Tilly The ‘AI Actor’ Is Fake, But Her Potential To Harm Women Is Real

Posted on 06/10/2025 by Boris Clair

There’s a new Hollywood newcomer who already has a long list of haters: Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated “actor”.

Dutch comedian Eline Van der Velden, the head of AI production studio Particle6, which developed Tilly, said she wants the AI character to be the next Scarlett Johansson.

But not if the rest of Hollywood has its way.

After Van der Velden announced what she calls “the world’s first artificial intelligence talent studio” at a film festival and said Tilly had talent agents hoping to sign her, this news of potential representation sparked widespread Hollywood backlash.

Multiple actors’ unions have released statements condemning Tilly. Actors have also accused Tilly’s makers of stealing real people’s images to make the AI-generated character.

“And what about the hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her?” actor Mara Wilson posted on social media. One Nashville-based musician even claims that Tilly is her doppelganger.

The company behind Tilly denies that the character was created with stolen images.

“Tilly was developed entirely from scratch using original creative design,” Particle6 said in a statement to HuffPost. “We do not and will not use any person or performer’s likeness without explicit consent and fair compensation.”

After outcry, Van der Velden said Tilly was “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art” in a social media statement.

But no matter how original or creative you believe Tilly to be, she is definitely drawing from tired old tropes about women and raising unsettling implications for real working people, AI experts caution. Here’s what you need to know.

Tilly reinforces more of the same tired beauty standards for women

Tilly Norwood is not real, but the AI character is causing a real debate over how women's images get used. Above are images from Tilly's Instagram account. — Tilly Norwood is not real, but the AI character is causing a real debate over how women’s images get used. Above are images from Tilly’s Instagram account.

For one, Tilly replicates a narrow idea of what generative AI thinks a woman should look like.

In a Washington Post investigation of three of the leading AI image tools, the Post found that generative AI thinks beautiful women should look thin, young and white – which is exactly how Tilly looks.

Particle6 did not answer HuffPost’s questions about Tilly’s appearance.

What we see on social media – including the accounts set up for Tilly on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram – might have long-term effects on how people view their own real bodies.

Safiya Noble, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of the book Algorithms of Oppression, said Tilly is a continuation of the kind of distortions that social media photo filters cause people.

“Those distortions, even though they are seemingly unreal, they circulate so much in our culture that then are celebrated and … liked and hearted,” Noble said. “And that certainly has a psychological and emotional toll on us.“

A 2022 study on Instagram found that browsing how other people looked on the popular social media platform was linked to “detrimental outcomes” around body dissatisfaction in young women.

Tilly’s obedience might be the most unsettling part about “her”

Above all, Tilly reveals a lot about how corporations value women’s work.

Alexandra Mateescu, a researcher with Data & Society’s Labor Futures program, said what she found most interesting and unsettling about Tilly’s existence came from a line in a Particle6 video where she appears in her first role.

In an AI-generated comedy sketch from Particle6, Tilly gets cast to be in a TV show. A man then states, “She’ll do anything I say; I’m already in love.”

That line suggests “this vision of this feminine, docile, cute, young actress who won’t talk back or complain about working conditions or anything,” Mateescu said.

That’s why, for Mateescu, her biggest worry with Tilly is “more about these kinds of marketing exercises being used as a cudgel, particularly for actors at the bottom of film industry hierarchies, to discourage them from demanding better working conditions under this threat of potentially being replaced”.

Mateescu said she has seen this power dynamic in other creative industries, like modelling. She recently co-authored a paper on how generative AI is making it easier for companies to use a model’s image and measurements and alter them without a model’s knowledge or compensation.

In her research, “people at the top of the industry, both photographers and top models, they could view AI as this creative tool in their arsenal to be able to enhance their creative practices,” Mateescu said. But struggling models doing profit-driven e-commerce catalogs were more negatively impacted. “And I think that’s sort of the same pattern we see across industries.”

In this sense, Tilly might represent a bigger existential threat to vulnerable, newer actors who do not have the same power and networks as A-list stars.

In Noble’s view, Tilly’s existence normalises “controlling women’s images” and the idea that it’s OK to “make women do what we want them to do. That culture is prevalent all around us”.

Avoiding “AI personhood” might be the best way to deal with Tilly

Tilly is not real, but it’s normal if you’re confused over what to call her. That might be by design.

Noble pointed to the character saying, “I may be AI generated, but I’m feeling very real emotions right now” in a post appearing on her Facebook page as an example of the kind of misrepresentation this AI-generated actor perpetuates.

“The more kind of anthropomorphised they are, the more misleading and deceptive they are to the public,” Noble said. “This is why these technologies are so incredibly dangerous.”

One way to resist is to be more careful about how you talk about AI-generated projects like Tilly.

Instead of seeing Tilly as an “actor,” as her profile describes her, or as the next Scarlett Johansson, as her creator hopes her to be, experts suggest you should see her for what she really is – a marketing product.

That’s why Noble suggests against calling Tilly art and instead categorising Tilly as the latest example of low-quality, spam-like “AI slop”.

And try to avoid referring to Tilly as an actor. “We should call it ‘it,’” Noble said. “We should talk about it like a machine learning model.”

“The notion of AI personhood is a marketing exercise and a legal manoeuvre that I don’t think we should buy into,” Matreescu said. “Tilly is not an actress any more than, like, Sid the sloth from the ‘Ice Age’ movies is an actor. It’s just a digital likeness.”

I’m Mortified By My Dad’s New Relationship. I’m Afraid To Tell Him The Truth.

Posted on 05/10/2025 by Boris Clair

Family Beef is our family advice column at HuffPost Family. Have a beef you want us to weigh in on? Submit it here.

Dear Family Beef,

My Dad’s (58) new girlfriend (28) is only two years older than me (F26). I want him to be happy but I can’t get over how creepy it is that she was in elementary school the same time I was, that she was still in diapers when he was changing mine. It’s just weird. He has had other girlfriends since divorcing my mom, but they were all in their 40s and 50s and felt more age appropriate. So I’ve never had a bad reaction like this.

He keeps asking me and my boyfriend to go to dinner with them and making comments about how we’ll “get along so well” and I keep finding excuses to avoid it. I find the whole thing embarrassing and don’t want other people in my life to see and judge him as a creepy old cradle robber..

Is this something I should talk to him about or ignore until it hopefully goes away?

— I Don’t Want A Sister Step Mom

Dear Sister Step,

Oh, you’re absolutely allowed to be weirded out. Validating the weird-out here. That’s not to say that their relationship itself is weird, though.

This is one of those situations where what you feel matters, but not nearly as much as what the two adults in a relationship feel about each other. But your ambivalence isn’t uncommon or necessarily irrational either. Two things can be true!

These days, so-called “age-gap” relationships get a lot of flak because, as you allude to in your letter, there’s a lot of judgment floating around. There are situations where the older partner may have more obvious power or sway over the younger partner (emotionally, financially, etc.), and the cartoonish stereotypes of older individuals perpetually chasing youth or younger people looking for a “sugar parent” to spoil them. These dynamics can happen and can be frustrating to watch from the sidelines — but, ultimately, it’s up to those two adults to decide what kind of relationship they want to be in and how they are with one another.

“An adult child has come to understand power dynamics and is used to a level of separation with their parents’ generation,” sexologist and couples clinician Dr. Lexx Brown-James, told HuffPost. “So having a parent dating someone of similar age can feel discomforting because we make the connection that a parent could be dating one of our friends or someone that we could even date.”

To me, it’s not a bad idea to take a little space while you figure out why you feel the way you do. Talk with some trusted neutral parties (friends! your partner! a therapist!) before engaging with your dad and this partner. You might need to purge the “WTF” feelings in a safe, non-toxic way. And that gives you a better chance at responding to the situation you’re actually in rather than just reacting to the scariest stories you’ve been telling yourself about the situation.

“Not meeting a parent partner first off is absolutely a worthwhile strategy and there are a few considerations,” Brown-James notes. “In the ’Ber months of the year, is this person coming to family functions especially? Also, is your parent being safe? There can be questions around health, technology, and other factors that some times elder generations are less savvy with, how much do you as the child want to be involved? Also, know that choosing not to meet the partner, may create some resentment or hurt in your parental relationship. That can cause grief for both of you.”

Avoiding the conversation entirely, though? That won’t be beneficial to any of these relationships. Sure, you may “luck out” and this relationship could go just a few weeks or months before fizzling out – but the T. rex method of “stand still until the scary, uncomfortable or awkward thing is gone” really isn’t ever as effective as we’d want it to be.

But, Brown-James does note that you might want to consider a few things before you initiate a conversation.

“Consider what your parent is looking for in bringing this to you. Are they looking for permission, are they just sharing, are they wanting feedback, are they wanting you to participate in a family structure? Once intentions are set, you can decide your boundaries and share them,” Brown-James said. “In less safe relationships, where maybe there is more expectation on a child to confirm or agree, there might need to be a further distance.”

Elizabeth DeVaughn, a licensed psychotherapist and relationship specialist, also adds that playing through the pain of this discomfort and having the conversation can serve to deepen your parent-adult child relationship in the long run.

“The discomfort she’s feeling could be a beautiful opportunity to connect with her dad authentically. She can name the discomfort she’s feeling while also expressing that she’s working through the details of the discomfort with a therapist or with friends,” DeVaughn said. “This way, she gives herself space to process while staying open to the fact that her dad may be building a great relationship with this new woman.”

I know I would be so morbidly curious enough to want to witness the pair together myself, to really understand if they have something special or if the May-December situation is actually as cartoonish as my nightmares. Some of these dynamics are actually just normal couples who make each other happy. But you won’t know what their situation actually is if you keep them at arm’s length and, if it is as bad as you fear, you can be an informed observer.

Now, if you do decide to power through the discomfort and have dinner with them, here are a few other ways to make that process a little bit easier on you:

Practice some radical acceptance

Ultimately, your dad is an autonomous person as is his 28-year-old GF. Whatever ride they are on together is theirs — and whether or not there’s a lasting love there (or if the age difference gets in the way) is something they need to find out for themselves.

So this is where you have to pull out the “radical acceptance” that therapists are always going on about: You’re not in their relationship, and you can’t make the call on what is “right” for them.

“Radical acceptance means acknowledging reality, rather than resisting the relationship,” Dr. Greg Gomez, Clinical Director at The Oasis Rehab in California “In this situation, it is recognising that the parent has chosen to remain in the relationship regardless of the age gap. This is beyond the child’s control.”

You can, however, have boundaries. You don’t need to want to hang out with him and his partner at this stage in their dating life. You can respectfully side-step the hangs for a bit longer until you get a sense of how lasting this relationship might be.

You can also use some of these tried-and-true strategies for first meetings to make this less of a “Four Seasons” eye-roll situation and more of a “short getting-to-know-you chat with a new person” situation:

Bring a buddy! Having your partner there with you or a trusted friend along as your wing-person could also be a helpful buffer to bring down the temperature of this meeting in your head.
Humanise the new girlfriend. Even if you don’t want to talk about your discomfort just yet, you can ask your dad to tell you more about this partner as a human being. What are her hobbies? What did they do on their first date? These little details can help humanise his new partner and help you connect. This keeps her from becoming a boogeyman in your head.
Build-in a hard out. The best part of going anywhere is leaving. Make a plan with a clear end time so you do not feel like you’re trapped. (I love a “let’s get lunch at 1, but we have to leave by 3.”) It sets expectations and offers you a little bit of a light at the end of the social interaction tunnel.

Try to be ‘happy for their happy’

A term that comes up a lot in non-monogamous and poly circles that might be helpful for you? Compersion. This means that you’re able to be happy for the happiness that you can feel over someone else’s happiness. (The Buddhist term “mudita,” or a sympathetic joy, is similar as well).

It’s a really lovely idea that can benefit all of your relationships when you put it into practice: You don’t need to love or cheer on every decision your loved one makes, but you can look to see if they are happy in this relationship — and try to access the part of you that is genuinely thrilled for that happiness.

“Radical acceptance can be hard,” Brown-James said. “Here is where compersion comes into play. Can you be happy for your parent’s happy? Isn’t that what really matters most?”

You said it yourself: You want your dad to be happy — and this relationship, even if you don’t understand it, might just be something that makes him feel that way.

Advice From Our Readers

Some of our Platinum HuffPosters offered up their own advice on this question. Here’s what they had to say:

“Let Dad have his fling.”

“I would say let the Dad have his fling.The longer she ignores him the more attractive the younger woman will seem to him. Maybe she should meet her & try to see what it is that he sees in her. It can’t hurt to try [and] it would make her Dad happy. Life is too short for this kind of drama.”

—Sue McCarthy

“Give Dad grace.”

“Did Dad ask for your opinion on his dating life? You want him to be happy, but you want him to make you happy, as well? Grow up. You’re not a child any longer and Dad’s a grown man. It’s not his job to make you happy, he doesn’t need to run his life according to your comfort level. Your entire complaint is about you, not Dad. You’re worried about being embarrassed for whom? Yourself? Dad doesn’t seem to be worried. Stop whining and judging and give Dad grace. If he’s happy, the problem is you, not him. Don’t run away and pout, have an honest conversation with Dad, share your feelings with love and compassion, keeping in mind that you do not have the right to define happiness for another person even if that person raised you and loves you. This lady may or may not be a temporary relationship for Dad, but the damage you’re doing to your own relationship with him may not be easily healed. The biggest question for you: is your selfishness really worth the price you might pay?

— Respectfully submitted for your consideration by Lynne M, a 74 year old woman with wisdom that’s come at a price.

“Speak with him.”

“As long as your dad dates this person, the issue will not go away. You should definitely speak with him. Hearing from you on how uncomfortable dinner would make you is respectful and necessary.”

— MADDEN

‘A F*ck-Up Of Epic Proportions’: 7 Of The Worst HR Mistakes Workers Have Seen

Posted on 04/10/2025 by Boris Clair

Nobody’s perfect: we all mess up from time to time. But when that happens at work, the stakes can be pretty significant.

For instance, writing to r/AskUK, site user MoonlightByWindow shared that the HR in their friend’s workplace recently sent out a mass email congratulating a worker on their new promotion to manager.

After much ado, though, it turns out this was likely a mistake. “A few hours later, HR announced that they’ve ‘suddenly’ realised that someone else would be better suited for the role,” the poster wrote.

They asked other members of the forum, “What’s the biggest cock-up by HR that you’ve witnessed?”

Here are some of the most-upvoted responses:

1) “HR came to see me a told me to collect my things and meet them in the office with a higher-up. So I did.”

“They then informed me I was being suspended from my job pending both an internal investigation and a possible criminal investigation. I was suspected of gross misconduct (theft of money) and harassment.

“My manager looked dumbfounded during [this], as did I. HR had somehow got themselves confused: I was the victim of the harassment and the witness to the theft of money.”

Credit: u/MissLotti

“That’s a fuck up of epic proportions,” u/EastEven5980 replied.

2) “At my level, everyone’s contract stated that employees needed to give three months’ notice, [while] the company only needs to give one month’s notice to let you go. ”

“But mine read that the company needed to give me three months’ notice. So when redundancy came round, I was in quite a strong position.”

Credit: u/CIMAJ98

3) “After a little increase in responsibility and a bump in pay, I got a new contract with an extra 0 in the salary.”

“I had to ask my boss if I was really gonna be paid £600k.”

Credit: u/Bokkmann

“I once received an offer letter paying me £90,000 per month instead of per year,” u/ang14 replied.

“The actual contract I received later fixed it, but that was nice to dream about.“

4) “HR accidentally sent out a spreadsheet with every job title listed, with its salary, instead of just sending it to a director.”

“Imagine the amusement as literally hundreds of staff launched grievances about pay disparity. It ended up costing circa £10m… to settle the grievances.”

Credit: u/KibboKid

5) “I found letters firing people on the shared drive (including one for me!).”

“I called them up on it and in the end didn’t get fired, as I had some leverage.”

Credit: u/BrisTing123

6) “I got added to a private Slack channel discussing a colleague’s disciplinary, with a bunch of messages advising the manager heading the investigation on how to phrase questions to make them difficult to respond to.”

Credit: u/hunsnet457

7) “HR had a server which was split into two sections: 1) a whole company reference section with things like company policies, handbooks, and how-to guides, and 2) a private section… which had employee files, payroll, etc.”

“They were migrating to an online HR platform, so someone in HR created an Excel export with everyone’s personal info to be added to the new system. Names, personal addresses, contact info, bank details and salary.

“Guess which area of the server they saved it on.”

Credit: u/dcpb90

This 1 Type of Walking Could Be The Key For Upping Your Step Count Without Wrecking Your Body

Posted on 04/10/2025 by Boris Clair

Want to add some extra challenge to your walk? Or want to tone down your too-tough run? “Jeffing” may be your answer.

Jeffing is a training method that comprises both running and walking intervals during a workout. It was founded by Jeff Galloway, an Olympic runner, who came up with the run-walk concept to help folks of all levels run further, protect themselves from injuries and enjoy running more, according to Galloway’s website.

The method is known by a few different names, such as the Galloway run-walk program and the run-walk method, but they all have the same goal: to help people build endurance, run faster and move more by employing both running and walking intervals during a workout.

Here’s what jeffing might look like: Going for a two-minute run followed by a three-minute walk and repeating that a few times for a full workout.

Whether you’re a runner or not, jeffing is a way to make running more accessible and for your step count to skyrocket in the process. Here’s what to know:

‘Jeffing’ is useful for runners of all levels, but is especially valuable for beginners.

Jeffing is good for anyone to try, whether you’re running a marathon or lacing up your shoes for the first time ever.

“I’ve always thought of Galloway’s run-walk as taking what he did when he was an Olympic runner … and … [bringing it] to people like my mom who never thought that they could be a runner,” said Randy Accetta, the director of coaching education at the Road Runners Club of America and founder of Run Tucson.

Runners training for races are known to employ this run-walk (or run-jog) method in their training, Accetta added.

While jeffing can help someone running a high-stakes race cross the finish line, it can also be a particularly good strategy for new runners, said Jeff Dengate, the runner-in-chief for Runner’s World magazine.

“We’ve seen this time and time again where somebody [takes] up running, they head out their driveway, and they think, ‘I have to be a runner. I have to be fast,’ so they get down the road and they’re just cooked, they’re just exhausted,” Dengate said.

For new runners, having a run-walk strategy can keep that exhaustion from happening. “It’s a really good introduction to running,” said Riley Buchholz, the men’s and women’s cross country coach at Temple University in Philadelphia. And it can be protective.

“A lot of people don’t realize that whenever you’re running, you’re applying three to four times your body weight [on your joints] — so, it’s a lot on the body to handle, especially if you just start pumping out miles at a harder effort that you aren’t used to. It takes time to adapt to that,” Buchholz explained.

A mix of running and walking when you head out to the trail or track can help protect your body from that impact.

Jeffing is a run-walk method that can help build up endurance and muscle strength.

It can help build up strength and endurance.

Don’t let the walking fool you. If your goal is to build up your running capability, this jeffing still has a place in your training.

Alternating between running and walking can help you build up your lung capacity, endurance, and muscles, noted Buchholz before adding, “Anytime you’re exercising, you’re getting better.”

“It helps a lot of people build, not only the stamina, the endurance, but also speed,” Dengate said. “Runners can get faster by using those little walk breaks as well.”

Jeffing is also a good way to learn your preferred pace and effort, Buchholz said.

It takes some of the pressure off running, too.

Anyone who has gone for a run knows the feeling of wanting to stop for a break but feeling guilty about the pause. While there is never a reason to feel guilty (movement is movement), jeffing helps take away those bad feelings during exercise.

“It gives us all the opportunity to exercise without having to feel bad about wanting to stop,” Accetta said. “In the Galloway run-walk, you [intentionally take] the walk breaks. So you know going in that you’re going to run for five minutes and walk for a minute.”

That way, when you’re done with your workout, you can proudly check it off your to-do list because you set out to run and walk from the beginning, Accetta added. “And that’s different than, ‘oh my god, I’m so tired, I need to take a nap. I need to stop walking’ and then stressing whether … you’re ‘quitting’ or not.”

Here’s how to try it:

While some people choose to follow a formula such as one-to-one efforts (meaning, for example, five minutes of running followed by five minutes of walking), there really isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, according to Accetta.

“I think the beauty of … jeffing, or run-walk, is that you can manipulate the effort and rest intervals to fit the physical and emotional needs of the athlete as well as the terrain,” Accetta explained. “For me, there is no perfect ratio.”

It’s all up to you how you start. New runners could try running for 30 seconds, followed by a three-minute walk, or even 15 seconds of running, followed by a three-minute walk. Experienced runners could run for 10 minutes and follow it up with a 30-second walk. There is no wrong formula.

Buchholz said he generally recommends a one-to-four ratio for beginner runners. “Normally, the running is the one and the four is your walking,” he said.

This means if you’re moving for 20 minutes, five minutes can be spent running and 15 can be spent walking, Buchholz said.

If you do want a specific formula, Dengate said there are run-walk calculators online that can help you determine your pace and timing based on your mile time.

When it comes to pace, there are a few things to keep in mind. An everyday jog pace shouldn’t totally deplete you, according to Dengate. “We usually say to use the talk test. If you can’t carry a conversation with the person next to you, you’re probably running too fast on most days.”

“But then, how fast do we do those walk intervals? It’s not a full recovery — you want to walk with purpose … I like to tell people, move like you’re a New Yorker going down the sidewalk. You’re getting somewhere,” Dengate explained.

If you slow down too much during your walk interval, it’s hard to start running again, Dengate added.

Movement should feel good and rewarding, so take the pressure away and keep that in mind when you head outside for your weekly jeffing.

“Far too often we thought of running as punishment for other sports, or it’s something I have to do,” Dengate said. “I like to remind people, running is something we get to do. We’re fortunate enough to be able to have that opportunity to go out and spend that time doing it, so go have fun with it.”

The 3-Minute Home Test A Surgeon Says Could Save Your Life

Posted on 03/10/2025 by Boris Clair

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. And on their page about the topic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the first pillar of the WHO’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative is to “empower individuals and communities to recognise symptoms and seek care early”.

Still, research has shown that women checking their breasts has dropped from 49% in 2022 to just 45% in 2024.

That’s a shame, breast cancer surgeon Dr Cihan Uras from Acıbadem Hospitals said, explaing that: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide… when it’s detected early, survival rates are very high.

“The best thing you can do for yourself is to be familiar with your own body and notice changes quickly. A self-check takes only three minutes,” the surgeon added.

How should I check my breasts at home?

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Dr Uras said the check, which should be done once a month, involves three steps.

These are:

1) Look in the mirror

To begin your test, the surgeon advised, stand topless in front of a mirror for one minute.

“Stand with your shoulders straight, with your hands on your hips, and look in the mirror for any noticeable differences. As you do this more often, these differences will be easier to spot,” he advised.

“Initial signs that you should be looking for include dimpling of the skin, any redness, rashes or changes to the nipple, particularly inversion or discharge.”

2) Raise your arms

This should take 30 seconds, Dr Uras told us.

“As you’re in the mirror, raise your arms above your head. Look for any changes in contour, any swelling that’s arisen, or any pulling of the skin,” the expert advised.

The move helps because it stretches the skin over your breasts.

“This makes subtle changes more visible, especially puckering or pulling of the skin that may not be very noticeable when your arms are by your side. It can also help reveal differences in movement between the two sides.”

3) Feel your breasts while standing and lying down

This should take about a minute and a half (90 seconds) all-in.

“While lying down, use the flat of your fingertips around your breasts to feel in circular motions,” the surgeon stated.

“Make sure that you cover the whole breast from the top to the bottom, as well as side to side. Don’t forget to go right up to your armpit area too. Apply different pressures; light, medium and firm, to ensure you’re feeling all layers of the breast tissue.

“You should be feeling around for any thickened areas, any tenderness that feels unusual to you, not to be confused with pushing down too hard, and of course any lumps.”

What should I do if I notice any changes?

If you do feel something a little different, don’t “panic straight away, as most are not cancer,” Dr Uras said.

But do get it checked as soon as possible, just in case.

“The chances are, you would’ve spotted it early, especially if you’re doing this every month, and your doctor can begin any treatment sooner rather than later,” the surgeon ended.

“The best time to do these checks is a few days after your period ends, when you’re less likely to experience tender breasts due to your cycle. For women who no longer get periods, picking the same time each month will just help you get into a better routine.”

The Key Nimbus And Stratus Symptom That’s Different To Covid-19

Posted on 02/10/2025 by Boris Clair

You might have heard that some newer strains of Covid – namely, the Stratus and Nimbus variants – are on the rise in the UK.

Indeed, the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) recently reported that XFG and NB.1.8.1 (Stratus and Nimbus) formed most of the Covid cases last month.

And because Covid cases are ramping up right now, especially among the very young and the elderly, that means more instances of both new strains.

So far as the UKHSA currently knows, these strains are not more dangerous or make you any sicker than “regular” Covid.

“The most important thing is for those eligible to get their vaccination when it is due,” they wrote, as this can help to prevent the most extreme versions of Covid taking hold.

But how can you tell Nimbus and Stratus variants from “normal” Covid, and what should you do if you spot it?

Nimbus and Stratus vs Covid-19 symptoms

Dr Zachary Hoy, an infectious disease specialist with Pediatrix Medical Group, previously told HuffPost that the Stratus variant “would have similar symptoms to other COVID variants that have recently been circulating.”

These include:

a high temperature or shivering
a new, continuous cough – coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
shortness of breath
feeling tired or exhausted
an aching body
a headache
a blocked or runny nose
loss of appetite
diarrhoea
feeling sick or being sick, per the NHS.

But Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice, also said that the Nimbus variant’s most unique feature is a sore throat – one that can create a “razor blade sensation” while swallowing.

This still seems to be the case and has since been said to appear in cases of the Stratus variant, too.

And the Stratus variant may also be associated with a higher likelihood of developing a hoarse, raspy voice, a dry cough, exhaustion, and fever, though these can be a part of Covid-19 too.

What should I do if I have the Stratus or Nimbus variants?

As with any other strain of Covid and/or flu, you should try your hardest to avoid spreading the illness to others.

UKHSA says: “If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as COVID-19, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, you should avoid contact with vulnerable people and stay at home if possible”.

If you can’t do this, take precautions like wearing a well-fitting mask, avoiding crowded places, taking your exercise outdoors, away from others, covering your mouth or nose when you sneeze, washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and avoid touching your face.

In terms of keeping yourself well while you have Covid, the NHS advises lots of rest, plenty of water, painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen if needed, sitting upright in a chair to help with breathlessness, and taking a spoonful of honey (don’t feed this to babies under a year old) to relieve sore throats and cough.

Call a doctor if your symptoms do not improve or get worse. Call 999 or go to the A&E if your breathlessness comes on suddenly or is so bad that you struggle to say short sentences when resting.

9 Ridiculously Easy Meals That Are Low-Effort And High-Reward

Posted on 01/10/2025 by Boris Clair

If you’ve been feeling a lot more tired recently, you’re not alone: autumn fatigue can occur thanks to gut changes and disruptions to your workout routine.

And that’s not to mention the exhausting effects of upcoming clock changes.

That’s only one reason why people (it’s me, I’m ‘people’) might be looking for truly low-effort meal ideas at the moment.

Luckily, the members of Reddit’s r/Cooking have got our backs.

Posting to the forum, site user u/kindnessabound asked people to share their favourite “low-effort high-reward meal”.

Here are some of the most-upvoted responses:

1) “Pan-fried halloumi in a pita or naan with tzatziki, tomatoes, pickled onions and rocket.”

“We always have pickled onions in the fridge, and tzatziki can be made a day or two in advance. I can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes. [You can] substitute the halloumi for shrimp, falafel or rotisserie chicken.”

Credit: u/mtrva

2) “Miso pasta. Like a year ago, someone in this subreddit said it was the lowest effort, highest reward meal they can’t stop making, so I tried it.”

“I can’t live without it now. So easy, so comforting, delicious, and makes a huge batch that heats up well for days.

“Cook 450g spaghetti. Reserve about 240ml of pasta water. Strain the pasta. In the empty, hot pot, mix three tablespoons of miso with six tablespoons of butter and half of the pasta water on low heat until a smooth sauce forms. Put the pasta back.

“Stir in 80g grated Parmesan bit by bit. Add more pasta water if it gets dry. Serve with chilli oil/hot sauce if you’re feeling lazy, or sautée some mushrooms to elevate it.

“Absolutely life-changing. It’s not no-effort like grilled cheese or air fryer food, but the ratio of effort to reward here is off the charts.”

Credit: u/Athyrical

3) “English muffin pizzas with a touch of mozzarella cheese on top, prepared in an air fryer.”

Credit: u/Specific_Progress_38

“I use a bagel more often, since I’m more likely to have them in the house, but this is one of my favourites [when I] only have 10 minutes and want comfort meals,” u/ellen_boot agreed.

4) “Caccio e pepe. I’m making it this second.”

“Cook your pasta in less water. Drain (SAVE YOUR PASTA WATER) and keep the cooked pasta on a plate with a lid on.

“Reduce the pasta water until it’s cloudy and thick.

“Pull the pan off the stove, and remove most of the water. Add the pasta back in, reheat for just a moment until streaming, and remove from the heat.

“Stir in the black pepper and finely-grated parmesan until you get your desired consistency.”

Credit: u/Jealous_Tutor_5135

5) “Anything in a slow cooker.”

Credit: u/Suspicious-Gold-9947

“This! Buy a pork shoulder, make a paste from a BUNCH of spices (paprika, chipotle, cayenne, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper) and a little olive oil, and rub it all over the pork. It’s almost hard to overdo it with the spices.

“Add a chopped onion, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, and a couple of chopped jalapeños. Put that thing in the crock pot for eight hours and then go to town. Buy some rolls and make some coleslaw if you want,” u/BenThere20 replied.

6) “I feel like salmon always has a high bang for your buck flavour [to effort] ratio.”

“Maybe crispy rice, salmon and chilli crisp.”

Credit: u/CoconutDreams

7) “Quesadillas or grilled cheese.”

Credit: u/Koala-o-sha

“I second grilled cheese!” responded u/a-forgetful-elephant.

8) “I toss frozen fish fillets into my air fryer.”

“I make a quick sauce from mayo, chipotle adobo, and Cajun seasoning.

“Then, I fry some corn tortillas into tacos. I put the cooked fish in them, add toppings of my choice, and stuff them in my face.

“Curses. I have leftovers to eat for dinner, and now I want fish tacos.”

Credit: u/obsessiveAboutCats

9) “Ramen fits this bill for me perfectly.”

“My favourite is carbonara-style packet noodles. Dice some bacon, cook it, and set it aside. Mix the ramen pack with three egg yolks and freshly grated parmesan.

“Cook the noodles, remove them from their liquid and place them into your pan. Heat it up, add back some starchy noodle water, mix in the egg packet mixture, put it in a bowl, add the diced bacon on top, and then grate more Parmesan cheese on it.

“The whole thing takes 10 minutes and is insanely delicious.”

Credit: u/crackofdawn

I Just Learned What ‘Snafu’ Really Stands For, And Wow

Posted on 29/09/2025 by Boris Clair

Turns out CAPTCHA actually stands for “completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart” – and LEGO, HARIBO, and Twix all have hidden meanings, too.

And my friends are probably bored by now of hearing that IKEA, ASDA, and Tesco are acronyms or portmanteaus.

Well, sorry to them: I’ve found another word with an unexpected meaning.

Yup, “snafu” – which refers to a situation in which nothing goes to plan, and everything that can go wrong seems to – stands for five words, and has a surprisingly military origin.

What does ‘snafu’ stand for?

Per Merriam-Webster, snafu stands for “Situation Normal: All Fucked Up” (or “fouled up”). In other words, it suggests a scenario where chaos or confusion is the norm.

The American military slang seems to have appeared in World War II – it was explained in the Kansas City Star in 1941 as “situation normal, all fixed up” and was presented as a novel word, not suitable for use “on leave”, back then.

Interestingly, in that entry, the sergeant said soldiers were torn on whether the initials were a “backronym” – a word which starts out not standing for anything but is later given words for each letter.

“Most fellows” said the word “snafu” just “popped out” of the head of one of the members of the 35th division outfits, who he claimed invented the word, per the Kansas City Star.

But “after snafu got pretty well spread around, somebody decided it was a bunch of letters that stood for words,” one theory reportedly went.

However it began, there was a fictional character called Private Snafu who appeared in instructional cartoons in the ’40s.

Described as “the goofiest soldier in the US army,” Private Snafu seems to have been named after the slang rather than giving rise to it.

And it turns out that the person who voiced his animated persona, Mel Blanc, also provided the instantly recognisable tones of Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny.

Dr Seuss helped to write some episodes

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans shared that Dr Seuss – or, to give him his full name, Theodor Geisel – wrote “most” of the shorts.

As ScreenRant pointed out, the shorts didn’t just advise US soldiers on what not to do during the war (whatever Private Snafu was up to was wrong, basically). But on top of that, the cartoons kept animation studios alive during wartime as an essential industry.

Episodes of Private Snafu did not have to be approved by the Production Code Administration. That led to more raunchy scenes and swearing.

Though the Private Snafu clips are now in the public domain and can be viewed online, the museum warned that “the series does contain outdated cultural depictions that were common during the war”.

My Son Was 1 Day Old When I Learned Our Family Had Been Exposed To Measles. Here’s What Happened Next.

Posted on 28/09/2025 by Boris Clair

I’m at the hospital when I get the call. It’s a Thursday morning, not even 24 hours since my C-section. I’m watching my newborn son nap in his bassinet and trying to enjoy my first meal since surgery.

The caller ID says CHKD Children’s Hospital, so I answer. My 16-month-old daughter was just released from that hospital earlier in the week following a severe bacterial infection that caused her lymph nodes to swell an extraordinary amount.

“Hello?” I say, worried that they uncovered something concerning in her bloodwork.

“Hello, I’m a paediatrician at Norfolk Children’s Hospital. I’m calling to check on Camille, and to let you know that she may have been exposed to the measles during her stay with us.”

My heart dropped, and the post-surgery nausea that had nearly subsided suddenly returned.

The doctor proceeded to tell me that she was reading from a script, and that they (under the advisement of the Virginia Department of Health) were recommending that all young children exposed receive their second measles vaccine as soon as possible. She then asked me about the vaccination status of everyone else who visited my daughter at the hospital, including myself, my parents, my husband and my almost-3-year-old.

Thankfully, both of my daughters had their first measles shot, which grants immunity in up to 95% of individuals. However, I now have a vulnerable infant to consider, and even a small chance of exposing him to this virus with no protection is too big of a risk.

So, under the advice of our paediatrician, I decided to give both of my daughters their second measles-mumps-rubella vaccine early. I didn’t feel entirely comfortable with this decision — especially with my 16-month-old just recovering from an infection and borderline immunocompromised. But it was the best decision available to me.

And because of parents who opt out of vaccinating their kids, I was put in the position to make it.

The recent measles scare in Virginia came from a student at a local elementary school. Though the individual’s vaccination status was not directly stated in a letter from the Virginia Beach Department of Health or in an interview with officials, several local outlets have taken this opportunity to advocate for the safety and continued necessity of childhood vaccinations. Of the 1,491 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. this year, 92% occurred in individuals who were unvaccinated (or who had an unknown vaccination status).

In fact, 2025 boasts more measles cases since the disease was considered eliminated in 2000 — and more than any other year in the past three decades.

Low vaccination rates caused by vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine movements are largely to blame.

In other words, parents who choose not to vaccinate their children play a major role in these outbreaks ― which will continue to rise if nothing changes.

The author's two daughters visiting their newest sibling at the hospital. — The author’s two daughters visiting their newest sibling at the hospital.

As parents, we make hundreds of decisions on a daily basis — some inconsequential, others less so. We’re constantly weighing pros and cons, risks and benefits. In a world that feels more disconnected than ever — when we can bury our heads into our phones and surround ourselves with an echo chamber of conspiratorial ideas — it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.

So let’s zoom out for a minute. In 1900, infectious diseases (such as pneumonia, influenza and measles) killed about 18% of children. Before vaccines and other public health measures, 1 in 5 children did not live to see their first birthday.

Compare that reality to today, when less than 1% of children die before their fifth birthday.

Back then, childhood was inherently dangerous. Even if they lived, those who became infected with a virus such as measles often suffered long-term side effects such as brain damage and a permanently weakened immune system.

The success of public health measures such as vaccines has given people a false sense of security, leading many to conclude that once-tragic diseases are no longer a threat. But it’s only thanks to science that illness and death among children is no longer commonplace.

Nowadays, it’s easy to take our health for granted — especially with anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. steering the narrative at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services. We have the luxury of arguing over genetically modified organisms and artificial food colors and doubting the effectiveness of the very things that have kept us safe for the past half-century.

I won’t pretend to understand the various circumstances that might lead a parent not to vaccinate their child.

But I do know that as parents (and human beings), we have a responsibility to protect all children. I’m reminded of a quote by author and activist Glennon Doyle who said, “There’s no such thing as other people’s children.” We have an obligation to protect those who cannot opt to protect themselves. This is why I keep my kids home when they’re sick, why I advocate for stricter gun laws and — yes — why I vaccinate my kids.

Because measles is an airborne disease, one infected person can easily pass it on to 18 other people. To achieve herd immunity, 95% of the population must be fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, vaccination rates among children have continued to decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 92.5% of kindergartners in the U.S. reportedly vaccinated against measles last year.

Just this week, a school-aged child in California died due to a delayed measles-related complication known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The child contracted the disease in infancy before they were eligible for vaccination. If infected, my newborn son could suffer the same fate.

I don’t want my kids — or anyone else’s — to become another preventable casualty.

So, both of my daughters received their second MMR vaccine ahead of schedule. However, we still aren’t out of the woods, because measles symptoms can appear as late as 21 days after exposure. Additionally, about 5% of children who receive their second vaccine develop a measles-like rash and fever, so it can be difficult to determine whether they have the disease.

Now I’m left to wonder and stress about every little bump that surfaces on my daughters’ skin. And if one of them does develop symptoms, I’ll have to contact the Virginia Department of Health to get them tested, because I can’t bring them to the paediatrician and risk exposing other vulnerable children.

I understand why many parents have grown to distrust medical institutions. I’ve also had my fair share of negative experiences that sometimes make me doubt doctors’ recommendations and interventions.

With so much misinformation circulating on social media, knowing whom to trust can be difficult. But I’m asking you to trust me — a fellow parent, personally affected by your choices, who sincerely wants the best for all of our kids. I’m asking you to trust the health care professionals who have treated your sick child instead of the influencers on social media (who are trying to sell you something) or the corrupt politicians like RFK Jr., who seems to change his opinion often to suit his political agenda.

Despite the fact that a link between vaccines and autism has been disproven over and over, RFK Jr. continues to spread lies and misinformation. He promised Americans that he would find a cause for the “autism epidemic” — a pursuit that won him support among many parents. However, with no formal medical or public health training, the secretary of health continues to undermine the scientific process by hiring incompetent individuals and misappropriating resources to maintain his base of support. For example, he recently employed a known pseudoscientist to uncover a link between vaccines and autism (which, as previously stated, studies have found does not exist).

In light of recent threats to vaccine access, 34 scientific and medical organisations including the American Association of Immunologists and the American College of Physicians have come together to produce a statement reaffirming the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

With so many conspiracy theories circulating on the internet, it can be difficult to know who to trust. As a result, many parents fail to recognise the far-reaching implications of their choices. A once-standard public health measure has become politicised and exploited — and our children will suffer because of it.

Mother Teresa said: “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

The consequences of a decision like not vaccinating your child are not hypothetical. By now, hundreds of families in Virginia Beach like mine have been affected by one family’s choices. None of us live on an island, and our actions continue to ripple outward and affect others in unexpected ways.

In this life, we have no choice but to rely on each other. As parents, we have the power to end preventable deaths by vaccinating our children. I hope the vaccine skeptics among us will find the strength to do what’s necessary to keep all of our children safe.

Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.

AI Is Coming For Jobs – But This Surprising Age Group Faces The Biggest Risk

Posted on 28/09/2025 by Boris Clair

While many fear that artificial intelligence is killing their careers, there is now new data to back it up. According to a recent paper, AI is indeed coming for certain people’s jobs.

Stanford University professor Erik Brynjolfsson, along with research scientist Ruyu Chen and postgraduate student Bharat Chandar, analysed millions of payroll records from ADP, the largest payroll provider in the U.S., from late 2022 to this summer to learn who is being most impacted by AI disruption.

Analyzing data from this timeframe is revealing because late 2022 is when OpenAI’s ChatGPT was introduced to the masses. Since then, AI has become a dominant force in our lives, upending whole industries and creating an anxious workforce that worries about being replaced.

But not everyone is affected in the same way. What the researchers found was that one age group, in particular, is vulnerable to AI displacement ― and it might not be who you think.

Entry-Level Workers Under 25 Are The Most At Risk Of Losing Jobs To AI

A new Stanford paper shows exactly who AI is replacing at work.

“The AI revolution is beginning to have a significant and disproportionate impact on entry-level workers in the American labor market,” the Stanford study stated. In the most AI-exposed fields, like software development and customer service, workers ages 22–25 “have experienced a 13% relative decline in employment.”

This finding held even when researchers accounted for factors like interest rate changes, more people being hired after COVID, and remote-friendly jobs.

Chen, one of the study’s authors, told HuffPost that the reason young people are especially vulnerable is that AI is great at doing “textbook knowledge” that college students learn to do.

“Entry-level workers are doing some very well-defined tasks” like analyzing large sets of coding data and basic production work, Chen said. And “AI is pretty good at handling those tasks.”

That’s why older workers have an advantage. While employment opportunities for young people under 25 have shrunk, according to the study, employment for older workers ages 35–49 actually grew during this time period.

That’s because for this age group, hard-won, on-the-job training is invaluable. “They have so much intensive knowledge that AI is not able to replace. They know they can handle customer relationships. They have some firm-specific experience,” Chen said.

David Kryscynski, a professor of human resource management at Rutgers University, said the Stanford paper’s findings align with what he has seen in his research.

“It is much easier for companies to simply not hire new workers than it is to downsize, so it makes sense that this age group would be disproportionately affected,” Kryscynski said.

But Kryscynski doesn’t think older, more experienced workers should come away from this study feeling like their jobs are safe from AI.

“They may be safer for now, but I doubt this safety will last long. Companies will face difficult challenges as AI continues to improve, and they will be forced to reskill,” Kryscynski said. “Age will probably be less important than job type and skills.”

What Can Young People Do To Avoid Getting Replaced By AI

For young people who have been worrying whether the tough labor market is in their heads, the study provides grim confirmation that it’s not.

But all hope is not lost. Some jobs that AI can’t yet automate are actually booming for young people under 25, such as working as a nursing and home health aide. For “health aides, actually, the employment for younger workers is increasing because health aides require lots of social interactions,” Chen said.

But if you are in this age bracket and don’t want to work this kind of job, focus on building unique human skills that AI cannot yet do.

“Carefully consider your abilities to socially interact with other humans, your empathetic skills, your soft communication skills, your leadership abilities, your ability to navigate conflict situations gracefully, your tools to manage morally ambiguous situations,” Kryscynski said.

“If you want to stand out in the future workforce, then avoid offloading your thinking to AI.”

– David Kryscynski, a professor of human resource management at Rutgers University

And when you can, do “cognitive pushups,” he added. Research finds that people who are less experienced at a task rely more heavily on AI-generated answers ― which can often be wrong ― and exert less critical thinking. But wrestling with thorny projects and learning how to deal with difficult co-workers are how you grow.

“One of the things we are seeing with AI is that it makes things too easy. We are seeing a decrease in willingness to struggle through hard things in this newer generation of employees,” Kryscynski said. “If you want to stand out in the future workforce, then avoid offloading your thinking to AI and purposefully invest in challenging tasks that will challenge your brain to connect complex ideas, wrestle with moral ambiguities.”

“There will be a difference between those who are replaced by AI and those who are running the AI in the future, and I suspect that one of these key differences will be about willingness to struggle through challenging cognitive tasks,” Kryscynski said.