All posts tagged: darkest

Euphoria gave us TV’s darkest teen drama yet but just how true is it?

Euphoria gave us TV’s darkest teen drama yet but just how true is it?

Published by Daniella Wilson

Euphoria whipped up a storm when it first premiered in 2019. The teen drama from HBO triggered outrage and moral panic with a scene featuring 30 penises (yes, 30), as well as frequent and graphic depictions of drug use, sex and violence. The show, which released a second season in 2022, follows Rue (played by Zendaya), a 17-year-old drug addict who comes out of rehab and struggles to say sober, while also exploring the lives of her peers, who it soon emerges are equally – if not more – troubled (yes Nate, we’re looking at you), and is perhaps the darkest look at teenhood we’ve had on screen since Skins. But does it offer an accurate depiction of the pressures facing Gen Z today, or is it a sensationalised portrayal of adolescence? Ahead of season 3’s release, Radio Times talks to a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist about how true to life the show’s first two seasons are. Addiction and drug use A lot of the criticism levelled at the series focused on its portrayal of drug …

Among the darkest days”: Washington Post lays off a third of its staff in “bloodbath

Among the darkest days”: Washington Post lays off a third of its staff in “bloodbath

Published by Sam Flores

The Washington Post began widespread layoffs on Wednesday, with roughly one-third of the staff being let go. Editor-in-chief Matt Murray told employees that the Post would be taking on a “strategic reset” in an effort to reach more future “customers.” One anonymous employee called the resulting firings “an absolute bloodbath.” The cuts most seriously affect the sports desk, which will effectively be scrapped, according to Murray, along with its international reporting desk. The paper’s books section has been mothballed and its daily news podcast, “Post Reports,” will be suspended. Former Post executive editor Marty Baron blasted the move, saying it “ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organizations.” A spokesperson for the paper told NBC that the Post’s “significant restructuring” was meant to secure the paper’s continued survival. “The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future,” they said. Start your day with essential news from Salon.Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course. Some reporters who were affected …

The pet I’ll never forget: Jack, the sacked sniffer dog, who pulled me through the darkest days of chemo | Life and style

The pet I’ll never forget: Jack, the sacked sniffer dog, who pulled me through the darkest days of chemo | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

Jack, the cocker spaniel, was sacked by the police. His career as a detection dog was an utter failure – he was more interested in people than cannabis and made some embarrassing mistakes, including begging for treats from potential offenders rather than alerting officers about drugs. A colleague told me about a police dog that needed a home and so Jack arrived – via police van – at our house. He was lithe, glossy black and animated. He ricocheted around the house, knocking over children and pot plants. He chased rabbits and pheasants over the fields. He ate off the children’s plates and collected shoes. He loved us all indiscriminately and liked to have us where he could see us. If anyone left the room, he’d sigh deeply and follow, remaining close until the pack was back together. ‘He gave me love and gave me structure’ … Jack. Photograph: Jan Grace About a year after Jack arrived, I found out a breast lump the GP had initially thought was nothing was actually cancer. I had …

Afraid of dying alone? How a Chinese app exposed single people’s deepest, darkest fears | China

Afraid of dying alone? How a Chinese app exposed single people’s deepest, darkest fears | China

Published by Sam Flores

A few days before Christmas, after a short battle with illness, a woman in Shanghai called Jiang Ting died. For years, the 46-year-old had lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Hongkou, a residential neighbourhood that sits along the Huangpu River. Neighbours described her as quiet. “She rarely chats with people. We only see her when she goes to and from work, and occasionally when she comes out to pick up takeout,” said a local resident interviewed by a Chinese reporter. Her parents long deceased, Jiang had no partner or children to inherit her estate. Her lonely death sparked a debate in Chinese media about how society should handle the increasing number of people dying with no next of kin. For Xiong Sisi, also a professional in her 40s living alone in Shanghai, the news triggered uncomfortable feelings. “I truly worry that, after I die, no one will collect my body. I don’t care how I’m buried, but if I rot there, it’s bad for the house,” she says. So Xiong was intrigued when, a few …

Trump Greenland ambitions could spark NATO’s ‘darkest hour’ | US | News

Trump Greenland ambitions could spark NATO’s ‘darkest hour’ | US | News

Published by Sam Flores

The new year is ushering in a crisis that could be the worst in NATO’s history. Since his return to the White House, Donald Trump has been outspoken about his ambition to acquire Greenland, describing it as a matter of “national security.” Yet Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has cautioned that American threats towards the Kingdom of Denmark could spell the demise of NATO. Following a U.S. operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Katie Miller, wife of Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller, shared a map of Greenland draped in the American flag with the caption, “SOON.” The post, which triggered alarm throughout Europe, was echoed by Stephen Miller himself, who declared that Greenland should belong to the U.S. and that no one would oppose an American takeover. For NATO, this represents the most troubling start to the New Year imaginable. The prospect that the U.S., a key member of the alliance, would employ its influence to seize territory from another ally’s domain is unthinkable. The opening …