Bronwen

You may not have heard the name Steven Pruitt before but there’s a good chance you couldn’t have passed your A-levels without him.  Priutt is responsible for an entire third of Wikipedia content and has written 35,000 original articles and made nearly 3 million edits to existing ones. It would be fair to say that he […]

Anyone that uses social media will have found it impossible to avoid all of the buzz surrounding the ‘Fyre festival’ documentaries on Hulu and Netflix. The Fyre festival was a legendary disaster which stemmed from rapper Ja Rule and former tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland biting off way more than they could chew. To try and […]

In days gone by, to become a rich and successful celebrity, you usually had to have some sort of talent such as singing, writing or comedy. Now all you need to do is get yourself a couple hundred thousand Instagram followers, call yourself an influencer and claim you can change someone’s life if they pay […]

96 days down, 12 more to go… not that I’ve been counting or anything. To break up the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to squeeze in as much travelling as possible. Montpellier isn’t far from several famous towns and cities and getting from A to B is fairly straightforward in France. At least, it […]

Ingratitude or materialism? Why this letter about a handmade bedspread annoyed the internet. Sometimes, the most thoughtful gifts have very little to do with money. After all, it’s the thought that counts, right? Well, this mother-in-law caused outrage after she took offence at being gifted a ‘lovely bedspread’, and the reason for her discontent is […]

When choosing what you’re going to do for your year abroad, you’re normally faced with three options: do an internship, take part in an Erasmus exchange or become an English language assistant with the British Council.  Most students are instantly drawn towards the British Council and it’s easy to see why: decent monthly pay, practical […]

One of the most important things to try and do during your time abroad is to explore. Depending on your financial situation, this can either be fairly straightforward or near impossible. There’s no denying that France is an expensive country but if you’re smart about it, there’s no reason why you can’t see a bit […]

For those of us who aren’t natural morning people, getting out of bed on a morning can feel like a form of torture. Now that we’re headed into winter and the mornings are becoming cold and dark, the wake-up ritual can seem even more hellish than normal. Luckily though, there are some simple things you […]

Exploding toilets? Who would have thought? But more than 1.4 million toilet flushing systems are being recalled following reports of toilets blowing upin the US and Canada, according to US safety officials. As well as causing $710,000 worth of damage to property, these incidents have caused injury to 23 people- one of which required foot […]

Fast food chain Burger King claims to have created a burger for Halloween which will increase your chance of having a bad dream. The ‘Nightmare King’ burger consists of a beef patty, a chicken fillet, cheese, bacon, onions and mayonnaise all inside a green bun. Now we know what you’re thinking: a burger that gives you […]

Everyone says that your year abroad will be the best year of your life and so far, I could not agree more. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen some amazing places, experienced weird and wonderful French customs, met the most interesting people and fully immersed in an alien but exciting new world. […]

Animal rights activists in Santorini have gained a small victory for donkey welfare as the Greek government passed legislation which protects working donkeys from being overburdened. The island’s capital, Fira is 400m above sea level, and tourists who don’t fancy the long walk to the top have the option to make a donkey do the […]

[Disclaimer: The only people I’ve met here from the UK who aren’t struggling a lot with speaking and understanding the language, are the ones whose parents have a holiday home in France or who have been going skiing in the Alps twice a year since they were two. Languages is a very elitist course sometimes so if you’re a working-class student who hasn’t had the […]

I’ve been spoilt for choice this week when deciding what to make the focus of this column. The last few days have really been a week of rage for the Internet and the Tories have been the focus of a lot of it. We’ve had some questionable dance moves at the Conservative Party conference, members […]

Unlike the UK, France isn’t particularly renowned for having world-class universities. On the QS World University Rankings list, the first French university to make the list is ranked 50th, behind dozens of American, British and South Korean institutions. Honestly, it’s not hard to see why. Since starting my placement at a French university, I’ve been […]

This week, Kanye West annoyed the Internet by having yet another Donald Trump Twitter rant. It’s not just Kanye who misses the old Kanye, it’s the entire Internet. Just as everyone seemed to forget about his last Twitter rant a few weeks ago where he loudly professed his love for President Trump, Ye is right […]

I knew what I signed up for when I decided to go to France. The country is notorious for its never ending cycles of forms and heaps of pointless paperwork. I’ve been here two weeks and it feels like all I’ve done is just chase people up for signatures and print my bank statement everyday. […]

This week’s Internet feud is a tale of the most amazing sibling rivalry ever. In the fierce world of politics, one would usually expect that a politician would at least have their family on their side but in Senator Paul Gosar’s case, six of his nine siblings have made it very clear he will not […]

When you anticipate something for years, it can sometimes feel like it’s never actually going to happen. At the time of filling out my UCAS form, I distinctly remember thinking to myself, “This year abroad isn’t even going to happen until my 3rd year of uni, I’m only in my first year of sixth form”. […]

Like most of the UK, I detest train companies. They treat their staff unfairly which forces them to strike all the time, their customer service is appalling and they charge you ridiculous amounts of money to sit in one of their sub-par trains for a few hours. I am so disgruntled with the train service […]

This week, we’re going to talk about…. finance! http://gph.is/2mxwa53 One of my biggest worries for moving to France was having to open a French bank account. It just sounded like such a hassle. First of all, you need to persuade someone French to go with you, then you need to make copies of documents and […]

When we hear that a beach has been closed because of a threat in the waters, we tend to think of something like this: Well the Bay of Brest in Landévennec, Brittany has been terrorised by a slightly more comedic creature than the Jaws great white: a sexually frustrated dolphin. Zafar, a 10 ft bottlenose, has […]

Sports brand Nike has been praised by most today after it made football player and political activist Colin Kaepernick the face of its new ad campaign. Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO — Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018 Gino Fisanotti, Nike’s vice president of branding for North America, said: […]

I only have a few days left in the UK before I head off to Montpellier and I’ve only just decided to think about packing. Honestly, it’s been a bit of a nightmare. Once again, I’ve scoured the internet to try and find extensive lists of things to pack (I’ll copy my own Year Abroad […]

Over the last few years, inappropriate casting has been something that people are much more conscious of. We’re much less comfortable with the idea of a straight actor playing an LGBT actor or white actors portraying non-white characters *cough* Scarlett Johansson *cough*. Actors who are part of a minority group in some way rightfully object to […]

Last week, I said I was going to talk about finding a place to live in Montpellier, the French town I’ll be living and studying in for a semester. Initially, I had decided to apply for a room in the university student halls. This was all going to plan until approximately 24 hours ago. I […]

A newly hired NASA intern lost her golden opportunity after mistakenly insulting a famous NASA engineer and member of the National Space Council. A Twitter user identified as Naomi H tweeted: This seems fair enough. After all, any normal person would be ecstatic after learning they had been accepted to work for NASA. I mean, […]

If you thought 5p for something that was completely free three years ago was a bit steep, you’re not going to be thrilled about the latest announcement. Environment Secretary Michael Gove has approved plans which will force nearly all retailers to charge 10p for plastic carrier bags. Currently, ‘small’ shops with less than 250 employees […]

Ever complain of a bad smell only to find out that you’re the only person who can detect it? This is a strange phenomenon called a phantom odour and research is being done to try and understand it. In a study published by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, researchers from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication […]

This year, like hundreds of other University students, I’ll be going on my compulsory year abroad as part of my degree. For the next 12 months, I’ll be posting a weekly column exploring different aspects of being an international student. Think of it as a bit of a spin on Lauren White’s #Year10/11/12/13Problems column. Titling […]

When we imagine what smartphones will look like in the future, we tend to think of wireless chargers and holograms. Smartphones have become so addictive that the average iPhone user unlocks their phone 80 times a day. However new data has shown that consumers are beginning to choose simple phones that can only text and […]

We’ve long been told that staring at screens for extended periods is damaging to our eyes but now scientists finally know why. We already know that digital devices and direct sunlight emit a type of light called blue light. We knew that this light was harmful but until now, we didn’t know exactly how or […]

For most 18-year-olds, today will be the last time they ever step foot in their school or college. For some, this moment will be joyful and a confidence boost for the future. For others, the day may be stressful and end up in having to trawl through clearing or securing last minute accommodation at their second […]

Your health and fitness can be determined by a surprising number of factors including your age, financial status and even the city you live in. A survey conducted by Spotahome showed which cities are home to the healthiest people in the world. Health was measured using ten factors including work-life balance, amount of fast food […]

This summer has been exceptionally hot in the UK and countless warnings have been issued about the dangers of hot cars. In mid 20 degree heat, cars can reach temperatures of over 48 degrees. Most of these hot car warnings have informed us about the deadly consequence of leaving babies and dogs inside but nothing […]

Whenever you watch Most Haunted or some other ghost hunter TV show, the spirits and ghosts are always found in creepy places by people whose sanity is a bit questionable. These shows usually feature some middle-aged American lady with a perm and possessed looking eyes telling us all about how they have a ghost named […]

There’s a reason why the stereotypical movie stoner looks a bit like this: When people think of the average stoner, they think of lazy teenagers who bunk off college or work to sit around with their make-shift bongs all day. To many cannabis users, this a really common misconception but latest research has shown that […]

A study published by the University of Madison, Wisconsin has found that it’s not only the physical environment that will be lost as a result of climate change but the entire Internet could be at stake. Rising sea levels will damage the underwater fibre optics cables which provide Internet connection to major US cities such as […]

Entertainer and comedian Barry Chuckle has died aged 73 after a period of ill health. Barry Chuckle (left) with his brother Paul The star’s manager Phil Dale stated, “The family would like to express their thanks to the many people who have been fans of the Chuckle Brothers and they know that they will share […]

In the UK, we might thank the sun for disappearing for a while seeing as we’ve tolerated a hot and sticky heatwave for the last month. However, a strange phenomenon in Siberia shows that it really is better that the sun does what it’s expected to. On the 20th of July, residents of Eveno-Bytantaisky and Zhigansky, […]

The fact that humans are destroying the Earth is old news. For decades we’ve pumped out toxic gases into the atmosphere, demolished mile after mile of habitat and filled the ocean full of rubbish. However what is new information is the scale to which man is destroying the world’s ocean. Research lead by Kendall R […]

Reality star and entrepreneur Kylie Jenner takes the number one spot on the Instagram rich list. The new mother earns $1m for every post she creates on Instagram. The top ten spots on the rich list feature several predictable names such as Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber. In 12th place comes ex England footballer David […]

Finding and securing a job is one of the most frustrating experiences. Ultimately and despite what people with rich parents say, it all boils down to luck unless you have tons of connections. If you’re not in the right place at the right time, you may miss opportunities or not have the right interactions. For […]

Fake news is a fairly new expression but one that has quickly become a frequent part of our everyday vocabulary. To many, fake news articles or fabricated videos and images can just be ignored and scrolled past but in some parts of the world, the reaction to fake news is very different. In India, group […]

An 18-year-old girl who left notes on Sunderland’s Wearmouth bridge has been presented with an award after her messages helped save six lives. Paige Hunter tied 40 notes to the railings of the bridge with uplifting messages intended for individuals in crisis. One of the notes read: “Even though things are difficult, your life matters; you’re […]

Following the resignation of several ministers including big names such as Boris Johnson and David Davis, Theresa May is in a very precarious position. Tory MP Philip Davies has submitted a letter of no confidence in the PM which could be the beginning of the end if more MPs follow his lead. If Theresa May […]

Rich people who don’t realise they’re rich are the worst. This week, a London woman on a £69,500 salary annoyed the Internet as she spoke of her struggle to save money. To put into context just how high this salary is, you should know that the average annual wage for Londoners is £34,473, according to […]

If you’ve been relaxing outdoors in this hot weather you may want to start taking a fly swatter with you. More and more people in the UK are being treated in hospital because of bites. While most insect bites seem trivial and nothing much more sinister than just being itchy and annoying, bites from some […]