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Interview with Sheffield Poet Laurete Danaé Wellington

Meet some of Sheffield's more unique socities including Duck and Hummus...

Spooky Sheffield ghost stories which will give you the chills

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Forge Press MONDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2023

Sheffield students took part in over 36,000 hours of volunteering last year Luke Hand (he/him) In figures released by Sheffield Volunteering, students at the University of Sheffield spent 36,621 hours helping over 180 local Sheffield charities and projects between 2022 and 2023. Across the year, over 1,800 students volunteered across internal and external projects alongside give it a go sessions. In a message on social media, Sheffield Volunteering said: “Thank you to our student volunteers for dedicating your time and skills to making a difference in the Sheffield community this year.” Sheffield Volunteering is a Students Union run service with over 2000 student volunteers. Volunteers worked on a range of projects, from assisting mental health charities to preparing and serving meals to the homeless. Professor Koen Lamberts, President and ViceChancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: "Dedicating more than 37,000 volunteering hours to support local schools, charities and businesses shows the pride our students have in being part of the Sheffield community. "I would like to thank all of our student volunteers for their important contributions and for making a difference to people's lives."

THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

FORGEPRESS.ORG

The end of the 80p ‘Zoom Card’ • Students’ Union take campaign to Mayor’s office in battle to stop transport fare hike

George Devo (he/him) The University's Students’ Union have called on Oliver Coppard, the Mayor of South-Yorkshire, to halt the scheduled increase to travel fares for young people. The South-Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Zoom Beyond scheme currently allows residents of the region aged between 18 to 21 to buy single tickets on buses and trams for 80p, from the 1st November this is set to rise to £1.50 for most of Sheffield’s bus services and £2 for trams.

Launched in 2021, the scheme quickly grew in popularity amongst Sheffield’s students, with the ‘Zoom Card’ - the provided proof of registration becoming a common sight on campus. The Students’ Union (SU) has teamed up with its equivalent at Sheffield Hallam and the South Yorkshire Youth Combined Authority (SYYCA) to call for restoration of the 80p rate. In an email to Oliver Coppard, the two institutions stated that they were “deeply concerned” by the news,

describing the consequences that the “financial strain” of greater prices risked causing for students: “With 40% of UoS students reporting a major impact [on their mental health] due to financial pressures, accessible and cost-effective transportation options become crucial in supporting students' mental well-being.” “A concerning 6% of UoS students (equivalent to 1,800 students) are contemplating dropping out due to the cost of living crisis. "Affordable transport can be a pivotal factor in...

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Letter From The Editor Hello all,

FORGE PRESS EDITORIAL TEAM ALL CONTACT DETAILS AT FORGEPRESS.ORG Editor-in-Chief Charlie Fenton Deputy Editor Shakthi Thyagarajan Deputy Editor Hannah Auld Head of Socials & Advertising Chloe Scofield Inclusions & Welfare Officer Caillin McDaid Head of Design Hannah Hodgetts Head of Photography Gana Ming Secretary/Social Secretary Rebbeca Symns-Rowley Head of News George Devo News Editor Amelie Cox News Editor Luke Hand News Editor Holly Openshaw News Reporter Robin Hibbs Feature Editor Alex Simpson Feature Editor Dimitra Koutouzi Opinion Editor Maximilian Jenz Opinion Editor Elodie Soal Science & Tech Editor Charlotte Clowes Science & Tech Editor Rebecca Dawes Break Editor Freya Ingram Lifestyle Editor Emily Duff Lifestyle Editor Simone Chuah Arts & Theatre Editor Lucy Riddell Arts & Theatre Editor Sophie Layton Music Editor Joey Grindrod Music Editor Aimie Gillan Screen Editor Charlie Wright Screen Editor Livia Gregor Games Editor Ornella Bressan Games Editor Aaron Byrne Head of Sport Katy Roberts Sport Editor Adam Hulme-Thomas Sport Editor Lewis Railton Multimedia Editor Benedict Hobbs Deputy Head of Advertising Katie Swain Social Media Assistant Mae Campbell Social Media Assistant Madison Rolfe Website Manager Gana Ming

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With the previous four weeks behind us, I hope we all feel settled back into university life. The team over at Forge Press have been working hard to put together a paper we think (you) our students will enjoy. For those who requested, yes, games have returned to the break section. You will also find articles featuring Black History Month and Halloween throughout many of our sections. I personally recommend features ‘spooky Sheffield’ or screens ‘what are the best terrible horror films ‘ articles. You will also find society spotlight has returned to the break section. We have focuses on two of the university’s newest societies, Hummus and Duck Society. But as the cold winter nights draw darker earlier, now is the time to also be focussing on our mental health and wellbeing. The University of Sheffield has fantastic recourses a phone call, or quick google search away. On another note, if you would like to get involved with Forge Press and the vast variety of opportunities with have for our contributors,

you can join our committee contributors’ group by scanning the QR code on our front page. This also goes for any societies who wish to have some press coverage. We are also expanding our presence around the campus. You will soon be able to find us around more university buildings with paper bins popping up in The Wave, The Diamond and more locations within the IC. But for now, the SU shop and Coffee Revs are the latest locations you can pick us up. From me, and the team over at Forge Press, we hope you continue to enjoy the remainder of semester one. All the best,

Charlie Fenton Editor-in-Chief

Monday 18th September 2023

!"#$

20 years of saving lives… The moustache is calling for students Page 6 $*+"!*",-,'"*. In conversation with Women in Engeirneering Page 14 %"&'()"$ Bummit: From Sheffield to Slovenia, students share their experience Page 11 /+%"$'0/" How to get the most from university life when you're no longer a fresher Page 17 1($+*

The BIG picture Picture taken at the Float Along Music Festival, featuring the band W. H. Lung, by Gana (Myangna) Ming, the Head of Photography.

An interview with Sundara Karma on the band's upcoming album The 2023 Float Along Music Festival in Sheffield was a resounding success, with over 10,000 people attending across the day. The festival featured a diverse lineup of artists, from established names like The Murder Capital and Fanclubwallet to up-and-coming acts like Personal Trainer and Lime Garden. It was taken place across multiple venues, including the Leadmill, Sidney & Matilda and the Cooperation. One of the highlights of the festival was the set by Personal Trainer on the Steel Stage at the Leadmill. The seven-piece band's high-

energy set and eclectic mix of genres got the crowd moving immediately. In addition to the great music, there was also a variety of other activities to enjoy at the festival, including food trucks, art installations, and a silent disco. The Festival was a fantastic event with something to offer everyone. The lineup was diverse and exciting, the atmosphere was electric, and the organization was topnotch. I highly recommend checking out the festival next year if you're a fan of great music and a good time.

Page 24 $*)""! A Haunting in Venice: A perfect Halloween treat

Page 27 $23)' Opinion: The cost of living is pricing out students from university sport Page 31

Forge Press

News

University announces major restructure George Devo

he University ï°ĳˉ°ČČēŀČÉÓÏˉ Ĭą°Čĳˉèēįˉ°ˉċ°ÿēįˉ įÓĳĻįŀÉĻŀįÓˉ ŕïóÉïˉąēēĂĳˉĳÓĻˉ ĻēˉĳóéČóŢÉ°ČĻąŗˉÉï°ČéÓˉïēŕˉ ĻïÓˉóČĳĻóĻŀĻóēČˉēĬÓį°ĻÓĳʘ CČˉ°ČˉÓċ°óąˉĻēˉĳĻŀÏÓČĻĳˉ Ó°įąóÓįˉĻïóĳˉċēČĻïʙˉ¢óÉÓˉ zįÓĳóÏÓČĻˉēèˉ$ÏŀÉ°ĻóēČʙˉ Z°įŗˉ¢óČÉÓČĻʙˉĳÓĻˉēŀĻˉĻïÓˉ ċēŔÓˉʽĻēŕ°įÏĳˉ°ˉČÓŕˉ Éïēēąˉ ĳĻįŀÉĻŀįÓʾʙˉóČˉŕïóÉïˉÉŀįįÓČĻˉ °É°ÏÓċóÉˉÏÓĬ°įĻċÓČĻĳˉ°įÓˉ ÈįēŀéïĻˉĻēéÓĻïÓįˉóČĻēˉʽČÓŕʙˉ ą°įéÓįˉ Éïēēąĳʘʾˉ

There won't be any changes to your programmes }°ĻïÓįˉĻï°Čˉï°ŔóČéˉèēįĻŗʵ ĻŕēˉĳÓĬ°į°ĻÓˉÏÓĬ°įĻċÓČĻĳˉ Ó°Éïˉēįé°ČóĳóČéˉĻïÓˉĻÓ°ÉïóČéˉ ēèˉĻïÓóįˉēŕČˉĳŀÈÿÓÉĻʙˉċŀąĻóĬąÓˉ ĳóċóą°įˉÏóĳÉóĬąóČÓĳˉŕóąąˉŢĻˉ óČĻēʙˉ°ČÏˉÈÓˉċ°Č°éÓÏˉÈŗʙˉĻïÓˉ ĳ°ċÓˉĳÉïēēąʘ ïÓˉĳïóèĻˉŕóąąˉÈÓˉÉēċĬąÓĻÓÏˉ óČˉĬï°ĳÓĳˉēŔÓįˉĻïÓˉČÓŖĻˉĻŕēˉ ŗÓ°įĳʙˉ°ČÏˉŢČóĳïÓÏˉóČˉĻóċÓˉ for the start of the 2025/26 °É°ÏÓċóÉˉŗÓ°įʘˉˉ ¢óČÉÓČĻˉĳÓÓĂÓÏˉĻēˉįÓ°ĳĳŀįÓˉ ĳĻŀÏÓČĻĳˉĻï°ĻˉĻïÓŗˉŕóąąˉÈÓˉ ŀČ°èèÓÉĻÓÏʘˉ ïÓˉĳ°óÏʚˉʽ ïÓįÓˉŕēČˆĻˉ

ÈÓˉ°ČŗˉÉï°ČéÓĳˉĻēˉ ŗēŀįˉĬįēéį°ċċÓĳˉ ēįˉÉēŀįĳÓĳʜˉ¥ēŀˉ ŕóąąˉįÓċ°óČˉĳĻŀÏŗóČéˉ on the same Ĭįēéį°ċċÓĳʙˉŕóĻïˉ ĻïÓˉĳ°ċÓˉ°É°ÏÓċóÉˉ ĻÓ°ÉïóČéˉĳĻ°èèʘʾ She further ÏÓĳÉįóÈÓÏˉ ïÓèŢÓąÏˀĳˉ ċēÏÓąˉēèˉʽ°ˉ large number” of ÏÓĬ°įĻċÓČĻĳˉŕïóÉïˉ ʽŔ°įŗˉéįÓ°ĻąŗˉóČˉĳóŞÓʾˉ as an outlier in a modernising higher ÓÏŀÉ°ĻóēČˉą°ČÏĳÉ°ĬÓʘ ʽ ˉĳÉïēēąˉĳĻįŀÉĻŀįÓˉŕóąąˉ ÈįóČéˉŀĳˉóČˉąóČÓˉŕóĻïˉēĻïÓįˉ ŀČóŔÓįĳóĻóÓĳʙˉŕïēˉï°ŔÓˉĻ°ĂÓČˉ °ˉĳóċóą°įˉ°ĬĬįē°Éïʘʾ ïÓèŢÓąÏˀĳˉÈį°ČÉïˉēèˉ ĻïÓˉ ʙˉĻïÓˉ ČóŔÓįĳóĻŗˉ °ČÏˉ ēąąÓéÓˉ ČóēČˉŕïóÉïˉ įÓĬįÓĳÓČĻĳˉ°ąąˉïóéïÓįˉ ÓÏŀÉ°ĻóēČˉĳĻ°èèʙˉÈÓąóÓŔÓˉĻïÓˉ ĬįēÿÓÉĻˉóĳˉʽÈÓóČéˉĬŀįĳŀÓÏˉ ŕóĻïˉ°ˉįÓÉĂąÓĳĳˉÏÓéįÓÓˉēèˉ ï°ĳĻÓʾˉ°ČÏˉĻï°ĻˉʽĻïÓˉĬįēĬēĳÓÏˉ ÈÓČÓŢĻĳˉ°įÓˉČÓÈŀąēŀĳʾˉ°ČÏˉ ʽÏēˉČēĻˉÿŀĳĻóèŗˉĻïÓˉĳÉ°ąÓˉēèˉ ÏóĳįŀĬĻóēČʾʘˉˉ ïÓˉÉï°ČéÓĳˉŕóąąˉČēĻˉąÓ°ÏˉĻēˉ °Čŗˉ°É°ÏÓċóÉˉįÓÏŀČÏ°ČÉóÓĳʙˉ but the University admits Ļï°Ļˉ°ˉʽĳċ°ąąˉČŀċÈÓįˉēèˉ ĬįēèÓĳĳóēČ°ąˉĳÓįŔóÉÓˉįēąÓĳʾˉ ċ°ŗˉÈÓˉ°èèÓÉĻÓÏʘˉCĻˉóĳˉ ʽÉēČŢÏÓČĻʾˉēèˉċ°ĻÉïóČéˉ ĻïēĳÓˉ°èèÓÉĻÓÏˉŕóĻïˉʽČÓŕˉ įēąÓĳˉŕïÓįÓŔÓįˉĬēĳĳóÈąÓʾʘˉ The UCU has said this

Sophie Layton ʯĳïÓʥïÓįʰ

Credit: UoS Facebook óČ°ÈóąóĻŗˉʽĻēˉįŀąÓˉēŀĻˉ įÓÏŀČÏ°ČÉŗʾˉóĳˉÉ°ŀĳóČéˉʽèÓ°įˉ °ČÏˉŀČÉÓįĻ°óČĻŗʾˉ°ċēČéˉĻïÓóįˉ ċÓċÈÓįĳïóĬʘˉ ˉÉ°ĳÓˉĳĻŀÏŗˉèēįˉĻïÓˉČÓŕˉ ĳĻįŀÉĻŀįÓˉóĳˉĻïÓˉ8°ÉŀąĻŗˉ ēèˉ?Ó°ąĻïˀĳˉ Éïēēąˉēèˉ óēĳÉóÓČÉÓĳʙˉèēįċÓÏˉóČˉɾɼɾɽʘˉˉ Tēŀóĳˉ ēŖʙˉ°ČˉɾČÏˉŗÓ°įˉ $Éēąēéŗˉ°ČÏˉ ēČĳÓįŔ°ĻóēČˉ óēąēéŗˉĳĻŀÏÓČĻʙˉĳ°óÏˉĻï°Ļˉ ŕïóąĳĻˉĻïÓˉÉï°ČéÓĳˉï°ŔÓČˀĻˉ ÈÓÓČˉʽĻēēˉóċĬ°ÉĻèŀąʾˉēČˉ ïóċʙˉÈŀĻˉĻï°ĻˉʽĳĻŀÏÓČĻĳˉ ŕïēˉï°ŔÓˉĳÓąÓÉĻÓÏˉ°ˉŕóÏÓįˉ į°ČéÓˉēèˉċēÏŀąÓĳʾʙˉĳŀÉïˉ as those outside of the Éïēēąˉēèˉ óēĳÉóÓČÉÓĳʙˉï°ŔÓˉ ÓŖĬÓįóÓČÉÓÏˉĳēċÓˉÏóĳįŀĬĻóēČˉ ĻïįēŀéïˉĻóċÓĻ°ÈąÓˉÉą°ĳïÓĳʘˉˉˉˉˉ The University has ĬįēċóĳÓÏˉĻēˉĂÓÓĬˉʽĳĻŀÏÓČĻĳˉ informed” throughout this Ļį°ČĳóĻóēČˉĬÓįóēÏʙˉʽĬįēŔóÏóČéˉ ēĬĬēįĻŀČóĻóÓĳˉèēįˉèÓÓÏÈ°ÉĂˉ throughout.”

New year's SU Council elected George Devo The Students’ Union ÉēŀČÉóąˉïÓąÏˉĻïÓóįˉ°ČČŀ°ąˉ ÓąÓÉĻóēČĳˉą°ĳĻˉŕÓÓĂʙˉ°ĳˉĻïÓŗˉ ĬįÓĬ°įÓˉèēįˉ°ČēĻïÓįˉÈŀĳŗˉ °É°ÏÓċóÉˉŗÓ°įʘˉ ïÓˉįÓĳŀąĻĳˉŕÓįÓˉ °ČČēŀČÉÓÏˉēŔÓįˉĻïÓˉÉēŀįĳÓˉ ēèˉĻŕēˉïēŀįĳˉĻēˉ°ˉÈŀĳĻąóČéˉ }°ŗČēįˉTēŀČéÓʙˉóČˉ °įˉ aČÓʙˉ°ĳˉĬ°įĻˉēèˉ°ˉĳĬÓÉó°ąąŗˉ organised ‘results night’ event on Thursday 18th of aÉĻēÈÓįʘˉˉ ïóĳˉèēąąēŕÓÏˉ°ˉĻŕēʵÏ°ŗʵ ąēČéˉŔēĻóČéˉŕóČÏēŕʙˉÈÓèēįÓˉ ŕïóÉïˉÉ°ČÏóÏ°ĻÓĳˉï°Ïˉ submitted a brief manifesto èēįˉĳĻŀÏÓČĻĳˉĻēˉŀĳÓˉĻēˉÏÓÉóÏÓˉ

ŕïēˉĻēˉĳŀĬĬēįĻʘˉˉˉˉˉ Z°ÏÓˉŀĬˉēèˉēŔÓįˉĳóŖĻŗˉ ċÓċÈÓįĳʙˉĻïÓˉ ēŀČÉóąˉ°įÓˉ įÓĳĬēČĳóÈąÓˉèēįˉĬ°ĳĳóČéˉ °ąąˉ ˉĬēąóÉŗˉ°ČÏˉïēąÏóČéˉ ĻïÓˉ ˉaèŢÉÓįˉĻÓ°ċˉĻēˉ °ÉÉēŀČĻʘˉ$ČĳŀįóČéˉéÓČÓį°ąˉ ēŔÓįĳóéïĻˉ°ČÏˉĳÉįŀĻóČŗˉēèˉĻïÓˉ institution. $ŔÓįŗˉÏÓĬ°įĻċÓČĻˉ °ČÏˉĳĻŀÏÓČĻˉéįēŀĬˉï°ĳˉ °ˉįÓĬįÓĳÓČĻ°ĻóŔÓˉēČˉĻïÓˉ ēŀČÉóąʘˉ ïÓĳÓˉÓąÓÉĻóēČĳˉ°ąĳēˉ ÏÓÉóÏÓˉŕïēˉÈÓÉēċÓĳˉĻïÓˉ ČóŔÓįĳóĻŗˆĳˉÏÓąÓé°ĻÓˉĻēˉĻïÓˉ National Union of Students ÉēČèÓįÓČÉÓʘˉ Tóąŗˉ ŗįČÓʙˉ ˉzįÓĳóÏÓČĻʙˉ

Big names return Ļēˉ ïÓèŢÓąÏˉèēįˉaèèˉ The Shelf literary festival

ÓąÓÉĻÓÏˉÈŗˉĳĻŀÏÓČĻĳˉą°ĳĻˉŗÓ°įʙˉ ĳŀĬĬēįĻĳˉĻïÓˉ ēŀČÉóąˉ°ČÏˉóĻĳˀˉ ŕēįĂʚˉ ˅ ēŀČÉóąˉóĳˉĻïÓˉÏÓċēÉį°ĻóÉˉ ÈēÏŗˉēèˉÓąÓÉĻÓÏˉĳĻŀÏÓČĻĳˉ ŕïēˉįÓĬįÓĳÓČĻˉ°ČÏˉÓċÈēÏŗˉ ĳĻŀÏÓČĻˉŔēóÉÓʛˉïēąÏóČéˉĻïÓˉ ĬēŕÓįˉĻēˉĬ°ĳĳˉĬēąóÉóÓĳˉĻï°Ļˉ ąēēĂˉĻēˉÉï°ČéÓʙˉ°Ï°ĬĻʙˉ°ČÏˉ ÏÓŔÓąēĬˉĻïÓˉ ĻŀÏÓČĻĳˆˉ ČóēČʙˉ ČóŔÓįĳóĻŗʙˉÉóĻŗʙˉ°ČÏˉŕóÏÓįˉ environment" ïÓˉČēĻÓĳˉĻï°Ļʚ "Any student is able to ÏÓŔÓąēĬˉĬēąóÉóÓĳˉ°ČÏˉ°ĻĻÓČÏˉ ēŀČÉóąˉċÓÓĻóČéĳʙˉ°ČÏˉóĻˉ ŕēŀąÏˉÈÓˉè°ČĻ°ĳĻóÉˉĻēˉĳÓÓˉŗēŀˉ there!"

The Off The Shelf Festival of Words has returned to ïÓèŢÓąÏʙˉŕóĻïˉĻïÓˉ literary festival nearing the end of its 22nd edition. Boasting over seventy ÓŔÓČĻĳʙˉŔ°įŗóČéˉóČˉ èēįċˉÈÓĻŕÓÓČˉĳóċĬąÓˉ ĬįÓĳÓČĻ°ĻóēČĳˉĻēˉąēČéʵ èēįċˉóČĻÓįŔóÓŕĳʙˉaèèˉĻïÓˉ Shelf brings together a į°ČéÓˉēèˉ°ŀĻïēįĳʙˉ°įĻóĳĻĳˉ °ČÏˉČēĻ°ÈąÓˉĬŀÈąóÉˉ ŢéŀįÓĳʙˉÓ°ÉïˉĳĬÓ°ĂóČéˉ ēČˉĻïÓóįˉēŕČˉįÓÉÓČĻąŗˉ ĬŀÈąóĳïÓÏˉŕēįĂʘ The events vary in èēįċʙˉèįēċˉĳóċĬąÓʙˉÈįóÓèˉ ĬįÓĳÓČĻ°ĻóēČĳˉĻēˉąēČéʵèēįċˉ óČĻÓįŔóÓŕĳʘˉ 8óįĳĻˉïÓąÏˉóČˉɽʅʅɽʙˉĻïÓˉ ĳÓŔÓČĻÓÓČʵÏ°ŗʵąēČéˉÓŔÓČĻˉ ï°ĳˉÈÓÓČˉ°ˉĳĻ°ĬąÓˉēèˉĻïÓˉ°įĻĳˉ É°ąÓČÏ°įˉóČˉ ïÓèŢÓąÏˉèēįˉēŔÓįˉ ĻïįÓÓˉÏÓÉ°ÏÓĳʘˉ

It's really cool, there's a good variety in the subject of the talks and the authors attending T°ĳĻˉŕÓÓĂʙˉ ¢ˉĬįÓĳÓČĻÓįˉ and environmentalist ïįóĳˉz°ÉĂï°ċˉïÓąÏˉ°ˉĻ°ąĂˉ ÓŖĬąēįóČéˉïóĳˉČÓŕˉÈēēĂˉ ʿ$°įĻïˀʙˉ°ČÏˉzŀąĬˉÏįŀċċÓįˉ [óÉĂˉ °ČĂĳˉÏóĳÉŀĳĳÓÏˉʽ ēˉCĻˉ Ļ°įĻÓÏˉ ïÓįÓʾʛˉïóĳˉ°ÉÉēŀČĻˉ ēèˉïóĳʙˉ°ČÏˉïóĳˉÈ°ČÏˀĳʙˉÿēŀįČÓŗˉ èįēċˉēÈĳÉŀįóĻŗˉĻēˉéąēÈ°ąˉ fame. Historian Mary Beard ŔóĳóĻÓÏˉĻïÓˉaÉĻ°éēČˉĻēˉÉēŔÓįˉ ʿ$ċĬÓįēįˉēèˉ}ēċÓˀʙˉïÓįˉČÓŕˉ °ÉÉēŀČĻˉēèˉĻïÓˉĻÓČŀįÓĳˉēèˉ ĻïÓˉįŀąÓįĳˉēèˉĻïÓˉ}ēċ°Čˉ $ċĬóįÓʙˉ°ČÏˉzēąąŗˉ ēŗČÈÓÓʙˉ°ˉ ÉēąŀċČóĳĻˉèēįˉ ïÓˉ9ŀ°įÏó°Čʙˉ ĻēŀÉïÓÏˉēČˉĻïÓˉ įóĻóĳïˉÉą°ĳĳˉ ĳŗĳĻÓċˉóČˉ°ˉÉēČŔÓįĳ°ĻóēČˉēČˉ ʿ Čˉ ČÓ°ĳŗˉCČïÓįóĻ°ČÉÓˀʙˉïÓįˉ latest tome. [ēĻ°ÈąÓˉŢéŀįÓĳˉŗÓĻˉĻēˉ ĳĬÓ°ĂˉóČÉąŀÏÓˉŕįóĻÓįˉC°Čˉ ŀČĻˉ ʯɾʁĻïˉaÉĻēÈÓįʙˉ8óįĻïˉ?°ąąʰʙˉ ÉïóąÏįÓČˀĳˉ°ŀĻïēįˉO°ÉĮŀÓąóČÓˉ

£óąĳēČˉʯɾʄĻïˉaÉĻēÈÓįʙˉ įŀÉóÈąÓˉĻïÓ°ĻįÓʰˉ°ČÏˉ ï°Ïēŕˉ ï°ČÉÓąąēįˉēèˉĻïÓˉ$ŖÉïÓĮŀÓįˉ }°ÉïÓąˉ}ÓÓŔÓĳˉʯɾʄĻïˉaÉĻēÈÓįʙˉ 8óįĻïˉ?°ąąʰʘ

Credit: Off the Shelf website zįēèÓĳĳēįˉ¢°ČÓĳĳ°ˉ ēŀąċóČˉ ēèˉĻïÓˉ ČóŔÓįĳóĻŗˉēèˉ ïÓèŢÓąÏʙˉ states that Off the Shelf aims ĻēˉʽĬįēŔóÏÓˉ°ˉĬįēéį°ċċÓˉ Ļï°ĻˉÉ°ČˉÏį°ŕˉÈēĻïˉČóÉïÓˉ°ČÏˉ mainstream entertainment °ŀÏóÓČÉÓĳʾʙˉĻēˉĻïÓˉÉóĻŗˀĳˉ venues. [ÓŔÓˉZÉ9ŀóČČÓĳĳʙˉ°ˉɿįÏˉ ŗÓ°įˉąóĻÓį°ĻŀįÓˉĳĻŀÏÓČĻʙˉ °ĬĬįÓÉó°ĻÓĳˉĻïÓˉèÓĳĻóŔ°ąʚ ˅CˉĻïóČĂˉóĻˆĳˉįÓ°ąąŗˉÉēēąʘˉ ïÓįÓˆĳˉ°ˉéēēÏˉŔ°įóÓĻŗˉóČˉĻïÓˉ ĳŀÈÿÓÉĻˉēèˉĻïÓˉĻ°ąĂĳˉ°ČÏˉĻïÓˉ authors attending." ïÓˉĬįēéį°ċċÓˉĻ°ĂÓĳˉĬą°ÉÓˉ in venues both on and off É°ċĬŀĳˉĻïįēŀéïēŀĻˉĻïÓˉÉóĻŗʙˉ ĳŀÉïˉ°ĳˉĻïÓˉTŗÉÓŀċˉ ïÓ°ĻįÓʙˉ 8óįĻïˉ?°ąąʙˉĻïÓˉ ČóŔÓįĳóĻŗˉ į°ċ°ˉ ĻŀÏóēˉ°ČÏˉĻïÓˉ ZóąąÓČČóŀċˉ9°ąąÓįŗʘ Previous attendants óČÉąŀÏÓˉ °įēąˉ ČČˉ ŀèèŗʙˉ[óÉĂˉ ąÓééˉ°ČÏˉ ĻÓĬïÓČˉ8įŗʘˉ

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Forge Press

Opinion Rishi Sunak’s recent comments on gender are deeply out of touch with modern society Isabella Bradbury (she/her)

ut of touch is one of those phrases that seems to awkwardly linger around the Prime Minister; a phrase that ñ²Ĵ Ť²ëëÕÑ õļĴÕĆê õč Č²čŘ Sunak-related headlines, but a phrase that has seemed apparently applicable once more. The recent Conservative Party Conference in early October saw Rishi Sunak broadcast what activists are calling potentially ‘dangerous’ anti-trans ideology as he claimed the general public are being ‘bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be’, boldly concluding his point with the summative, ‘a man is a man and a woman is a woman. That’s just common sense.’ Organisers and activists at Birmingham Pride argue that his comments will put transgender lives ‘at risk’. Eva Echo, a trans campaigner, asserted that his speech had ‘really thrown a grenade out there at a time when

hate crime is on the rise nationally’, recognising their loss of safety and protection. This fear comes as no shock as, while hate crime has had a general year on year fall, transgender related hate crimes have risen by 11% in the past year, with 4,732 transgender hate crimes recorded in the year ending in March 2023. Interestingly, the Home cêţËÕ ²ļļİõÊŁļÕĴ ļñõĴ İõĴÕ in hate crimes to heavy discussion of the topic by politicians like Mr Sunak. So it begs the question of how far is it worth putting the lives of transgender people in jeopardy for the comfort of women and children, and whether this comfort is diminished much at all by trans-inclusionary spaces. Mr Sunak cited the protection of his two daughters and wife as the main source of his ardent interest in trans politics. In April of this year he announced his open support of The Express Women’s Rights Campaign, ŖñõËñ ÑÕļ²õĆÕÑ ţŕÕ ļİ²čĴ

exclusionary demands for female only spaces. Essentially this booted transgender women from women’s sporting activities, bathrooms, changing rooms and prisons. Reasoning his daughters, the PM ironically declared ‘I want them to grow up in a world where they are free to live their lives the way they wish [...] where they can go about their daily lives safe and protected’. It’s unimaginable how he’ll achieve this considering those who identify as transgender make up fewer than 1% of the population. The negligible effect of the community on women has too been acknowledged by Lord Justice Holroyde, talking on women’s prison spaces, who claimed many numbers pulled about transgender offenders are ‘unsafe’ and a ‘misuse’ of undetailed, miniscule statistics. Could the PM, again out of touch, but this time with the statistics of his own argument, really have been led by an interest in women’s

issues? It seems that the authenticity of his strong compassion for vulnerable groups extending to radical feminist rights agreements may not be too likely, so is there perhaps ulterior motive to his denouncement of the trans community? His phrasing was deliberately reductionist, which evokes the question of whether the sweeping of crucial contextual trans discourse under the rug, was a diversion to allow his supporters walk straight over more poignant issues. The PM is still faced with burning questions relating to the record high 7.68 million people still on NHS waiting lists, the 6% food ĭİõËÕ õčŤ²ļõĔč ²čÑ ɾʀ˫ ÕčÕİëŘ õčŤ²ļõĔčʞ ²Ĵ ŖÕĆĆ ²Ĵ his scrapping of the Northern leg of HS2. In the mission of dodging vague and avoidant answers to these, Sunak’s certainty comes from trans erasure, which conservative MP Andrew Boff claims is not even coherent to what he sees as Tory beliefs.

Boff, who was ejected from Suella Braverman’s conference speech in which she rejected ‘gender ideology’, concurred that his party were weaponizing the trans community and ‘picking on vulnerable people’ for easy support. He told LBC the party was ‘using this culture war battle ground for no good effect’, and that it was ultimately ‘hurting people’. He and, as he claims, many other Conservatives agree the party needs to start focussing ‘on the important things’, which assumedly refers, in short, to the lengthy list above. It is thus not outlandish to suggest Sunak ought to drag back out the real problems he’s chucked under the rug along with the ignored gender discourse, before the nation becomes buried in ČĔİÕ ţč²čËõ²Ć ËİõĴõĴ Ĕč ļĔĭ of a potentially deadly culture war on the transgender community.

Halloween is overrated and Valentine’s Day is so much better

Poppy Dillon-Thorpe (she/her) alloweencostumes and trick or treating, pumpkin carving, pumpkin spice, gorging yourself on a party pack of chocolates that were intended for the children inevitably knocking at your door sometime in the night. AĔİİĔİ ţĆČĴ ʰĔİ ĴĭĔĔăŘ ăõÑĴʧ ţĆČĴʞ õê ŘĔŁʿİÕ ² ñĔİİĔİʴ phobe like me) and ghost photo shoots. It’s not to say that I don’t like Halloween, õļʿĴ ČĔĴļ ÑÕţčõļÕĆŘ ĔčÕ Ĕê the better holidays, it’s just that Valentine’s Day is- wellsuperior. In more recent years, ²Ĵ ¤²ĆÕčļõčÕʧĴ "²Ř ñ²Ĵ moved from a celebration of strictly romantic love to a celebration of love in all õļĴ êĔİČĴʞ EʧŕÕ êĔŁčÑ ČŘĴÕĆê enjoying the holiday more and more. It’s something to look forward to in a bitter winter. A warmth to hold

onto and appreciate all the wonderful people in your life just as the hope that the sun will ever return withers. I’ve spent plenty of Valentine’s days not centred Ĕč ČŘ ĴõëčõţË²čļ ĔļñÕİʴ õê anything, I prefer them. The year I spent eating wonky homemade cake at a very drizzly park picnic with my best friend, the year I crocheted little hearts to give to all the important people in my life- the year I spent with my dog, taking her out on one of her favourite walks before letting her snuggle up on the sofa with me, treats ready for both of us. The appearance of the cheesy heart-shaped novelties in supermarkets, the red and pink plastered on anything and everything- a wonderful highlight of the holiday. If Halloween is your favourite because of the hardcore aestheticism it’s got going on, then I encourage

you to open your heart to the motifs of love too. Because there are hearts everywhere. It’s hard not to feel the love and let yourself run away with the idea of it all. Take pretty rose-toned photos to replicate the iconic ‘ghost photoshoot’ seen all over TikTok when Halloween begins to rear its head. Even better- dress up as Cupid and let heart-shaped bows be the iconic image of the holiday. Perhaps the most compelling argument against Valentine’s Day is how expensive it can be. The expectation of presents for ĴõëčõţË²čļ ĔļñÕİĴʞ ļñÕ ČÕ²ĆĴ that mysteriously double in price, the extortionate asking for a box of chocolates. I hate to break this to you, but Halloween is expensive too. The bags of sweets you’re required to buy to give out to strangers in the form of neighbourhood children, the costume required to attend a

party. Halloween as a child is great, it just means dressing up and free chocolate. But Halloween as an adult takes a turn towards heavy drinking and peer pressure to go out. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good themed club night as much as the next uni student, but as I’ve aged out of trick-or-treating I have found the pressure to drink gets stronger and stronger. From the strange limbo of young teenage-dom to now, the discovery that Halloween parties aren’t as fun as they seem to be on TV is particularly anti-climactic. All I longed for as a hopelessly uncool teen was to attend one of the glamorous, Ñİ²Č²ʴţĆĆÕÑ čõëñļĴ õč ŖñõËñ people got incredibly drunk, slept together, and truly realised what the holiday was all about (some form of hedonism, I believe.) What happened in my idealistic coming-of-age fantasy is that

I cried outside a club dressed as Poison Ivy for reasons I still cannot remember. The hopelessly uncool teen becomes the hopelessly uncool young adult and realises that Halloween is best as a memento of childhood. A nostalgic reminder reminisced upon in smaller doses that allows superior holidays- such ²Ĵ ¤²ĆÕčļõčÕʧĴ "²Řʴ ļĔ ÊÕ ruminated on and enjoyed. A move away from the ĴÕĆţĴñčÕĴĴ Ĕê ŘĔŁļñ ļĔ ² more wholesome day centred on appreciating loved ones (and how cute hearts are.) So it’s not to say that Halloween is bad, just that Valentine’s Day as a holiday focuses on how much I have gained as I have gotten older, on all the people I have to love and support and receive the same in return. It’s a holiday focused on happiness rather than material pleasures and it truly is a joy.

Monday 23 October 2023

09 10

Opinion

Digitalisation or Not, You Still Should be Attending Your Lectures Fergus Foord (he/him)

isen from the dead, the infamous digital registration of the COVID-19 pandemic past has returned to haunt the students of the 2020/21 cohort who will remember the pale blue sheets of paper which once adorned the sides of desks and doorways of study spaces and campus cafes, scanned to aid with contact-tracing efforts to prevent the spread of the virus on our campus. A new trial is being rolled out this semester by most university departments to monitor attendance which will now require their students to digitally checkin to lectures, seminars and tutorials by entering a code displayed at the venue into ļñÕ õ ñÕêţÕĆÑ ĴČ²İļĭñĔčÕ application. This replaces the paper register, soon to be considered an archaic relic. Digital registration should make attendance monitoring “faster, easier and more consistent” according to the University, whatever that means. Can we honestly be surprised that another part of University bureaucracy has become digitalised, if not sooner? Will this negatively impact students? Does anybody care? I answer ‘no’ to all three.

Unfortunately, in

the ‘real working world’ nonattendance is a ŢįÓ°ÈąÓ˂ēèèÓČÉÓʓ˂ °ČÏ˂ŗēŀį˂Èēĳĳ˂ŕóąą˂ ĬįēÈ°Èąŗ˂ĻïóČĂ˂ you’re pulling their leg if you ask for an extension.

Speaking with Tunmishe \ĔİĔčŖõŘ²čʞ ² ţč²ĆʴŘÕ²İ mechanical engineering student, she tells me the change hasn’t crossed her mind but, if anything, it has made the process of registration faster. ;ÕĔİëõ² \ĔİÕļļĔʞ ² ţč²Ćʴ year Business Management Student, agrees. Her department has been using some form of digital registration for her classes ever since she began her degree in 2020. “Before we would all have to walk to the front of the classroom and scan a QR code, now we can just stay seated and enter a code displayed on the lecture ĴËİÕÕč õčļĔ ļñÕ õ ñÕêţÕĆÑ app”. Natasha Rouse, a fourthyear Biomedical Sciences student, however, informs me that her lectures which previously weren’t mandatory (even though attendance is highly recommended), now are because those in attendance are required to digitally register. If students can’t make their classes, they must give the department a reason for their absence. Natasha understands that this move could be seen as positive but also sympathises with those students who might watch a recording of their lectures online later or not at all. “If you wanted to prioritise your course work or dissertation, this could make working slightly harder.” I refute the latter. Having a timetable structured around a ‘working week’ teaches students the importance of a routine and organisation. We must develop the skills to plan around assessment deadlines and exam periods effectively in advance. Unfortunately, in the ‘real working world’ čĔčʴ²ļļÕčÑ²čËÕ õĴ ² ţİÕ²ÊĆÕ offence, and your boss will probably think you’re pulling their leg if you ask for an extension. It hasn’t escaped me that the stakes are higher for ñÕêţÕĆÑʿĴ õčļÕİč²ļõĔč²Ć

student body who are contractually obliged to attend their contact hours as a condition of their British student visa. While this change may be more of a concern to them, the same still applies. Students should not miss their lectures. It’s irksome enough that attendance must be monitored to incentivise students to show up to their contact hours. Unless ŘĔŁ ţčÑ ŘĔŁİĴÕĆê õč ² circumstance reasonable enough to warrant such ²ÊĴÕčËÕʞ E ţčÑ õļ ĭ²ļñÕļõË ļñ²ļ one might fail to attend an expected session, particularly in light of ongoing UCU strike action. How can a student utter such grievance over cancelled classes but fail to attend those classes in succession? And no, I don’t care how many Jager bombs you downed at Roar last night. If I can show up to a seminar on contemporary security studies on a Thursday morning, glitter still plastered on and eyeliner smeared down the sides of my face then so can you. Considering PM Rishi Sunak and the government have recently declared allout war on the humanities - among a long list of other things, including bins, authoritarian council regimes (the dictatorships must end!), vegetarianism, transport infrastructure that isn’t Victorian and the mainstream media (phew! Forge Press is safe) - it’s time for students ļĔ ţëñļ Ê²Ëă ÊŘ Č²ăõčë ²č appearance at their classes and proving the government wrong: your degree isn’t useless or a waste of time. “But wasn’t philosophy a part of Rishi’s degree at the University of Oxford?” you ask. Yes, but I bet he attended all his classes and look at him now! I digress. There is something regarding another form of University bureaucracy becoming digitised that saddens me. As someone who prefers not to bring their smartphone to a study space

to avoid distraction and procrastination, the use of Multi-factor authentication (MFA), a software which requires students to authenticate themselves twice using the Duo Mobile application when logging into the University’s online portal, is already irritating.

I don’t need to

pull statistics on smartphones to inform our readers °ÈēŀĻ˂ïēŕ˂°ÏÏóÉĻÓÏ˂ young people have ÈÓÉēċÓ˂Ļē˂ĻïÓóį˂ ċēÈóąÓ˂ÏÓŔóÉÓĳʑ

Now that it seems digital registration is quickly becoming every department’s ‘new normal’, students will be required to always have a smartphone on their person while on campus. E ţčÑ ļñ²ļ ÑõĴ²ĭĭĔõčļõčëʣ E don’t need to pull statistics on smartphones to inform our readers about how addicted young people have become to their mobile devices. It’s hardly news. But if everyone is required to start each lecture by going on their phones, can we expect students to be giving their full concentration? I’m all for clamping down on attendance but I can’t see the issue with signing a paper register during the class or lecture break. Call me old-fashioned but my favourite form of registration is answering “here” when the teacher calls out your name, as was the case in secondary school. But then again, I’ve always liked the sound of my voice.

Forge Press

Monday 23 October 2023

Features

ŁČČõļʝ :İĔČ ñÕêţÕĆÑ ļĔ ĆĔŕÕčõ²ʞ ĴļŁÑÕčļĴ Ĵñ²İÕ ļñÕõİ ñõļËññõăõčë āĔŁİčÕŘĴ ĆõËÕ ¥²ĆČĴĆÕŘ (she/her)

ummit, the student union's hitchhiking society, is celebrating its 20th year of expeditions around the UK and to lands êŁİļñÕİ ²ţÕĆÑʞ ²ĆĆ õč ļñÕ č²ČÕ Ĕê êŁčÑİ²õĴõčë êĔİ ñÕêţÕĆÑ and South Yorkshire-based charities. The self-proclaimed ‘‘most exciting society’’ in the University began when a small group of adventurous students were looking for a new way to raise money for ñÕêţÕĆÑ ;ʣ ŖÕčļŘ ŘÕ²İĴ Ĕčʞ ñÕêţÕĆÑ ŁČČõļ ñ²Ĵ become the world’s largest student hitchhiking group, with hundreds of students keen to participate in each

The people that

hosted us in their mansion drank with us, let us drink £1000 wine till 3am, and also invited us

ŖÕ ÑİĔŕÕ ļñİĔŁëñ ŁĴļİõ² and arrived in Ljubljana.’’ ‘‘My worst moment of the trip was at a service station õč şÕËñ ÕĭŁÊĆõË ŖñÕč ² woman started shouting at me but I didn’t understand what she was saying, and that’s when I was almost ready to give up.’’ ĭ²İļ êİĔČ ļñÕ õčñÕİÕčļĆŘ ĭĔĴõļõŕÕ õČĭ²Ëļ Ĕê ŁČČõļ because of its charitable nature, students who participate tend to all have a mutual feeling of what has been described as ‘‘restoration of faith in people’’. Emily said: ‘‘We were standing on the side of the road, holding up a sign saying Vienna, please help us, and some guy offered to take us all the way to Ljubljana so we got a 6 hour lift and arrived two days earlier than we were meant to.’’ ¥ñõĆÕ Ê²ÊŘ ŁČČõļ ļ²ăÕĴ place in just one day, big ŁČČõļ ĴļİÕļËñÕĴ ²ËİĔĴĴ a number of days, with a surprise mid-way checkpoint announced at the start of the trip. ÕêĔİÕ the

to their daughter’s wedding. event. Many participants from last year are still in touch with those they met while hitchhiking so you never know who you might meet along the way. Emily Smaling, PPE ĴļŁÑÕčļ Ĕč ļñÕ ŁČČõļ committee, told us her story. “We went to Ljubljana last ĭİõĆʞ ŖÕ ëĔļ ļñÕ êÕİİŘ êİĔČ ]ÕŖË²ĴļĆÕ õčļĔ ČĴļÕİÑ²Čʞ we drove through the ]ÕļñÕİĆ²čÑĴ õčļĔ ;ÕİČ²čŘʞ we stayed in Dusseldorf for a night, then we went to the şÕËñ ÕĭŁÊĆõË ²čÑ Ĵļ²ŘÕÑ õč Prague for a night, and then

hitchhike, participating teams must reach their targeted fundraising goal. ŁČČõļÕİĴ ñ²ŕÕ ÊÕÕč known to employ a variety

of creative fundraising methods, from hosting jumble sales to selling toast õč Ĕ²İʣ Võ²Č ĔĔļñʞ ŁĴõčÕĴĴ Management student on the ŁČČõļ ËĔČČõļļÕÕʞ ²ĆĴĔ hitchhiked to Ljubljana last ĭİõĆʣ ‘‘It started off rough and patchy but then got really good. You meet so many like-minded people and everyone who did it last year are all friends.’’ “I stayed in a mansion which was pretty cool, and then stayed in a huge õİ čÊ place for £13 because someone I met texted me and said come along. “The people that hosted us in their mansion drank with us, let us drink £1000 wine till 3am, and also invited us to their daughter’s wedding.’’ õčËÕ ŁČČõļ ÊÕë²č õč

2003, these fundraising efforts have raised over £1.1million in aid of charities like Molly’s fund, a charity ļñ²ļ êŁčÑĴ ñÕêţÕĆÑʴ based community groups supporting mental health.

Many participants

from last year are still in touch with those they met while hitchhiking - so you never know who you might meet along the way. cļñÕİ ÊÕčÕţļõčë Ëñ²İõļõÕĴ over the years include The İĔĔČñ²ĆĆ AĔČÕŖĔİă ĆŁÊʞ ĴĴõĴļ ñÕêţÕĆÑʞ ʃ êĔĔÑÊ²čă ²čÑ ñÕêţÕĆÑ §ĔŁčë ²İÕİĴʣ QĔÕ ;õĆÊÕİļʞ &ŗʴ ñ²õİ Ĕê ŁČČõļ ²čÑ \ QĔŁİč²ĆõĴČ student, shared his experience: ʾʾ ñÕ ţİĴļ ļõČÕ E ÑõÑ ŁČČõļ Ŗ²Ĵ õč ɿɽɾʆ ²čÑ we went to Transylvania in ĔČ²čõ²ʣ ¥Õ ŖÕčļ ļñİĔŁëñ the Netherlands, down to ;ÕİČ²čŘʞ ļñÕč ļĔ ŁĴļİõ²ʞ

AŁčë²İŘ ²čÑ ļñÕč õčļĔ ĔČ²čõ²ʣʿʿ ‘‘Next time I did it was in ²İËÕĆĔč²ʣ ¥Õ Č²ÑÕ ĆĔ²ÑĴ Ĕê friends and because I ended up enjoying it so much I went on commitee. I think the coolest thing was when we actually got stuck at the border in Dover, and the guy who eventually picked us upwe were there for hours and had started to lose hope, he didn’t speak any English and he couldn’t get on the ferry himself because he didn’t have a Covid test. So we had to take him to have a Covid test at the pharmacy, and I think we helped him out as much as he helped us’’ Ĕ ţčÑ ĔŁļ ČĔİÕ ²ÊĔŁļ ŁČČõļ ţčÑ êĔĆĆĔŖ ļñÕČ ²ļ @bummit_hitch_hike

It started off rough

and patchy but then got really good. You meet so many likeminded people and everyone who did it last year are all friends.

Forge Press

Features

ĭĔĔăŘ ñÕêţÕĆÑ ëñĔĴļ ĴļĔİõÕĴ ŖñõËñ ŖõĆĆ ëõŕÕ ŘĔŁ ļñÕ ËñõĆĆĴʣʣʣ &ČõĆŘ A²Ŗļõč ʰĴñÕʩñÕİʱ

re you carving pumpkins with your friends, snuggling up on the sofa watching a Halloween classic, or dripping fake blood down your neck as a last minute resort for a costume? However you spend your Halloween, there is one tradition that everyone loves- ghost stories. So if the sound of ScaryTarts does not have your blood curdling then never fear, as I have been unearthing South Yorkshire folklore to piece together stories that show this industrial Steel City in a different light. I am going to start with the notorious ghost tale in ñÕêţÕĆÑ ŖñõËñ Ĕİõëõč²ļÕĴ from 1987.. This haunted location is in a town in South Yorkshire called Stocksbridge. The Stocksbridge bypass has attracted media attention for a tale that ËĆ²ĴĴõţÕĴ õļ ²Ĵ ĔčÕ Ĕê ļñÕ most haunted locations in the UK. The tale begins in

the 1980’s, when the bypass Ŗ²Ĵ ţİĴļ ÊÕõčë ÊŁõĆļʟ Andrew Finney, 41, author and host of the Strange ñÕêţÕĆÑ ;ñĔĴļ ¥²ĆăĴ Ĵ²õÑʝ “Two security guards were watching over the equipment on the construction site at night, and unexpectedly saw children playing by the by-pass. It was midnight, a very odd time for children to be playing, so they turned the car around to get a closer look but then the kids vanished.

around and like there were stones being thrown at the window. “Due to this the police decided to investigate the bypass and when they arrived the exact same

Suddenly this ËĈĖ²ąÕÑ ťìŃĲÕ ²įįÕ²ĲĶ ÷ď ëĲĖďľ Ėë ľòÕ Ë²Ĳ ñõĴ ñĔĔÑÕÑ ËĆĔ²ăÕÑ ţëŁİÕ stood in front of the car and kept disappearing and reappearing into thin air. The security men started screaming, and the car would not start. The car felt like it was being pushed

situation unfolded on them, ²čÑ ļñÕ ñĔĔÑÕÑ ţëŁİÕ traumatised them so much that they wrote down an ĔêţËõ²Ć Ĵļ²ļÕČÕčļ õč ² ĭĔĆõËÕ log of everything that had happened.” \İ :õččÕŘ ²ÑÑÕÑʝ ʼ ²Ëă

then they had to keep a police log. It was where local papers could get their stories from. Usually it was boring čÕŖĴ ÊŁļ ŖñÕč ² ñÕêţÕĆÑ Star reporter took a look, it attracted a media frenzy with TV productions from Japan and America coming to have a look at this haunted bypass.” Creepy right? Łļ õê ÕÕİõÕ ÊŘĭ²ĴĴÕĴ are not your thing then do not fear, ²Ĵ ñÕêţÕĆÑ ñ²Ĵ also got a darker history concerning witches within early 18th ËÕčļŁİŘ ñÕêţÕĆÑ there was a woman called \²İŘ ²ļÕČ²čʞ who was executed for being an alleged witch. Morgan Rae Sallis, Spokesperson for Yorkshire AõĴļĔİŘ ²čÑ AÕİÊ²ĆõĴČ Ĵ²õÑʝ “ Mary publicly advertised she had supernatural powers which led her to be eventually labelled ‘The §ĔİăĴñõİÕ ¥õļËñʿʣ ʦEč ɾʅɽʀʞ \²İŘ ²ļÕČ²č

began making potions for the Quaker Sisters and their mother who all 3 women sadly passed away, as the potions had been laced with poison. Mary stole possessions from the family and when later questioned about the deaths said they had died of the plague.” In 1806 Mary poisoned a couple with Mercuric Chloride and was seized as well as possessions from each person who sadly passed away at the hands of Mary. She was tried for murder and not witchcraft, and was hung at York Castle on the 20th March 1809, and later had her body dissected by ¥õĆĆõ²Č AÕŘ ²Ĵ ² ĭŁÊĆõË ÕŕÕčļ which lasted a whole three days. ¥õļñ ļñÕ ŕ²İõĔŁĴ ŖõļËñÕĴʞ haunted caves and roads, there are a number of İÕ²ĴĔčĴ ŖñŘ ñÕêţÕĆÑ õĴ more haunted than you think. It is not just the City of Steel but also a city of folklore, mythical beings and a secret dark history that can make your skin crawl just in time for Halloween.

&ŗĭĆ²õčÕİʝ Łč²ă İĔŖĴ Ê²Ëă Ĕč ëĔŕÕİčČÕčļ ËĆõČ²ļÕ ĭĔĆõËŘ &ĆĆ²Ñ² A²ÑāõļñÕĔÑĔĴõĔŁ

n the 20th of September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a series of controversial revisions and ‘delays’ to policies which were leading to the success of the ‘25 Year &čŕõİĔčČÕčļ²Ć |Ć²čʿʣ ñÕ ţİĴļ one is the extension of the sale of petrol and diesel cars êĔİ ţŕÕ ČĔİÕ ŘÕ²İĴʞ êİĔČ 2030 to 2035. Climate activists said that this showed a major lack of ambition. at the same time a change on the banning of new gas boilers in 2035- making this an 80% target rather than a complete ban. The government is

claiming that the plan is still on course - the net zero emissions goal by 2050. The Prime Minister ñ²Ĵ āŁĴļõţÕÑ ñõĴ ÑÕËõĴõĔčĴʞ ËĔČČÕčļõčë ʼ¥Õ ŖõĆĆ čÕŕÕİ force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump”, while announcing the increase of the boiler scheme amount from £5000 to £7500. Łļ ñĔŖ ŖõĆĆ ļñõĴ õČĭ²Ëļ students’ lives? The Climate Change Committee has ÕĴļõČ²ļÕÑ ļñ²ļ ļñÕ ţŕÕʴŘÕ²İ delay to the ban on internal combustion engines will result in an extra 110 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions Peter Chalkley, director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, told The ;Ł²İÑõ²čʝ ʼ"ÕĆ²Řõčë ļñõĴ policy will push up the cost

of motoring as cheaper secondhand EVs that are much cheaper to run than petrol cars will be less available.” Undoubtedly, students have high rates of renting. Anabella Prodan, a 2nd-year student at the University Ĕê ñÕêţÕĆÑ Ĵ²õÑʝ ʼ EļʧĴ ² real concern because, as ĴļŁÑÕčļĴʞ ŖÕʧİÕ ĔêļÕč Ĕč ļõëñļ ÊŁÑëÕļĴʣ ²Ć²čËõčë these increasing rent costs with already high tuition fees and other expenses is not easy, especially because it affects our overall university experience by taking away some of the fun aspects of student life, like joining societies or travelling.” Changes to insulation improvements may however have the biggest impact on students in the long-term,

with some analysis showing that students will have to put up with poor insulation and therefore higher heating bills under the new plans. This means that these policies leave them exposed to the volatility of fuel prices. Not only do they have to face ĆĔŖÕİ ÕêţËõÕčËŘ İ²ļÕĴ ÑŁÕ to old boilers but also poor insulation makes keeping a house warm take longer, hence higher demand for heating. This leads students õčļĔ ļñÕ ÑõêţËŁĆļ ÑÕËõĴõĔč Ĕê having to choose between paying high bills or facing the cold. Research published by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit suggests that people who live in poorly insulated homes will have to pay around £1,000 more each winter for their

energy bills. Landlords, on the other hand, are set to ÊÕčÕţļ êİĔČ ļñÕ čÕŖ ĭĆ²čĴ as they will not have to make costly upgrades to student houses.

Monday 23 October 2023

Features

Have we turned water into wine? Charlie Fenton ʰñÕʩñõČʱ

rom forging Peckham's own spring using a tap, then using Buxton Water for its purity ļÕĴļ ²čÑ ţč²ĆĆŘ ĴÕĆĆõčë ĴĔ much that he caused the water authorities to think they had an underground ĆÕ²ăʞ "ÕĆ ÊĔŘ ²čÑ ñõĴ Peckham Spring Water in the ɾʆʆɿ cčĆŘ :ĔĔĆĴ ²čÑ AĔİĴÕĴ episode 'Mother Nature’s Son' ponders on the ‘water ËĔčʿ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ñ²ŕÕ ÊĔŁëñļ ĔčļĔ ļñÕČĴÕĆŕÕĴʣ ʼEļʿĴ ² Čõİ²ËĆÕ ²Ćİõëñļʞʽ ÕŗËĆ²õČĴ "ÕĆ ÊĔŘ ţĆĆõčë Łĭ ÊĔļļĆÕĴ êİĔČ ñõĴ ļ²ĭʣ ʼE ļñõčă õļʧĴ ² Čõİ²ËĆÕ ŖÕʧŕÕ ÊÕÕč doing this for three weeks čĔŖ ²čÑ ŖÕʧİÕ čĔļ Ê²čëÕÑ Łĭ õč čõËăʞʽ Ĵ²ŘĴ ĔÑčÕŘʞ ĴĔ ĔêļÕč ² ŕĔõËÕ Ĕê İÕ²ĴĔčʞ ŖñõĆĴļ ļŖõĴļõčë Ë²ĭĴ ĔčļĔ |ÕËăñ²ČʿĴ ţčÕĴļʣ :İĔČ Êİ²čÑĴ ĴŁËñ ²Ĵ VõįŁõÑ "Õ²ļñ ²čÑ ŕ²ĆÊ²İÒõ VŁŗŁİŘ |ĔĆ²İ EËÕÊÕİë ¥²ļÕİ ļĔ ÊĔļļĆÕÑ ÑõččÕİ õč MEATwater, it is safe to say ĆõêÕʿĴ ăÕŘ êŁčÑ²ČÕčļ²Ć ñ²Ĵ ÊÕÕč ĴŁËËÕĴĴêŁĆĆŘ Č²İăÕļÕÑʣ Peckham Spring at the time Ŗ²Ĵ ŕõĴõĔč²İŘʞ čĔŖ õļʿĴ āŁĴļ ²čĔļñÕİ Õŗ²ČĭĆÕʣ Thirty years ago, the ļñĔŁëñļ Ĕê ÊŁŘõčë ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ Ŗ²Ĵ ËĔČõË²Ćʞ ŘÕļʞ according to The Guardian, ČĔİÕ ļñ²č ʅ ÊõĆĆõĔč ÊĔļļĆÕĴ Ĕê Ŗ²ļÕİ ²İÕ ÊĔŁëñļ ²ËİĔĴĴ ļñÕ S ŘÕ²İĆŘʣ So how did we get here when we consider that UK ļ²ĭ Ŗ²ļÕİ ñ²Ĵ ² ʆʆʣʆʃ˫ įŁ²ĆõļŘ İ²ļõčë ²čÑ õĴ ɿʄɽ times cheaper than most ĭİÕČõŁČ Êİ²čÑĴ ĭÕİ ɿ ĆõļİÕĴʤ :ŁİļñÕİČĔİÕʞ ²ËËĔİÑõčë ļĔ ļ²ļõĴļ²ʞ õč ļñÕ S ²ĆĔčÕʞ ļñÕ ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ õčÑŁĴļİŘ õĴ ŖĔİļñ ²ĭĭİĔŗõČ²ļÕĆŘ ɾʣʄ ÊõĆĆõĔč ĭĔŁčÑĴ Ŗõļñ ɿʣʂɾ ÊõĆĆõĔč ĆõļİÕĴ Ĕê ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ ËĔčĴŁČÕÑ ÊŘ İõļĔčĴ õč ɿɽɿɾʣ Łļ ËĔŁĆÑ ŘĔŁ Ĵ²Ř ŖñõËñ õĴ ŘĔŁİ ê²ŕĔŁİõļÕ ļŘĭÕ Ĕê Ŗ²ļÕİ ²čÑ õê ŘĔŁ ËĔŁĆÑʞ ËĔŁĆÑ ŘĔŁ ÕŗĭĆ²õč ŖñŘʤ ²ĭʞ &ŕõ²čʞ ŕ²ĆÊ²İÒõʿĴ ˍɾɽɽ VŁŗŁİŘ |ĔĆ²İ EËÕÊÕİë ¥²ļÕİʞ ²İÕ ļñÕŘ čĔļ ²ĆĆ ļñÕ Ĵ²ČÕʤ ¥ÕĆĆ ²ËËĔİÑõčë ļĔ "Ĕİ²č õčÑÕİʞ êĔŁčÑÕİ Ĕê Grag Spring Water and water ĴĔČČÕĆõÕİʞ ļñÕİÕ õĴ ² ĆĔļ ČĔİÕ ļĔ Aɿc ļñ²č ŖÕ

Čõëñļ ļñõčăʣ ʼ¥²ļÕİ õĴ čĔļ āŁĴļ Ŗ²ļÕİʞ ļñÕİÕ õĴ čĔ ĆõįŁõÑ ŖñõËñ ËĔČĭ²İÕĴ ļĔ õļʣ EļʧĴ ļñÕ ĴõčëĆÕ ČĔĴļ õČĭĔİļ²čļ ĆõįŁõÑ ļĔ ñŁČ²čĴ Ĕč ļñÕ ĭĆ²čÕļʣ Eļ õĴ ļñÕ ĆõįŁõÑ Ĕê ĆõêÕʞ ²čÑ ŖÕ ļ²ăÕ õļ êĔİ ëİ²čļÕÑʣʦ ʼ¥ñ²ļ ŘĔŁ ñ²ŕÕ Ŗõļñ č²ļŁİ²Ć Ŗ²ļÕİ õĴ ² Ť²ŕĔŁİÕÑ ÊÕŕÕİ²ëÕʞ čĔļñõčë õĴ ²İļõţËõ²Ćʞ čĔ ĴŖÕÕļÕčÕİʞ čĔ Ë²êêÕõčÕʞ čĔ ĴŁë²İ āŁĴļ Ť²ŕĔŁİÕÑ ñÕ²ĆļñŘ Ŗ²ļÕİ č²ļŁİ²ĆĆŘ ĔËËŁİİõčë êĔİ ļñÕ ÊĔÑŘʞʽ AÕ ÕŗĭĆ²õčĴʣ ¥²ļÕİʿĴ Ť²ŕĔŁİ ËĔČÕĴ ÑĔŖč ļĔ õļĴ ĆÕŕÕĆ Ĕê ļĔļ²Ć ÑõĴĴĔĆŕÕÑ ĴĔĆõÑĴ ʰ " ʱ ŖñõËñ can range anywhere from ɽ ļĔ ČĔİÕ ļñ²č ɾʂʞɽɽɽʣ ²ĆËõŁČʞ ĴĔÑõŁČʞ ĭĔļ²ĴĴõŁČʞ ²čÑ Č²čŘ ĔļñÕİ ČĔĆÕËŁĆÕĴ Č²ăÕ Łĭ ļñÕ " ëõŕõčë Õ²Ëñ Ŗ²ļÕİ õļĴ ĔŖč õÑÕčļõļŘʣ Ĕʞ ĴñĔŁĆÑ ŖÕ ÊÕ Ñİõčăõčë êİĔČ ² ÊĔļļĆÕʤ “Water is a gift, there is a ĴļĔİŘ ÊÕñõčÑ ļñÕČ ²ĆĆʞ ²čÑ what makes it fascinating õĴ ļñ²ļ ļñÕ ţĆļİ²ļõĔč ²čÑ ļñÕ ÊĆÕčÑõčë ²čÑ ļñÕ Ť²ŕĔŁİ ²čÑ ļñÕ ļ²ĴļÕ ²İÕ ²ĆĆ ÑĔčÕ ÊŘ ;ĔÑʞ ČĔļñÕİ č²ļŁİÕʣ ]Ĕ ĔčÕ has touched it, no ĔčÕ ñ²Ĵ ţÑÑĆÕÑ Ŗõļñ õļʣʽ “This is opposed to tap water which has ÊÕÕč ţĆļÕİÕÑʞ treated, and had ČõčÕİ²ĆõļŘ ²ÑÑÕÑʣ Eč ļñÕ ŖĔİĆÑ Ĕê č²ļŁİ²Ć Ŗ²ļÕİʞ ļñ²ļʿĴ ²ĆĆ ÊÕÕč ÑĔčÕ ÊŘ č²ļŁİÕ ²čÑ ļñÕ ëÕĔĆĔëŘ ļñÕ Ŗ²ļÕİ ñ²Ĵ ĭ²ĴĴÕÑ ļñİĔŁëñ Ĕč õļĴ āĔŁİčÕŘ ëõŕõčë Õ²Ëñ õļĴ ĔŖč ţčëÕİĭİõčļ ŖñõËñʞ ŘĔŁ Ë²ččĔļ ËĔĭŘʣʽ ¥ñÕč ²ĴăÕÑ ²ÊĔŁļ ļñÕ ˍɾɽɽ ÊĔļļĆÕ Ĕê ŕ²ĆÊ²İÒõʞ ñÕ offered a genuine response:

ʼE ŖĔŁĆÑ ĆĔŕÕ ² ÊĔļļĆÕʞ ÊŁļ õļʧĴ čĔļ ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ E Ŗ²čļ ļñÕ Ŗ²ļÕİ õļʧĴ ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ E Ŗ²čļ ļñÕ āĔŁİčÕŘ ²čÑ õčËİÕÑõÊĆÕ ĴļĔİŘʞ E Ŗ²čļ ļñÕ ÊĔļļĆÕ Ĕč ČŘ ĴñÕĆêʞ čĔļ ļĔ Ñİõčă ÊŁļ ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ õļ õĴ ĴŁËñ ² ĴļŁččõčë ÊĔļļĆÕʣʽ Łļ "Ĕİ²č ËĆ²õČÕÑ ļñ²ļ ñÕ ²ĆİÕ²ÑŘ ăčÕŖ Õŗ²ËļĆŘ ñĔŖ ŕ²ĆÊ²İÒõ ŖĔŁĆÑ ļ²ĴļÕʝ ʦEļ ŖõĆĆ ļ²ĴļÕ ĆõăÕ ļñÕ ĔļñÕİ ɾʁ " Ŗ²ļÕİʞ ĆõăÕ ² V²ŁİÕļ²č²ʣʦ :İĔČ įŁ² ČĔİÕʧĴ ĭİõËÕĴʞ ŘĔŁ Ë²č ÊŁŘ ʁʂ ɾV ÊĔļļĆÕĴ Ĕê Lauretana for the same price ²Ĵ ĔčÕ ʄʂɽ ČĆ ŕ²ĆÊ²İÒõʣ Ĕʞ how much of the industry õĴ ÑĔŖč ļĔ ñÕ²Ćļñ ²čÑ ñĔŖ much is down to marketing ļñÕ ²Ĵĭõİ²ļõĔč Ĕê ļñÕ õÑÕ²ʤ ¥ÕĆĆ ²ËËĔİÑõčë ļĔ "Ĕİ²čʞ čĔļ ĔčĆŘ õĴ ļñÕ õčÑŁĴļİŘ ČõĴŁčÑÕİĴļĔĔÑ õļ ñ²Ĵ ÊÕÕč coerced this way for a İÕ²ĴĔčʣ ʼ¥²ļÕİ õĴ ļñÕ ĔčĆŘ ļñõčë ļñÕ ñŁČ²č ÊĔÑŘ čÕÕÑĴʣ In my opinion, that message ñ²Ĵ ÊÕÕč ĆĔĴļ ÑÕĆõÊÕİ²ļÕĆŘ ļĔ ÑİõŕÕ ČĔİÕ ČĔčÕŘ ²čÑ ČĔİÕ ĭİĔţļ ²Ĵ ČĔİÕ ČĔčÕŘ Ë²č ÊÕ Č²ÑÕ êİĔČ ²č ŁčñÕ²ĆļñŘ ĭĔĭŁĆ²ļõĔč ļñ²č ² ñÕ²ĆļñŘ ĔčÕʣʽ So why has an industry ĴÕĆĆõčë ² ĆõêÕ êŁčÑ²ČÕčļ²Ć ÊÕÕč ²ÊĆÕ ļĔ grow into ² ČŁĆļõʴ ÊõĆĆõĔčʴ pound õčÑŁĴļİŘʤ ʼ¥ñŘ ĴñĔŁĆÑčʿļ õļ ñ²ŕÕ ÊÕÕč ²ÊĆÕ ļĔʞʽ Ĵ²ŘĴ "Ĕİ²čʣ In some countries, there is čĔ ËñĔõËÕ ÊÕļŖÕÕč ÊĔļļĆÕÑ ²čÑ ļ²ĭ Ŗ²ļÕİ ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ ļñÕŘ ñ²ŕÕ čĔ Ĕİ ĆõČõļÕÑ ²ËËÕĴĴ ļĔ ËĆÕ²č Ñİõčăõčë Ŗ²ļÕİʣ ËËĔİÑõčë ļĔ cŁİ ¥ĔİĆÑ Eč "²ļ²ʞ õč ɿɽɿɽʞ ²ĆČĔĴļ

ļñİÕÕʴįŁ²İļÕİĴ ʰʄʁ˫ʱ Ĕê ļñÕ ŖĔİĆÑ ñ²Ñ ²ËËÕĴĴ ļĔ ² Ĵ²êÕĆŘ Č²č²ëÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ ĴĔŁİËÕʣ §Õļʞ unsafe drinking water is İÕĴĭĔčĴõÊĆÕ êĔİ ² Ĵļ²ëëÕİõčë ɾʣɿ ČõĆĆõĔč ÑÕ²ļñĴ ŘÕ²İĆŘʣ |²ŁĆ :ĔŁĆăÕĴʴ İÕĆĆ²čĔʞ ŖñĔ ñ²Ĵ ĴĭÕčļ ʀɽ ŘÕ²İĴ ŖĔİăõčë on packaging and design for ÊÕŕÕİ²ëÕ Êİ²čÑĴʞ õĴ ² ĆõļļĆÕ ČĔİÕ Ë²ŁĴļõË õč ñõĴ ²č²ĆŘĴõĴ Ĕê ļñÕ SʿĴ ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ õčÑŁĴļİŘʣ “There is a need for the industry in countries where tap water is toxic, those ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ñ²ŕÕ čĔ ĔļñÕİ ËñĔõËÕ ÊŁļ ļĔ Ñİõčă êİĔČ ÊĔļļĆÕĴʞ ÊŁļ in the UK, there is no excuse êĔİ ļİŁËăĴ êŁĆĆ Ĕê ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ ļĔ ÑÕĆõŕÕİ ÕŕÕİŘ Ñ²Ř ²ļ ÕŕÕİŘ İÕļ²õĆÕİ ÑÕĭĔļʞ ļñÕİÕ õĴ ËĆÕ²č Ŗ²ļÕİ İŁččõčë êİĔČ ÕŕÕİŘ ļ²ĭʣʽ ¥ñõĆĴļ "Ĕİ²č ĴñĔŖÕÑ ²č ŁčŤõčËñõčë ĭ²ĴĴõĔč êĔİ ļñÕ ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ õčÑŁĴļİŘʞ |²ŁĆ õĴ ² ĆõļļĆÕ ČĔİÕ ĴËÕĭļõË²Ćʣ “Water is Ŗ²ļÕİ ŁčļõĆ õļ ñ²Ĵ ÊÕÕč ëõŕÕč ² name, and once named, it ÊÕËĔČÕĴ ² Êİ²čÑʣ The water industry is ÊŁõĆļ ŁĭĔč ļñÕ marketing of three things: ñÕ²Ćļñʞ ËĔčŕÕčõÕčËÕʞ ²čÑ ñŘÑİ²ļõĔčʣ ñõİļŘ ŘÕ²İĴ ²ëĔʞ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ŖÕİÕčʿļ ļĔĆÑ ļĔ hydrate, Burger King and \Ë"Ĕč²ĆÑʧĴ ÑõÑčʿļ ÕŕÕč ĔêêÕİ Ŗ²ļÕİ ŁčļõĆ õļ Ŗ²Ĵ êĔİËÕÑ ŁĭĔč ļñÕČ ÊŘ ñÕ²ĆļñŘ Õ²ļõčë Ë²Čĭ²õëčÕİĴʣ ĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ ñ²Ĵ ËĔČÕ ² ĆĔčë Ŗ²Ř ²čÑ ²ĆĴĔ ĴñĔŖĴ āŁĴļ ñĔŖ ê²İ Č²İăÕļõčë ñ²Ĵ ËĔČÕʣʽ So how did companies grow an industry which is ĴÕĆĆõčë ĴĔČÕļñõčë ļñ²ļ õĴ ÕĴĴÕčļõ²ĆĆŘ êİÕÕʤ ñÕ ²čĴŖÕİʞ ²ËËĔİÑõčë ļĔ |²ŁĆʞ õĴ ļñ²ļ ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ Ŗ²Ĵ ĭõļËñÕÑ ²Ĵ ļñÕ ʼ²ĆļÕİč²ļõŕÕʽ čĔļ êĔİ ļ²ĭʞ ÊŁļ êĔİ ĴŁë²İŘ ÑİõčăĴ ĆõăÕ ĔË²ʴ ĔĆ² ²čÑ |ÕĭĴõʣ ʼ ñÕ ËĔčļÕčļĴ Ĕê ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ ²İÕ āŁĴļ ²Ĵ İÕêİÕĴñõčë ÊŁļ ŖõļñĔŁļ ļñÕ ļñİÕ²ļ Ĕê ñÕ²Ćļñ õĴĴŁÕĴ ĆõăÕ ĔÊÕĴõļŘ ²čÑ Ñõ²ÊÕļÕĴ õê Ñİ²čă êĔİ ĴŁĴļ²õčÕÑ ĭÕİõĔÑĴʣʽ Łļ ËĔŁĆÑ ÊĔļļĆÕÑ Ŗ²ļÕİ ÕŕÕİ ÊÕ ²č ²ĆļÕİč²ļõŕÕ ļĔ

²čŘļñõčë ÕĆĴÕʤ :Ĕİ õčĴļ²čËÕʞ ŖõčÕʤ ñÕ İõĴÕ Ĕê ļñÕ Ŗ²ļÕİ ČÕčŁ ñ²Ĵ Ë²İŕÕÑ ² čÕŖ ĭ²ļñ êĔİ ÑõčÕİĴ ļĔ ÕčāĔŘ ļñÕõİ êĔĔÑʣ ñÕ ĔêêÕİõčë Ĕê ĴļõĆĆ Ĕİ Ĵĭ²İăĆõčë õĴ čĔ ĆĔčëÕİ ëĔĔÑ enough when it comes to Ŗ²ļÕİʣ ËËĔİÑõčë ļĔ ĔÊ |õËăÕİõčëʞ ŖñĔ ĴĭÕčļ ɿɽ ŘÕ²İĴ ²ļ ŖĔİĆÑʴĆÕ²Ñõčë ²ĆËĔñĔĆ ÊÕŕÕİ²ëÕ ËĔČĭ²čŘ "õ²ëÕĔʞ ²čÑ ÕŗʴĴ²ĆÕĴ ²čÑ marketing director of A²İİĔë²ļÕ ¥²ļÕİʞ ļñÕ Ŗ²ļÕİ menu won't quite reach the Ĵ²ČÕ ĆÕŕÕĆ ²Ĵ ŖõčÕʣ ʼ;ĔĔÑ įŁ²ĆõļŘ Ŗ²ļÕİ ñ²Ĵ ÊÕËĔČÕ Č²õčĴļİÕ²Č õč İÕĴļ²Łİ²čļĴʞ ÊŁļ ²ļ ŘĔŁİ ²ŕÕİ²ëÕ İÕĴļ²Łİ²čļʞ ² Ŗ²ļÕİ menu next to a wine menu, I ÑĔčʿļ ĴÕÕ ļñ²ļ ñ²ĭĭÕčõčëʣʽ ʼ§ĔŁ Ë²č ÊŁŘ ŖõčÕ êİĔČ ˍʂ ļĔ Łĭ ļĔ ˍɾɽʞɽɽɽʣ ñÕ taste and the stories from ÑõêêÕİÕčļ İÕëõĔčĴ ĆõăÕ :İ²čËÕʞ |ĔİļŁë²Ćʞ ĭ²õčʞ and South Africa are ²ĆĆ čĔļõËÕ²ÊĆŘ ÑõêêÕİÕčļʣ Łļ where there is a difference ÊÕļŖÕÕč ļñÕ taste of types Ĕê ÊĔļļĆÕÑ water, it’s čÕŕÕİ ëĔõčë ļĔ ÊÕ Ĕč ļñÕ Ĵ²ČÕ ĆÕŕÕĆ ²Ĵ Ŗñ²ļ ŖõčÕ ĔêêÕİĴʣʽAÕ ²ĆĴĔ ĭĔõčļĴ ĔŁļ ļñ²ļ ² Ŗ²ļÕİ ČÕčŁ õĴčʿļ ËĔČČÕİËõ²ĆĆŘ ĴÕčĴõÊĆÕʣ ʼ¥²ļÕİ õĴ ĆĔŖ ŕ²ĆŁÕ ÊŁļ ñÕ²ŕŘ ļĔ ļİ²čĴĭĔİļʞ so from a mainstream ËĔČČÕİËõ²Ć ĭÕİĴĭÕËļõŕÕʞ ² İÕëõĔč²Ć İÕĴļ²Łİ²čļ Ëñ²õč õĴčʿļ ëĔõčë ļĔ Ë²İİŘ ² ĆĔļ Ĕê ÑõêêÕİÕčļ Ŗ²ļÕİĴ ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ ļñÕŘ ŖõĆĆ čÕÕÑ ² ĆĔļ Ĕê õļʞ ²čÑ õļ ĭİĔÊ²ÊĆŘ ŖĔčʿļ ÊÕ ²Ĵ ĭİĔţļ²ÊĆÕ ²Ĵ ĴĔČÕļñõčë ĆõăÕ ŖõčÕʣʽ EļʿĴ ËĆÕ²İ ļñ²ļ ļñÕ Č²İăÕļ for water has changed Ñİ²Č²ļõË²ĆĆŘ ĔŕÕİ ļñÕ Ć²Ĵļ three decades due to a ČõŗļŁİÕ Ĕê ËĆÕŕÕİ Č²İăÕļõčëʞ ÕčļñŁĴõ²ĴļõË ĴŁĭĭĆõÕİĴʞ ²čÑ ļñÕ ëİĔŖļñ Ĕê ļñÕ ëÕčÕİ²Ć ËĔčËÕĭļ Ĕê ñÕ²Ćļñʣ Łļ ļñÕ Ŗ²ļÕİ õļĴÕĆê ñ²Ĵčʿļ changed, so whether you Ñİõčă êİĔČ ² ÊĔļļĆÕ Ĕİ ĭĔŁİ it from the tap, we can’t do ŖõļñĔŁļ õļʣ EļʿĴ ²ĆĆ |ÕËăñ²Č ĭİõčë ²čŘŖ²Řʞ õĴčʿļ õļʤ

Forge Press

Science & Tech

In conversation with Women in Engineering Shakthi Thyagarajan ʰĴñÕʩñÕİʱ

ivanthika Venkatakrishnan is a 2nd year Computer Science student. She clearly remembers what pushed her to pursue this course at the University Ĕê ñÕêţÕĆÑ ² êÕŖ ŘÕ²İĴ ²ëĔʣ “I was in a engineering work experience programme in year 10 and this guy in my class said the reason why there aren't many women engineering is because women can't do engineering.”

I knew then and there. I don't care if I struggle. I just want to prove him wrong. I will do engineering.

Despite an increase in the number of women working in engineering, at 16.5%, the statistics are still disconcerting, which is

why the work of groups like the Women in Engineering Society are critical in ÑõŕÕİĴõêŘõčë ļñÕ ţÕĆÑʣ The University of ñÕêţÕĆÑʿĴ ¥ĔČÕč õč Engineering (WIE) society was created in 2012 with the intention of inspiring women and other minority groups to navigate the male-dominant world of STEM. 11 years later, the society continues to êŁĆţĆĆ ļñõĴʞ õčĴõÑÕ ˯ ĔŁļĴõÑÕ Ĕê the university. As well as supporting other universities with their own WIE societies, taking part in STEM events such as New Scientist Live and the Big Bang Fair and connecting students with mentors, ¥E& ñÕêţÕĆÑ ²ĆĴĔ Õčë²ëÕĴ with aspiring engineers in their school outreach programmes. “We reach out to three ĆĔË²Ć ĴËñĔĔĆĴ õč ñÕêţÕĆÑ ļĔ introduce children, especially girls, to engineering,” explains Flora Hippisley-Cox, president of WIE. Out of these outreach programmes was born the group’s successful children’s

book series, Suzie and Ricky. “It’s about two kids that use engineering and science to go on adventures and solve problems,” says Flora.

Credit: Women in Engineering

“One day we set up a writer’s group, wrote it and the Faculty of Engineering funded it. We’ve got two out currently and we’re hoping to get a third out this year.” “We give it out free at events; once we gave out 1,200 copies over a weekend. We’ve also had a school say they love it so much and that they’d even added it to their curriculum.”

It’s these sort of things that Jivanthika wishes she had had growing up. “I need an environment where I can have other people to relate to, a space where we can support each other,” says Jivanthika. As someone who had only been to an all girls’ school until A Levels, Flora was taken aback by the lack of diversity in her STEM classes. “I was the only girl out of 9 students in Further Maths and one of 3 girls out of 20 or so students taking Physics.”

“On open days I went to universities would proudly advertise that they had 15% of women in their courses. So I wasn’t so shocked by the numbers when I came to university either.” Flora wanted to turn that around, so she decided to āĔõč ļñÕ ¥E& õč ñÕİ ţİĴļ ŘÕ²İ and is hopeful about things changing. “It will not be in the next ţŕÕ ŘÕ²İĴʞ Č²ŘÊÕ õč ļñÕ čÕŗļ ɾɽʣ Łļ ŖÕʿİÕ ÑÕţčõļÕĆŘ Ĕč our way to be more inclusive, not just in regards to women but other minorities outside of gender as well.”

Nobel Prize win for mRNA vaccine pioneers

Guy Austin ʰñÕʩñõČʱ

rew Weissman and Katalin Kariko were announced as winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine earlier this month. They have been recognised for their mRNA research, which formed the basis for COVID-19 vaccine development. They will receive their prizes at a ceremony in Oslo on 10th December. Who are Drew Weissman and Katalin Kariko?

Credit: Penn Medicine The pair met at the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, long before the COVID pandemic. Kariko, a biochemist, and Weissman,

an immunologist, were both working on RNA and decided to collaborate and explore its therapeutic uses. The major stumbling block was administering the RNA to the body. Injected mRNA would often be degraded before reaching its target or would trigger ²č ²ÑŕÕİĴÕ õčŤ²ČČ²ļĔİŘ response. They solved these issues by delivering the mRNA packaged into lipid nanoparticles and replacing one of the bases in the mRNA to make it more stable. Kariko’s story is particularly remarkable; she was born into Communistera Hungary to workingclass parents, and in 1985 her lab in Hungary lost funding. She moved to the USA with her family, smuggling cash in her daughter’s toys. A few years later, when she was applying for a new job at Johns Hopkins, her employer threatened to have her deported if she

took the new position. While she fought the extradition case, Johns Hopkins retracted the job offer. Starting at the University of Pennsylvania in 1989, her research into mRNA therapies was often met with ĴăÕĭļõËõĴČ õč ļñÕ ĴËõÕčļõţË community. She then moved to work at BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals, using the approaches she pioneered in their COVID-19 vaccine. The Moderna vaccine also used mRNA methods. Estimates show that COVID-19 vaccinations saved nearly 20 million lives õč ļñÕõİ ţİĴļ ŘÕ²İʣ Č ] vaccinations are also being developed by Moderna against 15 other pathogens with the potential to cause a pandemic. Vaccines explained: In cells, mRNA is the intermediate step between DNA and proteins. DNA in the nucleus encodes a messenger RNA which then

leaves the nucleus and is translated to form a protein. mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 introduce the code for the spike protein found on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This way, the immune cells are introduced to the antigen safely and can prepare for the real virus. Immune memory cells will then trigger a more rapid and targeted response when the real virus enters the body. mRNA vaccines proved advantageous for COVID-19, as they are relatively quick and cheap to develop. The |ţşÕİʩ õĔ] ÕËñ ŕ²ËËõčÕ costs an estimated $1.18 per dose to manufacture, although it is sold at a considerable markup. Other vaccines work by the same principle of preparing the immune system for later infection. Traditional vaccines involve the injection of weakened or inactivated parts of the pathogen. Most

of the ‘well-known’ vaccines, including measles, mumps, rubella, and tuberculosis are attenuated vaccines. Attenuated vaccines contain a live but weakened form of the pathogen. The pathogen is attenuated (weakened) through repeat infections in a series of hosts in the lab, eventually weakening the virus as it no longer needs to be as invasive to survive. Inactivated vaccines were developed over a hundred years ago for cholera and typhoid. The pathogen is killed by heat or chemicals then part of, or the whole of, the pathogen is injected to trigger an immune response. ñÕ čõŕÕİĴõļŘ Ĕê ñÕêţÕĆÑ is also involved with mRNA vaccine developments. In 2021, Dr Zoltán Kis received a grant from Wellcome Leap to fund research into other potential mRNA vaccine targets.

Forge Press

Lifestyle

A student guide to ñÕêţÕĆÑʣʣʣ Elodie Soal

f it's nights out, cosy cafes or shopping that ŘĔŁʧİÕ õčļĔʞ ñÕêţÕĆÑ offers more than ÕčĔŁëñ êĔİ ĴļŁÑÕčļĴ ļĔ ÑĔ ŖñÕč ļñÕŘʧİÕ čĔļ õč ĆÕËļŁİÕĴʣ EČĭĔİļ²čļĆŘʞ ČĔĴļ ²İÕ Ŗõļñõč Ŗ²Ćăõčë ÑõĴļ²čËÕ êİĔČ ļñÕ ŁčõŕÕİĴõļŘ ²čÑ ²İÕ ĴļŁÑÕčļ ÊŁÑëÕļ êİõÕčÑĆŘʣ "Ĕčʿļ ŖĔİİŘʞ ŘĔŁ ÑĔčʿļ čÕÕÑ ļĔ ţčÑ ļñÕČ ²ĆĆ ŘĔŁİĴÕĆê ʴ ñÕİÕʿĴ ļñÕ ÊÕĴļ ĴĭĔļĴ õč ñÕêţÕĆÑ ļĔ ëÕļ Ĕč ŘĔŁİ İ²Ñ²İʣ

Credit: Pixababy Suggestions for the foodies SĔČČŁčÕ Ĕč čëÕĆ ļİÕÕļ õĴ ² ĔčÕ ĴļĔĭ ĴñĔĭʣ Eê

ŘĔŁʧİÕ ĆĔĔăõčë êĔİ ² ŕ²İõÕļŘ Ĕê ËŁõĴõčÕĴ õč ĔčÕ ĭĆ²ËÕʞ õļ ĔêêÕİĴ ²čŘļñõčë êİĔČ ÊŁİëÕİĴ ļĔ Ê²Ĕ ÊŁčĴ ²čÑ ËŁİİõÕĴʞ ²ĆĆ êİĔČ õčÑÕĭÕčÑÕčļ ăõļËñÕčĴʣ If you prefer restaurants ļĔ êĔĔÑ ËĔŁİļĴʞ |İĔĔŕÕ |õşş² õĴ ² ČŁĴļʣ ÕËÕčļĆŘ ĔĭÕčõčë ² ĴÕËĔčÑ ĴļĔİÕ õč cİËñ²İÑ įŁ²İÕʞ ļñÕõİ ţİĴļ Ë²č ÊÕ ĆĔË²ļÕÑ õč İĔĔČñõĆĆ ʴ čĔļ ê²İ êİĔČ ļñÕ ʣ ñÕŘ ĔêêÕİ ĆŁčËñļõČÕ ÑÕ²ĆĴ êİĔČ \ĔčÑ²Ř ļĔ :İõÑ²Ř ²čÑ have an authentic range of ]Õ²ĭĔĆõļ²č ĭõşş²Ĵʞ ŖñõËñ ŘĔŁ Ë²č ĴÕÕ ÊÕõčë Č²ÑÕ õč ĭõşş² ĔŕÕčĴ êİĔČ ŘĔŁİ ļ²ÊĆÕʣ ĔČÕļñõčë ² ĆõļļĆÕ ĆÕĴĴ ê²čËŘ Łĭ ŘĔŁİ ĴļİÕÕļʤ ñÕ ĭÕİêÕËļ hangover cure has got to ÊÕ |ĔİăõÕĴ Ĕč ²İÊÕİ Ĕ²Ñʞ ĔêêÕİõčë ² ŕÕİŘ ²êêĔİÑ²ÊĆÕ &čëĆõĴñ ÊİÕ²ăê²Ĵļ ²čÑ ² ëİÕ²ļ ĴÕĆÕËļõĔč Ĕê Ĵ²čÑŖõËñÕĴʣ The perfect study spot ñÕ EčêĔİČ²ļõĔč ĔČČĔčĴ ĔêêÕİĴ ÕŕÕİŘļñõčë êİĔČ ĴõĆÕčļ ĴļŁÑŘʞ ļĔ ëİĔŁĭ ²İÕ²Ĵ ²čÑ ÊĔĔă²ÊĆÕ İĔĔČĴ ²ĆĆ ²ËİĔĴĴ ʃ ŤĔĔİĴʞ ÊŁļ ÑĔčʧļ êĔİëÕļ ļĔ ļİŘ ĔŁļ ñÕ "õ²ČĔčÑ ĆõÊİ²İŘ Ĕč ŤĔĔİ ʁ ²čÑ ĔļñÕİ ĴļŁÑŘ Ĵĭ²ËÕĴ õč ñÕ ¥²ŕÕʞ ²čÑ ñÕ AÕ²İļĴĭ²ËÕʣ Eê ŘĔŁ ĭİÕêÕİ ĴõĆÕčļ ĴļŁÑŘʞ ¥ÕĴļÕİč ²čă

ñ²Ĵ ² ñŁëÕ Ĵĭ²ËÕ ĔŕÕİĆĔĔăõčë ļñÕ ĭõËļŁİÕĴįŁÕ ¥ÕĴļĔč |²İă ĭĔčÑʣ For a change of scenery êİĔČ ļñÕ ŁčõŕÕİĴõļŘʞ ŖñŘ čĔļ ļİŘ ĴļŁÑŘõčë õč ² Ë²êÖʞ ² ĭÕİĴĔč²Ć ê²ŕĔŁİõļÕ õĴ ɿɽɽ˵ coffee shop on Division Street ʰ²čÑ õê ŘĔŁ ÑĔŖčĆĔ²Ñ their app ²čÑ İÕêÕİ ² êİõÕčÑʞ ŘĔŁ can get free ËĔêêÕÕʠʱʣ

² İÕĆ²ŗõčë ²ËļõŕõļŘ Ĕİ ĴĔČÕļñõčë ² ĆõļļĆÕ ČĔİÕ ĴĔÊÕİʞ ļñÕč ñÕêţÕĆÑ õĴ ñĔČÕ ļĔ ĴÕŕÕİ²Ć ŁčõįŁÕ Ë²êÕĴ ŖñõËñ ĔêêÕİ ČĔİÕ ļñ²č āŁĴļ ËĔêêÕÕʣ :õİÕÑ İļĴ Ĕč &ËËĆÕĴ²ĆĆ Ĕ²Ñʞ ²ĆĆĔŖĴ ŕõĴõļĔİĴ ļĔ ĭ²õčļ ĭĔļļÕİŘ ʴ ² ĴŁĭÕİ Ë²ĆČ environment to chat ²čÑ ÑĔĔÑĆÕʣ ²ÊÊŘ Õ²Ĵ Ĕč ÕČÕļÕİŘ Ĕ²Ñ õĴ ñÕêţÕĆÑʧĴ ţİĴļ Ë²ļ Ë²êÖʞ ²čÑ ² İÕËÕčļ ²ÑÑõļõĔč ļĔ ñÕêţÕĆÑʿĴ İ²čëÕ Ĕê Ë²êÖĴ õĴ ŁõĆÑÕİʿĴ Nightlife İÕŖ ²êÕʣ ñõĴ čÕŖÊõÕ "ÕĴĭõļÕ ÊÕõčë offers a huge range of ŁčÑÕİ ļñİÕ²ļ Ĕê ËĆĔĴŁİÕ ñÕ VÕëĔ ĴÕļĴ ŘĔŁ Ë²č ÊŁõĆÑ ŖñõĆÕ VÕ²ÑČõĆĆ İÕČ²õčĴ ²č ²Č²şõčë Ë²ļËñõčë Łĭ Ŗõļñ êİõÕčÑĴʣ EļʿĴ čõëñļ ĔŁļʞ ÕĴĭÕËõ²ĆĆŘ êĔİ ļñĔĴÕ open in the evenings too, õčļĔ EčÑõÕ ČŁĴõËʣ ŖñõËñ ČÕ²čĴ õļ ËĔŁĆÑ Č²ăÕ ² Eê ŘĔŁ ÑĔčʿļ ê²čËŘ ļñÕ ŁčõįŁÕ Ñ²ļÕ čõëñļʣ êĔİ Ĕ²İ Ĕİ |Ĕĭ ¥²İļĴ ļñÕč ¥õļñ ²ĆĆ Ĕê ļñÕĴÕ ¥ÕĴļ ļİÕÕļ õĴ ĆõčÕÑ Ŗõļñ ĴŁëëÕĴļõĔčĴ ÑĔčʧļ êĔİëÕļ ļĔ Ê²İĴʞ ŖñõËñ Č²ăÕ êĔİ ² ëİÕ²ļ ÊĔĔă ²ñÕ²Ñ Ĕê ļõČÕ ²Ĵ Ĵĭ²ËÕĴ Ê²İ Ëİ²ŖĆʣ \ĔĆĆŘ \²ĆĔčÕʿĴ įŁõËăĆŘ ţĆĆ Łĭʣ õĴ ² ËĆ²ĴĴõË ËñĔõËÕʞ ŖñõËñ êİÕįŁÕčļĆŘ ñ²Ĵ ĆõŕÕ ČŁĴõËʞ Shop ‘til you drop ²čÑ õê ŘĔŁ Ŗ²čļ ļĔ Ŗ²ļËñ ĆõŕÕ &ËĔʴËĔčĴËõĔŁĴ ê²ĴñõĔč ²čÑ ĴĭĔİļ Ŗõļñ ² ĭõčļ ļñÕč ñÕ ŕõčļ²ëÕ ĴñĔĭĭõčë ñ²Ĵ ÊÕËĔČÕ ²ŕÕčÑõĴñ õĴ Ë²ĆĆõčë ŘĔŁİ ĴŘčĔčŘČĔŁĴ Ŗõļñ ļñÕ č²ČÕʣ ĴļŁÑÕčļ ĆõêÕĴļŘĆÕʞ ²čÑ ļñÕİÕ ²İÕ ĴĔČÕ ëİÕ²ļ ĔĭļõĔčĴ ²ĆĆ Wholesome activities ĔŕÕİ ñÕêţÕĆÑʣ §ĔŁ Ë²č ţčÑ Eê ŘĔŁʧİÕ ĆĔĔăõčë êĔİ ;Ć²ĴĴ cčõĔč ²čÑ |İÕĆĔŕÕÑ

SõĆĔ Ĕč "õŕõĴõĔč ĴļİÕÕļʞ ²čÑ Freshmans Vintage Store on ²İŕÕİ ĴļİÕÕļʣ ñ²İõļŘ ĴñĔĭĴ ĴñĔŁĆÑ ²ĆĴĔ ëÕļ ² ČÕčļõĔčʣ E Ë²č ñõëñĆŘ İÕËĔČČÕčÑ ļ VŁăÕʿĴ Ĕč ñÕ \ĔĔİʞ ŖñõËñ õĴ ĔčÕ Ĕê ñÕêţÕĆÑʧĴ čÕŖÕĴļ ²ÑÑõļõĔčĴʞ ²Ĵ ŖÕĆĆ ²Ĵ ¥ñõļÕ ĔĴÕ Ĕč &ËËĆÕĴ²ĆĆ Ĕ²Ñʣ Ĕļñ ñ²ŕÕ ² ČĔİÕ ĴļŘĆõşÕÑ ²čÑ ÊĔŁļõįŁÕ êÕÕĆ ËĔČĭ²İÕÑ ļĔ ĔļñÕİ Ëñ²İõļŘ ĴñĔĭĴ ²čÑ ŘĔŁ ÑĔčʧļ ñ²ŕÕ ļĔ ĴÕ²İËñ ļĔĔ

photo: peak district - Simone Chuah ñ²İÑ ļĔ ţčÑ ĴĔČÕ ²ÊĴĔĆŁļÕ ëÕČĴʣ Get outdoors :õč²ĆĆŘʞ ² ëŁõÑÕ ļĔ ñÕêţÕĆÑ ŖĔŁĆÑ čĔļ ÊÕ ËĔČĭĆÕļÕ ŖõļñĔŁļ ČÕčļõĔčõčë ļñÕ |Õ²ă "õĴļİõËļʣ Eê ŘĔŁ ÑĔčʿļ ČõčÑ ļİ²ŕÕĆĆõčë ĔŁļ Ĕê ļñÕ ËõļŘʞ ĴļŁÑÕčļĴ Ë²č Õ²ĴõĆŘ āŁČĭ Ĕč ² ÊŁĴ ļĔ ÕčāĔŘ ļñÕ ÊÕ²ŁļŘ Ĕê ļñÕ |Õ²ăĴʣ EļʧĴ ŖÕĆĆ ŖĔİļñ ² ŕõĴõļʣ

How to get the most from university life when you’re no longer a fresher Keisha Myers

or some of the ČĔİÕ ĴñŘ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ²ļ ŁčõŕÕİĴõļŘʞ ţİĴļ ŘÕ²İ Ë²č ÊÕ ²ĆĆ ļĔĔ ĔŕÕİŖñÕĆČõčëʣ ñõĴ Ŗ²Ĵ ČÕ ļĔĔʠ Ĵ ²č ɾʅ ŘÕ²İ ĔĆÑ ļñ²ļ Ŗ²Ĵ ŁĴÕÑ ļĔ ÊÕõčë õč ļñÕ ĴÕËŁİõļŘ Ĕê ČŘ ļõëñļ ăčõļ êİõÕčÑĴñõĭ ëİĔŁĭʞ E êĔŁčÑ õļ ŕÕİŘ ÑõêţËŁĆļ ļĔ ëÕļ õčŕĔĆŕÕÑ Ŗõļñ ²ĆĆ ļñÕ ²ËļõŕõļõÕĴ ļñ²ļ Łčõ ĆõêÕ ñ²Ñ ļĔ ĔêêÕİʞ ŖñõËñ õĴ ĴĔČÕļñõčë E ²ļ ţİĴļ İÕëİÕļļÕÑʞ ÊŁļ EʿŕÕ İÕ²ĆõĴÕÑ õļ ÑĔÕĴčʿļ ČÕ²č E čÕÕÑ ļĔ ĴļõĆĆ ČõĴĴ ĔŁļʣ Eč ţİĴļ ŘÕ²İ E ļİõÕÑ ² êÕŖ ²ËļõŕõļõÕĴʞ ²čÑ čĔčÕ Ĕê ļñÕČ İÕ²ĆĆŘ ĴļŁËăʞ čĔļ êĔİ Ć²Ëă

Ĕê ļİŘõčë ÊŁļ āŁĴļ ţčÑõčë õļ ÕŗļİÕČÕĆŘ ÑõêţËŁĆļ ļĔ Č²ăÕ êİõÕčÑĴ ŖõļñĔŁļ êÕÕĆõčë ĴõĆĆŘʣ After trying these things, E ë²ŕÕ Łĭʞ E êĔËŁĴĴÕÑ Ĕč ČŘ ĴļŁÑõÕĴʞ ÊŁļ ËĔŁĆÑ čĔļ ñÕĆĭ ÊŁļ ļñõčă ĴĔČÕļñõčë Ŗ²Ĵ missing from me getting the êŁĆĆ ŁčõŕÕİĴõļŘ ÕŗĭÕİõÕčËÕʣ č õČĭĔİļ²čļ čĔļÕ ļĔ Č²ăÕ here is that your university ÕŗĭÕİõÕčËÕ ĴñĔŁĆÑ ÊÕ ËĔČĭĆÕļÕĆŘ õčÑõŕõÑŁ²Ć ļĔ ŘĔŁʞ čÕŕÕİ êÕÕĆ ëŁõĆļŘ ²ÊĔŁļ čĔļ ÑĔõčë ļñÕ Ĵ²ČÕ ļñõčëĴ ļñ²ļ ŘĔŁ ĴÕÕ ÕŕÕİŘĔčÕ ÕĆĴÕ ÑĔõčëʣ cč ļñ²ļ čĔļÕʞ ÑĔ čĔļ ĆÕļ ²čŘ ăõčÑ Ĕê ÕČÊ²İİ²ĴĴČÕčļ ĴļĔĭ ŘĔŁ êİĔČ ëÕļļõčë õčŕĔĆŕÕÑ Ŗõļñ ²ĆĆ Ĕê ļñÕ ļñõčëĴ ļñ²ļ ŘĔŁ ÕčāĔŘ ÕõļñÕİʣ čõŕÕİĴõļŘ õĴ ² ĭĆ²ËÕ ŖñÕİÕ

ŘĔŁ ĴñĔŁĆÑ ÊÕ ²ÊĆÕ ļĔ ţčÑ ŘĔŁİĴÕĆêʞ ŖõļñĔŁļ ñ²ŕõčë ļĔ conform to the norms of ŖñÕİÕ ŘĔŁ ²İÕ êİĔČ Ĕİ ļñÕ êİõÕčÑĴñõĭ ëİĔŁĭ ļñ²ļ ŘĔŁ ëİÕŖ Łĭ Ŗõļñʞ ñÕİÕ ŘĔŁ Ë²č ţčÑ Ŗñ²ļ İÕ²ĆĆŘ Č²ăÕĴ ŘĔŁ ļõËă ²čÑ Ŗñ²ļ ŘĔŁ İÕ²ĆĆŘ Ë²İÕ ²ÊĔŁļ ŖñõĆĴļ ë²õčõčë ŘĔŁİ ñõëñÕİ ÕÑŁË²ļõĔčʣ ;Õļļõčë ² ĭ²İļʴļõČÕ āĔÊ êĔİ ČÕ Ŗ²Ĵ ŕõļ²Ć ļĔ ČŘ ŁčõŕÕİĴõļŘ ÕŗĭÕİõÕčËÕʣ Eč ţİĴļ ŘÕ²İ ŖñÕč E Ŗ²Ĵ ŁčÕČĭĆĔŘÕÑ E İÕ²ĆĆŘ ĴļİŁëëĆÕÑ Ŗõļñ ČĔčÕŘʞ ²čÑ ļñÕ ²ČĔŁčļ Ĕê êİÕÕ ļõČÕ E ñ²Ñ Ŗ²Ĵ ÊÕËĔČõčë ² ËĔčËÕİčʣ ]Ĕ Č²ļļÕİ ñĔŖ ëĔĔÑ ŘĔŁİ čõŕÕİĴõļŘ ÕŗĭÕİõÕčËÕ õĴʞ ļñÕ ĆĔčÕĆõčÕĴĴ Ĕê ÊÕõčë ²Ŗ²Ř êİĔČ ñĔČÕ ŖõĆĆ ăõËă õč ²ļ ĴĔČÕ ĭĔõčļʣ

Eļ õĴ ÕŗļİÕČÕĆŘ õČĭĔİļ²čļ ļĔ êÕÕĆ ļñÕĴÕ ÕČĔļõĔčĴʞ ñĔŖÕŕÕİʞ ŘĔŁ Ë²ččĔļ ĆÕļ ļñÕĴÕ ÕČĔļõĔčĴ ļ²ăÕ ĔŕÕİʞ ŘĔŁ čÕÕÑ ļĔ ĭŁĴñ ļñİĔŁëñʞ Ĵļ²Ř ÊŁĴŘ ²čÑ ÕčāĔŘ ²ĆĆ ļñÕ ÑõêêÕİÕčļ aspects of university that are ²ŕ²õĆ²ÊĆÕ êĔİ ŘĔŁʣ Eê ŘĔŁ êÕÕĆ ëÕļļõčë ² āĔÊ õĴ čĔļ êĔİ ŘĔŁʞ ļñÕč ļñÕ ËĆŁÊĴ ²čÑ ĴĔËõÕļõÕĴ İÕ²ĆĆŘ ²İÕ ŖĔİļñ ļñÕ ñŘĭÕ ļñÕŘʿİÕ ëõŕÕčʣ Ĵ ĴĔČÕĔčÕ ŖñĔ ŁĴÕÑ ļĔ ĭĆ²Ř ŁëÊŘ ŖñÕč ļñÕŘ ŖÕİÕ ŘĔŁčëÕİ ÊŁļ êÕĆĆ ĔŁļ Ĕê ĆĔŕÕ Ŗõļñ õļʞ õļ Ŗ²Ĵčʧļ ŁčļõĆ ļñÕ Ĵļ²İļ Ĕê ļñõİÑ ŘÕ²İ E ÑÕËõÑÕÑ ļĔ ĭõËă õļ Łĭ ²ë²õč ²čÑ āĔõč ¥ĔČÕčʿĴ ŁëÊŘ čõĔčʞ ŖñÕİÕ E Ĵļ²İļÕÑ ļĔ ê²ĆĆ õč ĆĔŕÕ Ŗõļñ õļ ²ĆĆ ĔŕÕİ ²ë²õčʣ E ëÕčŁõčÕĆŘ ÊÕĆõÕŕÕ ļñ²ļ čĔ

Č²ļļÕİ ŖñĔ ŘĔŁ ²İÕ Ĕİ Ŗñ²ļ ŘĔŁ ÕčāĔŘʞ ļñÕİÕ ŖõĆĆ ÊÕ ² ĴĔËõÕļŘ êĔİ ŘĔŁʞ ÕĴĭÕËõ²ĆĆŘ ËĔčĴõÑÕİõčë ñĔŖ Č²čŘ ²İÕ ²ŕ²õĆ²ÊĆÕ ²ļ ļñÕ čõŕÕİĴõļŘ Ĕê ñÕêţÕĆÑʠ Eļ õĴ čÕŕÕİ ļĔĔ Ć²ļÕ êĔİ ŘĔŁ ļĔ Ĵļ²İļ Ćõŕõčë ļñÕ čõŕÕİĴõļŘ ĆõêÕ ļñ²ļ ŘĔŁ Ŗ²čļʣ SÕÕĭ persevering, as University has so much more to offer ļñ²č ĴļŁÑŘõčëʞ ²čÑ ŖñÕļñÕİ õļʧĴ ŘĔŁİ ţİĴļ Ĕİ ţč²Ć ŘÕ²İʞ ÕčāĔŘ ÕŕÕİŘ ČĔČÕčļ Ĕê õļʣ

whether it's your ťĲĶľ ĖĲ ťď²Ĉ ŚÕ²Ĳʏ enjoy every moment.

Monday 23rd October 2023

Lifestyle

Being sober at university may seem boring, but it doesn't have to be Fergus Foord

ut of a range of activities that induce anxiety in young people across Britain’s universities, being sober at a nightclub might possibly be one of the worst. At least that’s the attitude that many students take towards university-centred social events. If I had a penny for every time I heard the words “I’m going to need to be drunk for this” or “You need to be drunk for that” come out of the mouths of friends and housemates preparing for a night out at the Foundry or a bar crawl with their society, I’d be able to buy myself a Tesco meal deal (and not at Clubcard price). I’ve certainly even made those comments myself. An article written by this publication in May revealed the extent to which booze culture is embedded within wider university culture and the implications for students. What was particularly striking and concerning was the high level of survey respondents who admitted ļñÕŘ ÕõļñÕİ Ñİ²čă ļĔ ţļ õčļĔ a crowd or felt pressure to do so. Even if you’re like me, and indeed you have a taste for the stuff - perhaps you enjoy good wine and beer and you take care in selecting your spirits – there is no denying that students are engaging in quantities of alcohol much higher than they otherwise would be outside of a University environment. What’s concerning is the normalisation of such behaviour; being encouraged by peers to get ‘plastered’ at any opportunity that

presents itself. The consequences of alcohol of course are immediate such as a dodgy hangover or amnesia the next day but can also be more long-term: sleep deprivation, the slow chipping away at our mental and physical state, impeding our concentration and ability to retain information which inevitably may negatively affect our university experience. That’s why I and many other students on ñÕêţÕĆÑʿĴ Ë²ČĭŁĴ are engaging with Macmillan Cancer Support’s Sober October campaign. Trading in tequila for tonic water for a month. Taking part in campaigns like Sober October can be a great way to keep yourself accountable while raising some loose change for the vital cancer support Macmillan gives to our community. Yes, it’s possible to maintain a moderated and healthy relationship with alcohol. Many do. But going sober for a month can give you, as it’s given me, the opportunity to completely change your attitude towards drinking. Since starting their sober journey, some students haven’t looked back. ;ÕĔİëõÕ EĴ²²ËĴĔčʞ ² ţč²Ćʴ year History student, made the decision to go sober once it became increasingly ÑõêţËŁĆļ ļĔ ñ²ŕÕ ² Ñİõčă Ŗõļñ her friends without the situation spiralling out of control. “I didn’t get on with the person I became when I was really drunk, which was often if I was drinking. I realised the older I got the more it was damaging rather than improving my life.” She’s been off the booze êĔİ ţŕÕ ČĔčļñĴ ²čÑ ñ²Ĵčʿļ

looked back. Lydia Shiel, a ţč²ĆʴŘÕ²İ &čëĆõĴñ VõļÕİ²ļŁİÕ student, is partaking in Sober October and tells me she tends to go sober for a month or two periodically particularly during busy assessment periods to improve her productivity. But for Lydia, it also serves as an admonition to maintain a positive relationship with alcohol. “Going sober is a good way to remind myself to separate alcohol from having a nice time.” “How can I properly enjoy society and university life without at least a pint of beer in my hand?” I hear you ask. Well, if you’re asking yourself that question perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate your relationship with the stuff. I could give you the same lecture advertising ÕŕÕİŘļñõčë ñÕêţÕĆÑʴÊŘʴÑ²Ř has to offer - “What about a spot of pottery painting? Oh, and shall we go picnicking in the peaks? And have you seen that café we can play boardgames in, doesn’t that sound riveting?” yawn - but you’ve most likely partaken in those activities, and you can’t count the number of times you’ve visited the Peak District. The truth is, becoming sober is daunting because it feels like we’re giving up on our social vices or that ²ĆËĔñĔĆ ÊĆ²čăÕļ ļñ²ļ ĭ²ËõţÕĴ our social anxiety and boosts ĔŁİ ËĔčţÑÕčËÕʣ It can be challenging to say no to that committee member of that sports society, particularly in our ţİĴļ ŘÕ²İ Ĕê čõŕÕİĴõļŘ ŖñÕč we’re so desperate to belong. More pervasively, there is a perception that sober people do not have fun. We don’t want to miss out on those pub socials, bar crawls, birthdays and foundry nights where all our friends

will be this week making memories, and why should we? The funny thing about perceptions is that they are just that. Strange as it may sound, the secret to enjoying sober life on campus is not to give up on the pub or the nightclub. The reason we believe soberness in those environments is boring and uncomfortable has more to do with our mindset than anything else. I receive the occasional applause from friends who admit they’d never dare set foot into a nightclub unintoxicated, but should I ask them if they’ve ever tried, the answer is consistently “no”. As I write this, I’m nearly a month sober (a record for

Trust me, it’s hardly as embarrassing as falling over Ĕč ļñÕ Ñ²čËÕ ŤĔĔİ Ĕİ ĴĭõĆĆõčë a bright blue VK across your ĔŁļţļʣ Eê ŘĔŁ ļñõčă ŘĔŁİ êÕĆĆĔŖ intoxicated clubgoers will be watching you sneeringly or be paying attention to your dance moves at all then you’d be sorely mistaken. There is, in fact, nothing more attractive than being in control. As soon as you drive past that initial mental block, going dancing knowing you’ll have full autonomy over all decisions made and not waking up the next morning with feelings of regret and anxiety will make social events more entertaining, gratifying and interesting. You’ll begin to go on dates and sleep with people you actually feel a connection

photo: drinks - Fergus Foord me) but I’ve also been to pubs and bars, both with friends, societies and on dates nearly every other day and those experiences are made better without the booze. Yes, I’ve heard the odd “Come on Fergus, you’re allowed one” but I always ensure I have a pint of cucumber-infused tonic water in my hand to shut down those quips. Most notably, I go out and socialise far more frequently. Gone are the endless days of recovery and those promises we make to ourselves that we’ll never touch the bottle again. Afraid to ‘let loose’ and dance in a nightclub without the ËĔčţÑÕčËÕ ŘĔŁİ Ñİõčă ŖĔŁĆÑ usually provide?

with and are attracted to. Sex itself is far more pleasurable and satisfying when alcohol is not involved. Furthermore, I wake up the next morning with a bank balance that doesn’t make me wince. Many bars and clubs won’t even charge me for a pint of soda or tonic water on tap. Sobriety has been one of the most eye-opening decisions I’ve ever made. Minus the obvious health ÊÕčÕţļĴ ʰËĆÕ²İ Ĵăõčʞ ËĆÕ²İ liver, clear mind) my life now is more engaging, stimulating and full of energy than it was prior. Will I ever drink again? Probably. But I’ll keep riding on my alcohol-free high for a while longer.

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Four super easy last minute costumes to save your Halloween night out...

Freya Ingram (she/her) e’ve all been there. It’s late October, your annual Halloween night out is in two days time and you have nothing. You can’t justify paying for next day delivery when it costs more than the item itself and you’re dangerously within your overdraft, so you need to get creative! Here are some last minute ideas you can pull off with items you’re likely to already have somewhere in the bottom of your wardrobe.

Barbie can be anything!

This costume is ÑÕťď÷ľÕĈŚ SÕďĖŃìò

There are hundreds of variations of Barbie giving you endless possibilities for your Halloween costume this year. Just a few of these include...

You can’t have Barbie without Ken! I have 3 options for Ken, all of which are also pretty simple.

Cowgirl barbie: barbie: A simple pink top, some denim āÕ²čĴ Ĕİ Ť²İÕĴʞ ² bandanna and cowboy hat then you’re sorted!

Gym barbie: barbie:

This one is heavily inspired by Barbie’s İĔĆĆÕİÊĆ²Ñõčë ĔŁļţļ õč ļñÕ ɿɽɿʀ ţĆČʣ ĆĆ ŘĔŁ čÕÕÑ is the brightest neon pink top you own alongside some cycling/gym shorts and a simple elasticated headband. Feel free to add some lime green accessories if you have anything apt!

Dreamhouse barbie:

Image: Unsplash

All you need is a simple pink dress (ideally in a gingham pattern but it doesn’t have to be!) paired with the most ţļļõčë čÕËăĆ²ËÕ ²čÑ Õ²İİõčëĴ you own (pearl would be a good bet) and a bow/hair tie.

Option 1: 1: ‘I’m just Ken’.

All you need is black T-shirt and jeans, some black sunglasses and a bandanna. Although you can add some equestrian themed accessories (if you happen to have some) alongside a faux fur jacket/shaul.

Option 2: 2: ‘Beach Ken’.

Pair the brightest shirt you own with the brightest shorts you own. That’s it!

Option 3: 3: ‘Denim Ken’.

Pair a denim jacket/gilet with some denim jeans. You can elevate this with a cowboy hat and bandana if you have these.

Men in Black ñõĴ ĔŁļţļ õĴ Õ²ĴõĆŘ ÑĔčÕ with items you already own and a great group option! You will need a white shirt, black tie and blazer paired with either some black trousers or a black skirt. You can even create and print off your own MIB badge to pin to your blazer/put on a lanyard.

Mia Wallace A white shirt and black ļİĔŁĴÕİĴʩŤ²İÕĴ ²čÑ ŘĔŁʿİÕ sorted! You can add the “blood” to your nose using fake blood, lipstick or any other red makeup/facepaint you have lying around.

Jigsaw This one is particularly relevant with the recent release of ‘Saw X’. You can use a basic black or white shirt/T-shirt for this one as it’s all in the makeup. All you need to do is draw two red spirals on each cheek and a red droplet of blood coming from your lips. You can also add a red tie if you have one lying around.

Wordsearch: Horror Films Smile Halloween The Shining The Exorcist The Conjuring Carrie The Purge Saw Scream A Quiet Place Midsommar

Monday 23 October 2023

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Society Spotlight

ñÕ ĴÕËļõĔč ŖñÕİÕ ŖÕ ëÕļ ļĔ ăčĔŖ ļñÕ ČĔĴļ ŁčõįŁÕ ĴĔËõÕļõÕĴ ñÕİÕ ²ļ ļñÕ čõŕÕİĴõļŘ Ĕê ñÕêţÕõĆÑʣʣʣ Guy Austin

Hummus Soc

(Max, Vernon, Tom and James)

What's the best shop for hummus?

AĔŖ Õŗ²ËļĆŘ ÑĔ ŘĔŁ ĴĭÕĆĆ ñŁČČŁĴʤ

"If you’re after quantity, it has to be cşČÕčʿĴʣ :Ĕİ čõËñÕ Ť²ŕĔŁİĴʞ Õ²čõÕʿĴ õĴ a good bet."

ʦ ñõĴ Ŗ²Ĵ ĴŁİĭİõĴõčëĆŘ ÑõêţËŁĆļ ļĔ decide when we set the society up. Hummus is the Arabic for chickpea and that spelling is the best way to translate the Arabic pronunciation into English text."

What's the vibe of the society? "Well, we’re a new society, founded this April. We’ve got 53 members, and the socials are very chill and friendly. "We’ve got a ‘will it hummus?’ event planned soon to try what ĔŁļĆ²čÑõĴñ Ť²ŕĔŁİĴ Čõëñļ ŖĔİă well."

Follow and engage with Hummus Society @uos_hummussoc

What is the history of the society?

İÕÑõļʝ EčĴļ²ëİ²Č ˮŁĔĴʪñŁČČŁĴĴĔË

"Last academic year during exam season, I started posting hummus reviews when I was bored. "They got pretty popular and so the hummus society was born. We realised that if the duck society can do it, so can we."

Duck Soc

(President: Joe, Biochemistry)

¥ñ²ļ ÑĔÕĴ ² ļŘĭõË²Ć ĴĔËõ²Ć look like?

¥ñ²ļ êÕÕÑ ÑĔ ŘĔŁ ŁĴÕʤ

"Everyone’s very approachable and there for a chat. Good mix of the hungover and the nerdy all in one place."

"We use bird feed from a giant 20kg that’s lasted nearly two years. Porridge oats and peas are good too." İÕÑõļʝ EčĴļ²ëİ²Č ˮÑŁËăĴĔËõÕļŘŁĔĴ

ñÕ ÊÕĴļ ĭ²İă ļĔ êÕÕÑ ÑŁËăĴʤ "Endcliffe Park is great – the ducks eat straight from your hand there, but it’s not so convenient for everyone. "CVP has fewer ducks but the bonus of a pub. I prefer Weston Park though, and it's convenient for campus."

What's the history of the society? "During lockdown a couple called Chris and Emma would feed the ducks on their lockdown walks. The society was born nearly two years ago. ʦVõăÕ Č²čŘ Ĕê ĔŁİ ČÕČÊÕİĴʞ E ŖÕčļ ļĔ ČŘ ţİĴļ ÑŁËă ĴĔËõ²Ć ñŁčëĔŕÕİ ²čÑ have stuck around since."

¥ñ²ļʧĴ Ĵļİ²čëÕĴļ ÑŁËă ê²Ëļ ŘĔŁ ăčĔŖʤ "This is actually true of all birds, but they have an organ called the gizzard that grinds up stone so birds can absorb nutrients from them, although this can make them prone to heavy metal poisoning."

İÕÑõļʝ EčĴļ²ëİ²Č ˮÑŁËăĴĔËõÕļŘŁĔĴ

Follow and engage with Duck Society @ducksocietyuos

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òÕëťÕĈÑ |ĖÕľ V²ŃĲÕ²ľÕ "²ď²Õ ¥ÕĈĈ÷ďìľĖďʕ EĎ²ìÕ ËĲÕÑ÷ľʎ "²ď²Õ ¥ÕĈĈ÷ďìľĖďʕ

Danaé Wellington: Ĕč cêê ļñÕ ñÕĆê :ÕĴļõŕ²Ć ²čÑ ÊÕõčë ñÕêţÕĆÑ |ĔÕļ V²ŁİÕ²ļÕ Lucy Riddell (she/her)

hen did you ţİĴļ ëÕļ involved Ŗõļñ cêê ļñÕ ñÕĆê êÕĴļõŕ²Ćʤ

E ţİĴļ ëĔļ õčŕĔĆŕÕÑ õč ɿɽɿɾʞ Ŗõļñ "ÕĴõİÕÕ ÕŘčĔĆÑĴʣ ñÕ ñ²Ñ ČŘĴÕĆêʞ ¥²İÑ² ²čÑ õĆÖ ĭÕİêĔİČ ²Ĵ ² İÕĴĭĔčĴÕ ļĔ QÕ²č ʾ õčļ²ʿ İÕÕşÕʿĴ ŖĔİăʣ Łļ E ëĔļ õčÑõİÕËļĆŘ õčŕĔĆŕÕÑ ÊÕêĔİÕ ļñ²ļʞ Ŗõļñ AE¤& ĔŁļñ §ĔİăĴñõİÕʞ ² ÊİõĆĆõ²čļ ŘĔŁčë ŖİõļÕİĴʿ ëİĔŁĭʣ ñÕŘ ŁĴŁ²ĆĆŘ İŁč ĔĭÕčʴČõË čõëñļĴʨ E ²ļļÕčÑÕÑ ČŘ ţİĴļ ĔčÕ õč ɿɽɾʆʞ ²čÑ ļñ²ļ Ŗ²Ĵ ² ÑĔĔİŖ²Ř õčļĔ cêê ļñÕ ñÕĆêʣ AĔŖ ĆĔčë ñ²ŕÕ ŘĔŁ ÊÕÕč Ê²ĴÕÑ õč ñÕêţÕĆÑʤ EʿŕÕ ÊÕÕč õč ñÕêţÕĆÑ êĔİ ²ÊĔŁļ ɿɿ ŘÕ²İĴ čĔŖʞ êİĔČ Q²Č²õË²ʣ Łļ E ÑõÑčʿļ ëÕļ õčļĔ ļñÕ ĭĔÕļİŘ ĴËÕčÕ ŁčļõĆ ɿɽɾʅʞ ²čÑ ļñ²ļ Ŗ²Ĵ ļñİĔŁëñ AE¤&ʣ ¥ñ²ļ ÑİÕŖ ŘĔŁ ļĔ ĭĔÕļİŘ ČĔİÕ ļñ²č ĔļñÕİ êĔİČĴ Ĕê ÕŗĭİÕĴĴõĔčʤ E ²ËļŁ²ĆĆŘ Ĵļ²İļÕÑ Ĕêê õč ČŁĴõËʞ ŖñÕč E Ŗ²Ĵ ɾʃʣ E Ŗ²Ĵ ĭÕİêĔİČõčë Ŗõļñ õÑÑõČļõĔč ĔŁčÑ ŘĴļÕČʞ ÑĔõčë ² ĆĔļ Ĕê İÕëë²Õʞ čÕĔ ĴĔŁĆ ²čÑ ā²şş ČŁĴõËʣ Eļ Ŗ²Ĵčʿļ ŁčļõĆ ɿɽɾʅʞ ŖñÕč E ŖÕčļ ļñİĔŁëñ ĴĔČÕ ĭİÕļļŘ ĴÕŕÕİÕ ČÕčļ²Ć ñÕ²Ćļñ õĴĴŁÕĴʞ ļñ²ļ E êĔŁčÑ ČŘĴÕĆê ëĔõčë ļĔ ² Ŗİõļõčë ËĆ²ĴĴʣ Eļ Ŗ²Ĵ ļñÕ ţİĴļ ļõČÕ E Õčë²ëÕÑ Ŗõļñ ĭĔÕļİŘʞ ²ĆļñĔŁëñ E ŁĴÕÑ ļĔ ĆõĴļÕč ļĔ ĴĭĔăÕč ŖĔİÑ ²čÑ "Õê Q²Č ĔĭÕčʴČõË čõëñļĴ êİĔČ ]ÕŖ §Ĕİă Ĕč §ĔŁ ŁÊÕʣ ñÕč E ŖÕčļ ļĔ ²č ĔĭÕčʴČõË čõëñļʞ ČÕļ ¤õËăŘ ʰ\ĔİİõĴʱ ŖñĔ İŁčĴ AE¤& ĔŁļñ §ĔİăĴñõİÕʞ ²čÑ EʿŕÕ ÊÕÕč ÑĔõčë ĭĔÕļİŘ ĴõčËÕ ļñÕčʣ ĔŁĆÑ ŘĔŁ ļÕĆĆ ŁĴ ² Êõļ ²ÊĔŁļ ŘĔŁİ ÕŕÕčļĴ ËĔČĭ²čŘʞ cÑÑ ñõĆÑ |İĔÑŁËļõĔčĴʤ cÑÑ ñõĆÑ Ĵļ²İļÕÑ ĔŁļ ²Ĵ ]Ř²İ² ËñĔĔĆ cê İļĴʞ ²Ĵ ² İÕĴĭĔčĴÕ ļĔ ļñÕ ê²Ëļ ļñ²ļ ļñÕİÕ ŖÕİÕčʿļ Č²čŘ

ĭĆ²ļêĔİČĴʞ ŖñÕč E Ĵļ²İļÕÑ ĔŁļ õč ČŁĴõËʞ êĔİ ÊĆ²Ëă ²İļõĴļĴ ĆõăÕ ČŘĴÕĆêʣ ¥Õ ŖÕİÕ ĴŁİİĔŁčÑÕÑ ÊŘ ² ĆĔļ Ĕê õčÑõÕ ²İļõĴļĴ ļñ²ļ ĆĔŕÕÑ ļñÕ İËļõË \ĔčăÕŘĴʞ ŖñĔ ŖÕİÕ ÊĆĔŖõčë Łĭ ²ļ ļñÕ ļõČÕʣ §ĔŁ Ë²č õČ²ëõčÕ ĴĔČÕÊĔÑŘ ĆĔŕõčë &İŘă²ñ ²ÑŁ ²čÑ QõĆĆ ËĔļļʞ Ŗ²čļõčë ļĔ ÑĔ ĴĔŁĆ ČŁĴõËʞ ÊŁļ Ĕč ² ÊõĆĆ êŁĆĆ Ĕê õčÑõÕ ČŁĴõËʣ E Ŗ²čļÕÑ ļĔ ËİÕ²ļÕ ² Ĵĭ²ËÕ ŖñÕİÕ E ËĔŁĆÑ ÕŗĭİÕĴĴ ČŘĴÕĆê õč ļñÕ Ŗ²Ř ļñ²ļ ËĔČÕĴ č²ļŁİ²ĆĆŘ ļĔ ČÕʣ ]Ř²İ² Ŗ²Ĵ ² ĭĆ²ËÕ ŖñÕİÕ ÊĆ²Ëă Ĕİ ÕļñčõË²ĆĆŘ ČõčĔİõļõĴÕÑ ê²ČõĆõÕĴ ËĔŁĆÑ ëĔ ²čÑ ÕčāĔŘ ËõčÕČ²ʞ ĴÕÕõčë ĴļĔİõÕĴ ļñ²ļ ļñÕŘ ŖÕİÕ ê²ČõĆõ²İ Ŗõļñʣ čÑ ļñÕč ļñ²ļ ÕŕĔĆŕÕÑʝ E ËĆĔĴÕÑ ]Ř²İ² ÑĔŖč õč ɿɽɿɿʞ ²čÑ E ĴÕļ Łĭ cÑÑ ñõĆÑ |İĔÑŁËļõĔčĴʣ E Ŗ²čļÕÑ ļĔ ļÕĆĆ ČŘ ĔŖč ĴļĔİõÕĴ ļñİĔŁëñ ţĆČʣ Eê ŖÕ Ë²čʿļ ĴÕÕ ļñÕ ĴļĔİõÕĴ ļñ²ļ ŖÕ êÕÕĆ İÕĭİÕĴÕčļ ŁĴ ²Ĵ ĭÕĔĭĆÕʞ ļñÕč ŖÕ ñ²ŕÕ ļĔ ţčÑ ļñÕ İÕĴĔŁİËÕĴ ļĔ ĴñĔŖ Ŗñ²ļ ŖÕ Ŗ²čļ ļĔ ÊÕ İÕĭİÕĴÕčļÕÑ ²Ĵʣ Ĕ õļ ŖÕčļ êİĔČ ļñÕİÕʞ ²čÑ E Č²ÑÕ ČŘ ţİĴļ ÑĔËŁČÕčļ²İŘ õč ɿɽɿɾʣ ]ĔŖʞ ²Ĵ ĭ²İļ Ĕê cêê ļñÕ ñÕĆêʞ ŖÕʿŕÕ ëĔļ ĔŁİ ĭĔÕļİŘ ţĆČ ËĔČõčë ĔŁļ ²ÊĔŁļ ļñÕ ¥õčÑİŁĴñ ëÕčÕİ²ļõĔčʞ ļñÕõİ ÑÕĴËÕčÑ²čļĴʞ ²čÑ ļñÕõİ õČĭ²Ëļ Ĕč ļñÕ ËŁĆļŁİÕ ñÕİÕ õč ñÕêţÕĆÑʣ :Ĕİ ļñõĴ ĭĔÕļİŘ ţĆČ ʰWho We Were; Who We Becameʱʞ ŘĔŁʿŕÕ ŁĴÕÑ ² ČõŗÕÑ ČÕÑõ² ²ĭĭİĔ²Ëñ ÊŘ ËĔČÊõčõčë ĭĔÕļİŘ Ŗõļñ ţĆČʣ ¥ñ²ļ ŖĔŁĆÑ ŘĔŁ Ĵ²Ř Ŗ²Ĵ ŘĔŁİ õčĴĭõİ²ļõĔč êĔİ ŁĴõčë ļñÕ ČÕÑõŁČ Ĕê ţĆČ êĔİ ĭĔÕļõË ÕŗĭİÕĴĴõĔčʤ EʿŕÕ ²ĆŖ²ŘĴ ²ÑČõİÕÑ "²İĴñ²čʿĴ ŖĔİăʣ E ļñõčă ñÕʿĴ ² ÊİõĆĆõ²čļ ţĆČČ²ăÕİʞ Ŗõļñ ñõĴ ĴļŘĆÕʞ ²čÑ ñõĴ ŕõĴŁ²Ć ²ÕĴļñÕļõË êĔİ ļÕĆĆõčë ĴļĔİõÕĴʣ ¥ñÕč õļ ÊĔõĆĴ ÑĔŖč ļĔ õļʞ E ļñõčă õļʿĴ ²ÊĔŁļ ĴÕÕõčë ĔŁİĴÕĆŕÕĴ Ĕêê ļñÕ ĭ²ëÕʣ EļʿĴ ²ÊĔŁļ Ĵõļļõčë ÑĔŖč õč ² ËõčÕČ² ²čÑ Ŗ²ļËñõčë ĔŁİĴÕĆŕÕĴʣ ĆĔļ Ĕê ŘĔŁİ ŖĔİăʞ ĆõăÕ ŘĔŁİ ţĆČ Ŗõļñ "²İĴñ²č ²čÑ ²ĆĴĔ

ŘĔŁİ ĭĔÕļİŘ ²čļñĔĆĔëŘ Ŗõļñ ¥²İÑ² ²čÑ õĆÖ ʰSpit Out The Mythʱʞ êÕ²ļŁİÕĴ ËĔĆĆ²ÊĔİ²ļõĔč Ŗõļñ ĔļñÕİ ²İļõĴļĴʣ "Ĕ ŘĔŁ ĭİÕêÕİ Č²ăõčë ËĔĆĆ²ÊĔİ²ļõŕÕ ĭõÕËÕĴ ļñ²č ŖĔİăõčë õčÑõŕõÑŁ²ĆĆŘʤ E ĆõăÕ ² Čõŗ Ĕê ÊĔļñʞ ²čÑ E ļñõčă ļñ²ļʿĴ ŖñÕİÕ ŘĔŁİ ĴļİÕčëļñĴ ²İÕʞ õê ŘĔŁ Ë²č Êİõčë ļñÕ ļŖĔ ļĔëÕļñÕİʣ EʿČ ²ŁļõĴļõË ²čÑ E ĴĔČÕļõČÕĴ ţčÑ ËĔĆĆ²ÊĔİ²ļõĔč ² Êõļ čÕİŕÕʴ Ŗİ²Ëăõčëʞ ÊŁļ E ļñõčă õļʿĴ ÊÕ²ŁļõêŁĆ ÊÕõčë ²ÊĆÕ ļĔ ÊĔŁčËÕ Ĕêê ĔļñÕİ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ²čÑ ĴÕÕ ñĔŖ ļñÕŘ ÕčŕõĴõĔč ĴĔČÕļñõčëʣ Ĕ čĔŖ EʿČ ĴļÕĭĭõčë õčļĔ ļñ²ļ ËĔĆĆ²ÊĔİ²ļõŕÕ Ĵĭ²ËÕʞ ŖñõËñ õĴ İÕ²ĆĆŘ õčļÕİÕĴļõčë ļĔ ÊÕ õčʣ ¥ñ²ļ ĔĭĭĔİļŁčõļõÕĴ ñ²Ĵ ŘĔŁİ ļõČÕ ĴĔ ê²İ ²Ĵ ñÕêţÕĆÑ |ĔÕļ V²ŁİÕ²ļÕ ëİ²čļÕÑ ŘĔŁʤ EʿŕÕ ÑĔčÕ įŁõļÕ ² êÕŖ İÕ²ĆĆŘ ËĔĔĆ ļñõčëĴʣ EļʿĴ ļñÕ ʄʂļñ ²ččõŕÕİĴ²İŘ Ĕê ļñÕ ]A ļñõĴ ŘÕ²İ ²čÑ ŖÕʿŕÕ ëĔļ ŖĔİÑĴ ÊÕõčë ĭİõčļÕÑ Ĕč ļñÕ ĴõÑÕ Ĕê ĔčÕ Ĕê ļñÕõİ ÊŁõĆÑõčëĴʞ ŖñõËñ E ļñõčă õĴ ²ŖÕĴĔČÕʣ ĔČõčë êİĔČ ŖñÕİÕ E ËĔČÕ êİĔČʞ ²čÑ ÊÕõčë ļİĔŁÊĆÕ õč ĴËñĔĔĆʞ E ŖĔŁĆÑ čĔļ ñ²ŕÕ õČ²ëõčÕÑ ļñ²ļ ĔĭĭĔİļŁčõļõÕĴ ĆõăÕ ļñ²ļ ŖĔŁĆÑ ñ²ŕÕ ÊÕÕč ĔĭÕč ļĔ ĴĔČÕĔčÕ ĆõăÕ ČŘĴÕĆêʣ EʿČ ²ĆĴĔ ŖĔİăõčë Ŗõļñ ² êÕŖ ĴËñĔĔĆĴ ²ļ ļñÕ ČĔČÕčļʞ ²čÑ õļʿĴ ÊÕÕč ëİÕ²ļ ĴÕÕõčë ļñÕ ăõÑĴ ÕŗĭİÕĴĴ ļñÕČĴÕĆŕÕĴ ²čÑ ÊÕ ĴĔ ÕčļñŁĴõ²ĴļõË ²ÊĔŁļ ĭĔÕļİŘ ²čÑ ĭÕİêĔİČ²čËÕʣ ¥ñ²ļ ²ËñõÕŕÕČÕčļ ²İÕ ŘĔŁ ČĔĴļ ĭİĔŁÑ Ĕêʤ

Õõčë ²ÊĆÕ ļĔ ĴñĔŖ ĔļñÕİ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ļñ²ļ ĭĔÕļİŘ Ë²č ÊÕ ²ËËÕĴĴõÊĆÕʞ ÕĴĭÕËõ²ĆĆŘ ļĔ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ļñ²ļ ĆĔĔă ĆõăÕ ČŘĴÕĆêʣ ĆĔļ Ĕê ļñÕ ļõČÕʞ ŖÕ ËĔČÕ êİĔČ ļñÕ ;ĆĔÊ²Ć ĔŁļñ ²Ĵ õČČõëİ²čļĴʞ ŖñĔ Č²Ř ĴĭÕ²ă ĴÕËĔčÑ Ć²čëŁ²ëÕĴʞ ²čÑ ŖñÕč &čëĆõĴñ õĴ čĔļ ŘĔŁİ ţİĴļ Ć²čëŁ²ëÕʞ ĭĔÕļİŘ Ë²č êÕÕĆ ŕÕİŘ &ŁİĔËÕčļİõËʣ ¥Õ ñ²ŕÕ ñ²ăÕĴĭÕ²İÕ ²čÑ SÕ²ļĴ ²čÑ ²ĆĆ Ĕê ļñÕĴÕ ÊİõĆĆõ²čļ ĭÕĔĭĆÕʣ AĔŖÕŕÕİʞ ļñÕİÕ ²İÕ Č²čŘ ĴļĔİõÕĴ ļĔ ÊÕ ļĔĆÑʞ ²čÑ ĴļĔİõÕĴ ĆĔĔă ²čÑ ĴĔŁčÑ ²čÑ êÕÕĆ ĆõăÕ ĴĔ Č²čŘ ÑõêêÕİÕčļ ļñõčëĴʣ ¥Õ ñ²ŕÕ ² İ²Ŗ ļñÕ²ļİõË²Ć ËŁĆļŁİÕ Ê²Ëă õč ļñÕ ²İõÊÊÕ²čʨ ŖÕ ĆĔŕÕ ļĔ ļÕĆĆ ĴļĔİõÕĴʞ ŖÕ ĆĔŕÕ ļĔ ĭŁļ ļñõčëĴ ĔčĴļ²ëÕʣ Ĕ ñÕĆĭ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ÕčŕõĴõĔč ļñÕČĴÕĆŕÕĴ õč Ĵĭ²ËÕĴ ĆõăÕ ļñõĴʞ Ĕİ ļĔ Ŗ²čļ ļĔ ËĔČÕ ļĔ ĭĔÕļİŘ ÕŕÕčļĴ ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ ļñÕŘ ñÕ²İ ļñÕõİ ĴļĔİõÕĴ Ĕİ ļñÕŘ ñÕ²İ ŘĔŁ ĴĭÕ²ăõčë ĆõăÕ ļñÕČʞ E ļñõčă ļñ²ļʿĴ ļñÕ ÑĔĭÕĴļ ļñõčëʣ ¥ñ²ļ ²ÑŕõËÕ ŖĔŁĆÑ ŘĔŁ ëõŕÕ ļĔ ÊŁÑÑõčë ŘĔŁčë ËİÕ²ļĔİĴʞ āŁĴļ ÊÕëõččõčë ļĔ ÑÕŕÕĆĔĭ ļñÕõİ ĔŖč ²İļõĴļõË ŕĔõËÕĴʤ ɾʣ "Ĕčʿļ ÊÕ ²êİ²õÑ ļĔ ĴĭÕ²ă õč ŘĔŁİ ČĔļñÕİ ļĔčëŁÕʣ §ĔŁ ÑĔčʿļ ñ²ŕÕ ļĔ ŖİõļÕ õč &čëĆõĴñ êĔİ Ŗñ²ļÕŕÕİ ŘĔŁ ñ²ŕÕ ļĔ Ĵ²Ř ļĔ ÊÕ ŕ²ĆõÑʣ "Ĕčʿļ Ĵļ²İļ ļĔ ËÕčĴĔİ Ĕİ ĴļõŤÕ ŘĔŁİĴÕĆê ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ ŘĔŁ êÕÕĆ ĆõăÕ ŘĔŁ ñ²ŕÕ ļĔ ²ĭĭÕ²Ć ļĔ āŁĴļ &čëĆõĴñ ²ŁÑõÕčËÕĴʣ ɿʣ Õ²Ñʞ İÕ²Ñʞ İÕ²Ñʣ čÑ õêʞ ĆõăÕ ČÕʞ ŘĔŁ ĴļİŁëëĆÕ ļĔ İÕ²Ñʞ ĆõĴļÕč ļĔ ĭĔÑË²ĴļĴʞ Ŗ²ļËñ ţĆČĴʞ ëĔ ĔŁļĴõÑÕʞ Ŗ²Ćăʞ ČÕÕļ ĭÕĔĭĆÕʣ ]õËă \²ăĔñ²ʞ êİĔČ ļñÕ cÊĴõÑõ²č :ĔŁčÑ²ļõĔčʞ Ĵ²õÑ ļñ²ļ ĭĔÕļİŘ ĆõŕÕĴ

ÕŕÕİŘŖñÕİÕʣ Eê ŘĔŁ õČČÕİĴÕ ŘĔŁİĴÕĆê õč ²ĆĆ ļñÕĴÕ ëİÕ²ļ ŖĔİăĴ Ĕê ²İļ õč ļñÕ ŖĔİĆÑ ²İĔŁčÑ ŘĔŁʞ ļñÕİÕʿĴ ² ĆĔļ ļñÕŘ Ë²č ĴñĔŖ ŘĔŁ ²čÑ ļÕĆĆ ŘĔŁʞ ²čÑ ļñ²ļ Ë²č İÕĴĔč²ļÕ Ŗõļñ ŘĔŁʞ êĔİ ŘĔŁ ļĔ ŖİõļÕ ²ÊĔŁļʣ ʀʣ ¥ñ²ļÕŕÕİ ŘĔŁ ñ²ŕÕ ļĔ Ĵ²Řʞ õļʿĴ ŕ²ĆõÑʣ ĆĔļ Ĕê ļñÕ ļõČÕ ŖÕ ļñõčă ļñ²ļ ŖÕʿİÕ čĔļ ËİÕ²ļõŕÕ ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ ŖÕ ÑĔčʿļ ÑĔ ļñõĴ Ĕİ ŖÕ ÑĔčʿļ ŖİõļÕ ĆõăÕ ļñõĴʣ ]Ĕ ʴ õê ŘĔŁ ñ²ŕÕ ² ĴļĔİŘʞ õļʿĴ İÕ²ĆĆŘ õČĭĔİļ²čļ ļĔ Ĵñ²İÕ ļñ²ļʞ ²čÑ ļñÕİÕʿĴ čĔļñõčë ļĔĔ õčĴõëčõţË²čļʣ ÕĆõÕŕÕ õč ļñÕ ĭĔŖÕİ Ĕê ŘĔŁİ ĴļĔİŘʞ ÊÕĆõÕŕÕ õč ļñÕ ĭĔŖÕİ Ĕê ŘĔŁİ ĴĔčëʞ ëĔ ĔŁļĴõÑÕ ²čÑ õčŕÕĴļ ŘĔŁİĴÕĆêʣ "Ĕ ŘĔŁ ļñõčă ļñ²ļ ñÕêţÕĆÑ õĴ ² ëĔĔÑ ĭĆ²ËÕ ļĔ Ñİ²Ŗ õčĴĭõİ²ļõĔč êİĔČʤ §ÕĴʣ ñÕİÕʿĴ ² ĆĔļ Ĕê ÊÕ²ŁļõêŁĆ ļñõčëĴ ñ²ĭĭÕčõčë õč ļñÕ ËõļŘʞ ĆõăÕ õč |õļĴČĔĔİʞ Ŗõļñ ļñÕ ñŁČÑİŁČ Ĕê ²ĆĆ ļñÕĴÕ ÑõêêÕİÕčļ ËŁĆļŁİÕĴ č²ŕõë²ļõčë ²čÑ ŖÕ²ŕõčë õčļĔ Õ²Ëñ ĔļñÕİʞ ĴÕÕõčë ļñÕ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ Ć²Łëñ ²čÑ ĭĆ²Ř ÑĔČõčĔÕĴʣ ñÕİÕʿĴ ĴĔ ČŁËñ ļñ²ļ ŘĔŁ Ë²č ŖİõļÕ ²ÊĔŁļʣ §ĔŁ Ë²č ĴÕÕ õčÕįŁ²ĆõļõÕĴʞ ²Ĵ ŖÕĆĆ ²Ĵ ñĔŖ õčÕįŁ²ĆõļõÕĴ ĭŁĴñ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ļĔ ŖĔİă ļĔëÕļñÕİʣ §ĔŁ Ë²č ëĔ ÑĔŖč ļĔ İĔĔăÕĴ ¤²ĆĆÕŘ |²İă ²čÑ ĴÕÕ ²ĆĆ ļñÕ ÑŁËăĴʠ Eê ŘĔŁʿİÕ ² č²ļŁİÕ ê²čʞ ŘĔŁ Ë²č ĆĔĔă ²ļ ļñÕ ËñÕİİŘ ÊĆĔĴĴĔČĴʞ ²čÑ ŘĔŁ ñ²ŕÕ ļñÕ |Õ²ă "õĴļİõËļ Ĕč ŘĔŁİ ÑĔĔİĴļÕĭʣ E êÕÕĆ ĆõăÕ ñÕêţÕĆÑʞ ÊÕõčë ļñÕ ëõ²čļ ŕõĆĆ²ëÕ ļñ²ļ õļ õĴʞ ñ²Ĵ Č²čŘ Ĵĭ²ËÕĴ ļñ²ļ ŖÕ Ë²č ëĔ ļĔʞ ļĔ Ñİ²Ŗ õčĴĭõİ²ļõĔč êİĔČ ÊĔļñ ÑõêţËŁĆļ ļñõčëĴ ²čÑ ÊÕ²ŁļõêŁĆĆŘ ŖĔčÑÕİêŁĆ ļñõčëĴʣ

Forge Press

Arts & Theatre

Black History Month 2023

Celebrating Black Excellence in the Creative Arts Multiple Contributors

ctober marks Black History Month and is a prime opportunity for ŁĴ ļĔ İÕŤÕËļ Ĕč ļñÕ õčËİÕÑõÊĆÕ range of talent in our Arts & Theatre industries. From artists to performers, the diversity of our creative arts õĴ İÕŤÕËļÕÑ õč ļñÕ įŁ²ĆõļŘ of its products, with BAME creatives contributing hugely to our rich artistic culture.

debbie tucker green shocks her audiences by dealing with mundane issues that gradually turn darker as the play develops; she focuses on the emotional aftermath rather than the incident itself and brings individual turmoil to the fore. Having been discovered so early on in her career, her theatre is still fresh and bold, and her plays cut right to the heart of young people.

debbie tucker green ~ Francesca Vercoe (she/her) Don’t be fooled by the lowercase initials, debbie tucker green is not one to hide in the shadows. In fact, she is one Ĕê ļñÕ ČĔĴļ õčŤŁÕčļõ²Ć ÊĆ²Ëă British playwrights of our generation, who provoked a cultural renaissance of black theatre in the 21st century.

She also writes for the screen, with her harrowing onewoman play random adapted into a Channel 4 drama, ²čÑ ñÕİ ɿɽɿɾ ţĆČ ear to eye focusing on racial issues. In an industry where the presence of black female writers remains unexpected, tucker green is unapologetically loud and ţÕİËÕʣ ñÕ İÕêŁĴÕĴ ļĔ ËĔčêĔİČ to traditionally positive representations of black women who audiences should pity, and instead depicts ŁčŤõčËñõčë Ëñ²İ²ËļÕİĴ ŖñĔ are rough and cruel by virtue of a lifetime of hardships.

Born in London, tucker green spent a decade working as a stage manager before embarking on a career as a playwright. Her 2003 play Ñ÷ĲľŚ ÊŃľľÕĲŦŚ was produced by the Soho Theatre and born bad, released in the following year, won her an Olivier Award for Best Newcomer. tucker green’s writing is grounded in the theatrical style of ‘dirty realism’, often focusing on the urban angst and violence of London council estates. She loves to play with language and even on the page, her plays come alive with the rich vernacular of Black British English (BBE).

Aaron Douglas ~ Lydia Shiel (she/her) Aaron Douglas is a highly õčŤŁÕčļõ²Ć ²İļõĴļ ŖñĔ ingeniously interweaves African American cultural identity and European \ĔÑÕİčõĴļ ļÕËñčõįŁÕĴ õč ñõĴ artwork. He stands as one of ļñÕ ţİĴļ ĭÕĔĭĆÕ ļĔ õĆĆŁĴļİ²ļÕ African American history through the medium of visual

art. I initially came across his work a while back and it left me incapable of ignorance. His 1936 painting, Into Bondage, is stunningly striking, as it shines a light on the life of the enslaved in their native land. Douglas illuminates the chains that binds each of the slaves by colouring the chains an eyecatching red, a particularly powerful artistic choice that immediately demands the viewer to consider the chains. The contrast between the naturally beautiful setting ²čÑ ļñÕ Ĵñ²ÑĔŖÕÑ ţëŁİÕĴ õč chains, I believe, captures the racism that continues to persist today. It is a timeless treasure that is a memorable reminder of voices that must be represented. Douglas depicts profound social issues by seamlessly incorporating them within his aesthetically appealing visuals. His graphics speak to white supremacists by revealing the reality of racism throughout history that has yet to be truly taken account for. Aaron Douglas and his politically powerful pieces absolutely commanded my attention and have refused to let me forget since. Shanay Holmes ~ Sophie Layton (she/her) Shanay Holmes is a theatre actress, singer and performer who was recently playing

&ĆĆÕč õč ļñÕ ñÕêţÕĆÑ Theatres production of Miss Saigon, which ran over the summer in the Crucible. She has previously starred in Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, as well as productions of The Bodyguard and Rent. Earlier this year, Shanay Holmes sang ‘Seasons of Love’ from Rent at the Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall to mark their memoriam, in a powerful tribute which included both the late Dame Hilary Mantel & Paul O’Grady. She was widely praised for her touching rendition, which moved many to tears. Her love of theatre has stretched beyond her own performances. She was the director and co-founder of MusicalCon last year, the ţİĴļ ČŁĴõË²Ć ļñÕ²ļİÕ ê²č convention in the United Kingdom, which returned on October 21st and 22nd, that saw theatre talent from across the country and world come together for a celebration of all things theatre. Shanay Holmes is a powerful talent, inspiring young artists, particularly BAME artists, and she seems set to continue her illustrious career. Whether it’s performing on stage or bringing people together, she is a role model for everyone who wants to make their careers on stage and all those who are looking for an õčĴĭõİõčë ţëŁİÕ õč ļñÕ ²İļĴʣ

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ÉĻįÓĳĳ˂ ï°Č°ŗ˂?ēąċÓĳ įÓÏóĻʕ˂ °ŔóÏ˂ °ąŗ˂ ĳĳēÉó°ĻÓĳ

From Sweden to Norway

Fosse wins 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature Sophie Layton (she/her)

orwegian author and playwright Jon Fosse has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature. He has been praised for his extensive work, which according to the Nobel Committee, gives “voice

to the unsayable”. Anders Olsson, Nobel literature committee chairman, stated “Fosse blends a rootedness in the language and nature of his Norwegian background Ŗõļñ ²İļõĴļõË ļÕËñčõįŁÕĴ õč the wake of modernism.” His style, which has become known as ‘Fosse minimalism’, includes over 70 works, and

Fosse has become the second most performed Norwegian playwright. His latest work, Septology, consists of 1250 pages, yet remarkably contains no full stops. His pieces have received 24 awards since 1992, to which he now adds a Nobel Prize. Following the announcement, Fosse has received wide

accolade for his achievement, including from Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who posted on X, formally known as Twitter, “All of Norway congratulates and is proud today!”.

Laureates for literature, including Annie Ernaux (2022), Harold Pinter (2005), John Steinbeck (1962), and even Sir Winston Churchill (1953). Whilst Jon Fosse may be relatively unknown to British audiences, his work is widely regarded as masterful and hopefully Fosse joins an eclectic and the prize will inspire more renowned group of Nobel įÓÏóĻʕ˂ ïÓèŢÓąÏ˂ ïÓ°ĻįÓĳ people to read his works.

Monday 23 October 2023

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Forge Press

Music

Sundara Karma’s Oscar Pollock on nostalgia, resilience, and the band’s upcoming album Madeleine Lake (she/her)

undara Karma’s lead singer Oscar Pollock is the epitome of insight, he understands the importance of music and lets inspiration come from his heart. When I asked him who inspired the band’s upcoming album Better Luck Next Time he said: “Not a single person!” ñÕ ²ĆÊŁČ İÕŕõĴõļĴ õčŤŁÕčËÕĴ that were present when the Ê²čÑ ţİĴļ Ĵļ²İļÕÑʣ AÕ Ĵ²õÑ õļ was refreshing to make. Sundara Karma have ñ²Ñ ĔŕÕİ ţêļŘʴļŖĔ ČõĆĆõĔč streams on their hit song ‘Flame’ alone and so I was surprised when Pollock told ČÕ ñÕʿĴ čÕŕÕİ Č²ÑÕ ²čŘļñõčë ñÕ ²ËļŁ²ĆĆŘ ĆõăÕĴʝ ʼE ļñõčă that’s what keeps me going, õč ļñÕ ñĔĭÕ ļñ²ļ ĔčÕ Ñ²Ř E will.” It was evident that the Ê²čÑ õĴčʿļ ĔčĆŘ Č²ÑÕ Łĭ Ĕê musicians, but made up of friends. Pollock doesn’t overthink the band’s future successes, he looks forward to the times he will share with his friends. When asked about his dream collaborations, he said “the best music is made with friends.” For Pollock, being in a band Ŗõļñ ŘĔŁİ ÊÕĴļ êİõÕčÑĴ Ë²č ÊÕ both a blessing and a curse. Sharing success is a blessing, but the hardest thing for the band now is overcoming how life is pulling each of them in different directions. Better Luck Next Time is best described ÊŘ |ĔĆĆĔËă as an album about “resilience, resilience to things not ñ²ĭĭÕčõčë ñĔŖ ŘĔŁ ļñĔŁëñļ ļñÕŘ ŖĔŁĆÑ Ĕİ İÕĴõĆõÕčËÕ ļĔ ĆõêÕ ļ²ăõčë ŘĔŁ ² ËÕİļ²õč Ŗ²Řʣʽ AÕ ĴĭĔăÕ about the band’s latest single ‘Miss again’, which he wrote

with Spector frontman Fred Macpherson in LA. The song (and the album) is ²ÊĔŁļ ČõĴĴõčë ŘĔŁİ Č²İăʞ ²čÑ Ĵļ²Řõčë İÕĴõĆõÕčļ ÑÕĴĭõļÕ those things.

You feel closer to the truth of who you are with each song you release, that’s the eternal quest One of the most interesting things about Pollock is the Ŗ²Ř ñÕ êÕÕĆĴ ²ÊĔŁļ ñõĴ ČŁĴõËʝ ʼE ËĔŁĆÑ įŁõļÕ ñ²ĭĭõĆŘ čÕŕÕİ ĭŁļ ²čŘļñõčë ĔŁļ ²čÑ āŁĴļ let it exist on a hard drive êĔİ ļñÕ İÕĴļ Ĕê ČŘ ĆõêÕʞ ļñ²ļʿĴ ŖñÕİÕ ļñÕ ÕčāĔŘČÕčļ õĴ êĔİ me. Song writing feels like solving a puzzle, it’s artistic ÕŗĭİÕĴĴõĔčʞ ŘĔŁ êÕÕĆ ËĆĔĴÕİ ļĔ ļñÕ ļİŁļñ Ĕê ŖñĔ ŘĔŁ ²İÕ Ŗõļñ Õ²Ëñ ĴĔčë ŘĔŁ İÕĆÕ²ĴÕʞ ļñ²ļʿĴ ļñÕ ÕļÕİč²Ć įŁÕĴļʣʽ AÕ loves song writing, that’s his favourite part of the process. AÕ Ĵ²ŘĴ ŖĔİăõčë ŁčÑÕİ ² time constraint is important otherwise he’d overthink and the process would go on forever. Pollock’s favourite song from the new album is ‘Wishing Well’, which I’d have ļĔ ²ëİÕÕ Ŗõļñʣ Eļ õĴ ļİ²ëõË²ĆĆŘ beautiful, something that ĴĔŁčÑĴ ËĔČĭĆÕļÕĆŘ ÑõêêÕİÕčļ ²čÑ ŘÕļ EʿŕÕ ñ²Ñ õļ Ĕč İÕĭÕ²ļ êĔİ ŖÕÕăĴʣ ʼEļʾĴ ŘÕļ ²čĔļñÕİ song about longing. ñÕİÕ ²İÕ ĴĔ Č²čŘ things I look back on and think ‘what if’… It’s a track that’s about the life that passes ŘĔŁ ÊŘʞ the life that seems much more perfect and ‘meant to be’ ļñ²č ļñÕ ĔčÕ ŘĔŁ ²İÕ ËŁİİÕčļĆŘ Ćõŕõčëʣ EļʿĴ Ĵ²Ñ ÊŁļ ²ĆĴĔ ñĔĭÕêŁĆĆŘ ÊÕ²ŁļõêŁĆ õč ĴĔČÕ Ŗ²Řʣʽ ñÕ ĆŘİõËĴ ²İÕ ĭ²İļõËŁĆ²İĆŘ ŕŁĆčÕİ²ÊĆÕʞ E ²ĴăÕÑ õê ļñÕŘ

were hard to share: “For me, ² ĆŘİõË ÊÕõčë ŕŁĆčÕİ²ÊĆÕ Ĕİ ² ĆŘİõË ļñ²ļ õĴčʧļ ļñÕİÕ õĴ čĔ ÑõêêÕİÕčËÕ õč ÑõêţËŁĆļŘʣ EʧĆĆ ñ²ĭĭõĆŘ Ĵñ²İÕ ² ëĔĔÑ ĆŘİõË Ŗõļñ ²čŘĔčÕ čĔ Č²ļļÕİ ñĔŖ ŕŁĆčÕİ²ÊĆÕ ļñÕ ĆŘİõË õĴʞ õê õļʧĴ ² Ê²Ñ ĆŘİõË EʧĆĆ ļİŘ ļĔ ļ²ăÕ õļ ĔŁļ or feel awful about it for the İÕĴļ Ĕê ČŘ ĆõêÕʣʽ

It’s a track that’s about the life that passes you by, the life that seems much more perfect and ‘meant to be’... It’s sad but also hopefully beautiful in some way

AÕ ÑĔÕĴčʿļ ÊÕĆõÕŕÕ õč suffering for his art: “some people are quite good at separating their wellbeing ²čÑ ļñÕ ČŁĴõË ļñÕŘ Č²ăÕʞ õļ ÑÕĭÕčÑĴ ñĔŖ õčŕÕĴļÕÑ ŘĔŁ êÕÕĆ õč ļñÕ ĴĔčëĴ ŘĔŁ ŖİõļÕʣ Eê ŘĔŁ ÑĔčʿļ êÕÕĆ ļñ²ļ ļñÕŘ ²İÕ ² ĆõļļĆÕ ĭõÕËÕ Ĕê ŘĔŁʞ õļ õĴ ĭİÕļļŘ Õ²ĴŘ ļĔ ÑÕļ²Ëñ êİĔČ õļʞ ²čÑ sometimes it is.” With each album comes a new sound, Pollock said this ²ĆÊŁČ Ŗ²Ĵ ÑõêêÕİÕčļ čĔļ ĔčĆŘ because there are different producers but also because

ļñÕ Ê²čÑ ²İÕ õč ËĔČĭĆÕļÕĆŘ different stages of their lives. AÕ ŖõĴñÕĴ ñÕ ËñÕİõĴñÕÑ ñõĴ Õ²İĆõÕİ ŘÕ²İĴ ČĔİÕʨ ĆĔĔăõčë back, those pinch me moments are ļñÕ ĔčÕĴ ŘĔŁ don’t think about at the time. One moment he relished was ĭĆ²Řõčë ļñÕ main stage at Reading Festival before he turned 20, he called it ĴŁİİÕ²Ćʣ AÕ ĔčËÕ ñĔĭÕÑ ļĔ be an english teacher and all of a sudden he was stood before thousands of eager ê²čĴ İÕ²ÑŘ ļĔ ñÕ²İ ļñÕõİ Ć²ļÕĴļ ĴĔŁčÑʣ AÕ ĴļõĆĆ Ŗ²õļĴ êĔİ ļñÕ next pinch me moment. What Sundara Karma have is more than talent, it is eternal. Pollock said that his proudest achievement is the fact that he is still able to make music with his childhood friends. What sets Better Luck Next Time apart from the band’s other albums is that õļ ÑĔÕĴčʿļ ÑÕţčÕ õļĴ ĭŁİĭĔĴÕʞ it is there for each listener ļĔ ĴÕİŕÕ ļñÕČ ²Ĵ ļñÕŘ êÕÕĆʣ ʼE ŖĔŁĆÑčʿļ Ĵ²Ř ļñ²ļ ļñÕİÕ õĴ ÑÕţčõļõŕÕ ČÕ²čõčë ÊÕñõčÑ the album”, Pollock said, “I

like the idea that whoever is ĆõĴļÕčõčë Ë²č ļ²ăÕ ²Ŗ²Ř Ŗñ²ļ ļñÕŘ Ŗ²čļ êİĔČ ļñÕ ĆŘİõËĴʣʽ There are a lot of great indie songs on the record, which makes it feel like a full circle moment for the band. It is clear that the band ļñĔİĔŁëñĆŘ ÕčāĔŘ Ŗñ²ļ ļñÕŘ ÑĔʞ ļñÕŘ ļİŁĆŘ Ë²İÕ about people ÕčāĔŘõčë ļñÕõİ ČŁĴõË İ²ļñÕİ than sales and numbers. The band are buzzing about their upcoming tour, in particular ļñÕŘ ²İÕ ĆĔĔăõčë êĔİŖ²İÑ ļĔ their shows in Newcastle, Manchester, and Glasgow. Pollock said being paid to travel is the cheat code for ŖĔİăʝ ʼEʿČ İÕ²ĆĆŘ ĆĔĔăõčë forward to [the tour]. We keep to ourselves a lot, we ñ²ŕÕ êŁčʞ E Ë²čʧļ ëĔ õčļĔ ÑÕļ²õĆ ÊÕË²ŁĴÕ õļʧĴ ÑÕÊ²ŁËñÕÑ ÊŁļ ŖÕ ñ²ŕÕ êŁč ĆõăÕ ÕŕÕİŘĔčÕ else.” Sundara Karma’s new album Better Luck Next Time is set to be released ɿʄ cËļĔÊÕİ ɿɽɿʀʞ ļñÕŘ ĭĆ²Ř The Leadmill on the 27th November. |ñĔļĔĴ ¤õ² ²İİŘ cč |İÕĴĴ

Monday 23rd October WW2023

Music

Live Review: Mistki @Albert Hall, Manchester By Freya Vye (she/her)

itski in Manchester: A thoughtful, rare and exquisite experience Mitski created a gut-wrenching haven in the Albert Hall, vulnerably sharing poignant emotion to a small room of people. Everything about this show was deliberate, amalgamating in what could only be described as intensely impressive – it was stripped back and yet theatrical. Mitski used the beautiful refurbished church we were seated in to her full advantage, moving to make it part of her performance, particularly in songs like ‘The deal’ and ‘Heaven’, gesturing up higher towards the stained-glass windows. Mitski’s music, especially this new album ‘The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We’ immerses the listener into a dimension slightly separate from the real world no matter where they are, and the small seated theatres she has chosen for this tour are the perfect manifestations of this atmosphere. She bared her soul with only a

cello and a guitar to support her (exposing the beautiful quality of Mitski’s voice in such close proximity), and every motion she performed was deliberate, purposefully expressing something that the audience couldn’t access from listening to the recorded album alone. The whole audience sat in respectful silence for all eleven songs of the new album. The only reminders that I was not sat alone with Mitski were the eruptions of appreciation in between songs that also on occasion snapped her out of character, allowing her to talk to the audience, and in one playful moment comically berate her guitarist for forgetting the start of the song. This break was a lovely and rare spontaneous exchange, where she jokingly shouted “no pressure” at him and the audience as we all ÕčËĔŁİ²ëÕÑ ñõČ ļĔ ţčÑ ļñÕ right note. Overall though, the focus that Mitski subconsciously demanded from her audience made it a performance rather than a traditional concert. There was unspoken theatre

etiquette in place that suited the show, as we were sat silently, with the majority of people not touching their phones at all during ļĔ ţĆČʞ ŖñõËñ Õčñ²čËÕÑ the experience’s sense of scarcity. After the new album had been performed in its entirety, Mitski expressed her gratitude and invited the rows of people to join her õč Ĵõčëõčë ţŕÕ Ĕê ñÕİ ĔĆÑÕİ songs (Francis Forever, I Bet on Losing Dogs, Love Me More, A Pearl and Burning Hill). The atmosphere she had created allowed everyone to remain quiet and respectful, acting only

as a choir to accompany her rather than the manic buzz of shouted lyrics you would expect at a concert. Sat in ordered pews with tearstained cheeks softly singing with Mitski and the small number of other lucky fans was such a beautifully unique experience and one I doubt anyone could replicate. You may wonder why an artist with more than 18 million monthly Spotify listeners and currently climbing the top 20 charts for the third consecutive week right now, would only perform to three small rooms of 1,000 people or

less in the UK. Artists with similar scope successfully sell arena tours, but whether it was primarily for Mitski’s ÊÕčÕţļʞ Ĕİ ļñÕ ÊÕčÕţļ Ĕê ļñÕ audience, it is impossible not to recognise that this is exactly how this album is meant to be heard. I only wish more people could experience it, but with an artist like Mitski, who has ditched her music career and vowed never to play live again already, fans have to take what they can get and it is quite empowering to see an artist perform exactly the way she believes she should.

Album Review: Jorja Smith ‘Falling or Flying’

Huw Richards (he/him)

“A step into womanhood”, an album of “self-realisation”. Falling or Flying’s hometown production creates a genrebending project, shattering Jorja Smith’s musical boundaries.Much has changed since the release of Jorja Smith’s debut album Lost and Found in 2018. Not only has Smith herself developed from a breakout teen artist to an established woman in the music industry, she has also gained international recognition through appearances on Drake’s ‘Jorja Interlude’ and ‘I am’ from the Black Panther soundtrack. Therefore, the spotlight was shining brightly on Smith heading into her second release. Now in her 20s, Smith’s ĴĔŁčÑ ñ²Ĵ ²Ñ²ĭļÕÑ ļĔ İÕŤÕËļ her age. Her sophomore project Falling or Flying shows no signs of playing

into algorithms or scraping for popularity, nor does it display nervousness at the album’s huge expectations. ‘Try Me’ opens the album with a sense of strength ²čÑ ÑÕţ²čËÕʣ Eļ ĭİĔŕõÑÕĴ ļñÕ listener with a poignant

start, suggesting that Smith has not changed, only now ĴñÕ õĴ čÕŕÕİ Ĵ²ļõĴţÕÑ õč ñÕİ pursuit of perfection in relationships and music.The expressiveness of the project ËÕİļ²õčĆŘ İÕŤÕËļĴ ļñ²ļ ²Ĵ ĴñÕ sticks to her impressive vocal range on songs like ‘what if

my heart beats faster?’ and turns to an upbeat 2000s garage sound on ‘little things’, one of the songs of the summer. In the lyrics, she explores the desire for quick highs and the enjoyment of being young and sexually liberated whilst rhythmically boogying at the night club. "ÕţčõļÕĆŘ ĔčÕ ļĔ ëÕļ ŘĔŁ Ĕč ļñÕ Ñ²čËÕŤĔĔİʣ êļÕİ ĭÕ²ăõčë at number 11 on the UK charts, ‘little things’ earnt a remix from up and coming garage artist Nia Archives and an iconic version mixed with ‘gypsy woman (she’s homeless)’.Much of the album delves into Smith’s perseverance regarding her relationship with fame. ‘Ask me about me again’ demonstrates her willingness to be secretive whilst ļñİÕ²ļÕčõčë ŘĔŁ ļĔ ţčÑ ĔŁļ more about her personal life. Another impressive moment from the album is ‘Feelings’

featuring J Hus, which explores a more afrobeat sound. The song marks an iconic collaboration between two of the frontrunners in the UK music scene. Hus’ hook and verse delve into an unexplored topic for the Stratford-born artist. Stating “a badman still needs a cuddle” to highlight the emotionality of the track, giving him some more untapped depth. ‘Go Go Go’ presents yet another genre with a popfunk style to the track, likened to songs by Olivia Rodrigo. On the track, she threatens her future partners: leave, before she makes you! With ballads like ‘Try and ţļ õčʿ ²čÑ ļñÕ ĭõ²čĔ ČÕĆĔÑŘ of the closing tune ‘what if my heart beats faster?’, the longest track on the album, Smith returns to tracks that would not be out of place on

Lost and Found. Both provide us with the downtempo, emotional depth of Jorja Smith that we are used to. Very powerful songs but contrasting to the speed of the rest of the album which looks to delve into several different uptempo sounds. The entirety of the project merges these separate genres to create a much more adventurous sound than we have heard before. Her versatility is a statement on this project, something she made clear that she wanted to achieve in the build-up to its release. Although not perfect by any means, the experimentation of Falling or Flying proves to be a priceless insight into the ability of Jorja Smith as an artist. She is not afraid to bend, shift and change the genres that Ĕİõëõč²ĆĆŘ ËĔčţčÕÑ ñÕİ ²čÑ will hopefully sharpen the

Forge Press

Screen

SAG-AFTRA update: Greed strikes again Livia Gregor (she/her)

n the 2nd of October, when talks began between SAGAFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers), it seemed like the disputes were soon to be over. However, by the 11th of October discussions had broken down and both sides had left the negotiating table. But who are SAG-AFTRA and what is their dispute with the AMPTP? SAG-AFTRA’s role is to protect media professionals including actors, dancers and supporting artists from being exploited within the industry. AMPTP is a trade organisation who bargain on behalf of their member companies such as Walt Disney, Universal Pictures and several streaming services such as Amazon |İõČÕ ²čÑ ]ÕļŤõŗʣ ÕêĔİÕ ļñÕ strikes began, SAG-AFTRA made a set of requests to AMPTP. One of the requests included making sure that artists' wages increased Ŗõļñ ļñÕ ĭİõËÕ Ĕê õčŤ²ļõĔč ĴĔ

that they can afford medical bills and survive in between jobs. When thinking about Hollywood, it is easy to forget that beyond the world of the famous, the majority of artists simply make enough money to live on. The main issue was surrounding the Industry's ŁĴÕ Ĕê İļõţËõ²Ć EčļÕĆĆõëÕčËÕʣ With AI being in its infancy, it lacks regulation and this comes with the potential for exploitation. According to SAG-AFTRA, conglomerates served by AMPTP ‘want to be able to scan a background performer’s image, pay them for half a day’s labor, and then use an individual’s likeness for any purpose forever without their consent’. This is something that SAG-AFTRA says they won’t stand for.

Better pay and restrictions on AI within the industry were just some of the suggested changes that AMPTP either offered unsatisfactory compromises to or didn’t even entertain. Consequently, on the 14th of July 2023 members of the union headed to the picket line and after further failed negotiations, the strike continues. The impact on the cinemagoer is that many ČŁËñʴ²čļõËõĭ²ļÕÑ ţĆČĴ have had their production suspended - including Beetlejuice 2 and Avatar 3. What does this all mean for the future of cinema, TV and the creative world? Eļ õĴ İÕŤÕËļõŕÕ Ĕê ļñÕ global situation generally with giant, capitalist conglomerates arguably putting the importance of the wealth of a certain few over the well-being of the majority. Streaming services ĴŁËñ ²Ĵ ]ÕļŤõŗ ²čÑ Č²şĔč Prime have lost sight of the importance of funding and inspiring the creation of new content as well as entertaining viewers. Hence why Disney is choosing to bring out multiple liveaction remakes which have a ready-made audience rather than taking a leap of

Credit: SAG-AFTRA - X

faith and making ţĆČĴ ļñ²ļ ÊİÕ²ă ÊĔŁčÑ²İõÕĴ and risk making a loss. In an atmosphere such as this, it is no surprise that artists' welfare is at risk. ñÕ ÊÕčÕţļ Ĕê ŁĴõčë E for large companies is not only that they can alter the same image and use it several times rather than hiring real, living actors, dancers etc. but also that AI can not complain, let alone go on strike. If the industry continues in the

same direction, producers may no longer require real people at ²ĆĆʣ ¥Õ Č²Ř ÕŕÕč ţčÑ ĔŁİĴÕĆŕÕĴ Ŗ²ļËñõčë ţĆČĴ with characters portrayed entirely by AI! Although such an extreme seems unlikely, it does beg the question, whether the use of AI discourages individual thought and if this has an adverse effect on the originality of what we see on screen? Will audiences ĆĔĴÕ õčļÕİÕĴļ õê ÕŕÕİŘ ţĆČ ²čÑ

A Haunting in Venice: "A perfect Halloween treat" Elena Barham (she/her)

ÕŖ ţĆČ êİ²čËñõĴÕĴ have been improved by a third addition. Well, apart from The Prisoner of Azkaban perhaps (forever my favourite A²İİŘ |ĔļļÕİ ţĆČʱʣ AĔŖÕŕÕİʞ it seems that the third time’s a charm for director Kenneth Branagh’s new Agatha Christie adaptation, A Haunting in Venice. This part is part typical ČŘĴļÕİŘ ţĆČʞ ĭ²İļ supernatural thriller. Set a few years after the end of the Second World War, our characters are pervaded by a sense of loss. Many of them are recovering from being in concentration camps or seeing action on the frontline. This is dealt with sensitively and explains

why we meet most of these characters at a séance. Without divulging too much, the night takes a sinister turn when, in typical Christe style, a murder takes place. Poirot ʰSÕččÕļñ İ²č²ëñʱ ţčÑĴ himself endangered. As with the rest of this Poirot series, A Haunting in Venice comprises a starstudded cast. Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill (both featured in Branagh’s highly acclaimed Belfast) are again cast as father and son here. They give stellar performances as a family with hidden secrets and largely unspoken tensions. Kenneth Branagh puts in another predictably good performance as the ÕĆëõ²č ÑÕļÕËļõŕÕʣ Eč ļñõĴ ţĆČʞ Poirot is forced to question his own beliefs and fears for his own safety. This brings a

depth to the character that we have not seen previously. My one minor critique would be his Belgian accent. Unfortunately, this hasn’t improved over the course Ĕê ļñÕ ĴÕİõÕĴʞ ²čÑ E ÑõÑ ţčÑ this took me out of the plot one or two times at the beginning. However, this is a slight detraction from a very ËĔČĭÕĆĆõčë ţĆČʣ If the title or plot doesn’t seem familiar that’s because

ļñÕ ţĆČ õĴ ² ŕÕİŘ ĆĔĔĴÕ reworking of Hallowe’en Party, one of Christie’s less popular Poirot installations. I read it several years ago, but I wouldn’t have recognised it had it not been for a very intense scene of applebobbing gone wrong (a surprisingly darkly funny moment in this adaptation). The trademark Christie cosiness is eradicated – instead, provincial 1960s England is transposed to a noir 1947 Venice. There is a much more stylised feel to this entry in the series, with beautiful cinematography of twisting canals and towering, somehow claustrophobic grand palazzos creating a sense of paranoia and entrapment. It feels refreshing to see a Christie adaptation that

explores emotion and grief in such a way whilst also being a fun, – and I mean this as a compliment – relatively light Ŗ²ļËñʣ ñõĴ ţĆČʿĴ ĴļİÕčëļñ lies in the reimagining of the original story. It surprises me even writing this (I’m an English student, a pedant when it comes to book adaptations) but this is what elevates A Haunting in Venice above Branagh’s other ñİõĴļõÕ ţĆČĴʣ ñõĴ õĴčʿļ ² story we’ve seen a thousand times. The audience are forced to see new twists, characters and, most daringly, different murders. A perfect Halloween treat (unless you’re a Christie purist), best accompanied with a pumpkin spice latte.

Forge Press

Games

$ ˉ ĬēįĻĳˉ8 ˉɾʀʧˉA historical rebranding that could have served more Hamza Aamir (he/him)

lectronic Arts decided to launch a new football series, EA Sports FC, ending a 30-year partnership with FIFA. Compared to its predecessor, in-game stats, such as stamina depletion and goals are now presented through crisp overlays as the game proceeds, making the atmosphere more immersive. Similarly, a sense of urgency is created with quick camera changes to referee POVs in the event of fouls, making the game feel fresh and dynamic. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect regarding gameplay this year is the introduction of playstyles, which ensures that many players have become varied in their style of play. For example, it is made sure that

two players with similar body types give you a different feeling. Due to the same reason, creating your own players gets even more interesting– with an arsenal of 32 different abilities to choose from, tailoring players to your playstyle becomes exciting. Additionally, the new precision pass feature deserves to be mentioned, as it allows players to deliver through balls and crosses with more accuracy, allowing

for more play consistency. The reworking of the controlled sprint has now made it every defender’s worst enemy. From the attacker’s perspective, it's an

overpowered weapon that doesn't need to be nerfed, even though it can be

...there is still a sense of familiarity in the air.

countered. New additions such as Kinetic Shielding are gratifying in the moments that they do make a difference, but even with the introduction of °įĻóŢÉó°ąˉóČĻÓąąóéÓČÉÓˉóČˉĻïÓˉ

Hypermotion V technology, some battles come to a disappointing end, as players move awkwardly and

this seems exciting, but the emphasis placed on some unimportant objectives can sometimes doom your plans

inconsistently, most notably, goalkeepers. Career mode also comes with a handful of revised features, such as transfer and contract negotiation possibilities with new teams through the player agent feature. On the surface,

and fail to mimic realistic situations.

Finally, the elephant in the room, Ultimate team. For years, EA has failed to justify the lack of innovation in this game mode. Essentially, the same product has been gift-wrapped repeatedly, with different colours each year; the only innovation arguably being FUT promos. A very familiar problem of microtransactions persists, which leads to a pay-to-win situation. However, this year there is more innovation in this department, with the addition of Evolutions, as well as having male and female players on the pitch together, side by side. Evolutions allows players to upgrade cards, making many of the previously unusable cards usable.

However, the decision to mix male and female players on the pitch comes with controversy as female players remain unusable in defensive and central positions throughout the ċóÏŢÓąÏʘ In some ways, EA Sports FC takes players to a ‘new’ Ĭą°ŗóČéˉŢÓąÏʘˉ With that said, though, there is still a sense of familiarity in the air. A plethora of new features await players with this entry but, unfortunately, so does a similar string of problems as the earlier games. Rating: 3/5