Latest Stories from Flo
Is powdered beer the answer to alcohol’s carbon footprint?
A German brewery has developed powdered beer, a revolutionary new beverage that may change the way we consume alcohol forever. Instant drinks like coffee and - dare I say it - custard, have been around for years now. And while these powdered alternatives have revolutionised our daily lives, an alcoholic version wasn’t something many saw coming. But a German brewery has just developed a powder beer, which creates an instant beverage...
Headteacher’s suicide sparks debate about Ofsted inspections
Ruth Perry took her own life after a report downgraded her school from ‘Outstanding’ to ‘Inadequate’. Teachers and policy-makers are urging for a national boycott of Ofsted. Education unions have called for a boycott of Ofsted, and urged teachers to refuse inspectors access to their schools, after 53-year-old headteacher Ruth Perry took her own life. Perry was considered an educator ‘in her prime’, who worked at Caversham Primary School in Reading....
How gang violence is upending Haitian lives
The rise of gang activity has brought the country to a halt, as locals seek homegrown ways to regain agency. A deepening political crisis is currently gripping Haiti and the international community is paying little attention. Rising gang activity has kept Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, in rigid captivity. Few locals have access to food, water, or healthcare. As gang activity spreads to more rural areas, farming and food production are also...
New online tool allows teens to remove explicit images
‘Take it Down’ aims to give back agency to teens and victims of revenge porn. Young people are often vilified for sharing explicit images of themselves online. ‘Everything on the internet lasts forever’ is often the warning cry of older generations. The reality is that many teens are coerced into uploading explicit content – often under duress and by much older influences. Young people are also less likely to grasp the consequences...
Pro-surfer Bethany Hamilton refuses to compete alongside trans women
The American athlete has said she’ll boycott the World Surf League after it announced trans women would be allowed to compete. Pro-surfer Bethany Hamilton shared on Instagram that she would be boycotting surfing competitions by the World Surf League, due to changes in their policy that allow trans women to compete. In a video which now has over 150,000 likes, Hamilton referred to trans women surfers as ‘male-bodied individuals’, and stated...
Students turn to food banks during cost of living crisis
Universities across the country are supporting students by opening food banks, as the cost of living continues to disrupt the education of young people. Striking teachers have dominated the news cycle lately, as dire pay forces educators to join picket lines. The extent of their situation was highlighted by teachers’ use of food banks, as they struggled to feed themselves on such low incomes. Students and members of the wider community...
Opinion – Harry Styles’ win highlights complexities of privilege
After a career-pivoting and rather surprising ‘Album of the Year’ win sent fans into a frenzy for its ‘tone deaf’ claims of adversity. But is there a case for considering who Harry meant by ‘people like me’? Beyonce, Adele, Lizzo. Harry Styles was certainly up against some stiff competition for Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammys. But in a rather surprising twist, his album ‘Harry’s House’, a bubbly album...
Welsh government plan to make it easier to change gender
After England blocked a Scottish-backed gender reform law, Wales has announced plans to make it easier for trans individuals to legally change their gender. The Welsh government announced this week that it had a new LGBTQ+ Action Plan to make it easier for individuals to legally change their gender. The news comes after the UK government blocked similar legislation put forward by Scotland. Alongside enabled individuals to change their gender, Wales’ plan...
2023’s Oscar nominations fail to make meaningful progress
No Black actors were nominated for leading categories this year. Once again, they deserved better. When the 2022 Oscar nominations were announced, Black actors and directors ruled the roost. It was a comforting – and deserved – outcome after years of ‘#oscarssowhite’ protest, a nod to the academy’s consistent failings in diversity and inclusion. But this year, it seems that this positive shift was only a phase. Despite a slew of Black...
Opinion – Tate’s privacy ruling shows the rich can spoil everything
Residents of luxury glass-walled flats opposite Tate Modern’s public viewing platform have won a landmark ruling that their privacy is being impinged upon. It seems the rich have power to shape even our most public spaces. In 2021, affluent neighbours of the Tate Modern decided that the glass-walled luxury flats they’d chosen to live in weren’t offering enough privacy. Sitting adjacent to the Tate Modern’s famous public viewing platform, which offered...
