Latest Stories from Flo
Microdramas are fuelling exploitation in the entertainment industry
The booming world of rapid, vertical mini dramas has generated a multi-million dollar mobile entertainment industry. It’s also fuelled worker exploitation, low wages, and suffocating schedules. Is TV getting dumber? In today’s post-literate society – an era Rose Horowitch deftly explores in a recent piece for The Atlantic – how we entertain ourselves is a hot topic. From the second-screen problem to the rise of AI-generated content, the general consensus is...
Every body of water in England is polluted with toxic chemicals
New reports show each of the country’s rivers, lakes and estuaries are filled with harmful forever chemicals – a litmus test for a mounting ecological crisis. To suggest that most of England’s inner-city rivers are heavily polluted would be akin to calling the sky blue. But stating the obvious it is not. Far beyond the murky waters of London’s Thames or Manchester’s Irwell, each and every body of water across the...
Should unfair dismissals be classed as a public health issue?
The death of 26-year-old Chloe Moffat has raised questions about duty of care in the workplace, and the right to safeguards during meetings. Losing your job or facing disciplinary action in the workplace is a traumatic experience for anyone – especially when it comes as a surprise. But the death of Chloe Moffat has prompted a wider examination of how British employers handle allegations of misconduct, and whether disciplinary procedures can...
How TikTok failed to take down Perez Hilton’s livestream
The celebrity blogger was hospitalised after allegedly harming himself on a TikTok livestream. Now the platform is reckoning with the consequences. Last Tuesday, celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton (born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.) appeared on a TikTok livestream naked, covered in a red substance that appeared to be blood, and holding what looked like a knife. As viewers watched on in horror, a concerned number called the emergency services who...
Do we ever have the right to comment on someone’s body?
Public fixation over Ariana Grande’s appearance has driven the star to retreat from the spotlight. Where do we draw the line between scrutiny and concern when it comes to women’s bodies? Ariana Grande has lived half of her life in the spotlight. She’s had a hugely successful music career during that time – achieving 10 US number one hits, 20 Grammy Award nominations, and three wins. She’s also moved into acting...
More than half of England is officially in a drought
Put down the hose. England’s Environmental Agency has declared over half of the nation is in a drought as ongoing heatwaves drain water supplies. When I saw the news alert for a hose pipe ban I was suddenly transported back to primary school, when I mistakenly took the government legislation as an embargo on owning hose pipes. Alas, here we are decades later, not smuggling garden equipment but being forced to...
Can we stop dressing celebrities in looted ancient artefacts?
Zendaya is the latest star facing backlash for her red-carpet fashion choices – this time sporting a pair of ancient Iranian artefacts to promote Christopher Nolan’s latest film The Odyssey. Only a handful of stars have the fashion world under their thumb quite like Zendaya (and her trusty stylist Law Roach). But the actor has faced a rare wave of backlash for her latest outfit choice. While promoting Christopher Nolan’s...
Wildfires in France and Spain could take months to extinguish
Firefighters have been left to battle the effects of the climate crisis as wildfires see thousands evacuated and heatwaves continue to stifle southern Europe. Every year it feels as though the impacts of climate change grow more tangible and more devastating. Reports of life-threatening wildfires are no longer the headlines of southern California but also southern Europe. Stifling heatwaves stretch on for weeks rather than days, even in perpetually grey...
Berlin Pride attacks prove Europe’s safest spaces are being stamped out
One person has died and at least 16 others have been injured in a van attack at Berlin’s Pride event. The queer community has been left reeling as one of Europe’s most inclusive cities is reminded of a growing contempt toward LGBTQIA+ people. Berlin is often lauded as Europe’s most progressive city. The streets are lined with subversive clubs, bars and art spaces. Many of the continent’s young people have...
Is vocational training the future of education?
On World Youth Skills Day, the UN has argued a changing job market calls for a new educational approach. The world looks very different from a decade ago, when I was taking my A-Levels. Now young people are leaving school to a largely thankless job market, ill-equipped to accommodate the skills learnt through traditional education. Technological development, the rise of AI, and a professional landscape transformed by remote working have...
