If you’re a regular scuba diver, you’ll know the hassle of having to constantly head up for air, so you don’t die.
Sadly, the human body has yet to develop gills.
But don’t despair, for there’s now a solution of sorts: the Ocean Space Habitat – an underwater ‘basecamp’, designed by National Geographic explorer Michael Lombardi and Winslow Burleson, associate professor at New York University (NYU).
Underwater camping isn’t as simple as setting up a tent in the forest, but it does allow for some benefits that’ll be exciting for anyone who fancies exploring the sea at longer periods of time.
Humans consumes air much faster the further and deeper we go from the ocean’s surface (meaning you’re quickly using up the air in your scuba tank) and on their return, divers need to stop at different levels and adjust to the pressure, meaning they can’t go too deep, or they might not make it back.
Ascending too quickly can also cause decompression sickness, known as ‘the bends’; gas bubbles travel into the bloodstream and tissues, and unless you’re near a hyperbaric chamber, there could be very serious health consequences.
The Ocean Space Habitat, which has only recently been patented, has a portable life-support system that allows divers to go deeper into the ocean and stay for longer. Several divers can hang about in the basecamp (dry chamber), take off the gear, as well as grab a bite to eat or process samples. Divers who dare can also sleep in it, during decompression.
(Picture: Michael Lombardi)
Lombardi’s aim was to create a breathing space, for emergencies and ‘productive use of unproductive time’.
While this is admittedly a very innovative (and utterly cool) contraption, it’s not the first of its kind. The traditional diving bell was invented several decades ago, and there’s also an underwater base in Florida known as Aquarius where divers can spend days, weeks and months doing research.
But the main benefit to the Ocean Space Habitat is that it’s portable and affordable, in comparison.
In an email to National Geographic, Lombardi said: ‘I like to think [it offers] an opportunity for a truly “immersive” experience. The tent allows us to take home a bit more than we would as temporary visitors using conventional SCUBA techniques.’
The pair are currently looking for partners to join them on expeditions, so if you’re keen to see more of the ocean, this is your chance.
Plus, imagine telling your mates you ‘had a snack and slept underneath the ocean surface’.
Today I’m wearing no makeup. Tomorrow I might fancy doing full contour and covering myself in a full palette of highlighter. Neither of these things makes me any more or less of a feminist or a woman.
Recently I’ve seen quite a few articles denouncing cosmetics, with one calling it ‘lies’ and another saying it’s ‘hideous gunk’ and that it’s ‘tosh’ to assume wearing makeup is a personal choice rather than as a result of sexist pressure.
Of course we exist in a world where there’s a whole load of pressure on how we look, but it’s doubly sexist to assume that all women wear makeup as part of a peacocking display for men.
People of all genders wear makeup. James Charles, Wayne Goss, and Bretman Rock are just three examples of hugely popular male makeup masters.
People of all sexualities also wear makeup in all sorts of situations. Who am I answering to when I do my eyeshadow to sit and drink wine with female friends or when I’m at a lesbian bar? Certainly not men (and thank god for that, because most guys in my friendship group can’t tell me the difference between a cat eye and a cut crease).
When you talk down to the artists hustling at counters and on social media to show off their incredibly skilled work, you’re not only denouncing their career but their passion, reducing them to nothing more than a stereotype you haven’t bothered to even look into.
It’s reminiscent of those cringy ‘real women’ memes that were popular on Facebook a few years back. If you subscribed to a certain set of behaviours or had a certain body type, you were ‘real’. Otherwise, apparently you were just an apparition, or maybe a hologram like the ones of ABBA set to go on tour this year.
Not being the ‘correct’ type of woman can be a dangerous game when it comes to being accepted by others. Whether you’re a sex worker, a trans woman, or someone who likes to wear lipstick, you’re told that you’re letting the side down in some way.
Far from furthering the cause, however, this exclusionary feminism only furthers tired tropes that men can cling onto.
Haven’t you heard? This eye look is for the male gaze (Picture: Getty)
It makes it easier for certain guys to make jokes about taking you swimming on a first date, or call you high maintenance, or equate a love of beauty treatments to a lack of intellect.
It also undermines feminism as a movement, making it seem like we’re sat fighting over mascara wands rather than working on ending structural inequality.
There are a multitude of issues that affect women all over the world, and we can care about FGM as well as worrying about body dysmorphia. However, intimating that you’re not a feminist if you wear makeup isn’t helping anyone.
Perhaps during the French Revolution where people would colour their faces with lead paint I could understand why makeup might be a cause for grave concern. But the only concerns I can see these days are laced with their own toxicity; formed of the very biases they’re aiming to dispel.
Policing bodies shouldn’t be something that happens on any scale, let alone from those who call themselves activists fighting for our rights to control our bodies when it comes to safe abortions and sexual autonomy.
I’m not entirely sure when bodily autonomy had a line drawn under it (with that line being whatever the commentator deems appropriate for themselves), but personally I’m tired of being told that how I present myself is contributing to the patriarchy, especially when I feel that it’s actually people who judge me for it doing so.
The only option is surely to shave our heads, eschew all clothes that aren’t vine leaves, and throw our fave palettes on a funeral pyre. While I’m being facetious, the point exists that the perfect amount of aesthetic altering can never be determined, solely because it rests on what one person or group thinks is right. If there can be no limit, we can never please everyone unless we distance ourselves from caring about the outer shell completely.
Laura Orsi wearing the skirt Clara Mitchell was nearly suspended over at school (Picture: PassTheSkirt/Instagram)
An American student was told her skirt was ‘too short’ by school administration who asked that her parents bring in a change of clothes.
Clara Mitchell, a senior at Parkview Arts/Science Magnet High School in Arkansas, U.S, was dress coded and ended up having a panic attack in the office where she was allegedly repeatedly told to ‘look at the back’ of her outfit.
The teen was threatened with suspension as it was her ‘third offence’, causing Clara to panic about her scholarship status.
So she texted her friend Laura Orsi who had her dad bring in a change of clothes for her. After being accused of faking her panic attack by school administration and their treatment towards Clara, she and Laura decided to launch a dress code discrimination protest.
Pass The Skirt is the protest they set up to fight against discriminatory practices that stop students, particularly female, wearing what the school deems ‘revealing’. Students across the state, male and female, have been sending in pictures wearing above the knee skirts and shorts to show solidarity to the movement.
Laura wrote about the whole ordeal on the website they set up, revealing how Clara had offered to wear her trench coat over the skirt which the school team refused.
‘When I came to the front office after getting the text from Clara about what was wrong, I was told to leave because “she knew what she was doing,” implying Clara was putting on an act for pity or attention,’ wrote Laura online.
‘I ignored the comment. Then, the administration threatened to dress code me to get me to leave – but they didn’t. Clara was also threatened with suspension.
‘When a girl is sent home over this sexist rule, it tells her that the length of her shirt or skirt, the way her top is cut at the shoulders, or how deep their neckline may be is more important than her education. Not only that, but it also allows adults in power to look at a young girl and decide if they think she’s being “suggestive”.
‘How they feel personally about the girl’s clothing is what is considered. When girls are dress coded for this rule, we feel objectified and violated, as it did for Clara when she was repeatedly asked to turn around so her backside could be viewed in the skirt by a room of judging adults.
‘At our school, many students are of the opinion that minority girls are more likely to get dress coded for the same thing a white girl wouldn’t.’
Laura then revealed an experiment she’d done, wearing the exact same skirt and walking around the school, in front of school administration.
‘I was even alone in the hall with one of the people who gave Clara the violation, purposefully drew attention to myself and still didn’t get coded,’ she added.
‘If indeed minorities are targeted for dress code more than white people, not only are they made to feel as though their clothes are more important than their education, but also that a white’s education is more important than theirs, perpetuating a society where minority women are stuck at the bottom.’
The official school dress code states: ‘Students are not to wear suggestive or revealing clothing that diverts attention from the learning process.’
Parkside principle Randy Rutherford told Metro.co.uk: ‘We were made aware of a matter related to the dress code that conflicts with our LRSD Student Handbook. Our dress code is outlined in the handbook and is a district policy matter, not intended to be discriminatory in nature.
”Our school is one of the most inclusive campuses in the state. However, we do respect student voices and welcome them to participate in, and contribute ideas to propose changes to the Student Handbook Committee.’
Whatever your conundrum, firefighters have probably heard it all. They don’t care if you’ve found yourself in a bit of a comprising position, they’re just there to get the job done.
But one fire service couldn’t help but join in on the laugh when a little boy managed to get his head stuck in a potty training seat.
The Avon Fire and Rescue, based in Bristol, had to help the wee boy get out of the seat but couldn’t resist tweeting the situation.
(Picture: Temple Fire Station /SWNS)
We’re not sure how the boy managed to get his noggin stuck there but he attempted to rescue himself at one point, trying to saw his way out (with a toy).
After his parents were alerted to the situation, they made him DIY ‘protective gear’ at home which consisted of a container lid and some goggles.
The fire service then used a Dremel spinning disc cutter to free the youngster as he stayed still, slightly scared by the whole thing.
Posting on their Twitter page, the team had a laugh, saying: ‘The work never stops! One of our Watch Managers had to respond to an incident involving this young boy and a toilet seat! Thankfully he was released safely, whilst using appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment). Good work! Please don’t try this at home, call the professionals.’
Poor kid. His parents are probably not going to let him forget that one in the next few years.
He looked pretty chuffed in the end though, after his head was finally freed from the toilet seat.
When I’m abstaining I’ll make hot chocolate and watch a regional detective drama (Photo: Getty)
Our annual sobriety test is almost over.
Whether we take the month off or not, Dry January forces us to think about our relationship with alcohol. From sarcastic pub signs appealing to those who shun it to scientific studies about abstinence, you can’t escape the question: how’s things with you and booze?
I’m somewhat hungover as I write this. Not the stay in bed, head-throbbing-room-spinning-type, but that gentle ache and tightness of the brain. The type that will break, blissfully, at around 3pm, like sun bursting through clouds, or walking into an air conditioned room during a heat wave, revealing this evening’s first glistening pint in the mind’s eye.
Dry January, it’s clear, has not been a resounding success.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t attempt it very seriously. But I am trying to have more days off booze and, to tell you the truth, I’m finding it hard.
I’ve only done Dry January once, and given the level of personal turmoil I was in at the time, it ranks as one of my proudest achievements.
Each night off is as hard as the last, it doesn’t get easier.
Following the end of a relationship I was in a situation where I had two choices: to lose myself in alcohol, or to not drink at all. I’m still amazed I took the second option. And even though the following two Januarys have not been alcohol-free, my drinking habits have definitely changed.
Before then I pretty much drank every day. But since that month I’ve made a concerted effort to have 100 days off a year. In 2017 I managed 112 days, and in 2018 a personal best 120.
Each night off is as hard as the last, it doesn’t get easier, a little daily battle sometimes I lose and sometimes I win, but at least I’ve fought.
It was with great interest, then, that I read this article about alcohol’s role in increasing anxiety, and how it can effect those of us who are naturally shy even more so than those who are socially confident.
Proof that alcohol and anxiety walk hand-in-hand. That feeling of not being able to cope, that loss of hope, finding the world too much to handle, used to be every single day of my life. More regular gaps now remind me that I’m capable, things can be sorted and problems can be solved.
I use alcohol to both turn off my brain and make me feel less anxious socially.
In 2017 I managed 112 days, and in 2018 a personal best 120 without alcohol (Photo: Getty)
If I’m going out, and alcohol will be there, I know I’ll be OK.
If I stay in I know there will come a time, around 6pm, when I want to tune out the buzzing of my brain, the incessant obsession with the minutiae of my life: invoices, passwords, vouchers nearing expiry, how long I should keep bank statements, a new phone case that muffles the speakers, if I should be using ‘The Cloud’, what ‘The Cloud’ is, if I needed a new car would I lease or buy (I don’t need one by the way).
I sometimes wonder if this never-ending drone of the insignificant would end if I had kids. I know parenthood is tiring and demanding and frustrating, I also know I’d just be swapping concerns about whether to insure my boiler with whether to have eco-friendly nappies, but I still envy what Philip Larkin called ‘havings-to’.
The events and responsibilities raising children creates, ones you cannot avoid, that save you from long evening hours left alone with thoughts, worries, the beer fridge humming, the temptation to clock off from thinking as you prepare a solitary dinner.
Of course, people with kids still have thoughts and worries. I’ve no doubt they’re even more pressing than whether to throw out the expired lasagne sheets in my cupboard. (I know they’re fine but two years is a long time in pasta and they’re whole wheat, I’m never going to use them.)
It’s just that putting someone before yourself must free you from at least some shifts spent staring at that crack in the plaster. Was that there when I moved in? Has it got worse? Shall I just paint over it? What sort of paint would I need? What if I completely and utterly f*ck it up? Shall I get someone in? What if they got it on the carpet? What if they say ‘four hundred for cash or I’ll have to charge you VAT’ and you’re arrested for fraud?!
I sometimes wonder if this never-ending drone of the insignificant would end if I had kids. (Photo: Getty)
I’m sure I’ll have children one day, though I’m not sure my reasoning is quite selfless enough at the moment.
‘Why did you have me, Mummy?’
‘Well, one day, Daddy spent two hours comparing lease deals for a Kia Sportage he didn’t even need. Then an article about changes to the Ts&Cs of Tesco Clubcard points in Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert email drove him insane. It was a no brainer!’
The time I’m most vulnerable is in exactly the situation I’m in now, hungover.
The more the withdrawal builds, the more that first drink dominates the mind, promising relief from the situation it created in the first place. Therefore the more I drink, the more I drink.
There’s an old saying from Alcoholics Anonymous, ‘The man has a drink, the drink has a drink, the drink has the man.’ (Obviously this, applies to women too, and I did experiment with rewording it, but there’s something undeniably dramatic in the scansion with the gendered pronoun). So, geniuses, the key to drinking less would seem to be, drinking less.
I find it important to have things I look forward to on nights I don’t drink, little associations that don’t involve alcohol.
And so, when I’m abstaining I’ll make hot chocolate and watch a regional detective drama. I’ve devoured 70 episodes of Poirot, 33 of Inspector Morse, 28 of Foyles War and am currently embarking upon a monumental Prime Suspect-a-thon. Each one watched as sober as the many judges that appear on screen.
The association is now so strong, that the idea of watching Maigret whilst drunk makes me feel physically sick.
There are other things I do. I’ve banned spirits from the house. Well, rum at least. That was my bête noir. I poisoned myself with it over the years, to the extent that I think it changed my DNA. Nowadays, even a sip of Captain Morgan’s brings with it the most appalling sense of doom, a joyless horror. I drink exclusively weaker beer, never above 4.5%. And I’ve even got into German wine due to its lower alcohol content.
But one of the things I’m really struggling with is, you guessed it…onions.
I cannot think of an association so intense as chopping onions for an evening meal with that first cold beer. The condensation running down the bottle as my own tears (onion-based for the main part) run down my cheeks. The windows fogging up as foam threatens to erupt over the side of the glass. Or perhaps the first glug of wine as garlic sizzles in olive oil. Oh boy! Oh warmth! Oh numb friend!
Sometimes I manage to bridge that witching hour of onions with an emergency 0.0% beer and often, after eating, the need passes.
Tricky, isn’t it? I’m sure a lot of you will think ‘what an awful lot of time this man must have!’ I can’t argue, but time is very much like, you guessed it, onions. It’s pretty much useless on its own.
So if you’re waving goodbye to Dry Jan, or wishing you’d given it a better go, or thinking it might be a good idea next year, I do wish you strength.
If alcohol is a problem for you I’d be interested to know what tricks and life hacks you use to lessen its hold. Do comment below, let me know on Twitter, or scream it into a field.
Anyway, you might be able to get a Puppucino at your local Starbucks but of course, you could get the same at any coffee shop by just asking for a cup of cream.
Of course, vets don’t recommend giving too much dairy to dogs as it can upset their stomachs so ask for a small cup and keep treats to a minimum.
Still, there’s nothing like enjoying a coffee and catching up with your best friend.
Stunning retro pictures have offered a glimpse inside the studio of a 70-year-old tattoo artist who has even tattooed royalty.
The black and white photos show a client considering a number of designs including a dragon that tattooist George Burchett had inscribed on the chest of King Frederick IX of Denmark.
(Pictue: Mediadrumimages / TopFoto / Retronaut)
Other striking shots show a sailor home on leave having George colour an old design, George tattooing a butterfly on a young woman and preparing his needles for future clients at the end of the day.
(Picture: Getty)
The photographs were taken in George’s tattoo studio in 1951.
(Picture: Getty)
George was born on 23 August 1872 in Brighton, East Sussex and became one of the most famous tattoo artists in the world.
(Picture: Getty)
Having been expelled from school at 12 for tattooing his classmates, he joined the Royal Navy at 13, developing his skills while travelling overseas as a deckhand on HMS Vincent. After absconding from the Navy, he returned to England.
(Pictue: Mediadrumimages / TopFoto / Retronaut)
With a studio on Mile End Road, and 72 Waterloo Road, London, he became the first star tattooist and a favourite among the wealthy upper class and European royalty.
(Picture: Getty)
Among his customers were King Alfonso XIII of Spain, and King Frederick IX of Denmark. Though it was reputed that he tattooed the ‘Sailor King’ George V of the United Kingdom, there is no reliable evidence to attest to this actually being the case.
(Picture: Getty)
In the 1930s, he developed cosmetic tattooing with such techniques as permanently darkening eyebrows. He continued tattooing until he died suddenly on Good Friday in 1953 at the age of 80.
When Codilia Gapare was diagnosed with breast cancer, she initially tried to ignore it, instead focusing on the university place she had been dreaming about for years.
But sadly for Codilia she eventually had to drop out to focus on getting treatment.
While in recovery, Codilia had a thought – why aren’t there options for cancer patients to use fake eyelashes – especially when they lose all their hair?
She came up with C-Lashes, partnering up with cosmetic brand Eylure and soon her important product will be on the shelves of Boots.
Unlike ordinary fake lashes, C-Lashes come with a larger clear adhesive band, with a thinner glue and a bigger surface area to attach the lash to the eyelid.
It remains invisible but creates something more solid for the lashes to stick to.
Creating a business wasn’t her original plan.
The mum-of-two came to the UK from Zimbabwe when she was 26 years old to pursue her dreams of becoming a lawyer.
She spent years working and studying to help reach the point where she could apply for university.
On the day of her interview at Manchester Metropolitan University, the 41-year-old, from Cheshire, was told she has breast cancer.
Deciding not to give up on her dream job, she chose to drive three hours to the interview which she aced.
(Picture: Codilia Gapare/Facebook)
In July 2014, when she found a lump in her breast, she got it checked out.
Just a month later, on the day of the prestigious interview, Codilia got the news that she had breast cancer.
Taken aback, she initially tried to ignore what was happening and focused on going to university.
‘Mostly, I was in denial,’ she told Metro.co.uk. ‘I really convinced myself I wasn’t ill, I was totally unprepared. I didn’t even tell anyone I was going to my interview but I didn’t even think about canceling it.
‘For me going ahead with the interview was going ahead with my life.
(Picture: Codilia Gapare/Facebook)
‘I was like “stop, today is not the day this is going to happen to me”.’
She explained how the day ‘felt like any other day’, and all she could think about was her interview which she knew went well.
After she was offered a place, she started the course, while continuing to work, look after her kids and think about treatment.
But two months into her studies, Codilia could no longer keep up and had to drop out.
(Picture: Codilia Gapare/Facebook)
‘The mental battle caused me to become drained. I had two kids, I was a single mum, working two jobs. And that was my reality. I was so upset with myself for being sick. I was supposed to be realising my dream but instead, I felt like a failure,’ she explained.
But things started looking up for Codilia a few years later. She was offered a scholarship through support network Women in Business to study a masters in Business Admin at the same university.
Having got the all-clear from the disease at her latest check-up, Codilia is now in the final year of her studies.
Her journey allowed her to come up with her product, C-Lashes, aimed at cancer patients going through chemotherapy who just want to feel like themselves.
Initially, she launched the product by herself but last year, she was approached by false lash company Eylure, who helped her launch the range.
She said: ‘Being black, we always play with our hair. Losing my hair was a big deal. No one talks about how much hair you lose though. I lost my eyelashes, eyebrows, pubes, underarm hair.
‘But I wasn’t prepared to lose my lashes. When my lashes started to thin out, I bought fake ones but I struggled because it took off all the remaining hair. I didn’t do it for attention, I just wanted to feel like myself. I just wanted to be me again.
‘You want your face to feel like your face.’
Priced at £5.25, the lashes will be available on the Boots website from 26 February and then in-store from early March.
Attention, animal lovers: You can now share a jumper with your furry friend, as Zulily has released some double headed sweaters.
The sweaters have been released ahead of Valentine’s day, and have been launched as an ‘innovative, modern solution to loneliness”.
Of course, they’re not just for you to wear with your dog – you could also share them with your partner or your BFF.
But come on, that isn’t going to look as cute on Instagram.
(Picture: Zulily)
The sweaters feature Valentine’s-themed slogans.
There’s a blue sweater which features two hearts on either side, with the words ‘Be Mine’ in a pink heart and ‘I’m Yours’ in a yellow. Aww.
There’s also a pink sweater featuring a yellow broken heart and the words ‘Heart Breaker’ in blue on either side.
The sweaters dropped online yesterday, Monday 28 January, and they’re selling for £29.99.
Caption: Double-headed jumpers are back for Valentine?s Day Regardless of your romantic situation, the double-headed sweater style is basically one big knit with two neck holes – so you can snuggle with your significant other, bestie or fur baby in the cold weather. Copyright: Zulily
But be quick if you want to get your hands on them – especially before Valentine’s Day – as they’re selling out fast.
Great for when you want to get close to someone but aren’t sure how. Zulily are touting the garment as an “innovative, modern solution to loneliness”. And here we were thinking it was something fun for the ‘gram.
Those adverse to PDA and height-related gags need not apply.
We’ve fallen in love with this cross-eyed cat who has thousands of online fans.
Short-haired tabby cat Olive has over 30,000 Instagram followers, with people falling head over heels for her because of her crossed expression and cute smile.
(Picture: Caters News)
The moggy’s crossed eyes and funny smiles means her face seems to perfectly capture every emotion.
Olive lives in New York with her owner Michelle Traynor, 27, who works in communications.
(Picture: Caters News)
She said: ‘Olive was alone and covered in tree sap and very sick when she was found.
‘After a lot of baths and medication, she was finally well enough to come live with me.
(Picture: Caters News)
‘Despite her eyes, she can see well but she does have a bit of an underdeveloped jaw which causes her overbite.
‘She can be shy, but loves to burrow under blankets.’
Hello, and welcome to another edition of ‘absolutely wild and crazy toxic masculinity news’. I am your host, and I am confused.
A video online has gone viral that suggests enjoying women’s bums in a sexual sense is a gateway to homosexuality.
Men’s rights activist RooshV – real name Daryush Valizadeh – claims that he ‘says no to the back hole’, and won’t put his ‘benis’ near somewhere with ‘doo-doo’ because apparently having anal sex with a women is ‘gross’ and has some sort of bearing on his sexuality.
He’s also written articles on how women are like bread, bath tubs, and t-shirts, how contraception prevents love, and how women’s only purpose is to reproduce.
Let’s assume this isn’t another one of his ‘hilarious’ thought experiments and take him for his word.
If that’s the case, he genuinely believes that liking a body part of a woman as a man would be in some way homosexual.
While funny in a grim sort of way, #nohomo culture can genuinely confuse young people into thinking they don’t know their own mind when it comes to their sexuality or that there’d be anything wrong with them not being straight.
So, in case you hadn’t been aware yet, there is nothing wrong with being gay, but men liking women is certainly not gay.
He also thinks it’s disgusting since it’s where people rid themselves of bodily waste. I don’t know if he’s heard, but waste is also excreted from his very own benis… And yet he still expects people to go near that? Interesting.
There are a lot of questions we have after the video. Why is the banana on his microwave dressed in a towel? Why is he drinking from a disposable cup when he’s sitting in his house? Why is he so scared of his own back hole?
Some questions are just too vast to be answered. And best never thought about ever again.
They say when you know, you know. One man who knew instantly he’d found the one had to sadly deal with her death when she passed away a year into their relationship.
But ‘the one’ for Japanese man Yuta Shinohara was a cockroach. And because he wanted her to ‘live forever’ within him, Yuta decided to eat his lover. As you do.
Yuta explained to Asian YouTube channel Asian Boss, how he bought the cockroach – lovingly named Lisa – from Africa and even had sex dreams about her.
But don’t worry, he didn’t attempt to do the deed in real life as, you know, ‘the size doesn’t fit’ (his words).
Yuta’s favourite tree (Picture: Asian Boss)
Nature lover Yuta is somewhat of a bug connoisseur in Japan where he’s made a name for himself in insect cuisine. He has organised events serving bug cocktails, insect pastries and ramen with crickets and mealworms.
He even has a favourite tree which he calls ‘heaven’ that he enjoys napping on. Yuta showed the presenter of the channel his fave tree and then proceeded to tell her about his one true love.
When the interviewer asked whether the couple communicated, Yuta replied: ‘It could’ve been my imagination, since I got too attached over time, that I started to feel as if we were communicating.
‘We were 100% serious. No human girl was as attractive as Lisa. Lisa was my first love, I pictured doing it with her many times because I really liked her.
‘I know it’s impossible but I imagined a world where cockroaches become supersized or I become small.’
Makes sense.
But sadly all good things must come to an end. And a year later, Lisa died naturally (cockroaches have an average life span of one year, we checked).
‘The day she passed away was difficult but I knew it had to come since she was a cockroach with a short life span,’ added Yuta. ‘With that in mind, I ate her in reverence. So now, Lisa lives in my heart and continues living as part of my body.’
Though he is still getting over Lisa, Yuta is focused on his appetite for bug cuisine, hoping it comes into mainstream fashion in the future.
Who knows, maybe he’ll find love again making his next dish.
Lillie Semmens first met Mhari Sellstrom when he was female through a mutual friend when they were teenagers.
Back then, they admit they despised each other.
‘When I was female, you hated me, you detested me and thought I was ugly’ Mhari said to Lillie, from Portsmouth.
‘You were just arrogant, you were so rude and over-compensating for something. You were so in-your-face, you knew when Mhari was in a room,’ Lillie replied.
But after Mhari began transitioning, Lillie, 22, says she saw a different side to him and they began to hang out and eventually fell in love. The couple have now been together for three months.
Mhari, 24, has known he was ‘in the wrong body’ since he was young, but only came out as transgender five years ago.
He said: ‘I felt like I was in a wrong body. It is such a weird feeling like waking up and genuinely thinking that you are an actual boy and then looking in the mirror and then see yourself.
‘I came out when I was 19, and then when I came out I didn’t even know the process, what to do and it was actually one of our friends that came out before and he explained the process to me.
‘I think nowadays people are more aware of what is going on but back then I didn’t know where to start.
(Picture: Marcus Hessenberg / Barcroft Media)
‘In my head I have always been a boy but your body just doesn’t match.
‘I wish people would just live how I live every day, just so they could see what it is like. I think people would be a lot more understanding then.’
Despite coming out in 2014, Mhari had to wait for three years to begin his hormones.
He said: ‘It takes you 18 months to get your first appointment and then you see your first psychologist. You then wait six to eight months for your second appointment and then you have to wait for a letter to your GP to start your hormones.’
Mhari administers his testosterone in as an inter-muscular injection into his thigh every three weeks.
‘Since I have started testosterone I sweat a lot more, I am always hot and I am always hungry,’ he said.
Always on hand to help with his injections, is his girlfriend Lillie – a girl he used to hate.
When Lillie first met Mhari, she identified as a lesbian.
(Picture: Barcroft Images)
She explained: ‘When I was bigger, I never really got any male attention, so I thought I was a lesbian. I always used to date girls and like go for girls.
‘As I started losing weight, I started get attention from boys and stuff.
‘Mhari’s actually my first boyfriend but I wouldn’t say I’m really anything, I just fall for the person. I like you because you are you not because of your gender or whatever.’
After years of binding his chest, Mhari had ’top surgery’ in October 2018 – which is the removal of his breast tissue to create a flat chest.
He said: ‘I had a DD chest before my surgery and it’s painful when to bound because they have to mould it to your body and putting it on for the first time was really, really hard.
‘I had my top surgery on the 25 October 2018. There’s a video on my phone of the moment I had my bandages taken off and I cried my eyes out because it’s such an overwhelming feeling even though I was all battered and bruised.
‘I felt like, just looking down and seeing nothing there, it was like this is how it’s always supposed to be, it was like, I felt free.’
Lillie added: ‘He’s literally glowing, I can’t even explain it. When he first took it off and showed me his whole face just lit up.’
Mhari plans to begin the procedure for ‘bottom surgery’ later on this year.
(Picture: Barcroft Images)
He said: ‘I think I want to get bottom surgery for my own self because at the moment the top half of me is exactly how I want it to be but I am just not happy with the bottom half.
‘It’s really complicated going from female to male rather from male to female, like you’ve got to put something there that wasn’t there before so it’s longer and there’s lot of complications and there is lot of risks but I’m prepared to do this.’
Despite once disliking one another, Mhari now praises Lillie for the support she has given him throughout his transition.
He said: ‘Lillie supported me in every little thing, she’s not the type of person that would sit there and say you can’t do this, you can’t do that, she would say, if you wanna do it, then you’ve got to do it and if you make a mistake then I’ll be here to pick up the pieces when you’re done.
‘I’ve never had doubts about my transition, I don’t think I ever will.’
With the housing crisis as it is, a bargain is always due.
However, it seems that living in a graveyard is a line that even the most savvy purchasers won’t go to, as evidenced by this home in Norfolk.
The 3 bedroom house has now been reduced in price by £105,000 after struggling to find a buyer – presumably due to all the dead people buried underneath it.
It’s located in the quaint village of North Lopham, and is a conversion of a former Methodist Chapel. The church closed in 2014 when attendance dwindled, and it was bought up by a developer.
The grade two listed building has was then completely refurbished, with brand new bathrooms and a super-swanky kitchen. The developer was originally going to live in it themselves, but backed out to move closer to their children’s schools.
(Picture: East Anglia News Service)
Since then, it’s been waiting for a new owner, going down in price exponentionally since last April. It’s currently on the market for £495,000.
The graveyard itself won’t belong to you as part of the sale, and belongs to the Church of England, but we can sort of see why it might freak people out though, given that there have been literally hundreds of horror movies about haunted houses.
Emmerson Dutton, a partner at Bedfords office in Bury St Edmunds office, wants to dispel the worries, though, saying: ‘I am sure that the gravestones have been a factor in putting off some buyers. It is a very stylish property, but the activity levels around it have certainly been lower than we would expect.
(Picture: East Anglia News Service)
‘I think the people who are concerned about the graves don’t go as far as asking for a viewing. We are not trying to hide the gravestones away so the details clearly show them. But although the house still has the original two doors at the front, the main entrance is at the back via driveway on the side.
‘It means that people don’t have to walk down the path between the graves into the house. Also when you are inside the house, you are not really overlooking the graves because of the layout inside. I am hoping that perhaps it might appeal to someone from outside the area.’
He believes that it might only be on Halloween that people get any real bother, and whoever ends up seeing past the headstones will get ‘a real bargain’.
If you think you’re brave enough, check it out here.
A cat has miraculously survived after getting trapped in a spinning washing machine for nearly five minutes.
58-year-old Jackie Mullens started up the machine before realising six-year-old Gracie had climbed inside for a nap.
The Siamese-cross didn’t wake up while Jackie closed the door and started the cycle, setting it to a 40 degrees wash for 20 minutes.
Mum-of-one Jackie heard muffled cries and eventually realised it was coming from inside the revolving drum.
The horrified former window dresser switched it off and pulled out soaking wet and terrified Gracie, before rushing her to vets who warned she might not survive.
(Picture: Jackie Mullens /SWNS.COM)
After a night on a drip – and a £500 vet bill – Gracie is back to full health, but is now terrified of the washing machine.
Jackie said: ‘I recognised the cat cry immediately but I couldn’t work out where it was coming from.
‘I checked outside to see if she’d it was one of our cats in the garden, I was looking everywhere.
‘Suddenly I realised it was coming from under the counter top – one of them was in the machine – but I didn’t know which one.
‘I started screaming for my husband and luckily the machine switched off straight away.
‘He said it was Gracie and pulled her out and wrapped her in a towel – she was soaking wet and terrified.
(Picture: Jackie Mullens /SWNS.COM)
‘If I had the radio on and couldn’t hear her, or if I’d gone out, I dread to think what could have happened.
‘I just couldn’t believe it – I’ve never felt so terrible in my entire life.
‘She’s a little miracle and I’m so glad she’s home.’
Jackie had just returned from the gym in December 2018 when she decided to do a load of washing.
She was at home with her husband Cliff, 51, a supervisor at Newport council in the gardening department, and their two cats, Gracie and Lily, four.
Jackie said: ‘I threw my clothes into the washing machine but it was only a couple of items so I needed to put some more in.
‘I stripped my bed and threw that in too, I remember seeing the cats in the house but somehow, between the things I added, Gracie must have crept into the machine.
‘Maybe she smelt the bedding or something enticed her inside because she’s never gone inside the washing machine before – otherwise I would have checked to see if she was inside.
(Picture: Jackie Mullens /SWNS.COM)
‘I was dashing between the utility room where the washing machine is and the kitchen where I was making dinner, so it didn’t cross my mind to check inside.’
Jackie closed the door, which automatically locked, but within a few minutes she heard the distressed cries from Gracie coming from inside the washing machine.
Jackie and her husband Cliff rushed Gracie to vets in Pontypool, where they broke the devastating news their beloved cat might not make it.
Jackie said: ‘The vet thought she wasn’t going to make it. They said she probably had brain damage and fluid on her lungs.
‘They even spoke to my husband about cremation options and putting her down – we were in bits.
‘But Gracie suddenly lifted her head and started responding, the vet then took back what they said and sent us to see another vet.’
(Picture: Jackie Mullens /SWNS.COM)
Jackie and Cliff arrived at a second vet in Newport, where Gracie was put on a drip and kept in overnight for observation.
The next day Gracie was stable enough to be discharged and Jackie and Cliff were left with a £500 bill for her visits.
Jackie wants to warn other pet owners of the dangers of appliances.
She said: ‘When Gracie got home it was like nothing had ever happened – it was a miracle.
‘You’d never believe it was the same cat that I’d pulled from the machine, we thought we’d lost her, but I’m so glad she’s OK.
‘We put her down in the living room and she was perfectly fine – it was like nothing had ever happened.
‘She won’t go near the washing machine anymore though and I make sure to do a cat count every time I do the washing, it’s made me really paranoid.
‘I want to make sure other pet owners are really careful with appliances.’
A student has her own fox and the hound family, after she adopted an abandoned vixen which has now become best friends with her pet Labrador.
When Gemma Holdway, 19, and her family discovered five two-day-old foxes nestling into hay on their farm in Bath, Somerset, they feared the cubs might die when their mother failed to return.
So, they took them in, intending to give them to an animal hospital to eventually be released back into the wild.
But the runt of the litter ended up imprinting – a critical period of an animal’s life when it forms attachments – on Gemma and her boyfriend Dan Pearse, 19, leading to her adopting and hand-rearing her.
Animal science and management student Gemma, who feeds, bathes and walks the fox, called Vixey, alongside her four dogs,
says: ‘Vixey is definitely a dog at heart.
‘I completely understand that she is still a wild animal, and is very independent – but I also know that, now she has imprinted onto humans, she may end up being hurt if she went off on her own.
‘Wild foxes would smell us on her, and see her as something to kill.
(Picture: PA Real Life)
‘We have acres of land she can run around, so she has a very nice, laid-back life and will go off exploring every day, before finding her way home before dark.’
Gemma’s dad discovered Vixey and the rest of the litter in March 2018, when cleaning out a barn – at first mistaking the animals for kittens.
The moment she saw the white tips of their tails, though, Gemma said she knew they were foxes, recalling: ‘Dan had actually got there slightly before me and ended up taking a picture of his favourite one.
‘I did the same and we were both drawn to the runt of the litter – which ended up being Vixey.
‘From there, we put them in a box with some straw to keep them warm. We have CCTV, so we rewound it the next morning and watched it all back, to see if their mum came back – but she never did.
‘We live near a busy road, so we were worried she might have been run over. Without her, we knew we had to do something, or the foxes would die.’
Taking them in, the family then arranged for a nearby animal hospital to have the litter.
But, at around five days old, Vixey opened her eyes for the first time, imprinting onto the family – a kind of bonding between a baby animal and the first thing it has visual, auditory or tactile contact with, helping them to gain a sense of species identification.
(Picture: PA Real Life)
This meant being released back into the wild could be very dangerous for Vixey, as her identification with humans meant she might not have learned certain behaviours vital for survival such as predator awareness, or hunting skills.
‘Foxes are shockers for imprinting,’ explained Gemma.
‘None of us realised at the time, as it happened so quickly, but once they open their eyes, that’s it. Whoever they see first is mum.
‘We knew we had to act fast to get the rest of them to the hospital, so we took them right away. Three have now been released back into the wild and one is also domesticated like Vixey.’
Since Vixey became a part of the family, Gemma has sorted all of her injections and has introduced her to her four dogs, Labrador Luna and Jack Russells Raisin, Nidge and Polar Bear.
She continued: ‘Luna, in particular, was very wary at first. She didn’t quite know what Vixey was and was unsure when she’d try to play with her.
‘Now they absolutely love each other. They’re the very best of friends.
(Picture: PA Real Life)
‘Vixey follows the dogs everywhere, copying what they do. Raisin rules the roost, so has almost taken on the role of Vixey’s mum.’
Vixey eats similarly to her doggy pals, preferring wet dog food or dry biscuits to cooked meat.
Gemma added: ‘We’ve tried giving her chicken, or a pig in blanket at Christmas, but she doesn’t like either.
‘She’ll carry them around in her mouth, before hiding them somewhere.’
Gemma is trying to get Vixey used to wearing a lead, hoping to one day take her on walks with Luna, Raisin, Nidge and Polar Bear.
She added: ‘We’re getting there with lead training. She wears a collar and bell, which she’s fine with – the bell in particular is a godsend, as she’s so fast, that it helps us know where she is.
‘But she hated having a lead clipped onto it. Right now, we’re trying a ferret harness, as it’s the only thing that fits her narrow body.
‘Once she’s trained, we’d love to take her out, but are wary about other dogs and people at the moment.’
Respectful that Vixey is still a wild animal, Gemma allows her plenty of time to roam around her land, which has been ‘fox-proofed’ so she cannot escape and predators cannot get in.
The adorable creature will enjoy a 30 minute run each morning before breakfast, then has the rest of the day to explore.
‘She always makes her way home before dark. She’s very intelligent, and can remember where she lives,’ said Gemma.
‘She’ll then come in to sleep for the night. She either sleeps on my bed, or under the sofa.
‘She is also completely house-trained, and either goes to the toilet outside or in a litter tray.
(Picture: PA Real Life)
‘We have learned the hard way not to leave any shoes lying around though, as for some reason, she sees them as toilets, so wees in them.’
While Gemma knows that many people have negative opinions about foxes, with a string of stories hitting the headlines about them getting into homes and biting people, she insists that Vixey has a gentle temperament.
‘People can be wary of her when they meet her, but she is far more likely to run off and hide until she trusts someone than attack. She recognises all of us, so will run to the door to greet us,’ she said.
‘Foxes only tend to bite when they feel threatened or are protecting their young, so if ever she seems in a strop and shows her teeth, we know to just leave her alone.
‘She has nipped us a couple of times, but there’s never any nastiness with it – and you get the same when training a puppy.
‘Foxes are scavengers and they are opportunistic, which people don’t like. But the way Vixey hunts is fascinating, as she’s learned a lot from the dogs so copies their movements.’
Vixey is now firmly entrenched as a member of Gemma’s family.
She added: ‘We all adore Vixey, but not everybody has been nice about her.
‘It would have been great to release her, but it was simply too dangerous. She has a lovely life with us and as long as she’s under our roof, she’s nobody else’s business.
‘We’ve fox-proofed the garden so she can’t get out and attack anything, but she also has lots of land to run around on.
‘Anyone who meets her can see how happy she is.’
Though she dotes on Vixey, Gemma is careful not to encourage others to get foxes as pets as her situation is very unique, saying: ‘Although Vixey is a great member of the family, we wouldn’t recommend having a fox as they are highly demanding and aren’t suited for living in a typical domestic environment.’
A mum-of-three is celebrating her cellulite and showing off her stretch marks in social media posts to empower other women.
34-year-old Sarah Nicole Landry, from Ontario, Canada, hopes to liberate others by showing off areas on her stomach, bum and legs that most hide online.
She battled body image issues after having three kids by the age of 25 and reaching 16st 1lbs on the scales by 2013.
Despite going on to lose nearly eight stone, she felt even more insecure about how she looked.
However, through regularly reminding herself that her worth was not dictated by her appearance, she was able to let go of her insecurities.
And now, she is embracing them – which she explains is a ‘freeing’ experience.
Sarah, a social media consultant, said: ‘Before I felt so alone in having cellulite on my butt and scars on my stomach, but no one was showing that on my newsfeed.
(Picture: Sarah Nicole Landry / Caters News)
‘I stopped following accounts that made me feel bad about myself and started looking at positive ones, it helped me to become less judgemental and changed my mindset.
‘My body is this way for a reason, and that I didn’t have to keep perfecting it, being less than perfect was terrifying before but now it’s not.
‘I feel a lot more confident about it now and remind myself that my body has nothing to do with my self-worth.
‘I can rock whatever it is that I choose, it freed me up to live my life and not be so focussed on what things look like all the time.
‘The perfectionism of my weight loss goals before meant I was never quite enough, there was always something more I could focus my self-hatred on.
‘There I was at 114lbs so ashamed of seeing myself in the mirror and struggling, I was also only happy with pictures being posted when I posted them.
‘Now I remind myself I am just as worthy as anyone us, and we all have our own hang ups.
‘I stopped looking at areas of my body negatively and honouring why they are there.
‘One was the backs of my legs which have more pronounced cellulite and stretch marks, to my abs from carrying really large babies.
(Picture: Sarah Nicole Landry / Caters News)
‘When we show-up and show that it’s ok to have cellulite it opens the door for other women to see it’s ok too and for society to see that too.
‘I don’t want to be at the end of my life worry about my stretch marks or cellulite, I don’t want to be held back anymore.’
During her weight loss journey Sarah expected to feel more confident but instead found herself fixating on her body even more.
Now Sarah has thrown out her scales and pays attention to how her body feels, using that as a guide to live her life by.
She said: ‘The scales were really hold me back from truly embracing my every day gave me a number of worth, when number was a little too high I felt bad.
‘Now I don’t know what I weigh, I have an idea but I don’t surround my day or meals with thoughts about it, that somehow makes me happier.
‘When I’m hungry I eat, when I’m tried I rest, there’s so much more than claiming how skinny I was and what size or number I was.
‘I started paying attention to when I was feeling bad and did more good stuff and less bad.
(Picture: Sarah Nicole Landry / Caters News)
‘I accepted the parts of my body that I disliked and I’m not ashamed any more, it can be hard at moments when I go to the gym or beach, but I work through those emotions.’
Before posting some of her more revealing shots, Sarah worried that she’d get a lot of hate, because she’s previously been accused of having an eating disorder.
But instead she received lots of positive comments.
Since inspiring others online, Sarah has been more considerate of the wording she uses to empowers others, even her children Maya 12, Jemma 10, and Boden eight.
Sarah said: ‘There was a fear that people would think I look disgusting.
‘On the rare time I get those comments I laugh, as it’s a sad perspective for someone to have that thought about my body.
‘I never thought I would be part of a body positive movement, but this has been a process of accepting my body and mental health.
(Picture: Sarah Nicole Landry / Caters News)
‘Celebrating body positivity shouldn’t be a one size fits all, not just plus size, thin, fit girls or others it should be for everyone.
‘I really encourage women to not judge and understand body positivity is a choice about their own body and choices.
‘I love empowering my kids through affirmations, I don’t comment on their bodies in words that can be detrimental.
‘I will say things like, ‘You look so strong’ or ‘You are so kind’, to place less emphasis on their looks and more on who they are as a person, which can also be hard.
‘I try not to talk about calories, size, weight or prettiness, I try to empower them with words that matter.’
Welcome to Mixed Up, a series looking at the highs, lows and unique experiences of being mixed-race.
Mixed-race is the fastest-growing ethnic group in the UK. It means your parents hail from two (or more) different ethnicities, leaving you somewhere in the middle.
In 2001, when the ‘mixed’ categories were first introduced to the national census, mixed-race people made up 1.3% of the population. Fast-forward 10 years, and that figure almost doubles to 2.3%.
It’s a trajectory that’s unlikely to slow down.
Alongside the unique pleasures and benefits of being exposed to multiple cultures, being mixed comes with complexities, conflicts and innate contradictions.
For many, it’s about occupying two identities simultaneously, reconciling the differences and trying to carve out a space to exist between the two.
The mainstream understanding of being mixed-race most often refers to people who are white and black Caribbean, or white and black African. But the voices of the mixed-race diaspora extend far beyond this.
Mixed Up aims to elevate those voices, look deeper at the nuanced realities of being mixed-race and provide an insight into the inner workings of this rapidly growing ethnic group.
Nadir Nahdi is a YouTuber from London who is part Indonesian, Yemeni, Pakistani and Kenyan.
(Picture: Jerry Snyder for Metro.co.uk)
‘I never grew up feeling more one thing than another, our home was woven of all of these cultures.’ Nadir tells Metro.co.uk.
It can be difficult finding your place in the world when there’s no specific point to tether your identity to. But rather than creating dissonance or clashes, Nadir’s parents wanted to ensure that their family’s plethora of cultural influence was a force for good.
‘My parents were responsible for allowing each of these cultures a space to shine in our home, creating an environment where spirituality was at its core, specifically Islam. Their focus on the spiritual is what brought all of these identities together at home,’ explains Nadir.
‘I would wear a fusion of different cultural clothes during events, like an Indonesian sarong with a Pakistani vest and Yemeni turban. Our dinner table was just as diverse, we ate food from all of our cultures, but also from completely different cultures.
‘Our house had no food bias at all. We ate everything.
‘My parents were never threatened by some sense of cultural loss or diluting if they were accepting of others, they always taught us that the best of our culture, and other cultures, was to be celebrated.’
Little Nadir (Picture: Nadir Nahdi/Metro.co.uk)
Many mixed-race people find it natural to gravitate more strongly towards one element of their ethnicity – whether that’s because of the area they grew up in, or the influence of parents or siblings – but Nadir never felt this way.
When it comes to identity, individuality is at the heart of it – but for Nadir, there was also an underlying sense of lacking.
‘I always believed that being mixed was an identity of its own,’ he tells us.
‘I found it difficult to relate to just a single part of my heritage, because I was never enough of any of them to be just any of them. I was all of them, yet I never met anyone who shared the same mix and the same experience, which, when I was younger, was quite isolating.
‘I often felt like a bystander looking in to cultural events from the periphery. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t enough of anything to claim anything.’
‘I think I ended up internalising that message of “not being enough”, about myself as a person. That I wasn’t enough, full stop.
‘It manifested in me feeling that I always had something to prove, and I became quite a competitive person.
‘I used to pretend I understood what was being said in a conversation in Swahili, because I couldn’t bear to admit that I didn’t. The shame and guilt underpinned my relationship with my cultural identity.’
It’s common to struggle with your sense of belonging when you’re mixed. To believe that you don’t quite fit into either category. And when your heritage is derived from four different cultures, this outsider-syndrome can be felt even more keenly.
‘I used to feel like was I was straddling a very unforgiving pendulum,’ explains Nadir.
‘I wasn’t Western enough to be Western, I wasn’t Eastern enough to be Eastern. I felt like I was the new kid at a school looking for someone to sit with in the lunch canteen.
‘Like any kid, I wanted to belong in some sort of cultural framework, but it was impossible because there was always another reference for me. It changed when I realised I didn’t need their acceptance, I just needed my own. But it took a certain amount of maturity and self-awareness to get to that point.
‘And then it all started to come into focus for me – It wasn’t debilitating being mixed, it was something that added value. I wasn’t at a disadvantage, I was at an advantage.
‘Being mixed enables me to innately understand the world outside of binaries and limited optics, it has shaped my politics and ethics in such meaningful ways. I’m able to identify the best of a culture.’
It was a pivotal moment of transformative acceptance for Nadir and it changed his whole outlook on his personal identity.
‘As I grew older I began to draw from my mixed heritage in such a significant way. I didn’t always feel this way, but I now genuinely feel a profound sense of belonging in multiple places, and that’s a real gift.
‘At the end of the day, it was other people who made me feel like I wasn’t enough of this, or enough of that. But that’s not how I see myself.’
Nadir with his parents (Picture: Nadir Nahdi/Metro.co.uk)
A north west Londoner born and bred, Nadir is genuinely concerned about the changing attitudes towards race that he’s watched unfold in this country during his lifetime.
‘I think we’re witnessing the unearthing of deep-rooted prejudice in the UK,’ says Nadir.
‘Brits have an exceptional skill to be discreet about their prejudice, most of my own personal encounters with discrimination have been systemic and institutional. However the hostile political environment has given a platform for people to feel brave enough to voice deeply ignorant, privileged and prejudiced comments publicly.
‘I’ve grown up as a brown Asian/Arab Muslim, witnessing people like me being continually attacked and scapegoated. At the core of all the current policy crises this country is going through, is ignorance. I don’t think attitudes are improving.
‘When I’m abroad I always say I’m from London when asked, London always feels like home, and not Britain. They’re two different things. The fact I feel the need to say this is indicative of how polarised this country is becoming, and it is a concern.’
Nadir uses his work as a way to promote unity and counteract the country’s growing factionalism. After being selected as a YouTube ambassador for the Creators for Change programme, he aims to use his platform to tell untold stories and encourage global connections.
‘Being an ambassador has been a great opportunity to build a network of people around the world who are aligned in using their platforms meaningfully. It has really impacted my work in a positive way.
‘As part of the programme, I created a documentary about my paternal grandmother, called #FindingNenek.
‘She passed away when I was three, so I went on an adventure to discover her place of birth, in Indonesia, and why she left in the first place. It ended up being one of the most important journeys of my life, not only for me, but my family too.
Nadir with his grandmother (Picture: Nadir Nahdi/Metro.co.uk)
‘What I have learnt from my grandparents, despite them all being from different cultures, was predominantly the same thing. Which is actually really interesting.
‘It was our spirituality, Islam, which provided the common denominator and meant that all these cultures could thrive seamlessly.
‘That’s why doing this documentary about my grandmother was so important to me. Although I never got to know her, she has been such a formative figure in my life and she taught me so much.
‘To see with my own eyes what was abandoned in order to build a safer life for her family and their future, was humbling.
‘Even my maternal Grandmother fled everything during Partition in India. Their sacrifice is what makes me realise that I’m not the centre of my own universe, I’m part of a bigger story than just my own.
‘It has been incredibly humbling and taught me deep gratitude, as well as an awareness of how my actions will also shape my family’s future.’
Having spent much of his childhood in a state of identity crisis, Nadir has finally reached the point where he is comfortable with the complexity of his heritage. He will never be able to tick a tidy, singular ethnicity box on any form – but he has made his peace with that.
‘I was just having a conversation with a friend about his idea that cultural identity isn’t static, but really quite fluid,’ explains Nadir.
‘On paper, I’m a certain per cent this, a certain per cent that, but it doesn’t translate to my lived experience.
‘I see each of my cultural identities as a deep well of history, ancestry, and wisdom that I have the privilege of tapping into. So in any given moment, I may feel more of a certain thing, but that’s only because I’m tapping into that part of myself. I have learnt that claiming one element of my ancestry doesn’t come at the expense of the others.
‘I come from cultures with a focus on warmth, respect and kindness. All of my cultures practice these in different but equally beautiful ways.
‘Throughout my life I’ve cultivated deep and meaningful relationships with my friends and my work sees me travelling and connecting with people wherever I go. Its in this context I’ve noticed how my cultural upbringing has given me the skills to do this.
‘I’m a child of the Indian Ocean. “Diversity” was never a tick-box for me, it was a lived, organic and real experience. This openness to others is a big part of my family’s identity, we’re not scared of what’s different because we know how arbitrary a concept like race is.
‘Come to our house and my parents will shower you in culture, because we believe it’s something that should bring people together and not estrange them from one another.’
Mixed Up is a weekly series focused on telling the stories of mixed-race people. Next week we speak to Nicole who is half Filipino and half Ghanaian.
‘Genuine care for others cannot be turned on and off’ (Picture: Getty)
Imagine a school where everyone gets bullied.
Imagine frightened kids wandering the bloodstained corridors, crying out for help.
Then imagine that the headteacher stands up in assembly one day and announces some important news: the bullies have agreed not to hurt anyone for one month of the year.
Or imagine a toxic factory that’s been polluting the environment seven days a week, but now proudly agrees not to do so on Mondays.
Wouldn’t it seem odd?
It’s a good start, we might think. But what else? What happens next?
Veganuary has become an effective way of encouraging more people to try a plant-based diet.
Some 240,212 people signed up for it this month according to the head of campaigns for the initiative, the media is all over it, and the supermarket giants and chain restaurants are promoting it heavily.
It’s ‘meat-free Mondays’ on a bigger scale.
But the compassion that underpins veganism is not something that can exist in a vacuum – for one month a year, or one day a week.
In fact, as a vegan, I find part-time meat eaters more curious than people who eat meat all year round.
Lots of people simply haven’t thought about the suffering and environmental destruction that their food habits cause.
But people who’ve learnt about this and then decided to continue anyway, 11 months out of 12, seem very odd to me.
What difference do you think it makes to the pig whether you eat it for dinner on 31st January or for breakfast on 1st February?
Genuine care for others cannot be turned on and off.
What difference do you think it makes to the pig whether you eat it for dinner on 31st January or for breakfast on 1st February?
I think Veganuary, like ‘meat-free Mondays,’ encourages people to holiday in compassion, rather than putting down (plant-based) roots.
We’re all flawed, so of course most of us stumble along the way. Some days we’ll fall short of our ideals.
But that’s different to consciously deciding to spend eleven months of the year being less committed than we know we can be.
So as another Veganuary comes to an end, how can the spirit be taken forward?
First, I think it’s always helpful to remember the difference between being ‘plant-based’ and ‘vegan’. Plant-based is a diet and veganism is much more than that – it’s a lifestyle.
We also consider the clothes we wear, for example, the furniture in our homes and even things like cleaning products and cosmetics.
The Vegan Society describes veganism as ‘a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose’.
This distinction between vegan and plant-based is important.
It’s one thing to say you’ll put oat milk in your coffee for a month and then go back to dairy. But can you say you’ll stop supporting the abuse and exploitation of cows for a while and then say it’s okay again?
If you join vegan groups on social media, you can instantly tap into a mine of wisdom and experience when it comes to plant-based cooking, shopping and more.
Also, if you use veganism as a chance to really think about what you eat and where you shop you’ll focus more on what you’ve gained, rather than what you’ve lost.
This is a chance to really consider your impact on the planet, its people and its animals.
And while you can buy vegan versions of everything from steaks to squirty cream, you’ll probably find it more rewarding to move away from imitating meat eaters with ready meals, and instead stand confident as a creative vegan.
The best way to keep going is to remember why you did Veganuary in the first place.
It may have been because you no longer want to fund the cruelty and slaughter of the meat and dairy industries.
Need proof? Take a look at Clayton Paterson, from Ohio.
At 60, he says he’s the sexiest he’s ever been. Frankly, we’d have to agree.
In his youth Clayton had a naturally slim frame, and often compared himself to his muscular older brother. He started to question whether he could do more with his body.
He started getting active; skiing, swimming, mountain biking, and running.
Then, in 2017, he discovered bodybuilding. That’s when things clicked into place. He bulked up, toned, and got into the best shape of his life in his late fifties.
It helped that his four children, Jacob (33), Nathaniel (32), Anne (30), and Luke (23), had all grown up, as Clayton had previously put his fitness on backburner to prioritise parenting.
Clayton in his twenties (Picture: MDWfeatures / Clayton Paterson)
Now 60, and having come out as gay in 2015, Clayton says he feels sexier than ever, and his body lets him keep up with the younger guys he likes to date.
Plus, he can do all the high-energy activities his kids enjoy.
‘I was in shape in my twenties but not like I am now and virtually everyone is in shape in their twenties – it’s not that hard,’ says Clayton. ‘I think it is much more striking to be this fit at 60.
‘I know that my children’s friends are impressed with my fitness and I’d like to think that I relate well to them (the thirty-something set).
‘Honestly, I don’t feel a difference with them. Yes, I don’t party like they do, and I go to bed early, but when I ski with them or have dinner, it all seems very equal. They treat me as one of them.
Clayton at 60 (Picture: MDWfeatures / Clayton Paterson)
‘Now, I recognise that I can’t live my life through my children, but I appreciate my relationship with them and their friends. I think being fit, youthful thinking, and active allows you to really fit in with any age group.
‘Many people are surprised that a sixty-year-old can be this fit. I don’t want to be conceited, but I know that I have been able to maintain a body of a twenty-year-old, well from the neck down.’
Clayton is clear that he doesn’t take any supplements or steroids, and that his body is entirely down to maintaining a healthy lifestyle… and dating without worrying about his age.
‘My natural testosterone level is actually above the normal range,’ he says. ‘I attribute that to the fact that I have maintained my muscle tone.
‘I’m retired and have maintained my quality of life, health, fitness and sex life. I see no reason to slow down, I don’t want to.
‘I feel attractive, confident and the response from others has been very positive. I like to think that I’m a very sex-positive person.
(Picture: MDWfeatures / Clayton Paterson)
‘Men I have dated are impressed and often are incredulous that I’m sixty years old. I have not found that they are intimidated.
‘The age range of those that have dated is quite wide, ranging from late twenties to mid-fifties – I always seem to be older.’
Clayton has competed in two national physique shows this year, coming fifth and third.
As well as impressing dates, Clayton’s dedication to an active lifestyle inspires his children, too
‘I always wanted to be a good role model for them,’ he explains. ‘I got much more serious about my gym time in my early fifties and then at fifty-nine, I decided to compete in physique competitions.
‘That’s when I really transformed my body into what you see today. But, while how I look is wonderful, the more important outcome is how I feel physically.
(Picture: MDWfeatures / Clayton Paterson)
‘I feel amazing; healthy, strong, capable and I can still ski with my kids, swim long distances, mountain bike, play my piano and bagpipes. At sixty, I don’t feel that there are any limits yet.
‘I improved my diet and workout program and the result is what you see today. But I like to think that I have a great life/exercise balance.
‘I got a coach to help me with my workouts and diet. That substantially changed my body. Now, it is simply part of my lifestyle.
‘I can’t imagine not going to the gym six to seven days-a-week. But as a retiree, it is much easier now than when I was working. The decision to bulk up really came when I finally, after so many years of thinking about it, decided to compete in physique.’
To anyone who wants to get in shape, Clayton has some words of wisdom: ‘Not wanting to embarrass yourself in front of hundreds of people is a great motivator, but also the positive feedback from friends, family and the trainers at the gym were critical factors.
‘Just get started and don’t worry what people at the gym might think of you. Really, most of them will be simply impressed that you’re at the gym or they will ignore you.
‘There are days when I don’t feel like going to the gym, but I know that once I get there and feel the energy of those around me, I will have a great work out and get inspired.
‘Fitness is the one thing that we can do for ourselves that will pay dividends forever.
‘Nothing is certain, but the data is pretty overwhelming that you cut your risk of cancer, heart disease, even the common cold or flu and you will keep your physical capability for years to come.’
