thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--Chris Evans Becomes Captain America Again For 6-Year-Old Who Saved Sister From Dog

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Chris Evans’ Captain America is coming out of retirement.
Though Avengers: Endgame seemed like the last time we’d see Evans as the character, the actor adopted the persona again to recognise a real-life hero: 6-year-old Bridger Walker.
On 9 July, Bridger put himself between a charging dog and his 4-year-old sister, suffering several injuries to his face and head, his aunt Nicole Walker explained in now-viral Instagram posts.
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He apparently said later, “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.” Bridger’s surgery lasted around two hours, and he got more than 90 stitches, according to his family.
His aunt shared the story hoping to get Bridger some encouragement from his favourite big screen superheroes, and the Avengers assembled. Since that time, the family said they’ve heard from Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Zachary Levi, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Holland, the Russo brothers and Robbie Amell.
And on Wednesday, it was Evans’ turn.
Bridger, 6 years old, saved his little sister from an attacking dog. He knew he would get hurt, but he did it anyway. He’s a hero.
So, we made this happen. One of the most fulfilling things, ever, huge thanks to Chris Evans.
Spread love. ❤ pic.twitter.com/PKxeHcyPyk — BD (@BrandonDavisBD) July 16, 2020
The actor apparently learned of Bridger’s story from Comicbook.com’s Brandon Davis, and then sent a video message to Bridger, who fittingly watched in a Captain America suit.
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“Hey, Bridger. Captain America here. How you doin’, buddy? So I read your story. I saw what you did, and I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of this over the last couple days, but let me be the next one to tell you: Pal, you’re a hero,” Evans said. “What you did was so brave, so selfless. Your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother. Your parents must be so proud of you.”
Evans continued, saying he’s sending Bridger an authentic Captain America shield and that even though recovery is tough, there’s nothing that can slow him down.
Marvel, you may have just found your next Captain America.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--Exclusive: AstraZeneca Could Price Poor Out Of Covid Vaccine After Pandemic, Campaigners Warn

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A pharma giant could price poorer countries out of a British coronavirus vaccine in the future due to a loophole in the non-profit agreement it signed with Oxford University, campaigners have warned – among them one of the first participants in the trial itself.
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Volunteer Luigi Ceccaroni has demanded the details of a distribution deal between Oxford University and AztraZeneca be made public, saying he fears the firm could still profiteer from the drug once the first global peak dies down. AstraZeneca told HuffPost UK this week it was “too early to comment on pricing post-pandemic”.
Ceccaroni’s concerns have been echoed by shadow minister for science and research Chi Onwurah, and by campaign group Global Justice Now.
In an open letter, Ceccaroni said there must be more transparency about the agreement between Oxford and AstraZeneca to ensure “free global access” to the vaccine.
“The output of a publicly-funded project should be open and free for everyone,” he told HuffPost UK.
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In April, the University of Oxford – which has received tens of millions in government funding for its coronavirus vaccine research – announced a “landmark partnership” with the drug company.
A scientist working trying to establish a viable vaccine against coronavirus Covid-19. STEVE PARSONS via Getty Images
The two parties agreed to develop, manufacture and distribute the vaccine if it was successful, vowing to operate on a not-for-profit basis – during the pandemic.
On Monday, findings of the first phases of the Oxford study suggested the vaccine had shown “promising” results.
The early-stage trial showed the jab is “safe, causes few side effects, and induces strong immune responses”, results published in The Lancet said.
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Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial volunteer Luigi Ceccaroni Luigi Ceccaroni
But in an open letter to AstraZeneca chief exec Pascal Soriot and Oxford University’s Professor Adrian Hill, Ceccaroni said: “AstraZeneca has said they will produce the vaccine with no profit during the pandemic but this will be defined by the company and cannot be independently verified.
“This lack of transparency also leaves the door open for the company to profit from this publicly-funded vaccine after the World Health Organisation declares the pandemic is over but the need for a vaccine may still exist.”
He added: “There are also no assurances to me or other volunteers that the know-how and data from the clinical trials will be openly shared to enable any country around the world to manufacture the vaccine themselves.”
Ceccaroni said he and other volunteers signed up for the vaccine trial because they wanted to help defeat coronavirus.
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“We, the volunteers, are here because we recognise the importance of a vaccine breakthrough and for it to be made freely available for vulnerable people everywhere,” he said.
The scientist, who works for an environmental NGO, has also called on Oxford University and AstraZeneca to share the vaccine technology with the World Health Organisation and to vow against monopolies that could risk “price gouging and restricted supplies”.
Global Justice Now, which has also campaigned for free access to the drug Remdesivir, has backed Ceccaroni’s call.
Its senior policy manager Heidi Chow said: “Time and again we’ve seen big corporations profiteer off the back of publicly funded research. That mustn’t happen this time.
“Coronavirus must be fought by using public money to guarantee vaccines are free of pharmaceutical monopolies so there are no restrictions on producing and distributing to those most in need, wherever they live.
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“With so much at stake, including significant amounts of public funding, AstraZeneca and Oxford University must make their deal public.”
Meanwhile, shadow science minister Onwurah said: “UK life sciences and innovation have powered our economy and made the UK a global leader in medical science.
“Covid-19 is a crisis that requires global cooperation to develop and distribute life-saving medicines to those who need it as quickly as possible.
“The UK government must adopt clear and enforceable policies, including transparency over where UK taxpayers money is going, to ensure genuinely equitable access to Covid-19 health technologies with no unnecessary delay.”
According to an Oxford news release at the time, “both partners have agreed to operate on a not-for-profit basis for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, with only the costs of production and distribution being covered”.
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But even after the pandemic is declared over the virus is likely to remain at large. The government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told MPs on Thursday: “It is quite probable that we will see this virus coming back in different waves over a number of years.”
AstraZeneca said in a statement it had been “working tirelessly with scientists, governments, multilateral organisations and manufacturers around the world to ensure broad and equitable access at no profit during the period of the pandemic”.
Its spokesperson added: “We have now secured global supply capacity to exceed two billion doses, and the recently announced agreements with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, and the Serum Institute of India will bring the vaccine to low-and-middle income countries, and beyond.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--6 Of The Best Ways To Spend Your Lunch Break While Working From Home

With so many of us no longer reporting to the office every day, how can we use this new work setup to our advantage? One way to do that: By actually taking a break at lunchtime.
“When you’re working from home, it’s easy to become unaware of when lunchtime is or to just power through it,” Lynn Taylor — a workplace expert and founder of the accessory company Behind The Buckle — told HuffPost. “But that habit can hurt you in the long run.”
Tempting as it might be to work through lunch to get more done, doing so may actually make you less — not more — productive.
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“We only have the capacity to work deeply on tasks for around four hours of each day, so there is little value in stealing time from your lunch, as it may give you more time, but it makes you less productive, less creative and more likely to make mistakes, as well as pushing you towards burnout and an unhealthy work-life integration,” said Lee Chambers, an environmental psychologist and well-being consultant.
You may also want to avoid “breaks” that keep you glued to your laptop or smartphone — like reading personal emails, catching up news or scrolling on social media, Chambers said. You won’t feel refreshed after; plus, you’re more likely to get sucked back into work that way.
To that end, we asked workplace experts to share some of the best ways to spend your lunch break while you’re WFH.
1. At the bare minimum, step away from your desk.
LEREXIS via Getty Images At lunchtime, pry yourself away from your desk. You deserve a break.
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... Or the kitchen table, couch or wherever it is you do work at home. A change of scenery can be beneficial.
“It’s easy to do everything at your desk: eat lunch, make social calls, check the news and social media and so on,” Taylor said. “But removing yourself from your regular environment helps you clear your head, hit the reset button and experience a more positive, balanced day.”
Getting some fresh air is ideal, but if you can’t go outside, just moving to another part of the house can make a difference.
2. Make a healthy lunch. Then sit down and actually enjoy it.
“One of the potential benefits of working from home is access to all ingredients and appliances in your kitchen,” Chambers said. “Cooking is a mindful activity, which helps us disconnect from work and have a lunch break, which takes you out of your working environment.”
At the office, you might have been in the habit of ordering a greasy takeout meal or eating a sad, prepackaged salad at your desk. Now that you’re home, it may be easier to prepare something fresh and nutritious that won’t spike your blood sugar, leading to the inevitable afternoon slump.
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If you’re someone who often forgets to eat lunch or feels too time-crunched to whip something up midday, consider preparing it the night before or in the morning, said clinical psychologist Jessica DiVento, mental health program manager at Google.
Practicing mindful eating — rather than scarfing down a sandwich while attempting five other tasks — can improve digestion and reduce stress.
“We should also aim to eat mindfully, making the space and time to enjoy our food, the flavours, smells and textures, engaging our senses and slowing us down,” Chambers said. “Being aware of our eating and being connected helps us to feel more grounded, breathe and certainly aids digestion.”
3. Step outside.
One of the challenges of working from home, especially during a pandemic, is feeling claustrophobic. You’re spending a lot more time in your house and your living space is now your workspace, too. That’s why it’s essential to get outdoors. During lunch, take a walk around the block or just sit outside to get some fresh air.
“By getting outside, we get the full sensory experience of the sun shining in our eyes, our feet hitting the ground, the wind blowing against our cheeks, the sounds of nature or neighbourhood and the smell of new surroundings,” Chambers said. “The natural light stimulates serotonin production, making us feel happier. And by walking, we get our blood pumping, boosting our cognitive ability and getting rid of any brain fog.”
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“This clarity helps us to tackle the afternoon with vitality while boosting our health and reducing our environmental stress,” he added.
4. Move your body.
adamkaz via Getty Images Even doing some light exercise during your lunch break, like taking a walk or stretching your body, can have a positive impact.
“Working from home has many benefits, including no commute time,” Taylor said. “But one of the downsides is being too sedentary because everything is virtually within reach.”
To counter this, use your lunch time to get moving: Walk outside or stay inside and do some stretches or put on a good song and dance around your bedroom.
“Among the countless benefits: You‘ll be able to think more sharply and creatively,” Taylor added. “And it will improve your mood, too.”
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You could also use the time to do a quick physical chore — like vacuuming or sweeping the floor. Any type of movement that gets the blood flowing “gives you more energy, both mentally and physically, to be productive the rest of your day,” DiVento said.
5. Spend time with a loved one — in person or virtually.
If you used to eat lunch with your colleagues pre-pandemic, WFH life might leave you hungry for that midday burst of connection. But it’s possible to recreate this at home, even if it means doing so via a more social distancing-friendly option like phone or video call.
“Whether it be the family, a pet, or even a telephone call, it is essential to find ways to socially connect that disconnect us from work,” Chambers said.
Parents who are now working from home can also spend this time with their kids.
“Involving them in the routine to eat and move during your lunch can help you not only get a break, but also give you time to connect and be present with them,” DiVento said.
6. Meditate or do some other grounding practice.
Use part of your lunch break to slow down, breathe deeply and check in with yourself. You can meditate in silence or follow a guided mediation on your phone (just make sure to set it to “do not disturb” mode first).
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“Get yourself in a relaxed position and find a peaceful place get away from notifications and distraction,” Taylor said. “Even 10 minutes of this daily will help you to breathe deeply and help give you a broader, healthier perspective on your day’s work — if not your life in general!”
If meditation isn’t your thing, there are countless other ways to take a restorative break.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--How To Find The Workout You Actually Look Forward To Doing

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You’re reading Move, the nudge we need to get active, however makes us happiest and healthiest.
At the risk of being too on the nose, finding a fitness routine you love is a marathon, not a sprint.
For me, it was an actual marathon. I was raised with a minimal, if not non-existent, relationship with exercise. Running the New York City marathon in 2018 completely changed how I viewed strength, working out and “fitness goals.” My body carried me 26.2 (sometimes sluggish) whole freaking miles. I marvelled, maybe for the first time ever, at what being in touch and in tune with your body feels like without thinking about physical appearance.
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Helen Phelan, a New York City-based Pilates instructor who offers online classes through her website, said re-conditioning that mindset is what it takes to commit to finding a routine you love.
“Our culture frames fitness as a chore or punishment for something you ate, which is extremely damaging,” she told me. “Part of the work is trial and error and making sure you final a modality that is at least mentally stimulating and interesting, but I think the most important part of getting your brain to kind of enjoy moving is the training of feeling strong.”
By finding strength in fitness, you are able to find a stronger sense of self in your everyday life, off the mat.
“When you learn a new skill, it’s communicating to your brain, ‘Strong people do this, I’m strong if I can do this, I can do hard things,’” Phelan said. “It’s a reconditioning, and people really see a change in self-perception and confidence-boosting both in exercise and in daily life, seeing yourself in this stronger, more empowered way.”
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Still, finding the actual workout ― and community you want to do it in ― is important.
Ariel Padilla is a New York City-based SoulCycle instructor who also hosts weekly virtual workouts. He did not grow up with fitness. He said he first attended a SoulCycle class (which are both praised and sometimes mocked for some of their more spiritual components) after his mother passed away in 2013. It was the connection he felt from the instructor that kept him coming back, and it’s what he said now keeps his loyal base of riders coming back.
“The workout is one aspect of it, but I think what really matters is making someone feel seen and heard and remembered,” Padilla said. “You remember someone’s name, you make someone feel singular in a pack of 65 people ― now there’s a relationship there.”
Indeed, finding the right workout can be as simple as finding the right instructor, no matter the exercise.
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“I try to, without like, delivering Bible verses, be as open a book as possible to give someone something to hold onto,” Padilla said. “If you’re a genuine person in the fitness industry you find your people and they’ll stick around.”
And when all else fails, Padilla said he holds on to the other aspects of a workout to push through when it feels too hard or disjointed.
“For me, it’s the music,” he said. “Even if I’m not amazing at it, I have something to connect to outside my own physical pain. I’m like, ‘OK, this feels close to dancing, which I love. Now I can think of catching rhythm.’”
Trying a new workout class can be intimidating no matter what the type, as Rodrick Covington, owner of Core Rhythm Fitness knows well. His physical, mental and spiritual approach comes with a healthy dose of high-intensity interval training, heavy weights, Pilates movements and pushing students to their best ability.
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“Last week I had a woman come to class for the first time, she emailed that she felt awful through the class, that her smile was fake, but that she felt amazing at the end,” Covington said. “I could see she was nervous, but when people are intimidated I just encourage them to think of themselves as worthy ― they’re worth giving themselves the best, trying something new. It’s about creating the conversation of creating change you want to see in yourself, rewriting the narrative to where fitness is self love.”
For Covington, finding the right fitness class is just as much about the experience as it is the workout itself.
“Fitness to me like is church, it’s community,” he said. “There are some churches where I wouldn’t be welcome as a gay Black man, just like there are some workout studios where I wouldn’t feel as empowered because of the energy or how they operate.”
Ultimately, whatever exercise you choose, the path to success lies not only in what the workout is but how you go about approaching that workout. Having previously experienced an eating disorder and understanding the ways one can use exercise as a way to harm the body, Phelan now goes into any workout with a positivity checklist. She goes in listing all the ways movement is nourishing her ― more energy, feeling good ― rather than how it’s “participating in diet culture.”
“We hear things like ‘pain is weakness leaving the body,’” Phelan said. “That is a super-American and also a very fitness-y headspace to be in, that the end goal is aesthetics and perfection. Those two things are very hard to unlearn ― that it has to be painful, it has to be a struggle.”
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“I think because of that we don’t want to be present in our own bodies during a workout,” she continued. “I’m not saying holding a plank for a minute feels great, but I think you can learn to enjoy the discomfort the more you sit with it.”
Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--How To Get Your Child To Play When They're Used To Having You Around

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We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus pandemic. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
Lockdown for parents has been... intense. We’ve been left trying to juggle homeschooling with working; all while struggling to entertain our children at home, for weeks or months on end.
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Our kids have got used to us being around... all of the time. And now that schools have broken up and we’re left staring down the barrel of the long summer holidays, it can be hard to imagine ever having time to ourselves, again.
It can also be tempting to think that we, as adults, have to provide our children with ideas for entertainment. If you’ve ever heard a child say, “I’m bored” (and, with most schools out since March, who hasn’t), chances are you’ve automatically suggested something for them to do – whether it’s “draw something”, “go outside”, or simply, “watch TV”.
But according to mum-of-two Clare Caro, founder of company Nature Play, which organises weekly ‘pure play’ sessions in safe, outdoor environments, that’s exactly where parents are going wrong.
“Children’s play has incredible benefits for development,” Caro tells HuffPost UK, “but there’s a lot of confusing information out there about what ‘play’ is.
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“A lot of adults have ideas about play, and what the child ‘needs’ – and that’s why we love to buy children toys. But there’s so much play that doesn’t involve objects.
“There’s physical play, imaginative play, exploratory play – loads of time spent playing that doesn’t involve anything provided. The kids will find what they need in their environment, whether it’s out in the woods or at home.”
Caro says that parents facing the long summer break should think more about how to facilitate ‘pure play’ – by giving their kids a safe space without objects, screens or time limitations. “When experts are talking about the benefits of play, they’re not talking about toys and encouraging colouring-in sheets,” she says. “You can’t grow your imagination and creativity with those things.
“You don’t have to suggest or even encourage activities – you just give kids the time and the space to develop their own imaginations. You provide the time. Parents don’t even have to be actively involved in the child’s game. We are not actually there to be in their play at all, we are there to make sure everything is safe.”
Caro adds: “Take a step back, and just observe your child at play. When we start observing, we see what they’re capable of, and what they’re interested in. When we direct it, we miss out on that.”
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jacoblund via Getty Images
If you’re struggling to think of ways to encourage your children to go off and play independently, Caro has 10 techniques you could try.
Don’t just leave them alone in a room
“It’s a huge thing, wanting children to play ‘independently’,” Caro says. “I like to rephrase it to: ‘interdependent play’. The child needs to know they’re safe, before they can play freely. Some people think that means blocking kids into a room with a stair-gate, or play-pen, then leaving them to play by themselves. But playing ‘interdependently’ doesn’t mean isolating your child in a designated play area. It means giving them a safe and open place to play, with you nearby.”
Eat a meal together, first
“Only an emotionally satisfied child will go and get engrossed in play,” Caro warns. “They’re looking for for full connection with their parent or carer, first. To do this, take time to read a book with your child, or have an uninterrupted chat, or a cuddle, or a drink. If you have a shared meal together – such as breakfast – most parents will find the kids will go off and play well together for a couple of hours, afterwards.”
Stop ‘content-feeding’ your child
“Some kids will find it difficult because they’re used to being entertained and ‘content-fed’ with TV, or video games, or designated ideas from the parent,” Caro points out. “Sometimes parents have five minutes to spare, and will interrupt whatever the child is doing to “come and play”. But if you want your child to be the one who is confident to go off and play by themselves or with other children, put all your effort into emotional connection first, and then they’ll be happy to go off without you. Think of it as a child who needs their battery charged – once they’re full up, they’ll have energy to play.”
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Limit screentime
“If your child is used to being passively ‘content-fed’ with TV or iPads, they’ll get into the habit of it,” Caro warns. “Studies show that the behaviours of children who have their screens taken off them is very similar to addicts who come off drugs. So, limit the amount of time they spend on screens. Giving them time to go outside and be away from those addictive sources has so many benefits.”
“Think of children as needing their 'battery charged'” - Clare Caro
Give them your full attention
“Listen to what your child has to say,” Caro advises. “Hear what they’re really asking for and what they need. If they’re hungry, give them a snack. If they want some quiet time, read a book together. If they want connection, have a face-to-face, full eye-contact conversation. When we’re feeling fractured or stressed out, our kids mirror us and might become more whiny and demanding.”
Have a morning meeting
“In my family, we have a morning meeting and discuss what we want to do, and then we go off and do our own stuff,” Caro says. “Later, we come back together at lunch or at tea to discuss what we’ve done, and how we’ve found it.”
Try keeping a ‘family log book’
“We write what we’re going to do each day,” Caro says. “We each have our own pages and for the kids, it can include things like... building a den. To facilitate that, we give over the living room to them and let them get on with it. Sometimes, that activity will stretch on for not just one day, but two or three, and they’re perfectly happy doing it.”
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Structure your own day, too
“Often we think, ‘must work, must work’, and we go for 10 hours without a break – but that’s not good for us, either,” Caro says. “So, implement more structure into your own day – break it up with walks or snacks or drinks. We run our own batteries down, working ourselves down to the bone, simply because we can. It’s not the best idea and we think we’re getting loads done, but it’s counter-productive.”
Ringfence activities
“If a child is reluctant to go outside, set them time limits – and then hope they extend them themselves,” says Caro. It doesn’t mean having to have any private outdoor space, either. If you can, take your kids to a forest or park and let them play.
Set challenges


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--My Son Lost His Birthday Party To Cov-19. What Happened Next Blew Me Away

Courtesy of Sarah Garone The author's son.
My son’s 11th birthday was March 29, and as it approached ― deep in the heart of Covid-19 social distancing — I tried to assure him that, though he couldn’t have a party, he could still have a fun day of close-to-home family activities. Our family of five would have a backyard water balloon fight, I promised. We’d get donuts from his favourite bakery. I’d even let him go to town decorating our house with a can of spray chalk in one hand and a can of silly string in the other.
I knew my son was disappointed, but I hoped he’d understand the necessity of the sacrifice. We had a heart-to-heart about the good reasons why everyone is keeping their distance right now. I tried to explain the science of self-isolating in terms he’d understand: that though staying close to home (and away from friends) feels sad, it’s actually a way to show we care for others. We could be carriers of the coronavirus even when we don’t feel sick, I told him, and the last thing we want is to spread disease to any of our friends.
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Our talk seemed to soften the blow. But in truth — even though I’m not a birthday-party-every-year kind of parent — it hurt my heart to know that my son wouldn’t be celebrated by his friends.
Then on the eve of the big day, a friend (and fellow school mom) texted: “Will you be home tomorrow at noon? We have a surprise.”
Uh, sure, I replied. We have no plans. Now or, like, ever.
The following day, on my son’s birthday, our family assembled in front of our house to await the promised surprise. I figured my friend and her son — who’s been in the same class as mine since kindergarten — might stop by with a card or some little gift they’d managed to score on Amazon. But it really didn’t matter to me what the surprise held. I looked forward to any visit from friends, any little gesture that might brighten my son’s day — and, I admit, mine. (These days, even a visit from the mailman is a thrill.)
So I was stunned when, at the appointed hour, a caravan of cars rounded the corner of our street, all decorated with streamers, happy birthday signs and even an 8-foot inflatable football player in the bed of a truck.
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Courtesy of Sarah Garone A friend in the birthday parade.
Incredibly, our group of friends and their kids — five families in all — had organized to drive by in a celebratory, socially distanced parade! Honking unreservedly, they slowly cruised past our house and then doubled back to give us another view of their handmade signs and décor. From each vehicle hung a child yelling, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” at the top of their lungs. One threw candy, another popped confetti from a tube. Our street was soon covered with a glorious detritus of sweets and shiny paper.
From the front seats of each car, my own friends called to me, too. We shouted what catching-up questions we could: “How are you holding up? Are you doing okay? Do you have enough toilet paper?” Even though we have an ongoing group text, something about these small snatches of conversation seemed to highlight our hunger for in-person communication. I found myself in tears just seeing their faces without the barrier of a screen.
My son, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear, a picture of preteen shock and awe. Not normally an effusive kid, he declared over and over, “This is so awesome!” and “This is the best birthday ever!” My other two kids agreed, un-subtly voicing their hopes of getting parades for their own upcoming birthdays.
Though the parade didn’t last long, it seemed to infuse our whole family with an afterglow of delight for the rest of the day. For hours, none of us could stop talking about how wonderful it was to see our friends all in one place, how creative their decorations were, how mischievous of them to organize without telling us. Without a doubt, the parade was far and away the most exciting thing to happen to us in weeks — and I couldn’t help reflecting on how the extreme slowdown in our social calendar emphasized the novelty of participating in anything like an event. (An in-person event, no less!)
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“I’ve come to realize that this season of slowing down has made gestures of friendship all the more precious to me.”
Since my son’s birthday parade, I’ve come to realize that this season of slowing down has made gestures of friendship all the more precious to me. It’s not that I can’t talk to friends as often as I used to; obviously, phone calls, email and texts make communication as easy as the touch of a button. It’s that with the uptick in anxiety caused by the virus situation, I increasingly crave personal connection and any meaningful show of solidarity.
If I can’t leave my house, I want to feel I’m still part of something greater than myself, whether my nation, my friend group or even a 10-minute parade — and I want my children to feel that, too. Seeing my friends show up so enthusiastically for my son scratched this itch in the very best way. It was a reminder that we all need community, now more than ever.
Their thoughtful celebration was a demonstration, too, that necessity is indeed the mother of invention. When a pandemic nixes some of our usual ways of connecting, good friends think outside the box. (It probably doesn’t hurt that boredom can boost creativity. Just look at all the inventively goofy things people are posting on TikTok during the quarantine.) More and more people, it seems, are finding novel ways to maintain their sense of community from afar — which we need more than ever in this time of increased isolation.
The day of the birthday parade, after all was said and done and our friends drove away, our family cleaned the street of the celebratory debris. But there’s one red streamer caught on a rock that, weeks later, I still haven’t picked up. I’m saving it, I suppose, as a reminder: Shinier, happier days will come again. When birthday parties and other gatherings resume, I’m thankful to know my son (and I) will have treasured friends to share them with.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--Rashes Could Be 'Key Sign' Of Covid-19. Here's What They Look Like

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Rashes should be considered a “key diagnostic sign” of Covid-19, according to a study, which found 8% of people who test positive for the virus have some form of rash.
A team of researchers from the Covid Symptom Study surveyed 12,000 people who had skin rashes, as well as suspected or confirmed Covid-19.
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They asked for images of rashes from survey respondents, especially people of colour, who are currently under-represented in dermatology resources.
Covid Symptom Study An example of Covid fingers
In some cases the rash can occur on its own, the study found, without any other symptoms of the virus such as a continuous cough, fever, or loss of smell. Almost one in five (17%) who had tested positive for coronavirus reported a rash as the first symptom of the disease. Among those who reported a rash – and were confirmed as having coronavirus – 21% said it was their only symptom.
The NHS only lists three symptoms of coronavirus. These are: a high temperature, new and continuous cough, and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. Rashes aren’t widely considered to be a symptom of the virus.
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We asked researchers from the Covid Symptom Study to share photos of the rashes that have regularly showed up in coronavirus patients.
Key rashes to look out for
There are three main types of rash the researchers found showed up in patients.
The first is a hive-type rash (also referred to as urticaria), where raised bumps can suddenly appear on the skin – these can come and go quite quickly over hours and can be very itchy. Think: nettle rash.
Covid Symptom Study Urticaria on a patient's torso.
Covid Symptom Study An example of urticaria in a Covid-19 patient.
Urticaria rashes can appear quite early on in the infection, but also last a long time, said researchers.
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It often starts with intense itching on the palm of your hands or soles of your feet, but it can also cause swelling of the lips and eyelids.
Covid Symptom Study An example of urticaria linked to Covid-19.
The second type of rash seen in the Covid Symptom Study is a prickly heat-type rash – a bit like chickenpox – where small, itchy red bumps can appear anywhere on the body, but particularly the elbows and knees, as well as the backs of the hands and feet.
This type of rash can persist for days or weeks, said researchers.
Covid Symptom Study A chickenpox-type rash on the abdomen of a Covid patient.
Covid Symptom Study A rash on the arm of a Covid patient.
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Covid Symptom Study A rash on the back of a Covid patient.
The third type of rash, known as Covid fingers and toes (sometimes described as chilblains), is where red and purple bumps appear on the fingers or toes.
These bumps may be sore, but not usually itchy. This type of rash is most specific to Covid-19 and is more common in younger people with the disease. It also tends to present later on in someone’s illness.
Covid Symptom Study An example of Covid fingers
Covid Symptom Study An example of Covid fingers
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A separate study of patients in Spain found that, in addition to these rashes, some patients experienced a type similar to pityriasis rosea, a skin condition, which presents as a pink, scaly rash. There’s a theory this type of rash may be caused by a viral infection, so the appearance of it would make sense.
“Many viral infections can affect the skin, so it’s not surprising we’re seeing these rashes in Covid-19,” says Covid Symptom Study author Dr Veronique Bataille, consultant dermatologist at St Thomas’ Hospital and King’s College London (KCL).
“It’s important people know that in some cases, a rash may be the first or only symptom of the disease. If you notice a new rash, you should take it seriously by self-isolating and getting tested as soon as possible.”
The current swab tests for coronavirus should ideally be taken within three days of noticing symptoms – after five days they might not work. If you do notice a rash, you could also call your GP surgery or pharmacy who should be able to advise on possible treatments and what to do next.
“It’s important people know that in some cases, a rash may be the first or only symptom of the disease” - Dr Veronique Bataille
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Dr Tanya Bleiker, president of the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), says such studies play an important role in building our understanding of the disease as a whole – especially as in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, the various skin manifestations of the disease were “poorly understood”.
BAD is working with the Covid Symptom Study team to develop a website that will host a library of the different skin manifestations of the virus. Members of the public should be cautious about self-diagnosing Covid-19 based on skin symptoms, said BAD, as rashes and other skin lesions are common and hard to differentiate between without expertise.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--After My Husband Died, I Was Terrified Of Sex With Anyone Else

nadia_bormotova via Getty Images Young female character sleeping in a double bed. Top view. Interior design. Flat editable vector illustration, clip art
You’re reading Sex Diaries, a HuffPost UK Personal series about how we are (or aren’t) having sex. To share your story, get in touch on ukpersonal@huffpost.com.
I’d been with Neil for 16 years when he died.
I would say it was love at first sight. He would smile and say “we got on okay”. I was pregnant with twins within two years of us meeting – which came as a surprise, but our girls couldn’t have been more loved. We made time for us, and for romance with date nights amid the chaos of a young family. Neil was always there for all of us.
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The pain of his loss was searing. Our twin daughters, by then 13, were my only priority. Once I was widowed, I was lonely for a long time – but lonely for no-one else but Neil. I was grieving for the intimacy we’d known in a fulfilling sex life and couldn’t bear the thought of anyone taking his place. We both loved sex, and would laugh about how suited we were as we navigated the demands of a young family to find time for each other.
Nobody understood. Friends nagged me to give dating a go, and my support group of young widows and widowers told me of ‘widow’s fire’, a supposed attraction to lots of people, with flames of yearning often raging.
I understood their longing for being close, for that skin-to-skin feeling that had been ripped from us. I empathised with the joy and release of orgasm, or just the chance to lose yourself in the enjoyment of sex. Some, I thought, were undoubtedly using sex to escape the pain of bereavement – though I would never judge any woman for quelling their widow’s fire, just as I would never judge anyone for enjoying a lively and fun sex life.
“Before him, I’d had several boyfriends and experienced one-night stands – which only seemed to damage my self-esteem more than they boosted it.”
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But I didn’t envy them. I put this down to the fact that I’d settled down quite late, meeting Neil when I was 28. Before him, I’d had several boyfriends and experienced one-night stands – which only seemed to damage my self-esteem more than they boosted it. Grief hugely knocked my confidence, and I considered a fleeting liaison a toxic prospect.
It was seven years before I returned to dating. I selected ‘nothing serious’ on my dating profile. This was a big mistake. Some men told me I looked a lot younger than 50. Others asked if I would watch them pleasure themselves, perform oral sex in a lay-by, or meet at a motorway service station so they could smack my bum. Would I let them sniff my underwear or my feet? Would I take a picture in my toilet?
It was often vile, a Wild West without the horses. Sex still wasn’t my motivation: I wanted companionship. On my first date, a man told me how wonderful his not yet ex-wife was, then asked me back to his hotel room. I declined. On the next, the man exposed himself in his car. “I thought you’d like it,” he said, shrugging, when I protested.
I found it all far too soulless and depressing. I was terrified of sex, and pushed any thought of it out of my mind. I was scared of breaking down, crying. I’d read this could happen and felt I needed someone who understood the enormity of this. I wasn’t going to risk anything with some chancer off a dating site. I felt a responsibility to get it right, and avoid more emotional pain from making the wrong choice.
“I didn’t cry. It felt right. It didn’t feel like the massive deal step I’d imagined – I was happy and laughing when we first took tentative intimate steps.”
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Still, I went back to the dating sites some months later. I ended up seeing a lovely man who was gentle and caring – but it transpired emotional health issues hindered his sex drive. I was devastated – I never got a chance to see if I’d break down like I feared.
Our relationship remained unconsummated but our split remembered how important sex was to me. After weeks of dodging feckless potential partners back online I met Simon, an intelligent man and a breath of fresh air. When I kissed him on the cheek at the end of our date, he was so surprised he jumped. He had gone more than a decade without a physical relationship after his divorce.
We took things slowly and helped each other to be ourselves, to remember what we love. Simon held me tenderly as I knew he would. I didn’t cry. It felt right. It didn’t feel like the massive deal step I’d imagined – I was happy and laughing when we first took tentative intimate steps, there was no thought of breaking down. Sure, I was a little emotional but that was because I knew I was loved and secure. We’ve now been together two years and laugh lots, both in bed and out of it.
If you’re reading this because you’ve been widowed and contemplating a physical relationship, I’ve learned the most important thing is to go at your own pace. Don’t feel pressured into anything, either while dating or from well-meaning friends who don’t understand why you’re scared to get back out there. Looking for love after loss isn’t easy, it can be fraught and complicated, but I know it can turn out okay. The best thing you can do is relax, do what feels right for you. It’s your life, and nobody else’s.
Linda Aitchison is a journalist and agency owner. Follow her on Twitter at @LindaAitchison
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--2020-07-17--The World's New Strategy To Contain Coronavirus: 'Whack-A-Mole'

After barely weeks of relative normality, surging coronavirus cases have forced governments around the world to reimpose local lockdown restrictions and roll back the reopening of bars, restaurants and other businesses, affecting hundreds of millions of people.
In the US, nearly two dozen states have paused or reversed their reopening plans as coronavirus cases have spiked. On Tuesday, California recorded more than 11,000 new coronavirus cases, the state’s highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic.
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In India, the northern state of Bihar, home to 125 million people, imposed a 15-day lockdown on Tuesday to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Hours later, the southern city of Bengaluru, home to some 13 million people and a major IT hub for international corporations, began a week-long lockdown as well.
The city, once hailed for its success at containing the coronavirus, has since become a case study for what can go wrong if authorities and residents lower their guard too quickly.
Venezuela’s capital of Caracas was also ordered into a strict lockdown on Wednesday, while in Spain, some 160,000 people in the Catalonia region became the first in the country to return to confinement, as authorities scrambled to control a fresh surge of coronavirus infections just weeks after the nationwide lockdown was lifted.
Under the reimposed restrictions, residents of the city of Lleida and nearby towns are allowed to leave their homes only for essential activities. Barcelona is also considering reimposing lockdown restrictions after coronavirus cases there tripled in a week.
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These measures follow similar moves in Australia, where last week authorities forced approximately 5 million people into a six-week lockdown in Melbourne amid a spike in cases there. Officials in Australia’s two most populous states, Victoria and New South Wales, said on Wednesday that even harsher restrictions may be imposed if the outbreak is not controlled quickly.
On Thursday, Victoria recorded 317 new coronavirus cases, a daily record, and the state’s health officer warned that the local outbreak may still not have reached its peak.
A security guard stands outside a closed jewelry store next to a sign informing customers of a weeklong closure as Bengaluru undergoes a lockdown to contain the surge of coronavirus cases, July 14, 2020. MANJUNATH KIRAN via Getty Images
The UK, as well, is pursuing what Boris Johnson has characterised as “whack-a-mole strategy” to suppress the virus.
While much of the country is going back to pubs and dining out in restaurants with friends and family, health secretary Matt Hancock said this week that “targeted action” is being taken to combat more than 100 local outbreaks across the country.
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“Each week, there are more than 100 local actions taken across the country — some of these will make the news but many more are swiftly and silently dealt with,” Hancock said.
The UK government has not detailed what counts as an outbreak. Justice secretary Robert Buckland told the BBC this week that each case would differ, but “I think we know it when we see it.”
Leicester was the first city to be placed under lockdown at the end of June, due to a surge of coronavirus infections there. On Thursday, Hancock said “some, but not all” restrictions in the city would be relaxed as virus rates “still remain well above the national average and the average for surrounding areas”.
“The crucial thing is to make sure we are ready to crack down on local flare-ups,” Johnson said last month.
A man walks down a near empty shopping street in Leicester, England, on July 1, 2020. Leicester became the first British city to be put into regional lockdown at the end of June. Darren Staples via Getty Images
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The increasing number of local lockdowns highlights the fact that, without a vaccine, living with the coronavirus will likely involve a constantly shifting balance between lifting restrictions when cases fall and reimposing them as outbreaks flare.
Government officials should be “ready to move backwards or forwards,” depending on the number of cases they are seeing, Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organisation’s Health Emergencies Program, said at a news conference last Friday.
“If we want to avoid, after a lockdown, having major epidemics, we need to watch out for the small clusters and we need to extinguish those clusters quickly,” Ryan said.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has likened the state’s reopening process to a “dimmer switch” that can be adjusted gradually as circumstances allow.
“Nothing is constant,” Newsom said on Monday, as the state announced one of the most sweeping rollbacks in the country. “Nothing is linear as it relates to infectious disease.”
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Members of the Victoria police patrol outside a public housing tower that was placed under "hard lockdown" in Melbourne on July 11, 2020. Darrian Traynor via Getty Images
Germany has characterised its own approach as an “emergency brake” that triggers renewed local restrictions if infections pick up again in a certain area. Those restrictions were reimposed for the first time last month, after more than 1,500 workers at a meat processing plant in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia tested positive for the coronavirus.
Targeting local outbreaks may help countries avoid the nationwide lockdowns that have thrown the global economy into crisis. But the constantly shifting rules have been confusing for residents, and have made planning difficult for business owners.
“I was getting the restaurant ready, moving furniture around, ordering screens, masks and visors,” Shaf Islam, the owner of a fine dining Indian restaurant in Leicester, told HuffPost UK. “I was looking forward to the week, and then we got a phone call at 9am asking if I knew the restaurant might not be able to open.”
“I think it’s very unfair,” he added. “We’re almost being used as a guinea pig in Leicester.”
“This is not a lockdown, this is a lockup.”
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Officials in Leicester have said that the government failed for weeks to share detailed coronavirus testing data with them, and that the decision to lock down the entire city was a disproportionate response.
“It’s very clear when you look at the data it’s a couple of areas of the city that have got a higher than average transmission of the virus,” mayor Peter Soulsby told the BBC this week. “Certainly the way the city’s been locked down in its entirety, and even beyond its boundaries, is not justified.”
In Melbourne, as well, the government deployed hundreds of police officers to place nine public housing towers under “hard lockdown” this month, after a number of residents tested positive for coronavirus. Under the hastily imposed restrictions, the buildings’ 3,000 residents were banned from leaving their homes for any reason.
The government said that the draconian response was necessary in order to prevent coronavirus infections from spreading. But many residents said the government failed to provide them with food and medical care.
“I looked outside from my window and no nurses, no cleaners, no food – just lots of cops,” one resident told Reuters. “This is not a lockdown, this is a lockup.”
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A woman walks past the El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on June 12, 2020. As coronavirus cases in California hit a record high this week, the state is rolling back reopening plans. MARK RALSTON via Getty Images
At the WHO briefing last Friday, Ryan argued that the success of the targeted lockdowns would require close cooperation between local and national officials, as well as residents.
“Ultimately, it comes down to communities and individuals, and how we protect ourselves and how we protect others,” he said. “It requires a very strong partnership, a trusting partnership between communities and authorities. A trusting partnership based on honesty, based on transparency, based on regular information that everybody can trust, and based on a sustained effort by everybody.”
He added: “We all want to avoid whole countries going back into total lockdown. That is not a desire that anybody has.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--Zizzi And Ask Italian Owner To Shut Around 75 Restaurants

A Zizzi restaurant in Nottingham. PA
The owner of Ask Italian and Zizzi pizza chains will not reopen around 75 of its restaurants following the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in the loss of up to 1,200 jobs.
The Azzuri Group is being taken over by investment firm TowerBrook Capital Partners, which plans to keep open 225 restaurants and shops, protecting 5,000 jobs.
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But approximately 75 sites fall outside the scope of the deal and will subsequently close.
It is unclear which restaurants will be affected.
The dining sector has been knocked hard by the lockdown and pandemic, with a raft of restaurants having announced closures and jobs losses in recent weeks after seeing sales decimated.
Frankie and Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group put up to 3,000 jobs on the line after announcing it was going to close 125 sites, and Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge owner Casual Dining Group said it would close 91 restaurants after calling in administrators.
Pizza Express is reportedly planning to axe around 75 sites across the UK.
Steve Holmes, the chief executive of Azzurri Group, which also owns the Coco di Mama and Pod fast-food chains, said the Covid-19 crisis had had “a profound impact on the casual dining sector, bringing many businesses like ours to a standstill”.
“Despite being a successful operator, the immediate loss of revenue during lockdown meant that we have had to make some incredibly difficult decisions to protect the business for the long term,” he said.
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“It is with deep sadness that this process will result in the permanent closure of a number of sites and that we must say goodbye to greatly valued employees across our brands.
“Looking forwards, TowerBrook is a strong new partner who shares our ambitions for the future.
“Their additional investment has enabled us to preserve the majority of our restaurants, stores and jobs and I am confident that, under TowerBrook’s ownership, Azzurri will navigate the period ahead successfully.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--Is Boris Johnson Deluding Himself Or The Nation With His New Unlockdown Plan?

Boris Johnson speaks during a media briefing on coronavirus in Downing Street. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Normal people?
“A leader is a dealer in hope,” Napoleon once said. Boris Johnson certainly fits that description and his latest plan to liberate the UK from its remaining coronavirus restrictions was stuffed full of optimism. “It is my strong and sincere hope,” he told the No.10 press conference, that the virus will be under such strong control that the country could see “a significant return to normality” from November.
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The long list of liberations included visiting indoor theatres, football matches, conferences, bigger wedding receptions, you name it. But it was in the Q&A that the PM came out with the most startling ambition of all: “By November at the earliest...it may conceivably be possible to move away from the social distancing measures, from the 1m rule.”
Given this wasn’t in his original speech, could Johnson have been freelancing again, riffing from the script as his innate enthusiasm for positive news overtook him, and the science? Well, the new ‘Next Chapter’ paper makes clear that “removing the need to distance people” would only be considered if prevalence of the Covid-19 “falls very significantly”. That sombrero covid curve needs to be not just squashed but totally flat, it appears.
Was the PM deluding himself, or the nation? Funnily enough, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Chris Whitty weren’t on hand to give an instant verdict (will we ever again see the ‘Three Amigos’ on the same platform?) But it didn’t take long, as within hours both men were telling the Lords science committee just how crucial social distancing would be for the foreseeable future.
“The reality is distancing remains an important part of this mix,” Whitty said. “It has not gone away. [They] need to continue for a long period of time.” Vallance added that “social distancing and hygiene measures will be necessary” given it was “highly likely” the virus would return. In fact, he stressed it was just a matter of when, not if, covid “comes back in force” in several waves.
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And that’s where the new blueprint actually seems to contradict itself. It talks about total liberation from November at the earliest, but then adds the government is preparing to be “as ready as possible for the risk of a resurgence in the virus between November and March”.
It suggests that even if the “optimal scenario” doesn’t happen, “we hope [that word again] we will see a return towards normality in spring 2021”. As it happened, a new Sage paper out today warned it is not possible “to return to a ‘pre-Covid’ normality”, without almost impossible levels of contact tracing and covid security effectiveness.
The last unlockdown strategy paper published in May actually said that “hope is not a plan”. But there seems to be a lot of finger-crossing in the latest blueprint. Perhaps the most optimistic is the assertion buried within it that “we will introduce an app” that could allow digital contact tracing. More concrete was a plan to introduce “backward” contact tracing for any particular outbreak, seen by many as long overdue.
No Johnson announcement is complete without a new target these days (we are a long way from his claim in May that he was “forbidden from announcing any more targets and deadlines”) and his aim for a daily antigen testing capacity of half a million tests by the end of October was a big new ambition. That does fit however with Vallance’s own warning that such a scale of testing was vital to cope with both flu and covid symptoms.
The emphasis on test and trace will be welcomed by many, though there are still real problems with the current scheme failing to contact nearly a quarter of people who test positive. Although Matt Hancock has long refused to rule out compulsion, I understand that such a drastic step simply will not happen.
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Forcing compliance with the system is seen as a major deterrent to the vulnerable groups who are most likely to get the virus, and there are fears it would mean more people just don’t take a test when they get symptoms - a nightmare scenario for all of us.
So instead of the stick, the carrot is being considered. Special financial support for people hit by local outbreaks is now “on the table”. Labour’s Keir Starmer and Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Savile-Roberts have been pushing for extra cash help and with the PM’s focus now on local lockdowns as the main weapon against the virus, maybe he is listening.
Everyone will be hoping the UK does indeed achieve the best case scenario set out today, but the PM is undeniably taking a gamble. The prize is him finally getting a grip of the crisis and making the country more resilient for the inevitable second wave. If he gets any bit of it wrong, he will have to reimpose restrictions and take the political damage. A new poll analysis by Peter Kellner today suggests Red Wall voters have already moved back to Labour.
All that talk about “planning for the worst” but hoping for the best, will be keenly tested this winter. The problem is that each day he looks more distant from his scientific advisers, the more personal the political risk becomes. But judging by today, it looks like Johnson has adopted one more Napoleonic motto: “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.”
Quote Of The Day
“He’s congenitally incapable of seeing a problem without making it very considerably worse.”
John Bercow rubs salt into Chris Grayling’s ISC wounds
Friday Cheat Sheet
Councils in England will get new powers from Saturday to force owners to shut pubs, cafes, shops and restaurants in areas hit by coronavirus outbreaks.
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Boris Johnson backed off moves to tell those working at home to go into work, saying it would be up to employers and staff to discuss the issue.
Theatres said that they were still unlikely to reopen from August 1 as social distancing would make the move unviable.
Matt Hancock ordered an urgent review of how Public Health England compiles its daily count of Covid-19 deaths after Oxford University academics highlighted that its figures record deaths of anyone who has previously tested positive for coronavirus.
Captain Tom Moore has been knighted by the Queen for his outstanding achievement of raising almost £33m for the NHS.
Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey told the BBC that speculation about a cabinet reshuffle this autumn risks “disrupting” the work of her department.
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What I’m Reading
The Adults In The Room: How The Treasury Tackled Covid - New Statesman
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--As Covid-19 Toll Soars In US, Trump Brags About 'Bringing Back' Incandescent Light Bulbs

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In another rambling, campaign-style speech, US president Donald Trump boasted at a Thursday news conference about bringing “back” incandescent light bulbs — while failing again to offer a plan to stem the record-breaking wrath of Covid-19.
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Trump also bragged about “stopping the egregious abuse of the Clean Water Act” when he last year rolled back pollution protections for the nation’s waterways.
When “I signed that legislation I had many farmers and construction workers standing behind me; people that haven’t cried since they were a baby,” he said. “Some of them never even when they were a baby, and they were crying. We gave ’em back their life.”
As for the incandescent lightbulbs, which Trump apparently considers a highlight of his administration, he noted: “I brought ’em back. They have two nice qualities: They’re cheaper and they’re better. They look better, they make you look so much better. That’s important to all of us.”
Incandescent bulbs never vanished and weren’t brought back. Trump did eliminate energy efficiency standards for many common lightbulbs, but incandescent bulbs have largely been replaced by cheap, long-lasting and efficient LED bulbs. Trump, however, claimed the old-style bulbs are “selling like hotcakes.”
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🚨 TEARS ALERT 🚨
"People that haven't cried since they were a baby. Some of them never even when they were a baby, and they were crying" pic.twitter.com/1kk0yTOEwL — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 16, 2020
People who listened to the president’s remarks were stunned.
People cried because they were able to pollute our environment again? What a great story. 🤦♂ — My Pal Joe (@joe_w3) July 16, 2020
Is he on mushrooms? — Odd Jock (@oddjock) July 16, 2020
130,000 dead and counting... and the president is patting himself on the back for bringing back incandescent lightbulbs and allowing corporations to pollute more https://t.co/myk39dLJqa — Hayley Miller (@hayleymiller01) July 16, 2020
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I for one am v thankful we once again have free and easy access to shitty light bulbs and dirty water — generation hex (@queenneen13) July 16, 2020
I find myself saying, "wtf is he even talking about," multiple times a day. — Arilyn (@arilyn123) July 16, 2020
They didn't even cry as babies! Pretty unusual. — X Soviet (@XSovietNews) July 16, 2020
Incandescent light bulbs were never gone...
And I mean who the heck wants or needs CLEAN WATER???? This from the King of the Swamp!! — CarolLynn Sane (@carollynnsane) July 16, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--Jamie Dornan's Abba-Inspired Home Workout Proves Why We've All Been Doing Exercise Wrong

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With gyms closed for another week here in the UK, many of us have been struggling to motivate ourselves to work out at home.
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However, it appears Jamie Dornan has got the solution – Abba.
The 50 Shades Of Grey star has revealed he uses show tunes to soundtrack his home exercise routines, and he’s a particular fan of the Mamma Mia! musical.
In a video he posted on Instagram, a sweaty Jamie could be seen doing bent-over rows to the Swedish group’s hit Dancing Queen, which features in both the Mamma Mia! stage production and film series.
He wrote: “If you don’t workout listening to songs from musicals you’re getting it ALL wrong.”
And with a soundtrack as jam-packed with hits as the Mamma Mia one, it’s hard to disagree with Jamie.
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Jamie Dornan Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
The actor has been giving fans an insight into different aspects of his life during lockdown.
He previously shared a photograph of himself in a dress and high heels, wearing a blue wig, and wrote: “Dressing up with my daughters took a turn. Meet Jenny (with the blue hair). She’s sweet.”
In between exercising and keeping his daughters entertained, Jamie has been using lockdown to work on two scripts.
He told The Lockdown Podcast earlier this week: “I’ve spent so much time with my family, my kids more so than I usually would over a four month stretch so that’s a very positive thing. I’ve written two scripts as well during lockdown, one that I’ve been trying to write for ages but just didn’t have the time so I guess I’m thankful for that.
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“I’m glad I’ve taken the risk to do it and put my time and energy into doing it [writing scripts] when I wasn’t homeschooling the kids... one I’ve written with a mate of mine from Belfast and it’s getting a bit of traction.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--Government Scientists Cast Doubt On PM's Drive For Normality By November

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Government scientists Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance have cast doubt on Boris Johnson’s suggestion that social distancing could end in November.
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Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said distancing, face coverings and isolation would have to “continue for a long period of time”.
Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said it was “highly likely” that coronavirus will circulate around the world and social distancing measures will continue to be “necessary”.
And they both warned that Covid-19 could enjoy a resurgence in winter conditions, which benefit respiratory viruses.
It came as papers were published showing the government’s scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) “do not believe it is possible to return to a ‘pre-Covid’ normality, without levels of contact tracing and Covid security effectiveness that would be difficult to achieve, without some sort of additional increase in immunity, either through vaccination or infection”.
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The comments all cast doubt on the prime minister’s hopes for “significant” normality by the middle of November and the lifting of remaining restrictions “possibly for Christmas”.
Appearing before the Lords science and technology committee, Whitty said: “There are some things which we started right at the beginning which absolutely have to continue for a prolonged period of time – washing hands, isolation, household isolation.
“And then we’ve added to that things like contact tracing; most recently, face coverings.”
He went on: “And issues around distancing, which have been varied. But the reality is distancing remains an important part of this mix and how it’s interpreted in different environments has evolved but it has not gone away.
“So all of those need to continue for a long period of time.”
He went on: “The things which have been removed are largely in the group of things which was around a different aim, which was not around isolating individuals but was around trying to break contacts between individual households.
“Several of those have now been lifted, not all of them, and we’ve tried to do that in a phased way and the phasing was continuing as the prime minister laid out this morning.”
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Do Sir Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty think your plan is too optimistic?
"[They] give us advice... but in the end decisions are taken by the elected politicians... I don't think [they] would want to take those decisions for us," says Boris Johnsonhttps://t.co/k0qr1OwTTm pic.twitter.com/JS8NNWaSC3 — BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 17, 2020
Both Whitty and Vallance also warned that the virus could enjoy a resurgence in winter, restricting room for manoeuvre when lifting restrictions.
Whitty said: “We think there are probably, or I think there are probably – and this I think is a very common view among doctors and scientists who look at this – a group of things you could probably do for three seasons a year but it may be that in winter this is more difficult because winter so benefits respiratory viruses – that’s why we get the flus and the colds and the coughs in winter.
“So we do have to accept we may be able to do things for a period but it’s possible that in winter we may have to do some other things.
“But we just have to be honest about that and the prime minister I think made that clear this morning.”
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Vallance meanwhile warned Covid-19 could circulate around the world, come back in waves, “and it may well be seasonal”, citing evidence from the southern hemisphere, where it is winter.
“If it’s the case that it goes round the world [and] comes back again, then clearly we remain as a population exposed to this,” the chief scientific adviser said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--'Get Off My Neck' – Police Officer Suspended After Being Filmed Kneeling On Black Man During Arrest

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A police officer has been suspended after being filmed kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed Black man in north London during an arrest.
Metropolitan Police’s deputy commissioner Sir Steve House described the footage as “deeply disturbing” and said some of the techniques, which are “not taught in police training”, caused him “great concern”.
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He said one of the officers involved has been suspended and the other removed from operational duty, while the incident has been passed to the police watchdog for investigation.
Scotland Yard said officers were called to a fight in Islington on Thursday evening where they detained a man on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon.
The video footage, captured by an unnamed witness and posted on social media, shows two officers holding the handcuffed man on a pavement. One of the officers is at first seen kneeling on the man’s neck and has a hand on his head, while the other is restraining his legs.
The struggling man on the ground can be heard shouting: “Get off me... get off my neck. I ain’t done anything wrong – get off my neck.”
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The officer is heard saying: “Are you going to behave yourself?” before telling him to “stay down”.
Members of the public are seen surrounding the officers and pleading for them to let him go, shouting: “That’s a human being.”
Sir Steve said: “The video footage that I have seen today and is circulating on social media is extremely disturbing. I understand that many viewing the footage will share my concern.
“The man involved was arrested, taken to a police station and has now been seen by a police doctor
“Some of the techniques used cause me great concern – they are not taught in police training.
“We have quickly assessed the incident, including the body worn video footage from the officers and their statements and justification for their use of force. As a result we have referred the matter to the IOPC.
“One officer has been suspended and another officer has been removed from operational duty, but not suspended at this time. This decision will be kept under review.
“We will co-operate fully with the IOPC investigation.”
Scotland Yard said the man detained and arrested at the scene remains in police custody.
The video is the latest to cause controversy amid growing scrutiny of police interactions with black people in the UK following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on May 25.
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The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that the incident has been referred to the police watchdog for investigation. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Floyd, who was Black, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, sparking anti-racism protests in countries around the world.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “I’m deeply concerned about this distressing incident and we have raised this with senior officers at the Met Police as a matter of urgency.
“I welcome the fact the incident has been reviewed quickly by the Met and it’s right that they have referred it to the IOPC.
“I look forward to a swift and thorough independent investigation, with all decisions made public.
“It’s crucial our police service continues to earn the trust of the communities it serves.”
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds added: “This an extremely concerning incident. It is right that it is quickly referred to the IOPC and an officer has been suspended.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--‘So Good To See You Again’: The Joy Of Reunions On Your Local High Street

It’s the small pleasures in life that put a smile on our faces: having a chat with the owner of our favourite restaurant - and then taking that first delicious sip of a mango smoothie - enjoying a quick browse in the clothing store down the road, getting our hair done by a talented stylist (and not our flatmate)...
These visits to neighbourhood small businesses used to be part of our daily routines, and naturally, we could not be more excited for them to reopen again after being shuttered for several weeks.
In fact, 43% of Brits said they hoped to visit their local hair salon or barbers in the week of reopening and 38% said they planned on going to a local restaurant, according to Small Business Recovery research from American Express. [i]
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The relationships we have with our local small business owners are hardly just transactional; there are many we’ve known for years and years, consider our friends and some even know our most intimate secrets (yes, we’re talking about our hairdresser. Yours too?). We’ve been looking forward to these reunions with our local business friends with as much enthusiasm as we’ve had for seeing friends and family we’ve been separated from for months.
American Express has captured this emotional moment in history – that first post-lockdown meet-up with a favourite hairdresser, restaurateur and clothing store owner and the customers who have missed them dearly - in a new video and photography series, Reunion, [ii] directed by acclaimed London-based photographer and filmmaker, Lewis Khan.
Reunion celebrates the stories behind the owners of small businesses, whose doors are now open again post-lockdown. Lewis also explores the deeper relationships and bonds between these business owners and their clients, and the happy friendships that have formed, which help the local community thrive as well as giving a boost to the economy.
It features a soundtrack by Kyan - an emerging artist who American Express has supported since he was chosen to receive mentoring as part of its Backed By initiative in 2018.
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Kyan uses the universal sound of people and communities in harmony - a sound of solidarity we’ve all heard and made these past few months - as the base of his beat: the clap.
Check out the heartfelt joy of the first reunion between the small business owners and their customers at Samantha Cusick London, Universal Works and En Root in American Express’ Reunion film below.
Reunion by Lewis Khan Nish and Harshil Modasia, owners of En Root, a plant-based Indian fusion restaurant in Brixton
Small businesses have really shown their resilience throughout the lockdown period, with many rallying together on social media to support other small businesses, as well as diversifying their business models, like a restaurant delivering fruit and veg boxes in lockdown. South London-based Indian restaurant En Root, owned by Nish Modasia and his cousin, Harshil, is one example of a business that’s done the above, as well as delivering food to devoted customers during the pandemic using a “meals on wheels” food truck service.
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“En Root is a South London born company, so it’s been hard to not accommodate people in an area which we feel is like home. It’s going to be really exciting to be open and at ease with customers.
“We’ve had to change a lot of things, it’s actually provided the opportunity to expand on other parts of the business that we haven’t had the time to do so in the past,” Nish and Harshil say in Reunion.
Reunion by Lewis Khan Samantha Cusick, owner of the salon, Samantha Cusick London
“After being closed for months during lockdown, I’m relishing the opportunity to finally be reunited with my regular customers. We’re more than just a service to them and they are much more than just customers to us – we’ve developed really close connections with our regular clients over the years so not seeing them and having our regular catch ups has been tough,” says Samantha Cusick, owner of the Samantha Cusick London salon in Notting Hill, which also features in Reunion.
All through lockdown, she’s been keeping in touch with her clients on social media, but it doesn’t replace the relationship she has with her loyal customers.
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“It’s these connections that really make small independent businesses stand out and thrive, and given the difficult few months we’ve been through, it’s more important now than ever that people support businesses like ours,” says Samantha.
Reunion by Lewis Khan Universal Works co-founder and designer, David Keyte, greets regular customer Daniel Bolarinwa
The third and final business to feature in Reunion is Universal Works, a men’s clothing shop which combines modern silhouettes with old-school construction (the Baker jacket is a wardrobe staple for dapper shopper, Daniel Bolarinwa).
“Over the years I’ve kind of built a relationship with the people that work in the store. Coming back into the store is like a new breath of fresh air instead of going online,” he says.
Universal Works co-founder and designer, David Keyte, thrives on the relationships he’s established over the years with customers like Daniel - it’s one of his favourite parts of the job.
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Reunion by Lewis Khan Universal Works co-founder and designer, David Keyte
“I get such a personal kick out of meeting and talking to the customers, it’s a massive part of what we are and who we are,” David says in the video.
While we’re all looking forward to heading back to the shops, the safety of staff and customers is paramount. Small business owners and clients alike are adhering to new government guidelines around maintaining social distancing (stores are also limited to allowing only a few customers in at a time).
Instead of dampening the experience, reopening with these new measures in place illustrates how adaptable and resilient small business owners - and the rest of us - can be, as we live through this moment in history. Lockdown has reminded us of the importance of lending a hand to friends and strangers alike, as well as supporting the local community. The role these small shops play in knitting the fabric of the neighbourhood together and providing a social outlet is invaluable.
The American Express ® Shop Small Offer aims to help small businesses on their road to recovery – and incentivises us shoppers to help out!
Launched on 22 June and running until 13 September, Cardmembers can receive £5 back when they spend at least £10 in-store or more in a single in-store transaction at up to 10 different participating small businesses. This means up to £50 back! So, now’s the time to support your local small businesses by shopping small and shopping often. For more information on how you can get involved, click here.
American Express Services Europe Limited. Registered Office: Belgrave House, 76 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9AX, United Kingdom. Registered in England and Wales with Company Number 1833139.
Offer T&Cs: The offer is valid for use up to 10 times, once per Card and per participating location, up to a total of £50 in statement credits. It is available for 12 weeks from 22 June 2020 until 13 September 2020. The offer is available to consumer and small business Cardmembers. Terms and conditions apply. Participating small businesses and full terms and conditions can be found at https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/network/amex-offers-terms.html


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--No, The 'Flaw' In England's Covid Data Does Not Mean The Death Toll Is Overestimated

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Public Health England (PHE) has come under fire for a “statistical flaw” in its coronavirus death figures meaning people who tested positive for the virus but later died due to unrelated causes are being identified as Covid-19 deaths.
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Health secretary Matt Hancock has ordered an urgent review into the way PHE counts fatalities, amid concerns that the statistics are exaggerating the true picture of coronavirus deaths in England.
But this doesn’t mean the number of deaths in England since the start of the pandemic has been inflated, for the simple reason that the anomaly is dwarfed by the undercounting in other areas.
Here’s an explanation of what has happened with Public Health England’s data, and what it tells us about our understanding of the devastating impact of Covid-19:
What has happened?
Researchers have criticised “statistical flaws” in the way the deaths are reported across England, saying they are left looking far worse than any other part of the UK.
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PHE’s figures feed into the daily death statistics published by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). Data from Public Health Wales, Health Protection Scotland and the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency are also fed in.
The daily DHSC data represent the number of newly reported deaths of people who have previously tested positive for Covid-19, who have died in all settings.
But in a blog entitled “Why no one can ever recover from Covid-19 in England – a statistical anomaly”, Professors Yoon Loke, from the University of East Anglia, and Carl Heneghan, from the University of Oxford, said more robust data is needed.
They argued that PHE looks at whether a person has ever tested positive and whether they are still alive at a later date.
This means anyone who has ever tested positive for Covid-19 and then dies is included in the death figures, even if they have died from something else. They added that, for example, if someone recovered from Covid-19 but died after being hit by a bus months later, their death would still be recorded as a coronavirus death.
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Loke told HuffPost UK: “The problem is that when we look at the hospitals’ data we see that actually fewer and fewer people are dying in hospital due to coronavirus, and yet several days a week we see in the press that hundreds of people are still reported as having died outside of hospital.
“A lot of members of the public are quite terrified by this and wondering: ‘Who are these people, and why are they dying?’
“When we looked at the data we realised that the NHS had actually been very successful and discharged about 80,000 patients back to their home but despite these patients having recovered PHE are still monitoring these people and if they die of an unrelated condition PHE will still put them in the daily figures.”
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all report their deaths separately, but the three devolved nations have avoided PHE’s situation by implementing a 28-day cut off. No such cut-off point exists in England, meaning that – while medical records are maintained regarding discharge from hospital – from a statistical standpoint, nobody who tested positive for the virus ever recovers.
Loke said: “Many of the people who have had coronavirus and have been discharged are quite old and many of them will gradually die because of unrelated causes. So the number of coronavirus deaths in England will never get to zero – there will be a constant stream of deaths all the time based on the 80,000 or so hospitalised patients who have survived.
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“The ONS have actually shown in the past few weeks that the rate of excess deaths is no different to the five-year average, so PHE are actually picking up part of the average death rate and putting that into the coronavirus figures.
“That’s pretty scary for the public to be facing every day, especially when they look at Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and say: ‘Why? Why are these other places doing better?’ Actually, I don’t think they’re doing better – it’s just that Public Health England are recording them in quite a different way.”
Loke and Heneghan concluded their article by noting that: “The Covid death toll in Britain up to July 2020 will eventually exceed 290k, if the follow-up of every test-positive patient is of long enough duration.”
On the government death statistics website for England, the issue is acknowledged, saying: “Deaths are counted where a lab-confirmed positive coronavirus test result is reported in any setting.
“This means that not all deaths reported here are caused by coronavirus.”
A statistical anomaly in the Public Health England coronavirus deaths data was uncovered on Friday. STEVE PARSONS via Getty Images
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Does it mean that the UK has far fewer deaths Covid-19 deaths than we thought?
In the wake of the news of the statistical anomaly, the reaction of some was to claim that coronavirus deaths – a statistic that has formed so much of our perception of the virus and been used to justify lockdown measures – were far lower than the government had told us.
But the DHSC figures are not the only measure we have to understand the enormous impact of Covid-19 on the number of deaths in England and Wales.
The most recent excess figures data published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that there have been 53,979 “excess deaths” in England and Wales in 2020 so far – that is, the number of people who have died this year over and above the average for the last five years.
Of the deaths registered by July 3, 50,548 of them mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, accounting for almost 15% of all deaths registered in 2020.
Yet the overall number of coronavirus deaths recorded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which incorporates the PHE statistics that we now know to be affected by this statistical anomaly, currently stands at 45,119 for the entire UK – more than 8,000 lower than the ONS figures that cover just England and Wales.
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Of course, the PHE figures account for only England, while the ONS ones cover both England and Wales. According to Public Health Wales there have been 1,545 Covid-19 deaths in the country recorded since the start of the pandemic. Like Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales also uses a 28-day cut-off period.
It means that while the PHE figures are obviously problematic – and as the year continues they will become more unreliable due to the increased likelihood of someone dying of an unrelated cause after testing positive for Covid-19 – they don’t mean that we’ve actually had a lower number of deaths than published by the government.
The ONS Covid-19 mortality data is based on registrations of deaths where confirmed or suspected Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, wherever the death took place.
The death certification used by ONS to measure Covid-19 deaths does not depend on a positive test, while the Public Health England figures are reliant upon this positive test – which is why they are so relatively low.
Due to the well-documented issues with accessing comprehensive testing, particularly at the height of the outbreak and in a care home setting, it has been widely accepted that not every person who died with Covid-19 had actually tested positive for the virus.
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Nick Stripe, head of the ONS health analysis and life events division, told HuffPost UK: “This anomaly would help explain why PHE figures have been slightly higher than ours recently, when I’d expect them to be the same or slightly lower than ours still because of the dependency on a positive test result.
“Our statistics are the more complete measure. PHE stats are only where a death is linked to positive test. If the critique of PHE’s method is right, and it seems it might be, then my guess is it might mean a few hundred to a thousand of the deaths PHE have reported in recent weeks might need looking at and checking.
“It might not be a black and white issue if earlier Covid infections have resulted in longer-term issues which have resulted in death. But it would be a problem for those where the death is unrelated to an earlier positive Covid test.”
Loke added: “Early on we were not able to accurately capture all the coronavirus deaths – we were underestimating for probably the first two or three months because we did not have testing.
“But now we’ve reached a point where there is so much testing available that we’ve actually swung to the other point now where if we use PHE data we’re actually overestimating deaths that have occurred over the past six weeks or so.
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“If we’re looking at the total number of deaths then it is probably somewhere between what PHE and ONS are saying. The difficulty is with the timing of the deaths – we’ve swung from an underestimate to an overestimate.
“Either way it’s problematic for the scientists, the clinicians and the public when they are interpreting the data.”
Do we know how many people have actually recovered from Covid-19?
The issues uncovered in Friday’s CEBM article are further complicated by the way the UK tracks recovery rates – or the fact that they may not be monitored at all.
To put it plainly, we don’t know how many people have had Covid-19 and recovered. Unlike many other countries, the UK government doesn’t publish data on recoveries and it is unclear how or if they are comprehensively tracked.
When HuffPost UK contacted the DHSC in May to enquire about why the recovery rates had not been published, a department spokesperson said: “While some countries do publish this type of information it varies widely in what it actually shows. We are looking at a way based on the length of time it takes to recover.”
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They added that different nations’ approaches to recovery figures “vary widely in methodology and approach”, which could lead to “very misleading” international comparisons.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-07-17--Sir Tom Moore Knighted By The Queen In Unique Ceremony At Windsor Castle

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Fundraising hero Captain Sir Tom Moore has been knighted by the Queen in a unique open-air ceremony at Windsor Castle.
The 100-year-old Second World War veteran raised almost £33m for health service charities by walking laps of his Bedfordshire garden during the coronavirus lockdown.
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The Queen knights Sir Tom pic.twitter.com/K85fKvx5pU — Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) July 17, 2020
He was joined by family members for an unprecedented personal investiture staged in the castle’s quadrangle – instead of indoors at Buckingham Palace – on Friday.
Ahead of the ceremony, Captain Tom said on his official Twitter account: “It is going to be the most special of days for me.”
A message from Tom 'I could never have imagined this would happen to me. It is such a huge honour and I am very much looking forward to meeting Her Majesty The Queen. It is going to be the most special of days for me'#FridayWillBeAGoodDay pic.twitter.com/zha2bCIMzi — Captain Tom Moore (@captaintommoore) July 15, 2020
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The 94-year-old Queen has been staying at Windsor during the coronavirus pandemic for her safety, but carried out the official engagement in person – her first since lockdown.
While other ceremonies due to be held at Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh have been postponed because of the pandemic, an exception was made for Captain Tom.
Buckingham Palace believes it is the first time the “unique” format of his ceremony will have taken place, amid the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic and Downing Street’s announcement of Moore’s individual knighthood.
The Queen used the sword that belonged to her father, King George VI, and presented Captain Tom with the insignia of Knight Bachelor.
Buckingham Palace said the investiture will follow strict social distancing rules.
Captain Tom was joined for the ceremony, which cannot be viewed by the public, by his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benji and granddaughter Georgia.
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Who is Captain Tom?
Captain Tom Moore at his home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, after he achieved his goal of 100 laps of his garden - raising more than 12 million pounds for the NHS. PA
Captain Tom Moore captured the nation’s attention during the coronavirus lockdown, when he vowed to walk 100 laps of his garden for health service charities.
Moore, who was 99 when he started the challenge – originally hoped to raise £1,000.
But after his efforts went viral – and were featured on TV – he eventually raised almost £33m.
Moore then went on to record a history-making cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care choir.
Incredible! Captain Tom Moore has gone to Number 1! 🏆@itswillmanning reveals to @captaintommoore's daughter and grandson that 'You'll Never Walk Alone' with @mrmichaelball & the NHS Voices of Care Choir has gone straight to Number 1 in the UK 👏 pic.twitter.com/jpGxXNWWrk — The Official Big Top 40 (@BigTop40) April 19, 2020
The song shot to number one, making Moore – who was 99 at the time – the oldest person to ever top the singles charts.
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Captain Tom’s 100 birthday celebrations
Following Moore’s fundraising success, his 100th birthday in April was celebrated around the country.
The veteran was honoured with two military flypasts over his village – the first of a Spitfire and a Hurricane, and the second of a Wildcat and an Apache helicopter.
A Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flypast of a Spitfire and a Hurricane passes over the home of Captain Tom Moore as he celebrates his 100th birthday. Joe Giddens - PA Images via Getty Images
Colonel Tom Moore and his daughter Hannah celebrate his 100th birthday, with an RAF flypast provided by a Spitfire and a Hurricane over his home Handout via Getty Images
Moore – who was made an honorary colonel on his birthday – also received more than 140,000 birthday cards, including one from the Queen and a message from the prime minister.
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Boris Johnson said: “Captain Tom, I know I speak for the whole country when I say we wish you a very happy 100th birthday.
“Your heroic efforts have lifted the spirits of the entire nation.”
Birthday cards for Captain Tom Moore arrive at Bedford School in Bedfordshire PA
Captain Tom, who is a cricket fan, was also been made an honorary member of the England cricket team by former captain Michael Vaughan.
But that’s not the only sporting honour that has been bestowed upon the centenarian.
David Beckham presents Captain Tom Moore with special award for NHS fundraising efforts https://t.co/ayiboQVZHU — HuffPost UK Entertainment (@HuffPostUKEnt) July 11, 2020
In July, former England captain David Beckham visited Moore with a special award, making him the first member of the Lionhearts squad of inspirational heroes.
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