Gair Rhydd

Have a little respect

Stop letting off the letting agencies for their poor treatment of students, says Daniella Graham

Renting a house for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. Leaving the security of halls, knowing you are responsible for paying rent and bills, as well as choosing who to live with are all daunting prospects, and horror stories about dodgy landlords are widespread. With this in mind, going through a letting agency seemed the best way to make the whole experience as painless as possible.

How wrong I was. The results of the gair rhydd 2008 Housing Survey show that the majority of students are not satisfied with their letting agents, and considering my own experiences, I am really not surprised. Having heard bad things about many of the letting agencies in Cardiff, my future housemates and I decided to go with an agency we believed to be reputable.

Future of the theft

Education, not regulation, is the only effective way to prevent plagiarism, argues Ben Reynolds

Cambridge’s student newspaper, Varsity, in its survey on plagiarism practices, has found that 49% of its students have plagiarised at some stage during their course.

As Cambridge is the bastion of higher education in the UK, should we be at all surprised by this confession?

Canuck in Cardiff

Corey Shefman states the case for Timmy Ho's

Can I get a double-double please? How about an iced capp? Well if you don’t have any of those, at least give me some Timbits!

By now, it’s likely you all think that the Canadian has serious brain freeze, but really it’s just Tim Hortons withdrawal. Tim Hortons, the coffee, doughnut, sandwich shop that is literally on every other street corner in Canada is probably the first thing that most Canadians miss when travelling abroad. It’s also one of those things, like McDonalds for Americans and chip shops (or deep-fried Mars bars!) for the British that defines our national persona.

The last broadcast?

Jenni Summers questions whether the BBC can retain its integrity and still fight off its critics

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a long established national institution, but it appears that not everyone one is enthusiastic about it. An ever-rising number of individuals argue that the BBC has become bloated, cocky and unjustifiably expensive; those individuals might get their wish of cutting the BBC down to size sooner than one might think, as the OfCom review has threatened to take away vital funding.

The primary merit of the BBC is that it has always had the capacity to cater for different sections of society’s needs whilst maintaining a high standard of journalism. From gardening, nature and documentary programming to election coverage, period dramas, regional programming and, of course, cutting-edge comedy, the BBC endeavours to educate, inform and entertain while retaining great integrity. Apart from television coverage, it also has a plethora of radio stations, a useful website and of course the recent innovation – the iPlayer.

Flying the flag

National day? No thanks, says Christofer Lloyd

Britishness Day. Even the name sounds stupid. A Gordon Brown promotion, the idea was to come up with a UK equivalent of America’s Independence Day or Bastille Day in France. To give us all a sense of national pride. Or something like that. And to create another bank holiday to distract everyone from the fact that the banks are all empty and no one has a job anymore.

It’s a pretty sad situation if people need a spontaneously created “day” as the only way they can celebrate being British. Thankfully, Mr Brown has come to his senses and put the idea on the back burner.

Catholic guilt

According to George Carpenter, Catholicism is in a no-win situation

The Pope’s latest effort in the battle against sexual abuse among the clergy has made headlines recently. Earlier this year, Benedict XVI made a historic apology to victims of child abuse perpetrated by the Church to an audience in Australia, meeting and praying with several victims.

In another attempt to quell the controversy which has rocked Roman Catholicism since the 1950s, a document has been released issuing guidelines on sexual behaviour within the clergy. Among these are proposed psychological ‘screenings’ designed to filter out those priests who might break their vow of celibacy.

Pimp my ride

Will speed and stereo volume limits in cars encourage safer driving among youngsters? Alison Dairy is doubtful

*Watch out young drivers – car company Ford is set to introduce parental controls to their cars. The MyKey system will limit a car’s top speed, how loud the stereo can go and sound a warning if seatbelts are not worn. The controls are due to debut in 2009 in certain US cars, the first of which being the Ford Focus. But do people really think this will stop young drivers abusing their independence? *

Research conducted by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed speeding to be the major factor in teen crashes. Why is it that as soon as many teenagers pass their tests they feel they are the best drivers? Young drivers consistently seem to believe that being a ‘good’ driver is the ability to handle a car at high speeds. Statistics show that most accidents happen during the first six months post-test. If they don’t drive their own cars like maniacs, then they are abusing their parents’ cars. No wonder there is a call for parental controls!

BoJo the clown

If you google the phrase ‘Boris Johnson the Clown’, you get a little over 44,000 hits. And with the recent resignation of Ian Blair providing another potential blow to his already somewhat tarnished image, you might ask: is he a clown, or simply a politician with a personality? 
 


The quotes on the right show tothe optimum the reason why Boris Johnson is a genius. Often referred to as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the simple fact is that this is the only man in politics to have a cult following. From his appearances on Have I Got News For You, to pissing off the entire city of London, to referring to Tony Blair as “a mixture of Harry Houdini and a greased piglet”, Boris has reached legend-status, and you can now find web page after web page of fan clubs, video clips and best of all, quotes.