

For those unfamiliar with the titular heroes of Watchmen, its arrival may seem unimportant.

Yet for fans of the graphic novel upon which it is based, this is one of the year’s most exciting films.

Written 23 years ago by British writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, the plot of this adaptation remains mostly unchanged.

Set in an alternate 1985 where Nixon is still President and masked vigilantes patrol the streets, the film follows the reformation of the Watchmen team as they attempt to discover the murderer of one of their number.

Meanwhile, the still raging Cold War edges ever closer to an apocalyptic end.

While this might sound like the storylines of any number of scifi and superhero films, the twist in Watchmen comes from the characters themselves.

With a team including a sociopath, a rapist and a nihilist, it becomes obvious what makes this film so revolutionary.

This is not a film about the usual superhero themes of good against evil, but instead one about the problems of the individuals caught up in that battle.

Director Zack Snyder (300) has attempted what is, given its complexity, a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the novel. In fact, it seems as though large portions of the original novel have been treated as a story board for this film rather than an inspiration.

While this is rewarding for those previously a w a r e of the

story, newcomers may find this approach confusing.

Snyder assumes his audience has a deep knowledge of the film’s origins, and so constantly alludes to parts of the novel missing from the film. This approach creates moments of incongruity where a scene seems to exist purely for its infamy within the novel rather than its service to the film’s plot.

However, this faithfulness has its benefits. A lesser director may have attempted a more action-packed film by removing the moments of character development; yet Snyder recognizes that losing these elements would be to lose the uniqueness of the film.

Fans of 300’s sleek action will only be treated in small sections, yet it is in the rest of the film where the true rewards lie.

The casting is nearly flawless,

with all of the main cast impressing.

The stand-out performances are perhaps surprisingly in the most unlikeable roles.

Both Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jackie Earle Haley (The Comedian and Rorschach respectively) create characters who we come to respect and enjoy watching, despite our better judgement.

So while not perfect, this is still a highly rewarding experience for the viewer. Although perhaps too much a film for the fans, there is still much for the uninitiated to enjoy here and any confusion which unfamiliarity may bring will be overcome by the end.

It may well be an unconventional addition to the superhero genre, yet that is both the point, and truly enjoyable aspect, of the film.

Matt Smith

Review: Marley & Me

Samuel Valdes Lopez

Screen

Not that into this Review: He’s Just Not That Into You

It seems unsure of its stance. A romantic comedy?

Not quite

Gigi is hugely unconvincing; it is infuriating that she is such a sap She mistakenly believes that he has asked her to ‘co-host’, and thus wants marriage and lots of babies.

She can’t be older than 25; it seems unlikely that her biological clock is ticking urgently, and as a result, the film provides no real justification for her actions.

She is cringeworthy to the point of embarrassment. If Gigi was approaching 40, lonely and desperate for a family, perhaps she would have more resonance.

Instead, she is a complete clown.

She is the most prominent of an array of spectacularly boring characters. It’s a shame, because there are some stellar actors in the cast.

This film stagnates, it is dull, and it has an extraordinary ability to underwhelm the viewer.

There are tit-bits of good humour; for example, the rantings of two bitter women who find themselves unceremoniously dumped by their latest lovers.

But, these moments are totally unconnected to the film’s central plots, and are amusing for all the wrong reasons.

They are cameo characters deliberately held up for ridicule.

Women are being made fun of, yet again: how unbelievably groundbreaking.

Alice Stride

Review: The Age of Stupid If you have seen Al Gore’s 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, closely monitor your carbon footprint, and have maybe hugged a tree or two in your time, then you’ll already have your tickets booked for The Age of Stupid.

If director Fanny Armstrong’s ambitious docu-drama about climate change is to be a success, though, it must do more than preach to the converted.

Pete Postlethwaite, purportedly Spielberg’s favourite actor and an avowed environmentalist, is the big name hoping to draw in the doubters.

He stars as an old man alone in a devastated 2055, asking why humanity in 2008 didn’t stop climate change when it had the chance.

There are six films of archived documentary footage which Postlethwaite shows us from his bunker: a French mountain guide watches the glaciers melt; an Indian entrepreneur launches his low-cost airline; some Iraqi refugees have lost their father to an oil war.

Pete Postlethwaite stars as an old man alone in a devastated 2055 Layefa Malin, a Nigerian woman living in absolute poverty with dreams of becoming a doctor, must watch as Shell extract tens of millions of dollars of oil a week from her village. The footage is powerful and distressing, but it is hard to imagine how we can help as individuals.

The Age of Stupid aims to

break us out of denial of our own responsibility for climate change, but it can be easy to shift our guilt on to governments and multinationals.

Quietly infuriating and closer to

The Age of Stupid does well to avoid an overly didactic tone home is the struggle of Piers Guy, a windfarm developer fighting a long battle against some detestable Middle Englanders who are frightfully concerned about the effect of a windfarm installation on one’s house price.

Guy’s eco-conscious living and environmental marches provide a model for action for those troubled by the message of the film.

The Age of Stupid does well to avoid an overly didactic tone, only occasionally becoming too preachy and detracting from the film’s impact.

For the most part, Armstrong allows the juxtaposition of scientific evidence against wilful ignorance of our situation to persuade the audience of the urgent need for change.

The viewer is left feeling profoundly moved, and perhaps with a sense of personal guilt about low-cost flying.

The £450,000 budget for The Age of Stupid was raised by ‘crowd-funding’ – shares in the film were sold to 223 individuals and groups to raise the money.

This method of funding has allowed Armstrong and producer Lizzie Gillett to retain editorial control.

The pioneering fund-raising venture of this socially conscious movie will give it the best chance of reaching the wider mainstream audience it deserves.

Chris Gallagher

Fuse

Whoever blinked first had to take full responsibility for the film.

She sits for hours waiting for her phone to ring, agonises over nondescript answerphone messages and generally behaves like a prat – one of the highlights being when she runs around like a headless chicken for the womanising Alex at his party.

Friday March 20 2009

He’s Just Not That Into You is a film based on a bestselling self-help book, which in turn was based on an ubiquitous line taken from the popular TV series Sex

Eco-worrier?

Don’t hold your breath; He’s Just Not That Into You is decidedly lukewarm. The plot follows the romantic misadventures of a group of nine people in their twenties and thirties.

Each character is connected somehow - be it through work, friendship, marriage or a romantic relationship - creating a web of sex, lies and emotion.

It sounds exciting; it is not. Set in Baltimore, it seems unsure of its stance. A romantic comedy?

Not quite. A serious indictment of human nature and the mess we all make of love? Not really.

and the City.

In Sex and the City, Miranda has her eyes opened when she is told by her friend’s boyfriend that her recent date is, quite frankly, not interested in her. The reason? He refused the opportunity to stay over when it was there.

So, it seems that sex is an important theme of this venture; if someone isn’t sleeping with you, then he’s just not that into you (one of the film’s most pioneering taglines).

This concept is one of its most offensive aspects. It is clearly aimed at a female audience, but, - unlike the mother of its concept, Sex and the City, with its glossy female empowerment - it succeeds in only painting women as desperate, pathetic, or simply the extra-marital fling (Scarlett Johansson’s character, Anna, who has an affair with the married Ben, played by Bradley Cooper).

Take central character Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), a woman who has an extraordinary ability to misinterpret the signs men give her, dreaming of long-term commitment from every moron who buys her a drink.

She is hugely unconvincing. Gigi is gorgeous, young, and seems to have an exciting career; it is infuriating that she is such a sap.

intermittent dog antics.

It is quite moving at times, a little mawkish here and there, but it gets the job done.

A few conventions of comedies also get rearranged.

The always lecherous, allknowing best friend is present here, but it’s finally used to drive the point home, not get a few laughs from bad sex jokes.

The slapstick is surprisingly toned down.

There’s little contribution from the kids being cute and mischievous. It’s all about John and Jenny.

Somewhere, between the animal slapstick and maudlin images of prototypical idealised families, we get a few instructional nuggets: ‘family above success’ and ‘life goes away in dog years’. Maybe they’re clichés for a reason.

Arts

In a way, it’s a valid warning. But the film is better than might be gauged from its youthful and fluffy exterior.

Newlyweds John (Owen Wilson) and Jenny Grogan (Jennifer Aniston) live in idyllic Florida, working for competing newspapers and looking to progress their relationship a step further.

John’s best friend, Sebastian (Eric Dane), suggests getting training wheels in parenthood: adopting a puppy.

Through time and tide, the dog’s incorrigible antics set the back story for the family and the transformation of their lives

image of the film.

Marley and Me is more a film about a couple’s marriage, served with a side dish o f

Games

John’s best friend suggests parental training wheels: adopting a puppy

innocence and mischief.

There’s at least two much better (and striking) images from inside the film that could have been used much more effectively to sell t h e

Music

It’s an old, overused quote, but if the film goes in for easy clichés, the review must be allowed to do the same.

“Never work with kids and animals” is the warning flag that flies from this film before it even starts, given that the cast list contains an abundance of characters whose age has yet to break the double figures mark, and a Golden Labrador.

from young upstarts to seasoned parents.

The supporting cast do well for their limited time. Alan Arkin’s appearance as Arnie Klein seems a bit wasted, as some of his lines do him no favour (scatological humour can only go so far), but he does get a few cracking lines about those pesky ‘later years’ that most marriages fear.

There’s a very small nit to pick, but it is an impor tant criticism of the oft-touted first impression.

That little problem is the very misleading poster, which seems to sell the idea that Marley & Me is another rehash of the ‘cute animal causes trouble to family’ plotline (a.k.a. the Beethoven syndrome).

The poster features the puppy, looking delightfully Andrex-esque, adorned with a pretty red bow and an expression to suggest combined

Feature

A dog’s life is winning formula

11

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email: listings@forgetoday.com

Friday March 20 - Thursday April 2 2009

Fri 20

Sat 21

Sun 22

Mon 23

Tue 24

Wed 25

Thur 26

Maccabees + Everything Everything @ Plug; 7pm; £10adv

Frock Swap @ Millennium Gallery; 2pm-4pm; £6 Give the high street a miss and beat the credit crunch blues by swapping your best wedding outfits and accessories with likeminded swappers. Twiggy has made swapping (or swishing) mainstream on BBC2, but Museums Sheffield has been doing it since last summer.

Pulled Apart By Horses + We Versus Shark + more @ The Harley; 7:30pm; £3adv Piece of Cake’s first Sunday night; it’s going to be cheap so you may as well give it a go!

Better Things @ Showroom; 8.40pm; £3 Duane Hopkins’ debut full-length feature film shows character Husking take a sympathetic look at the many ways in which human beings just cope, or don’t, with their own tragedies.

Northern Ballet Theatre @ Lyceum Theatre; 7.30pm; £13.50

The Lightning Play @ University of Sheffield Drama Studio; 7.30pm; £6 Set in North London on Halloween, Max and Harriet are throwing a party. As Max connects his brand new 65″ plasma TV, interference from the past comes to haunt their materialist present. A shocking and darkly humorous play.

Fuzz Club @ Fusion & Foundry; 10pm; £4adv Baddies and The Old Romantic Killer Band will be hitting the stage. Baddies are an uncompromising force of pounding drums and rollicking riffs, unrelenting in their gritty, grotty, gradual ascent.

Getting ready for their new material Wall of Arms to be released in May, Maccabees will be showing their faces in Sheftown once again.

A Complete History of My Sexual Failures @ SU Auditorium; 7:30pm; £2 Independent filmmaker Chris Waitt attempts to interview his exgirlfriends to find out why they dumped him. A humorous documentary.

Horsemeat @ Foundry and Fusion; 7pm; £10adv Bold, brash and brutally honest, Horsemeat confronts the gritty realities surrounding love, life, sexuality and growing up. Gary Clarke plunges head first into a nightmarish playground of frantic movement and thriving gestures in this “all singing, all singing” autobiographical solo.

Give It A Go: Stonehenge & Bath Day Trip; 6.30am-11pm; £22

Meet at the Glossop Road entrance to Bar One for a chance to see the most famous and mysterious prehistoric site in Europe. Plus discover Bath, which is home to many diverse attractions.

Last Laugh Comedy Club @ Raynor Lounge; 7.45pm; £5adv Live performances from Andrew O’Neil, Duncan Oakley and Chris Ramsey.

Give it A Go: Chatsworth House & Gardens Day Trip; 10.30pm-5.45pm; £15 Chatsworth House is home to some of the finest private collections, as well as many features which would keep anyone busy. Meet at the Glossop Road entrance to Bar One. Lionel Richie @ Sheffield Arena; 7.30pm; £35

Richard Herring @ City Hall; 8pm; £10 A Mixed Programme (performances Friday and Saturday). Pieces include La Bayadère (The Kingdom of the Shades), Angels in the Architecture and A Simple Man.

Herring dusts off his old diaries, rekindles memories that might best have been left forgotten and picks the scabs off of wounds that he thought had healed to discover if he can, as he hopes, blame his upbringing for his subsequent adult failures.

Armless Fun @ The Grapes; 8pm; £3 In support of the Amnesty Control Arms campaign featuring Consoles and Players, King Capisce, Ghost Hunter, and House on the Hill.

Tuesday Club @ Fusion & Foundry; 10.30pm; £5adv This week’s DJs include Logistics (Hospital), Hudson, Mohawke (Warp), Rustie (Warp), Andy H and Mikey J.

Ross Noble - Things @ City Hall; 7.30pm; £20

Pub Quiz @ University Arms; 9pm; Free Every Thursday night get stuck into the pub quiz with many chances to win free drinks, with free chips given out at half-time to everyone involved!

The Crucible Awakes @ The Crucible; 7.45pm; £15

Ross Noble was voted one of the top 10 greatest stand-ups of all time by Channel 4 viewers. Here’s your chance to see why as he brings his new show Things to Sheffield.

Fragment @ DQ Upstairs; 10pm; £5 This month Fragment are proud to welcome two Mixmag future heroes in Caroline Banx and Matt Cooper.

Former Commodore Richie is touring after the release of his ninth studio album, Just Go.

Album Release: Yes Pet Shop Boys; £20.29 (RRP) The 10th studio album by the English electronic dance music band. It’s supposed to be pretty good so maybe find an excuse to treat yourself and go and buy it.

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Geneva @ Showroom; 8.30pm; £4.30 A superlative study of family relationships that is both resolutely unsentimental and deeply moving.

Starsailor @ Leadmill; 7pm; £16

Slow Club @ The Harley; 8pm; £3 The two-piece folk-pop band from our very own Sheffield. The band formed three years ago after the break-up of Sheffield band The Lonely Hearts.

Funeral For A Friend @ Foundry; 7pm; £15 With the imminent release of fourth album Memory And Humanity, FFAF have once again squashed any preconceptions fans might harbour and created a new vision that sees the band ahead of the pack in every sense.

People in Planes and We Are The Ocean will be supporting tonight.

Battle of the Bands @ Plug; 7.30pm; £6 Plug Live presents Battle of the Bands, featuring Freehold, Nice One Greg, We Are the Dancefloor, Kiss Track Comeback, Airburst, Free From Yesterday, Jac and Call and Risky Heroes.

DiScover Sheffield @ The Harley; 8pm; £4adv

Give It A Go: Breakdance @ University House Level 4; 4pm; £2.50 These energetic breakdance lessons are suitable for all abilities, especially beginners.

Everyone’s welcome to come along and learn some breaks.

Simply Red @ Sheffield Arena; 7.30pm; £42.50 An English soul band.

Their style draws influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, jazz and lovers rock.

Plug Soundclash Present @ Plug; 7.30pm; £5 The Hosts, Seven Hills, Chatfield and Simple Delivery on the bill.

I’ve Loved You So Long @ SU Auditorium; 7:30pm; £2

Juliette spent 15 years in prison. Being confronted with the unexpected goodness of her younger sister Léa, who makes Juliette a part of her family, slowly breaks up Juliette’s bitterness and she carefully opens up.

Wednesday 13 @ Corporation; 7pm; £13 The band have sold over three million albums around the world and are one of the few British bands to have made it to the fourth album of their deal. Are they any good though? Go and see; but be warned, the answer is probably no.

Plug Live @ Plug; 7.30pm; £5 A night of live music with Dead Delta, The Hinges, Left Ajar and Discokiss.

Stay on for the club night after and there you have it; a real bargain of a night.

Two Lovers @ Showroom; 8.35pm; £4.30 Director James Gray proves himself to be a skilled filmmaker with this investigation of the ironies of falling in love.

Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Isabella Rossellini, Vinessa Shaw and Joaquin Phoenix.

The Enemy @ 02 Academy; 7pm; SOLD OUT The show is leading up to their April single release, ‘No Time For Tears’.

Jazz at The Lescar @ The Lescar Hotel; 9pm; £3 A welcome return for the Ben Crossland Band, one of the north of England’s finest Jazz ensembles.

Original and standard repertoire from jazz to funk.

Experience the new Crucible as part of a series of events to test and explore the new Crucible building. Don’t miss your chance to be in on the exciting previews to mark the completion of the first phase of the Theatre’s redevelopment.

Tuesday Club @ Fusion & Foundry; 10.30pm; £7adv

Hundred Reasons @ Corporation; 7pm; £11 The British alternative rock band from Surrey will be hitting the stage down at Corp.

Horror punk band, fronted by the Murderdolls frontman of the same name (real name Joseph Poole). The group formed in 2004 and continue to perform together.

Give It A Go: Paintballing; 8.30am 5pm; £38 Come along to the deepest darkest forest of South Yorkshire for a day of paintballing.

You’ll need all the skill, cunning and strategy (and pain threshold) you can muster for this day of full-on excitement. Lunch and 400 paintballs are included in the cost.

Little Shop of Horrors @ Lyceum Theatre; 7.30pm; £16.50

An affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi films that has become a household name, thanks to a highly successful film version and a score by the song writing team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

Free beer with every ticket! Grooverider, Commix (Metal Headz), Benny Page (Digital Soundboy), Gentleman’s Dub Club (live). MCs are Harry Shotta, Lowqui & Walker, Andy H, Stoaty and Mikey J. Give It A Go: Bollywood Dance @ University House Level Four; 6pm; £2 A fusion of Eastern and Western choreography, with influences from Indian classical dance, Arabic, Bhangra, hip-hop, Salsa and many other styles.

The first birthday special presents Dananananaykroyd. Plus support from Calories and Me My Head.

Of Time and the City @ SU Auditorium; 7:30pm; £1.80 Terence Davies returns to his native Liverpool and to his film making roots to capture a sense of the city today and its influences on him growing up after the Second World War in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Les Justes @ University of Sheffield Drama Studio; 7.30pm; £4 Camus’ brilliant and prescient interrogation of the human stakes of terrorism: when five revolutionaries plan a political assassination, each of them is confronted by their own fears, doubts, motives and ideals.

Fuzz Club: Huw Stephens (DJ Set) + Micachu and the Shapes; 10pm; £5adv

Radio One DJ and veritable Welsh wizard of new and largely unheard of music, Huw Stephens pops to Fuzz to play us his records. Expect the indie disco to top all indie discos from someone who knows an alarming amount about current movements in sound.

Shrimps Improvised Comedy @ Raynor Lounge; 8pm; £3.50 The Shrimps present an evening of totally unscripted comedy based on audience suggestions.

Anything can happen.

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19

FEATURES

Stopping the silent killer at the University Health Service, admits that when the scheme started she was a little anxious, but she now sees the benefits.

“The problem is that women under 25 are still very hormonal and the screening tests sometimes show minor abnormalities related to this.

“These minor changes often became normal after a period of time but frequent follow-up tests were required all causing unnecessary stress.”

By Clare McPartland The topic of cervical cancer has been thrust into the public consciousness since the distressing story of Jade Goody has been splashed over every paper for the past few weeks.

The press coverage has had a positive outcome in that it has prompted an increase of women having cervical screenings.

It has also led to ministers calling for a review of the current policy of cervical screening, as currently women under 25 are not routinely invited for them.

The University Health Service has noticed more girls asking about how they can be tested for cervical cancer, and many were surprised to find they weren’t able to have them.

I was one of them. To me, this policy seemed irresponsible. In a country where we are frequently reminded to get checked for STIs it seemed most odd that we can’t get checked for an illness that can also kill.

I decided to try and find out why. In the UK, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under 35. Jade Goody was only 27 when she was diagnosed.

Can cancer distinguish between a 27-year-old from a 25-year-old?

In 2006, 2,321 women had cervical cancer. Of these, 56 were under 25

Department of Health says that in 2006, 2,321 women had cervical cancer. Of these, 56 were under 25, representing 2.4 per cent of cases. Of the 820 people who died of cervical cancer in 2007, three were under 25 - 0.4 per cent of

deaths.

But there are still going to be niggles of doubt that those few unlucky people under 25 will suffer if their illness is not detected.

Dr. Vivien Leigh, who works

If you are under 25 and experience unusual symptoms, Dr Leigh assures that if you go to the doctors, you will be given help.

“Rather then us carrying out the tests, if we feel that the symptoms are worrying and not related to another problem, we can refer them to the colposcopy unit at hospital, where they can carry out all the necessary tests regardless of your age.”

The press attention Jade has received may have a contrasting effect. As well as prompting more women over 25 to get checked up, it may cause younger women to worry and panic about their health, perhaps unnecessarily.

The general message from the Government and cancer charities is not to panic. The scheme has been in place since 2003 and it may be that Wales and Scotland, who still test those under 25 may be changing this soon as well - we can rest assured none of these decisions would have been made lightly.

Lisa Dooley’s Facebook group now has over 116,000 members.

Regardless of the statistics she will still continue her fight for the minority who will suffer because of this change. And it seems many will be backing her.

The problem seems to be that we’re just misinformed. It has come as a shock to us that we can’t get tested because many people didn’t realise, and although the statistics would relax some, others will still worry that they’ll be the exception.

The best advice, though, is to take care of yourself - go for a sexual health check on a regular basis. Nurses can look at your cervix, and if they have any anxieties they can ask a doctor for their opinion. So if you get worrying symptoms, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor; help is always available.

• The cervix is the lower part of the womb.

• Every year, around 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer.

• Breast cancer is the only cancer that is more common in women under 35.

• Cervical cancer is very slow to develop - before it does, cells in the cervix usually show changes.

• If left untreated, these cell changes may develop into cervical cancer.

• The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is thought to cause around 95 per cent of cervical cancer cases.

• HPV is a group of around 100 different types of virus.

• Most of these viruses are harmless, or cause infections like genital warts.

• However, 13 of these viruses increase the risk of cell changes in the cervix, and therefore of cancer.

• HPV can be passed through sexual contact with an infected person.

• Condoms help to protect you.

• The HPV jab protects against two of the viruses, thought to cause 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases.

• By the end of December, 80 per cent of girls aged 12-13 years will have received their first dose of HPV vaccine.

• Other factors that may increase

your risk of developing cervical cancer include smoking and having children when you are young.

• There is a slightly increased risk if you take the pill.

• Women aged 25-49 are invited for a screening every three years, and women aged 50-64 are invited every five years.

• In 2007-08, 4,337,720 women were invited for cervical screening, but only 78.6 per cent had it done.

• France, Ireland and Italy all start screening from age 25. Australia screen from 18, and America screen women two years after they first become sexually active.

It infuriates me that smear tests are not provided to young women It would seem not. Lisa Marie Dooley went to the doctors in January 1994, when at 24 she was suffering with bleeding between periods and agonising stomach pain. Originally she was turned away and told she was ovulating, but eventually was offered a smear test - back then smears were routinely offered to girls over 20.

“The results were that I had dodgy cells, and I was invited for an examination in May 1994,” she remembers. “Within a couple of days I was in hospital for a Cone Biopsy (surgery to remove a coneshaped piece of tissue from the cervix and cervical canal, used to diagnose a cervical condition).

A few days later I was diagnosed with cancer of the cervix.”

Lisa then had a hysterectomy, and during the operation doctors discovered the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. She underwent a course of radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy, and the cancer went into remission.

She was told she’d be lucky to survive five years, but 14 years on she is still fighting, and now not singly against cancer; but for the reintroduction of smear tests for younger women.

Lisa has set up information about her cause on the internet, and has organised a petition to the Government campaigning for girls between 16 and 25 to have access to free cervical screenings.

She told me: “It infuriates me that smear tests are not provided to young women, even after symptoms are experienced. There are so many examples of people suffering and dying because they were refused a simple test that could have prevented it.

“The problem with cervical cancer is that it’s a silent killer,

Smears prevent up to 4,500 cases of cervical cancer per year. and many women don’t actually experience any symptoms until it’s too late.”

Should we be worried? Maybe we should. Girls between the ages of 18 and 25 seem at a funny age with regards to cervical cancer, as girls aged 12-18 are being offered jabs to protect against HPV, a virus thought to be linked to cervical cancer, and girls over 25 can obviously be tested. The rest of us are in a sort of limbo.

The problem with cervical cancer is that it’s basically a silent killer The ministerial review has been called as experts are worried about “emerging evidence”. For example, in 2008 the incidence rate of discovering pre-cancerous cells in under 25s increased, which is not comforting to know.

Most other statistics, though, tell a reassuring story. The

Cartoon: Kate Carson

Cervical cancer: the facts

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FEATURES

A struggle for status

at a shop because they can do volunteering but it’s hard to fill your time. They study English at college which is what a lot of asylum seekers do. A lot of asylum seekers just want to work but they’re not allowed to.”

Laura is feeling positive about Victor’s case, though, and she has been involved in talks with former Home Secretary and Sheffield MP, David Blunkett.

Finding evidence for the cases is not always simple. “It’s difficult to find evidence when it is all back in a foreign country and even a lot of asylum seekers who have been tortured - you can see from looking - somehow that’s not good enough. You have to prove that you are individually at risk.

“We think Victor’s got a good case though because he has appeared in newspapers in Cameroon as a wanted man and there’s a lot of evidence that suggests he’s personally in danger.”

STAR campaigns are all centred on the wishes of the individual asylum seeker and generally actions include the drafting and circulation of petitions..

Hasinah Muwanga was an activist in her native Uganda for the opposition party Reform Agenda, until 2003 when she was beaten and arrested. She was separated from her husband, a fellow activist, and his location is still unknown.

Hasinah suffered a miscarriage as a result of the torture and sexual abuse that she received but the British Government still refuse her permanent leave to stay as they deny she is in danger, despite evidence suggesting the opposite. Her online petition currently has 343 signatures.

By Natasha Lewis “This Government could not run a chimps’ tea party, it’s a disgrace that through their stupidity we are lumbered with another load of illegals, how can we just keep taking these refugees in we are only a small island.” As proven by Robbie from Nottingham, courtesy of the Daily Mail website, there seem to be very few subjects that divide people’s views like the topic of asylum.

On newspaper comment threads across the internet, insight into public opinion is split between those who consider the Government to be too lenient in its border policies and those who believe that the current system leaves many people lacking access to basic human rights.

The majority of impassioned opinion seems to be dominated by the former, making the work done by groups such as university society STAR (Student Action for Refugees) all the more important.

The whole system is too suspicious, it’s guilty until proven innocent Lindsay Cundall, campaigns leader for STAR, is well aware of the misconceptions that can come alongside the topic of asylum seekers.

A recent sleepout organised

by STAR, which saw students and supporters sleeping under the concourse in chilly February temperatures, was brought about to raise money for ASSIST (Asylum Seekers Support Initiative – Short Term), a Sheffield based charity that acts as a lifeline to asylum seekers who are left in limbo with no option of returning home and no support or way of finding legal work.

In the process of organisation, STAR came up against people who had disagreements about their choice of charity. Lindsay said: “People say: ‘there are British homeless people, why are you supporting asylum seekers?’

“Obviously we feel bad for all homeless or unemployed people but it’s just a matter of priorities because there are a lot of charities that help homeless people in Britain, but for asylum seekers there aren’t many charities apart from ASSIST. “We decided to support them because the people who they help are a doubly-traumatised group of people considering they’ve fled from war zones and traumatising situations and then they come here to be left homeless.”

ASSIST’s resources are constantly overstretched and they are completely reliant on donations from the public and fundraising.

They currently support 60 asylum seekers, providing them with £20 a week, although they constantly have to turn people away.

Lindsay volunteers on the help desk and she says it is hard having to refuse people help. “It’s really difficult because people come and they’re homeless and have no money so you have to say ‘well you’re both pregnant, single women but you’re ill as well so we’ll give you the money and not you.’”

A miserable life here is preferable to returning home to face fear Volunteers and visitors at ASSIST’s Conversation Club at Victoria Hall.

As well as raising money, STAR focuses a great deal of its energy on organising campaigns for individual asylum seekers.

Through this work, they experience direct contact with the asylum system, complete with all its perils. When an application for asylum is made, the first action taken is a screening interview with a Home Office case worker.

One problem highlighted with the way that these interviews are conducted is the amount of suspicion that the interviewee has to face. Lindsay explains: “There have been various independent reports that have come out that say the whole system is too suspicious and it’s guilty until proven innocent rather than, in all other types of criminal justice, innocent until proven guilty.

“The Independent Asylum Commission found that there was a ‘culture of disbelief’ that leads to bad initial decisions and the fact that a quarter of appeals go through shows how bad the initial decisions are.”

The person being interviewed may also have a mutual suspicion for those doing the questioning, bearing in mind that a great proportion would be fleeing corrupt governments, where the truth could land them in trouble.

“If you don’t know exactly what it is that’s happening to you then you might not say everything and

it counts against you later on if you bring up something that you haven’t said before.

“Also, a lot of people come and they’re traumatised so they don’t want to talk about everything that’s happened to them and they don’t realise that that is what could help them stay here so they don’t say it. Then they reveal it later and it’s seen as them just making it up.”

The Government deny she is in danger, despite contrary evidence If refugee status is not granted, asylum seekers can then go through a process of appeals.

Often, though, there is minimal help from legal aid sources, leaving asylum seekers to fight their own cases, sometimes with a minimal grasp of English.

If their appeals fail, they can then apply for voluntary return which means that they will receive support before they can be sent home, although only 20 per cent chose to do so. The other 80 per cent of rejected asylum seekers receive no help from the Government.

A miserable and povertystricken life, however, is evidently far preferable to the alternative: returning home to face fear and

Photo: Marek Allen persecution.

Laura Walker, a second year Politics and Russian student, is working on a campaign for Victor Yogane and his family.

“Victor’s from Cameroon and he was arrested and tortured in 2006 because he owned a music shop and he was approached by the opposition party who asked if they could sell a political CD through him and he agreed.

“His partner, Madeleine, was a member of the opposition party too so she is also at risk and so after they were both tortured they fled separately to the UK.” Both Madeleine and Victor, who have two sons who were born in Sheffield, have appealed for asylum and have been rejected several times.

They are currently in the middle of a new campaign based on fresh evidence, although their position in England still remains uncertain.

“He’s just waiting, there’s a big, long backlog of asylum cases and you just have to wait until yours comes up and you don’t really get much warning: you’ll either be accepted or your case will have been refused and they won’t tell you it’s been refused, they’ll just come and deport you.

“Victor has a place to live and gets vouchers to buy food with but he and his partner aren’t allowed to work. Madeleine volunteers

Conversation Club is another brainchild of STAR. Lindsay said: “It was started a few years ago by some people who went to the Wednesday drop-in at Victoria Hall.

“There are quite a lot of relief organisations that are there for asylum seekers, and there seemed to be a need, while people were waiting around, to just do something a bit more fun and learn a bit of English as well.

“Now there’s two mixed ones a week: one on a Wednesday and one on a Friday, and there’s about five women’s Conversation Clubs as well.

“It’s really a fun volunteering opportunity in Sheffield. Asylum seekers and refugees meet there with British people, to try and improve their English and make friends.”

Activities like this supply a distraction, but it is the petitions that are most vital for the asylum seekers concerned. Lindsay gave me one example of a successful campaign.

“People in Sheffield have found that doing a campaign can really help someone’s case and there’s been a few cases such as a woman from Burundi who was in a detention centre, almost getting deported but because people in Sheffield made such a fuss about her case with demonstrations, letters to MP and petitions, she was allowed to stay.

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FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

LIFESTYLE

It’s all in the detail: updating your spring wardrobe Is your loan running low?

Transform last season’s buys with these up-to-date spring/summer accessories.

Us students are always strapped for cash, but even more so at this stage in the term.

However, spring has arrived, and those of us who are shopaholics can’t wait until the next loan instalment to update our looks.

We’ve spotted some trends that are key to the accessories you’ll want to be wearing this spring - and you can buy them on a budget.

casual smocks that are around at the moment.

Also on the nautical theme, Accessorize have loads of stretchy skinny waist belts.

There’s an especially nice blue and white striped one with bow detail at the front for £10.

Following another key trend, brights, the sky blue patent belt which is £6 from ASOS, would look great with a vest top and high waisted floral skirt.

Whether it’s with a casual dress or for a night out, the skinny waist belt can be worn wherever you go and with whatever you want to team it with.

It’s a must-have item for updating your outfit and, even better, it won’t break the bank.

The skinny waist belt We’re all familiar with the waist belt: cinching you in at the waist, creating that desirable hourglass figure we all long for.

The chunky waist belt looked great with our woollies and coats but the current update of waist belts is a skinnier version.

Light fabrics and summer dresses are complemented by the skinny waist belt as it has a more boho and casual feel.

There’s a cute red one from Debenhams which has a heart shaped buckle and is only £6.

It looks great with all the nautical inspired

Quilted bags You’ve seen them on the celebs - now the high s t r e e t has been inundated with mockChanel quilted bags.

Most of us can’t afford the real thing (yet) so why not avoid the cheap carbon-copies and instead go for a style that is still quilted but has an edge too?

Topshop have a great small across-the-body version which comes in monochrome or bright orange.

You can pick which hot S/S ’09 trend that you want to follow.

They’ve also got an adorable over-the-body heart shaped one which will give a quirky edge to your look.

If you’re looking for a larger style that you can carry books to Uni in, then Paul’s Boutique have

Hot or not?

By H O’Connell & V Shaw

Spring The days of snow and grey seem to have become fewer and further between. Walking around the Union today I even clocked a few pairs of sunglasses.

Verdict: Hot

a bubblegum blue or pink bowling bag.

It follows the trend of brights whilst being quilted, plus it has a retro style charm which gives the bag a really individual look.

You can get it from ASOS and, at £45, is a little pricey, so save for a few weeks so your splurge is justified.

Platform heels Those of you with a shoe fetish, beware.

Platforms are back and they’re higher, strappier and sexier than before.

You might not have thought to look in Next for your new pair of killer heels but they’ve got a huge range of reasonably priced and highly fashionable shoes, including a fair few platforms.

Their black snake skin effect gladiator sandals (priced only £35) are right up-to-date with a modern chunky twist on the classic t-bar and ankle strap.

They can be worn at any time of the year with your skinnies or a skirt and they’re also available in classic snakeskin colours; another major spring/ summer trend.

Yet again wedges are back with a bang, with the added height of the platform for 2009.

The wedge is an easier way to wear a killer platform because they provide more support for your foot and ankle so are easier to walk, or more importantly dance, in.

Barbie She arrived on the market in 1959 originally costing just $3. Our favourite plastic doll is turning 50 this year. The lucky madam doesn’t look a day over 20.

Verdict: Hot

Prints From Africa to the Aztec, these geometric shapes have been threatening the high street for ages and have finally seemed to make it.

Join the tribe now.

Verdict: Hot

There are a fab strappy purple pair in River Island for £59.99 that will brighten up any look and will go with purple pieces that you might have bought over the winter.

They look great with summer dresses for casual wear but look equally good with a skirt for a more dressed up outfit.

The statement necklace A plain outfit can be completely transformed by adding jewellery and there are so many eye-catching pieces in the shops that you can totally revamp something old to update your spring wardrobe.

Perfect for a casual, boho-inspired summery look, a butterfly necklace from ASOS for just £13.75 will instantly bring to life a plain top, and because it is so chunky it makes a real statement.

Alternatively, join the celeb trend by treating yourself to an enlarged initial necklace, as seen on Cheryl Cole and Lily Allen; get yours at www.kendijewlz. com for £18.

You’ll be wearing it long after the summer ends, so it is well worth the cash.

To brighten up some dull spring days, head to Topshop for their huge range of acid bright jewellery, including earrings, rings, bracelets and, of course, necklaces.

It’s really funky; this range of jewellery gives of a really fun vibe and will cheer you up if this summer’s a wash out.

Even if these options are pushing your purse strings to the limit then head to Primark or Peacocks and look for these key trends.

Update your look and enjoy the summer – even if you’re skint.

Victoria Beckham posing in some hot p

Amy Winehouse Wino has been charged with assault after it was alleged she punched a fan last September. Wino apparently said: “Life can’t go on. I can’t do this anymore.” Oh dear.

Verdict: Not

Lent 40 days and 40 nights without treats. With my Easter egg staring at me forlornly, I wonder how long I can resist temptation before I scoff the whole thing?

Verdict: Not

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

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LIFESTYLE

Getting the most from Aunt Agony your phone contract Advises I really need to start cooking proper meals but all the recipes I find require so many ingredients and are so expensive. Do you have any low-cost cooking tips?

If you want to make simple, cheap but tasty meals, then you only need one book – Take Four by JG Press. As the name suggests, every recipe requires a maximum of four ingredients and there is loads of variety, with dozens of options to choose from.

By Keri O’Riordan A vital component to anyone, sometimes leaving the house without your mobile phone can seem like leaving the house without any shoes.

However, it’s easy to forget that your phone is a constant source of expenditure.

Whether you are on a pay monthly deal or you pay as you go, having a payment plan which doesn’t complement your personal phone usage can lead to a very expensive disaster.

I’ve had friends who’ve taken on an unsuitable contract in order to get a nice phone.

Most notoriously, Tara, who in a desperate bid to acquire an Apple iPhone, took on an 18 month contract at £45 a month.

If your contract is about to come to an end, now is the time to start looking at possible new contracts.

Firstly you want to consider your current contract and when looking over a bill decide where most of your money is going.

I had a friend who had 200 minutes and 500 texts for £25 a month and still managed to rack up a £100 bill in texts alone.

If you’re spending most of your money on texts, then there are plenty of contracts which can give you unlimited texts at a reasonable price. Also, if you’re coming to the end of your contract don’t be afraid to play hardball with your phone company.

If you have a month or so left in your contract then go in to your local phone shop and ask them what they can do for you.

Most companies would rather you stayed with them at a cheaper price then go to one of their competitors.

It’s important to not feel embarrassed when asking for a better deal. I know of one customer who was with 3 and when she told

I live in a house of 10 and we’re always all trying to cook at the same time so I can never get to the oven. I’ve heard about those grills you can plug in separately which might solve the problem.

Where can I get one?

You can pick up a George Foreman grill from Tesco for £19 or, if you don’t mind waiting a few days, Amazon has them from £13.

They are really quick and efficient, so are well worth investing in.

Now you’ll only have to wait two minutes for your chicken to cook instead of the usual 20!

Choosing a new contract can be a time-consuming business. them she was leaving her contract, they kept offering her better deals, each of which she turned down until they finally gave her £9 for 600 minutes and unlimited texts and unlimited internet.

Another little known fact about phone companies is that it’s possible to change your tariff, even when you’re not at the end of your contract.

If you’re getting your bills through and then they’re higher then you expect, then you can call up your phone company to discuss a tariff which will allow you to get

more for your money.

Of course the best way to ensure that your phone isn’t a constant drain on your finances is to ensure that you keep on top of how much you use it.

If you have a monthly contract, then you can often call a number from your handset which will tell you how many minutes and texts you’ve got left for the month.

Most of these numbers are available on the internet, or alternatively you can go into the local phone shop to find out this number.

I’ve run out of make-up yet again and I can’t survive without it but I can’t afford another trip to Boots. Is there anywhere I could get cosmetics slightly cheaper?

Go down to TJ Hughes. They stock a lot of make-up products at really low prices so hopefully they’ll have the particular brands you’re looking for.

Get in touch and hopefully Aunt Agony can help you with any problems you may be having. Email problems to press. lifestyle@forgetoday.com.

Lifestyle Review: Shake Club

By Ami Gell & Ruth Corrigan

platform heels.

Lesbian Vampire Killers Corden and Horne have moved their hilarious antics from the small screen to the silver screen. Watch them try to escape lesbians in a cursed village.

Verdict: Hot

In the midst of one of Sheffield’s frequent rainstorms, we made the trip to Shake Club, Broomhill’s brand new and exciting milkshake bar, hoping for something warm and chocolatey to cheer us up.

We immediately felt comfortable in its friendly atmosphere.

The student owners were more than enthusiastic about discussing their new business enterprise, which takes any chocolate bar or sweet imaginable and transforms it into a tasty shake.

On volunteering to write this review we failed to take into account that Ruth had given up chocolate for Lent; a predicament that would surely limit her options of milkshake.

Yet whilst Ami enjoyed the envious task of indulging in a hot Minstrel shake, Ruth was assured by the that owners this was far from a dilemma.

Endless alternatives are offered, from Tic-Tacs to Haribo, to her delicious choice of Fruitella.

On a mission to flaunt chocolate

in front of Ruth to the best of her ability, Ami went for the £3.49 special offer of ‘Shake and a Cake’, tasting the homemade Mars bar cheesecake of the day.

She soon repented after feeling the consequences of such a sugary overload. For those wanting to avoid this effect and feeling more health conscious, Shake Club also offers fresh fruit shakes.

You can even mix’n’match your flavours for whatever bizarre concoction you fancy.

Co-owner Reuben Newell claimed: “Boost and banana is just amazing.”

Even if you think it is a little beyond your student budget, then their ‘Shake of the day’ special offer for £1.79 should resolve this.

Being two of the rare few people who don’t enjoy either tea or coffee, this warm, sugary infusion replaces the caffeine boost which many students rely on to get through the days lectures. We found it to be a much yummier alternative.

Shake Club is open 10am-8pm seven days a week, for whenever the craving strikes...

Scott Parsons prepares a drink.

Photo: Olivia Lightfoot

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FORGE PRESS Friday April 2 2009

LIFESTYLE

Love in the time of chlamydia

The realms of dating are foreign to me.

It was only in the last couple of months that people even asked me on dates, and to be honest I never really cared.

The idea of spending at least 3 hours with someone you only vaguely knew, making polite conversation sent shivers down my spine.

Of course now I’ve had some wonderful dates, but there are still those few that have caused deep emotional scarring.

I once had a date with a 3rd year who’s dissertation had something to do with rodent faeces, needless to say after 3 hours of talking about the difference between mouse and rat droppings I was hardly turned on.

There are of course the dates that go wonderfully, my friend went on a date with a lovely boy who was funny, kind and intelligent.

One date led to several and soon they were somewhat of an item.

However, when she decided to take things further she soon realised her man had one flaw.

After a lovely night out she brought him back to her house, and it all seemed to be going smoothly.

However my friend tends to be very straight down the line, for her the doggy position is about as kinky as she’ll get.

So you can probably imagine her horror when he suggested that she tied him up, and slap him.

She was so shocked she swiftly ejected him from her room, and never spoke to him again.

Maybe she reacted too harshly, but it does serve as a warning that if you have any unusual turn ons, probably best to wait a while before you start revealing them to a new partner.

Earrings, jeans and other toxic fashion Sixties fashion icon Edie Sedgwick in her infamous dangly earrings.

By Sarah Barns “Fashion isn’t life or death ... it’s much more important than that,” a delightful club leaflet felt the need to inform me earlier.

Would we consider fashion to be more important than death, really?

Probably not. However it got me thinking.

There are many ‘fashionable’ items out there that may look pretty but probably aren’t all that good for your body.

Here is a rundown of the top offenders.

Cartoon: Kate Carson

Earrings They were famous for adorning the stylish ears of Edie Sedgwick in the sixties but big dangly earrings can be a dangerous ornament to have hanging from your lobes.

The weight of the earring, together with the help of gravity, pulls your ear down and can cause the lobe to tear.

The tear is irreparable without the aid of plastic surgery leaving you with slits in your ears. Nice.

Opt for cosmetic jewellery that is hollow, light in weight and doesn’t put that much pressure on your lobes.

Save dangly earrings for special occasions and take them out immediately if your ears are starting to feel the strain.

Bras They are the things closest to our hearts, always offering us support, but an ill fitting bra could be causing you some serious damage.

Bras that do not fit properly can put stress on bones and muscles which can cause breathing problems.

A tight and under-wired bra that does not fit right can press on the rib cage and put pressure on the diaphragm.

The pressure on the rib cage, if great, can also affect digestion.

Bras which are too tight can cause lumps (called lymphomas) to form on the skin.

The best way to avoid any lumps and bumps forming on the skin is to choose a bra with thick straps.

If your breasts are of the larger variety opt for extra soft, cushioned and wide load bearing shoulder straps to ease pressure and which don’t dig in to avoid any back problems.

A whooping 85% of women are wearing the wrong bra size.

Take a trip to ‘ye olde faithful’

Marks and Spencer, get measured and get the right size for your shape.

You know it makes sense.

Jeans Dark wash, ripped, boot-cut, stone wash, cropped, bleached ... there are more varieties of jeans colour, shape and style than there were colours in Joseph’s Technicolor dreamcoat.

However jeans that are tight fitting in the crotch area could cause fungal infections such as thrush if worn too often.

Swop your skinnies for a baggier boyfriend style every once in a while and let your ‘nether regions’ breathe.

Flip-flops You know the drill: the sun seeps out slightly from behind the

The average women’s bag weighs the equivalent of five bags of sugar clouds so everybody instinctively runs indoors for their sandals and the baby oil.

Who would have thought our old faithful, the flip-flop, could be the cause of back and lower leg injuries?

Flip-flops put a strain on the arch of your foot, ankle and even your hips and lower back.

Unlike more stable shoes they do not absorb the impact of steps, forcing the arch, heel, calf or back to bear the brunt of the force.

Only wear them for short periods of time; not as primary footwear.

If you invest in a sturdier sandal your feet will thank you for it.

Keep waddling around in foamy £1 ones from Primark and you might as well revert back

to caveman mentality and go barefoot.

High Heels Not only do you risk falling over like Naomi Campbell did in those gastronomic Vivienne Westwood’s but constant wear can cause hammertoe, bunions and corns.

Wearing them for a long period of time can also cause your heel to adapt to the position of the shoe.

Unless you want feet like Cinderella; switch between flats and heels.

Save your heels for the evening and no matter how wonderful you think your dream shoes are, make sure they fit.

No one likes a girl face down in the mud.

Oversized Bags The average woman’s handbag weighs the equivalent of five bags of sugar.

That’s five pounds or nearly 2.5 kilos of stuff proving that we really do cart around everything excluding the kitchen sink.

Carrying this amount of weight around all the time has an effect on body posture and may cause back strain.

It is a good idea to clear out your handbag regularly to ensure you aren’t lugging around unnecessary items.

Make like the Parisians and share the load between two bags; one for personal stuff and the other for work items. How continental.

Oscar Wilde once stated that fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.

Maybe there is some truth in that, just to avoid the thrush, bunions and oversized earlobes perhaps?

Win mens natural grooming products While the market for female grooming products is swamped with lotions and potions, male grooming is still an up and coming sector.

But with male icons like David Beckham promoting the use of moisturisers and eau de toilettes, men are starting to catch on.

And now they can pamper themselves without any nasty chemicals too.

Bulldog is the UK’s first natural

grooming brand for men.

All Bulldog products are body friendly and don’t contain controversial man-made chemicals such as parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colors, or synthetic fragrances.

They are loaded with essential oils and other natural actives to deliver superb grooming results.

For more information about the products visit www. meetthebulldog.com’

Bulldog are offering two Lifestyle readers the opportunity to win full grooming kits and wash bags worth £45 each.

Each kit contains moisturiser, shave gel, post shave balm, shower gel, face wash and face scrub.

To enter, email press. lifestyle@ forgetoday.com with the answer to this question: What is the name of the UK’s first natural grooming brand for men?

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

25

TRAVEL

The secret Frat world

By Danielle Appleton One of the most frustrating things about living in America is that I am suddenly below the legal drinking age all over again. For the first few weeks I thought that the nightlife for anyone under the age of 21 consisted of a game of bowling or a trip to the cinema followed by an early night in bed.

Then I discovered ‘Frat Parties’ and everything changed.

Fraternities are groups of guys who have gone through an awful period of initiation so that they can live in an amazing mansion and throw parties every night of the week. Obviously there is a lot more to being in a Fraternity or a Sorority (the female version), but unless you are actually a member then the parties are the only part you hear about.

Most Frat parties are really hard to get in to; generally you have to know someone who lives in the house to get an invite.

These houses are complete with saunas and pole-dancing platforms

The parties are pretty similar to a house party in England, crammed full of people dancing, drinking and chatting. However these events are not just held in any old house.

These houses are straight out of magazines, complete with saunas, club-sized basements and poledancing platforms. Everyone is so friendly, especially once they find out I am English, and it doesn’t take long to get introduced to hundreds of people and have drinks shoved in my hand.

I always feel completely foreign when it comes to dancing. At home I’m used to standing in a crowd of people waving my arms in the air and jumping around like a fool. Here, everyone immediately couples up and starts grinding against each other in a stripperfashion.

Although these parties do slightly make up for the fact that I’m not allowed into a bar or a club, I still miss being able to walk into a shop and buy alcohol without any hassle at all. Instead I have four more months left of sneaking cans of beer into my handbag and acting sober in front the dorm’s receptionists. It feels like being 16 all over again.

A view across a beach of Rio De Janiero in Brazil.

Experiencing Latin America

By Martin Knight When you go travelling for a short period of time, whether it be Bolivia or Benidorm, you depart with the comforting assurance that if things don’t go quite to plan you’ll be coming home in a few weeks.

Spending a year in a foreign country is a completely different experience. Over the past few months I have spent time in Brazil and Mexico.

The key to the local culture is, of course, the language. Being English speakers, we carry a stereotype projected on us by the rest of the world, so being able to converse confidently with the locals shows your willingness to appreciate their way of life and resist the cultural and lingual hegemony that is attacking it.

So to that end, what is the best way to improve your language?

Personally I pretend I don’t speak English and when people shout at me ‘Doo joo speak English?’, I say I don’t understand and I’m from France; which can drastically backfire when you meet an alcoholic French immigrant in a tiny village in the Amazon.

People don’t seem to sleep here; they work all day and party all night There are around 135 universities in Mexico, and 120 in Brazil. The number of courses is immense and their content diverse. Of course, the quality of the content varies, but as the principal aim for a year abroad is to learn the spoken language,

City spotlight: Kraków

By Michael Hunter It wasn’t long ago that Kraków was dubbed as the ‘new Prague’ thanks to a double dose of lowcost flights and lower-cost pints.

But that mantle might have been shaken off sooner than expected as distant eastern cousins such as Budapest and Riga begin to bear, or at least share, the brunt of Britain’s summer influx of stags.

Rewind six months from the frenzied height of summer, and instead of the boisterous antics reminiscent of the litter-strewn bar streets of Magaluf, we have a modest and attractive city which is just as tranquil as any corner of Brussels or Geneva.

It is quite easy to forget the fierce mid-January temperatures

when the snowfall covers the cobbled streets of the Old Town, leaving you stranded in a postcard scene which makes you feel as far away from home as any white beach in the Caribbean might.

Kraków was one of the few

The main square in Kraków.

Polish cities to emerge from the Second World War largely unscathed, and as a result its fine architecture stands as proudly as ever, with the domineering Wawel Castle proving a big hit from the hilltop among tourists.

Wawel Cathedral stands in its shadows and there are a number of museums within a short walk of the Old Town.

Eating out is relatively cheap, and you won’t have to part with too much of your Polish Zloty.

If you want to make friends quickly, ignore the short-priced Polish beers and wines when you’re at the bar and instead opt for a swig of flavoured vodka straight from the cooler. To fit in inconspicuously, sip the vodka in a sophisticated style and refrain from downing it in one.

any environment where you are surrounded by your target language is your basis for learning; in short, Latin America can be a gold mine for the educationally inclined.

Personally, I find gaining an impressive level of fluency in the target language is the most rewarding experience one can have; however, a balance between studying and partying is a necessity. The most fun you can have is with the locals.

The success of home stays can vary wildly, and unfortunately it seems that bad experiences can be as common as amazing ones. Some things to bear in mind are that, as regards Mexico and Brazil, flats aren’t hard to come by so don’t put up with an unpleasant environment in a home stay. You’ve only got one year abroad and you should spend it having fun.

The British work to live, the Japanese live to work, and the Mexicans work to have fun afterwards. The rhythm of life in Mexico and Brazil is fast.

I don’t know where the stereotypes of sleeping Mexicans came from, but people don’t seem to sleep here; they work all day and party all night. If you want to take full advantage, expect to live on five hours of sleep a night or less.

If night life is your thing, Guadalajara is the place to go.

Opportunities to have a good time are almost infinite; even taco stalls on the street are a good place to chat with the locals (just be prepared to eat cow brain). If you put enough chilli on, everything tastes the same anyway, which incidentally scores points with the locals.

There is a wealth of fascinating history in Latin America, the most obvious of which can be seen in the Aztec ruins around

Mexico City and ruins from other civilizations throughout the country which are quite amazing.

Dancing in Brazil and Mexico is taken rather more seriously than in the UK. From a male perspective, you unfortunately can’t expect an attractive young lady to take pity on you and show you how to dance like a human being either, as a lot of the time the dancing is in pairs and the male leads.

Dance schools that teach salsa and practically any style are really common in Mexico and Brazil, and are a good idea if you don’t want to be abandoned on the dancefloor.

Mexican dancers performing.

If your life needs changing, your year abroad will definitely do that. From my experience, ups and downs can go hand in hand.

It’s not paradise and a lot of the stereotypes of romanticized Latin America will probably be broken, but if you embrace everything thrown at you it can definitely be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

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FORGE PRESS Friday April 2 2009

PUZZLES & HUMOUR

Coffee Break Losing 9,000 books under the bed

By Kate Dobinson What is the equivalent of losing an elephant in a zoo or a mother misplacing one of her triplets? It may be The British Library losing 9,000 of its books.

How is that done, where have they gone, are the librarians eating them? Maybe mice of rather rich taste have been nibbling away at the spine ‘Of the Lawful and Unlawful Usurie Amongest Christians’, by 16thcentury German theologian Wolfgang Musculus and valued by the library at £20,000. Or perhaps they’ve been lobbed into a garden wheelbarrow and been stolen, traded or bought to build a new Berlin Wall.

Tempting as it is to ignore the boring peripeteia, that they have just been lost or misplaced over the years, I’m afraid it is probably so. For who steals books? Any police line-up of the British library’s staff and ageing type of the visiting population would probably not have stolen them and so that leaves: the common student.

Physically able and mobile persons, any student would achieve the mean feat well.

Architects of such deviations would be tantamount to praise and admiration for their deft heroics, the casual slip of 9,000 dusty tomes into a red and white patterned rucksack a cause for celebration.

Students to one side, it would seem that plenty of other factions within the library going set would like to pinch the print. Edward Forbes Smiley III (a dealer in rare world maps) was sentenced in 2006 for stealing 97 of them, all in all the maps were worth around $3 million. Similarly, Farhad Hakimzadeh, an Iranian collector, was jailed in January for cutting maps, illustrations and pages from

priceless volumes in the British Library. Neither of these men can account for the 1876 illustrated edition of Alice in Wonderland which is also missing.

This is all very curious. Last month, hundreds of students at the University of Cardiff protested with ‘Books not Bombs’ in reaction to the university’s associative links with arms companies. They may be better suspects for the British Library’s recent point of mourning but the books were not forwarded on for financial gain

but brandished as symbols of education and freedom.

Books are powerful tools in times of unrest and revolution.

On the other hand, I was once present at the reference desk when a clueless first year asked: “I need to find out Ibid’s first name for my bibliography, do you know who he is?”

This is the kind of comment which would provoke outrage at the British library, whose famous following of authors and researchers consistently marked their indignance at the overwhelming presence of seemingly troublesome undergraduates in the institution.

Last year, Lady Antonia Fraser, widow to Harold Pinter and author of detective fiction and biography remarked: “of particular irritation is the notion that many undergraduates now come to the library to relax, meet and text friends, and play on laptops, rather than to read books. It’s become a social gathering.”

The austere reputation of The British Library is finely cultivated to provide for the literary world a safe-house for research and solitude. Indeed it does not match with that of the I.C. but, correspondingly should be open to as many students who are respectful and require the resources which are unavailable at their University library.

Perhaps librarians are worried that there won’t be enough books to go around.

Picture of the fortnight

CROSSWORD

Across 1. Oily or greasy (9) 5. Bet (5) 7. Young eel (5) 9. Land measure (4) 10. Sultry (6) 12. Dairy product (6) 13. Hex (4) 15. Crowd scene actor (5) 16. Hidden drawback (5) 18. Accumulated (9)

Down 1. Cutting tool (3) 2. Remedy (4) 3. Wildcat (6) 4. Contradiction in terms (7) 6. Article of clothing (7) 8. Findings of a jury (7) 9. Of times long past (7) 11. Attack (6) 14. Dull pain (4) 17. Concealed (3)

Last issue’s crossword solutions: Across:1.Orchestra 7.Orbit 8.Rider 9.Era 10.Instep 14.Astute 15.Din 18.Femur 20.Igloo 21.Badminton Down:1.Oboe 2.Cabaret 3.Eats 4.Tyrant 5.Aid 6.Abrupt 11.Baffle 12.Mob 13.Stared 16.Kiwi 17.Triplet 19.Coin

See your pictures here. Email press.features@forgetoday.com or send a picture message to 07765363716.

Up the wall.

Cartoon: Kate Carson

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

27

Fixtures suggest that Hallam are scared of our greatest strengths

By Oliver Hughes After last year’s 20-20 draw, Sheffield’s challenge for this year’s Varsity trophy seems set to be yet another tightly fought contest. The University side will be hoping to lift the trophy for the first time since 2003.

Hallam should be quaking in their polytechnic boots after Uni kicked this year’s event off in style by giving them an old-fashioned drubbing up on the slopes.

A brilliant 5-1 victory sealed the Winter Varsity trophy and got the contest off to a great start.

A solid performance in the climbing has also aided Sheffield’s claim in getting their hands on the cup and, despite losses in rugby league and American football, Sheffield hold a 6-4 advantage going into the final few weeks.

Despite Hallam’s sporting prowess over the years, Sheffield have a number of teams more than capable of causing an upset.

Hallam were fortunate to escape with the joint title of Varsity champions last year and could have lost it by a single point if it wasn’t for blustery conditions at the Pennine Sailing Club.

Uni would have almost certainly been celebrating victory, having been favourites to seize the tie, but the adverse weather conditions that day meant the event had to be cancelled.

However, the lack of table tennis in the fixtures and men’s lacrosse only being a friendly takes away two almost guaranteed valuable

points from the University total.

Hallam seem to be too petrified to even think of fielding a table tennis team against the likes of Lisa Radford and Dominika Kolarova, who recently picked up silver medals in the BUCS Championships.

An even bigger carnival atmosphere is expected this time round Men’s lacrosse have steamrollered all those who have stood in their way this campaign and seemed untouchable as they emphatically sealed the league title and BUCS Championship

Cup in a perfect, peerless season.

In spite of the lack of men’s lacrosse as a competitive fixture, the women’s team will be chasing the point and look set for revenge after an epic fixture last time out which saw Hallam snatch the victory with a 12-10 scoreline.

The result was disappointing for the confident Uni team who felt that on another day they would have won.

Wednesday, April 1, sees the event come to its climax and an even bigger carnival atmosphere is expected than last time, with plenty of food and drink to supplement the Uni fans cheering the team on to an historic victory.

COMMENT & FIXTURES SPORT

Varsity fixtures SATURDAY MARCH 21

Men’s squash 1st, Hallamshire Squash Club

Sailing, Pennine Sailing Club

Men’s squash 2nd, Hallamshire Squash Club THURSDAY MARCH 26

Cycling: Cross Country Mountain Biking SUNDAY MARCH 22

Women’s ultimate frisbee, Goodwin Sports Centre, 7pm

Women’s football 1st, Bright Finance Stadium, 2pm

FRIDAY MARCH 27

Men’s football 1st, Bright Finance Stadium, 5pm

SATURDAY MARCH 28

TUESDAY MARCH 24

Cycling: Road race time trial, Tideswell, 1pm

Swimmng, Ponds Forge, 10am - 12pm

SUNDAY MARCH 29

Women’s canoe polo, Ponds Forge, 12.30pm - 2pm

Rowing, Damflask Rowing Centre, 7am

Men’s canoe polo, Ponds Forge, 12.30pm 2pm Men’s water polo, Ponds Forge, 1.30pm 3.15pm Women’s water polo, Ponds Forge, 1.30pm 3.15pm.

Korfball 2nd, Ponds Forge, 1.30pm - 3pm

Men’s hockey 3rd, Goodwin Sports Centre, 4pm - 5.30pm MONDAY MARCH 30 Women’s hockey 2nd, Goodwin Sports Centre, 7pm - 8.30pm Men’s hockey 3rd, Goodwin Sports Centre, 8.30pm - 10pm

Men’s volleyball 2nd, Ponds Forge, 5pm 6.40pm.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 1

Women’s volleyball, Ponds Forge, 8pm - 10pm Men’s cricket 1st, Graham Solley Sports Development Centre, 2.30pm - 6pm Men’s cricket 2nd, Graham Solley Sports Development Centre, 2.30pm - 6pm Women’s cricket, Graham Solley Sports Development Centre, 2.30pm - 6pm WEDNESDAY MARCH 25 Netball 3rd, English Institute of Sport, 10am Netball 2nd, English Institute of Sport, 12pm Netball 1st, English Institute of Sport, 2pm Athletics, English Institute of Sport, 12pm - 4pm Women’s basketball, English Institute of Sport, 12pm Men’s basketball, English Institute of Sport, 4pm Golf, Hallamshire Golf Course, 11.30am Cycling: BMX, Bolehill Recreation Ground, 5pm

Photo: Helen Munro

Women’s hockey 3rd, Goodwin Sports Centre, 2pm - 4pm

Korfball 1st, Ponds Forge, 3pm - 4.30pm

Men’s volleyball 1st, Ponds Forge, 6.40pm 8pm

Uni will be looking to improve upon last year’s tie.

Trampolining, All Saints Sports Centre, 7pm

Tenpin Bowling, Hollywood Bowl, 5pm

Men’s football 2nd, Norton Playing Fields, 11am Men’s football 3rd, Norton Playing Fields, 11am Men’s football 4th, Norton Playing Fields, 11am Women’s football 2nd, Norton Playing Fields, 11am Tennis, Abbeydale Tennis Centre, 9am - 4pm Ultimate frisbee, Abbeydale Women’s hockey 2nd, Abbeydale, 11.15am Men’s hockey 2nd, Abbeydale, 5.30pm - 7pm Women’s hockey 1st, Abbeydale, 12.45pm Men’s badminton, Abbeydale, 1pm - 4pm Women’s badminton, Abbeydale, 1pm - 4pm Men’s lacrosse, Abbeydale, 12pm Men’s rugby union 2nd, Abbeydale, 12pm Women’s lacrosse, Abbeydale, 2pm Men’s rugby union 3rd, Abbeydale, 2pm Women’s rugby union, Abbeydale, 2pm Men’s hockey 1st, Abbeydale, 2.30pm Men’s rugby union 1st, Abbeydale, 4.30pm

28

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

SPORT FEATURE

Chambers hopes to get his life back on track

Chambers won gold at the European Indoor Championships this month, but is still heavily criticised by people within athletics.

By Paul Garbett Without doubt, Dwain Chambers is one of the most controversial men in world sport. While some label him as a cheat who should never run again, others argue that he is a man who has served his time and should be supported by all involved in UK sport.

In August 2003, Chambers tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) and was handed a two year ban from world athletics, along with a lifetime ban from competing in the Olympics.

Fast track to 2009, and Chambers looks to be back at his best, even after a failed legal battle and attempts to make a career in rugby league and American football.

Having given athletics his full attention, he is running quicker than ever. Earlier this month, Chambers won gold at the European Indoor Championships, setting a new British and European record of 6.42 seconds in the semi-final of the 60 metres.

“Everything fell into place at the right time, there was long and hard preparation and I went there to win gold,” he said.

“The opportunity to break the British and European record in the semi-final was an added bonus, and something I’m really

pleased about because it bodes well for my preparation for the outdoor season.”

Now the European Indoor Champion, Chambers has seen a turnaround in his fortunes, with some promoters reversing their decision to ban him from lucrative Golden League events.

He went through Miami airport with enough drugs to “kill an elephant” Chambers said: “I’m very focused and completely dedicated to my athletics career now. A lot of positives are coming out despite the negative surroundings.

“I’m just grateful for the chance to compete against the best athletes in the world and the [athletics] meet promoter in Berlin has given a lifeline to me, which I’m very grateful for.”

Chambers in particular is looking forward to racing Olympic champion Usain Bolt, and feels that he could have pushed for a medal in Beijing.

“I’m certainly looking forward to competing against Usain Bolt, someone who I have never competitively come up against.

Watching the Olympics was frustrating, because the silver and bronze positions were up for

grabs.”

Despite his recent strong performances, Chambers is still a target of criticism from people within the sport. Even his record-breaking performance at the European Indoors was overshadowed by warts and all revelations in his new autobiography, which has already caused his former coach John Regis to threaten libel action.

“There was a lot of unnecessary pressure going into the Turin event, but it helped me run better than I wanted to,” the Londoner said.

“I can’t please everybody but I can try to please myself and go out there and achieve goals. My mistakes have been well polarised and they’ve shocked the sport, but at the same time I’ve shocked the sport by coming back and running faster than ever before.

“The athletes I deal with on a daily basis have never treated me any differently. The only people that have ever had a problem with me are those outside the scene.”

Chambers’ book provides a full account of his life story, including controversial details of his drug taking programme with sports nutritionist Victor Conte.

However, the 30-year-old believes the book gives him a chance to set the record straight.

He said: “My experiences

have been well-documented and everyone’s had a fair share of their own opinions about me.

“What’s important is that I get my side of the story across and put it here in black and white.

I hope that the book can give people a different mind et into my circumstances and hopefully people will understand my situation a bit more.”

In the book, Chambers labels himself as a “walking junkie” and recalls one incident when he was travelling through Miami airport with enough drugs in his luggage to “kill an elephant”.

Chambers lost his house and was borrowing £3.50 from his partner to train “It was very frightening experience. Any 24-year-old going through what I was would have been just as scared as me.

I got into a situation that was too late to get out of. I was already under investigation and was already in way too deep. I just had to ride the storm and hope things would turn out for the better: but they never did.”

Chambers has been outspoken on his opinion that there are still athletes using illegal substances, but feels that with procedures

in place, the sport is beginning to win the battle against drugs cheats.

He said: “I believe the system is being cleaned up. What I did was six years ago and the testing system has been vastly improved, based on the information I’ve been giving the world bodies.

“In Turin for example I was tested a number of times: before, during, and after. So I think they are doing their job and the sport is on a road to a cleaner success.”

Chambers’ comeback to athletics demonstrates an impressive psychological strength. Through his drug taking, he has suffered massive financial losses, moving from a six figure income to the point where he lost his house and was borrowing £3.50 from his partner so he could train at a local athletics track.

“It’s very difficult to keep positive but I’ve learnt to separate positively and negativity and it’s toughened me up,” he said.

“I realised my errors and have forgiven myself and others around me, but more than anything else I’ve become more educated and more focused.”

He added: “It’s going to be a long, hard few years, because there’s still going to be a lot of stuff surrounding me. I always knew it was going to be tough and I’m ready to climb the ladder.”

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

29

NEWS SPORT

Prince Naseem’s sparring partner turns around fortunes at Uni Boxing Club

By Michael Hunter Just months after staring extinction in the face, the University of Sheffield’s Boxing Club is going from strength to strength - with a little help from Prince Naseem’s ex-sparring partner.

Back in September 2008, club captain Joe Simpson cut a lonely figure at the Tough Guise Gym in Neepsend.

With only two regular members, the English Literature student did not even have enough support to set up stall at the annual Freshers’ Fair.

Now, though, it seems a distant memory as the Club’s bi-weekly training sessions continue to fill to capacity, with over 30 boxers coming through its doors on a regular basis.

“At the start of term the club was on its knees, really,” Simpson said. “It was pretty much finished and we were nearly closing down - it got to the point where it was just me turning up.”

But thanks to interest from several new students and renewed determination from Simpson and colleague Ed Atkins, the club has slowly managed to rebuild itself, and the third year student admits he is both surprised and delighted with the outcome.

“I am really pleased and it is such a change because going back to September it was very much on the cards that it was going down.

“This club is something that I have been proud of since I have been here.”

And under the watchful eye of ex-professional fighter Thomas Bradley, the University’s boxing talent finally has an opportunity to fulfil itself following a spell in the wilderness.

Bradley, a University of Sheffield graduate, runs the Tough Guise Gym on Hicks Street and is often involved in the students’ tuition.

The 36-year-old fought in 15 professional fights during the

Sheffield Boxing Club has grown into a thriving community over the past few months.

1990s, with a record of 10 wins (five by knockout), four losses and one draw. He also sparred with Prince Naseem Hamed during Naz’s domination of the featherweight division.

The guidance of Bradley has been a major factor in the club’s turnaround, while Simpson’s captaincy has brought stability after a turbulent couple of years

at the top.

The 21-year-old, who has been a fixture with the University’s Boxing Club for over two-and-ahalf years, is now encouraging more students to get involved, even those who have never stepped in the ring before.

He said: “I only started boxing when I came here because it was something that I always wanted

to do. There’s very, very few guys who come down here with much experience.”

But despite their lack of ring time, Simpson is excited by some of the talent now at the University’s disposal and is confident that the team will be strong enough to challenge for medals come the English Championships in December.

Photo: Helen Munro Plans are already afoot to run women-only sessions following interest from several female students, and a women’s club could well be in place by the start of the next academic year.

The University of Sheffield’s Boxing Club train on Wednesdays and Fridays from 1pm until 4pm at Tough Guise Gym on Hicks Street, Neepsend, Sheffield.

Brilliant Jackson swims world record in Sheffield

By Paul Garbett

Jackson is shocked after breaking the world record.

Photo: Helen Munro

Jo Jackson beat double Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington in a new world record time at the British Swimming Championships in Sheffield on Monday.

The Loughborough University student won the women’s 400m freestyle title with a time of 4:00.66, knocking nearly nine tenths of a second off the previous world record held by Italy’s Federica Pellegrini.

Rebecca Adlington, who was racing for the first time since her Olympic success, was also under the former world record with a time of 4:00.89 at Ponds Forge.

After the swim, Jackson said: “I knew I’d been swimming fast in training, but you never know how well you’re going to do at competitions. To get a world record has just blown me away, I’m so happy.

“I knew it was going to be so tough coming here, because Becky [Adlington] is swimming amazingly, she really pushed me and I wanted it so much.

“I was very happy with my

bronze medal at the Olympics but to come back and get a world record, it just shows that I’ve got more determination to swim quicker.”

With Jackson finishing in first place, Adlington will now have to swim in the Scottish Nationals in a bid to qualify for the World Championships in Rome this summer.

However, the Mansfield swimmer rejected claims from some critics that she would find it hard to stay motivated after her Beijing success.

“It’s never been a question of my motivation; it’s just the question of how to deal with the media attention,” she said.

“I’ve just turned 20 years old, and to deal with the amount of pressure and expectation on me has been harder than I ever thought. No one could train me for that, not even my mum and dad.

“I’ve just had to deal with it as best as I can and hopefully my performance in that race showed I’ve dealt with it quite well.”

Jackson believes that as a pair, the two swimmers can move on to win more medals and post faster

times. She said: “It’s really nice to be pushed by someone, if you’re out there on your own there’s not as much determination.

“When there are two of you going for the world record it shows that you’ve got to put more hard work in and hopefully we will keep pushing each other to go quicker and break more records.

“It’s great for British swimming to have both of us pushing for medals and world records.”

Jackson’s world record topped off an exciting start to the British Championships after Wales’ David Davies broke the British record in the first final of the competition.

The 24-year-old set a time of 3:45.24 in the men’s 400m freestyle, taking almost two seconds off David Carry’s previous best. The championships mark the start of an exciting period for British swimming, having secured a £15million sponsorship deal with British Gas. Plans were also announced last week for a ‘Ryder Cup’ of swimming to be held in Manchester later this year, where the best swimmers in Europe will compete against the USA.

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FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

SPORT REPORTS

Dominant Sheffield make it three in a row as climbing expertise pays off

By Jonathan Caldwell The University of Sheffield had a highly successful day at the BUCS Climbing Championships on Saturday, March 14, at The Climbing Works.

The Sheffield team took first place in the team event, finishing well clear of Newcastle and Swansea respectively.

Members of the University squad also enjoyed magnificent individual recognition. Third year Geography student Dan Varian won the men’s event, beating team mate Ned Feehally into second place by just two points.

Daniel Woolnough also finished a very respectable 24th out of a field of 212. Dan Waters finished in 40th place to round off a good day for Sheffield’s men.

In the women’s event, both Uni climbers finished in the top 10, with Raelene Cowie taking home the bronze medal having finished just two points away from the eventual winner from Swansea.

Elizabeth Swanson finished 10th.

The competition involved climbers completing a series of 25 “problems” on the climbing wall.

Completing the problem on the first attempt gained the climber the maximum 10 points while success on the second and third climbs were worth seven and four points respectively.

Sheffield has a history of success in the BUCS competition, winning the team event in the BUSA format for the last two years.

Varian explained after the event that this knowledge gave the Sheffield climbers confidence going into the event.

“Having won for the previous two years we were pretty confident.

Ned (Feehally) is a national champion and has been doing really well in world championship events so we knew we had a really strong team.

“Sheffield has one of the best climbing scenes in the world. We have four top walls in the city and overall there is just a strong climbing heritage.

“The facilities in Sheffield mean that the best climbers want to come here. The climbing scene was probably the main reason why myself and Ned came to Sheffield.”

Sheffield enjoyed great success in all categories in the climbing competition. Dan Varian (pictured) won gold in the men’s event.

Korfball boosted

By Pete Ford The BUCS weekend represented a great triumph for Sheffield’s korfball club following a much deserved 6th place from a highly competitive tournament, a boost they will hope to into next week’s Varsity clash.

With no injuries and, surprisingly, no suspensions to work around, Uni began the weekend in confident mood, pushing eventual semi-finalists Cambridge all the way in their opening pool match before losing 9-8.

Sheffield ran out comfortable 6-4 winners against a hardworking Edinburgh side in their second pool match, meaning victory against Cardiff would set up a quarter-final with city rivals Hallam. The side proceeded to produce the finest performance

of the day to destroy the Dragons 9-1.

Unfortunately it was not to be for Uni, who were stopped by a strong Hallam side. Despite a brave display, Hallam went on to win 7-5.

Sheffield still had something to play for in the shape of a fifth place play-off against St Andrews.

Despite taking an early lead, the Scottish side claimed victory by nine points to six.

Hallam went on to take third place comfortably, defeating Cambridge 8-4 with a devastating display of long shooting. The final, which saw pre-tournament favourites Nottingham face Birmingham, was won unexpectedly by Birmingham.

The underdogs raced into to an early lead and held out against a late onslaught, led by England international Joe Bedford, to win 11-8.

Photo: Sam Bennett

Students aid Steelers’ success

By Ross Turner Three students from the University of Sheffield are celebrating winning the Elite Ice Hockey League with the Sheffield Steelers for only the second time in the side’s history.

Randy Dagenais, Scott Basuik and Steve Munn were part of the team presented with the championship trophy following their win against the Newcastle Vipers on Saturday in front of 6,000 fans.

Although they still have two matches yet to play, the Steelers ensured their title win with a 3-1 victory over Newcastle, and are now looking ahead to the play-off finals.

Munn, currently studying for a Masters in Business Administration at the University, said: “I was here last year and there’s hardly been any turnover

in the squad at all; most of the guys wanted to come back because we felt we could have won it last year.

“We were knocked out of both cups pretty early on, but it was probably lucky because it meant we could focus on the league instead.”

Dagenais, who is on a scholarship at the University, said: “I think it would have been better if we had won it on the last day of the season, could you imagine how good that would have been?

“This whole night is a treat and to be able to share it with your fans is the best thing- just looking at how happy we have made them is worth all the hard work.”

General Manager Mike O’Connor was full of praise for his side. He said: “We are optimistic at the start of every season and always set goals to achieve.

“We thought we had recruited well enough and retained enough

of our top players to be a formidable force this year, so while it is a fantastic accomplishment, we always knew that it was possible.

“We battled hard all year long and it’s a testament to the team’s strength and commitment that we managed to keep our form going for the whole year.

“We ground out results that maybe another year, another team might not have won. Looking towards the future we’ll have to build on what we’ve achieved this year, and start to concentrate on the play-offs coming up.

“Rob Dowd did incredibly well in his first year as a professional hockey player, scoring 20 goals.

Our goalie Jody Layman was also outstanding and was a rock in the team throughout the year.

“I’ve also got to give credit to our Head Coach Dave Matsos who masterminded the league win; it would have been impossible without him.”

FORGE PRESS Friday March 20 2009

31

REPORTS SPORT

Captain calls for progress after athletics squad show potential in championships

By Paul Garbett Athletics captain Steve Garrett believes his side have the potential to become a strong force in university sport if the University promotes Sheffield’s athletics facilities and backs them with financial support.

The Sheffield squad failed to win any medals at the BUCS indoor championships, but showed promise with a number of athletes qualifying for the finals of their events and some posting indoor personal bests.

Garrett believes that with increased investment and further links with facility operators, The University of Sheffield could challenge to become one of the leading athletics teams outside of the UK’s top sporting institutions.

He said: “The University overlooks what facilities we’ve got in Sheffield and we really should have a stronger team.

“Whilst there aren’t any athletics facilities at the University itself, Sheffield has the best sports facilities in Britain.

“There are a lot of people who look at this university and don’t realise what strong sports facilities are available because the University doesn’t have any links with facilities providers.

That’s something as a club that we’re working on “Unless Sheffield decides that they want to spend more on sport then performances won’t drastically change.

“We might not be ever able to match universities like Bath and Loughborough, but with the right steps in place I think we can move up to the second tier and compete with places like Sheffield Hallam.”

Garrett singled out postgraduate student Sarah McCormack as Sheffield’s top performer over the weekend after she qualified for both the 1,500m and 3,000m finals, and recorded a personal best in both.

McCormack, from Michigan, USA, only had a 90 minute break in between the finals of both events, and she feels that fatigue stopped her from getting amongst

Photo: Marek Allen

Sarah McCormack (centre) running in the 1,500m final. She also qualified for the 3,000m final. the medals, having struggled to keep up with the pace at times.

She said: “I’m disappointed to not finish higher, but I’m a longer distance runner and not used to running these events.

“My legs were really tired from the earlier event, and I think they need to consider starting this meeting on a Friday night to allow more preparation for the long distance runners.”

Elsewhere on the track, the women’s 4 x 200m relay team of Alicia Roberts Brown, Laura Bealey, Danielle Svoboda and Suki Cirillo claimed fifth position in a team record time of one minute 47 seconds after the University of Wales Institute were disqualified

for dropping the baton outside their lane.

In the men’s long jump, Chris Wright added to Sheffield’s BUCS points total after an eighth placed finish, with a jump of 6.64 metres his best ever indoors.

Sheffield’s athletics team have improved massively after an embarrassing defeat to Hallam in last year’s Varsity meeting.

And captain Garrett believes the promising performances bode well for the BUCS outdoor championships which take place in Bedford in May. “I’m really happy with this weekend, especially with Sarah and the women’s relay team.

“I think we have been punching

above our weight at times and with Sarah particularly looking really good, we should do well in the BUCS outdoor championships.

“The BUCS outdoors could be a big one for us to show that we’ve improved even more. Our team is suited much better to the outdoor seasons and we’ve got a lot of athletes who specialise in the outdoor events.

“The team spirit will be even stronger, because it’s away from home and we’ll all be staying together in the same hotel which should create a really good atmosphere.”

The Sheffield team will also look to put in a strong performance when they face Hallam in the

indoor Varsity match at the English Institute of Sport later this month, a fixture which will be particularly interesting as both teams now train together.

Garrett said: “It’s going to be good fun because there will be a decent balance between serious competition and having a laugh.

“Linking with Hallam is definitely one of the reasons why our performance has improved so much in the last year.

“It’s given us a critical mass of athletes, where before we might have only had one or two athletes training for a particular event, we’ve now got a group of four or five which makes things a lot better.”

Sheffield’s Smith grabs BUCS karate silver medal

By Paul Garbett First year student Nick Smith claimed a silver medal in the BUCS karate championships last weekend, despite not fully understanding the rules.

The 18-year-old England international usually fights under the Karate Union of Great Britain rules and has not competed under the World Karate Federation rules since he was 15 years old.

However, the Physics student performed well to win a silver medal in the Men’s Kata competition, losing only to talented fighter Reece Taylor, from London South Bank University.

Following the silver medal, Smith said he was delighted to win his first BUCS accolade.

He said: “I wasn’t really expecting to win anything, so I’m really happy to have come second.

Reece Taylor was a very strong opponent in the final and I’d have

to really improve to beat someone of that standard.”

Smith said it was sometimes a struggle to adapt to the rules of the competition.

He said: “In the BUCS rules you can’t kick towards the head which is different to my federation’s rules. I kept making kicks and being warned by officials, which meant I had points deducted.”

With a BUCS medal in the bag, Smith now hopes to be selected

by England to compete in the ESKA European Championships in Austria in September and then go on to the WFKA World Championships in November.

He said: “I’m hopeful of representing England at both events so I’m looking forward to going out and performing well for my country.”

Smith currently trains at Leeds Karate Academy and admits that it is sometimes difficult to balance time between his sport and his studies.

He said: “At the moment I train twice a week in Leeds, but I’m going to have to start training at a club in Sheffield soon.

“It’s hard to manage my time between university work and training. And with the major championships coming up, it means I’ll have to take some time off uni to compete.”

Smith’s dreams of competing for Great Britain at the Olympic Games could also be boosted if karate is selected as a new sport by the International Olympic Committee when they meet in Copenhagen in October.

Karate has been shortlisted as one of seven sports which could be introduced at the 2016 games, with baseball, golf, rugby union, softball, squash and roller-sports the other contenders.

Smith said: “The Olympic vote is going to be massive for karate, because at the moment it isn’t valued enough as a sport and falls behind the other martial arts.”

Nick Smith kicks out on his way to a silver medal.

Photo: Sam Bennett

SPORT Table tennis duo take silver

Dwain Chambers exclusive Page 28

Full BUCS review Pages 30-31

National title for Uni after perfect season

Photo: Tom Walker

By Michael Hunter Uni’s Lisa Radford and Dominika Kolarova had to settle for silver in the women’s doubles at the BUCS Championships after being outclassed by a dominant London Metropolitan pairing.

It was a disappointing end to the BUCS campaign for Radford and Kolarova, who had strolled past the semi-final stage with a 5-0 thumping of Oxford University earlier in the day.

But the classy Chinese partnership of Feiming Yong and Shuying Xu proved too good in the final as they succumbed to a 3-0 defeat.

Yong, an Olympic semi-finalist at last year’s Beijing Games, and Xu, who was named Women’s Player of the Tournament, were in imperious form throughout the day at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport arena.

After storming past Bristol in the semi-finals they faced stiffer resistance from Sheffield but eventually ran out comfortable winners.

In the first rubber of the final, Kolarova went down in straight sets to Xu despite hitting a host of great winners. Radford also lost her singles rubber in straight sets to Olympian Yong.

In the third set, Radford showed great character to win two gruelling rallies while matchpoint down, but the Chinese recovered to take it 12-10.

The Uni pair picked themselves up to take the only set of the day from London Met in the doubles rubber, but in the end lost out 11-6, 11-3, 5-11, 11-3.

Radford said afterwards that she was disappointed to have missed out on gold but reserved praise for her partner.

Kolarova, a first year Law student, had been out of the game for almost three years before being tempted back to take part at this year’s Championships.

Radford said: “I never get to play this sort of standard of player in a normal English tournament.

“The two Chinese girls are ranked probably top 20 in China and it’s just a completely different sort of game out there; it’s their national sport and they play it all the time and they’ve got better training.

“It was difficult but it has been a good experience. I’m never happy to lose but a silver medal is fine.”

The men’s lacrosse team were crowned national champions following their victory over Nottingham last week.

By Chris Rogan Men’s lacrosse Uni 12 Nottingham 5 Sheffield’s men’s lacrosse team completed their perfect season with a comprehensive victory over Nottingham to win the BUCS Championship Cup in blustery conditions at Mount St. Mary’s.

Initially the match was a close affair, but Sheffield always looked the better side and began to pull away after dominating the second quarter.

The Nottingham side benefited from a shaky Uni start and took the lead slightly against the run of play in the 11th minute, and the Midlands side led 2-1 at the

first break.

It was not long after the change of ends, however, that Sheffield asserted their control and proceeded to endless create chances with perfect moves.

The Sheffield team continually tormented the Nottingham defence, with great goals coming from Ben Lyon and Jay Tunstall, who both put in fantastic attacking displays.

The third quarter continued in the same vein with Sheffield scoring straight from the whistle after a spell of quick pass-andmove play that characterised Uni’s game.

A short spell of Nottingham possession followed, pummelling the home defence and forcing a series of great saves from Sheffield goalkeeper Tom Little, who usually plays outfield.

Nottingham did eventually score but a combination of strong tackling and solid defensive play from Uni kept Nottingham at bay. To make matters worse for Nottingham, within 10 minutes of their purple patch three more Sheffield goals flew in to make the score at end of the quarter 9-4.

Uni eased to the now inevitable victory during the final quarter, with more professional play culminating in a brilliantly well-taken final goal just before time which really did show that Sheffield were playing at a higher level than their opponents.

The Sheffield side were deserved champions, outplaying and outclassing their opponents as they have done over the course of the whole season. Nottingham were at times made to look secondrate, a notion easily dispelled by

Photo: Helen Munro their own superb performances this season.

Sheffield captain Tom Bailey said after the match: “We were confident coming into this game, we’ve not lost once this season, but we didn’t want to start getting complacent now. A lot of the team have played with the Nottingham players in their local teams, and we knew that they would put up a good fight.

“I’m delighted that we won, this is the first time lacrosse has been a sport at this event so that makes victory a little bit more special.”

Bailey went on to praise the new members of the team, who unlike a lot of the Uni side were fresh to the sport this year. He said: “They were as integral to the season as the more experienced players, and it’s been good to have had them in the side.”