FEATURES

Saturday, 14 May 2022 06:04

‘We can’t breathe’, residents cry out as refuse takes over Calabar once reputed to be Nigeria’s cleanest city

In the 2000s, Calabar emerged as a tourism hub in Nigeria but all that good work has now been rubbished by heaps of litter. Each day, just after dawn in the sleepy southern Nigerian city of Calabar, Hannah Edet sets up shop within the perimeter of a mountain of rubbish right in the heart of Watts Market, or Urua Watts as locals call it. She dangles a thick bunch of fresh pumpkin leaves to passing commuters and vehicles, advertising to them in her native Efik language, ignoring the stench of decomposing rubbish in the air. The refuse, which piles up…

Saturday, 14 May 2022 06:02

How to become a better listener, according to science

High-quality listening is an underrated ability. How well and frequently you listen to others is a better predictor of your leadership potential than your actual intelligence or personality. As a recent review shows, good listeners tend to perform better at work, and to report higher level of wellbeing, as well as more meaningful and fulfilling relationships. We tend to trust them more, and they tend to be seen as curious, empathetic and emotionally intelligent. To some degree, the power of listening can be explained by the fact that good listening is rare. We live in a world in which people…

Thursday, 12 May 2022 06:31

Ukraine is winning the battle on Twitter, but in the real world Kiev is losing the fight for the Donbass

Scott Ritter Western media coverage of the Ukraine conflict has been so hysterically one-sided, and divorced from reality, that it's probably only a matter of time before Iraq's erstwhile 'Comical Ali' is brought out of retirement to insist that there are no Russians advancing towards the Ukrainian army's front lines. Meanwhile, the actual fighting continues to result in a string of defeats for Kiev's battered forces, who have already lost control of two major cities, despite unprecedented support from the US and its allies. As American officials work with the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to craft a perception…

Saturday, 07 May 2022 06:23

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? How to know for sure, using just one question

Knowing which way you lean on the extraversion scale can make a big difference in how you run your business--and how you live your life. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? It took me years to figure out the right answer to that question. For most of my life, I considered myself an extrovert. People told me I was a good communicator, I enjoyed spending time with others, and I was a pretty outgoing person. But once I started learning more about what extroversion (or extraversion) and introversion truly are, I came to a key realization: I'm an introvert.…

Monday, 02 May 2022 06:49

Ukraine: The narrative the West doesn't hear

"Ukraine and its allies, including London, are threatening Russia for the last 1,000 years, to move Nato to our borders, to cancel our culture - they have bullied us for many, many years." That is what Yevgeny Popov, a member of the Russian Duma (parliament) and an influential TV host in Russia, told the BBC's Ukrainecast on 19 April. "Of course Nato plans for Ukraine are a direct threat to Russian citizens." His views were both surprising and enlightening as to the very different narrative put out by the Kremlin, compared to the way it's viewed in the West. To…

Sunday, 01 May 2022 06:21

Neuroscience says this might be what happens to your brain when you die

How's this for a leadership exercise? I'd like you to think for a brief moment about the most important milestones in your life. Think of the friends and family you've loved, and the experiences you've had. Think of the people you've known, the key lessons you've learned, and the things you've built and grown. Think also of what you're not as proud of: the mistakes you've made and the choices you would have done differently if you had a second chance. Now, imagine what it would be like to remember all of this, in a single flash of an instant,…

Saturday, 30 April 2022 05:57

All people really need to shut up and listen more for these reasons

A good friend was honored recently at a fancy event attended by several hundred people, which featured a keynote speech by an important and well-regarded economist. He was astonished to see that, only moments after the speaker began her talk, so many audible conversations began at tables across the room that it actually became difficult to hear the presentation. These weren't whispered responses or reactions to anything being said. They were flat out chats, conversations, and sidebars having nothing to do with the event or the speech. Since dinner had already been served and the guests had been seated for…

Wednesday, 27 April 2022 06:57

What to know about the dirty, dangerous but lucrative illegal oil refineries of Nigeria’s N’Delta

The deaths of more than 100 people following an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in Imo state has thrown a spotlight on the lucrative world of illicit refining, which the BBC's Mayeni Jones and Josephine Casserly have been investigating. Hours by car, motorbike and on foot brought us to a remote illegal oil refinery - a site recently raided and shut down by the authorities. The smell of oil hits the nostrils first before anything is visible. Then, the lush green vegetation falls away and we arrive at a blackened clearing. There are puddles of oil on the floor,…

Wednesday, 27 April 2022 06:49

Here’s what a nuclear war would do to the planet, according to scientists

Experts insist the odds of the conflict in Ukraine escalating to one that would lead to a nuclear event are remote. But despite that, 69% of Americans surveyed by the American Psychological Association say they “are worried the invasion of Ukraine is going to lead to nuclear war.” Although the people who watch for signs of heightened activity in Russia say they’ve seen nothing to cause concern, comments from officials, such as United Nations secretary general António Guterres saying “the prospect of nuclear war is now back within the realm of possibility,” continue to stoke those fears. The focus of…

Wednesday, 27 April 2022 06:48

Global disasters are coming harder and faster. Here’s how we can cut the risks

The UN’s annual report on mitigating calamities shows that a radical rethink is needed to protect those who suffer most If the world seems beset by constant disasters, from the pandemic to drought, we only have ourselves to blame. Over the past two decades, we have experienced up to 500 disasters a year as a result of human activity. By 2030, this could rise to 560 a year – or 107 a week. Given the disproportionate impact these disasters have on the most vulnerable, the tragedy is that the world is actively reversing social and economic gains, particularly in developing…

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Sunday, 24 April 2022 06:25

It’s lonely at the top: Why every leader needs a confidant

You know your business better than anyone, but when you’re in the weeds, it’s difficult to zoom out and shift perspective. There is an epidemic of loneliness among leaders, and the forces that fuel it are insidious. Executives spend their careers climbing ladders of success. They achieve results and recognition through hard work, grit, and collaboration. But when they reach the top of the ladder they realize, ironically, they are more alone than ever. Unable to confide in board members or senior executives for fear of losing trust and hesitant to alert direct reports to sensitive challenges, leaders often work…

Saturday, 23 April 2022 04:09

Eating dinner at this time of the day may help you live longer, new study suggests

A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition found that people who live to be 100 years old follow this eating regimen. As you already know, lifestyle factors such as the amount of exercise you get every day, as well as how long you sleep at night, impact your health and may even influence your lifespan. Now, there's evidence that those who eat dinner on the earlier side may even live longer, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.This research zeroed in on L'Aquila, a province in Abruzzo, Italy, with a high population…

Sunday, 17 April 2022 06:21

People who are securely and avoidantly attached to God experience less distress than those in the middle - Study

Religion can be a significant, comforting part of many peoples’ lives and has been linked to positive mental health outcomes. A study published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion suggests a more complicated relationship between religion and psychological wellbeing by focusing specifically on attachment to God. Some heavily researched aspects of religion, such as salience and service attendance, have been shown to be associated with increased life satisfaction and decreased depression. Despite this positive relationship, religion has so many different aspects that it is difficult to ascertain if this relationship would be shown in conjunction with other…

Saturday, 16 April 2022 06:36

It's now time to rethink what it means to grow old

By 2030, 71 million Americans will be over age 65, according to the U.S. Census. Some economists and CEOs are wringing their hands over what they call "the silver tsunami," but they're missing the point. The fact that so many people are getting to experience old age is one of society's greatest achievements. It's also an extraordinary opportunity to rethink what it means to grow old. Our lives are the product of so many different factors that we can't control: where we are born, and to whom, what's in our genes, and which accidents befall us. Becca Levy, renowned Yale…

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