The UK has a serious social mobility issue which has become more apparent in recent years, demonstrated perfectly by the current chumocracy we see in the dishing out of government contracts to the owner of our elected official’s favourite pubs. Social mobility refers to the ability of an individual to move upward in social status, based on common social variables, such as wealth, occupation, or education level
Read MoreThe taboo of death in our society seems alive-and-well (excuse the pun). Most people avoid even uttering the word, instead substituting in fluffy euphemisms like ‘passing-on’ or ‘no longer with us’ to paint over the grim reality with white clouds and pearly gates.
Read MoreIf the events of the last year have taught us anything, it is that individual actions will not be enough to change the world. Covid-19 quarantine may have inadvertently slashed our individual carbon footprints, but the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere still peaked at a record-breaking level in May last. Why? 100 companies have been the source of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1998. Most of these are coal and oil companies, including ExxonMobil and Shell.
Read MoreSpeaking from my own experiences, I have avoided getting my smear test done for an array of different reasons but the most prevailing for me has been down to mental health and anxiety.
Read More“Is it dangerous to admit that I’m feeling relaxed?” he asked. “This feels too good to be true”.
The happiest memory with my family? Perhaps it should be something sensational, the kind of memory that comes with a fanfare of trumpets, bursts of fireworks and a collage of photogenic smiles to line the kitchen wall.
Read MoreI started cooking more inventive meals other than a fat plate of chicken nuggets and even bought a keyboard to learn - so far I’ve learnt happy birthday (which I now play twice whenever somebody is washing their hands) and a few other songs. But my progress isn’t important to me, it’s the fact that this was something I had wanted to do for years and now I had the chance and I took it.
Read MoreMusic is one of the strongest forms of communication. Do you know that feeling of listening to a song finding yourself completely in tune with the piece? And how many times did you dedicate a song to someone special, just because you could not find better words to communicate your feelings?
Read MorePut simply, I don’t know. When it comes to writing my university essays, I have a framework to follow and, most of the time, I’m writing for people who wrestle with the same questions in their own work. In the same vein, there is something very plainly wrong when Asian reporters are being told they’re “too biased” to cover racially targeted shootings.
Read MoreI was addicted to partying and the party lifestyle, and everyone who knew me at the time, knew I loved a party.
Read MoreHPV or Human Papillomavirus is a virus, there are more than 100 different types of HPV, and some can cause cancer. Most of us will have HPV at some point or another, but the great news is that most people will never know, their immune system will fight it off, and within two years, they’ll naturally have cleared it from their system.
Read MoreIt should be a given that women can be naturally confident and self-assured. Yet, when a woman has self-confidence and lets it show, it is usually questioned, or it often results in some form of backlash.
Read MoreLiam, a 14-year-old trans male has known that he was not born in the body that matched his mind since he was 7 years old. He has told me that he always knew that he was different, but it was only through age that he knew why.
Read MoreOne human right that we take for granted is a legal respect for family life and home (Article 8, Human Rights Act 1998.) The bill has another section of concerning content, part 4. Unauthorised Encampments and Trespass, that threatens that basic right for many. With that wording you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s only fair for landowners to be able to evict those who trespass without permission, but the current laws already enable this so what’s being changed?
Read MoreAs soon as I tapped the Facebook icon on my home screen, I was greeted by a barrage of weight loss ads and fatphobic memes. June 21st is coming and it’s time to lose the ‘lockdown weight’.
Read MoreMost of my clothes are pretty funereal in fact, except for occasional bursts of bright which render me clownlike. I feel safe in black, sturdy, roomy clothes, a barrier against the world that prickles and probes and demands from me. I like the anonymity and invisibleness of it.
Read MoreWe let the news digest. I was officially autistic now. For my partner, I think it was something new to add to my list of difficulties. For me, it was a weight off my shoulders. I was relieved. I was understood.
Read MoreAn invisible disability is a life-altering condition that is not apparent just by looking at someone. Guess what? This covers 1 in 7 of the UK’s population – so we are everywhere, you just don’t know it, because our superpower is being invisible.
Read MoreHappiness has lots of meanings. We are happy if there we have safety and security in our lives, and we’re happy in the deepest way when we feel a sense of belonging and connection with one another, and with the beautiful world around us. We are happy if we have a sense of purpose and meaning and as a parent to adopted six-year-old twins, currently, there is no greater purpose.
Read More#FreeBritney.
#MuteRKelly.
#MeToo.
All of these hashtags are instantly recognisable. They have swept through social media like wildfire.
Read MoreDays of unrest have been spreading through our streets. OUR streets. Each time, met with increasing violence and fear tactics. Each time the public grow a greater mistrust for the police. The ardent chants of ‘Who do you protect? Not us.’, and ‘We’re not violent, what are you?’ have never rung truer.
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