Wednesday Season 2 Cast: Here’s Where You’ve Seen The New Stars Before

Posted on 09/08/2025 by Boris Clair

The Wednesday universe just got a whole lot bigger after a new cohort of stars joined the Netflix hit for its long-awaited second season.

After a three-year wait, the new episodes see Jenna Ortega’s character finally heading back to Nevermore to tackle new mysteries while she navigates family, friends and old foes.

Joining returning stars like Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez and the rest of the kooky family, this season brings a host of new stars and A-list performers into the mix.

With the first four episodes of the season available to watch now (ahead of part two dropping on 3 September), you might have spotted more than a few familiar faces.

Here’s where you’ve seen them before…

Joanna Lumley

Joining season two as the Addams family matriarch, Grandmama Hester Frump, British acting icon Dame Joanna Lumley is best known for starring in the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous alongside Jennifer Saunders.

Dame Joanna’s career spans decades, including TV shows like The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, Sensitive Skin, Finding Alice and Fool Me Once, while The Wolf Of Wall Street, Ella Enchanted, Paddington 2 are among her many film credits.

She’s also known for her numerous travel series where she’s journeyed all over the world to countries like Russia, Japan and India (where she was born).

Wednesday actually marks a Tim Burton reunion for Dame Joanna, who voiced Maudeline Everglot in his 2005 stop-motion classic Corpse Bride and played Aunt Spiker in James And The Giant Peach, which he produced.

Steve Buscemi

Another screen legend joining this season is Steve Buscemi in the role of Principal Dort. You’ll know him for playing Nucky in Boardwalk Empire, along with Mr “I Don’t Tip” Pink in Reservoir Dogs.

His other big movie credits include Fargo, The Death Of Stalin and Ghost World. With more than a few hardman roles added to his resume over the years, he’s also no stranger to comedy, having appeared in Hubie Halloween, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and The Week Of.

If nothing else, you’ve most definitely seen his famous “how do you do, fellow kids” line memed to high heaven from 30 Rock, or heard his voice as Randall in Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.

Billie Piper

Doctor Who fans will always know and love Billie Piper as the iconic companion Rose in the first two revived seasons of the beloved sci-fi show.

She joins Wednesday as Isadora Capri, the Academy’s new head of music, and has previously starred in shows like Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, I Hate Suzie and Penny Dreadful, and portrayed Fanny Price in the Jane Austen TV movie adaptation of Mansfield Park.

More recently, you might have watched her in Lena Dunham’s movie Catherine Called Birdy or Netflix’s Scoop about the Prince Andrew Newsnight interview about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Before all of that, though, she was a chart-topping popstar, racking up hits like Because We Want To, Day And Night and Girlfriend.

Thandiwe Newton

The A-list Brits just keep on coming, with Thandiwe Newton joining Wednesday in the role of psychiatrist Dr. Rachael Fairburn.

She won an Emmy for her stunning portrayal of brothel madam Maeve in Westworld, while her other memorable roles across film include Beloved, Mission Impossible II and Crash. Her TV credits, meanwhile, range from Line Of Duty, Rogue and ER.

Thandiwe has also had some huge voice parts, including Mona in Big Mouth and Eshe in Disney’s Lion King prequel Mufasa, which came out last year.

Christopher Lloyd

The Back To The Future legend is officially returning to the Addams Family universe, after portraying Uncle Fester in Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1990s films.

However, this time around, he’s playing Professor Orloff, Nevermore’s longest-serving teacher. Along with his unforgettable role as Doc Brown in the iconic sci-fi trilogy, he’s also known for playing Jim Ignatowski in the Emmy-winning comedy series Taxi.

Christopher’s other notable movie credits include Who Framed Roger Rabbit, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

Lady Gaga

Does this legend really need an introduction?

The pop superstar, Oscar-recognised actor and all-round entertainment icon is set to guest star in the second part of this season when it arrives on 3 September.

She won an Academy Award for her contribution to the A Star Is Born soundtrack (and snagged an additional nomination for her performance as Ally in the film itself), and has gone on to land starring roles in Joker: Folie à Deux and the 2021 series House Of Gucci.

Gaga previously led the fifth season of American Horror Story back in 2015, winning a Golden Globe in the process, before returning to play the witch Scáthach in the the following year’s series.

Haley Joel Osment

Former child actor Haley Joel Osment guest stars in the first episode of season two as a serial killer known as the Kansas City Scalper.

You may well still be a little traumatised from his performance in The Sixth Sense (for which he received an Oscar nomination) with Bruce Willis. He also delivered a hugely moving performance in A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

As an adult, you might have watched him in Blink Twice, Sex Ed, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile and, much more recently, Happy Gilmore 2.

Heather Matarazzo

All millennials likely did a double take when they spotted Heather Matarazzo in the new season as Dr. Fairburn’s righthand woman Judi – who is best known to many of us for playing Mia’s best friend Lily Moskowitz in The Princess Diaries.

Her other credits include Welcome to the Dollhouse, Saved!, The Devil’s Advocate and Hostel: Part II.

Frances O’Connor

Another season two guest star is Frances O’Connor, who is, funnily enough, another A.I. Artificial Intelligence alum, previously playing Haley Joel Osment’s mum in the Spielberg movie.

Frances has also been seen in the 1999 adaptation of Mansfield Park, The Conjuring 2, Mr. Selfridge and The End.

Owen Painter

You might not recognise him in his Slurp zombie get-up in Wednesday, but Owen’s resume includes a small role as a border control guard in The Handmaid’s Tale and a young Lucas in Tiny Beautiful Things.

Evie Templeton

Nevermore student Agnes DeMille, a superfan of Wednesday’s, is set to make Evie Templeton one of the breakout stars of season two.

Wednesday is Evie’s biggest acting gig to date, but she’s also had small roles in Criminal Record, Life After Life and Robert Zemeckis’ reimagining of Disney’s Pinocchio.

Freaky Friday: 14 Things You Probably Never Knew About The Disney Classic

Posted on 09/08/2025 by Boris Clair

A version of this article was previously published in 2021.

After teasing us for literally decades, a sequel to Freaky Friday finally arrived in cinemas this week, reuniting the 2003 classic’s original leads Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, alongside a number of other familiar faces.

The original film (which itself was a remake of a successful Disney live-action film from the 1970s) centres around a quarrelling mother-daughter duo who switch bodies once a spell takes effect, with unexpected consequences.

So far, the remake has been well-received by critics, many of whom have hailed it as a worthy successor to the first instalment that so many of us already knew and loved.

In honour of the sequel’s release, we’ve rounded up 14 facts you probably never knew about the hit movie…

Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday

1. Lindsay’s character was originally supposed to be a goth

When the Parent Trap star read the original script, she thought Anna’s character was a bit too scruffy. “There was nothing there, no one can relate to the character when she’s really goth,” she told Vanity Fair in 2006.

To recreate her own envision, LiLo turned up to the audition dressed extremely preppy, which worked to her benefit as the character was rewritten.

2. The shots in the opening credits are actual photos of Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Annie Guest

We all love a fake snapshot or two at the beginning of a film, but who knew the photos at the start of Freaky Friday captured true moments from Jamie Lee’s real life?

One sees her daughter as a toddler laying on her mother’s back, with her arms tightly placed around her neck.

3. Lindsay had to give Jamie Lee precise lessons on how to say ‘shut up’

During a promotional interview on YouTube, the Everything, Everywhere All At Once actor admitted to needing help from her then-teenage co-star with the specific way she said “shut up!”.

“There’s a way she says ‘shut up’ that I couldn’t get. She had to give me a ‘shut up’ tutorial because it’s a very specific way,” Jamie Lee said.

Meanwhile, Jamie Lee, who was raising 16-year-old daughter Annie Guest at the time, claimed that starring in this film with a young person helped her see things from her child’s point of view.

“I think I probably have a judgmental bitch badge that I put on because I can be harsh, and I think that walking a mile in some very uncomfortable teenage shoes gave me the opportunity to see what it’s like on the other side,” she said.

4. Gwen Stefani was offered a role as a member of the band

According to IMDB, the US singer was offered a role as a member of Anna’s band, but sadly we didn’t get to see that happen – although we think she would have been a perfect addition to that cast.

5. Michelle Trachtenberg was supposed to be Anna

The Ice Princess star was first to be cast as the mouthy teenager, but had to back out of the project due to her her contract with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where she played Dawn Summers.

This was actually the second film Michelle turned down in which LiLo later landed the lead gig – the first being The Parent Trap in 1998, in which Lindsay made her name.

6. Kelly Osbourne also auditioned for the role

The star, known for her family reality show The Osbournes, was also offered the part of Anna after auditioning, but had to pull out after her mother Sharon was diagnosed with cancer.

Kelly later described how people told her it was the biggest mistake of her career, due to the success of the film.

7. Meanwhile, Madonna reportedly had her eye on the role of Tess

Madonna in 2003, the year Freaky Friday was released

Jodie Foster was the first pick, having played the teenage daughter in Disney’s first Freaky Friday movie, and when she declined the role, it went to Annette Bening.

However, Annette departed the project due to scheduling issues, while the American Beauty star reportedly also had “anxious” feelings about the script.

8. Because of this, Jamie Lee Curtis was actually cast just days before shooting began

Still, it was obviously a case of the stars aligning, as Jamie Lee and Lindsay’s chemistry was undeniable, and they’ve spoken highly about one another repeatedly over the decades.

9. Lindsay Lohan’s real mum also made an appearance in the movie

LiLo’s mum Dina can be seen in the final scene where Anna is dancing with Jake. Dina is in the background dancing with an older man, but there is an awkward moment where she is seen looking directly at the camera.

10. The famous Anna and Tess collision scene is similar to a scene in Bewitched

Anna and Tess’ idea to collide at full force in an attempt to reverse the spell is similar to a scene in 1966′s Bewitched: Divided He Falls, where Darrin is split into two people and Endora suggests he do the same to break the spell.

However, in this scene, the trick had the desired effect.

11. Lindsay had her first on-screen kiss in Freaky Friday

In a behind the scene YouTube clip, Lindsay admitted that the kiss she shared with co-star Chad Michael Murray was the first she had done on screen.

12. The film paid homage to Jamie Lee Curtis’ mother

A character named Mr Bates appears in the film as a tribute to the actor’s mother, Janet Leigh who is best known for her performance in the 1960 film Psycho.

Mr Bates is a reference to Norman Bates’ character in the classic movie.

13. A member of the band Orgy instructed Jamie on how to play the guitar for the last scene

Orgy, an American rock band formed in 1994, offered up one of their members to teach Jamie Lee how to play the guitar, and although the actor practiced making the concert scene look as authentic as possible, a studio musician dubbed over the guitar solo in the finished film.

14. Freaky Friday is actually based on Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel of the same name

Rodgers’ story was adapted many times, including the original Disney version in 1976, which starred future Oscar winner Jodie Foster in her child actor years.

In 2020, it was the source for the movie Freaky, which focuses on a teenage girl who unintentionally swaps bodies with a middle-aged male serial killer.

Missing And Just Like That Already? This Forgotten Sex And The City Spin-Off Is Also Streaming

Posted on 09/08/2025 by Boris Clair

After three seasons of bed-wetting, street vomit, vertigo-induced falls, botched phone sex, “Miraaaaanda”, penis pumps, characters being brought back from the dead only to be killed off again, puppetry-inspired masturbation, “the woman wondered what she had gotten herself into”, “I’ve done a ton of weed” and more than double the amount of Bitsy Von Muffling than we ever got in Sex And The City, it’s almost time to say goodbye to TV’s most chaotic spin-off, And Just Like That.

Next week, the polarising reboot will come to an end with its last ever episode, which will see Sarah Jessica Parker hanging up her Manolos for good and making her last on-screen appearance as Carrie Bradshaw.

It’s no secret that And Just Like That was never exactly a hit with critics, but we still can’t help feeling a little sad at the prospect of never seeing the characters we’ve loved since Sex And The City – and Nicole Ari Parker as LTW, for that matter! – again.

However, what you might not realise is that And Just Like That isn’t the only show set in the Sex And The City universe that’s available to stream now.

If you’re looking for something to stream once And Just Like That is over, you might want to check out this other Sex And The City spin-off

AnnaSophia Robb on the set of The Carrie Diaries in 2012

While it received little fanfare at the time, in 2013, The Carrie Diaries reintroduced the future columnist and TV icon as a high school student.

Set in the mid-80s and based on Candace Bushnell’s book of the same name, the criminally-underrated series saw AnnaSophia Robb playing the character in her younger years, as she navigated first love and finding her place in the world.

The first season also introduced viewers to Carrie’s first group of girlfriends, as well as her first crush, played by a young Austin Butler a decade before he’d have his breakthrough in movies like Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Elvis and Dune: Part Two.

Admittedly, The Carrie Diaries is a teen drama, meaning the action is a little more youth-oriented than anything showcased in Sex And The City or And Just Like That.

Still, for Sex And The City fans, we’d still consider giving it a whirl. For one thing, AnnaSophia clearly did her homework when it came to playing Carrie – her mannerisms are endearingly SJP-esque, and if you’re a fan of the character’s fashion, you’ll love seeing the young character experimenting with her personal style set against the backdrop of the 80s.

The cast of The Carrie Diaries, including AnnaSophia Robb, Austin Butler and Freema Agyeman

It’s also heartwarming seeing Carrie’s love for her future home in New York blossom over time, especially in season two, when the character makes her very first foray into journalism as an intern for Interview magazine.

The second season also introduces a fabulous new addition in the form of Lindsey Gort’s lovingly-crafted interpretation of Samantha Jones.

If you’re intrigued, the whole show is streaming for free on ITVX in the UK.

Lindsey Gort and AnnaSophia Robb as Samantha Jones and Carrie Bradshaw on the set of The Carrie Diaries in 2013

When will the final episode of And Just Like That be available to stream?

The And Just Like That will premiere in the US on Thursday 14 August at 9pm ET on the streaming platform HBO Max.

After that, it will be available to stream on Now and Sky in the UK from around 2am on Friday 15 August (just in case you want to set your alarm and see it before it’s spoiled for you!).

Where can I stream Sex And The City and its spin-off films?

Like And Just Like That, Sex And The City is also available to watch on Now and Sky in the UK, as is Divorce, another SJP project featuring brief appearances from several And Just Like That cast members.

Meanwhile, the Sex And The City movie and its much-derided sequels are both currently on Netflix.

If You’ve Been Feeling Uninspired And Apathetic At Work, You May Be Experiencing This

Posted on 08/08/2025 by Boris Clair

We have all had our bad days and even weeks at work but what happens when the feelings associated with these days just don’t seem to pass? Well, you may be experiencing something that two experts have dubbed “rustout”.

Writing for The Conversation, Sabrina Fitzsimons Co-Director of DCU CREATE (Centre for Collaborative Research Across Teacher Education), Lecturer in Education, Dublin City University and David Smith, Lecturer, School of Applied Social Studies, Robert Gordon University explain the phenomenon.

Explaining that rustout is on the other end of the spectrum from burnout, they explain: “This is when employees become bored, apathetic and unmotivated, often doing the minimum necessary work. This can result in them procrastinating, browsing social media or looking for something more stimulating elsewhere.”

Sound familiar?

So, what causes rustout?

The experts explain: “Rustout is mental and emotional decline caused by repetitive, mundane tasks and ongoing professional stagnation. Unlike burnout, which results from work overload, rustout arises from underutilisation and a lack of stimulating work.

“It can be amplified when a workplace values efficiency and meeting specific outcomes over professional engagement, leaving people feeling invisible or replaceable. In other words, it occurs when people are not challenged enough.”

Do rather than the over-demand which can cause burnout, rustout comes from not being needed enough. Grim.

Isn’t this just quiet quitting though?

While the behavioural responses to rustout may seem to mirror quiet quitting, the researchers explained that those who experienced rustout most frequently, teacher educators, are not deliberately stepping back from responsibilities.

They say: “While most described enjoying their work and its variety, we found an undercurrent of symptoms and experiences indicative of rustout. We believe our findings may have resonance with other occupational settings.

“Rustout may sound a bit like the social media trend of quiet quitting. However, the teacher educators we spoke to were not deliberately stepping back from their duties or plotting their exit. In fact, they remained highly committed to their students – making their situation even more frustrating.”

That does sound incredibly frustrating.

In fact, once the researchers digged deeper in their interviews with teachers, they found that teachers “spoke of the joy it was possible to find in their work and the many brilliant, inspiring young people they had helped to nurture.”

However, the researchers admitted, some had lost this enthusiasm.

Talking is essential

The experts warn that not talking about how you’re feeling can only make the situation continue, urging: “Nothing is being rocked when staff are working and doing their jobs.

“This silence benefits institutions in the short term, since it maintains stability and delays difficult conversations. However, in the long term, it can contribute to retention issues, a negative workplace culture and possibly reduced innovation.”

The solution, they add, is integrating rustout into the mental health agenda in workplaces, just as burnout is.

“Employers must acknowledge that the wellbeing of their employees is integral to overall success.”

Help and support:

Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.

Here’s What Ed Sheeran Had To Say About The Backlash Over Him Saying He ‘Identifies Culturally As Irish’

Posted on 07/08/2025 by Boris Clair

Between his hit song Galway Girl, his clear affinity for traditional Irish music and his ability to “split the G” in a pint of Guinness, Ed Sheeran has made no secret of his appreciation for Irish culture over the years.

The Shape Of You singer opened up about his Irish roots while speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast earlier in the summer, explaining how he sees himself as “culturally” Irish, despite being born in the UK.

“I class my culture as Irish. I think that’s what I grew up with,” he shared. “We’d spend all of our holidays in Ireland. My first musical experiences were in Ireland, I grew up with trad music in the house.

“So, I identify culturally as Irish, but I was obviously born and raised in Britain.”

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However, it seems not everyone took too kindly to those remarks, with an ensuing backlash including accusations of being “plastic paddy”, a derogatory term often attributed to people several generations down the line in the Irish diaspora.

The Nancy Mulligan singer was raised in Suffolk, but his dad is from Belfast, and he spent lots of time in Ireland during his childhood.

Opening up about some of the criticism he received while speaking on The Tracy Clifford Show on RTÉ, the four-time Grammy winner reiterated that his upbringing was steeped in Irish culture.

“I feel like people are a bit like ‘gatekeepey’ sometimes,” he explained. “I think it comes from Americans that are 1/16th Irish… I do understand it.

He added: “But also – no one can tell me what my childhood was, or what the culture that I grew up with, or the music I grew up with, or the humour I grew up with, or the movies I grew up [were]… I grew up with it, therefore, it’s part of me.

“Therefore, I feel like it’s part of my culture and how can someone else tell me what is or isn’t how I feel?”

Ed’s comments come after he posted an initial reaction to his Instagram Story in June aimed at “anyone with an opinion after what I said about my heritage”.

“My dad is Irish. My family is Irish. I have an Irish passport,” he wrote. “The culture I was brought up around is Irish.”

He continued: “The first music I learnt was Irish. [Just because] I was born somewhere else doesn’t change my culture, I can be allowed to feel a connection to a place half my family is from.”

Elaborating about his Irish background while speaking with Louis, Ed said his culture is “something that I’m really proud of and grew up with and want to express”, before adding: “I feel like just because I was born in Britain doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to just be [British], there’s loads of people I know that are half this or quarter this.”

Just this week, Ed surprised fans with a performance in an Irish pub during a music and arts festival in Wexford.

The Overlooked Insects Your Garden Could Save From Extinction

Posted on 07/08/2025 by Boris Clair

While we have been repeatedly informed that we need to ‘save the bees’ over the past decade or so, researchers from Sheffield’s School of Biosciences say there are two more pollinators we need to look out for, who are just as at risk.

The critters in question are moths and hover flies – not quite as cute and charismatic as bees, but just as essential to our ecosystems.

Looking at urban development and the impact on insects, researchers found that for every 10% increase in impervious surfaces – such as roads and building cover – there was a reduction of up to 7.5% in the variety of pollinating species.

However, the number of moths and hover flies of any species took a far greater hit compared to bees.

So, how do we help moths and hover flies?

If you’re the kind of gardener who has keenly planted flowers for pollinators such as bees, the researchers urge to continue this kind of proactive approach by inviting moths and hover flies to your garden, too.

Emilie Ellis, lead author of the study, told The Guardian: “It’s just a matter of taking [moths and hover flies] into account and maybe having some more shrubs or a pond or something like that to also benefit those insects.

“The diversity of habitat is the most important – so you need your flower patch, you need a tree, you need some shrubs, you need an untouched bit of grass – and kind of just keeping the patches that you have diverse and catering for all different types of insects and animals.”

Moths – of which there are 2,500 types in the UK – particularly like jasmine, honeysuckle, ivy, sweet rocket and evening primrose, according to the RSPB.

Ellis also advised to get neighbours involved, too, saying: “A huge thing that’s important is collaborating and talking to your neighbours and families and friends and encouraging them to do it too.

“Because an individual allotment or flower garden is pretty small and almost useless, but when you create a whole network of people that are interested and engaged, these small little patches can become these huge habitat networks in cities.”

BRB, getting my gardening gloves out.

Mums Are Sharing When The Mental Load Peaks – And I’m Exhausted Just Thinking About It

Posted on 07/08/2025 by Boris Clair

If you’re a parent, particularly a mother, you’ll likely be well acquainted with the mental load – or as UCLA Health describes it, the “behind-the-scenes, cognitive and emotional work needed to manage a household”.

Studies have found mums take on 71% of all household mental load tasks (in comparison to dads, who take on 45%), ranging from planning meals and arranging activities to managing household finances.

The impact of this unequal division of tasks, which can often go unnoticed, is not to be underestimated. “It can lead to stress, burnout and even impact women’s careers. In many cases, resentment can build, creating strain between couples,” political scientist Dr Ana Catalano Weeks said.

The weight of the mental load can vary dramatically over the years, depending on a range of factors including the age of your kids, their needs at the time and how many hobbies they have.

One parent took to Reddit recently to ask whether other mums felt there was an age where the mental load peaked.

“I have two kids, different school ages so in two different schools and schedules,” she said. “The mental load feels substantially larger than when they were smaller and only dealing with baby and toddler stages.”

The overarching theme was that there were two key peaks: the baby and toddler years; and then the tween years. But it turns out even university-age kids can come with their fair share of admin, too.

The baby and toddler peak

As a member of this camp, I can wholeheartedly say the mental load is exhausting – especially when you’re breastfeeding, as it’s not something you can technically “hand over”.

Similarly, keeping a child from harming themselves 24/7 (we’re currently in the climb everything and try-to-throw-ourselves-down-the-stairs phase of toddlerhood) is tiring.

Then there’s the sheer amount of sickness young kids have – and trying to juggle that around work, and who needs to take which day off to look after who, or who needs to be calling family members for backup childcare – as well as all the cleaning, weaning, and having to take the entire house with you when you go out anywhere for a significant period of time (aka more than 20 minutes).

One mum of four children aged 15, 18, 20 and 24 said the toddler years were “the worst” in terms of mental load.

Another parent noted they experienced “two mental load peaks” which had “very different flavours”, one of which was the baby and toddlerhood peak, “which was very much about keeping them alive and uninjured”.

They continued: “A lot of my mental energy was consumed by constant feeding, cleaning, and supervision of irrational creatures with no self-preservation instinct.” Told you.

But the tween years are also hard

The same mum added: “There was another mental load peak in the preteen years. This one was more about keeping everything on the rails. It was a combo of puberty issues like hygiene resistance and emotional meltdowns, and admin issues like keeping track of school schedules, projects, activities, trips, and social engagements.

“It started to settle down for us in high school, when the kids are more reliably handling their own personal, school, and social stuff.”

Another parent agreed that tweens require a lot of extra organisation: “As a parent of teens and tweens, I think there is more mental load for tweens. I’m still texting/arranging with other parents, still in charge of signing them up for things and transportation to/from everywhere, and still needing to support school a lot more.”

Older teens

Some parents did find that even with older children – we’re talking college-age kids and young adults – their mental load peaked.

“Mine are 17 and 22,” said a mother. “It’s peak emotional mental load. One is transitioning to adulthood after college and struggling to find a career. One is entering last year of high school and is anxious about the future. And I’m transitioning through perimenopause!!! It’s a very different mental load at this stage. It’s by far my worst time.”

Another parent agreed: “I can relate. I have an almost 19 year old and 21 year old. The 19 year old is starting college, and the twenty one year old has about a year and a half to go. And I am in menopause now, so my anxiety is high, and my sleep is all over the place.

“I feel like this is the hardest stage for me because they don’t listen as much to you.”

How to cope

Regardless of which stage you’re in, know that you’re certainly not alone.

If you’re struggling under the sheer weight of the mental load, UCLA Health experts have shared the following tips:

Speak to your partner about it and find a way to divide this invisible labour more equally. “Plan to meet weekly to review the mental labour for the upcoming week and assign those tasks,” experts suggest. There’s loads of advice on how to broach the topic here.
Make a daily or weekly to-do list so you can get them out of your head.
Set boundaries by saying “no” to things if it doesn’t work for you. Encourage older children to be independent – as the experts advise, “make them responsible for packing their own school and sports bags”.
Prioritise you time – that means taking rest where you can, exercising, eating well, and doing activities that fill your cup.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’re struggling – whether that’s from your partner, friends and family members, or your GP or therapist.

Help and support:

Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.

The 1 Potentially Deadly Mistake People Make During An Emergency Landing, According To Flight Attendants

Posted on 06/08/2025 by Boris Clair

Whether you travel for business or leisure, you’ve inevitably seen and heard the safety announcements ahead of departure. The information typically highlights what to do in the event of rough air, a change in cabin pressure or an emergency landing. While most people don’t like to think about the possibility of emergency landings, it’s important to know how to deal with one should it happen to you.

Last week, a video showed passengers on an American Airlines flight evacuating during an emergency landing in Denver after a problem occurred with a wheel. The video shows people going down the inflatable slide and quickly rushing off the aircraft, many of them holding their carry-on luggage. So that got us wondering one very important question — shouldn’t you leave all that behind?

Ahead, we spoke with flight attendants about emergency landings, and they highlighted one potentially deadly mistake that often happens that could cost you or other passengers their lives.

Let it go, let it go

As seen in last week’s viral video, a majority of the passengers who evacuated took some of their belongings with them, whether it was carry-on luggage or a backpack. Although you might think grabbing those items is a good idea, in the grand scheme of things, it could actually cost you or someone their life during an emergency landing.

″Every second counts during an evacuation, especially when it’s a critical event like smoke in the cabin,” said Valerie Fraser, an inflight crew member for JetBlue. “Even if it takes what feels like to you 5 seconds to grab a bag, that could be 5 seconds needed to save a life behind you.”

In the event of an emergency, prioritize getting out of the vehicle safely — and leave your items behind.

In fact, there have actually been instances in the past where customers on board actually died because the evacuation wasn’t done quickly enough, according to Fraser. “There’s a reason why we make announcements during the safety demo to leave everything behind in the event of an emergency,” she said.

Aside from delaying the evacuation time, grabbing items from a plane before going off can also pose other hazards on board and to the safety equipment, including the inflatable slides.

“Bags can block the aisles, damage the slides or even trip someone,” said Andy L., a flight attendant who has been working domestic flights for one year (he asked to change his name for privacy reasons related to his job). “It just adds chaos in a moment where every second matters, and the focus needs to be on getting everyone out quickly and safely.”

For example, in the video from the American Airlines flight, there was a man carrying a child in one hand and luggage in the other. He lost his balance and fell on top of the child, demonstrating an instance that could have been prevented if he’d had his other hand free.

When should you take your bag?

The short answer is never. Your belongings are replaceable, but your life and that of other passengers on board are not.

It might seem tempting to grab a small bag or luggage quickly, perhaps if it has your phone, wallet or medications, but all of those items can be replaced even if it may be inconvenient or expensive.

″Medical personnel are called right away, so they will have any medical supplies you might need in the immediate future,” Fraser said. “All other belongings would be returned to their rightful owners by the airline as well.”

The only real exception would be if you brought a pet on board, and in that instance, you would want to take them with you when you evacuate.

How long do you have to evacuate a plane?

According to Cora C., a flight attendant who has been working on domestic flights for the past seven years and who asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, flight attendants are trained to evacuate everyone off a plane, including themselves, in 90 seconds or less.

“In events like fires, that 90 seconds is the time it can take for the entire plane to become engulfed,” Cora said. “Our goal is always to get everyone off safely and quickly, and not following our commands, which always include ‘LEAVE EVERYTHING,’ prevents us from doing that.″

The 90-second rule for aircraft evacuation accounts for a plane that is full and has half the number of emergency exits in operation. In theory, the process could be quicker if all of the emergency exits are available, but that may not always be the case.

Can you be fined for not following the rules?

According to Andy, the FAA can fine passengers who don’t follow safety instructions during an evacuation, like trying to take their bags or not listening to the crew. “It’s not just a suggestion, it’s a real rule, and it’s in place to keep everyone safe,” he said.

This isn’t something that happens often. However, the flight attendants said they wouldn’t be opposed to seeing it if it would incentivise people to follow instructions properly during an emergency landing.

At the end of the day, Fraser said, an emergency evacuation is usually done as a safety precaution and is not life-threatening. That said, it is still important to act swiftly and efficiently because there is a situation at hand that could escalate quickly.

″The best thing you can do is stay calm, listen to the crew and move fast,” Andy said. “We’re trained for this, and we’re there to guide you every step of the way.”

Is Labour Preparing Brits For A Tax Shock This Autumn?

Posted on 06/08/2025 by Boris Clair

Are our taxes about to go up?

That’s a question Brits will be hearing again and again ahead of Labour’s autumn Budget, where the government sets out its spending and tax plans for the year ahead.

Very rarely do ministers admit in any significant detail exactly what they have planned for the fiscal event – but early signs suggest that a tax hike just might be looming.

The occupants of 10 and 11 Downing Street are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the country’s finances right now.

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves promised not to increase taxes on “working people” in the run-up to the general election last year.

While the exact definition of that phrase split public opinion, Labour said it means not raising income tax, employee national insurance or VAT.

Of course, that wording came back to haunt the government at last year’s Budget when they revealed they were hiking employers’ national insurance contributions – and critics swiftly pointed out that employers are “working people”, too.

Then the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) think tank today predicted that Reeves will need to raise taxes to close a government spending gap on course to reach more than £40 billion.

This is due to unexpectedly sluggish economic growth – GDP grew by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2025 but contracted by 0.1% in May – and higher-than-expected inflation – at 3.6% in June.

To make matters worse, when Labour made its 2024 tax promises, it also pledged to oversee a period of significant economic growth which… has not really happened.

So perhaps it is no surprise the NIESR claimed Reeves is facing “an impossible trilemma” – sticking to her fiscal rules while fulfilling her spending commitments and upholding her manifesto pledge not to raise taxes for working people.

Tellingly, the prime minister refused to reiterate his commitment not to increase “working people” taxes on Wednesday.

He told reporters he did “not recognise” the NIESR’s figures, adding: “But the Budget won’t be until later in the year – that’s when we’ll have the forecast and set out our plans.”

He also steered the conversation away from taxes, telling reporters: “What’s really important is that I’m very clear about our focus, which will be on living standards and making sure that people feel better-off, partly because more money is coming into their pocket in the first place through better wages, and partly because we’re bearing down on costs like mortgages and other costs to everyday families.”

Tory donor and former deputy chair of the party, Lord Ashcroft, took that to mean there will be “another U-turn” on Labour’s promises coming soon.

But, increasing taxes on “working people” is not the only option for the government.

Those on the Labour left are calling for a wealth tax, although cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds called the idea “daft” just last month.

Meanwhile, professor Stephen Millard, the NIESR’s deputy director for macroeconomics, told the BBC Radio 4′s Today programme that Reeves could look at reforming the council tax system.

“Houses have not been revalued since 1991. The system is ripe for a complete reform,” he said. “The question there is whether reforming the council tax system, getting it right, would necessarily raise any additional money.

“An alternative is to replace the whole thing with a land value tax, which is much fairer and which potentially could actually raise a significant amount of money.”

But just what will Labour choose to do to fix our unsteady finances? Right now, it seems like it is anybody’s guess – including Labour’s.

Medical Experts Have A Grim New Term For Targeted Attacks On Healthcare In War

Posted on 06/08/2025 by Boris Clair

Medical experts have come up with a new term to describe deliberate, systematic attacks on health services as acts of war: healthocide.

Medical practitioners have called for their fellow medics within the international community to call out this weaponisation of health and healthcare, which they believe undermines international humanitarian law.

And silence could suggest complicity, Dr Joelle Abi-Rached and colleagues of the American University of Beirut, Lebanon warned in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.

The authors pointed to the suffering seen in Gaza and Lebanon right now as examples of healthocide.

They pointed out that since Israel began its military offensive in Gaza on October 8, 2023 – following the Hamas attack the day before – an estimated 217 health workers have been killed by the Israeli Defence Forces.

Amid 68 attacks on hospitals, 177 ambulances were damaged and 237 attacks on emergency medical services took place, according to data from Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.

A further 986 medical workers have died since the war began.

The authors noted: “Both in Gaza and Lebanon, healthcare facilities have not only been directly targeted, but access to care has also been obstructed, including incidents where ambulances have been prevented from reaching the injured, or deliberately attacked.

“What is becoming clear is that healthcare workers and facilities are no longer afforded the protection guaranteed by international humanitarian law.”

They called for doctors to speak out, warning: “Medical neutrality is not ‘apolitical’; for us it means standing with humanity, social justice, and health-enabling policies.”

The experts also said attacks on healthcare providers have become normalised in recent years – but the ongoing conflicts have seen such strikes evolve into “the deliberate killing and/or destruction of health services and systems for ideological purposes.”

They also suggested healthocide could be taking place in El Salvador, Ukraine, Sudan and Syria.

Fears that not speaking out about wars, like that seen in Gaza, is akin to complicity have been rising lately.

Earlier this month, Tory MP Kit Malthouse warned that foreign secretary David Lammy could “end up at The Hague because of his inaction” over the war.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, an estimated 180 people have died so far from famine and malnutrition, including 93 children.

A total of 60,933 people in Gaza have been killed since the war began.

Back in April, Israel denied deliberately targeting a Palestinian hospital, suggesting it was targeting a “command and control centre used by Hamas” instead.