Latest news with #LADbible
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
We rank the ‘Materialists' press tour's flirtiest moments by how bisexual they are
If there is one thing we have learned about Materialists from the film's press tour, it's that bisexuals are winning. The film, which stars Pedro Pascal, Dakota Johnson, and Chris Evans follows 'a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker (Johnson) finds herself torn between the perfect match (Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Evans),' according to the official synopsis. It may not, at first glance, seem to be queer culture, but you would never guess that from the press tour, which is a vision of the future that bisexuals want. From sneaky clothing swaps, near gay kisses, and that flirty photoshoot, these three have been giving throuple vibes and having the most cheeky fun three incredibly hot actors can have on a press tour. And for their service, we thank them. Here are the viral moments between this flirty trio, ranked by just how hard the bisexuals are winning right now. Editors note: This is all in good fun, no one is outting anyone! Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson are seen on the set of "Materialists" You would think meeting Pedro Pascal in any situation would be memorable, but it turns out his meet-cute with Johnson was only cute for him. Pascal interviewed Johnson for a feature in Elle in which he called out his co-star about how they met. It began with Johnson talking about meeting him for the first time at the Met Gala with Sarah Paulson (stars, they're just like us!) and he interjected with a correction 'That was the second time,' he revealed, prompting Jonson to share, 'OK, the first time was on Raya.' - YouTube The trio sat down with Fandango to reveal some BTS secrets and things got very real and very spicy when they were asked what kind of 'random talent [or] skill' they had that they could share with a matchmaker. After plenty of giggles and whispers with both of his cast mates, eventually Pascal dropped the bomb: 'I'm into... I'm into.. I'm into.. I'm a pleaser.' To which Johnson agreed she is, too. LADbible/YouTube In a game of Would You Rather with LADbible, the question of body odor came up prompting Johnson to smell Pedro's armpit. Not only did it smell nice, but she said it smelled oddly familiar. 'That's what my sweater smelled like when you gave it back,' she revealed. To which Evans laughed, then expressed some understandable FOMO. 'You guys swapping clothes? Why wasn't I involved with this?' he asked. LADbible/YouTube During that same game, the question was asked, 'Would you rather have a mouth full of bees or one bee in your butt?' As Evans tried to logic through the question, he leaned toward the bee in the butt since it would only survive for a minute, which led Pascal to quietly answer, 'It depends.' See on Instagram Again during that same game of Would You Rather, the trio debated whether they'd rather be itchy all the time in clothes or naked all the time. While Pascal and Johnson opted for nudity, Evans preferred itchy but clothed. Pascal decried what a shame that would be because of Evan's 'great body.' Evans then offered to let them both scratch it. — (@) At the premiere, Pedro was missing so Evans and Dakota carried around a cardboard photo of his face, at one point each giving it a cheeky kiss. See on Instagram When A24 released the BTS video of the promo photoshoot for the film, the bisexuals immediately took note! The chemistry between the three was fire, the dance moves, the prom photos, the partner swapping. Obsessed. LADbible/YouTube One last entry from LADBible's game of Would You Rather! During the outtakes from the end of the episode, the three are standing together holding hands and Pascal points out that they look like they are in a cult. Johnson agrees, calling it her 'cult of sexy boys.' Pascal agrees and says his husband is #2 and they agree Evans is husband #1. A24/YouTube I mean. Come on. These three know exactly what they are doing here. Not that we're complaining. arrives in theaters on June 13, watch the trailer below. - YouTube
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
My ADHD diagnosis at 34 was ‘clear as hell' – here's how I've silenced the caffeinated squirrels rioting in my brain
TO the outside world, he was the mega successful founder of two multi-million pound companies. But secretly, Alex Partridge was battling crippling anxiety, using alcohol to "press his brain's brake pedal", and pouring up to £14,000 down the drain every year. It wasn't until a shock diagnosis aged 34 that his life started to make sense and he turned things around. Advertisement 6 Alex Partridge - the founder of UNILAD and LADbible - discovered he had ADHD in his mid-30s Credit: Alex Partridge 6 He was misdiagnosed with anxiety as a child Credit: Alex Partridge Here, he shares his story. I'VE always known, deep down, that I was different. This began during my school days, when I'd copy my classmates' mannerisms and tone of voice just to fit in. Advertisement I altered who I was to appear likeable to others, because I didn't understand who I was. This carried on into secondary school where, as a fellow student so sensitively put it, I 'could have been one of the cool kids if I wasn't so weird'. I have vivid memories from this period of when teachers would ask me questions that I didn't know the answer to, and the stress would lead to full-blown anxiety attacks. My palms would get all sweaty, my face would go bright red and my heart rate would shoot right up. In a I remember one day I found someone in the corridor and told them to call an ambulance because I thought I was having a heart attack. Advertisement At the time, aged 15, I was misdiagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday situations). I now know this not to be the case, but I was put on Do you or your child have ADHD- Here's the NHS test as Brits waiting two years for diagnosis They didn't help - in fact, they actually made me feel worse - so I stopped taking them after six weeks. Following a tumultuous young adulthood, which included founding the websites LADBible and UNILAD in quick succession – and a protracted legal battle over their ownership that turned my life upside down – I was finally diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) two years ago, aged 34. Like so many others across society, I had thought Advertisement But when I hired a director to help me set up a podcast, before losing interest in the project three days later, he asked me: 'When did you get your ADHD diagnosis?' This casual question changed my life forever. So much of my life up until that point – the anxiety attacks, the constant picking up and dropping of new hobbies, identities and business ideas – began to make sense. I had an assessment, and a psychiatrist told me that my ADHD was 'clear as hell' – and it's a day that I'll never forget. When I began to learn more about the condition and the different ways it can present, it was the first of many 'lightbulb moments'. Advertisement The 'ADHD tax' cost me up to £14,000 a year at my worst Alex Partridge I'm not physically hyperactive like the naughty schoolboys I had previously imagined; my brain is a different story entirely. Describing how it feels to anybody who hasn't spent time inside it is tricky, but my ADHD means that all my energy can be concentrated in my head. The closest approximation I can give is that it's like 10 highly caffeinated squirrels running about at once! Hyperactivity associated with ADHD can be internalised and, after realising this, so many of my previous life experiences suddenly made sense. For me, ADHD means that: Advertisement I possess the creativity and hyperfocus to create two global social media brands, but if a task doesn't interest me, it simply will not get done. I've always been entrepreneurial, but I had poor financial skills and often lost interest in projects once the novelty waned. I own an impressive list of domains, and enjoy buying things, but this often results in overspending and financial difficulties. I love meeting new people, but I've always struggled to maintain friendships. One way it presents is impulse purchasing, which I've always struggled with. It would cost me hundreds – sometimes thousands – of pounds a year. I estimate about £14,000 annually at my worst. I now know this to be a little-known (and costly) consequence of ADHD known as the 'ADHD tax', referring to the higher living expenses that so many of us with ADHD (and other neurodivergences) can incur due to challenges with impulse control and executive functioning. The ADHD tax might show up in the expensive hobbies we've signed up for (and then lost interest in), the impulse purchases we buy and forget about, or the dreaded monthly subscriptions that we sign up for, never use but never cancel – a classic example of how knowing how my brain worked would have been extremely helpful earlier in my life. 6 Alex would buy food he'd then forget to eat Credit: Alex Partridge Advertisement 6 Alex developed an alcohol addiction Credit: Tanya Grace I used to buy so much food that I would then forget to eat. I impulsively signed up for an online sewing course on a Monday, then had lost all interest in it the following day. My electricity bills increased as I was having to wash my clothes multiple times because I'd forgotten to empty the washing machine. When I thought I'd found my new calling in life as a master candle maker, I bought a 2kg box of paraffin wax from Hobbycraft, only for it to sit there unused for months. Advertisement I bought a trumpet thinking I'd learn to play, but again, it stayed firmly in its box. I even bought new socks when all of mine were dirty, and decided to buy a new rug when my dog went to the toilet on the original as the thought of cleaning it was too overwhelming. Hundreds of pounds splashed on unused gym memberships, The 9 'hidden' signs of ADHD in adults ADHD has long been associated with naughty schoolkids who cannot sit still in class. And that is part of it. Fidgeting, daydreaming and getting easily distracted are all symptoms of the behavioural condition, which is why it is often spotted in children. However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is far more complex than simply having trouble focusing. Henry Shelford, CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, says: 'If it isn't debilitating, it isn't ADHD.' In recent years, social media has given rise to trends which conflate specific personality traits or single behaviours with ADHD. You might be thinking, 'I'm always losing my keys, forgetting birthdays and I can never concentrate at work — I must have ADHD'. But it's not as simple as that. Though these may all point to the condition, Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, says: 'The key distinction lies in how much a behaviour impacts a person's daily life. 'Genuine ADHD symptoms affect multiple areas of life - work, relationships and emotional wellbeing - whereas personality traits are typically context-dependent and less disruptive.' ADHD UK's Henry, who has the condition himself, adds: 'Having ADHD is hard. One in ten men with ADHD and one in four women with ADHD will at some point try to take their own lives.' So how can ADHD manifest in someone's life? While hyperactivity is a common indicator, here are nine other subtle signs: Time blindness - losing track of time, underestimating how long tasks will take, regularly being late or excessively early Lack of organisation - a messy home, frequently misplacing items, forgetting deadlines Hyperfocus - becoming deeply engrossed in activities for hours Procrastination - feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists and struggling to determine what needs your attention first so focusing on less important tasks Heightened emotions - emotional struggles can manifest in angry outbursts, feeling flooded with joy or shutting down because you feel too much at once Being a 'yes man' - agreeing to new projects at work or dinner dates with friends when you're already busy (a desire to please) Impatience - interrupting people mid-conversation, finding it painful to stand in a queue, being overly-chatty Restlessness - tapping, pacing, fidgeting or feeling restless on the inside Easily distracted - by external things, like noises, or internal things like thoughts Among the most challenging periods of my life, however, came in 2017, before my diagnosis, during a long-running legal battle that pushed me to the brink. 'Two members of the public found you staggering in an alleyway. It was 2am. You were alone and clutching a bottle of vodka. As they approached you, you slipped and hit your head on the wall. They called an ambulance.' Advertisement These were the first words spoken to me by the nurse next to my hospital bed when I woke up. Upon hearing them, I was hit by an overwhelming wave of shame and anxiety, and the immediate need to self-medicate. Unfortunately, it was alcohol - my medication of choice at the time - that had landed me here in the first place. So how did this all come about? I was 18 when I discovered booze, and quickly figured out it turned down the volume in my head. As I've often been a pleasure-seeker with low impulse control, it wasn't a shock when I discovered the strong link between Advertisement 'It was like I'd pressed my brain's brake pedal' It was being effectively ousted from UNILAD, the business I founded alongside two others, that really kick-started my alcoholism in 2013. I still remember staring at my computer screen, suddenly unable to access the site because they had changed the password, paralysed with overwhelm and crippled by anxiety. I stood up, went and bought a bottle of wine, drove home and drank the whole thing in five minutes. Suddenly, it was like I had pressed my brain's brake pedal. My thoughts instantly slowed down, and the caffeinated squirrels stopped running around. My anxiety had, temporarily, disappeared. Advertisement 6 Alex describes his ADHD as like having '10 highly-caffeinated squirrels running about' in his brain Credit: Andrew Mason 6 He is the host of the podcast ADHD Chatter and author of the book Now It All Makes Sense Credit: Luke Hamlin For various reasons, such as rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) – an extreme emotional reaction I feel to real or perceived rejection - that accompanies my ADHD, I've always been terrified of confrontation. So much so, that my coping mechanism for effectively having my life's work snatched from me was not to confront those responsible, but rather to bury my head in the sand and drink myself to sleep every night. After my mum found 23 empty bottles of wine concealed under my bed, we finally arranged to speak to a lawyer, who told me: 'You will win this case over ownership of the company if you choose to fight it in court. You will, however, have to give evidence in the witness box.' Advertisement My mind immediately flashed to the opposing lawyer saying: 'Alex, do you know the answer to this question?' And I panicked, remembering the little version of me sitting in the classroom all those years ago. I abruptly stood up and left the lawyer's office, bought a bottle of vodka, and woke up in hospital 12 hours later with a nurse looking over me, saying the sobering words you see above. Much of the next year was characterised by the court battle, which was an unbelievably stressful time. During the trial, I was cross-examined in the witness box for five days, during which I had to excuse myself several times to 'use the loo' – when in reality, I was doing A further three months passed before my lawyer phoned me. He said: 'Alex, are you on your own?' Advertisement 'Yes,' I said. There was a pause. 'You've won everything.' I broke down crying – one of the biggest legal, and mental health, or battles of my life, and I'd come through it. I won my 33 per cent stake in the company back. How to get help UNFORTUNATELY, a GP cannot formally diagnose ADHD but they can refer you for a specialist assessment. Be warned, the wait can be long. Data suggests there are at least 196,000 adults on waiting lists across the UK. And a BBC investigation found in many areas it would take at least eight years to clear the backlog. For an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD, the NHS says their symptoms should have a moderate effect on different areas of their life, such as underachieving at work or having difficulties in relationships, and the person has been displaying symptoms continuously for at least six months. There must also be evidence symptoms have been present since childhood - it's thought that the condition cannot develop for the first time in adults. After a diagnosis, treatment can include psychological therapies, psychotherapy, social skills training and medication. For many, a diagnosis can be a relief, but also unravel mixed emotions and feelings of 'being different'. UNILAD went into administration in 2018, then was bought by the same company that had earlier bought LADBible for an undisclosed amount. Reports suggest the brand was valued at up to £40million. My celebrations included a trip to Las Vegas, a new tattoo (that I had no memory of getting in the first place) becoming But in 2018, I managed to kick the alcohol habit for good. Advertisement I attended my first I've been sober ever since, which is among the best decisions I've ever made. I'm now 36, living in Brighton, and I can confidently say that is the founder of LADbible and UNILAD and the host of the ADHD Chatter podcast. His book (Sheldon Press, £16.99) is out now. Parenting with ADHD PARENTING can be difficult at the best of times. But for ADHDers, it can often force them to prioritise areas where they traditionally struggle, such as organisation, planning and consistency. Given this, the thought of being responsible for one or more little humans may be daunting for anyone that has ADHD. After speaking to many ADHD parents on my podcast, ADHD Chatter, I discovered this to be a worry felt by many of us. With this in mind, I've worked with my wonderful guests and peers to put together three top tips on navigating life as an ADHD parent: Be aware of your own cognitive load The cognitive load you live with as an ADHDer doesn't go away when you become a parent – quite the opposite! Be aware of when your finite headspace is filling up, and take steps to protect it so that you can be there for yourself and your children. Some ways that you can create some extra headspace for yourself include limiting social media use, setting boundaries and saying 'no' to others, and asking for help when you need it. Keep a pen and paper – everywhere Invest in a clipboard, paper and (childproof) pen for every room in your house so that you can take calls and note down important appointments, such as hospital visits, as they come in. Don't leave remembering these up to chance! Let your kids know you've always got their back Take time to let your children know that you're on their team – and you always will be, no matter what. On a similar note, if your child also has ADHD, create an environment in which they can be their full, authentic self. Let them fidget, move around, pick up new hobbies and drop them when they lose interest, and get lost (within reason). As an ADHD adult, I still do all of these things! Above all, while I'm not yet a parent myself, one of the most important pieces of advice I could give to any current or future ADHD parents is to constantly tell their children what I wish somebody could have taken me aside and told me when I was growing up, struggling without being able to put my finger on why. 'Who you are is enough. And it always has been.'
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
BBC Learning English - Learning English from the News / North Korean secrets revealed by phone
() ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ The story The BBC has gained access to a North Korean phone which has been smuggled out of the country. The phone doesn't have access to the internet and is designed to make sure its users follow the rules in North Korea, which is closely controlled by its leader Kim Jong-un. The phone creates a screenshot every five minutes, which is used by the country's authorities to watch the user. The phone also has an autocorrect function which changes terms used in South Korea to expressions favoued by the North Korean regime. News headlines Smartphone smuggled out of North Korea shows chilling details implemented by Kim Jong-un's regime LADbible From 'oppa' to comrade: North Korea's phones auto-correct to fit party line India Today This smartphone smuggled out of North Korea is absolutely wild Futurism Key words and phrases chilling frightening I read a chilling story about a ghost and now I can't sleep. party line the official opinion of an organisation, usually political The mayor didn't say anything new in her speech. Just the usual party line. wild strange or unexpected This TV show is wild. I have no idea what's going to happen next. Next Learn more English vocabulary from the news with our News Review archive. Try our podcast The English We Speak to learn more idiomatic language.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
LADbible's leprechaun campaign highlights online threats
A new campaign for LADbible, the digital publisher beloved of millions of youngsters, is leaning heavily into the little folk, asking us all to identify as leprechauns. Half in jest but wholly in earnest, the imaginative campaign is designed to protect us from hate speech online. It arose as a brief given to Folk VML by LADBible last summer. 'LADbible has five million followers online and reach something like 73 per cent Gen Z, so they have a huge community. What they had started to notice on their platform was [increased] instances of hateful comments and hate speech,' explains Waters, who is chief creative officer of Folk VML. Worried by the rise in such comments online, the publisher undertook research to scope out the extent of the problem. READ MORE The results were dispiriting. It found that 91 per cent of online users had witnessed hateful comments online, and almost half, 43 per cent, had personally been the victim of it. 'It was bigger than I thought and I've certainly seen it,' says Waters, pointing to the hail of hateful comments that rained on Irish Olympian superstar Rhasidat Adeleke last year as a case in point. 'She was doing amazing things on the track, and getting hateful comments online and in social media,' he says. 'It's not just celebrities or athletes, it's actually everyone that's getting it. Yet the research showed that of the 51 per cent of people who had been victims of hateful comments, and gone on to report it, 87 per cent felt that nothing had been done about it.' That's because Ireland's hate speech laws simply haven't kept pace. 'They predate the internet and social media, so whatever your views on Ireland's hate laws, they are not fit for purpose for the online space. LADbible wanted to do something that protected their audience and raised awareness about this issue,' explains Waters. 'Our brief was to do something that would start a conversation, and could lead to some change.' Karl Waters: 'Online, because there are less consequences, people feel they can get away with it' It decided the best way to tackle this particularly serious issue was in a lighthearted way, but one guaranteed to get people talking. The idea of a having people identify as a leprechaun arose from Waters's own research into the little-known fact that, since 2009, Irish leprechaun habitats are EU protected – at least in the Cooley Mountains in Co Louth. It was originally a tourism wheeze dreamed up to attract overseas visitors, but no one could have anticipated that the EU mandates would have gone with it, but they did, apparently on the basis that the little folk's existence couldn't be disproved. It's an enjoyable piece of whimsy buried deep in bureaucracy, but Waters and his team seized on it to highlight a serious problem. 'Leprechauns are protected in their habitat but people in Ireland who spend a lot of time online – their habitat – are not protected,' says Waters. 'So the campaign is simple: become a leprechaun and feel that level of protection that you deserve, online.' The campaign, which is communicated almost entirely on LADbible's social media channels, aims to create a community of leprechauns to kick-start change from the ground up. It includes an online petition that you have to be a leprechaun to sign. This has been followed up with an AI app filter which allows signatories to create a leprechaun version of themselves to share online. There are also a number of street activations, including the world's smallest law firm, which people can also go to declare themselves a leprechaun. The entire campaign is designed to make you smile, then make you think. 'Silliness is a great way into seriousness,' says Winterlich. Right now the coarsening of political debate around the world, and in particular the conflation of free speech in the USA with impunity to insult, is exacerbating what was already a prevalent problem on the internet. The next part of the LADbible campaign involves telling real stories of people's experiences with hate speech, giving a voice to young people looking to lead change in relation to the updating of hate speech laws. Currently the best you can do if you are subject to it is request to have the content taken down, which is at the discretion of the platforms. 'There is still no deterrent preventing someone doing that to you under our current legislation,' says Waters. While a mob mentality can encourage, say, crowds at a football match to shout racist comments, typically such action is called out by the wider community, says Winterlich. Online, it's actually easier for people with extreme views to meet and reinforce one another, with anonymity emboldening. 'Since the beginning of the internet there has always been this version of people online. When it's hidden behind a username or an avatar, people feel like they can express themselves in ways, possibly, that they wouldn't do at home,' says Waters. 'When it comes to hate speech, it takes a dark leaning in that they feel there are no real consequences. If people don't know who I am, don't know where I work or live, I can say much more than I would if I was to meet someone face to face. Online, because there are less consequences, people feel they can get away with it.' Right now, as the lines between free speech and hate speech are deliberately blurred by bad actors, legal consequences are perhaps more important than ever. 'Every democracy should have freedom of speech,' says Waters. 'But individuals being attacked relative to their identity, gender, sexuality, ethnicity or race? I don't think anybody can think that's okay.' To hear more from podcast and content series Inside Marketing, click here
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA say huge man-made structure is actually slowing down Earth's rotation
Changing the laws of time is functionally impossible, yet NASA has revealed that one gigantic man-made structure in China is so big that it might just have altered Earth's rotation. With the ever-looming Doomsday Clock ticking down, it would be nice to have a little more time every year to get things done, even if most people would spend it staring at their phone. While you might have thought that this was an impossibility, NASA have now discovered that a major landmark in China is so unbelievably huge that it's actually extended the length of the year by altering the rotation of our planet. As reported by LADbible, Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has revealed research that links the size and weight of the Three Gorges Dam in China to a change in the Earth's orbit. Completed in 2012, the Three Gorges Dam stretches across the Yangtze River near Sandouping, and is the world's largest power station when considering its installed capacity. It's also 2,335 meters wide and sits 185 meters above sea level at its peak, costing $20.4 billion in total by the end of its construction. Due to its ability to hold roughly 40 cubic kilometers - equality to around 10 trillion gallons - of water, the Three Gorges Dam provides a shift in mass that increases the length of every single day on Earth by 0.06 microseconds, making our planet more round in the middle and flatter on top in addition. Unfortunately, this extension of time isn't something that you would be able to feel in any capacity, as a single microsecond is the equivalent of 0.000001 seconds, so the amount that the Three Gorges Dam actually 'moved' time amounts to just 0.00000006 seconds. For the Earth to move enough to create a single second of additional time, you'd need the equivalent shift in mass of 16,666,666 Three Gorges Dams, although that might scale a little differently if it all occurred at once! Dr. Chao has further added that this movement "amounts to a bit more than 3 days over the entire age of the universe," so in the grand scheme of 13.8 billion years, it's not too much to worry about thankfully. "Can we just take it all at once now in the form of an extra three-day weekend?" jokes one user in a Reddit thread following the news, with another adding that we "slowed down the earth before [we got] GTA 6." It's certainly another hefty gut punch to any flat Earthers still persisting out there too, although you would have thought that clear evidence from some of the world's most knowledgable scientists would have been enough to convince them otherwise.
