thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Drugs Under Lockdown: Are People Partying More Or Less In Quarantine?

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“What better time to take drugs than a hot April night at home, with the whole weekend stretching out ahead and not an inkling of pressing demands in sight,” says Jennifer*, 28, an occupational therapist from north London who has been taking psychedelics from self-isolation and having video calls with her friends.
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“I joined one surprise birthday party while high with five or six of us on chat, then later I joined a bigger party with more Zoomers,” says Jennifer, who was upfront with her mates about what she’d taken. “They laughed and enjoyed slowly watching me unravel.”
No one else on the calls was using drugs, she says, but everyone was drinking. A lot. All that excess free time and the monotony of quarantine life are factors, she thinks. “I think it’s a good time to get high more at the moment – but only if it’s coming from a place of curiosity and you feel grounded and mentally okay.”
Paula*, 42, a writer from north-east London, and her boyfriend Will, 40, a university administrator, have also felt more inclined to do drugs in lockdown – for pleasure and therapeutic use. “There’s more need for both of those in this situation,” says Paula, who adds that acid has felt specifically well-suited to making sense of the current climate.
“Acid plugs you into the beauty and hilarity of the world, and also enables you to explore big and scary notions, as does MDMA in a similar but softer way,” says Paula. “There’s this sense of heightened and intensified reality anyway, so being in altered states sort of aligns you with that.” Unlike Jennifer, the couple haven’t been using Zoom to connect with friends. “Zoom calls are totally overstimulating in the way that drugs are if you overdo it.”
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keira01 via Getty Images
The UK government’s message to “stay home, save lives” has had complicated repercussions for our social and domestic lives. A recent survey by Alcohol Change UK suggests drinking is leading to greater household tension and conflict under lockdown.
So, is our relationship with illegal substances changing too? While there is no published research yet on the effects of lockdown on recreational drug use, Professor Adam Winstock, consultant addiction psychiatrist at University College London and founder of the Global Drugs Survey, is working on some of the first studies.
“It’s going to vary by drug type,” says Prof Winstock, who believes initial predictions of increased drug use during the pandemic may be wide of the mark. “My guess is for the majority of people, their use will diminish,” he says.
“In lockdown you can’t just walk round your house high if your family members don’t support drug use.”
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“Most people who use cocaine and MDMA in the UK use the drugs in social environments, maybe 10 or 15 times a year,” he says – and since lockdown, people haven’t been able to socialise in those contexts.
“It’s probably not that much fun doing half a gram of coke and a couple of pints when you’re stuck at home, as opposed to being at the pub or a club with your mates.” Other factors driving down usage include supply chains drying up and the cost of drugs increasing, he notes.
Jonathan*, 17, a student who lives with his parents, tells HuffPost UK he has been experimenting with drug combinations such as ketamine and marijuana edibles that he wouldn’t usually try outside lockdown, but that his use has decreased as he can’t get to pubs and clubs. “In lockdown you can’t just walk round your house high if your family members don’t support drug use.”
Video calling is the new normal when it comes to socialising in quarantine, and many people dialling into these digital meet-ups are living alone – either through choice or because their partners or housemates are self-isolating elsewhere. Are a higher number of individuals drinking and taking drugs alone too?
It’s become commonplace to enjoy a ‘quarantini’ or two – and with more free time on our hands, lockdown may seem the ultimate opportunity to experiment.
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But experts warn that personal safety is at the heart of their advice not to take drugs during this period, particularly on your own, which is the most dangerous scenario, says Michael Rawlinson, treatment consultant at Clouds House treatment centre, run by the charity Action on Addiction.
“There’s no one to watch out for you, to help if something goes wrong, to call the emergency services if an accidental overdose or adverse reaction occurs,” warns Rawlinson, who sees parallels between recreational drug use in lockdown and serious addiction issues down the line. “We would absolutely make this connection,” he tells HuffPost UK. “Increased substance use during this period could lead to a build-up of tolerance followed by dependence.”
Viktoriia Hnatiuk via Getty Images
Professor Winstock agrees it’s concerning if the use of recreational drugs becomes a priority of your social life under lockdown. “For a lot of people who haven’t seen their mates for a while, there’s enough to talk about and a desire to know what’s going on, without needing to take a bunch of coke,” he says
“I think some people will just have a break, and they might realise that, hey, life’s a bit better and I’m saving money,” suggests Prof Winstock, who says the exception is likely to be cannabis – a “pretty good drug for eating up time”.
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One group of individuals at higher risk right now are those in the chemsex community: largely gay men who use drugs such as GHB to enhance sexual experiences. Gay men are statistically more likely to feel lonely in or out of a pandemic, and are also more likely to put themselves in danger by using drugs alone or by breaking the rules to meet up with strangers for sex.
“Isolation is a risk factor for many, and in regard to addiction, a triggering factor we can’t ignore.” - David Stuart
“For the most part, chemsex is recreational and people who engage are just as capable as the rest of the population of adopting physical distancing practices,” says chemsex commentator David Stuart. However, for those addicted to chemsex who are now in lockdown he paints a more complex picture.
“Isolation is a risk factor for many, and particularly in regard to addiction, it is a triggering factor we can’t ignore,” Stuart tells HuffPost UK.
“A very large percentage of people have more complicated relationships to drugs, using drugs (and sometimes sex, or a combination) because of unmanageable emotions, born of past trauma. That torment is louder and more persecutory when they are alone or isolated. They can experience an earnest compulsion to find distraction from those things.”
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This challenge faces recreational drug users of any sexuality or background who feel vulnerable right now. “Substance use can be a conscious or unconscious coping mechanism which gives the illusion of reducing fear, anxiety or boredom,” says Michael Rawlinson. “This relief is only temporary and a dependency on substances to keep the feelings at bay can develop quickly, as more of the substance is required to generate the same feeling, and eventually it stops working altogether, leaving only the fear or anxiety.”
Many people will manage their drug intake sensibly, of course. But a spike in individuals contacting drug and alcohol charities is cause of concern. “We have experienced a nine-fold increase in visits to our website,” confirms Rawlinson. “And other charities are experiencing similar increases.”
The Global Drugs Survey hopes to take a snapshot of drink and recreational drugs usage during the height of the coronavirus pandemic – with Prof Winstock aiming to report back on results within eight weeks. What won’t be clear for a while yet is the longterm impact of lockdown on our consumption habits.
“People are having to make changes to every aspect of their life, including their use of alcohol and drugs,” he says. “I mean, shit, I’m baking, three or four times a week – I’ve never baked so much in my life. Will I continue after lockdown?
“As we’re allowed to go back to our normal lives, for those of us who’ve cut our drinking down, are we going to go ‘life’s better, I’m drinking less.’ And for people who are now drinking every day, are they going to find it difficult to go back to just drinking on a Friday and Saturday?”
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We may see “a second peak of risk”, Winstock predicts, “when people go out and maybe they haven’t used coke for a couple of months, or maybe they haven’t been drinking heavily, or they haven’t been taking pills. And they want to party. I suspect there are probably quite a lot of dealers sitting on a lot of stock.”
Ultimately, he says, as with every aspect of life affected by coronavirus, “we don’t know how quickly people will be able to return to their normal.”
You can take part in the Global Drugs Survey Covid-19 Edition here.
*Some names have been changed to keep the anonymity of interviewees.
Need confidential advice on drugs?
Contact FRANK on 0300 123 6600 or visit the website for alternative contact methods.
Need support for problem drinking?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Grimes Explains The Meaning Of Her And Elon Musk’s Baby Name, 'X Æ A-12'

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Grimes appears to have confirmed she’s named her baby X Æ A-12, by explaining the meaning behind it.
The Canadian singer and her partner Elon Musk recently welcomed their first child together, sharing the news on Twitter.
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Theo Wargo via Getty Images NEW YORK, NY - MAY 07: Elon Musk and Grimes attend the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Huffington Post)
Musk shared a photo of him holding his son, plus a tweet saying: “Mom & baby all good”, then later replied to a question and said their baby’s name was X Æ A-12.
Many thought he was joking, but Grimes has continued to feed our fascination, writing on Twitter:
“X, the unknown variable Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence) A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent + (A=Archangel, my favorite song) (metal rat)”
•X, the unknown variable ⚔
•Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)
•A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent 🤍
+
(A=Archangel, my favorite song)
(⚔🐁 metal rat) — ꧁ ༒ Gℜiꪔ⃕es ༒꧂ 🍓🐉🎀 小仙女 (@Grimezsz) May 6, 2020
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Even with the explanation, fans are still confused – not only about the unique name, but also how to pronounce it.
WAIT SO YALL WERENT JOKING??? — sofía nsfr (@xovoz) May 6, 2020
you realize this is a human child and not an EP right — prosperity gospel fka bird world (@mascdonna) May 6, 2020
Us tryna to figure out how his name is properly pronounced
pic.twitter.com/V0EWxSfebf — Jake Lindner 😄 (@JakeLindner) May 6, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--My Roommate And I Made An App To Help Essential Workers Desperate For Supplies

HuffPost UK Courtesy of the author
As my roommate Rine and I – both students at Dartmouth College – left campus for spring break in early March, we celebrated the end of exams. We packed up our apartment, leaving our notebooks on the kitchen table and a pile of winter jackets on the couch – we’d deal with those in the spring – and told each other we’d be back soon.
Little did we know that within the next three days, “soon” would become “who knows when,” and between the two of us, we would lose three terms of classes, two internships, and one college graduation.
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And yet it was difficult to mourn these personal losses when there were much more immediate problems, like stay-at-home restrictions, to cope with. As the U.S. death rate shot up higher than anywhere else in the world, graduation no longer seemed like a very big deal.
Instead, we felt stuck — filled with an overwhelming urge to do something to help, but unsure what we could actually do. Quarantine and remote classes meant we had extra time, but neither of us had the medical backgrounds to volunteer in hospitals or for Covid hotlines ― I am studying economics, while Rine is majoring in history ― we couldn’t go outside, and as students, we had limited budgets to donate.
Ever since the coronavirus outbreak hit, we found ourselves troubled by stories of front-line workers in jobs such as grocery delivery, postal service and construction. In New York, 68 MTA workers have died of COVID, while another 2,400 have tested positive. Nationwide, at least 41 grocery store workers have died.
Over the past few weeks, our communities have asked essential workers to go to work while retreating indoors ourselves. We call them “heroes” in the news and consider their services “essential” to our daily lives, and yet their calls for hazard pay and access to basic necessities have been largely overlooked.
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The Give Essential platform connects people who have extra items to essential workers who need them — such as masks like these, sent by one donor.
As we read more about essential workers, we learned about parents who, despite school cancellations, have had to leave their children at home to go to work. We learned about people who worked graveyard shifts and couldn’t visit stores before all the soap emptied from shelves. We thought about our own closets, filled with outgrown toys and books; our cabinets, which held forgotten bars of soap and bottles of hotel shampoo.
We realized that, to some extent, the problems that essential workers were facing arose from resource mismatches.
Just before midnight on 8 April, we came up with Give Essential, a volunteer-run matching platform where essential workers across the U.S. tell us what items they need, and donors tell us what they can give. Both parties fill out forms on our website, and we create matches based on their best-fit needs and donations, facilitating a way for donors to directly send items to essential workers. The donation item categories include kids’ activities, cleaning supplies, feminine hygiene products, and personal hygiene products — household items we thought donors might already have and could easily share.
We spent the next 36 hours glued to our screens, Rine writing out content and revising forms while I puzzled over old projects from my former computer science major, trying to remember how to build a website from scratch.
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By 10 April, we were ready to launch.
That night, we started posting the link to essential worker groups on Facebook and Reddit. The first ten minutes passed: nothing. Then, our first response. Then the second, and third.
People are donating everything from spare food and toilet paper to puzzles, soap and masks.
Within 24 hours, we reached over 300 essential workers. Suddenly, the variables in our algorithm had names and identities – the pregnant grocery delivery driver who struggled to find detergent for her own family after a long day of delivering necessities to other families; the postal worker running out of cleaning supplies and living with an immunocompromised family member; the warehouse worker living out of her car who showers with water bottles and survives off of peanut butter and tortillas.
But with responses from essential workers rapidly outnumbering those from donors five to one, we realised quickly that we were in over our heads.
We dedicated the next two days to frantically figuring out how to turn our midnight operation into something functional that we could scale. First, we needed to somehow balance the ratio of essential workers to donor responses. Starting with a Facebook post, we told everyone we knew about Give Essential, pushing for any possible support. We knew there was a huge community of people who, like us, wanted to help with relief efforts but didn’t know how: We just needed to figure out how to reach them.
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When people brought up the potential legal issues associated with data sharing, we contacted pro bono lawyers and learned the basics of tax codes. When emailing matches ourselves became too much to handle, we turned to our friends and learned how to delegate. When we needed guidance about building organisations and creating effective impact, we reached out to college alumni and entrepreneurs we admired on Twitter and learned how to take positive and negative feedback.
On Monday we celebrated a huge milestone: finding donors for every essential worker request from last week. And on Tuesday – two weeks after launching – we finished sending out our second batch of completed matches.
Rine (pictured) and Amy celebrate shipping their second batch of donated items to essential workers two weeks after launching their Give Essential platform.
Just as we’ve been touched by the essential workers’ stories, the donors’ responses have been overwhelming, too. Many have offered to help multiple essential workers with gifts ranging from stuffed toys and board games to several hundred-dollar gift cards. We’ve had teachers offer online tutoring and donors pledge weekly donations.
Give Essential started as an idea, grew into a group chat, and snowballed into a community with hundreds of connections across the country. During this time of uncertainty and disappointment, it has uncovered heartwarming stories of people who just want to do good, willing to go miles out of their way to give to strangers who need help.
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In this state of lockdown, it is easy to feel constrained by the four walls and front door that we’re advised not to leave. With Give Essential, we wanted to remind communities that our ability to connect with and help others is not limited in that same way. A bar of soap sent through the mail can alleviate the anxiety of a single mother who wants to keep her child healthy, and a $50 gift card can help a warehouse worker purchase groceries for the week.
We’ve asked ourselves: as work meetings transition to Zoom calls and birthday parties move to FaceTime, how will our humanity evolve with the challenges of the changing world around us?
If it’s anything like what we’ve seen over the past two weeks, we’re not too worried.
Give Essential was set up by Dartmouth Students Amy Guan and Rine Uhm, and Crystal An, a recent graduate of Case Western Reserve University. To check out Give Essential and sign up as an essential worker or donor, visit giveessential.org. This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Nasa Confirms Tom Cruise And Elon Musk Are Teaming Up For First Film Shot In Space

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Nasa has confirmed that they’re teaming up with Tom Cruise for a new film, which will be the first to be shot in space.
Earlier this week, Deadline reported that Tom and SpaceX – the space tech company owned by Elon Musk – were collaborating on a project which would see the actor boarding the International Space Station for filming.
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Jim Bridestine, the administrator of Nasa, has now confirmed these plans are in place.
“NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station!” he tweeted.
Tom Cruise pictured in London in December 2019 Darren Gerrish/BFC via Getty Images
Jim added: “We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality.”
NASA is excited to work with @TomCruise on a film aboard the @Space_Station! We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make @NASA’s ambitious plans a reality. pic.twitter.com/CaPwfXtfUv — Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) May 5, 2020
No plot details about the upcoming film have been released, although Deadline claimed that the project was not part of the Mission: Impossible saga.
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Throughout his career, the 57-year-old actor has been renowned for his hands-on approach to filming his own stunts, including filming in zero-gravity for an aeroplane crash scene in The Mummy and clinging onto the side of a plane as it takes off in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.
However, this has not been without its pitfalls.
Back in 2017, Tom broke two bones in his ankle after an attempt to jump between two buildings went awry, leading production on the film to be briefly suspended.
Tom’s next project will be the much-awaited Top Gun sequel, co-starring Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Coronation Street Boss Reveals How Soap Will Address Coronavirus When Filming Resumes

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Coronation Street boss Iain McLeod has revealed how the soap will tackle the coronavirus pandemic when it resumes production.
Back in March, it was revealed that Corrie intended to feature scenes referencing how viewers could prevent the spread of coronavirus, but filming on the show was shut down due to the crisis before these could be recorded.
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In a new interview, Iain has revealed that he intends to address the pandemic in Corrie when filming is resumed, even if it won’t “dominate” the action on the cobbles.
Iain at the British Soap Awards in 2016 Getty Images
“We took the view that it has to exist in our world,” he explained. “However, I am also aware that people tune into Coronation Street for escapism, to some degree, and to see drama and stories that they would never normally experience in their own lives, and stuff they would normally never see in their own living rooms played out on screen.
“While the virus will exist in Coronation Street, we were also keen that it wouldn’t dominate every single story and every single scene.”
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He continued: “If your lives are anything like mine, certainly coronavirus is pretty much the only topic of conversation in my house, but people wouldn’t want to tune into Coronation Street and see every scene was people talking about coronavirus.”
The iconic Corrie pub, The Rovers Return ITV/Shutterstock
Iain went on to say that he was initially considering not including the outbreak in any future Corrie scenes, but ultimately felt that would go against the show’s values.
Speaking to Digital Spy, he noted: “The Coronation Street that we love reflects modern Britain, albeit in a heightened way sometimes. We felt that if there was no coronavirus present in Coronation Street, it would stop being a reflection of modern Britain and we’d instead be a parallel fantasy-land.”
Last week, ITV boss Kevin Lygo admitted that both Coronation Street and Emmerdale are coming close to running out of episodes, with the former having enough banked up to last until June, while the latter has even fewer.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Donald Trump Tours New Face Mask Factory, Doesn't Wear A Face Mask

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Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Donald Trump toured a factory making face masks on Tuesday but did not wear one, despite posing for photographs next to a box full of them.
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The president wore safety goggles – which offer no protection against coronavirus – during the tour of the Arizona plant, which was rushed into service in less than five weeks because of a shortage of the protective equipment.
Trump gave a thumbs up for cameras at the factory where all the workers were wearing masks and where a sign read: “Attention: Face Mask Required in this Area. Thank You!”
A factory official said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and some other visiting dignitaries also did not wear masks, Reuters reports.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images
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The federal government has encouraged Americans since early April to wear masks to avoid spreading the virus, even when not feeling any symptoms of Covid-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease it causes.
Trump has so far declined to wear a mask himself.
Earlier this month Vice President Mike Pence admitted that he had erred when he visited a clinic without wearing a face mask.
“I didn’t think it was necessary, but I should have worn a mask,” Pence said during a Fox News virtual town hall.
At the time of the visit, Pence said he had chosen not to wear a mask because he’s frequently tested and knows he doesn’t have the virus. Pence also said he wanted to look researchers “in the eye” to thank them for their efforts, even though the masks don’t cover the eyes.
Vice President Mike Pence visiting the Mayo Clinic earlier this month. Nicholas Pfosi / Reuters
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Elsewhere on Tuesday, the president announced the White House coronavirus task force will wind down as the country moves into a second phase that focuses on the aftermath of the outbreak, despite no clear signs that the country’s death toll – the highest in the world – is beginning to decline.
More than 70,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19.
The New York Times has obtained research suggesting deaths could double to 3,000 a day, and the continuing spread of the disease could mean 200,000 new cases every day.
Trump acknowledged there might be a resurgence of the virus as states loosen restrictions on businesses and social life aimed at curbing its spread.
“It’ll be a flame and we’re going to put the flame out,” he said.
Trump said Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, doctors who assumed a high profile during weeks of nationally televised news briefings, would remain advisers after the group is dismantled.
The University of Washington’s influential Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation on Monday doubled its previous forecast for Covid-19 deaths in the United States, however, saying it now predicts the number could reach about 135,000 by early August as restrictions are relaxed.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Sweet Photos Of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor To Mark The Royal's Birthday

In his 12 months of life, the pint-sized royal has traveled multiple continents with his parents, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He’s also captured hearts with his adorable baby smile.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Coronavirus: Brits 'Addicted' To Wage Subsidies And Four Other Stories You Need To Know

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Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
The chancellor is set to announce the winding down of the government’s furlough scheme, and China partially opens schools at epicentre of the outbreak.
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So far 29,427 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, the latest figures show.
Furlough scheme to be scaled back over concern people are ‘addicted’
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing plans to “wind down” the government’s furlough scheme by July amid concerns the nation needs to be “weaned off” the wage subsidies.
According to The Times, the government hopes to get people back to work as the lockdown is eased by cutting the current 80% wage subsidy and lowering the current cap of £2,500 on monthly payments.
One senior source told the paper: “People are addicted to the scheme.”
Statista
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Here are the main stories you need to know about coronavirus today:
Furlough scheme to be scaled back over concern people are ‘addicted’
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing plans to “wind down” the government’s furlough scheme by July amid concerns the nation needs to be “weaned off” the wage subsidies.
According to The Times, the government hopes to get people back to work as the lockdown is eased by cutting the current 80% wage subsidy and lowering the current cap of £2,500 on monthly payments.
One senior source told the paper: “People are addicted to the scheme.”
State aid for workers to be cut by chancellor#tomorrowspaperstoday@hendopolis pic.twitter.com/jecbo6ETHC — The Times Pictures (@TimesPictures) May 5, 2020
President Trump blames impeachment for lack of medical equipment
Donald Trump has said the reason the US federal government did not have sufficient medical equipment when the coronavirus pandemic struck was because he had “a lot of things going on”.
Speaking to ABC News on Tuesday, the president said: “We had a lot of people that refused to allow the country to be successful. They wasted a lot of time on Russia, Russia, Russia.
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“That turned out to be a total hoax. Then they did Ukraine, Ukraine, and that was a total hoax. Then they impeached the president of the United States for absolutely no reason.”
The president also revealed plans to wind down the White House’s coronavirus task force, despite forecasts suggesting that, far from flattening the curve, the country is set to see an increase in coronavirus-related deaths.
Trump said his efforts to reopen parts of the country could result in “some” additional deaths, “but we have to get our country open”.
The New York Times has obtained research suggesting deaths could double to 3,000 a day, and the continuing spread of the disease could mean 200,000 new cases every day.
China extends reopening
Chinese state media has announced that schools in the city of Wuhan, where coronavirus originated, have partially reopened to allow some senior students to prep for exams.
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Elsewhere in the country, Disney said on Tuesday it will reopen its Shanghai Disneyland park on May 11 but severely limit the number of guests and enforce strict social distancing measures on rides and in restaurants.
The plans provide a glimpse at how the company - which in previous quarters generated a third of its revenue from parks, experiences and consumer products - will recover from the pandemic.
“We will take a phased approach with limits on attendance using an advanced reservation and entry system, controlled guest density using social distancing and strict government required health and prevention procedures,” Disney chief executive officer Robert Chapek said on a conference call with analysts after reporting second-quarter earnings.
“These include the use of masks, temperature screenings and other contact tracing and early detection systems.”
UK carbon emissions fall by a third
Lockdown restrictions in the UK have had the side effect of lowering the country’s daily carbon emissions by a third, Sky News reports.
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While residential emissions have risen, there have been huge drops on those generated by road users and air travel.
Separately, government advisors have outlined a number of steps that could be taken to ensure the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic is as green as possible.
More investment in broadband instead of building roads should be part of a “green” package of measures to rebuild the economy, while ministers should also take immediate steps to boost home insulation programmes, help people retrain in green jobs such as installing clean heat pumps, create more space for walking and cycling, and increase tree planting.
The government’s advisory Committee on Climate Change has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to tell him that action to cut greenhouse gas emissions is “integral” to the UK’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Pet scams triple as Brits are sold animals that don’t exist
Cruel scammers are exploiting Brits’ love of animals and desire for company amid the coronavirus lockdown by selling them fake pets through online adverts.
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Reports of animal scams tripled in April to 524 cases across the UK, according to Action Fraud. There has been a surge in people looking for puppies and kittens as they spend more time at home and may be seeking companionship.
But criminals are exploiting the fact that buyers can’t visit and collect animals in person during lockdown, and are instead sending them photographs before persuading them to part with their money for pets that never materialise.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Happy First Birthday Archie

Happy First Birthday Archie

Happy First Birthday Archie
Harry and Meghan’s son turns one today and what a year it has been for the family, renouncing their royal titles and moving to North America since Archie’s birth.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Katy Perry Unveils Madonna-Inspired Maternity Look She Would Have Rocked At 2020 Met Gala

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Katy Perry had a custom corset to wear to the Met Gala, and she liked it ... so she posted about it on Instagram.
The Never Worn White singer shared an image of the custom bodice with a cone bra that she was planning to wear to this year’s fashion event.
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The annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City was postponed indefinitely this year because of coronavirus, leading stars like Katy to share the looks they would’ve worn.
The US singer is currently pregnant with her first child with fiancé Orlando Bloom, so the bodice features a rounded part over the stomach to suit her changing body.
The 35-year-old captioned the post: “what would have been...”
French designer Jean Paul Gaultier created Perry’s look, paying homage to another one of his classic designs.
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Gaultier created the now-infamous pink conical bra that Madonna wore on her Blond Ambition tour and debuted in Chiba, Japan, in 1990.
An iteration of the look debuted on the runway in 1987 and, after Madonna asked for Gaultier to design her tour looks, the pair later collaborated to create the silhouette that would become “so embedded within the canon of both pop music and fashion that it now requires little introduction,” according to Vogue.
Madonna performs with her dancers during her Blond Ambition tour on June 4, 1990. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Katy’s Madonna-inspired look would have been apropos for the fête’s proposed 2020 theme: “About Time: Fashion and Duration.”
Of the theme, Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s curator, told The New York Times that fashion “is indelibly connected to time.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--20 Marriage Vows Couples Would Have Made Had They Known About Lockdown

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When you marry, you pledge till death do us part. For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.
Moving forward, though, something tells us couples are going to include a few “in case of another coronavirus” clauses in their vows.
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Below, married men and women share the vows they would have included had they known a global pandemic was on the horizon.
1. “I promise to never loudly shout from the other room ‘Hey Baberaham Lincoln, what sounds good for dinner?’ before confirming you’re not video chatting with your boss.” ― Sarah
2. “I promise to always use deodorant whether I leave the house or not. I promise not to chew or breathe until you are in the safety of another room. I promise not to pretend to be the first victim in the zombie apocalypse and spend 45 minutes trying to eat your brains. I promise not to try and re-create any meals from our favourite restaurants.” ― Josh Wolinsky
3. “Do you promise to go out in the wild to look for toilet paper, no matter what the cost? Do you promise to not walk around naked when there’s a Zoom conference in progress?” ― Lisa
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4. “Our marriage vows should have included my husband promising not to eat my secret snack stash. I’m more lovable when I have carbs.” ― Sara
5. “I’m thankful that my wife and I haven’t been forced to test drive ‘or poorer’ yet this year, but ‘for worse’ is doing A LOT of work. I probably should have enumerated ‘in Crocs and sweatpants,’ ‘with kids and dogs EVERYWHERE. ALL. THE. TIME,’ and maybe the whole cutting my own hair thing — just to make it ironclad. This obviously only applies to me; she is perfect.” — Brian Kieffe
6. “Tom, I love you. You’re my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise that I will put the little Post-It on the camera hole as you are walking by only wearing black socks.” ― Lisa
7. “Marriage vows in the future should include things like ‘During pandemics, I promise not to judge how many glasses of wine you drink.’” ― Patty Brem
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8. “I promise not to throw your phone in the toilet when you’re watching stupid Tik Tok videos. I promise not to hide the remote control in the covers on purpose so you never find it. I promise to stand way more than 6 feet away from you when I’m eating my Starburst jelly beans so you can’t share them. I promise to make sure your quarantine honey-do list is no more than five pages long.” — Stacey
9. “I promise to love, cherish and lie to you about your weight gain.” ― Leslie Blanchard
10. “I vow to wear pants without an elastic waist once per week to remind you of the woman I once was. I vow to use no more than 50 percent of our stimulus check to buy dog costumes. I will listen calmly to your bourbon-fueled, paranoid tirade about how Columbia House and BMG Music were defrauding the lower-middle class.” ― Julie Engebretson
11. “I promise to sanitize our groceries every time they get delivered to our door.” ― Cristal
12. “I promise to follow social distancing protocol by skipping all future dinners at your mother’s house.” ― A Bearer Of Dad News
13. “I take thee, to have and to hold, from this day forward, even if we forget what day it is. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in boxers and in yoga pants. To love and to cherish, till death or thermostat setting do us part.” ― Slade Wentworth
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14. “My Melissa, I promise that I will learn how to grocery shop before a global pandemic hits. Apparently the family voted me most expendable, and now I am doing all these trips during quarantine and it is costing us a lot of extra time and money. I’m sorry. And I’m also sorry that I didn’t realize ‘BOGO tomatoes’ wasn’t a type of tomato, but meant ‘Buy One, Get One.’ My bad.” ― Dustin Nickerson
15. “If there’s ever a pandemic, I promise not to get pregnant just because we’re bored.” ― Taylor Calmus
16. “I promise to communicate using words, and not by rage vacuuming around you. When you tell me you’re exhausted of doing the chores, I promise to not brag about feeding the fish. And, when you’re on a work call, I promise children and I will not start singing ‘Into the Unknown.’” ― Vinod Chhaproo
17. “I promise if I ever beg you for a home haircut, we will pretend the result is a masterpiece of Edward Scissorhands’ instead of a victim of Sweeney Todd’s.” ― Courtney Bindl
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18. “I vow, ‘till death do us part’ or ‘till quarantine starts.’ Whichever comes first.” ― Mary
19. “I know that couples gain weight over time, but I promise to keep my quarantine fifteen down to a reasonable five. And when we’re allowed back outside, I’ll do my best to exercise it down to a quarantine three, and maybe only go up one jean size.” — Nathan Timmel


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Drive-Thru Strip Club Serves Up Sexy (And Safe) Solution For Coronavirus Blues

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Shon Boulden shouldn’t be all that busy these days. He owns two strip clubs in Portland, Oregon, both of which were deemed “nonessential” in March, along with many other businesses in the state, and were ordered to close due to the spread of COVID-19.
But when HuffPost spoke to him late last week, he was working overtime to juggle media requests and prepare for another weekend of “Drive Thru Food 2 Go-Go,” a drive-thru version of his club Lucky Devil Lounge that he recently launched ― to lines around the block.
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Dancers at Lucky Devil Lounge in Portland, Oregon, are now working a drive-thru club during the coronavirus lockdown. Danger Ehren/ @dangerehren
Boulden, his clubs and its employees first made headlines (including on this website) in March when, as a way to stay open and continue to bring in income during the government-mandated shelter-in-place order, dancers from the clubs began working as delivery people, with security guards serving as drivers. Many orders and one cease-and-desist letter from Uber later (“Boober Eats” was the service’s original name), they’ve now come up with an even more ... revved up tactic to keep business booming.
“Since food delivery started we’ve had a lot of local businesses showing us support and wanting to collaborate,” Boulden said. “A local event company that sets up stages, tents, things like that, called us up and were like, ‘We’re out of business, we’re not doing anything.’ They offered to build us a huge tent, two stages, a DJ booth, a couple of stripper poles with lights, lasers, fog machines and were like, we’ll just see how it goes.”
Here’s how the new drive-thru works: You pay $30 to enter and can order any food item off the menu. Once inside the tent, you’re treated to a full show, from a group of (masked, of course) dancers. They do a song or two for each car, and then they send you on your way with your food. There are tip buckets set up inside, and the dancers even have devices normally used to collect trash that allow them to collect tips from a distance.
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A dancer at the drive-thru Lucky Devil Lounge in Portland. Danger Ehren /@dangerehren
The drive-thru has proven even more lucrative than the original food delivery program, though they’re still providing that service, too.
“We had a nonstop line of cars wrapped around our parking lot Saturday night,” Boulden said, adding that the new attraction is drawing visitors from beyond just the Portland area.
“We had a carload of girls from Seattle ― two and a half hours away ― do a road trip down to Portland to our drive-thru just to get some food and see this going on,” Boulden said. “It’s crazy.”
For the employees, Food 2 Go-Go is more than just a way to keep money coming in — it’s a way to get back to some sense of normalcy and creativity as Brodie, who celebrated her birthday on stage last week, explained to HuffPost.
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“It feels amazing. It’s still not enough, but it feels so good to move,” she said. “I woke up the next day and was actually sore ― it had been so long [since I last danced]. I just need this right now.”
Toxic, who also works at Lucky Devil Lounge, told HuffPost that it’s also been a way to help deal with some of the negative mental effects that self-isolation has caused.
“It’s helped my mood and my anxiety and depression during this entire pandemic because I get to have some type of artistic expression again,” She said. “It’s great to feel sexy ― I just feel really invigorated.”
And she said that feeling translates to the crowds of cars showing up to the drive-thru, too.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--‘I Have A Lot' Going On: Trump Again Deflects Blame For Medical Supplies Shortage

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President Donald Trump once again deflected blame for his administration’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 1.2 million people across the country, saying he had been too busy with probes into his conduct as president to ensure the federal stockpile of medical supplies was prepared for a pandemic.
“Well, I’ll be honest, I have a lot of things going on,” Trump told ABC News anchor David Muir on Tuesday. “We had a lot of people that refused to allow the country to be successful. They wasted a lot of time on Russia, Russia, Russia. That turned out to be a total hoax. Then they did Ukraine, Ukraine, and that was a total hoax. Then they impeached the president of the United States for absolutely no reason.”
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ABC: You're three years into your term. What did you do when you became president to restock those cupboards that you say are bare?
TRUMP: "Well, I'll be honest, uh, I have a lot of things going on." pic.twitter.com/7l9v3dgrOz — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 5, 2020
Trump has regularly cast blame on those in the White House before him, saying falsely that he was left with “empty cupboards” three years ago when he replaced then-President Barack Obama. The country has what’s known as the Strategic National Stockpile of medical equipment to help protect Americans in the face of biological or natural disasters, the country’s largest supply of such gear. It was described as an $8 billion armoury just last November.
The Washington Post toured some of the facilities in 2018, more than a year into Trump’s term, and described hundreds of thousands of shrink-wrapped boxes that, among other things, contained enough vaccines to protect every American from smallpox. But the stockpile had some shortcomings, and face mask supplies hadn’t been substantially replenished since the H1N1 pandemic in 2009.
Medical facilities across the country have since struggled to access personal protective equipment like gowns and gloves throughout the pandemic, and governors have been forced to plead or dramatically overpay to bolster their supply of ventilators. The US government’s emergency stockpile was close to running out in early April, The Washington Post reported at the time, just as cases of the coronavirus began to surge across the nation. And thousands of the emergency ventilators didn’t work due to a maintenance issue.
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Trump also spent the early weeks of the pandemic refuting doctors’ claims that they didn’t have adequate protective gear, going so far as to question the use of face masks by hospitals treating an influx of patients. The Associated Press reported in March that former Obama administration officials said Trump’s administration had effectively “wasted” months in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak before ordering critical supplies needed to help treat infected Americans.
More than 1.2 million people have now been infected with the virus in the United States and more than 70,000 have died.
Muir pressed the president on medical professionals’ concerns as the White House urges some areas of the US to reopen to kickstart the economy, including fears there could be a resurgence in cases and an uptick in deaths.
“It’s possible there will be some, because you won’t be locked into an apartment or a house or whatever it is,” Trump said. “But at the same time, we’re going to practice social distancing. We’re going to be washing hands, we’re going to be doing a lot of things that we’ve learned to do.”
He continued: “Will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon.”
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"I banned people from coming into China" -- while trying to defend his February comment that the coronavirus would go away on its own, Trump confuses which country he's president of and comes across as a parody of an incompetent leader pic.twitter.com/dn7JzILYSP — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 5, 2020
The president went on to tout his efforts to close the country’s border with China, saying he did so against the advice of health officials and to the boon of the country.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Adele Breaks Cover As She Shares Stunning Photo On Her 32nd Birthday

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Adele has thanked fans for their birthday love in a rare update on Instagram as she turns 32.
The Someone Like You singer, who split from husband Simon Konecki last year, shared a pic revealing her slimmer frame.
Adele smiled for the camera while standing outside her LA home alongside a giant floral wreath, wearing a black dress.
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“Thank you for the birthday love,” she captioned the photo. “I hope you’re all staying safe and sane during this crazy time.
“I’d like to thank all of our first responders and essential workers who are keeping us safe while risking their lives! You are truly our angels.”
She added: “2020 okay bye thanks x.”
The multi Grammy and Brit award-winning superstar has been following a new fitness and healthy eating plan following her divorce from husband Simon Konecki, which was finalised last September, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
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Adele and ex-husband Simon Konecki. EMPICS Entertainment
The couple share a son, seven-year-old Angelo.
In February, Adele appeared to confirm she had a new album on the way later this year.
She performed at the wedding party of her friend, author Laura Dockrill and Maccabees guitarist Hugo White, and in videos uploaded by guests she said: “Expect my album in September.”
Her most recent album was the chart-topping 25 in 2015.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Donald Trump Doesn't Care If You Die From The Coronavirus

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Throughout the coronavirus crisis, President Donald Trump has dished out dangerous “cures,” played down the severity of the pandemic, pushed to reopen the economy and bragged about the job he’s doing.
There has been a central theme running through his response: his seeming utter lack of empathy for the people who are suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
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On April 26, The Washington Post analysed the 13 hours Trump had spent talking in his daily coronavirus briefings, which were stopped after his own aides intervened to argue that the appearances were hurting his popularity.
Of the 13 hours that Trump spent talking, Trump spent two hours attacking people and 45 minutes praising himself.
He spent just four and a half minutes expressing condolences for coronavirus victims.
On Tuesday, Trump left Washington for the first time since March. He wasn’t going to meet with victims’ families, as many presidents do. Instead, he was going to visit a business that makes masks in Arizona.
“I’m going to pay my respect to a great company,” Trump said as he boarded Air Force One.
The American people, he added, “should think of themselves as warriors” ― in the battle to reopen the economy. Warriors, of course, often die.
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“Despite Democrats and the media’s coordinated attempts to criticise this President for providing hope and optimism throughout this pandemic, President Trump has delivered a message of comfort, unity, and strength while taking bold actions to save lives, provide financial assistance, and set this great country on a responsible path to reopen,” responded White House spokesman Judd Deere. “The American people have shown tremendous spirit throughout this difficult time and are continuing to respond to the President[’s] message.”
Trump has acknowledged that he knows some people who have died from COVID-19, expressing amazement at the “speed and viciousness” of the “horrible” disease. And he’s said he’s talked to three or four families who have had someone die from the virus. But he generally has not lingered on talking about what people are going through.
And it’s not just that he’s not showing empathy publicly. In his desire to move along, he’s pushed remedies that are not only unproven but are often dangerous.
Trump’s focus right now is on getting businesses back open, no matter how much medical experts warn that doing so could lead to more deaths.
Trump has been cheering on the states that are reopening.
“There’s not too many states that I know of that are going up. Almost everybody is headed in the right direction,” Trump said during a Fox News town hall on Sunday. “We’re on the right side of it, but we want to keep it that way, but we also want to get back to work.”
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Trump is wrong. More than 70,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19, and in most states, cases are either increasing or staying the same.
Many of the states that are reopening are doing so without meeting benchmarks set by the White House. In some of these places, cases continue to rise and testing still lags.
But Trump’s focus is making sure the economy gets going again — especially ahead of the 2020 election.
In March, Trump reportedly considered doing nothing ― just letting the coronavirus sweep over the country and kill people, with those who survived then having immunity.
“Why don’t we let this wash over the country?” Trump asked. Administration officials said he had “repeatedly” raised this scenario in conversations in the Oval Office. Trump has often had trouble connecting in times of sorrow.
When four US soldiers died in Niger in 2017, he said and did nothing for a week until pressed by the media. When he did finally call one of the soldier’s widows, he told her that her husband “knew what he signed up for.”
In June 2017, Trump called the father of another soldier who died in Afghanistan, promising that he would give him $25,000 and set up an online fundraiser. Four months later, when The Washington Post followed up, the father said he had not received anything.
And in 2018, when meeting with survivors and families of victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that killed 17 people, a photographer caught a photo of Trump’s notes, including one bullet point reminding him to say “I hear you” to the visitors.
While he does mention families who have suffered or lost loved ones during occasions like the State of the Union address, it is generally to make a point about his political agenda — such as cracking down on undocumented immigration.
During his Fox News town hall on Sunday, which took place at the Lincoln Memorial, Trump implied that he was the real victim in the coronavirus crisis.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--The Queen Of Quarantine: Amanda Holden On NHS Fundraising And The Importance Of Lockdown Laughs

Amanda Holden’s Instagram content has been one of the few joys of the lockdown period.
“I just like being silly. But I’m really glad you’ve taken it how it is meant, which is a bit of fun and laughter,” she says with her trademark cackle. “I’ve howled with laughter filming it.”
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But if you didn’t think Amanda – or Mandy, as she quickly refers to herself – was already a Queen Of Quarantine just for keeping us entertained, the Britain’s Got Talent judge is now raising vital funds for the NHS with the release of her debut single – a cover of Judy Garland’s Over The Rainbow.
The song had originally been recorded for Amanda’s debut album, but after the project was put on ice due to the coronavirus outbreak, she’s teamed up with Marks & Spencer as part of their All In This Together campaign to put the song out, with all proceeds going to the NHS Charities Together.
Amanda has spoken a lot previously of how she owes so much to the NHS – they were there for her and her family when her son Theo was born sleeping in 2011, and saved her life a year later when she ran into dangerous complications during the birth of daughter Hollie.
With the track on course to debut highly in Friday’s Official Chart, Amanda tells HuffPost she’s been left “over the moon and slightly weirded out” by the positive reception.
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She says: “When we decided to do this a week ago with Marks & Spencer, I just said, ’Yep, absolutely let’s do this. As long as it gets in the top 40, I’ll be happy because you can then say you had a record in the top 40′. I never in my wildest dreams thought it would soar like this.
“Of course I’m delighted it’s currently at number one on iTunes, but it is all about the money we raise. I’m worried about it being number one because I don’t want people to think ‘Oh, it’s got to number one’ – I want them to keep downloading it.”
But in between fundraising, releasing music and making us laugh on Instagram – as well as continuing to present her breakfast show on Heart Radio – life in lockdown is still like the rest of us for Amanda.
As we speak to her on the phone from her south-west London home, she’s just finished an art class with her daughter (“I’m covered in black paint!”) and is juggling the phone in one hand as she makes tea for the family with the other.
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Here, she chats about the need for lockdown laughs, the future of Britain’s Got Talent amid the coronavirus crisis and why she’s not going to apologise for enjoying a few glasses of rosé...
Congratulations on the single Amanda. You’ve obviously got a very personal connection to it – did that make you more nervous about people hearing it?
It’s always very nerve-racking putting anything like this out because people don’t know me for this, even though musical theatre is how I started out. So you don’t want to mess everything up and you hope everyone likes it and takes it for what it is.
I always think that as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, I’ve got to be prepared to put myself out there and put myself on the line. But, I am a performer and it is how I started and what I’m supposed to do.
And that’s why you’re on the panel…
Hopefully it will keep me on the panel for a couple more years! [laughs]
Have you had any surprising reactions from anyone you weren’t expecting to impress or hear from?
All of my friends have been wonderfully supportive. Lauren [Silverman, Simon Cowell’s partner] was one of the first people to text me congratulations. She woke up in LA and passed on Simon’s congratulations too, because you know, he doesn’t have a phone or anything.
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It’s all lovely, but for me, it’s not about that, it’s all about how much money we can raise, so it’s kind of embarrassing – I don’t want the glory of it. I do feel like I’ve got a lot in common with Captain Tom though, because he’s 99 and I’m 49, so I’m hitting my first half century and he’s hitting his second. It’s not something I thought would happen at this age, so you’ve made an old lady very happy!
Is the plan still to perform on Britain’s Got Talent?
Simon has heard [the album] and was very sweet about it and invited me to sing live, so whenever we release the album, I will sing on Britain’s Got Talent. I imagine that will be later this year.
The live shows have been postponed because of the pandemic – what is the latest there?
All of the main judges have been given a date to hold in early autumn to see if it works live. But we would never do it without an audience because we’ve always said the British public is the fifth judge. So we can’t do it without them – it would be no fun without them! We’ll see what happens, but we are planning to do it this year.
Simon has fought very hard for it to be on now, in its normal slot, and it celebrates Britain at its best. All our eccentricities, our nuttiness, and being able to laugh at ourselves is how we get through everything – we’ve got to still find the light in the dark.
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One of the things I always look forward to is seeing what you’re going to wear, and I always enjoy how much you love winding up the people who complain to Ofcom…
It just makes me laugh that a bit of sideboob causes so much offence! It is ridiculous.
What I’m hoping for now is that when we get out of this and we’re on the other side is that people have a better sense of perspective about what is actually important. I’ve seen so much humility, love and appreciation of everyone, and we’ve all had a chance to sit back and really have a think about life and what it’s all about. So hopefully, they’ll complain about something more important than some tired old breasts.
I think you should just be more daring and outrageous...
Well, I have got all this time to think about what not to wear.
Amanda's Britain's Got Talent outfits are always a talking point Syco / Thames / Dymond
Your Instagram content has been a proper tonic over the last few weeks – how do you come up with the ideas for your posts?
I literally lie awake at night! No, I don’t really, but I just like being silly. But I’m really glad you’ve taken it how it is meant, which is a bit of fun and laughter. I’ve howled with laughter filming it.
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My poor husband, who is the cameraman throughout, is just there staring, and I’m saying, “No, we’ve got to do it again!”. When I came downstairs in that pink gown, he was like, “What the bloody hell are you doing now?”. I was like, “I’m going to do a slow-mo taking out the bins”.
He thinks I’m mad, but my children particularly like the wedding dress one. I went up in the loft and found my wedding dress, and my eldest daughter then walked around the garden in it, so we now have to find a dry cleaner that’s open now.
Is there anything you’ve filmed that you’ve not been able to put on Instagram?
Let’s just say I’ve washed the car. That will be out when this is all over, I think. Even I’ve gone, “Hmmm”. It gets very sudsy, I’ll just say that...
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You’re never afraid of being candid or a bit silly – like this story you revealed on Shopping With Keith Lemon – but do you ever get in trouble for sharing too much?
Yes, but mainly just from my husband. He says, “Mandy, I know you wear your heart on your sleeve, but honestly”. But No Holden Back is my name, so I have to live up to it really.
Speaking of Keith Lemon, there’s a spot on Celebrity Juice going now that Holly Willoughby has quit as team captain – would you be up for the gig?
I would love it, but it is hard work because they film for blinking hours. I remember when I filled in for Holly, I was like “Yeah! I’ll come and do that”. But obviously I do Heart Breakfast, which I get up for at 5.30am, they film it over in Elstree and I’m not joking, it takes about four hours and they don’t finish until really late. So I would say yes, I’d love to, but it takes too long!
I know Holly is not goodie-goodie by any means, but that’s what she plays, and I always think it’s better to watch someone who is straighter doing things out of their comfort zone. Everyone knows I’m up for anything, so it’s not as funny.
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You are such a positive and upbeat person but have you found it difficult to stay that way during lockdown?
I’ve been really blessed because I’ve been able to continue working on Heart, so having the same thing of going to work every morning has really helped me to stay sane.
I’ve had to get my head round staying still, because I’m never still and always working – I’ve never really sat down in my house and enjoyed it and the lovely back garden we’re lucky to have. I’ve relished it, I’m not going to lie. I know it’s a terribly difficult time for so many people financially and their mental health, but I’ve been blessed with being stuck with the people I love the most and I’ve got to keep my job. So, I’ve learned a lot about myself and who I prefer to be, which is a lot less busy.
Amanda's single is available to download now .
You’re homeschooling your kids – what are you like as a teacher?
I have to say, it’s my husband who is smashing it. By the time I’ve got home from Heart, he’s done it. I do all the good stuff – English and Art. I’ve just done this fabulous planets in the sky project, and last week we made a robot, which I loved. Chris does all the stinky stuff like Geography and Science. I love him.
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Hollie [Amanda’s youngest daughter, who is eight] also respects him a lot more than she respects me, so they get a lot more done. As soon as I get home, they all get treats and have a lovely time.
We’ve had an insight into your home life on Instagram, but have you ever considered an At Home With The Holdens reality show?
It’s so funny, my husband is the life and soul at a dinner party or the pub, but he would die if there was a camera around, and so would my eldest daughter. But me and Hollie could do a little show and go out on the road.
Amanda and husband Chris Hughes PA Archive/PA Images
In 2019, you joined Heart radio, recorded your album, got a doctorate and did a sky dive – is there anything left on your bucket list?
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I would love to do a musical film. That would be a dream come true for me, definitely. Maybe this album, when it comes out, will open doors and remind people that I can act.
I’m getting serious Disney princess vibes...
Or a Disney princess’ mother! I could be Rapunzel ’s mum, that’s me.
[Her PR tells me my time with Mandy has come to en end] Ooh, go and have a lovely glass of rosé! I tell you what, I’ve run every day and I’ve drank every day – and I’m proud of it!
Amanda Holden’s single Over The Rainbow is available to download now, with all proceeds going to NHS Charities Together. For more information, visit www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--How To Make Your Fresh Food Last Longer

How To Make Your Fresh Food Last Longer

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Moldy strawberries, clumpy yogurt, rotten carrots and hardened bread have all probably made an appearance in your fridge — that area at the back that we don’t talk about — at some point.
Food waste is a major problem for households, and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic as we continue to buy more than we need. But, if we learn proper and safe food storage for the fridge, we can make our food last longer, which will help prevent food waste, save us some money, and prevent food poisoning.
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Fridge and freezer basics
It’s very important your fridge and freezer are cold enough to keep foods chilled at the right temperature. USDA guidelines say fridges should be set for 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and freezers to 0 or lower to prevent bacteria growth. If your fridge doesn’t come with a thermometer, now is a good idea to invest in one if you can.
Raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood should never be left outside the fridge or freezer unless you’re preparing them to eat. Refrigerate or freeze them right when you get home from the grocery store, or when they’re dropped off at your home.
AndreyPopov via Getty Images A well-stocked fridge shouldn't be an overcrowded fridge.
Do not crowd together foods in your fridge, and keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood separate from other foods. Overcrowding can lead to spoiled food quicker, and keeping meat close together with other foods can potentially lead to food poisoning.
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To help prevent the spread of bacteria and food-borne illness, store meat, poultry, fish, and seafood in sealed containers or plastic bags on the bottom of your fridge’s shelf (if you’re eating it within the next couple of days — if not, place in your freezer in airtight containers or bags) so raw juices don’t drop onto other foods.
Here’s a breakdown by food type for fridge and freezer storage times for food safety and quality.
Fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms and leafy greens
1. Line your crisper with paper or cloth towel
Remember when you were going to make a salad and you opened your fridge only to find wilted, black lettuce? Never again, honey. Lining your crisper (this is where you store your produce to keep it fresh for as long as possible) with a couple of paper-towel sheets or a cloth towel can help absorb the condensation that veggies and fruits generate as they chill. Moist produce wilts and decays a lot faster, which can lead to unnecessary food waste.
2. Brush avocado halves with lemon juice or olive oil
Ask your avocado-loving friends how they’re doing because they’re probably all frustrated with one common complaint: Avocados are only good to eat for a day or two before they brown.
The solution? Brush the halves with lemon juice or olive oil, according to our friends at Yahoo. The citric acid in lemons, and the components of the oil protects the avocado from oxidation from the air.
3. Store fresh herbs in damp paper towel
To help keep them fresher for longer, loosely wrap cilantro, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, or parsley in a slightly damp paper towel, per Food52, and then place in a resealable plastic bag.
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4. Wash your berries with vinegar and water
It seems like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries start growing mould just days after we put them in the fridge. Here’s how to slow that down: Before you refrigerate them, toss or eat the soft berries. Then, wash them in a solution of three cups water and one cup vinegar, per Food52. Rinse and dry them thoroughly, and store in an airtight container with paper towel underneath and on top to capture any excess moisture.
5. Keep apples away from other from other fruits and veggies and keep bananas together
Apples produce ethylene gas, which makes other fruits ripen faster, so keep them away from other fruits, and store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
To keep bananas from browning too quickly, keep them together in a fruit bowl (away from the apples!) and wrap the stems in plastic wrap (or beeswax sheets), snapping them off when you’re ready to eat them. This will delay them from going ripe too fast.
6. Store an apple in your bag of potatoes
Although we just said to keep apples away from fruits, one apple stored inside a bag of potatoes will actually prevent the starchy vegetable from sprouting and keep them firm for months, according to LifeHacker.
7. Don’t keep tomatoes in the fridge
Keep them on the counter instead. Tomatoes should be kept at room temperature; if you refrigerate them, they’ll lose their flavour.
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8. Cut off the tops of carrots
Before you put them in the fridge, chop off the tops of your carrots. According to Gardenista, the leafy stems steal their nutrients. Same goes for beets, too.
9. Keep fresh mushrooms in brown paper bags
And oldie but a goodie: the paper will absorb the moisture from the mushrooms, so they won’t get soggy.
10. Keep peppers away from moisture
Store them on the counter or in the crisper, away from fruits and veggies, according to Gardenista.
Dairy and eggs
1. Keep milk on the middle or bottom shelf of the fridge, not in the door
Most of us (hello!) keep milk and creamers in the door of our fridge, but that’s actually the worst place to keep them. People are opening and closing our fridges many times a day, the temperature of the door is always changing, which means milk and milk products can spoil a lot faster when kept in the door.
LightFieldStudios via Getty Images Do NOT keep your dairy products in the fridge door.
The best place to store milk according to Real Simple is on the middle and bottom shelves, ideally near the back where the temperature is most cool and consistent.
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2. Wrap cheese in cheese paper, wax paper, or parchment paper
A common mistake is to tightly wrap cheese in plastic wrap or tinfoil. Instead, wrap the cheese up in cheese, wax, or parchment paper, and then put it into an unsealed plastic bag. “The paper creates a barrier between the cheese and the plastic, while the plastic keeps it from getting dry,” Ken Monteleone, the owner of Fromagination Cheese Shop, in Madison, Wisc., told Insider.
3. Store eggs at the back of the fridge
As with milk, eggs shouldn’t be stored in the door of the fridge, but at the back, where the temperature is most consistent.
To keep them fresher for longer than the usual three to five weeks, hard boil the eggs and they’ll stay fresh for one more week.
4. Keep butter wrapped in its original wrapper when storing in the fridge
If you’re not using the butter in the next few days after purchase, put it in the fridge immediately and store in its original wrapper after each use. According to B.C. Dairy, “the [wrapper] foil prevents spoilage that may result from exposure to light and air, as well as offering protection from the aromas and flavours of other foods in the refrigerator.”
Ruta Lipskija via Getty Images Keep your butter wrapped in its original packaging.
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Butter that’s been left unwrapped will last in the fridge for at least eight weeks, but after you’ve opened the wrapper, the butter should be used within three weeks.
As with other dairy products, store the butter at the back of the fridge and not the compartment in the door of the fridge.
Meat, poultry, fish and seafood
1. Keep all meat in the freezer if you’re not planning on eating it within a few days of buying it
This way, it will keep fresh for months (see Health Canada’s guidelines for how long red meat, poultry, fish, and seafood can stay fresh in the freezer).
2. Seafood should be kept at the back of the fridge while thawing
The back of the fridge is where it’s coldest, so your fish will be perfectly fresh when you’re ready to prepare it. Quick tip: keep all seafood and meat that’s in the fridge in a large bowl or tray, even when packaged, to prevent juices from flowing on to other foods.
3. Once meat and seafood packages have been opened, re-seal in an airtight container
Do not put unused meat or seafood back in its original plastic, or it will quickly get freezer burn. An airtight plastic container will keep leftover meat fresher for longer.
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Onions, garlic, shallots, ginger
1. Store onions, garlic, and shallots in a dark, cool place
Don’t keep them in the fridge. A dry, well-ventilated space, like a pantry, will help keep them fresher, longer. And keep them in their original packaging (especially if the packaging has holes), says The Daily Meal.
2. Store ginger in a resealable plastic bag
Make sure all the air in the bag is pushed out, and then store in the crisper.
Fresh bread


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--How Often You Should Wash Your Sheets During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Because of the coronavirus, we’re all thinking about personal hygiene more than ever — and not just washing our hands, but also our hair, face masks, clothing and bedding, too.
The truth is that if you asked a handful of people how often they washed their sheets and bedding before coronavirus, you’d probably get a range of different answers. Some people might stick to once a week, others every two weeks, some even — if they’d admit it — once a month.
But is there a hard and fast rule about how often to wash sheets to keep things as clean and healthy as possible? According to dermatologists and doctors, yes. And now that being aware of Covid-19 is part of our daily lives, there are new rules when it comes to washing bedding.
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Tetra Images via Getty Images As a general guideline, before the coronavirus pandemic, it was a good idea to wash bed sheets once a week. Experts suggest doubling that frequency now.
“When you get into bed, you contaminate your bed linens with dead skin cells (about 50 million per day), sweat, makeup, lotions, hair and anything else you’ve picked up during the day, from pollen and pet dander to fungal mould and dirt particles, to bacteria and viral particles as well,” New York City-based dermatologist Hadley King told HuffPost.
Basically: You want to make sure your bedding is as clean as possible in order to avoid contact with gross stuff — and that’s especially true if you’re trying to avoid germs more than usual (say, during a global pandemic). But if you’re anxious to get a set-in-stone washing schedule in place, let’s get to the specifics, shall we?
How often to wash your bedding in “normal” times
To start, it’s important to know how often the experts suggest you wash your bedding when there isn’t a global pandemic going on — from sheets to pillow cases to duvet covers.
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“The closer a fabric is to the skin, the more frequently it should be washed,” board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner told HuffPost. “I generally recommend that sheets and pillowcases be washed once per week. In the event that there is heavy sweating, they should be washed more frequently. If you have oily skin and frequent breakouts, use leave-on acne medications before bed or don’t always wash your face at night, then you certainly can wash pillowcases more than once per week to be safe. Since duvet covers usually do not directly touch the skin, but rather sit on top of your sheets, they can be washed less frequently, perhaps every other week.”
King agreed, noting that the American Academy of Dermatology recommends washing sheets once per week, and changing pillow cases two to three times per week.
As for the heavier duty items that won’t come into contact with your skin quite as regularly (things like quilts, pillows and mattress covers), physician Tabasum Mir suggested that, under regular circumstances, you should wash them once a year.
If your washing habits don’t look quite like the above suggestions, that doesn’t mean you’re bound to have horrible skin or wake up feeling under the weather. But washing linens more frequently certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
“We know that soiled makeup brushes and fabrics can become a breeding ground for microorganisms,” Zeichner explained. “This can mean skin irritation, inflammation, worsening of conditions like acne and rosacea, or even potential skin infections.”
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As dermatologist Nada Elbuluk told HuffPost, not washing bedding frequently enough can also negatively affect one’s skin microbiome, which “constitutes the various microorganisms that exist on our skin.”
“These microorganisms exist in a balance on each person’s skin and can be affected by one’s exposure to even their bedding,” Elbuluk said. “For some individuals who have underlying skin conditions like acne or eczema, insufficient washing of their bedding could cause further exacerbation and inflammation of their conditions.”
How often to wash your bedding during the Covid-19 crisis
So how does all of that change during a global pandemic? Well, in the simplest terms, it’s time to up your game. No matter how often you were washing your bedding before, you should probably do it more often now, even if you and your family are completely healthy.
Olga Nikiforova via Getty Images “While there are no hard and fast rules, generally I’m telling my patients to cut normal wash periods in half,” dermatologist Joshua Zeichner said.
“While there are no hard and fast rules, generally I’m telling my patients to cut normal wash periods in half,” Zeichner said. In other words, if you wash your sheets every other week, start doing it once a week.
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Audrey Kunin, a dermatologist and founder of DERMAdoctor, points out that while data on how long the virus lives on various surfaces is “scant,” there is some research that indicates how long the coronavirus might be able to survive on linens.
“Concerns that viral particles can become trapped within the fabric weave, then inhaled during sleep, would make me recommend increasing the frequency of doing washing,” Kunin said.
Podiatrist Velimir Petkov also points out that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not issued any specific advice regarding washing linens during the pandemic. Generally speaking, though, Petkov does suggest keeping washing separate if you live with an essential worker and using the hottest water possible when washing bedding — or any washing, for that matter.
“Essential workers, especially those who work in the health care field, are advised to change their clothing immediately after coming home from work. They should avoid having their clothes coming in contact with any bedding and sheets,” Petkov said. “It is worth mentioning that hospitals and clinics wash reusable sheets with water heated to 160 degrees Fahrenheit while households typically do it at 86 to 104 degrees F. It is not recommended to wash your sheets using cold or even lukewarm water.”
If you happen to be in a household with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, though, there are some more specific, CDC-mandated cleaning and disinfecting guidelines to follow.
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“Don’t shake dirty washing to minimise the possibility of dispersing the virus through the air, wash items with soap or detergent using the hottest appropriate water setting and dry items completely,” Tabasum explained, noting some basic hygiene steps that can help kill the virus. “Wash your hands with soap and water immediately afterwards [and] wash or disinfect your washing bag and hamper, as well.”
As King points out, though, no matter how often you do any of the above, there are other forms of disinfection and hygiene that may be more important than focusing on bedding in particular.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Coronavirus Sees Pet Scams Treble As Brits Are Sold Animals That Don't Exist

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Cruel scammers are exploiting Brits’ love of animals and desire for company amid the coronavirus lockdown by selling them fake pets through online adverts.
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Reports of animal scams tripled in April to 524 cases across the UK, according to Action Fraud. There has been a surge in people looking for puppies and kittens as they spend more time at home and may be seeking companionship.
But criminals are exploiting the fact buyers can’t visit and collect animals in person during lockdown, and are instead sending them photographs before persuading them to part with their money for pets that never materialise.
Courtney Hale via Getty Images
In the last two months, 669 people have lost a collective £282,686 after paying for pets they had seen advertised online but never received, Action Fraud has revealed.
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In some cases, fraudsters are using the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions not only to exploit victims for an initial payment, but to con them out of additional money by asking for the cost of insurance, vaccinations and delivery.
HuffPost UK has learned that, in one case, a victim bought and paid for a cat before being informed there would be a delay handing it over because the seller was in hospital with coronavirus.
The person who notified the victim claimed to be from The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. But when the buyer called the college back, it became clear the scammer had simply stolen the vet’s name and workplace as a cover.
In another case, someone bought a puppy online and paid a deposit. They were then contacted by a courier company which said there would be an additional £850 delivery cost because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The victim attempted to contact the seller to ask for a refund but could no longer get through to them.
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Prystai via Getty Images
Detective Superintendent Alex Rothwell from City of London Police, which hosts the national Action Fraud reporting centre, told HuffPost UK: “We know that criminals are adaptable and they will use every opportunity they can to defraud people. We have to be prepared for them to exploit every angle of this national crisis.
“People are living their lives in unusual circumstances and are at home on their computers more, searching for things to buy, and are often making purchases without being able to see what they are buying in person.”
Google searches for “buy a puppy” soared by 120% in the month after lockdown and “adopt a puppy” saw a rise of 133% in online searches.
Detective Superintendent Alex Rothwell City of London Police
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Rothwell told HuffPost fraudsters are using the lockdown as an excuse for not allowing customers to visit or collect animals in person.
“The majority of reports we are getting are about online shopping scams where people are ordering items and the goods are simply not arriving,” he said.
“Unfortunately, scammers are playing on the emotions of people wanting to buy pets during the lockdown and are using the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to explain why people can’t go to view the animal first as they would in normal circumstances.
“Instead, criminals are showing people photographs of animals that they don’t actually have to sell. After they have paid the money, the animal never materialises and they can no longer get hold of the seller.”
He added: “Criminals are often posting these fake ads on social media or using social media to direct people to fraudulent websites.
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“We are all vulnerable to fraud in different ways and fraudsters have the ability to target people in specific ways – one of which is exploiting their love of animals.”
Pet scams have been reported to Action Fraud from all over the UK, with a spike in April when 524 people were targeted by the fraud – more than three times the number reported in March.
Rothwell said he didn’t want to scare people at a time when many are already anxious, but urged: “Think before you click. Take five minutes to consider if what you are thinking about buying is something you can verify from a different source before you divulge information or make a purchase.
“While it is perfectly plausible you can’t see an animal in person during the lockdown, you can ask for further evidence that they have the pet such as a video call. If you feel any doubts, don’t go ahead with the purchase.
“It is also worth remembering that if you pay with a credit card, there is some consumer protection that comes with that.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Coronavirus Has Separated Me From My Disabled Sister, And I’m Scared

Courtesy of the author HuffPost UK
Everyone is battling something during the coronavirus pandemic – some battles are more painful than others. My family’s battle has left all of us, especially my mother, suffering: the pain of not being able to see her firstborn child, my sister, Rebecca.
My older sister is severely disabled and lives in a group home. Since covid-19 began sweeping across the United States, my mother has been isolated from visiting her, something she has done weekly since Becky moved two years ago.
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It’s been a crushing burden to bear. Rebecca is 36-years-old. She is vocal but not verbal, wears diapers, needs to be bathed and fed, and she needs constant care and assistance. She is a little girl trapped in an adult’s body.
Doctors never diagnosed Becky with anything specific. They said only that she presents herself as though she has a syndrome, with autistic characteristics. Maybe it was a problem with her genome? A chromosome? No one has ever been able to say definitively.
But it didn’t matter. Becky was loved, and perfect in the eyes of our family. My mom treated us as equals while she raised us by herself. Life wasn’t easy. From an early age, I knew my family was different. I watched my mom work multiple jobs, lose relationships, and continuously question the future – specifically, my sister’s fate. I watched her struggle as Becky became more aggressive with age. I was witness to my mom’s anxiety and panic attacks, when she lost hope and didn’t know if she could go on.
“For years, as I followed my own career path around the country, I found solace in knowing my sister was safe with my mom. Now, that would no longer be the case.”
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Come May, it’ll be two years since my mom decided to move my sister to a group home. It was a painful decision made for a variety of reasons. At 62, my mother suffers from a host of ailments that made it increasingly difficult to care for Rebecca on her own – something she had done as a single mother for 36 years. In the back of her mind, too, was a fear of the inevitable: what would happen to Becky when something happened to her? She wanted a say in where my sister was placed, and didn’t want to burden me with those decisions if she was no longer here.
So we found the perfect place for my sister: a group home in a quiet neighbourhood close to where we grew up, with only four residents, including Becky.
It was still hard. The first time I visited, I broke down in front of the staff. Would my sister be safe? Would she be well cared for? Would she be happy? For years, as I followed my own career path around the country, I found solace in knowing my sister was safe with my mom. Now, that would no longer be the case.
I eventually overcame my preconceived notions and thoughts. Technology helped. I was living in Richmond, Virginia, at the time, and I was able to see Becky via FaceTime. For the months that followed, knowing my mom visited my sister every week felt like a warm blanket of reassurance.
After two years, I had begun to grow accustomed to it all. Then, a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic struck, forcing us all into quarantine and isolation.
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It’s been a month since my mom last physically saw my sister. We’ve both relied on weekly calls to get us through. My sister seems happy. Her caregivers, angels on Earth, FaceTime us when she’s outside playing in their backyard, watching her favourite video tapes, or eating her dinner.
Becky looks good. She looks healthy. But I always find myself worrying: does she understand what’s going on? Does she think we’ve abandoned her? The never-ending guilt that I feel for just being the child that was born ‘okay’ is enhanced by constant worry and fear.
“Most frightening of all are the laws some states have in place that could restrict people like my sister from receiving lifesaving treatment”
Across the country, the death toll is climbing inside group homes for the developmentally disabled. According to NBC New York, 156 disabled group home residents have died after testing positive for covid-19. Besides underlying health conditions, people like my sister are living in residential quarters among many other people and with nurses and staff who are continuously coming in and out. Social distancing and quarantining are nearly impossible.
I’ve read articles about aides and nurses in these homes lacking PPE and protections needed to provide adequate and safe care – they aren’t offered enough testing either. Most frightening of all are the laws some states have in place that could restrict people like my sister from receiving lifesaving treatment if they do get sick with covid-19. If she’s infected, will she not be given a respirator because she isn’t viewed as vital by society.
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At least my sister has my mom and me. We will fight to the death to protect her. But what about all the people with disabilities who have no one to advocate for them? My heart breaks daily as thoughts of horror swirl inside my head. I pray I find the resilience to fight through.
For now, I’m thankful for my sister’s health and the technology that allows my mom and I to see her, say we love her and that we’ll always care. But in these times, I can’t help but worry.
Allison Norlian is a Emmy-nominated journalist. Follow her on Twitter at @Allison2Names


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-05-06--Scared For Lockdown To End? Me Too.

Scared For Lockdown To End? Me Too.

Scared for lockdown to end? Me too. Getty Creative
If you’d have told me at the start of this year that by May, I’d have been locked up in my house alone for so long that the prospect of leaving it scared me, there’s no way I’d have believed you. And yet here we are.
For some, lockdown has thrown life as they once knew it into perilous insecurity, producing crippling anxiety. For others, the monotony of seemingly endless days melting into one another is manifesting in physical and emotional exhaustion, and a deep sense of listlessness.
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The trouble is that as the conversation starts to pivot towards when and how lockdown will end, we’ve only, really just started getting used to it all.
As someone who has spent years battling anxiety and panic attacks, the first few weeks felt so hard to grasp that I walked around in an almost permanent state of disassociation.
But this new normal (for want of a better phrase) has become just normal, and quickly. Concepts that were once considered foreign — like going on a first date on a video-conferencing platform, or exercising in our living rooms via Youtube — are now familiar. We now queue to go to the supermarket, move to distance ourselves as people encroach on our 2m radius of safety, and play a lot of quizzes with our mates online.
As someone who thrives when there is at least some semblance of routine in my life, things have started to feel almost predictable again – and there’s a safety in that.
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I don’t want to downplay the huge emotional, economic and situational impact that this virus has had on individuals and families in the UK, and all across the world.
But for those fortunate enough not to have been dramatically impacted either financially, or by losing loved ones, the changes haven’t been all that bad. In fact some have been positive. And the prospect of losing them is scary.
Opportunity is often borne out of chaos. And the indefinite suspension of life as we once knew it has allowed us time and space to think about the things we’d like back when this all ends. And those we wouldn’t.
For example, the crisis has exacerbated widespread inequality and forced the current government to adapt its thinking in a way it may not have otherwise. It’s precipitated investment in public services of the kind that hasn’t been seen in over a decade, which can only be a good thing — if maintained. It has proven that big business can adapt quickly and at scale if it wants to — throwing old excuses for inertia in the battle to fight climate change out of the window, too. Companies that have resisted flexible working practices that could galvanise efforts towards reaching gender parity at work have been forced to adapt.
On a personal level, friends and strangers on Twitter tell me they’re far more aware of what — and who — they hold dear, more conscious of what’s important to them, and how to achieve it. A widespread slowing down has also created space for kindness to flourish — encouraging a society of people that has so often been pitted against one another in the pursuit of wealth accumulation to feel a desire to share. It has seen love dominate over hatred in many corners of the world and, to a certain degree, sewn back together the fractured edges of our communities.
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And so, is it really any surprise that I, along with many others, are scared about the prospect of life returning to “normal”? It seems perfectly natural — and human — to be fearful of another big change to our day-to-day existence when many of us are only just starting to get used to the current one. So too, does cynicism about the idea of returning to the rabid selfishness promoted by consumer capitalism. Or to the relentless slog of the 9-5, sandwiched between visits to the gym and pub. Or the unrelenting social pressure created by calendar tetris — trying to fit everyone and everything in — that leaves little time to just be still.
And I think it’s right that we question — and keep questioning — this as we move forwards into the next unknown. As the prospect of lockdown being lifted looms, it’s more important than ever that we hold on to the lessons and positive progress we’ve made as a society over the past few months.
The abject trauma suffered by many at the hands of this cruel virus must end. I hope with every part of my being that it does soon.
But it’s also OK to hope that the switch back to normal life isn’t binary — and more like a dial that moves in grades rather than two “on” and “off” buttons. It’s understandable to be fearful of losing green shoots of hope that have appeared amongst the wall of grey. It’s our responsibility as a society to cling onto these and take them with us as we move forward. As we all know, it’s so easy for things to move and change quickly.
Now more than ever, we must remember that we can never go backwards. I hope for our sake, we can use some of the lessons we’ve learned to create a happier, more equitable future for all.
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