Forge Press #138

Opinion

Arts

Prisoners deserve easier student loan access

Science & Tech

We chat with writer and poet Charly Cox

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Plastic bags, and their failed job to save the world

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THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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ISSUE 138 | WEDNESDAY 6TH NOVEMBER 2019 | FREE

MPs set to be elected for third time in four years

Students came out in support of the lecturers during the previous strikes Image: Ben Warner

Ben Warner Editor-in-Chief

Sheffield lecturers back UCU strikes Ben Warner Editor-in-Chief

The University and College Union, which represents lecturers and staff at universities around the country, has heavily backed strike action in a ballot of its members.

Councillors at Sheffield Students’ Union will now be asked to vote in their inaugural meeting on Thursday 7 November on whether to support the striking lecturers through a

solidarity campaign, while also pledging to keep students more informed as the dispute progresses.

This would be similar to when Students’ Union Council voted to support previous UCU strike action in 2018, in a unanimous vote brought by then-Education Officer Stuart Macmillan.

This motion will be brought by Student Executive Committee, which is made up of the eight elected Students’ Union Officers.

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Current Education Officer, Charlie Porter, said of the vote for strike action: “It’s a shame that it’s come to this situation again so soon after the previous strike. As a Students’ Union we’re working to support our students and defend their education.”

The strike action was backed overwhelmingly around the country, with 79 per cent of UCU members balloted voting in favour of strike action over changes to

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the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which is related to their pensions. Meanwhile, 74 per cent backed strikes in the ballot over pay, casualisation, equality and workloads.

After the results of the ballot were announced on Halloween, the UCU’s Higher Education executive met on Friday 1 November to determine their next course of action, including whether to follow through on strike action, which could... (cont. on p5)

Voters in Sheffield are set to go to the polls to elect MPs for the third time in four years, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared a General Election for Thursday 12 December.

Parliament will dissolve today (Wednesday 6 November) ahead of over a month of campaigning in the first election to be held in December since 1923.

The bill calling the election passed the House of Commons by a margin of 438-20, with many Members of Parliament abstaining in the vote. The Labour Party also saw an amendment to move the election to Monday 9 December defeated by 20 votes.

It was thought that this amendment was aimed at ensuring more students are still at university before heading home for Christmas.

Labour’s Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central), Clive Betts (Sheffield South East) and Gill Furniss (Sheffield Hillsborough and Brightside) all voted in favour of the election, while Louise Haigh (Sheffield Heeley), independent Jared... (cont. on p7)

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Editorial

Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief Ben Warner Managing Editor Becky Sliwa Webb Deputy Editor Bethan Davis Deputy Editor Patrick Burke News Coordinator Tevy Kuch Sport Coordinator Michael Ekman LOF Coordinator Jack Mattless Entertainments Coordinator Ella Craig Entertainments Coordinator Ash Williams News Editor Lucas Mentken News Editor Georgie Marple News Editor Niall O’Callaghan Features Editor Anastasia Koutsounia Features Editor Bernadette Hsiao Opinion Editor Jack Mattless Opinion Editor Jack Redfern Arts Editor Kate Procter Arts Editor Rosie Davenport Lifestyle Editor Em Evans Lifestyle Editor Taylor Ogle Music Editor Ella Craig Music Editor Dana Raer Screen Editor Dan Cross Screen Editor Josh Teggert Games Editor Catherine Lewis Games Editor Ash Williams Science and Tech Editor Beth Hanson Science and Tech Editor George Tuli Break Editor Luke Baldwin Break Editor Alicia Hannah Sport Editor Alex Brotherton Sport Editor Harry Harrison

It’s been quite the couple of weeks since we last spoke, and in the last few days we here at Forge Press have been coming to terms with the fact we’ll be having a UK General Election in the next few weeks, the third in four years.

I’m not here to tell you who to vote for – what I am here to tell you is to make sure you have the opportunity to have your say on the election on Thursday 12 December.

Registering to vote genuinely only takes five minutes so there’s no reason you shouldn’t do it if you have the chance – as long as you’re a UK, Irish or Commonwealth citizen, you have the opportunity to register to vote here in the UK. You can also be registered in Sheffield and at home, so make an educated choice on where your vote will be most effective.

In News this issue, I’ve tried to give a bit more context to Sheffield’s political landscape, and each constituency, so take a look at that before you decide who to vote for.

However, not everyone thinks we should be having an election, and in Opinion a contributor details why it

isn’t the solution to get us out of this political impasse.

There’s also some tasty opinions in Lifestyle, as Opinion Editor Jack Mattless has taken a foray to the new Harley, and doesn’t like what he saw.

Personally I think he’s come to some very daft conclusions, but he’s taller than me so I’ve decided it’s best not to argue with him.

In Music, they’ve held a democratic vote of their own about the greatest British album of the 2000s. Unsurprisingly, a popular Sheffield band has come out on top, but which one? I’ll leave you to find out!

Screen’s very own Josh Teggert is trying to tackle the issue of deageing in films ahead of Robert De Niro being made to look significantly younger in The Irishman, coming out later this month, while Science & Tech have a some-might-say controversial article on how plastic bags were originally intended to save the world.

Political issues seem to run throughout this issue of the paper, and Brexit is, predictably, a big

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one. Arts’ Kate has teamed up with a contributor to write about how leaving the EU could affect the arts in the UK, and has produced a detailed analysis.

Lastly, a number of contributors and committee members have come together to write about the best music to be found in video games.

I’ve been political throughout my time at University, including twice becoming an elected SU Councillor for my department and last year running to be one of the SU Officers.

This political engagement has instilled in me more than ever the belief that people should use their democratic right, and that’s why I can only plead with you to make sure you have a vote this December.

It doesn’t matter who you vote for, or if you don’t care about politics in the slightest. This election will set the tone for the next five years in the country, and it’s vital you can have your say.

A packed Foundry at Pop Tarts; many students are in danger of having too much fun

Head of Design Claire Gelhaus Secretary and Social Secretary Tom Buckland Inclusions and Welfare Officer Chloe Dervey Head of Marketing and Publicity Giulia Carleton Head of Photography Chelsea Burrell Head of Online Aimee Cooper

Get involved Want to join the team? Get involved! This year’s committee want to have as many people writing for the paper as possible. No prior experience is necessary, just join the Facebook group Forge Press Contributors and come along to the regular members’ meetings, which happen every two weeks.

Contact editor@forgetoday.com or message us on Facebook with any questions.

Image: Chelsea Burrell

Editor’s Picks: What to do at EnableUS In Loyal Company with David William Bryan Saturday 9 November, 8.00pm

The Art of Being An Idiot with Lucy Hopkins 9-10 November, 10.00am-5.00pm

Sentinel with Richard Evans Thursday 21 November, 8.00pm

Tickets to see a performance of this true war story are just £6 for University of Sheffield students, and it’s well worth the trip. Written and performed by the lead character’s greatnephew, this tale sees his ship bombed on arrival in Singapore, and him going missing.

Slightly more on the expensive end, this two-day workshop will put you in touch with your ‘inner idiot’, opening up a whole world of performance opportunities once you let yourself go. Not for the fainthearted, but sure to be a lot of fun for those going. Early booking advised.

This audiovisual show puts on an impressive performance, full of themes including climate change and forced migration. Brought about by Richard Evans, this call-toaction should be an inspiring watch for students political or otherwise, who care about the world we live in.

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

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News in Brief

Got a story? press.news@forgetoday.com

News editors Tevy Kuch, Lucas Mentken, Georgie Marple and Niall O’Callaghan

SHEFFIELD More bus changes in Sheffield

UNIVERSITY £1.7m donated for sustainability work

NATIONAL Terror threat in UK downgraded

First South Yorkshire have announced that they are scrapping one bus service and diverting or changing the frequency of six other bus routes. Stagecoach are also thought to be changing their services in Sheffield as well as Chesterfield and Eckington.

The University has received a £1.7million alumni donation from Grantham Foundation to fund research into the sustainability and food, energy and water insecurity.

The funding will enable employment of Grantham Scholars to work on global sustainability issues.

The UK’s terrorism threat level has been downgraded from ‘severe’ to ‘substantial’, the first time since August 2014. Home Secretary Priti Patel said the UK is still at “a high level of threat”. Substantial is the third of five ratings at which the threat level can stand.

Image: P L Chadwick

Priti Patel MP

UNIVERSITY NUS Sustainabilty Summit held at SU

SHEFFIELD Council bid for green investment

NATIONAL Supermarket’s houmous recalled

The National Union of Students’ held it’s 6th annual sustainability summit in the SU. The summit included a keynote speech from Danielle Rowley MP, a workshop from the leaders of the Youth Climate Strike as well as a Q&A on how to fight the far right through climate justice.

Sheffield City Council is to bid for a ‘Transforming Cities Fund’ from the Department for Transport which could see £85m worth of investment going into sustainable transport over the next three years. The money would be spent on cycling, walking and bus corridors through the city.

A total of 17 houmous products have been removed from supermarket shelves over fears that they contain salmonella. Homous from supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsburys and Morrisons have been removed from shelves following warnings from the FSA.

SU respond to ‘My culture is not your costume’ criticism Niall O’Callaghan News Editor

Sheffield Students’ Union has come under criticism in the national media over their new ‘My Culture is Not Your Costume’ campaign.

The campaign released a series of posters depicting common Halloween costumes including insane asylum scrubs and traditional Native American headdress, with statements asking students to question “whether your costume choice mocks or demeans other people for their race, religion, culture or disability.”

However, in the national media it was represented as a ‘ban on sombreros.’

Sheffield SU’s Women’s Officer, Rosa Tully, launched the campaign in collaboration with BME Committee, and was quick to defend the campaign, saying it wasn’t a ban, but instead an educational campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the

issue at hand.

In a statement on her Facebook page, Rosa said: “I am so disappointed to see the message of the campaign be lost by sensationalist journalism, founded on misrepresented facts and the type of journalism which takes away from important and meaningful work done by representative groups to have their culture respected.

“I am proud to work on this campaign, especially with the support of the BME and Disabled Students’ Committee, and hope that students can see the importance of this and coming pieces of work.

The campaign followed recent NUS advice to ‘Check Your Costume’ after their campaign ‘Don’t let racism be the real horror this Halloween’.

“For me, [cultural appropriation] exposes one of the earliest, most enduring examples of racist ideals: the belief that people who belong to marginalized cultures are somehow

Women’s Officer Rosa Tully has been criticised over the campaign Images: Sheffield SU

less than human and that their language, dress, and customs aren’t worthy of the respect that people reserve for their own.” Rosa said.

BME Committee President Loma Jones said: “We just want people to be mindful of how their costumes might affect people, whether that

be culturally, racially or because of other aspects of their life and experiment.

“Everyone should be able to have fun as long as people take a second to check their costume isn’t singling out or offending any minority social group.”

Image: George Tuli

Uni voted as best-value student halls Rahul Warrier News Contributor

Students looking to find housing for the next academic year will be pleased to know that Sheffield has been named the cheapest city for student accommodation.

According to a survey carried out by sellhousefast.uk, the University of Sheffield offers the lowest average rent at £863 per month.

There are also 938 properties to let within a one-mile radius of campus, the fifth-highest among the 14 universities surveyed.

The universities chosen rank amongst the top in terms of student experience in the UK, while they also have some of the highest enrolment rates.

The University of Coventry comes in second in terms of average rent (£917 per month), but tops the table in terms of available properties (1,630).

Unsurprisingly, the location means that University College London and King’s College London rank as the most expensive properties to rent from £3,363 per month and £5,953 per month respectively.

Meanwhile, the University of Bristol ranks the lowest for available properties close to campus, with only 101.

This helps to solidify Sheffield’s status as one of the best university towns in the UK, and should encourage students when searching for new accommodation.

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News

Beloved pub Washington perseveres despite ransacking Lucas Mentken News Editor

The Washington is open as usual after a “nasty bout of vandalism” late at night on Thursday 24 October.

The popular pub on Fitzwilliam Street, just off West Street, put up posters on the building the next day explaining the incident.

The poster, said: “We’re very saddened to report that we were the victim of a pretty nasty bout of vandalism late last night, that resulted in many of our windows downstairs being broken.”

However, this did not stop the Washington from resuming work over the weekend.

“Obviously we’re not feeling too great, however we’re not going to let it stop us and we certainly don’t want to let it stop you and so we will be open as usual for the weekend,” the statement continued.

“Please forgive the slightly unsightly boards while we fix ourselves up and rest assured that we will be back to our full strength very very soon.

“See you tonight?”

The Washington Image: Tim Dennell

The following Monday The Washington posted on Facebook, thanking everyone who left their kind words of support following the recent damages.

The pub is in the process of getting new panes installed to keep the windows ‘in the same beautiful style’.

The venue has since been operating as normal hosting several live music and DJ performances including a free entry Halloween party on Thursday.

New cohort of Students’ Union councillors set to take office Ben Warner Editor-in-Chief

The Students’ Union has elected a new cohort of SU Councillors, with the winners having been elected in a glamorous event at Raynor Lounge on Thursday 24 October.

It comes after three days of voting by students, to choose the 46 new departmental councillors, nine representative councillors, and, for the first time, electing the Societies and Sports Councillors for a full year-long term.

Students have also voted for eight delegates to represent them at the National Union of Students conference in Liverpool in April.

The SU has made efforts this year to increase the publicity around Council, in order to highlight the important work it does as the highest decision-making body in the Students’ Union, holding the SU Officers to account and approving new SU policies.

After the week of voting, the Council has a nearly full complement of councillors, although in some departments no candidates stood, or the winners have since resigned from the position.

In the Landscape and Russian & Slavonic Studies departments, no students nominated themselves, while in the French and Hispanic Studies departments both winners

have since stepped down. Due to there being no other candidates, these positions will be elected in department-wide by-elections in the coming weeks, should they be

The SU has made efforts this year to increase the publicity around Council, to highlight its work approved by Council.

However, there may be disappointment that this year represented a big fall in the number of candidates for the roles, down

Constituents name their top concerns in ‘Big Conversation’ James Cottis News Contributor

Constituents in Sheffield Central have named their biggest concerns ahead of the upcoming general election.

It comes following the annual consultation by local MP Paul Blomfield, which he calls the Big Conversation. He has just released the report of the consultation, which ran from Friday 13 September to Saturday 5 October.

The findings of the consultation were based on 968 constituents who attended one of 37 meetings over a month, with a further 1,051 constituents also responding to a written or online survey.

The survey found that 49 per cent constituents considered Brexit to be their primary concern, while 71 per cent of respondents supported the idea of a second referendum, and 77 per cent supported remaining as a member of the European Union.

Brexit aside, constituents brought up concerns over a number of issues, such as the NHS, housing, education and transport. The report considers that there was an underlying theme to the issues that constituents raise, that residents are unhappy with what they see as nine years of cuts to public services as well as much of the voluntary sector.

36 per cent of respondents in the

survey considered health and social care to be their primary concern, with it being the second most spoken about issue within meetings. The report notes that: “The effect of cuts were evident, with talk of staffing problems, long waiting times for GP services and many treatments, and a feeling that it was a deep crisis.

There was a similar view on the funding crisis in social care creating difficulties for many, including the availability of respite care.

“Constituents raised concerns over ‘crime and homelessness, rising use of food banks, cuts in benefits and particularly their impact on people with disabilities.

Issues were raised about the applications and appeals process, and the effect that the use of sanctions by the Department of Work and Pensions has; and the unfairness of the bedroom tax was raised.”

Among city wide concerns, constituents brought up Sheffield City Council’s handling of tree felling, Chapel Walk scaffolding and street lighting, alongside “sport and extra-curricular activities in disadvantaged areas; over-development of the city centre; the current lack of political representation in Hallam constituency; [and] litter in the city centre.”

almost a hundred on last year’s total.

The turnout for this year’s elections also fell, to 12.6 per cent from just over 15 per cent last year.

The first Council meeting of the year, when Officer’s objectives for the year will be approved by the new set of councillors, will take place on Thursday 7 November.

They will also elect a whole host of Council-approved role, including the Chair and Vice-Chair, as well as appointees to various Students’ Union committees.

They will also be asked to vote on a motion supporting striking lecturers and informing students following the UCU ballot results (read more on front page).

Sheffielders at an Armistice service in the city centre in 2018 Image: Neil Theasby

Paris nightclub closes down with farewell party Georgie Marple News Editor

After the final SCENE Saturday event at Paris Sheffield on Saturday 2 November, the Carver Street nightclub has been said to have closed their doors for the final time.

SCENE at Paris has been a popular, regular Saturday night club event which has been running since November 2014, created by Organised Chaos Events. Paris have branded their regular Saturday night event as “Sheffield’s undisputed Saturday night hotspot.”

There has been no official

statement from the club addressing their closure and there are no scheduled events online after their final SCENE event on Saturday 2 November.

The Organised Chaos Facebook page teased there would be an announcement about the return of SCENE in the weeks following the club’s closure, and indeed followed it up with a video announcing the countdown to the news.

The video states there will be an announcement on Sunday 10 November. However, no further details have been released about what people can expect.

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

Reclaim the Night returns for another year Tevy Kuch News Coordinator

This year’s Reclaim the Night march for women’s rights will campaign against sexual violence and gendered racism.

The march, which will be led by the SU Women’s Officer, Rosa Tully,

aims to address the normalisation of sexual violence, encouraging people to ‘resist against violence against women’ and to “call for an end to gendered racism”.

This comes after a report which states that one in three women experience gender-based violence worldwide. The statistic is higher

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News when taking into account of trans women and women of colour.

Rosa said: “Reclaim the Night is an annually organised march to take back the streets. This is in the wake of a recent rises in hate crime, xenephobia and racism in society, which is fundamentally a feminist issue.

“It will be both a powerful and informative event. Protests have been a political campaigning tactic used by successive feminist movements, many with great

success and we are proud to be using direct action to make our voices heard.”

Last year’s rally featured speeches from representatives of local charities and performances led by student societies.

The protest is set to take place at Sheffield Cathedral on 23 November at 6.00pm. The protest will only be open to cis, trans and other gender identities that include woman, and will be preceded by a rally open to people of all genders.

A zombie from The Walking Dead Image: Movie DB

Maths PhD student works out how to survive the apocalypse Ben Warner Editor-in-Chief

A placard from the 2018 UCU pensions strike on campus Image: Ben Warner

46 UCU institutions vote for more strike action Ben Warner Editor-in-Chief

(cont. from front) ...take place at any time in the next six months before the ballots become invalid.

Under trade union law, turnout in a strike ballot must be 50 per cent in order for it to be legitimate, and this threshold was beaten in 41 of the institutions polled. The law doesn’t apply to Queen’s University Belfast, or the University of Ulster, meaning 43 universities could go on strike, affecting over 950,000 students in the UK. The University of Sheffield was one of the institutions which beat the turnout threshold, and voted

heavily in favour of strike action 83.5 per cent on whether to strike, and 88.9 per cent on whether to support action short of a strike.

Jo Grady, the UCU general secretary and a former University of Sheffield staff member, said: “The results can only be interpreted as clear support for strike action over pensions, pay and working conditions. The ballots reflect just how unhappy and angry staff are at the state of higher education in the UK. “It is incredibly frustrating that we had to ballot members again, but universities only have themselves to blame after failing to address falling real-terms pay and for refusing to

deal with casualisation, workloads and the rising cost of USS pensions.

“Universities now have to come back to us prepared to work seriously to address these problems. If they choose to ignore this message from their staff then strike action looks inevitable.”

This would be the second time the UCU have engaged in prolonged strike action in two years, having previously struck over pensions in spring 2018.

For the duration of the strikes in 2018, lecturers rallied outside department buildings, and some encouraged students to support the strike by not going to lectures. The SU was vocal in their support of the

striking lecturers, partaking in the multiple marches which made their way through the city centre.

The strikes eventually culminated in an occupation of the Arts Tower by a group of students, who were criticised for the impact it had on other students working on end-ofyear-projects.

After 14 days of strike action over five weeks, including action short of a strike on non-strike days, the strikes drew to a conclusion and lecturers returned to work.It’s unclear whether the same amount of days of striking will happen this time too. Lecturers are still likely to take action short of a strike, which means only working to contract.

Maths PhD students at the University of Sheffield have explained how to survive a zombie apocalypse, in an attempt to highlight the importance of vaccinations.

They developed the project in order to explain how diseases spread in the real world. An SIR model was used to show how either sending in the military or attempting to fight zombies would lead to more people becoming infected.

The research showed that the best method of dealing with the outbreak would be to domesticate the zombies, which in real life would be the equivalent of a vaccination.

The second best solution would be to hide from the zombies, providing you weren’t found by them.

The maths on which the model is based, while used in a fictional case here, is also used by scientists and public health professionals in order to model the spread of disease.

Fay Frost, a PhD researcher involved in the project from the University of Sheffield, said: “The project we presented to the public highlights the exciting possibilities of mathematics.

“With this project we used a fun familiar concept to represent real research into disease conducted at the University of Sheffield.”

The project was presented at Green Man Festival in Wales. The researchers created a ‘zombie outbreak’ in which they ‘infected’ over 2,000 volunteers Infected ‘zombies’ could then come back to learn about the project and what the mathemeticians were doing.

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Mayor keeps up pressure on Hope Valley rail upgrades Henry Lock News Contributor

Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis has met again with Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, to further encourage the acceleration for the upgrade of the Sheffield to Manchester Hope Valley rail line.

Jarvis said: “Passengers in South Yorkshire have been forced to endure endless delays, cancellations and unreliable services for far too long.

“I’m calling on Network Rail to bring real pace and urgency to the Hope Valley line upgrade.”

This follows last month’s calls from Jarvis, Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham and Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake for compensation and replacement of the outdated Pacer trains used across the North, including on the Sheffield to Manchester line.

Over 100 turn out for Hong Kong solidarity march Niall O’Callaghan News Editor

Over 100 demonstrators took to the streets for a ‘March Against Totalitarianism’, walking from the railway station to the Peace Gardens on Saturday 2 November.

The demonstration, organised by the group Sheffield Stands With Hong Kong, was to show solidarity with the Hong Kong protestors.

The protesters were carrying placards and chanting slogans such as ‘there are no rioters, only tyranny’ and ‘liberate Hong Kong’, according to The Sheffield Star.

This was the latest in a series of pro-democracy protests in Sheffield.

Last month there were clashes between Hong Kong protestors and Chinese students on Fargate.

The clash resulted in a Chinese student being arrested and suspended from the University.

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News

Students’ Union rallies support for second youth climate strike Niall O’Callaghan News Editor

Sheffield Students’ Union is calling on students to join the Global Youth Climate Strike on Friday 29 November.

Students are being encouraged to support the strike by meeting on the SU concourse at 10.00am on 29 November, and then march to join the city-wide strike led by the Youth Strikers, taking place in the city centre.

School students around the world have been leading the fight against the climate crisis, mobilising over seven million people globally during the previous Global Climate Strike which took place on Friday 20 September.

Now, organisers are calling on the wider population to go on strike. They are hoping that people everywhere walk out “of their homes, their offices, their farms, their factories.”

Organisers hope to “disrupt business as usual: from sports stars, actors and teachers to food industry workers, psychologists, delivery drivers and everything in between.”

SU Development Officer Harry Carling is behind the Students’ Union support of the strike, alongside Womens’ Officer Rosa Tully and Education Officer Charlie Porter.

Harry said: “We coordinated an hour of full shut-down of the SU in support of the Global Climate Strike

The rally outside the SU following the September strike Image: Sheffield SU

in September, as well as hosting a rally on our concourse which led to hundreds of students joining the

Only the power of a mass movement in our streets, workplaces and classrooms can achieve such a change city-wide march.

“As successful as this was, it’s crucial that we don’t lose

momentum, which is why we’re calling for student support in November’s Global Youth Climate Strike.

“At Sheffield Students’ Union we’ve been ambitious in our initiatives to combat the climate crisis, from lobbying the University to switch to clean energy providers and divest from fossil fuel companies, to promoting consumer lifestyle changes through our Zero Waste Shop.

“We need to transform our whole economy, with climate justice at the heart of every action.

“Only the power of a mass

movement in our streets, workplaces, classrooms and Universities can achieve such a change.

“We look forward to standing with students on 29th November to show our continued support for the Global Climate Strikes and the future of our planet.”

The Students’ Union recently also launched a climate crisis steering group in an effort to get more students involved in climate justice.

Led by Harry, Charlie and Rosa, students were split into focus groups and asked how their faculties could be more sustainable.

Protesters seige detention centre Georgie Marple News Editor

Protestors outside the removal centre Image: Jasmin Deans

A group of Sheffield students, with the movement Student Action for Refugees (STAR), attended a protest on Saturday 26 October in support of the campaign ‘These Walls Must Fall’.

The protest took place outside Morton Hall Removal Centre, which is an immigration detention centre that is run by the police service.

The campaign works to change the way claims and asylum applications are processed, and also aims to end indefinite detention, which is thought to worsen the already bad

mental health crises that are ripe in detention centres.

STAR also attended to protest the conditions in which refugees and asylum seekers are held, with medical care often being denied, on some occasions directly leading to detainees’ deaths.

Almost 30,000 people are locked up in detention centres each year, with the aim of these people being removed from the UK because they do not have the correct immigration papers.

However, over half of the people detained do not end up getting deported and are granted the right to remain in the UK.

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

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News

Jake Verity tells students to exercise their right to vote Ben Warner Editor-in-Chief

(cont. from front) ...O’Mara (Sheffield Hallam) and the Liberal Democrats’ Angela Smith (Penistone and Stocksbridge) abstained.

The deadline to register to vote ahead of the crucial poll is midnight on Tuesday 26 November, and SU President Jake Verity encouraged as many students as possible to have their say, emphasising the power students can have.

“Politics impacts all students. It affects the jobs that are available after we graduate, our healthcare system, housing, transport, the

future of the planet, and so many other aspects of our lives,” said Jake.

“General elections give us the opportunity to have our voices heard and to vote for the things that matter the most to us.

“So if you find yourself complaining that your student loan can’t cover your rent, or that your landlord won’t repair something in your house, or that the train fare to go back home has gone up again, then you are ‘political’. Voting in the general election is your chance to make your views count, and change the things that you want to change.

“Students can make a huge difference in this election. It’s vital that the views of all groups and

communities in our society are properly represented in the result of the election, including young people. By turning up to vote, students are putting the issues that young people face high up on the politicians’ agenda, helping pave the way for future generations to come.”

This marks the fifth national vote in the United Kingdom since 2015, including three General Elections.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will go head-to-head with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a televised debate on ITV on Tuesday 19 November, while Forge Press will also be covering any hustings held here in Sheffield.

Sheffield is home to six constituencies, but only two of them are widely seen as student constituencies - at least for University of Sheffield students.

Sheffield Central is home to more students than any other constituency in the country, and was won by Labour’s Paul Blomfield in the last election.

Sheffield Hallam, formerly Deputy PM Nick Clegg’s seat, is home to Endcliffe and Ranmoor, and was won by Jared O’Mara in the last election, quitting the Labour Party in 2018.

It’s unclear whether O’Mara will restand this time round, however the majority of Sheffield’s MPs are

expected to.

The only known exception at this stage is Angela Smith, formerly MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge. She defected to the Liberal Democrats this year. Smith is standing in Altrincham and Sale West in Greater Manchester.

Students can vote either in Sheffield or in their home constituencies, as long as they have registered at https://www. gov.uk/register-to-vote.

If you’re away from home and want to vote there, you can apply for a postal vote, or a proxy vote where someone votes on their behalf if they can’t be there in person.

Sheffield constituencies profiled Sheffield Central

Sheffield Hallam

Sheffield Central includes much of Crookesmoor, Broomhall and Broomhill, and is home to more students than any other constituency. It was won by Labour’s Paul Blomfield in 2017, and he is being challenged by the Lib Dems’ Shaffaq Mohammed and the Greens’ Alison Teal.

Sheffield Hallam contains both Endcliffe and Ranmoor student villages, as well as areas such as Crookes and Dore. It is currently represented by independent Jared O’Mara, but the current known candidates are Laura Gordon (Lib Dem), Nathalie Thomas (Green) and Olivia Blake (Labour).

Sheffield Heeley

Sheffield Hillsborough and Brightside

Currently represented by Labour’s Louise Haigh, Heeley is to the south of the city and isn’t home to many University of Sheffield students.

Traditionally a Labour stronghold, Haigh will be going up against the Liberal Democrats’ Simon ClementJones and Paul Turpin of the Green Party if she re-stands.

Hillsborough and Brightside is made up of areas as varied as Burngreave, Hillsborough and Shiregreen, and has been represented by Labour’s Gill Furniss since a 2016 by-election.

If Furniss decides to stand again for the seat, she’ll be up against the Lib Dems’ Stephen Porter.

Penistone and Stocksbridge

Sheffield South East

Angela Smith was elected as this area’s Labour MP in 2017, but defected to join The Independent Group then the Liberal Democrats earlier this year. She’s standing in Manchester instead next month, leaving this as an open contest in South Yorkshire.

Sheffield South East has been represented by Clive Betts since 1992, and includes areas such as Beighton, Darnall and Woodhouse.

Very few students live in the area, where Rajin Chowdhury is challenging Betts for the seat in the General Election.

This information was up to date at the time of printing. Other candidates may also run in these constituencies.

Calling all Women in Sheffield!

This November

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Wednesday 6 November 2019

9

Anastasia Koutsounia Bernadette Hsiao Features Editors

Features

Hello everyone! Hope you’ve had a lovely halloween and didn’t had to nurse too much of a hangover!

Another exciting issues is here with topics for all preferences: We have Kieran Collins delving into the way media choose to cover conflicts between states, Emily Finan examining the issue

of academic cheating and all the extremes measures colleges have resorted to in the past years to deal with it, and finally Richard Green with a scrutinising piece on the media’s unfair treatment of the Royal family members.

We hope you enjoy this issue and if you have any ideas you would like to develop, don’t hesitate to drop us an email at press.features@forgetoday. com

Money can buy you anything... even citizenship?

Tristan Dubec explores the industry of citizenship: who it benefits and who it leaves behind.

Tristan Dubec Features Contributor

Citizenship has been at the heart of the news in recent years, linking the idea of identity that has been used by every far-right politician to advance a racist rhetoric and to further antiimmigration policies. European countries who adhere to this has been sitting back and doing nothing while thousands of immigrants die in the Mediterranean.

In the current climate it is quite surprising that people can buy citizenship. However, once you start digging, there is a whole industry which has brought 20 billion pounds to European countries (including the UK) over the past ten years.

Indeed, for many countries CRBI (Citizenship and Residence

by Investment) represents a large amount of income. An example of this would be Dominica. Hit by a massive natural disaster in 2017, the International Monetary Fund calculated that the selling of citizenship made up 16% of the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product); a percentage that actually represented a large part of the income that helped rebuild the country. Another country that has benefited from this scheme is Malta, where the sale of citizenship has helped it in its recent economic growth. Especially after the 2008 crisis, this new source of income has helped the country boost its economy.

Simultaneously, big companies, such as Hensley and Partners, CS Global and Apex, have profited from these schemes all now specialising in the Citizen by Investment programme (CIB). These schemes target an international audience, as seen in the advert of Hensley and Partners in which they show different European capitals to mirror the international value of

their passports. Additionally, the advert shows children going to school, reflecting the educational value of having a golden visa.

However, what these adverts do not show is that often the money gained from these passports does not flow through society but stagnates in the elite’s hands. A representation of this would be the island of Vanuatu, where many people claim a passport from the country without even setting foot on the island. The money made by these passports is held in the hands of a small minority. A report from the BBC presents that many local communities feel cheated by the money gained from these passports, after being promised by the government that the funds would go towards rebuilding homes destroyed

by Cyclone Pam in 2015.

Furthermore, in Europe many politicians are scared of the threat that these passports could have.

A passport bought from Malta is a gateway to the Schengen Area.

Criminals and criminal gangs have exploited these loopholes. Examples of these include the Brazilian business executive caught in a scandal and Russian oligarchs trying to bypass the European sanctions on Russia. Additionally, many tax evasion schemes are put in place with these new passports. The European Union fears the importation of highly corrupt individuals and bringing a lot of tax evasion. In response, for example, the UK has increased its surveillance of the distribution of golden visas to rich Russian oligarchs after the Salisbury poisoning. The government also announced that it would review 700 passport applications from wealthy Russians under this scheme.

In addition to posing a threat by the importation of corrupt individuals, the golden visa scheme can be dangerous in terms of money

laundering. The schemes do not offer strong enough checks so there is a risk that the money used to invest in them may be illicit. Since to get a golden visa you have to invest a lot of money in the country you are applying to, the European commission has raised the alarm because the transparency behind such transactions is very blurry.

The money gained from these passports does not flow through soicety but stagnates in the elite’s hands Malta has also been under the spotlight recently, with the death of journalist Daphne Carvana Galizia, killed by two explosives that had been placed under her car. Just before her death, she was investigating the abuse of the Malta scheme and had multiple lawsuits against her.

Malta’s golden visa scheme has been seen as the one with the least back-up checks. For many European politicians, this situation could

become a Trojan horse that may see high profile criminals coming to the E.U. Consequently, many countries have increased their grip on these policies. The United States have cut down on their EB-S programme, Canada has cut down drastically the number of passports it is selling, and the European Union is investigating many countries such as Malta, Hungary and Portugal passport schemes. What they want is more transparency in who is receiving these passports and what activities they are linked to.

In many other countries such as Vanuatu or Dominica, you can purchase a passport for less than £100,000 without much scrutiny.

These countries are often seen as gateways to America and the European Union.

Even though the European Union is tightening its check on CIBS, they still welcome wealthy citizenship seekers warmly. Contrastingly, migrants trying to obtain European citizenship to seek Asylum and escape the horrors of war are treated in a very different way. This week at the European Parliament a vote was held on improving the rescue

and search of migrants in the Mediterranean, but it was rejected.

In the Hensley and Partners advertisement, the slogan ‘citizens of the world ‘is repeated, while showing upper class people going about their daily lives. In stark contrast, migrants who are trying to cross to Europe are treated in an inhuman way. The notion of border and citizenship has never been bandied about more than to speak about the migrants trying to seek asylum in Europe. Paradoxically, Hungary, a country currently investigated by the European Union, offers CIBS for $300,000.

In a world of growing inequalities, immigration is not spared from this trend. In this era, if you have money, you are greeted warmly and given citizenship, while if you are poor you are treated with indignity. As shown in the Hensley and Partner’s advert, global citizenship is only available to the rich while the poor will only suffer injustice. Furthermore, this growing injustice is tied to corruption and profit; large corporations and government representatives make money from these schemes while local populations get nothing.

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forgetoday.com

Features

The rise of academic dishonesty and the reasons behind it Emily Finan Features Contributor

Writing half your essay on your arm, tucking an incriminating piece of paper inside your pencil case or calculator and even using stationary branded with mathematical equations - these are all familiar exam ‘helpers’ that we all remember being used during our time in secondary school. Academic institutions will go to great lengths to nip dishonesty in the bud.

In mid October of this year, images from The Bhagat PreUniversity College in Haveria, India, went viral depicting students wearing cardboard boxes over their heads in an effort to stop them from copying off each other during an exam. The college has since apologised but it is not by far the worst idea institutions have resorted to. In China, the National College Entrance Examination or commonly known as the ‘gaokao’ is taken by final year highschool students as a prerequisite for undergraduate education. The examination is one of national importance, placing extreme pressure on students to perform well to secure a degree and provides an opportunity for poorer students to access the stepping stones required for a good job in the future. Closed circuit television and metal detectors are installed into exam halls to deter cheaters.

A teacher at Kasetsart University, Thailand, made students wear horse blinker type paper headwear in order to keep wandering eyes in check.

The pictures were then removed from the KU Student Administrative Board’s Facebook page following criticism and a dean of the College, Mr Sangsrit claimed that publication of the image has deeply damaged the university’s reputation.

With such fierce measures against cheating being taken all around the world and such immense potential consequences, it can often be hard to

understand how any student has the pluckiness to resort to such deceit. Despite that, instances of academic cheating have been on a consistent rise in modern times.

Figures released by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment showed that 115 cases of students caught cheating in examinations occurred in 2018. A huge increase compared to only 55 in 2014. But why is this happening?

Many cite the rise of the smartphone to be responsible; with our technology advancing and developing at a breakneck speed, it should be expected that our devices would become a useful tool in helping ourselves and deceive others. With apps such as Socratic, which gives you the answers to test questions when provided with a photograph of them; and Shlif, which by connecting you with classmates, allows you to communicate the answers through coded messages, the smartphone becomes a possibility for all kinds of academic dishonesty.

In addition to smartphones, the relatively modern invention

115 cases of students caught cheating in examinations occurred in 2018.

A huge increase compared to 2014 of smart watches has also thrown a spanner into the examining system’s cogs. Many students would argue that a watch is crucial exam equipment when it comes to time management and yet, a ban has been placed on smart watches in some exam halls. In fact, Sir

John Dunford, the chairman of the ‘Report of the Independent Commission on Malpractice’, a review commissioned by British exam boards, called for a ‘blanket ban’ on all forms of watches in exam halls in an effort to crack down on academic dishonesty, arguing that conventional looking smartwatches make deceit easier to achieve for students. With a visible increase in the use of smart watches that look misleadingly like analogue watches appearing on the market, the concerns of exam officials over the use of watches in dishonest practises can be deemed understandable. In 2016, 3,000 students in Thailand were forced to re-sit their university entrance exam after candidates were discovered to have used small cameras in their glasses to record the test paper and then transmit the answers to smartwatches from an outside

source.

As the internet’s value in our lives continues to become more vital while being on the fast track road of evolution, students are gaining

access to all kinds of available resources. One such is the new phenomena of ghost-writing services. Many agencies such as ProCreative Writers, Academic Pulse and Custom Writings will write academic essays for students in exchange for a sum of money.

This could be appealing for those attempting to juggle multiple deadlines at once and also, as suggested by The Guardian in 2014, may remove the disadvantages faced by students who are studying a course in a non-native language.

Though the process of ghost writing itself is not illegal, submitting the work is undeniably plagiarism which, in the University of Sheffield alone, has consequences of expulsion from one’s respective course. In Spain in 2016, two students even faced a year’s jail time for attempting to sit each other’s exam paper, with officials deeming their acts as ‘falsifying legal documents’.

But with such detrimental consequences, why are students still compelled to be academically dishonest?

The education system is constantly under scrutiny for its deficiencies. Many students, as well as teachers, agree that formal examinations do not provide an accurate measurement of intelligence, and exam-related stress has been proven a key factor in students developing mental health

In Spain in 2016, two students even faced jail time for attempting to sit each other’s exam paper issues. The deep rooted frustration at the often futile examination system could lead to cheating out of desperation to reach unrealistic target grades. Particularly, in situations where the consequences of failure are seemingly greater.

In an age where exam culture is translated as pulling all nighters and having breakdowns in the library, the rising pressures of university exam results cause extreme stress in students, often adversely affecting their examination performance.

In a world where many young people feel that they are numbers and statistics in institutions rather than valued human beings, it is understandable that extreme pressure and stress will inevitably lead to academic dishonesty.

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

11

Features

Meghan Markle: a trigger word for tabloids and a hotspot for gossip Richard Green Features Contributor

It’s no secret that the tabloids are completely obsessed with the Royal Family. From what they are wearing in their latest outing, what they eat or the fact that Meghan Markle closed her own car door, which became the biggest news of 2019.

They simply can’t get enough. But the big question is why?

The entire tabloids system is based on selling. If your tabloid paper is not making money, then it might easily be brought down by its competitors and become a thing of the past.

Because of this, tabloids do not work based on what people need to know, but on what is going to increase sales. And usually, the people who pick up these papers are loyal or at least passing fans of the Royals. As a result, these tabloids feature them heavily. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the actions that actually impact the general public, anything and everything about their everyday life is thrown in and exaggerated to keep them current; meaning that the majority of royal news is a steaming cesspool of strawclutching and rehashing. Or, in the case of the Daily Express, reminding people regularly that yes, Princess Diana did once exist.

Meanwhile, Prince Andrew and his connections to the absolute horror that was Jeffrey Epstein are being given significantly less coverage.

Why? Because cheap headlines, scandals and speculation, rather than detailed investigations, sell better. It would be a generalisation to say that every reader is a staunch royalist, but as it appears, the likes of Murdoch know exactly what they are doing. It’s not just the tabloids, listening to Nicholas Witchell on the BBC fawning over the royals can be enough to make you retch.

Do the royals serve any real purpose? According

to Brandfinance.com, a 2017 study revealed they bring in up to £550 billion of the tourist revenue, outweighing their costs to the British taxpayer. Yet, the question comes down to whether, ethically, having an unelected Royal Family living in opulence is right, bearing in mind that it does not only include the main figureheads, but an entire institution. For some, there is a sense of national pride, for others it is a complete scandal. While I certainly am not rushing to get them ‘off their thrones’, I do wish that as a country we’d stop being so obsessed with them and stop feeding the tabloid’s assumption that everyone is seeking this type of news. Holding members accountable for their actions and placing them, as political figures and not celebrities, under greater scrutiny should be the main purpose of news outlets. However, whether we like it or not, the Royal family is a vital tourist attraction and we cannot deny its profitability to the country’s economy and general image. Even if they could do with a massive shakeup.

The tabloids however, really don’t seem to like one member of the royals: Meghan Markle. All things considering, we shouldn’t be quite so surprised. This is a mixed-race American woman who backed Hillary Clinton in the last US Presidential Election, branded Donald Trump “misogynistic”, and expressed disappointment at the outcome of the result of the EU referendum in 2016. In essence, she is not the quintessential Daily Mail reader. So, it should be expected that the press are being harsh on Meghan and, ever since she has become a member of the Royal Family, they have shown little to no mercy when attacking

her. Should we also be outraged and condemning the treatment?

Absolutely.

There is the unrealistic expectation that the Royal Family are to keep up a stoic, strong face and respect their beloved institution.

Of course, when Prince Harry got drunk in Vegas in 2012 and photos of his luxurious pool party were quite literally splashed across the papers, you could find many comments on how he was just a young bloke being a young bloke. One of the lads, if you will. Yet, when Meghan Markle openly admits that she is struggling with royal life and being so exposed to criticism, you will find comments from people telling her to get on with it, or that she’s simply playing up to the cameras. Piers Morgan, well renowned for ‘telling it like it is’, described her as “privileged” and ridiculed her complaints about media treatment. This is the same man who preaches about the importance of mental health.

The fact that she is massively privileged in a lot of ways does not invalidate someone’s wellbeing, mental health or right to privacy.

This is a microcosm of wider society in a way, and one that many of us have likely dealt with in our time.

The argument that because we have, say, been on some nice holidays, then we should have nothing to be sad or complain about. In reality, the two have no correlation. You could be the richest person on the planet, but being constantly harassed and made miserable cannot be excused because of your status.

That does not mean that public figures

shouldn’t be put under scrutiny when their behaviour is inappropriate or they are exploiting the public, but that the status in itself is not enough to justify taking apart every part of their personality and life and using it for cheap entertainment.

Katie Hopkins also recently weighed in on the matter during her appearance on an Australian TV programme, 60 Minutes, with the episode title: ‘How Meghan lost her sparkle’, where Katie describes Ms Markle as a “nobody.” However, it is difficult to say whether she has any sort of valid argument, having made a name for herself by subsequently giving racist speeches. So, a t t a c k s o n

Meghan Markle, a successful actor and a current member of the Royal Family, from the likes of Katie Hopkins, smacks mostly of “I know you are, but what am I?” In a nutshell, the Royal Family is not perfect, but as a journalist myself, I wish that the tabloids would focus on or scrutinise something worthwhile about them if they are going to insist on using them as headlines. As for Meghan Markle, they need to take a step back. Expressing your need for the press to leave you alone and let you enjoy the simple joy of motherhood is not grounds for dragging your name through the dirt. And having an opinion is not an excuse for Piers “telling it like it is” Morgan to slag you off on TV. Sure, she is not your conventional royal, but we should be welcoming that. If we can’t overhaul the whole institution from the ground up, then having a young, fresh faced, modern public face is the next best thing we can have. And to the tabloids out there, there’s nothing “sacred” about the Royal Family. Stop weeping over it and find something else to report on.

forgetoday.com

12

Jack Mattless and Jack Redfern Opinion Editors

Opinion

Hi folks!, Brenda from Bristol may have declared her retirement from political commentary two years ago, but her sentiments seem even more relatable now than they did then. The prospect of endless electoral chitchat as everybody tries to wind down for the Holidays seems as chilling as the mid- December temperatures.

In our leader article this week, Jay Jackson argues the whole thing will probably be a farcical waste of time anyway. Brilliant!!!

Meanwhile, on page 15, one anonymous contributor has some strong words for the protestors who occupied the Octagon a few weeks back and the SU development officer, Harry Carling, weighs in with his perspective on the Uni hosting oil companies at careers fairs. We also host a debate about XR.

You’re joking! Not another one...

Jay Jackson on why a general election can’t solve our political crisis Jay Jackson Opinion Contributor

As the nights draw in - and the 15th series of The Apprentice really gets down to business - it seems that the ‘Schrödinger’s election’ that has loomed damoclean since 2017 is at once both more likely to happen, and less likely to solve anything than at any other stage during Brexit.

The current parliamentary shenanigans are the result of the two equally divisive and mayhem inducing events: the 2016 EU referendum and the 2017 general election.

Boris Johnson has made his case to the House of Commons, and is now pleading with the country about how we need an election to get us out of this Brexit rut, on closer inspection it is clear that any general election before the definitive resolution of this first stage of Brexit may well only cause further confusion and

delay.

It is a truth self-evident that a general election is neither the most appropriate nor the most effective means of trying to resolve current parliamentary stalemate.

A general election is by its very nature general, the purpose of a general election is to decide ‘who governs?’.

This (supposedly) quinquennial choice is about the entire political reality of the country for the next five years, to use a general election in an attempt to solve the current Brexit predicament is to cheapen the primary instrument of democracy.

To borrow from VAR, the clear and obvious solution is to go back to the demos and ask not ‘who governs?’ but rather how do we get out of this mess? The answer lies in a confirmatory referendum.

We’re having a pre-Christmas election, but be in no doubt that the parliamentary arithmetic did not

demand it. There was a small but definite majority in Parliament for passing Johnson’s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement; what there is not - and neither does there need to be to move beyond the current impasse is a majority for this government’s legislative timetable or it’s vision for our future relationship with the European Union.

The sweetest and most ironic part of all is that the current parliamentary wranglings should serve as a warning to leave voters.

We are witnessing the foremost example in modern times of Parliament - aided by the Supreme Court - reclaiming and asserting its sovereignty.

The promised vision of the 2016 referendum has come back to bite Brexiteers, serving as an early Christmas warning - be careful what you wish for.

Boris Johnson during his time as Foreign Sec. Image: Arno Mikkor

It’s time to give prisoners better student loan access William Holmes Opinion Contributor

A recent report conducted by the Open University and the Higher Education Policy Institute concluded that more prisoners should be able to take out student loans for degree courses.

The research suggests that long-

term prisoners should get equal opportunities for student loans, as current law prohibits inmates within six years of their release date to obtain these funds.

The fee for a course at the Open University is £18,000, and it is estimated that an extra 200 prisoners a year would benefit if changes were made. Furthermore,

The sense of purpose given to inmates through such initiatives is key

Image: Sky News

the levels of reoffending have been drastically lowered within the inmates capable of studying degrees, and so a minimum of £6 million a year could be saved if all prisoners were allowed student finances.

The notion of success once released from prison is one of the driving forces for change, as similar, smaller initiatives have proven successful across the UK. In HM Prison Brixton, for example, inmates are taught skills such as cooking, and are given brief work experiences.

I believe all prisoners should be equally eligible for student finances – working towards something versatile and constructive will surely deter criminals from reoffending in the future. More employment opportunities are springing up across the country for ex-prisoners, searching for those who have changed for the better and can truly use their skills to benefit all in society.

According to the Ministry of

Justice, reoffenders cost taxpayers £18 billion per year, many would argue it’s paramount to curb this in any way possible. The sense of purpose given to the inmates through such initiatives is key, with the report saying that studying: “brings a sense of purpose and hope as well as offering a realistic pathway towards living a different life on release.”

Akin to regular students, the prisoners won’t have to pay the loan back until they earn upwards of £25,000. Thanks to the opportunities that open up as a result of studying, however, earning these wages will become much easier.

It is crucial in today’s society that all prisoners can obtain student finances – the positives are unparalleled. Not only do they benefit from the sense of achievement, which may have been missing in their life, but the general public will surely relish their reformation.

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

13

Opinion

The teenage prodigy of climate activism Danny Lardner on Greta Thunberg’s inspring image Danny Lardner Opinion Contributor

When the people of Stockholm stepped past the solitary 15-year-old Greta Thunberg outside the Swedish Parliament building in August of last year, none would have predicted the global revolution she was about to begin. None would have imagined that a year later, protestors in 133 countries would follow in the teenage vanguard’s footsteps to call upon global leaders to bring the climate crisis under control.

The climate crisis is obvious to anyone who’s read a newspaper.

Thunburg should be celebrated for speaking up The past two months have seen countless demonstrators, mostly young people, protest against the lack of action to combat climate change. Many of these were sparked

into life by Thunberg’s actions and speeches.

Her goal is for governments to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Accord, limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 ℃ over preindustrial levels. Last year, the IPCC warned that carbon emissions would need to be cut by almost half by 2030 to reach this target.

Still, many are choosing to condemn the teenager for daring to speak out about the future of our planet. The chief complaints regard her age - many ask whether someone of just 16 years can have the political and environmental awareness to point out the fact that we are destroying the planet.

While the climate crisis is strikingly obvious to absolutely everyone who’s ever picked up a decent quality newspaper, Thunberg should still be celebrated for speaking up and taking action. Even at 11, the Swede was so occupied with the current state of world affairs that she fell into a bout of depression and stopped eating for months. This is someone who understands the global crisis. To suggest anything

Image: Anders Hellberg

else is frankly absurd.

In this country, at 16, you’re old enough to seek employment, pay tax, win the lottery and die for your country on the battlefield. Yet, some people seem to think 16 year olds have not earned the credentials to point out that elected leaders are devastating the world in which we live.

Earlier this year, the UK Government ruled that Shamima

Diet companies are careless, hypocritical and encourage unhealthy lifestyles Maryna Maciejowska Opinion Contributor

So, you want to lose weight. You don’t like healthy food but understand that dieting is necessary.

The first few days are successful: you make fancy lunch-boxes and eat granola for breakfast. However, the real world inevitably catches up, things happen and you suddenly don’t have time for endless meal

prep. Don’t worry, though, here they come - dieting companies. They promise you the moon for just a few quid. You can’t resist the temptation to take part. Do they care for your wellbeing and your relationship with

Image: TeroVesalainen

Begum was, at 15, old enough to understand the consequences of her allegiance with Islamic State.

Yet, Thunberg’s drive to save the planet is treated without any serious consideration, seemingly because she’s still at school.

The teenager’s drive to alert those in power is unmatched, and she’s beginning to make an impact.

Swedish airports have actually seen falling numbers of flyers in

the last year, in part attributed to a phenomenon Swedes call flygskam, or “flying shame.”

Changes like this, though, aren’t enough to mitigate our climate impact by the magnitude needed for our continued survival as a species.

Greta, at 16, knows that. By the time she’s old enough to be taken seriously by those who matter, it will be far too late.

food, though?

The purpose of a good diet should be to take a break from unhealthy and fatty snacks. Yet many dieting companies entice customers by playing on our desire for delicious, forbidden treats. For instance, organizations like Slimming World offer huge ranges of ready meals that are packed full of flavour-enhancers and stabilisers, that only result in their consumers becoming reliant on these meals, rather than forming balanced approaches to nutritious food and diets. Dieting companies sell their meals as a healthy choice but sadly, it’s an illusion.

Once you inevitably tire of a dieting program and perhaps even lose a few pounds in the process, what happens next? Are you really going to maintain bizarre habits suggested by the company? It’s far more likely you’ll be heading straight to McDonald’s to buy a burger. Many dieting companies don’t support their customers after the initial trial ends.

Nor do they teach people how to prepare healthy and nutritious meals daily. Instead, they give you long and complicated recipes with

expensive ingredients. It’s very easy to get a yo-yo effect and go back to bad habits after something like that.

For me, dieting is a process of learning good, healthy habits and preparing meals well and quickly.

It’s an art of mindfully choosing what’s good for you and your wellbeing. Dieting companies, though, tend to forget about shaping people’s attitude towards food.

Nevertheless, some businesses do seem to help people, offering support at every stage of a diet and providing motivation to customers.

Some of the organizations even care about holistic well-being.

For example, Weight Watchers include mindfulness exercises in their programs, which can boost confidence and positive attitude towards eating. They are, however, in a minority as part of an extremely crowded marketplace.

Dieting companies can help, but we’d be foolish to think they genuinely care about our wellbeing.

Cutting out calories is not therapy on its own. You need to put in the effort to feel positive in your body and improve your relationship not only with food but also with yourself.

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forgetoday.com

Opinion

Oil companies// Should the University be welcoming them to campus and are students right to protest?

An anonymous contributor thinks the Octagon protestors were focusing their attention in the wrong places Anonymous Opinion Contributor

Image: Dan West

Remember the occupation of the Arts Tower a couple of years back?

For those who don’t, early on the 14 March 2018, the Arts Tower was occupied and blockaded as a part of the then ongoing University and College Union (UCU) strike action about pensions.

Consequently, the disruption rapidly became a subject of mockery.

One of the many bizarre behaviours that inspired this response included the release of a comically long list of demands from the rebels.

These requirements ranged from the pensions dispute to rentfree accommodation and then a later rumoured ‘Free Palestine’ campaign.

Unfortunately, the student sit-in at the Launchpad careers fair at the Octagon reminded too many of this occasion. Not because it was the first notable protest on campus in two years, but because of the same alienating tone set by those who took part. Tweets by those present claimed that they had sent BP and

ExxonMobil running from the fair seemed to reflect an attitude of disruption for the sake of disruption, carried out with an attitude of gauche self-righteousness.

An individual might read the first two paragraphs of this article and assume my opinions equate to that of the average Daily Telegraph reader. In fact, I’m a staunch supporter of Extinction Rebellion and Youth Strike for Climate Change. Extinction Rebellion was the reason Parliament debated climate change for the first time in two years this spring and not one non-disruptive protest has achieved anything comparable.

Unlike those who believe the single answer to the climate crisis is to ‘go veggie’, I believe climate change is a systematic, not individual, issue. Yet, protest without tactical thinking can hit the wrong note and estrange those it is trying to garner support from.

The 5,000-strong march in Sheffield on Friday 20 September for climate justice would have spoken to Sheffield’s MPs, councillors and eventually, parliament. Students -

just like the working-class people at Canning Town tube station who clashed with climate activists last month - have little individual power or influence.

Disruption on such a localised scale targeting these demographics specifically is unlikely to have generated either support or change.

I would be interested to know how many students decided not to work for BP that day. What is more likely is that they would have felt condemned and intimidated.

In this case, leafleting, petitions and non-judgemental conversation would have been more appropriate.

Disruption should be a last resort.

Extinction Rebellion activists often state to the media ‘we don’t want to be doing this’, but I’m not sure the actions of those at the sit-in on Wednesday suggests the same.

Harry Carling isn’t surprised students are angry Harry Carling SU Development Officer

I want to make it clear that my fellow Students’ Union Officers and I do not approve of a lot of the companies that have been platformed by the University at LaunchPad this week. From mass polluters to arms manufacturers, with the climate crisis and devastating conflicts across the world we do not think it is right to be promoting these kind of companies to our graduating students whatsoever.

We acknowledge these companies dominate the current job market, however we believe the University has a social responsibility to lead the way against the unsustainable

status quo and push for a systemic change against these companies.

We should be bold, challenging our best graduates towards the emerging sustainable economy of the future and not the entrenched vested interests of the past.

I never felt supported in finding an ethical company to work for

For future Careers Fairs our students will feel supported in finding a company they feel proud to work for

as a student. The action that the societies of the sustainability network have taken this week show that many of our students feel similarly unsupported. Their impassioned response has helped convinced the University to make positive change going forward.

The University have now added a commitment to support students to find environmentally and socially sustainable careers into their sustainability strategy. We are very pleased to be working with them on this to ensure that future Careers Fairs will be a vast improvement on this year and that our students will feel supported in finding a company they can feel proud to work for.

Image: Sheffield SU

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

Opinion

Ryan Smith argues XR are just a load of hot air Ryan Smith Opinion Contributor

We need to talk about Extinction Rebellion. No, this won’t be another article explaining how they are this century’s leading light on climate justice, or a piece highlighting all the good work they have done. We already know that. I can confidently say their message, and the work they are doing should be the topic of discussion now. Forget Brexit.

Forget political games or what’s going off in America. In an ideal world, the only thing we need to focus on is climate change.

Loud as it may have once been, Extinction Rebellion’s voice is slowly dying. While it is admirable to protest about climate change, it shouldn’t be done just for the sake of protesting. The next time you feel like joining an XR protest and shut off a busy main road, get an idea of the people who you are speaking to, and what your aim is. I am already at a point where I find myself sighing at most protests or ‘charity raise’ for some issue or other at university.

To understand why XR protests come under scrutiny, you need to first look at the working-class.

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When have been brought up in areas decimated by austerity listening to politicians preaching the theory that the global financial crisis can be solved by closing youth centres in Gorton, Manchester, you couldn’t care less about the Amazon. When you have friends who have been unable to get the mental health support they need for nine months because clinics and support centres have been closed down due to ‘cuts’, you couldn’t care less about wildfires in California.

This is why watching the news regarding XR can be frustrating; most people interviewed come with a distinctive posh accent, and might as well be a BBC presenter in disguise; going off about a cause and flaunting knowledge, without having been armed with the necessary background information.

If you want to help, learn the culture of those areas.

Recently, at Canning Town train station, a man was physically assaulted while protesting after being pulled from the top of a train.

It was scandalous to the wider public, but not so if anybody had bothered to think about their actions in that area. Only the middle-class have

Image: Julia Hawkins, Flickr

that sort of bravery to make certain choices in your life. This is why I could only shake my head when I heard about around 1300 protestors being arrested at the recent XR rally in London. This brazen confidence in the face of the police, over a matter that does not have an immediate answer nor immediate effect on most people, is exactly why the voice of XR is fading in the wind.

The eyes of the minority can see through this like the police window we have often historically been

behind; the issue is only as big as it is due to middle-class voices shouting about it. The irony when it comes to the phrase ‘it’s everybody’s problem’ is that we know it is.

However, having more money gives you more options. It isn’t workingclass or minority voices that have been going on long holidays to the far east every other year, or driving SUVs around the country, or not making food, clothes and furniture last as long as possible due to the fact we won’t be able to afford re-

Meanwhile, Games Editor Catherine Lewis says they’re just doing their best to win people over Catherine Lewis Games Editor

Image: Alexander Savin, Flickr

The first time I heard about the Extinction Rebellion was on a bitterly cold February day, when I was outside Sheffield Town Hall covering a climate protest for my journalism coursework. I kept seeing the same green logo dotted around, and once I got talking to people, most told me that they were there on behalf of Extinction Rebellion.

Their passion was undeniable, yet they weren’t forceful in their methods. They all stood with their banners and props, happy to talk to anyone who asked them what they were doing and why.

Despite the urgency in their tone, there was no anger; they just knew what needed doing, and they were going to make sure it was done.

Perhaps I was just relieved to have some eager interview participants, but something struck a chord with me that day that hasn’t left my

mind since, and as their name has started appearing in the media more and more, I always feel relieved that people are out there doing something for such a vital cause.

To me, Extinction Rebellion’s demonstrations, along with the efforts of Greta Thunberg, signified that the world is waking up to the climate disaster unfolding around us. All important protests and demonstrations that felt like they should have been happening much sooner were finally happening, and people were taking notice. Climate change and what we need to do about it was becoming the topical subject it should have been for years.

However, there came a point where more negative coverage started appearing. Even though they’d been doing it from the start, more people started to become outraged at their disruptive protest methods, particularly the ones that involved blocking traffic. It did seem bizarre, that when cars and vehicles

buying those things.

We are on your side. Most people genuinely do want to help, for their own sakes and yours. However, campaigns won’t be heard in those areas if there is even a mere hint of patronising tone. It’s frustrating to hear a voice that is often an authority towards ‘lower income areas’ (for lack of a better term) suddenly tell us about things we’ve always known.

Full article available online.

are such a huge part of the climate change problem, that keeping them stuck on the roads, emitting more damaging fumes while they wait, would be considered a good method of protest. Although their intentions were good, the execution didn’t seem spectacular.

And of course, once the public find something negative to latch onto, they don’t let go of it. More people saw XR as an annoyance; overlooking their goals and what they were trying to achieve for the good of all, and focussing on the disruption they cause. I no longer felt as comfortable saying I supported them, for fear of being associated with the negative side of it.

But at the end of the day, nothing great will ever truly be achieved just from asking nicely. Despite their flaws and some negative public opinion, I’m incredibly thankful for the people who are essentially being the voice for the world; standing up when others don’t have the willpower, ability, or the inclination.

I actually have hope that we can still do something about climate change, and it’s in no small part thanks to them.

forgetoday.com

16

Lifestyle Montreal, Canada Montreal is a municipality in the heart of French Canada and makes for a splendid city holiday.

Despite the fact that it’s a major city with a population of over a million, none of its charm is taken away. The people are friendly and the poutine, delicious gravy-and-cheese-curd- covered fries is even better. Across the city there’s a wide variety of cultural corners to explore - from the Old Town to Chinatown and beyond into Mile End, a hub for creative types, there’s a niche for everyone. Jean-Talon Market, located in Montreal’s Little Italy, is a gigantic farmers market where you can happily stumble upon maple-syrup coated donuts and other delicacies and fresh produce. Mont-Royal park is another must-see sight with gorgeous sweeping views across the city’s skyline. I found myself in heaven wandering through the scores of vintage shops, bookstores, green parks, and cafes dotted about the hilly city.

Given the opportunity, I would be more than happy to return.

Contribution by Taylor Ogle

Maceió, Brazil In 2019 I travelled to Maceió, the capital of the North-Eastern state of Alagoas in Brazil for two months. I worked in the favelas, but on the weekends, me and my group of exchangers would travel the North-East. My biggest recommendation is to forget about Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo!

Maragogi is called the Brazilian Caribbean due to the blue of its beaches, and the Amazon rainforest is full of wildlife.

Banff, Canada Banff is a place I’ve been wanting to see for most of my life, and this summer I finally managed to go!

On my first full day in Banff I went to visit Lake Louise – a beautiful scenic lake just outside of Banff.

As soon as I got there I fell in love with the absolutely mesmerising blue water of the lake. Whilst at Lake Louise, I’d highly recommend taking the hike from

the lakeside up to Mirror Lake, and then to Lake Agnes. The hike was hard work, but the views made it worthwhile, and the option of visiting Lake Agnes Tea House was one of my main motivations.

I would also recommend going to Moraine Lake. In terms of accommodation the most desired place to stay is the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, but if you’re on a budget then there are a small

San Diego, USA After being engulfed by plush sandy beaches in Santa Monica, to keeping my excitement-seeker side at bay with Los Angeles theme parks, stopping off in San Diego was something I didn’t realise I needed after a fourweek road trip. The mere three days spent there simply wasn’t enough.

One of these days was spent wandering around Balboa Park, a place which I can’t recommend enough. Balboa is a vast garden with museums jotted all around inside, with independent stalls selling anything from homemade lemonade to Cuban sandwiches.

It’s completely free of charge to

enter the gardens, yet a small charge to enter any of their 17 museums - the Air and Space Museum is definitely one to keep high on the bucket list of attractions to visit. When visiting the harbour of San Diego, it is worth stopping off at one of the markets for lunch, as this paired with watching the boats roll in is a sight, which will always stay with you. Doing this in the height of summer is something of a task; temperatures soaring towards 35 °C so it’s difficult for those who burn with ease.

Instead, a visit on the start or end of summer could end up being a lot more enjoyable.

Contribution by Em Evans

Take advantage of the 40p coconut water and the neverending supply of Brigadeiro. It’s also an extremely cheap country – a 40 minute Uber only cost me £1. When I stayed there I fell in love with the culture. Brazilian people are so kind, vibrant and full

of life. On my first day, I went to two parties – one in the night, and one at 12.00pm the next day. It’ll be the best place for a night out. If you’re getting tired of Sheffield’s weather, it’s definitely one for the bucket list.

Contribution by Sama AP

Em Evans and Taylor Ogle Lifestyle Editors

Fancy getting excited for summer break already? As this is the first issue Lifestyle has had this academic year with a piece on travel! From whitetopped mountains in Banff, Canada to an array of city breaks across Europe, check out our top eleven places to travel to across the globe.

All of the destinations mentioned have places of recommendation,

must-stay accommodation suggestions as well as tips on the best time of year to visit. It’s a mustread for all you jet-setters out there!

Turn over to page 18 to check out what The Harley is up to since it’s reopening, and whether it is still somewhere you fancy spending your time after a busy day of lectures. Or, if a bar setting isn’t up your street, have a read of Taylor’s article on the best coffee shops on offer across Sheffield’s City Centre.

number of hostels. The hostel I stayed in was Canmore Downtown Hostel in Canmore, just outside of Banff. The hostel itself was one of the best I have ever stayed in for the beautiful panoramic views of the mountains outside.Banff is definitely the best place I have been to, not only in Canada, but dare I say, the whole world?

Contribution by Grace Dodson

Top 11 to tr

Cape Town, South Africa One of my favourite memories of my trip to South Africa was whale-watching in Hermanus on our balcony as the sun came up.

We were out at sea on a flimsy boat which could easily have been capsized by the surrounding whales, whilst wearing mandatory damp ‘waterproof’ clothing that left us completely soaked. As a naïve 7-year old I was oblivious to any of this at the time as I was so fascinated by the whales and dolphins that we were so close to.

I went in October, which is the beginning of the South African summer which helped make this holiday so enjoyable.

I also spent some time on safari where I was able to see wild animals up close in their natural habitat. One evening the guides parked our jeep for a short snack break, and when we later turned around to continue our drive we discovered a quiet herd of over 30 buffalos who had practically surrounded us. The experiences I had on this trip are so surreal and unique, and it is a place I will always recommend.

Contribution by Georgie Marple

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

Aarhus, Denmark In July I visited Denmark’s second largest city for a university summer school. Aarhus is perfect for a city break with direct flights available from Stansted Airport for less than £20 when bought in advance.

The city is small and compact which makes it a great destination to explore on foot. Saying that, the roads are designed with cyclists in mind, so renting a bike also comes in handy for making the most of the city’s location on the Jutland peninsula. On two wheels, you’re never too far from a forest or beach.

To combine both, head south of the city to visit Marselisborg Deer

Park - a great location for a picnic surrounded by deer. Then take a short walk down to the beach to see the Infinite Bridge. Originally an art piece, the circular wooden bridge is rebuilt every year for visitors to get a beautiful view of the Bay of Aarhus.

Aarhus is fantastic for culture. I visited during the city’s eight-day jazz festival - live music is played in the streets during the day and in the warm evenings there are plenty of free concerts to attend.

Contriubtion by Kate Procter

Lifestyle

Prague, Czech Republic Not many cities are able to marry romance and history in the way that Prague does. When you throw in the picturesque spots around the city, it’s no wonder that it’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The medieval architecture gives Prague a distinct identity, while the cobblestones add to the charm. It’s the perfect blend.

For me, the Old Town Square defines Prague. As a 15-year-old, I remember standing in awe and amazement, as the liveliness washed over me. With buskers providing entertainment all around, the square draws you in with its tranquil chaos. The tourist

attraction in the area is the unique Astronomical Clock, which puts on a brief show before it chimes. If you are craving for a vantage point to view the city, the Hall Tower is right next to the clock.

Beyond the Old Town, Prague has plenty to offer. The Charles Bridge and the Petrin Tower offer further vantage points; the St. Vitus Cathedral and the Castle offer a reminder of the past. There is also the unconventional Dancing House and the Lennon Wall.

Contribution by Rahul Warrier

Naples, Italy In the discussion of great Italian cities, Naples often gets unfairly forgotten. Like Mount Vesuvius which watches over it, Naples is a city that bubbles beneath its grubby surface.

The historical centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is crammed full with gothic and baroque churches and picturesque piazzas.

Every side street is an Instagram masterpiece, and that’s before you even try the food.

Indulgent gelato, fat arancini and Neapolitan style pizza to die for, you should check out L’antica Pizzeria da Michele Forcella and Sorbillo. With pizza, the simpler the better. Try a marinara, a pizza without cheese. Every way you turn, there is no end to the culinary options.

The Quartieri Spagnoli is Naples at its most raw and authentic.

places ravel

Tokyo, Japan On my first night in Tokyo I explored the Shibuya area and its famous crossing. The shop fronts were plastered with neon and LED lights — a mixture of Japanese writing scattered with familiar logos and brand names written in English. You can find anything you’re looking for in the city.

Having polished off a bowl of pork and noodle soup which I ordered through a vending machine, I bought a cheap watch to replace my broken one, and popped into Krispy Kreme for a wasabi doughnut.

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During the day, I recommend visiting the Skytree, a broadcasting tower with a 360° glass observation platform at the top, giving incredible views of Tokyo. Temples are dotted all around the city, in stark contrast to the glass skyscrapers dominating its skyline. Sensō-ji temple, with its vibrant red walls, pillars, and lanterns, is an ancient Buddhist temple definitely worth a visit. Nearby you’ll find the Nakamise-dōri shopping district selling all kinds of traditional goods.

Contributions by George Tuli

Sydney, Australia Home of mesmerizing beaches, cute koalas, great food and cheerful locals, when I first visited Sydney, I was in awe as I was certain I’d landed in paradise.

For all city and nature lovers, there is so much to do in Sydney.

The night life truly never ends, especially in places like Oxford Art Factory and Home by the Darling Harbour!

I’d recommend to take a trip to the famous Bondi Beach, and, perhaps if you’re adventurous

enough, attempt the 10km Manly Walk which will bless you with scenic views! I think the Blue Mountains take the cake.

Travel to the Jenolan Caves to see underground rivers and heart stopping limestone creations before admiring the three sisters at the top of the Blue Mountains.

Out of all the places that I have travelled, Sydney blew my mind.

As a nature lover and city girl, I was always doing something that made me happy. Flying to Sydney was the only thing that I looked

Budapest, Hungary Known as the ‘Paris of the East’, Budapest has emerged as one of the leading holiday destinations on a budget, offering beautiful sights alongside cheap accommodation and food making it ideal for students.

The most iconic place to visit has to be the neo-gothic Hungarian Parliament stretching out on the banks of the river, making for an impressive sight to see both during the day and under the light of the evening. Found nearby is the Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the towers of which rise high above the city and can be accessed for 500 forints (roughly £1.30) giving access to an unparalleled vista across the city.

Contribution by Nathan Ralphs

Get lost in its warren of cobbled streets and winding alleyways and take in the sights, smells and noises of everyday life. Smile at the locals and dodge the zipping mopeds and you’ll be just fine.

Head up the hill to Castel Sant’Elmo for the best viewpoint.

Arrive in time for sunset for a breath-taking view of the city, the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius in the distance.

Contribution by Alex Brotherton

forward to every year before I came to Uni! It was extremely peaceful Down Under and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a get away!

Contribution by Yash Raveendra

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forgetoday.com

Lifestyle

The Harley: A renovated Sheffield classic Jack Mattless Opinion Editor

The newly refurbished Harley does some things right. Its impression of a semi-respectable sports bar, for instance, is second to none. There are a generous collection of extremely large flat screens adorning each wall which will undoubtedly make viewing the football and rugby a pleasant experience from any angle.

Comfy chairs with a plush, velvety finish mean even the boniest of individuals should be able to endure ninety minutes of gameplay from a sedentary position.

Whilst we visited too late in the day to sample food, the menu certainly looked more expansive than the burger-centric affair which existed in the old restaurant.

Similarly, there’s now a generous selection of drinks including IPAs and cocktails alongside the usual array of lagers and spirits. Those with weak bladders will also be pleased to hear that the toilets have undergone a complete refit, with sparkling porcelain replacing the dilapidated cubicles of old.

Here, sadly, the praise must end.

If you do ever buy enough booze in the new Harley to prompt a trip to the loo then be careful not to bankrupt yourself. A pint of Strongbow Dark Fruits costs nearly four pounds which, for a drink that tastes like refrigerated piss, is rather extortionate. Cocktails start at under a fiver but come in a thimble sized glass consisting mostly of ice and mixer which makes them quite an underwhelming purchase.

Drinks in the Harley of old were never cheap, but this was always compensated by the fact that the music was superb, the dancefloor was busy and the food was delicious.

Sure, evening entry fees are now a thing of the past but it seems the musical focus of the venue has disappeared with them. So many tables have been squeezed in close together that there’s now no space reserved for a dancefloor of any kind, despite the appearance of various garish neon signs with quotes such as “the DJ made me do it” plastered across them.

In fairness, there was a DJ playing on the night we visited. But a middle-aged man using virtual DJ to blast out a tired selection of indie anthems at a volume loud enough to drown out conversations happening

Image: Graham Hogg

on the other side of the room seems to me like a slightly tragic state of affairs for a venue with such a rich musical history.

All told, it’s hard to see how the Harley is going to carve out a role for itself. The walk to Bar One is shorter for most students, those wanting

to get blackout drunk can do so for less money virtually anywhere else on West Street and if it’s a quality musical experience you crave, then frankly, look anywhere but here.

Sheffield’s independent coffee shop crawl

Taylor Ogle Lifestyle Editor

Ah, coffee. Upon starting university this bean-based drink nestles its way into the hearts and veins of students on every degree course.

Sheffield’s seven hills offer more than a city’s fair share of coffee shops, but where to start? With overwhelming choice, here are five coffee shops across the city to get you started!

Steamyard Coffee Co. 97 Division Street, S1 4GE Division Street boasts

plenty

of shops and pubs that make it a perfect destination for a student’s afternoon wander.

A little caffeinated gem nestled amongst the shopfronts and signature brickwork is Steamyard Coffee Co. Steamyard is only about a 10-minute walk from the Students’ Union and what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in atmosphere. The shop fits Sheffield’s industrial vibes to a tee and offers a wide variety of

tasty toasties and hot drinks. On sunny days, the orange patio in the courtyard is filled to the brim with people and makes a great place for catching up with mates after a lecture or study session.

To-Do Nearby: This little street is lined with a handful of charity shops, so you might as well take the opportunity to snatch up a new pre-loved treasure or that book you couldn’t justify buying brand new.

To-Do Nearby: Division Street is packed with independent vendors so after a coffee take a stroll! Some of our shop recommendations are Mooch Vintage, Syd and Mallory, and Mookau.

Cafe #9 9 Nether Edge Road, S7 1RU A bit further away from the University, but worth the trek is Cafe#9. This green oasis is tucked into Nether Edge in a lovely corner of a residential area. The coffees are lovely and they brew homemade lemon and thyme tea that’s sure to offer some kind of existential remedy to whatever university stress is ailing you. The shop is small and cozy with green leaves dripping from the wood panelled walls.

Five Rivers 215-219 Fulwood Road, S10 3BA Five Rivers is the landmark orange shop front on Fulwood Road in Broomhill. Upon closer inspection, a passerby would notice the canopy of colorful lanterns dangling from every inch of the ceiling. Close to both Endcliffe/Ranmoor student villages and the University, it’s an easy stop for revision or a morning drink before a lecture. To make it even more enticing, the Vietnamese food they serve is brilliant, be it bahn mi buns or a steaming bowl of pho.

Alternatively, you can visit them at the Cutlery Works in Kelham Island.

To-Do Nearby: For the Broomhill location, there are charity shops

and record stores along the street.

Cutlery Works in Kelham Island has a lot to experience within itself; the monthly Peddler Market is hosted nearby on the first weekend of every month, and Kelham Island flea market recently opened down the road.

Marmadukes 22 Norfolk Road, S1 2PA Marmadukes, situated in the heart of the city-centre, offers a little oasis among the bustle of the main roads and shops nearby. This makes it ideal for stopping in before a train or whilst doing some shopping on the High Street. With homemade cakes and artisanal food, the coffee

Forge Bakehouse 302 Abbeydale Road, S7 1FL A Abbeydale Road is the heart of the Antiques Quarter in Sheffield.

Along the road is Forge Bakehouse - not only is their coffee lovely, but as a bakery, there are freshly baked breads and pastries every day. It’s the perfect excuse for that cheeky croissant with your cappuccino.

To-Do Nearby: The Antiques Quarter is a great area to have a stroll through with loads of shops to choose from.

isn’t the only reason to drop by the shop. Atmosphere is in abundance in this cozy corner of the city and it’s a brilliant lazy afternoon pitstop.

To-Do Nearby: The Crucible Theatre, Winter Gardens, and Millennium Gallery are all within walking distance.

Wherever you are in Sheffield, there’s a cafe nearby. Whether you’re simply taking a coffee break or making a whole afternoon of it, you have an abundance of choices. Don’t settle on one shop, but aim to make the most of the variety and try as many as you can manage.

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20

Luke Baldwin and Alicia Hannah Break Editors

Break Crossword FUN FACTS The inventor of the sugar-rush staple Jelly Tots, Dr Brian Boffey, is a University of Sheffield alumnus. He also helped NASA develop food for astronauts in space.

A contraceptive pill for squirrels was once developed at the University of Sheffield.

This week marks a time to reflect, when you realise you’ve had that cold since Freshers’ and it’s never leaving. That’s right, we’re halfway through first semester.

Now, for not-so-fresh Freshers, symptoms of Halfway Head can include: your flat slowly turning into a shrine to all of the items you’ve robbed when pissed, your inter-flat

relationship slowly going sour like a four pinter of semi-skimmed milk in the sun, and the batteries in your fairy lights running out and ruining your Hygge attempt at glamming your student hovel.

For second-years, Middle Mind manifests itself in different ways.

The initial symptom is usually attempting to relive your first-year drinking habits and failing.

And third years… well, there’s just no hope for you.

In the USA they have mid-term exams, whereas here we just have mid-term breakdowns.

Cast your mind to January: it’s freezing, you’ve got far too many exams to revise for, and you’re frantically running around the library trying to find a solitary seat. Ah, pure bliss.

Across

Down

2. When you can’t be arsed to go and study, here your duvet is your buddy (7) 4. If you’re in the IC all night, you’ll need this to see you right (8) 7. They see you when you’re cheating, they make you stay awake, they know when you haven’t licked the seal, and it tastes grim for goodness sake (11) 8. For rewatching in bed when you should’ve attended instead (6) 9. The one study break in December that calls for a bender (9) 10. The first month of the year, which gives you exam fear (7)

1. Revise wearing flares and avoid edgy stares (11) 3. The tassel will be worth the hassle (10) 5. On conversations you can’t pry, and it’s too quiet to cry (11) 6. Usually home to football, makes a terrible exam hall (12)

1.Western Bank 2.Bedroom 3.Graduation 4.Caffeine 5.Silent Study 6.Hillsborough 7.Invigilators 8.Encore 9.Christmas 10.January

On this day

6 November -Abraham Lincoln elected the 16th American President (1860) -The Bolshevik Revolution begins with the storming of the Winter Palace in Petrograd (1917) -Sex Pistols’ first performance at St. Martin’s College, London (1975) 7 November -Marie Curie, pioneer of radiation and first woman to win the Nobel Prize, is born in Warsaw (1867) -Basketball player Magic Johnson retires from the LA Lakers after announcing he is HIV positive (1991) 8 November -Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa breaks the world record for surfing the biggest-ever wave at 24.4m at Nazaré, Portugal (2017)

10 November -Engineer Gottlieb Daimler unveils the world’s first motorcycle (1885) -Sesame Street premieres (1969) 11 November -Armistice signed by the Allies and Germany comes into effect, and World War I hostilities end on “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” (1918) 12 November -A man jumping out of a burning balloon into a river is considered the first ever movie stunt (1910) 13 November -Disney’s Fantasia is released (1940) -Eminem releases single ‘Lose Yourself’ from soundtrack of 8 Mile, the first rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song (2002) Images courtesy of Wikimedia and the moviedb

Did you Know?

Remember remember the fifth of November! Guy Fawkes gets all the credit, but what about Robert Catesby, mastermind of the gunpowder plot. He was shot and beheaded on 8 November 1604. At least he was played by Kit Harrington, so it’s not all bad.

9 November -Napoleon Bonaparte becomes the dictator of France under the title of First Consul (1799) -Jack the Ripper’s fifth and probably final victim, Mary Jane Kelly, is found on her bed (1888) -Wes Craven’s film A Nightmare on Elm Street is released (1984)

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

21

Sheffessions of the week Housemates

Dating

GOING OUT-OUT

...EVERYTHING ELSE

http://_Sheffessions #Sheffession6836 Still don’t know how to feel after I asked a guy if he wanted to make out and he said “nah I’m alright” #Sheffession6797 Apparently starting a recurring booty call with “ah shit, here we go again...” is inappropriate and rude #Sheffession6743 So my friend and I decided to set up all our friends by scribbling their phone numbers on a piece of paper and hiding it inside the CD slots on some of the IC computers. If you’re single, this could be our new “IC tinder” #Sheffession6644 Not sure what was a bigger waste of time, the 30 minute lecture I had today or the 4 months I spent falling in love with my ex #Sheffession6910 I love u ozmens <3

Agony Aunt Hello and congratulations to you for making it to the best page in Forge Press.

Thank you to everyone that has submitted their problems so far. If you want to see yours, your friends’, family’s, housemates’ or coursemates’ dirty laundry getting aired on the pages of the next edition, then see below for more information.

You can share your problems, clear your conscience, or just have a laugh with us by using our anonymous form. You can find it on Facebook at ‘Forge Break Agony Aunt and Lonely Hearts Club’.

#Sheffession6791 My flatmate finds strange pleasure in launching things out of the window. So far; a rancid toastie maker, an out of date bottle of milk, a crusty pair of oven gloves and our flatmates FIVE WEEK OLD SOGGY FERMENTED BANANA #Sheffession6804 Ordered an Indian tonight. It’s been a long day. Waited a bit, then a bate more.

Called the Indian to find out I was wrong and realised I delivered to our old address.

Not only that, but the bastards took it!

Devastated, tbf I would’ve done the same. #Sheffession6815 So I was just chilling catching up on the apprentice, and I hear a knock on my door.

At first I was weary but when I opened the door, some moron had ordered a takeaway to the wrong address. Lucky cos I was craving an Indian

tis the season

#Sheffession6661 Had a house party last night, so i’m walking around looking at the wreckage, to find a BT router set up in our living room????? Last time I invite computer science students to a party #Sheffession6690 Think the peak of my uni life so far was the time I told a girl in code I did computer science and she instantly walked to the other side of the dance floor #Sheffession6908 From what I’ve seen in the freaks night so far, my personal costume ratings is as follows: 1) guy dressed as arts tower, 2) john’s van, 3) a giant airpod, 4) me, the dancing pumpkin man

#Sheffession6838 Everytime I see a posh rich girl in the IC with her white filas, flared pants and urban outfitters jacket, I can’t help but picture our dream life together.........

Its our wedding day (in the Cotswolds of course) you’ll arrive in your mum’s range rover evoque, I’ll go with your old man in his defender. We’ll move into an old country cottage with enough acres for you to keep 5 or 6 of your horses. It will be cosy, but large enough that when the cleaners come we can hide from them in other rooms of the house and read the daily mail. And Then we’ll wait happily ever after for your parents inheritance to come through. At which point I’ll divorce you, take my money, head back up north and tell all my friends of how I fought the Tories and I won........ PS I’m a history student this is my best career prospect. #Sheffession6799 There’s an ongoing debate in my flat about whether it’s okay to drink milk. Just milk. Like a glass of Milk. I don’t see what the issue is?

indie cindy Dear Break, Been with my girlfriend for five years now but she’s just had a radical change in her music taste from indie to kpop. I respect people’s choices in music taste but I feel like this is too much to bear! I love her so much but I don’t know at what point my own boundaries have to come first.

Dear Break, Help! I don’t know what the difference is between salt and pepper! No one ever taught me and now I’m too afraid to ask :( I’ve been cooking unseasoned food for 2 years of uni now because I’m scared to use them in my cooking.

Alicia In the iconic words of British supergroup the Spice Girls: spice up ya life. This sickens me, but realisation is the first step in recovery. I have a housemate who told me last week that “salt is underrated.” I hope this brings you comfort.

Tip to try: easy peeler oranges, you don’t want scurvy.

If you are experiencing issues like these, please seek expert advice from your GP, or speak to an advisor in the Student Advice Centre by calling 0114 222 8660, or emailing advice@ sheffield.ac.uk.

Nightline can also be contacted on 0114 222 8787 for listening, and 0114 222 8788 for information.

#Sheffession6821 Shoutout to my flat mate who tried to get on the stage at pop tarts, and now needs plastic surgery for his broken hand

Luke There’s an easy way to distinguish between salt and pepper. Salt is the miracle powder that improves any situation. It’s like the cocaine of the culinary world. Pepper, or Satan’s seasoning as its known in some parts of the world, is a sure fire way to ruin any dish.

Tip to try: a really fancy salt grinder from the mad shit aisle in Aldi.

Alicia Alright Morrissey! Your comfort zone sounds like it exclusively wears Joy Division t-shirts and has an Alex Turner shrine in its bedroom.

Kpop isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it sounds like you looked at the cup of tea from 16 miles away in the dark and decided you weren’t into it.

Bet you a tenner you’ll give it a whirl and end up with a BTS tattoo on your forehead.

Tip to try: stop with the teenage angst, you’re not 12 anymore.

Luke Kpop is a wonderfully varied genre of music.

From indie rock to techno bops, there’s something for everyone. Give it a go, maybe you’ll find something you and your girlfriend both like.

Tip to try: Listen to the wise Aretha Franklin and R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

getting wiggy with it Dear Break, I want to grow my hair long enough to look like my idol, Kurt Vile, but it’s not growing quickly enough. I bought some hair growth oil from the darkweb to help but now my scalp burns and I feel dizzy all the time. What should I do?

Alicia You’re not Kurt Vile, sadly, you’re you. But, make the most of it, claim your own style, and for fuck’s sake get off the dark web before your head ends up in a box on your ma’s doorstep. .

Tip to try: Antivirus on your computer.

Luke Drink the rest of the oil. Death is always the better option to bad hair.

Tip to try: Get yourself a groovy shot glass.

22

forgetoday.com

Spotlight

What’s On

Wednesday 6 November - Wednesday 13 November

GEneral Election 2019 Let your voice be known by registering to vote in the upcoming General Election on 12 December.

The deadline for registering to vote online is on 26 November at midnight.

Register to vote online by going to Gov.uk.

By post, the deadline is: 26 November, 5pm, if you live in England, Scotland or Wales Or the 21 November, 5pm, if you live in Northern Ireland.

This vote is super important and will play a massive part in our future so please register and vote!

Enable us Project

Enable Us is a two-week-long theatre festival which is on right now!

Our top picks can be found underneath our Editor-in-Chief Ben’s editorial.

horse riding for beginners

Wednesday 6 November, 12-3pm Meet at Glossop Road entrance by Bar One. Wear sportswear, suitable shoes and bring a water bottle.

Tickets: £16.50 (student) £14.30 (res life) from SU website.

festival of social science top pick:

Saturday 2 to Saturday 9 November.

Tales from the Global South Thursday 7 November, 7-9:30pm.

Tamper Seller’s Well.

Join University of Sheffield’s Professor Frances Cleaver as she discusses how international development researchers have partnered with a professional storyteller to showcase a range of captivating stories from those living in South Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Image: Terry George

Forge Press

Wednesday 23 October 2019

23

Spotlight

Society Spotlight Feminist Society

Getting to know...

Ben Warner Editor-in-Chief

and we do this by spreading the

multiple events in one week, for our

on Monday 4 November, followed by

also so many other issues that are

word of feminism, fighting against

campaign to have the most impact.

a discussion of why consent should

just as important, which FemSoc

be a feminist issue.

aims to raise awareness about.

inequality and injustice women face This week sees Feminist Society’s inaugural Consent Week launched, aimed at having more of a discussion about the topic on campus.

They’re working in collaboration with several other societies and organisations from around Sheffield to make the week a success. We sat down

with

President (FemSoc),

Anya of

Esmail-Yakas,

Feminist

about

the

Society week’s

activities and why more people

all over the world.”

FemSoc are this week launching their inaugural Consent Week, the first time they have been able to run a campaign on this scale

should get involved with the society.

“I’m proud to see all FemSoc’s hard work come together, working

Wednesday

will

see

an

“There’s something for everyone

with sports teams, media outlets

Information Fair at the Activities

to get involved with when it comes

and SU Officers to spread the word

Zone in the Students’ Union with a

to activism. Inequality also goes

of feminism and the importance of

number of organisations discussing

beyond university life, affecting all

healthy conversations about sex.

their work on consent, while a bake

aspects of society.”

“We aim to bring the discussion

sale will be held on Thursday in order

Membership of the society is £4

of feminism and sexism to the

to raise money for the Sheffield Rape

per year, while there is also an option

forefront of university life, which is

and Sexual Abuse Centre.

for a lifetime membership at £10.

an important thing to do in terms

Anya will chair a panel discussion

of giving a voice to those who are

on

Friday,

featuring

Women’s

oppressed. It’s been great working

Officer Rosa Tully, about the issue of

with Rosa [Women’s Officer], she’s

consent on campus.

“FemSoc is 100 per cent open to all genders,” added Anya.

“We can’t have feminism if it’s not inclusive and intersectional,

always keen to work with FemSoc,

When asked why more students

which means it should be accessible

“Sexism and misogyny are still

This is the first time FemSoc

which is amazing as feminism is all

should get involved in the Consent

to everyone. Everyone can be part of

ever-present despite how much

have been able to run a consent

about collaborations to further the

Week, and other FemSoc campaigns,

the conversation, part of the fight

women’s rights have advanced in

campaign on this scale since they

cause.”

Anya said: “Our Consent Week is of

for equality, and everyone should

the last 100 years,” she said.

set up in 2017, and Anya thinks this

The Consent Week kicked off with

course important in terms of raising

be.”

“There’s always more we can

is a great step in the right direction:

a screening of the Louis Theroux

awareness about the issues of sexual

do to create a more equal society,

“I think it’s so great that we can run

documentary The Night in Question

assault or harassment, but there’s

Image: Feminist Society

forgetoday.com

24

Rosie Davenport and Kate Procter Arts Editors

Arts

Welcome back to Arts! In this issue we have a feature on the topical delay of Brexit and how the anticipation has already had an impact on the UK’s art industry. The piece explores the potential consequences of leaving the EU and how it will change art within Britain whatever the outcome.

Our final piece is a review from Off the Shelf literary festival which concluded last week after bringing a programme of more than 150 events to venues dotted all around Sheffield. Kate and Rosie were lucky enough to see Charly Cox for an onstage interview with Sam Cleasby at the Drama Studio. We decided to have a quickfire Q&A with her after, covering everything from Snapchat filters to fake engagement rings.

Image: George Tuli

What does Brexit mean for the UK’s art industry?

With the country’s Leave date postponed for a third time, we explore the issues that the art industry must contend with in a post-Brexit Britain

OPINION Kate Procter and Eve Thomas Arts Editor and Arts Contributor

Movement of Art and Trading Probably the biggest area of concern for all UK industries regarding Brexit is the impact it will have on trading.

For the art industry, the focus is on the predicted increase in costs for borrowing, lending and shipping art and artefacts. Currently, works of art are zero-rated for tariffs on EU imports and, therefore, aren’t subject to import tax. However, the prospect of hefty EU import taxes once the UK has left has already begun disrupting exhibition programmes. In anticipation of

the previous March and October deadlines, galleries and museums closed exhibitions early to transport borrowed works back to their home countries to avoid potential multimillion pound reimport bills.

There is also a likely wider disruption to the symbiosis of the art market. Dealers and commercial galleries with branches across Europe are used to transporting artworks in and out of the UK to show them to collectors, display them at art fairs, or move them between premises. At the moment, countries within the EU charge different rates of import VAT on art and the UK’s is the lowest at five per cent. Dealers in other EU countries often take advantage of

this by bringing works into the EU via London before moving them within the bloc without incurring further charges. If a no-deal Brexit were to occur, this free movement would end and anyone importing art to the EU from the UK would incur a VAT charge.

Beyond the financial side, there is anxiety amongst some museums registrars - the people responsible for the safety of artwork - that valuable works of art might become damaged at customs, due to increased waiting times and new procedures.

In a report revealed by the Sunday Times, the government expects there to be “significant” disruption at ports for up to three months in the

event of a no-deal. It also showed that “EU exit fatigue” - due to the extension of Article 50 - has left the UK less prepared now than it was on the original leaving date back in March.

Simon Sheffield, the executive chairman of art shipping firm Martin Speed, told The Art Newspaper that he is “very concerned” about the ports, in particular the Dover to Calais route. He said: “Neither Dover nor Calais is prepared for a hard border or disorderly Brexit. Three months is optimistic; I suspect the disruption will last much longer.”

Perhaps closer to the six months that Arts Council England has estimated for reduced access in their No Deal Brexit guide, published at

the start of the year.

Still, whatever the length of disruption, long waiting times at the border increases the risk of damage to objects. This could act as a deterrent to potential lenders, as well as any export licenses that might come in, or the new need for visas for couriers and curators.

Market Share With these issues in trading, the UK stands to see a reduction in its share of the art market. In particular, London risks losing its position as Europe’s largest art market, and second internationally only to New York. Many are looking towards France - Paris specifically - as a potential new gateway for trade

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

25

Arts Images: Banksy

between Europe and the rest of the world.

Yet, while the Brexit forecast is pessimistic for the artistic community, some are facing it with an attitude of resilience; they see art as bigger than any current issue and believe it will continue to be produced and to thrive regardless.

In London, the creative economy is valued at £52bn. A sixth of jobs there are creative, and these jobs are growing at quadruple the rate of the rest of the economy.

Justine Simons – London’s deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries – wrote in The Arts Newspaper: “We can’t escape the evidence that points to our growth, inward investment and jobs market being hurt by any form of Brexit, but we know London is resilient, diverse and innovative—ingredients that will help us thrive.”

Dr Clare McAndrew, a cultural economist, goes further suggesting that Brexit is “a golden opportunity”.

In her research she highlights the dependence of Europe on the UK without the UK the EU art market value would drop from a third of the market share to 13 per cent. For McAndrew, Brexit is an opportunity for the UK to break from “the EU’s top-down mould and regulation,” giving a chance to modify and create a new legal regime for the art trade.

It also offers an opportunity to build stronger relationships with non-EU countries. Munira Mirza, argues for the inclusion of “culture in future trade negotiations, an element the EU always excluded because of the concerns of other member states who had much smaller creative sectors than ours.”

There is, however, a Londoncentricity to much of this talk of resilience and opportunity. Antonia Cundy highlights that the “cuts will be felt mostly in the UK’s smaller

and poorer towns and cities.” She points out these places won’t be able to justify their increased costs as they can’t “generate the larger financial return and visibility that the capital has to offer.”

Financial Losses and Reduction in Visitors In an interview with artnet News, Alexander Sturgis, Director of the Ashmolean Museum of Art in Oxford, explained: “Major loan exhibitions are expensive undertakings and their financing is a constant challenge… the additional resources that will be required in the wake of Brexit will mean fewer and less ambitious exhibitions for the UK public.” For example, the Ashmolean’s current exhibition, Last Supper in Pompeii, features artefacts from Italy, and has been enabled by the free movement of goods within the EU. According to Sturgis, “Brexit will inevitably have an impact on the bureaucracy, time, and costs involved in receiving loans from EU museums and private lenders, and so will make exhibitions such as Last Supper at Pompeii more expensive and difficult to mount”.

If this becomes the case, it is likely that visitor numbers will drop. Particularly, if once free museums and galleries are required to introduce or increase entrance charges to survive financially. This problem will be exasperated for UK organisations who have previously received funding from EU schemes, such as Creative Europe and the European Regional Development Fund, but will no longer be eligible unless Brexit negotiations lead to their inclusion in the withdrawal agreement.

In a statement released in February, the Museums Association spoke of their concern for the

prospect of museum closures, reduced opening hours, staff reductions - in particular retention of EU staff with specific areas of expertise, and a drop in European visitors.

The Association said: “The UK’s museums sector is already in a fragile financial position after a decade of austerity and could struggle with the substantial financial losses that could arise from loss of earned income, philanthropy and public funding in the event of a no-deal Brexit.”

Identity Still, there is a bigger discussion to be had beyond trade and finances - one about culture, about what British art is.

The potential for the country to become further divided post-Brexit is clear: it was only a few days ago SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, said an independent Scotland was now “within touching distance”.

The possibility of an independent Scotland raises the question: what will happen to the British national art collection? During the last independence referendum, the Scottish government claimed £1.3tn of UK public assets in line with Scotland’s population of 8.4 per cent, but no art was included in the calculation. This assumes that Scotland would be happy with the art currently in their country at the point of independence. However, there is ground to suggest that they should claim back more of the UK’s collection, just as there is ground to suggest other places in the UK might ask for some pictures to be returned.

Many working artists have spoken out against Brexit. At a live auction in May, an exhibition of thirty artworks was held called ‘The United Artists for Europe’. The pieces were donated

by leading contemporary artists from all over Europe with proceeds going towards cultural projects supporting heritage preservation across the continent.

Others have taken a more literal response with their work. For the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition, Banksy submitted a piece titled Keep Ou. In the piece, the words ‘KEEP OUT’ are emblazoned on a shuttered EU airport customs passage. The ‘T’ in ‘OUT’, however, is missing, with one of Banksy’s well-known stencilled rats using it to break open a padlock holding the shutter down.

This isn’t Banky’s first jab at Brexit. For last year’s RA Exhibition, he produced a work resembling a Vote Leave placard from the EU Referendum. The twist with this piece was that a heart shaped balloon covered the word ‘leave’ transforming the sign into reading ‘Vote to Love’. Then two years ago, a mural showing a star being chiselled from the EU flag appeared on a derelict building near Dover’s ferry terminal. Banksy had planned to update the piece on the day we finally leave to show a crumpled flag on the ground, but the mural was painted over.

Not all artists are anti-Brexit, however. A collective called ‘Artists for Brexit’ aims to represent artists who voted to leave the European Union, but previously felt unable to vocalise their support. The group believe art is supposed to have a global attitude, but that remaining in the EU - an artificially constructed political trading bloc that favours EU immigration over non-EU immigration - limits this. They point out that the ‘Europeanness’ valued by so many anti-Brexit artists does not come with being in the EU - even if leaving it may be seen as a rejection of European

identity. Indeed, their website says, “it’s simply a fact that very little of our shared cultural heritage with Europe arises out of the existence of the EU or has been much shaped by it. Rather, it has been nurtured over many generations by Europeans who for the most part did so before the existence of the EU.” The group also sees Brexit as an opportunity to better the UK’s creative programmes. They argue it will allow us to manage our entire cultural budget to therefore allocate funds more fairly across regions without EU “strings” attached.

Moreover, they say: “We could simplify the arts funding application process and direct funding more appropriately, focusing on rebuilding the connection between the arts and the British working class, or linking with developing countries to create partnerships that have perhaps been overlooked in the past by shaping a fairer system of access and work that does not favour EU artists over non-EU artists.”

Ultimately, Brexit could be a chance to get the government to take the sector more seriously – for its social and educational roles as well as its economic and artistic values. However, with Johnson’s appointment of Nicky Morgan as the Head of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport - the former Education Secretary who once discouraged students from pursuing the arts in education - the optimistic potential Brexit offers for arts in the UK seems limited.

26

forgetoday.com

Arts

Poet Charly Cox at Off the Shelf book festival Q & A with Forge Press:

Rosie Davenport Arts Editor

Tottering onto stage at Sheffield’s Off the Shelf book festival, Charly Cox proclaimed how she hasn’t learnt not to wear high heels when she walks into a room full of people.

Cox’s work often relates to lessons that she believes she has or hasn’t learnt throughout her life. Her first book, She Must Be Mad, challenges the stigmas attached to mental health, while her latest, Validate Me, is a raw and honest look at the highs and lows of growing up in the digital age.

In her onstage interview at the Drama Studio with BBC Radio Sheffield’s Sam Cleasby, Cox frequently describes how she came to create her poetry by dictating it into her phone while “on the cusp of a digital burnout” and emotional mental breakdown. She indulges in “all the things that rile [her] to the point of medication, punctuated only with rhyme and a rare splatter of hope.” It is clear that Cox’s witty and cynical approach to social media, catfishing and body positivity makes her a somewhat controversial character, however, her honesty is also what makes her admirable and likeable.

She opens up about her woes with Facebook in a reading of her heart-breaking poem ‘141’ as she reflects on an online relationship where an “awkward five-minute conversation turned into a sixhour phone conversation” which continued for four years until it came to a grinding halt. The way Cox uses nostalgia and her previous naivety to portray her vulnerabilities is remarkable. She jokes about her romanticised past, saying: “Remember when we thought we could be in love?” Cox’s divulges into the troubled relationships of her teenage years creating relatable and emotive poetry.

The second poem she performed, ‘Broken Abacus’, promotes a discussion with Cleasby about Cox’s wearing of fake engagement rings.

She speaks of her “ritual” of moving her rings like an abacus onto her ring finger due to sheer panic and habit.

Cox confesses within her poem, “romance used to start in bars but I have got so used to the comfort of a screen.” The writing of this poem being situated in a bar, emphasises the haphazard and organic nature of Cox’s “short but efficient existential crisis that ended up being this poem”.

Which writers have influenced your own writing style?

I love AA Gill’s potent vocabulary, I’ve always been so envious of the way he can craft such vivid scenes with such flare. Eve Babitz’s honesty, she cuts straight to the point as though you’re a friend receiving a phone call. Salinger - oh how I wish my internal monologue was narrated by him. Those three are the ones I return to reading when I’m stuck in a creative rut.

Your poetry is so honest and raw, were you nervous when you first started sharing it?

I was terrified! I think I was more concerned that people would be cringed out by it than I was fearful of feeling exposed. I was embarrassed by the medium not the feelings, which is bad. I used to send poems to ex boyfriends hoping they’d realise what they’d lost. Funnily enough, it never proved successful.

How do you feel about being called an ‘Insta-poet’?

Bored.

In keeping with the poems, much of the talk revolves around questions related to social media, which seems fitting given Cox shared her first poetic musings on Instagram.

Cox also demonstrates that social media was out of her hands, as like many of generation Z, she was naive to the new technology that rapidly became part of day to day life. Despite being pressured into joining Instagram by her friends, she found it to be “non-committal and fleeting” and therefore was thrown by how quickly it grew. It is clear that Cox acknowledges and is grateful for social media, which is understandable given how far it has taken her in her career. However, like many of us her opinion is divided.

We aren’t making ourselves into commodities because it sounds silky and sexy but because it feels like a necessity to survive She responds to the worries about our use of technology as a cloak from reality, saying they “started as platforms to be more connected and be more present and share your everyday life” but they have “now

become this weird scrapbook of falseness”. She questions: “Why am I walking around like this weird puppet making these things and doing these things to appear to be so different to who I am?”

Cox’s ideas about the deceitful side to social media and technology stimulates a discussion about the controversial issues around catfishing. She admits that she does not look like the photos she posts online and worries about people’s perception of her once they meet her in person. This relatable concern about the comparison of reality to what we see online shows Cox relates to common problems surrounding social media and doesn’t see herself as above these everyday technological habits. Both Cox and Cleasby joke about Snapchat’s “poreless dog filter” while claiming they are simultaneously guilty of taking a plethora of pictures to get the perfect snap. They conclude that despite this we are progressing from an increased recognition that image manipulation such as catfishing happen. Cox states that teenagers and impressionable young people are much smarter than we think and understand that editing has become synonymous with apps such as Instagram.

Cox finds herself constantly asked about the answer to solving this huge

problem we have with social media.

She makes it clear that she doesn’t have the answer and that nobody does because “we aren’t making ourselves into commodities because it sounds silky and sexy but because it feels like a necessity to survive. You feel like you’re an outcast if you’re not joining in on all of that.” She laughs about the amount of times she is asked what the solution is.

She jokes: “It is funny because every time I have been interviewed about this they have asked ‘so what is the answer? What techniques have you picked up? How did you save yourself from your mental breakdown?’ and they are waiting for me to say, ‘oh you just download this app and it’s amazing!’ But you just turn it off.

Nobody wants to hear that, but you know that’s the answer.”

The talk highlights that Cox does not have the answers to all our problems, just like nobody had the answers for her. Her work highlights the struggle of growing up, of learning and evolving in a seriously hard and ever changing technological world. However, due to her strife Cox has produced the most glorious poetry that has not only helped her to save herself but will help to save others too.

What is your writing process?

I’m unfortunately bound to feeling.

I’m not a particularly skilled writer, I’m just very good at feeling too many feelings and being desperate to make sense of them. Professionally, this is a real ongoing issue.

How long did Validate Me take to write and how did you go about the editing process?

Technically three months - but the editing process probably took it to five. The writing was absolutely the hardest, the edit was the most joyous part of this year. I’m blessed to have such a brilliant editor in Kate Fox, who shaped all of my sads into a book I’m now really proud of. I was writing through a breakdown and a breakup in Los Angeles which should be prime poetry material, but my god was it hard to handle all of that in one big swoop.

You’ve expressed your adoration for Arctic Monkeys - what’s your favourite song of theirs?

‘Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts’ was a big teenage anthem for me.

It’s so hard picking one. Lyrically, it’s all their fault I think deep down that I now do this for a living - all I ever wanted to do was to make short stories from reality the way Alex Turner always has.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR LIFE We want to know what it's really like being a University of Sheffield Student. That way we can make sure the SU is giving you the services and opportunities you need.

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28

Dana Raer and Ella Craig Music Editors

Music

The Music section has started two new fascinating projects: Ella worked on finding the best album selection favoured by Forge Press members. Dana’s started working on the first feature of the music section “How to: Starting your own band” with inteviews from bands formed at University, giving all the tips you need to build contacts whilst

at uni to achieve your musical goals.

Apart from this exciting news, we focused on creating a whole page about Kanye West’s newest album with a review and opinion piece. The latter showcases how religion had a loud and clear background in the rap and hip-hop musical scene even before the 21st century.

New live reviews for the next issue are pending... so do not forget to join Forge Press Contributors for free press passes.

Forge’s favourite 21st century album...

We decided we wanted to find out what the ultimate favourite UK album of the 21st century album is, here at Forge.

So we set up an investigation to find out. First, we asked Forge Press committee members for their favourite UK album of the 21st Century. Then we took to

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not Girls Aloud Underground

-

Sound

of

Facebook and created a poll with all the highlighted albums and asked Forge Press Contributors to vote.

With over 70 votes, we have a winner...

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not with 32 votes!

The Arctic Monkeys burst onto the scene with this amazing debut album, and haven’t looked back since, going on to produce several more.

Potentially now Britain’s biggest band, they’re worthy winners of this award, beloved by the people of Sheffield - Ben Warner, Editor-in-Chief

the Image: Domino Recording Company

Kate Nash - Made of Bricks

David Bowie - Blackstar

Gorillaz - Demon Days

REVIEW Rex Orange County: Pony

Ed Sheeran - X

uninspired and almost vapid.

With Pony, Rex Orange County delves into more adventurous production than the endearing lo-fi sound of his earlier work. The lead single, ‘10/10’, signals this from the start, with sparkling synths

Alex Morgan Music Contributor

Orielles - Silver Dollar Moment

Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner

Foals - Antidotes

Sticky Fingers - Caress Your Soal

Little Mix - Glory Days

One Direction - Take Me Home

Loyle Carner - Yesterday’s Gone

The Streets - A Grand Don’t Come For Free

After a swift rise to stardom, Alex O’Connor, known as Rex Orange County, uses his first major label album to take stock. In the wake of collaborations with Tyler the Creator on his album Flower Boy and numerous singles with massive streaming figures, his new album Pony is deeply reflective. O’Connor explores the weight of his success and the effect this has had on his relationships, all told through his sincere and charming lyrics.

Yet despite this, the album is tinged with optimism and the songs are as whimsical as ever. His unique style of bedroom pop, injected with R&B and soul, remains, and the new levels of emotional depth are layered onto this foundation. Unfortunately, the results are inconsistent and the album at times loses focus. The best songs are beautifully written introspections while the worst feel

Image: Sony that come across as particularly bubbly and child-like. O’Connor’s introspective intentions are also immediately evident, as he sings “I had a year that nearly sent me off the edge”. Reflecting further on his struggles, in ‘Always and Stressed Out’ he sings about coming to terms with his own insecurities.

The highlights of the album are those tracks that lean more to creative production. ‘Face to Face’ starts off sparse, allowing O’Connor’s vocal harmonies to take centre stage, gradually building

into a masterfully crafted pop song.

‘It Gets Better’ takes a similar approach, being even more daring in its structure. In both, he is wrestling with the hardships of young love, creating a bittersweet tone. The album is at its most emotive during ‘Pluto Protector’, a delicate and honest exploration of the counterplay between O’Connor’s desires and existential worries, singing “What if all this counts for nothin’/ Everything I thought I’d be?”.

This said, these successes are not maintained throughout. Where creativity is lacking, the songs feel childish and derivative of his earlier works. Songs like ‘Laser Lights’ and ‘Never Had the Balls’ are catchy but feel shallow. ‘Every Way’, a stripped back piano ballad, takes clear inspiration from Randy Newman, but fails to capture the brilliant and heart-breaking storytelling of Newman. The songs’ empty and clichéd lyrics mean it’s the albums’ most forgettable track.

There is no doubting the talent of Rex Orange County, and in Pony he has delivered some memorable songs. However, ultimately, the inconsistencies mean the album overall falls flat.

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

REVIEW Kanye West Jesus is King Konrad Ostrowski Music Contributor

After multiple delays and over a year of anticipation, Kanye West finally released his ninth solo album. Jesus is King sees Kanye, who has never been afraid to discuss religion in his music, take a bold new step in his career with an 11-track project entirely devoted to his faith.

With a running time of just over 27 minutes Kanye leaves you wanting more, particularly due to the omission of many leaked songs.

Nonetheless, the tracks that did make the final cut see him combine gospel with hip-hop, soul and even jazz to create a compelling and sonically pleasing record.

On ‘Every Hour’, Kanye’s Sunday Service Choir open the album

with an upbeat expression of the importance of God in their lives.

This is followed by the impressive ‘Selah’, in which church organs are combined with thunderous drums, two energetic verses from Kanye and a chorus from the Sunday Service Choir.

A consistent theme is Kanye looking back on his out of control and hedonistic past lifestyle. Perhaps his best lyrical performance of the record comes on ‘Follow God’ where his fast rhyming touches on his behaviour that hasn’t been “Christ-like”. This is explored further on ‘On God’ and is complimented by production that feels reminiscent of the electronic sound of Graduation.

Despite once again proving that he can’t sing very well, Kanye puts in an emotionally powerful and cathartic performance on ‘God Is’.

This track encapsulates the overall mood of the album as it shows how Kanye feels freed by faith and has let his demons go: “Listen to the words I’m saying, Jesus saved me, now I’m sane”.

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Music ‘Use this Gospel’ is the crowning achievement of the record as Kanye once again shows his ability to bring an unlikely blend of artists together on a song and create something special. Pusha T and No Malice are reunited as duo ‘Clipse’ with a verse each, while Kenny G helps to close out the track with a splendid saxophone solo.

The struggles of Kanye’s life have been reflected through his discography and Jesus is King seems to represent him moving past his problems and finding his purpose through faith.

When asked in a recent interview if he had dealt with his past issues, Kanye replied: “Yes. I’m at peace.”

While it may not be a classic hip-hop album, Kanye has delivered a project that includes some excellent sampling, clever lyricism, complex production and emotional verses that will give goosebumps to even the most stringent atheists.

Image: Peter Hutchins

In defence of Kanye: rap and religion OPINION CJ Simon Music Contributor

I f you were to search ‘Jesus is King’ into Twitter, at least for the next few days, you’re less likely to find tweets from your local parish and more likely to see tweets in some way related to Kanye West. Sticking to character, West has dropped himself in the heat of controversy. He’s not said he wants to abolish the 13th amendment which freed slaves - no, that was last year’s news. Instead he’s turned to God and dropped his newest album Jesus is King. I can’t defend him calling slavery ‘a choice’ - whatever that means - nor can I support his rallying behind Donald Trump, but what I will defend, to a certain degree, is the use of religion in his music.

“I like Kanye but please don’t push your god music on me” one Twitter user comments, with another asking Kanye supporters to “stop trying to use Christianity as a bulletproof vest for bad hip-hop music”. The album is, as the title suggests, most certainly verging on the genre of ‘Christian Hip-Hop’, a relatively underground subsection of the hip-hop community, but Christianity in hip-hop isn’t new.

In fact, Christianity is embedded in hip-hop. When Trump labels Kanye as a pioneer for this Judo-Christiancentric EP (27 minutes certainly isn’t long enough to constitute an album), it highlights his limited understanding of the art-form.

It’s incredibly possible that Kanye has turned over a new leaf and embraced God, realising the error of his ways. Similarly, arguments of Kanye pushing religion too fervently ignores the fact that we choose whether or not to listen and continue listening to an artist. The album title alone tells you whether or not this EP is going to be a bit ‘Bible-bashy’, for the want of a better word.

Why is hip-hop filled with religious language, ideas and imagery?

Because throughout the 19th century religious colonists from across Europe enslaved and transported people from across Africa to the Carribean and the United States. During this time, the African diaspora were introduced to and forced into Christianity.

What began as an imperialist tool of enslavement was adopted by the African diaspora to encourage faith and hope in redemption and eventual escape from captivation;

this is why religion lives so deeply within work songs of slaves in the mid 19th century.

Religion then became an important part of black culture, history, and music - especially important during times of struggle for the community

Image: GOOD Music both in the UK and the US. Ab-Soul wrote about how The Book of Job helped him deal with a girlfriend passing in ‘The Book of Soul’; Joey Bada$$, in his song ‘BABYLON’, uses a cacophony of beautiful imagery to discuss his desire to

support African Americans escaping from persecution in America through God, this came about after the murder of Eric Garner at the hands of police officers; and J.Cole talks on finding hope and God at the birth of his daughter in She’s Mine Pt 1/ 2. Religion in hip-hop is a source of promise and belief that a world full of persecution and pain can get better.

In an interview with Big Boy’s Neighbourhood, West stated that ‘the culture’ was the use of social media and wearing high fashion, going as far as to say that “we are cultureless”, which ignores the wealth of culture held by black people outside of any form of materialism, religious beliefs being apart of that culture. The closest Kanye gets to clearly relating spirituality to the struggles of the common man is the line “there is freedom from addiction” in the song God Is, which leads most to feel like this EP is purely an exercise of preaching.

It is Kanye’s strong affiliation with Trump which seems to unsettle most. Trump responded to hate towards the EP in saying the left was “waging war against our family and culture” and was joined by many

white christians all raving about Kanye’s new album, which doesn’t make any of the Trump haters happy. The distaste for the album goes deeper than just disliking West’s political views but rather what West’s album stands for. It’s incredibly difficult to dissociate the vacuous religious preaching with the far-right white supremicist views of those who have come out in support of the album. It has been argued that the religion Kanye is advocating is not a multi-racial God which has supported and given hope to black people across the globe but the same white God which has justified violence against and oppressed black people.

The issue with Jesus Is King comes when the Christianity being preached doesn’t speak to black people, but rather is attached to farright views which seek to demonise and de-legitimise black experience and black expression. This is exactly what Fox News reporter Geraldo Riviera did when stating that he believed “hip-hop had done more damage than racism”.

He was referring to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Alright’, a song which united the African American community in protest against police brutality during the Black Lives Matter movement. Hip-Hop, whilst not perfect, has done a world of good in the lives of black people everywhere and the same can be said for religion.

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Music

How to: starting a band at uni Music Editor Dana Raer interviews...

Concrete Armbands How did you meet and why did you form a band together?

I know Josh from back home; we were in school and sixth form together. We used to play a lot during that time. Then at uni, we met Ali. We mostly had the same music taste. The first time we met was in Bar One. You can play your own music in there and we all wanted the same songs on. So we pretty quickly realised that we share the same taste in music.

Is it easy to book a gig in Sheffield?

I’d say so, to get a really good gig you’ve got to put in a lot of work so we started getting more successful gigs. We played Corp on Saturday, which would be quite difficult to get.

Playing the Washington is a really good venue, West Street Live is really easy to book, keep messaging them and they’ll put you on. The same goes with Green Room.

Is it affordable to have a band?

Buying equipment is expensive, but we don’t do gigs that often, we tend to do a couple of them a month at most. One thing bands need to be careful of – I don’t want to say the word dodgy - but unfair promoters saying “oh, if you come out to this place in the outskirts of Manchester somewhere you get this great gig!”

But then they offer you no money for tickets or transport. These sorts of gigs you need to be really careful of because you can run out of money pretty quickly. Our Uni is so wellplaced for gigs.

What tips do you have for bands just starting?

Go on Facebook to the Sheffield music scene page. That is how we got our gigs. There are a lot of Facebook groups that help you with recording.

It’s not about finding the best players, but finding people that you get on with and that you have similar

Bad Fettle:Ryan, Adam, Dylan, George and Tommy

Favourite Songs:

Pink Floyd - ‘Time’ Queen - ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Pulp -‘Common People’ Arctic Monkeys - ‘Brianstorm’ Strokes - ‘Reptilia’

musical taste or musical taste that work together.

Where do you usually find your inspiration for writing songs?

Our first single ‘The Brink’ was about university lecture strikes so there was a more political angle on that. Amusingly that came together, that was the first song we wrote as a band.

We write about everything, we’ve got songs about mental health, politics, and relationships. We’re trying to be introspective at times and as open as possible like issues with alcohol, general oppression. Even though we are not afraid to be weirder with our lyrics- there are definitely some things that are more abstract – something that sounds good.

Bad Fettle What tips do you have for bands just starting?

Just get either friends or people to start out with and once you’ve got the set-up that you want just go into a practice room or whatever and just start playing and see if something happens: it may happen or it might not. Get yourself contacts with other bands, once you’ve got your band you still got to go places to other bands because you might get support like a slot to their gig. You can also get connections with the organiser of that gig. You gotta find the people.

What obstacles did you come across during our time as a band?

An obstacle was getting our first couple of gigs, but once you’ve done that everything is getting a lot easier. Getting that first one or first two is the difficult bit.

Especially in paid gigs, you’ll find organisers who say to bring a lot of

Favourite Songs:

The Murder Capital - ‘Green and Blue’ Killing Joke - ‘Eighties’ Concrete Armbands: James and Ali (Plus Ben and Josh)

people, you can always show them pictures of the crowds you’ve had before. Obviously they prefer it if you sound good, but they also want people who bring a big audience.

How do you balance uni workload with being a member of a band?

I think the fact that it is a hobby makes it good because you don’t have to work for it like you can go home can practice on your instruments, get yourself away from work at uni and by doing that you’re prepared for the gig next week. It doesn’t feel like work, it’s a hobby really and that makes it so much easier to do it.

Do you promote your band through social media?

Yeah, that’s been very helpful.

Without Facebook, I feel like we wouldn’t have really got anywhere at all. It’s a lot easier now. It’s a way forward to post videos, find gigs.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever had?

The first one was a really good one; we did it for charity. It was mostly about confidence, like we can really do this. The one we did last night where we headlined was really good as well.

Is it easy to get a gig in Sheffield?

There is a Facebook page for musicians which basically promotes all the stuff, they put posts in there that they want bands at certain dates and that is how we got most of our gigs. We had a gig at The Washington. We filled up the dancing area with 40-50 people.

Is it affordable for students to have a band at university?

If you have all the instruments, yeah. The hardest bit is practicing; At uni you’re not allowed to use the drop kit in the music room so we go to practice rooms that are up in Pitsmoor. To get there and get back is a bit of a kerfuffle.

What were your expectations before starting a band at uni?

In my hometown it’s hard to break through, to get gigs so I thought that coming to Sheffield, known for its music scene, it would be easier to get gigs. So far I don’t want to jinx it or anything, but it’s going in the right direction for us. We’re getting gigs easily, we’re going to get recording started, lots of plans.

Image credits: Chelsea Burrell

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Dan Cross and Josh Teggert Screen Editors

Screen

Wow, it’s November already - time sure does fly when you’re producing a newspaper! Speaking of which, we’ve got all sorts of screen-based content coming your way this issue.

Josh is back with another feature all about de-aging in film and the implications it could have on cinema (ooo spooky). It’s double-Teggert this issue too, as he’s been to see

Doctor Sleep - starring good ol’ ObiWan Kenobi himself Ewan McGregor in this adaptation of Stephen King’s 2013 novel, a sequel to The Shining.

Games Editor Ash Williams has written about the world of streaming services, given that everyone and their dog is set to launch one in the next few years. Then to round this issue off, we’ve also got excellent reviews of Rattlesnake and the new remake of The Addams Family from some of our contributors.

“You can’t relive the past”... or can you? The process of deaging and the wider implications for the future of cinema FEATURE

involved could have anticipated.

Since then, digital de-aging in Josh Teggert film has become somewhat of a Screen Editor franchise staple for Marvel. It was Martin Scorsese is one of the most used on Michael Douglas among renowned and respected filmmakers others in the intro to Ant-Man to of all time. Most recently, however, play younger iterations of their he has come under fire for his rather characters, and their most extensive unsparing opinion on Marvel films, use of the tech came in this year’s labelling them as “not cinema”. To Captain Marvel, which stupendously clarify, he then followed-up on this de-aged Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick comment, stating “knowing what Fury, as well as Clark Gregg’s Agent goes into them now, I admire what Coulson, admittedly to more of a they do”. Originally, the issue with plastic-like effect.

Marvel films was that they were, And now, even the likes of Martin in Scorsese’s mind, like “theme Scorsese is making use of the parks”, as there is little emotion technology to the absolute brink of or psychological entanglement its ability. Indeed, his new release, between the characters, which The Irishman (coming to select he thinks is what films should be theatres in the UK for a short period centred around. from 8 November, and available on Yet one thing that cannot be Netflix from 27 November), displays denied is Marvel’s groundbreaking some of the most meticulously use of technology and the catalogue detailed de-aging yet, as classic of stories which can now be told actors Robert De Niro, Al Pacino because of this technological and Joe Pesci will be able to play advancement. Computer Generated their younger selves - not through Imagery (CGI) plays a massive part makeup as it used to be done, but in every blockbuster film nowadays, through the digital de-aging process and even the smaller productions - over the course of its whopping rarely shy away from using it. Of 207-minute narrative. course, Marvel didn’t invent CGI, But de-aging is a significantly nor was it the first to use it in exhaustive process. There are two ways to explore previously approaches that visual unattainable, effects teams may unimaginable choose to adopt for realms of cinemathis process: 2D making, such as and 3D methods. the incredible The 2D approach world-building entails using and mapping footage of the now achievable actor on set and Sam L. Jackson looking 40 from behind a comparing it with again. Image: Movie DB computer screen. scenes of them But there is one in as their younger technical aspect that selves, with a plethora Marvel has arguably fronted: of samples in hair colour, skin the digital de-aging phenomenon. colour, body shape, face shape and Many may not realise, but the first so on to cross-reference. The actor time this technology was employed then must be isolated from every was back in 2006, in a Marvel film. frame, then their face and body is X-Men: The Last Stand de-aged stars replaced by mattes. VFX such as Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen for patching, digital print, cloning and flashback scenes, a relatively small blur is used for the desired effect segment in the film which in turn to make the person look younger. signalled a monumental turning Dots can also be used to allow the point for Hollywood that no-one computer to do it for you, but this

Robert De Niro (currently aged 76) de-aged in The Irishman Image: Movie DB

isn’t always a possibility. Captain Marvel is one of the most prominent uses of this technique, as Samuel L. Jackson was de-aged frame by frame to make him look spookily similar to himself in the 1990s.

The 3D approach is less used than the 2D method because of how time-consuming - and therefore expensive - it is. The visual effects team must digitally scan the actor, thus creating an ultra-realistic 3D model of their face and body. It supposedly makes integration into the scene easier as VFX is creating the character from scratch, but as the people who worked on deaging Johnny Depp for a flashback scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge attested, it isn’t as desirable as the 2D approach.

One of the primary concerns with de-aging in contemporary film is the ethics behind the process. In essence, should we be concerned that some studios have started to bring actors back from the dead?

This was seen first and foremost in Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story where the visual effects team used the actor Guy Henry and digitally created the image of the late Peter Cushing over his face in order to include the character of Grand Moff Tarkin in the A New Hope prequel.

In an interview with The New York Times, the visual effects supervisor for the film, John Knoll, stated that this de-aging process, and all others, are fundamentally “a super high-tech and labour intensive version of doing makeup.” In this

regard, it’s similar to the process undergone to make Gary Oldman look so eerily like Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, for example, or Rami Malek’s transformation into Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. The ethics, in this case, may be quite defendable, but looking at the wider picture, there are those that disagree.

Many complained, and continue to do so, about Cushing’s supposedly lifeless or frighteningly dead eyes, an aspect which has proven a major problem for visual effects teams across the board when trying to make older actors resemble their younger selves. This may offend some by the use of a such a lifeless recreation tarnishing the image of the actor post-death, despite the best intentions of the visual effects team.

What’s more, the rights and usage of an actor’s likeness belong exclusively to their estates - which is usually comprised of their family and lawyers. It used to be the case that estates only need be concerned about how the deceased’s movies or music would be used after their death, however, now that studios possess the full powers of necromancers, the authority of the estate’s right to the actor’s actual self remains a very tantalising ethical quandary, one which hopefully won’t spiral out of control.

It reaches further than cinema alone as well, as TV adverts have, on rare occasions, used the likeness of dead actors for their own measures.

For example, the Audrey Hepburn estate allowed her likeness to be used in a Galaxy chocolate advert.

According to AdAge, “the marketing, licensing and commercial use of dead celebrities is an estimated $3.0 billion business”, so the lucrative nature of this area indicates at a boundless future for de-aging deceased celebrities.

One of the primary concerns with de-aging in contemporary film is the ethics behind the process To be frank, this is a business that will not end soon; heck, it’s only just beginning to take off. So, while this recent phenomenon of de-aging actors won’t die soon, it means that there could be some iconic characters which we may never see leave our screen if the demand is there - which it most certainly is.

But what are the individual benefits of such a method case-by-case?

When is it going too far? And most critically, what happens if we start preferring to see the recreations of old or deceased actors over the genuine, new talent? Whilst this is an extremely unlikely possibility, it isn’t completely unfathomable in this day and age. Only time will tell.

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

Screen

Breaking a mirror is not just bad luck, it’s so uncivillisedImage: Movie DB

REVIEW Film: Doctor Sleep Josh Teggert Screen Editor

The Shining is arguably one of the most recognisable and respected horror films of all time among contemporary viewers, despite its mixed reception at the time. Sure, the original novel-writer Stephen King has his issues with it, but one cannot deny that as a film, Stanley Kubrick’s immersive film adaptation is a staple of pop culture.

Now the long-awaited sequel, Doctor Sleep, based on the 2013 novel of the same name has arrived.

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Doctor Sleep follows an older Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) who possesses psychic abilities. After he encounters Abra (Kyliegh Curran), a young girl who has the same power and learns that she is being sought out by the merciless Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) for her “steam” – the mysterious entity that makes one able to “shine” – Dan’s peace is shattered, and the two engage in a fight for their lives against Rose’s quasi-immortal cult, The True Knot.

Naturally, matching The Shining as a film is almost an impossible feat. But Doctor Sleep comes nowhere close. Clocking in at 152 minutes – over half an hour longer than the first film – the film is a drag, overly-absorbed in its own pretention and is consistently dull.

Director and writer Mike Flanagan has created an incredibly disjointed narrative which tonally never quite

hits the mark.

Primarily, Doctor Sleep has a significant villain problem. But where the majority of the time the issue lies in not getting to know the antagonist proficiently enough, (see Thor: The Dark World or most other Marvel films), Doctor Sleep does precisely the opposite. In fact, Flanagan spends too much time on Ferguson and her dastardly cult, resulting in the previously mentioned exhaustingly dull narrative. The acting on Ferguson’s part elevates a script which is otherwise cringeworthy, but Flanagan’s choice to dive deep into the context of the villains is severely misjudged – especially as there’s not actually too much to them and their threat never feels significant enough.

The complete lack of subtlety and horror is a further disappointment.

The Shining masterfully displays some disturbing imagery, but Doctor Sleep feels like it is forcing itself to excruciatingly illustrate everything to audiences and tarnishes any chance of being in the least bit intriguing. There’s nothing in Doctor Sleep – besides nostalgia – able to make a mark on the viewer, and that truly is a shame.

Doctor Sleep is redeemed by some wonderfully sweet moments featuring Danny using his abilities compassionately, as well as some high-quality acting from McGregor, Ferguson and Curran. But it is otherwise a rather unfortunate let-down for The Shining fans wanting to see the continuation and conclusion of Stephen King’s story.

REVIEW Film: Rattlesnake Rachel Yates Screen Contributor

Indiana Jones would have loved this film.

Image: Movie DB

After her young daughter, Clara (Apollonia Pratt), is bitten by a rattlesnake, Katrina Ridgeway (Carmen Ejogo) seeks help from a strange woman who saves her daughter’s life. She later takes her daughter to the hospital and while doctors find no evidence that she had been bitten at all, a man appears, explaining that in order to repay this healing, she must kill someone by sunset.

The question Rattlesnake ultimately asks is ‘would you kill to save a loved one?’, and while this premise offers a promising and exciting watch of the human psyche,

REVIEW Film: The Addams Family Gwynnie Naylor Screen Contributor

The Addams Family (and subsequently Addams Family Values) was always going to be a difficult film to revitalise; it remains a cult classic of the mid-90s, led by its stunning performances from Anjelica Houston and Christina Richie. Therefore, audiences were always going to be sceptical of the new and somewhat disconcerting aesthetic of the new Addams family.

To its credit, this new adaptation doesn’t attempt to replicate whatever has come before, as it updates the original cartoons to an animated style which rids the family of their more recent palatable appearance.

However, this new interpretation which directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon have chosen, even

with the stellar cast (Charlize Theron, Oscar Issac, Chloe Grace Moretz and Finn Wolfhard), results in the family losing what made them so watchable originally; the heart and connection that binds all the characters together. While some performances do well - Moretz nails Wednesday’s disillusioned antipathy - others fall flat. Theron doesn’t embody the power and elegance of Morticia, and the dialogue between her and Gomez doesn’t crackle and spark in the way that it is meant to. Morticia and Gomez are meant to be outrageously in love with each other, in their own gothic, campy way, but the family unit comes across as forced and almost gimmicky, and a borderline imitation of previous incarnations.

As a family movie, it entertains.

The plot, though predictable and seemingly an amalgamation of every other animated family comedy, has everything there to help viewers reach a satisfying ending, yet ultimately, for a film based around misfits and weirdos, the contrivances of the paint by numbers plot drag the family down to the level of those normal people that they so frequently mock.

Some families take Halloween a little more seriously...

Image: Movie DB

the film itself falls short. Director and writer Zak Hilditch’s simple, straightforward plot stays like that throughout, with few twists or turns to keep the viewer alert. It becomes predictable and provides no real sub-plots for viewers to care for.

Ejogo’s portrayal of a desperate, traumatised single mother trying to protect her child is one of the most redeeming qualities of the film.

However, while she is watchable - and on-screen for pretty much the entire film - the film does little for her character, as barely any information is actually provided about who she is.

The film relies heavily on a tried and tested thriller style, such as the overuse of eerie music. Furthermore, the cinematography is relied on with too much emphasis; the 85-minute screen time is littered with closeups of Ejogo’s face and, in a few select scenes, point-of-view shots revealing to the viewer only what she can see. In this sense, the film lacks any sort of refreshing or creative

filmmaking, and instead falls back on methods that audiences are used to, creating a less exciting viewing experience.

While the cinematography plays into many thriller tropes, one interesting feature of Rattlesnake is the use of colour. Compared to many other films of the same genre, Rattlesnake takes place almost entirely in daylight, due to the time pressure of her having to kill before sunset, meaning that the film’s aesthetic is brighter – Ejogo’s character even spends the majority of the film in a yellow zip-up hoodie.

It is an impressive choice, aided by the plot’s ticking clock, and it helps to retain some tension.

However, ultimately the film still leaves a taste of purposelessness and unfulfilled potential. With Netflix releasing a new horror film every week in the run-up to Halloween, there is a great deal of choice within the genre, and many of Netflix’s other new releases have proved more worthy of viewers’ time.

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Screen

Video streaming services: loud and from an increasingly overcrowded cloud?

Ash Willams Games Editor

In this day and age, we’ve become accustomed to Netflix being the market leader in terms of streaming content. The American corporation - founded as a DVD rental company - quickly amassed to be the number one name in consuming movies and TV shows online, with over 139 million paying subscribers. Naturally, with such a lucrative business, there would be competition that would rise up to try and fight for the streaming crown.

Despite controlling only 10 per cent of the service, the BBC are treating this as a big push towards their streaming future Arguably Netflix’s most successful competitor is Amazon Prime Video.

Backed by the giant cash flows of the online retail store it’s part of, Prime Video has managed to produce and curate a selection of content that has genuine value to the average consumer, from The Grand Tour to The Boys. Netflix and Amazon have waged a duopoly in recent years, but suddenly, that could change very fast.

A couple of years ago, news broke that Disney would remove its films from other streaming services like Netflix and Amazon and form its own streaming service called Disney+.

This news was met with mild shock: it wasn’t uncommon for companies to have their own streaming platform nowadays, that trend was

slowly growing for a number of years with services like HBO Go, All 4 and ITV Hub. Companies were slowly realising that people were less likely to watch something live on TV compared to the convenience of ondemand streaming.

The main difference this had with Disney’s decision was that a lot of content was already available on Netflix. Removing their movies and keeping them exclusive to their own service would not only benefit their income, but it would hurt a direct competitor. If it was going to be any other corporation, this gamble might not have worked. But this is Disney, one of, if not the largest media conglomerate on the planet.

They have the content to back up their attitude. Their films, from Marvel to Pixar, are renowned the world over, and wherever they are available, people will go.

With over 5,000 titles available on Netflix, it’s not the amount of content that suffers, it’s the overall quality. I don’t think that it’s a surprise that the titles that Disney offer, particularly their films, are some of the best in their genre, and locking down exclusivity can go a long way to ensuring that hardcore Disney aficionados sign up, and stay that way.

A few of my friends have had this train of thought. When Disney’s intentions became clear, they told me that they would likely be getting Disney+ because of the access to classic Disney films. Sure, there’s other ways you can watch them, but not entirely legally. Accessing Disney+ would, therefore, be the safe choice, the option for people who prioritize convenience over any concerns of price.

At the time of writing, Disney+

Is Netflix still the dominant player?

Image: Max Pixel doesn’t have a concrete release date in the UK, so we can’t look at UK pricing. However, the US pricing model - which doesn’t commonly translate fairly over this side of the pond - does look an enticing prospect to fans of the ‘House of Mouse’. $7 a month isn’t an entirely unreasonable ask given the content on offer, and $84 a year also compares fairly well compared to Netflix and Amazon’s equivalents.

In the US at least, where services like Hulu and ESPN are much more prominent than they are in the UK, the bundle deal for $13 a month seems like a decent offer. Because Disney simply owns so much stuff nowadays, they can package together their services like no-one else really can. Aside from Comcast and Time Warner, (and possibly the CBS-Viacom merger, should that go ahead), not many conglomerates exist out there that can match

Disney for their sheer amount of assets.

The bubble is on its way to bursting, as the majority of people are simply not on board with the idea of paying for multiple services The biggest selling points when comparing services like these against each other have to be their exclusives or original content.

Disney+ obviously have the vast Disney library exclusively, but their upcoming originals, such as The Mandalorian, the Obi-Wan series, as well as planned series in the Marvel universe, are, from the looks of things, worth getting excited about.

BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub have been staples of on-demand services for quite some time now, but the two companies have teamed up to launch a new service, Britbox.

Despite controlling only 10% of the service, the BBC are treating this as a big push towards their streaming future in a way that iPlayer couldn’t provide. It seems strange to have to pay for typically free BBC content, but this goes further than domestic territories. Britbox is also aimed at the American market, as over 62 per cent of Americans are currently subscribed to a streaming service of some sort according to a survey in September. Netflix and Amazon have carried some BBC shows as well, like Top Gear and Mock the Week, but they haven’t been the

most up to date, which could make the difference between Britbox and them.

ITV has moved for a more aggressive push than the BBC, with a 30-day free window for programmes on ITV Hub compared to iPlayer’s year. At the same time, not everything would be transferred over, as licensing agreements would need to be renegotiated with independent producers. It’s a bold move for the two broadcasting giants, as when the news was announced, it wasn’t met with a large degree of positivity.

It’s clear that the streaming space is getting more and more crowded, with increasing numbers of services and subscriptions taking bites out of your wallet. The bubble is on its way to bursting, as the majority of people are simply not on board with the idea of paying for multiple services. How long will it be sustainable? Well, as on-demand streaming looks set to dominate the landscape for more years to come, it’ll be interesting to see the change in perspectives that people have towards the way the future is going. Until then, that’s another 8 quid a month, please.

139m

paid Netflix subscribers in over 190 countries

$7

Monthly cost of Disney+ in North America

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Catherine Lewis and Ash Williams Games Editors

Games

Now that Halloween’s over, it’s time to start the countdown to Christmas!

Okay, maybe not, but it’s worth thinking about what’s going to go on that list to Santa as we tell you about some games with soundtracks that we can’t help but appreciate. Ash has also written about his time with Cube World, and the peculiar history around its development. Finally, we

have a lovely piece about how video game writing should be rewarded, instead of being discredited.

Finally, we’d love for everyone to check out our latest episode of the “Forge Gamescast”, our gaming podcast up on Mixcloud, and remember to join the Forge Press Contributor Group on Facebook if you want to write for us and keep up to date on when we have our Members’ Meetings!

Does video game writing deserve awards?

OPINION Joe Stead Games Contributor

Video games have always been looked down upon in the entertainment world. Despite the fact that the industry is valued well into the billions, video games aren’t really taken seriously. That’s why the recent decision made by the Writers Guild of America to remove the video game category from their awards ceremony feels like a bit of a slap in the face. If the Writers Guild had tried to remove the award for Best Original Screenplay or New Series, then there would undoubtedly be uproar. Whatever their reasoning behind the removal of the category, it clearly displays a disparity between the respect that TV and movies have compared to their video game cousins.

From an outside perspective, it’s not hard to see why video games aren’t the first thing that spring to mind when you think of good writing. When looking at perhaps the most recognizable game franchise of all time, the Mario series, story isn’t exactly their strong point. This is because games originally started with gameplay at the core of the experience. Arcade games like Space Invaders, Pac Man and Donkey Kong were made to be played in short bursts, so any kind of narrative thread would have hindered the experience, not enriched it. However, as the industry has grown, games have gotten larger and deeper. The need for good writing has become apparent and when we look at some of the best games in recent years, I’d argue that need has been met.

Games like God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 are prime

examples of award-worthy writing in video games. If we look at God of War at the surface level, it might look like a story of giant monsters and ancient gods all clashing in the snowy Norse mountains. However, when the game starts it reveals itself as a gripping story about the relationship between parent and child. It deals with issues of grief, dealing with your past, and controlling your emotions. These are things that we all must deal with, and I believe God of War offers a fresh take on each of these themes. Just like a lot of great stories, it takes ordinary problems and frames them in extraordinary circumstances to create something truly entertaining. It’s arguably one of the best games ever written and its ability to deal with these issues so well while remaining entertaining demonstrates just how good the writing is.

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio

Games also have the unique opportunity to switch up pacing and use interactive elements to make their stories and writing even better.

For example, the game Until Dawn allows the player to make choices that shape the story in different ways. You can play through the entire game with each of the characters surviving or you can make a series of awful choices that lead to the demise of each and every one of them. This type of writing is something that books, movies and television don’t have to deal with. The pitfalls soon become obvious. The only way to write a scene when a character could either be alive or dead due to a player’s choices is to write

Previous WGA winners include God of War, The Last of Us, and Horizon Zero Dawn

Image: Rockstar Games

multiple scenes with each potential character combination in it. Until Dawn is one of the best examples of this challenging problem but it’s certainly not a rarity. We are seeing games give players more choice than ever, meaning that potentially thousands of lines are being written that the player likely won’t see. To be able to write such huge scripts while maintaining a high quality of writing demonstrates just how hard a meaningful video game story can

be to craft.

It’s easy to forget that games are still very much in their infancy as a platform. The earliest examples of

Just like a lot of great stories, it takes ordinary problems and frames them in extraordinary circumstances to create something truly entertaining films that we’ve found were dated in the late 1800s, whereas the first examples of video games came around the late 1950s. Games are still 50 years behind as an industry, and yet their narrative quality is almost equal. With the rise of indie games, we’re also seeing some truly amazing, personal stories being told. Gone Home is a perfect example of how an indie game took an experience as personal as coming out and put the player right at the heart of it. The Writers Guild should be recognizing and celebrating these stories for the unique perspectives they can provide instead of dismissing the platform. It’s time we as a society started to give video games the respect they deserve.

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Games

What went wrong?

by Ash Williams FEATURE Ash Williams Games Editor

A little over six years ago, an indie game called Cube World blew up on the internet. When the public alpha was released in July 2013, a swarm of people (including me) rushed to check it out and see what all the fuss was about. It was a breath of fresh air in a gaming landscape dominated by uninspired rehashes. A joy to play in every sense, it felt intriguing and interesting, which created a fervent hype culture that in the end, disappeared very quickly.

Not because of the game itself, it was great. Playing Cube World’s alpha gave players the sense that there was massive potential in the format. This was a time when Minecraft was arguably at the top of the gaming world, but even then, it didn’t attempt some of the ideas that Cube World did. Questing and progression was resemblant of games that had come before, but the overall idea, combining Minecraft’s iconic artstyle with traditional RPG mechanics, was impressively executed.

No, it was because of all the things that happened outside of the game. Not long after the alpha launched, the developer, Wolfram von Funck (better known to his fans as Wollay), completely disappeared from the internet. No updates, no

Images: Picroma

social media posts, nothing. It was like he had vanished off the face of the earth. Naturally, people began to grow suspicious. Over time, suspicion grew to anger about the fact that the game they’d paid for in alpha just wasn’t being updated or even mentioned anymore.

Over the six or so years from that alpha release, there would be spells of activity on Wollay’s Twitter.

However, whatever fans were expecting, they rarely

Long development times don’t equal good games, they just create more time for hype and expectations to build got. A screenshot here, a Tweet about a feature there; they were appreciated, no doubt, but they didn’t lead anywhere. No updates, just Tweets. After a time, even the initial excitement that came with the Tweets quickly faded, and it became a non-event. Every single Tweet was met with sarcastic surprise and the usual questions of when the game actually would be released. Little did they know that eventually, they would get their answer.

It was a day like any other. I was on Twitter, scrolling over random tweets as I tended to do. I don’t

know exactly why I did it, but chance took me to Wollay’s Twitter once again. Something was different this time. There were loads of recent tweets, far more than the usual two or three he would post before going dark again. The usual suspects were there; screenshots, short videos and feature tweets, but one in particular caught my eye. It read “Cube World is coming to Steam.” I have to be honest, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Did this game, trapped in development limbo for six years, finally have a light at the end of the tunnel?

Finally, the hype was back.

Memories of playing the alpha demo came rushing back, and suddenly, I couldn’t wait for the game to release.

If it was going to expand on the features that were in the alpha, and flesh out content, there would’ve been little to no complaints.

Unfortunately, the Cube World released in 2019 is not that same game.

My main gripe with it is the changes made between the alpha and the full game. I thought the base formula in the alpha was the perfect platform to build off of. Apparently the developer had other ideas and changed entire systems, and in my opinion, for the worse.

I started out in a random village area, with no idea where to go.

This is reminiscent of the alpha experience, where the objective is to explore. However, this sense of wonder is instantly culled when I meet the first enemy I come across: a low level lemon beetle. Thinking this would be an easy fight even as a complete starter, I charged in, mage staff at the ready. Oh, hang on, I’m dead. Yes, this simple beetle dude manages to wipe out my character in a matter of hits, Dark Souls-style.

The new spike in difficulty comes in part to the new character progression system. Gone is the traditional experience system of the alpha, where killing enemies

is rewarded with your character levelling up and gaining skills. In its place is an equipment system that seems to go against everything this game promised at the start of development. Because you can’t get stronger by fighting enemies, there’s no incentive to engage with them, and they become more of a hassle than an important part of the game. Often, equipment that would make you able to hold your own against the starting mobs is located on the other side of the area you spawn in. In between you and that is a horde of creatures that you can’t kill easily, so it turns into a stealth game of sorts as you traverse the beautiful voxel landscape, attempting to avoid anything remotely alive, in fear that you’ll die in a matter of seconds again and be sent back to the spawn point miles away.

Eventually, after a painful few hours, I acquired a piece of armour my mage could equip. I’d got a hint from a villager in a nearby town that another piece of decent equipment lay to the west of me. It crossed over into another area, an arid desert that made for an interesting contrast to the comparatively quaint woodland biome I’d started in. Between here and there I’d noticed a massive improvement to my character, in that he wasn’t dying within a matter of seconds.

In fact, I actually managed to get a kill. Now, I shouldn’t be having the same amount of relief playing Cube World as if I was playing a battle royale game, but I felt like I’d finally got to where I should’ve been when I started.

And then I crossed into the desert area.

It was like déjà vu. I was being bodied by trash mobs again, as if my progress up until this point had been for naught. In a way it was. I’d come to the cruel realisation that everything was area specific, and my equipment was no longer effective as it’d been in the starting zone.

This is where I hit the wall. I’d come so far, finally getting to the point where I could hold my own, only to realise I’d have to do it all over again. Granted, I’d gained a couple of useful crafting recipes that would make my second climb to the top a little easier, but the game had finally lost me.

It’s a massive shame. This game was so promising at the start, and everyone was so excited for it. For this to come out of over six years of development time is a disappointing reminder that long development times don’t equal good games, they just create more time for hype and expectations to build to the point where the game could never reach what had become expected of it.

The Final Fantasy VII Remake has become one of the most highly anticipated games ever made, and I have no doubt that it will leave a few fans disappointed. But that’s the culture we live in now, where a game’s quality is expected to match expectations, rather than the other way around. There’ll be more games like Cube World though.

Maybe not in the exact same way in terms of development history, but they’ll have the same feelings of hype, impatience and eventual disappointment. Can someone break this cycle? That would be an interesting (Final) fantasy.

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Games

FEATURE

Setting the scene: The best music in gaming A lot of praise about video games has come from the way they get you connected with the world around you. One of the ways they do this is though the use of music. We here

Phoenix Wright series Tom Buckland I’m not going to claim that my choice of soundtrack is sovereign in every way, but I don’t think you can name another gaming soundtrack that can sell a concept so mundane as “lawyer simulator”. Ask any Law student at University and they’ll tell you there is far less drama than what Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney soundtrack manifests in its highoctane and sometimes emotional

Devil May Cry series Callum Brown DMC 5, along with being my favourite game of 2019, has one of the best soundtracks ever made.

The game features plenty of tracks that get you pumped up and ready to go demon slaying, but what makes it truly unique is how the developers tied the main battle songs to the gameplay. As you get a higher style rank in combat, the more the song progresses, ending with the chorus at the

at Games love a bit of video game music and OSTs, and we’ve decided to highlight some games where that music takes the experience from great, to unforgettable. Enjoy.

bops. I’d name every single game as my favourite soundtrack because every single one of them thrusts you into the juridical soap opera that you just can’t get enough. There’s nothing more satisfying than catching one of your witnesses on a slight and that music kicking in. It’ll make you wish you studied Law - but leave it as a wish. It’s not nearly as exciting as the game makes you think.

highest rank, and this mechanic motivates you to pull off the craziest combos and makes every fight feel just as intense as the last. Each boss fight also has their own unique song with the same mechanic, and there’s plenty of slow ambient tracks that work perfectly for the more emotional moments in the story. Overall, while DMC 5 is an amazing game, it wouldn’t be the same without its superb soundtrack.

Beautiful soundtracks aren’t especially hard to come by, but a soundtrack which perfectly sets the tone of a game is a diamond amongst coal, and it’s something Witcher 3 did perfectly. We’re looking here at a soundtrack so good I scrambled to the internet after playing it to research what the creative process was - Mikolai Stroinski and Marcin Przybyłowicz are

Kingdom Hearts series Peter Reed The opening songs of the Kingdom Hearts series cannot be understated as musical genius.

They set the scene for the magical tour of a series which, although complex in ideas, brings out the inner child in all of us. A mix of Disney charm with Square Enix oomph, they’re never skippable.

The music in the rest of the series is equally charming; ‘Roxas’ and ‘Lazy Afternoons’ are tracks

wizards. It ranges from beautiful and haunting, to downright adrenaline inducing when those drums kick in, all with a gritty Slavic energy. I don’t think I can listen to the Hearts of Stone DLC soundtrack without genuine tears of fear welling up in my eyes - and that, my friends, is music with power. Take care on the Path, Witchers.

which will forever be engrained in childhood, somehow sad, yet bringing a hint of joy every single time.

And let’s not even get on to the menu music. ‘Dearly Beloved’ is perfect. So perfect it opens every single game in the series. If you ever want to feel connected through video game music, Kingdom Hearts is the place to go.

Super Mario Galaxy Joe Warner

Xenoblade Chronicles Catherine Lewis The first Xenoblade was a beautifully executed game all round, but its phenomenal soundtrack really helps set the colossal JRPG apart from just a fun game to a cinematic masterpiece.

Every song perfectly matches the environment or situation on screen, transforming sad cutscenes into tear-jerking sobfests, and cool areas into living art pieces you simply don’t want to leave.

The Witcher 3 Paige Cockbain

‘Engage the Enemy’ was my favourite, as it truly paints the picture of drama, sorrow and terror (no spoilers!), which helps get you invested in the plot and relate to the feelings of the characters.

The battle songs have high energy to pump you up, yet maintain emotion, reminding you of the significance behind your journey and what you’re fighting for.

Please play Xenoblade Chronicles.

Super Mario Galaxy’s release marked both a figurative and literal departure for the series, being the first Mario game to be set almost entirely in space. Such a stark departure meant a need to take the soundtrack in an entirely new direction; something Mario, but distinctly more ‘spacey’.

The end result did not disappoint.

Galaxy’s soundtrack is actually better described as score, featuring a full orchestra to adequately

capture the gravity (pun intended) of the game’s best moments.

Otherworldly interpretations of the series’ iconic riffs are rich, impactful and grandiose.

Ironically though, despite the full orchestra emphasising the high stakes of a grand interstellar adventure, every single track is surprisingly grounded and always strongly emotional. Simply put, I adore it.

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Science & Tech

Beth Hanson and George Tuli Science & Tech Editors

This issue we have a wide variety of Science & Tech news.

We take a look at our plastic problem and reflect on the positive intentions behind the plastic bag’s creation. Is the plastic bag to blame or is our collective single-use mindset the problem?

As the days grow shorter and the cold creeps in, so do periods of low

mood and poorer mental health.

Read up on how the seasons can affect mental health.

Can the dark web be used to bring information and news to countries under oppressive regimes? Find out how the BBC have launched their news site on the Tor network.

If you want to write about Science & Tech please contact us on: press. science@forgetoday.com (Beth Hanson)

How plastic bags were supposed to save the world Wesley O’Callaghan Science & Tech Contributor

“To my dad, the idea that people would simply throw these away would be… bizarre.” These were the words used by the son of Swedish engineer and plastic bag inventor Sten Gustaf Thulin when recently interviewed by the BBC. Thulin

invented the plastic bag to help the planet – he never imagined they would contribute to its devastation.

After inventing the plastic bag in 1959, Thulin always carried one around in his pocket; most of the time exactly the same one.

He designed the plastic bag as something that was efficient to produce and distribute yet durable enough to use repeatedly. His design required a minimal amount of raw materials while using less water and energy than the closest alternative: paper bags.

Yet the benefits of plastic bags are also the characteristics that have caused so many problems. Plastic bags became so cheap to produce that manufactures produced them on an unprecedented scale as supermarkets handed them out for free. Shops across the country handed out around seven billion plastic bags in 2014, the year before the government introduced a 5p levy. Plastic bags effectively became disposable to the average consumer.

After all, it seemed that there was no need to bother bringing your bags to the supermarket each time. Instead, you could pick up new ones for free.

As a result of this single-use mindset, plastic bags have become a major contributor to pollution,

ending up in oceans and rivers, and the stomachs of both land animals and marine life all over the world.

The issue of plastic is serious, but are the alternatives any better?

The humble paper bag was once the ubiquitous way to carry shopping and today many people see paper bags as the ideal solution. In reality, this is far from the case.

Yes, paper bags are biodegradable

and use practically zero oil to produce. But to make them requires cutting down vast areas of forest, and they use a lot of water and more energy to produce and recycle than their plastic counterpart. Paper bags are also less far durable – get one wet on your way back from the shops, and you will soon find yourself picking up groceries off the pavement.

Alternatively, there is the cotton tote bag. There is no doubt that these things are fashionable right now - walk around Western Bank Library on a busy day, and you’ll spot hundreds. However, are they good for the environment? Not unless you reuse them and reuse them a lot. Use a modern tote bag more than 100 times and maybe it will be worth its weight in material. However, unlike with flimsy paper bags, it is possible to get this much reuse out of cotton bags. Just try not to grab new ones all the time; use the ones you already have.

Top tip: look out for organic cotton bags. The production of cotton bags and garments contributes a lot to water pollution due to the use of synthetic pesticides, insecticides, and fertilisers. Buying certified organic cotton ensures that your

impact on water supplies across the world is minimised.

The main problem with tote bags is the sheer amount of energy and water needed to produce each one.

The average cotton t-shirt uses more than 2000 litres of water to produce – that is equivalent to three years worth of drinking water.

Tote bags are the same. You may be

preventing plastic from entering the oceans, but at the same time, you’re contributing to the draining of Earth’s water supplies. There is no doubt that when it comes to bags, it really is hard to win!

Hopefully, someday soon the perfect bag will be designed and enter mass production. A bag that does not require oil or large amounts of water to produce. A bag that can biodegrade in days without polluting land or water supplies while being safe to animals if they, unfortunately, mistake it for food.

Maybe after reading this article, you are confused. You’d like to do exactly what is best for the environment but are not sure as to the best way to transport your shopping. The conclusion is simple.

Use bags you already own and use these bags again and again.

One or two people making large changes cannot solve the environmental problems we face.

But instead, if everyone makes small changes to their lifestyle, it will make the world a better place.

Reusing your bags is just one of the changes that every individual can make daily. Perhaps then, Thulin will rest just that little bit more soundly.

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Science & Tech

Seasonal Affective Disorder What is SAD? How can symptoms be managed?

Samantha Skinner Science & Tech Contributor

“It is chiefly the changes of the seasons which produce diseases, and in the seasons the great changes from cold or heat” – Hippocrates, on what we now call Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

SAD is a type of depression that affects people at a particular time of year. Sometimes called the ‘Winter Blues’, the symptoms are most common in the colder months but can occur at any time of year and are always associated with a particular

Listening: 0114 222 8787

Information: 0114 222 8788

season or type of weather.

Although the causes of SAD are not fully understood, it’s thought that the lack of sunlight during winter might prevent the hypothalamus (the part of the brain responsible for releasing hormones) from working correctly. This can lead to depressive symptoms due to an imbalance of melatonin, a hormone which makes you tired, and serotonin, a hormone which controls your emotions, appetite, and sleep.

It’s also thought that the change in daylength can affect your circadian rhythm (your body clock) and lead to

symptoms of SAD. The symptoms of SAD include lack of energy or fatigue, persistent low mood, irritability, weight gain, sleeping for long periods of time and a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities.

While there’s no exact cure, there are many ways in which the symptoms might be managed.

Getting outside during the day is a great start. It keeps you active (a potential remedy in itself) and exposes you to natural light. If you can’t get out, spend time near a bright window whenever you can. If

Appointments: Tel: 0114 222 8660 Email: advice@sheffield.ac.uk Or at the reception desk in the SU

you have too much work to do, you could write your essay in the Main Sequence area of Western Bank Library where, thanks to floor-toceiling windows, there’s plenty of natural light!

Another great way to manage the symptoms of SAD is by socialising.

Go to that party you were thinking of putting off or call someone you care about. Not only can friends and family offer great support, but it’s been shown that social interaction is really good for your mental health (even if it feels like an effort, since it’s like going to the gym for your

SAMHS www.shef.ac.uk/mentalwellbeing/about-samhs

brain)!

Some studies have suggested that light therapy can be an effective way to treat SAD; lightboxes give off light much brighter than most artificial lights. However, these can usually be quite expensive and aren’t available on the NHS. Perhaps talking it through with a councillor or joining a support group might help. If you’re really struggling, you might also want to consider having a chat with the University Health Service or your GP.

If you’re struggling or need any mental health support, a range of services are available for you to talk to by phone or online, or in person.

“Sounds legit”: Elon Musk donates one million trees

George Tuli Science & Tech Editor

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has donated one million trees to the Arbor Day Foundation. After hearing about the scheme via YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) on Twitter, Musk replied: “ok, sounds legit, will donate 1M trees”, and proceeded to do so via teamtrees.org, and change his name on Twitter to “Treelon”.

In May 2019 the internet

challenged YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) to plant 20 million trees after he reached 20 million subscribers. To make it happen, he banded with other YouTubers to set up #TeamTrees, a platform for people to donate money for planting trees at a rate of $1 per tree.

To make it successful, they partnered with Arbor Day Foundation, the longest-running tree-planting NGO (non-

governmental organisation).

Joining Musk on the #teamtrees leaderboard are MrBeast himself, Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke (beating Musk by one tree), YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and DJ Alan Walker.

A recent Science study found that planting billions of trees is the “most effective strategy” for combating climate change, so schemes like #TeamTrees are a step in the right direction for saving the planet.

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Science & Tech

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BBC launches news site on Tor network to thwart censorship attempts Josh Bolton Science & Tech Contributor

A mirror of the BBC News website has been launched on a ‘dark web’ browser to make it available to those living under repressive regimes.

It will be launched on the Tor network (short for ‘The Onion Router’), a browser that allows the user to remain anonymous while using the internet.

By creating this ‘dark web’ version of their international news site, they hope to ensure they can bring their free-press to citizens in countries that have attempted to censor it, such as China, Iran and Vietnam.

What is the Tor network?

The Tor network was developed by the US Navy to protect sensitive information. It does this by encasing users data in layers of encryption (hence the onion) and directing the data through several networks worldwide.

This allows people to conceal their identity, location and information,

essentially make them untraceable when searching online.

With privacy so hard to come by in the 21st century, it has become incredibly popular with more than two million people using it each day according to The Tor Project.

The Tor network has also been

web’ is often used to engage in criminal activity such as drugs and arms dealing, illegal pornography and fraud.

In this sense, it represents a peculiar case-study into the pros and cons of total privacy in modern life.

It represents a peculiar case-study into the pros and cons of total privacy in modern life

Why is the BBC making use of it?

The BBC News site was temporarily blocked in China in 2014 and then again last year.

While this is just part of the broader issue of online censorship in China (where an exhaustive list of banned sites include Google, Wikipedia, Facebook and Youtube), the new BBC Tor site will allow Chinese citizens increased freedom of information without the risk of repercussions.

Since 2002 the BBC World Service website has been intermittently blocked in Vietnam, whilst in Iran access to the BBC has been limited.

A BBC statement said it hopes this Tor mirror will thwart censorship attempts.

praised by many for allowing political dissidents, activists and whistleblowers freedom to communicate with the world without suffering from repercussions.

The Tor network can be used to access the ‘dark web’, part of the internet that cannot be seen through standard web browsers.

While there are obvious benefits to it being free of government and corporate surveillance, this also creates many problems. The ‘dark

Image: Beth Hanson

New molecular tool promises “precise” gene editing Image: A broad outline of prime editing by George Tuli

George Tuli Science & Tech Editor

Scientists have invented a “versatile and precise” molecular tool for editing DNA, capable of correcting up to 89 per cent of the errors which cause genetic diseases. The study, published in Nature brings new hope to people with genetic disorders such as sickle cell anaemia and TaySachs disease.

“Prime editing” promises greater precision and flexibility over previous technologies, with its ability to accurately insert or delete DNA sections and correct harmful mutations down to a single “letter”.

One of the researchers, Dr David Liu, described prime editing as the “word processor” of gene editing, due to its ‘cut and paste’-like properties.

While the traditional method of DNA editing, CRISPR-Cas9, cuts both strands of the DNA like a pair of scissors, the prime editor complex cuts just one of the DNA strands.

This is paired with an enzyme (called reverse transcriptase) to generate new DNA from an RNA template.

The prime editor is guided to its target on the DNA by a specificallyengineered “pegRNA” (prime editing guide RNA) molecule. The pegRNA then binds to the flap of cut DNA, preparing it to have new DNA “letters” added. The desired edit is encoded in another region on the pegRNA. The enzyme paired with the prime

The likelihood of random, incorrect pairings, is greatly reduced using the new editing technique editor reads the template RNA, and attaches the right DNA “letters” to the end of the original flap of DNA. Finally, other enzymes in the cell remove the old DNA and seal the new DNA in place. The edited DNA

is tidied by the prime editor and another template RNA, ensuring all the “letters” match on opposite DNA strands.

Prime editing results in fewer errors than the CRISPR-Cas9 method, such as unintended or offtarget edits. This is because CRISPRCas9 only requires one DNA binding point while the new prime editor requires three, so the likelihood of random, incorrect pairings, is greatly reduced using the new editing technique.

While tests in the lab have shown promising results, it is yet to be determined how to deliver the tool effectively and safely to cells in the human body. Using viruses to target the editing complex was considered in the study, as well as non-viral delivery techniques. The researchers plan to do additional studies in animals to work out the best delivery method.

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Wednesday 6 November 2019

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Sport Thoughts

press.sport@forgetoday.com

Forge_Sport @ForgeSport

Could the Longstaffs be the next big sibling duo?

Rory McKee Sport Contributor

Gary and Phil Neville, Kolo and Yaya Touré, Ronald and Frank de Boer, Andre and Jordan Ayew.

All well known brothers to fans of British football, but soon the names on everyone’s lips may be Sean and Matty Longstaff.of Newcastle.

Born and raised in North Shields, the flame-haired siblings continue to be recipients of high praise this season - and not without good reason.

Whilst 22-year-old Sean Longstaff has respective loan spells at Blackpool and Kilmarnock to thank somewhat for his now cemented first-team spot, brother Matty’s rise to prominence was very much of the sudden nature, after fellow countryman Isaac Hayden saw red in Newcastle’s 5-0 drumming away at highflyers Leicester.

Allow me to cast your mind back to Sunday 6 October. Not only would teenager Matty be handed a full league debut, but net the only goal of the game in scintillating fashion,

as he latched onto Jetro Willems’ pass to drill a 20-yard effort past the helpless David de Gea (at the Gallowgate End for good measure).

And many were quick to point out the almost contagious effect of Longstaff Jr. on his partner in crime that day, the eldest seemingly gaining a whole new lease of life against Manchester United following a string of under-par performances.

It would be remiss and frankly premature to make any firm judgement on the Longstaffs just yet Both would display maturity beyond their years as the Toon by no means disgraced themselves in a narrow defeat to Chelsea; Sean’s reckless challenge on Ruben Neves of Wolves perhaps the only real sign of inexperience thus far.

Image: Richard Humphrey, geograph

They’re not the first set of brothers to have donned the famous black and white, either.

Shola Ameobi bagged 53 goals across 14 years of service on Tyneside, (how that figure isn’t higher I’ll never know) and is widely considered a cult hero among the

Geordie faithful. Younger brother, Sammy, meanwhile flattered to deceive a little; registering just two senior strikes.

With a mere 20 combined appearances, it would be remiss and frankly premature to make any firm judgement on the Longstaffs

just yet. Sure, these two aren’t the finished article, and it’s largely up to Steve Bruce to ensure their development kicks on in the same manner.

But I know I speak for Magpies fans far and wide when I say “they’ll do for me.

Football’s soul is under threat, but the fans will keep it alive torn out. This extreme wealth and greed has certainly come close to ruining the beautiful game – indeed, many thought that the exposure of the corruption involved in the 2022 World Cup bid would be the straw which broke the camel’s back.

However, I remain strangely optimistic about the future. No matter how much our precious game has drastically changed in terms of wealth over the past 10 years, football will always live on.

Image: Valentin B. Kremer, Unsplash

Jake Loader Sport Contributor

It’s easy to get depressed about the current state of football: historical clubs collapsing, fans ditching tickets in favour of TV and corruption being evident at the very

top of footballing organisations are just a few of the issues faced today.

But what did we expect? Football is now a billion pound industry. Money

has turned the sport into a business and revenue is directly linked to success. In order to become the best team, a club must also become the

best brand.

Whilst the top players earn ridiculous amounts – Forbes estimates Lionel Messi will earn £102 million this year – small clubs such as Bury FC struggle to survive.

As a result, towns are devastated as the heart of their community is

Even though some people claim passion and atmosphere have gone from the stands, it’s still very much alive Despite some fans opting to

support big name clubs such as Liverpool and Chelsea over their local teams, attendances throughout the Championship, League One and League Two are at all-time highs – a 60-year attendance record was reached in the 2018/19 season, with 18.4 million fans watching a nontop-flight team.

Even though some people claim passion and atmosphere have gone from the stands, it’s still very much alive. Take Pompey fanatic John Westwood. With over 60 Portsmouth FC tattoos, PFC engrained on his teeth, and a love for his team so apparent it even features in his legal middle name, footballing passion runs so deep that it will never disappear.

So even with the corruption, greed, and extreme wealth throughout football, nothing will ever stop it from being what it always has been – the beautiful game.

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Sport

Harry Redknapp talks Sheffield United’s Prem return, Chris Wilder and VAR Adam Dickinson Charlie Haffenden Sport Contributors

Harry Redknapp backed Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United to succeed this season and also described VAR as a “nightmare”, when Forge Press caught up with him at a University event.

Redknapp spoke at an evening talk at the Octagon Centre organised by ex-England international Dave Thomas to raise money for the charity Guide Dogs. Thomas lost his sight 20 years ago due to Glaucoma, and is the first former top-flight footballer to be registered blind and awarded a guide dog. He’s since raised over £75,000 for the charity, with Redknapp pledging a donation of £10,000 on the night.

On United’s chances of staying up, Redknapp said: “I think they’ve got every chance. They’ve got a fantastic manager who knows what he’s doing, and who’s got a group of players who look like they give everything every week.

“I don’t see how they’ll go down, I’d be very surprised if they went down this year. I think they’re building a team who can establish themselves under Chris in the next few years.”

Redknapp further praised Wilder’s brand of football, saying: “What a job he’s done. He’s got centre-

Harry Redknapp while managing Tottenham Hotspur in 2011 Image: James Boyes, Wikimedia Commons

halves overlapping, breaking out from the three at the back.

“If that was Pep Guardiola doing that it’d be ‘This man’s a genius, no-one’s ever seen it before’. When Wilder does it, it’s ‘this is alright’.”

“I think he’s brilliant Chris Wilder and they’ve got good players and they’re going away from home to

tough places and deservedly getting good results. “ Redknapp was less enthusiastic about VAR: “It’s a nightmare. The goal goes in and people celebrate, then you’re wondering what’s going to happen, it’s the anti-climax.

“As a sport we’ve managed all these years without it and I

think it takes a lot away from the atmosphere and the fans.”

The Blades have had mixed experiences with VAR this season.

Wilder was unhappy with the decision not to award his side a penalty in their 1-0 loss to Southampton, but the Blades were perhaps lucky not to concede a

spot kick in the 1-0 victory against Arsenal.

Redknapp added: “It shows you how many mistakes referees make.

“That’s how difficult it is to referee today; every decision is scrutinised on TV anyway but it looks like it’s probably here to stay.”

Women in Sports: Tennis 2s cruise to England fall to South Africa in World Cup Final away victory against York Michael Ekman Sport Coordinator

Women Tennis 2s cruised to victory away against York, thrashing the North Yorkshire side 10-2 in what was a confidence-boosting fixture.

The Uni of team managed to win five out of six matches against their opposition, gaining two points from each match.

Despite three players playing their first matches of the season, including one fresher making her debut, the team overcame any nerves to return home with the victory.

Player Kirstin Leong believed that even though they played well, their win was helped by the fact that York were facing some internal issues of their own.

Kirstin said: “I think that they

were one of the weaker opponents in the league.

“After speaking to some of the players from their team after the match, we realised that they were struggling to get new players in this year and the standard of their second team wasn’t as high as it was.

“Nonetheless, the girls on our team, even though team ranking wise were not the highest ranked in the 2nd team, played really well and definitely were better overall.”

The team dominated their fixtures, winning their first doubles match 0-6 and 1-6 as well as winning their second doubles match 0-6 and 3-6.

The most notable score in their singles came as fellow player Nina Kasimova won her first and second set 2-6 and 1-6 respectively.

This encounter was one of many

BUCS games they will be playing throughout the season, as they’re aiming for promotion by the end of the season, something they narrowly missed out on last year, as that went to York 1s instead.

Kirstin, who is also a second year architecture student, added: “We’re feeling confident as a team this year especially with strong new players in both the first and second teams.

Fingers crossed, the season ahead will go as well as this first match.

“The women’s team this year have also been training a lot harder with a new coach and new fitness session so hopefully everything will pay off.”

Alex Brotherton Sport Editor

32-12 defeat to become world champions for the third time.

In a game driven by penalty scores, England never really got going, the favourites suffering from loose passes and being dominated in the scrum from the off.

England only trailed 12-6 at halftime, but the deficit would’ve been greater were it not for two successful Owen Farrell penalties.

The second half saw Farrell score two more kicks and Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard take his tally to six, leaving England chasing the game.

This left gaps in the England rear-guard that were exploited 14 minutes from the end, when South Africa winger Makazole Mapimpi

exchanged passes brilliantly with Lukhanyo Am before scoring the game’s first try.

Moments later Cheslin Kolbe accelerated down the wing to score, putting the game to bed.

Jubilant scenes followed as Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s first black captain, lifted the William Webb Ellis trophy.

The result echoed the painful 2007 final in Paris, which saw England succumb to the same opposition 156.

England Head Coach Eddie Jones was typically gracious in defeat: “They were too good for us at the breakdown today. That’s the great thing about rugby, one day you’re the best team in the world and the next a team knocks you off.”

Forge Press

Wednesday 6 November 2019

Got a sports tale to tell? press.sport@forgetoday.com

Michael Ekman Sport Coordinator

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to another issue of our Sport section!

Backpacking this time round is the Cycling Club who are committed to biking to Glasgow as part of the Bummit charity hitchhike to the Scottish city. Moreover, in Women in Sports we’ve got the Tennis 2s who managed to win away against

York last week In Sport Thoughts, Rory gives us his view on the rise of the Longstaff brothers at Newcastle United and why they’ll be the next big sibling duo in football. Additionally, Jake Loader believes that even though there have been changes to modern football, the fans’ love for the game will ensure that the soul of it never disappears.

More on football, former Tottenham and West Ham manager

43

Sport Harry Redknapp gave a talk here at the University, where two of our contributors managed to ask him about his thoughts on Sheffield United, Chris Wilder, and VAR. Lastly, a group of Uni engineers are putting together their very own Formula 1 car which they will later race at Silverstone circuit.

Hope you enjoy reading our section just as much as we enjoy writing it!

Results board

Upcoming fixtures

Sheffield Utd 3 - 0 Burnley

Tottenham Hotspurs - Sheffield Utd

Blackburn 2 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday - Swansea City

Sheffield Utd Women 4 - 1 Blackburn Rovers Ladies

Lewes - Sheffield Utd Women

(Game postponed) Harrogate Railway Ladies - Sheffield Wednesday Ladies

Sheffield Wednesday Ladies - Hepworth Utd Ladies

Sheffield Tigers 12 - 9 Hull

Tynedale - Sheffield Tiger

Guildford Flames 4 - 2 Sheffield Steelers

Cardiff - Sheffield Steelers

Manchester Giants 70 - 88 Sheffield Sharks

Sheffield Sharks - Leicester Riders

Uni of students confident of success for Sheffield Formula Racing Harry Harrison Sport Editor

Sheffield Formula Racing will compete against nearly 100 universities from across the world when they get on the track at Silverstone Circuit in July.

The team have been successful in recent years, and this time, their team of more than 30 dedicated engineers have even bigger goals.

Team Principal, Henry Mansfield, said: “There’s a lot of passion in the team, sometimes we spend more time on the car than on our courses.”

The last two years Sheffield has produced two competitive cars, coming fifth overall in 2018 and 14th in 2019, despite scoring zero points in the main endurance event due to a failure on the car.

Henry continued to say: “We’re really pushing to secure a podium position overall, so we’d absolutely love to get into the top three, which would be a pretty huge accomplishment for us.

“We’re competing against some teams who are operating on a much bigger budget compared to what we

run with.”

Sheffield started designing this year’s car in September, with the hopes that a final design will be ready by Christmas.

Once the design is settled, the car will be put together and revealed at a launch event during the third week of the Easter break.

Testing is done at local tracks to ensure the car is ready for competition at Silverstone.

The car is driven by the students on the team and the driver is usually decided by who can achieve the best lap times, however, for the benefit of the car, height and weight can be considered when the team decide

who gets the honour of tearing up the track.

Every year, 10-12 first-year students join the Sheffield Formula Racing team but not without surviving a rigorous six-week application process.

Marketing Leader, Ashley Davison, said that the team wants

people who will engage with the team and be motivated.

The 115 applicants who applied to the team this year must take part in group interviews, produce technical reports on the four-stroke engine and be able to work as a team before the new members are chosen in November.

Cycling Club’s arduous bike journey to Glasgow as part of Bummit hitchhike Alex Brotherton Sport Editor

(cont. from back) ...quite picky in terms of who we’re allowing to ride due to the extremely hard nature of the route. Everyone needed to be experienced, reliable and regularly go on long rides,” Jayati said.

“Two of our riders have cycled along with Bummit before, and both said it’s the hardest thing they’ve

ever done. Max McMurdo did it in 2016 to Brighton, and battled against snow, rain and wind – an all-round grim time! Rob Gray rode to Exeter in 2018.”

To prepare for this year’s ride, the team have been going out on group rides and training in Goodwin Gym. While the group have only selected the fittest and most able riders for the challenge, Jayati

encourages cyclists of all abilities to get involved with the club and the sport in general.

251.71

number of miles the team will cycle in total

“We have two club rides a week, on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday

mornings and several socials every fortnight or so. Details of the road rides are posted on the University of Sheffield Road Cycling page. There are three ability group rides to cater for everyone.

“For anyone wanting to get into long distance cycling, I’d recommend starting with shorter rides and then increasing the distance each time. You’ll get used

to it very quickly. Taking enough warm layers and enough food makes it much easier and more enjoyable as well.”

Anyone wishing to donate money to the team’s cause can do so by visiting their Virgin money giving page. The link can be found on our website.

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Forge_Sport @ForgeSport

Uni of Sheffield Cycling Club pedaling over 250 miles to Glasgow for Bummit charity hitchhike Alex Brotherton Sport Editor

The University of Sheffield Cycling Club will embark on a mammoth challenge next week, when they cycle to Glasgow to raise money for charity.

The team, comprised of eight cyclists between the ages of 18 and 26, will set off on the 250mile cycle on the evening of Tuesday 12 November and ride throughout the night, with the hope of reaching Glasgow by mid-afternoon the following day.

The route will take them along the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, then onto Carlisle and up to Glasgow.

While the main aim of the challenge is to raise money for charities Jubilee Food Bank, Edale Mountain Rescue and East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme, there will also be a competitive element.

The team will be racing hitchhikers taking part in Baby Bummit charity hitchhike, and will time themselves to see who can get there the quickest. If

all goes according to plan, the riders will meet the hitchhikers for dinner in Glasgow on Wednesday evening, before driving back to Sheffield on Thursday.

Jayati Hine, organiser of the cycling effort, was confident that the cyclists will come out on top in the friendly competition: “I reckon there’s a good chance we could beat the hitchhikers but the nature of hitchhiking means that they could be a good few hours in front or behind us.

“It’s more down to luck, but

I reckon there’s a good chance we could beat the hitchhikers but the nature of hitchhiking means that they could be a good few hours in front or behind us we’ve timed how long it should take us so I think it will be close. We’re hoping it’ll take us

between 17 and 20 hours.”

The ride will no doubt be tough, but the team are prepared for whatever nature throws at them. There will be two support vehicles accompanying the cyclists, one riding behind and one further ahead, that will carry spare kit, changes of clothes for adverse weather conditions and lots of food.

To achieve their goal and avoid any mishaps, the team has selected experienced and well-

trained riders.

“We’ve been... (cont. on p43)