FEATURES

Wednesday, 02 February 2022 06:04

Coups cheered in West Africa as Islamist insurgencies, bad governance sap faith in democracy

The last time rebellious soldiers attempted to overthrow Burkina Faso's government in 2015, Marcel Tankoano was among thousands of protesters who took to the streets to oust the junta. Within days, loyalist forces had restored the president to power. Last week, Tankoano was on the streets again, this time celebrating the military coup that toppled the country's elected president, Roch Kabore. "Since the 1990s there has been a wave of democracy across West Africa. But that democracy has failed the people," said Tankoano, a civil society leader, at his home outside the capital Ouagadougou. "We must be clear, we need…

Sunday, 30 January 2022 05:52

6 things good men do that make women seriously attracted to them

My wise Kindergarten teacher taught me to "turn away from inappropriate behavior." This always crosses my mind whenever I hear a wonderful, deserving woman complain about some guy’s latest failure in the behavior department. "He’s so self-centered." "He never listens." "He only notices me when he wants sex." Sometimes, it seems like the bad guys get all of our attention. But let’s turn around and focus on the good guys for a moment. What do they do that is cause for celebration and can we appreciate that positive behavior is seriously attractive? Maybe if we notice, we’ll attract more of…

Saturday, 29 January 2022 06:11

How safe is a plane in turbulence? Why do planes shake in clouds? Here’s what we know

Erika Fernandez To avoid accidental injury, the captain turns on the signal "Fasten your seat belts." In case of moderate turbulence, we will also ask for seats and flight attendants. Severe turbulence is the only category of turbulence that can be considered dangerous, as pilots might temporarily lose control of the machine. The Plane Isn't Going to Crash Planes are built to withstand most turbulence. And in the case of more extreme turbulence, which would ideally be navigated around, your pilot is able to bring down the plane's speed to a safe velocity, so your plane won't be damaged it…

Thursday, 27 January 2022 06:24

Analysis: W. Africa coups show limits of ECOWAS powers, sanctions

Earlier this month, West African countries slapped tough economic sanctions on Mali to punish coup leaders seeking to extend their hold on power, and to halt a run of military takeovers that have beset the region since 2020. Burkina Faso's military did not get the message. On Monday, two weeks after the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced the sanctions, the Burkinabe army arrested President Roch Kabore and seized power. As the international community condemned West Africa's fourth coup in 18 months, crowds in the capital Ouagadougou cheered the Burkinabe army - a contrast to anti-coup protests…

Thursday, 27 January 2022 06:21

Three steps to calm your nerves two minutes before a big presentation

Build your confidence when you need it most. It's normal to feel some performance anxiety in the moments before a crucial presentation. What you want to avoid, of course, is extreme stress that overtakes your body and your mind: sweaty palms, dry mouth, faster heart rate. As a keynote speaker and a communication coach for high-level CEOs, I've studied the best methods to help people calm down and perform their best when the pressure is on. I know it's hard to believe, but public speaking can be fun once you get rid of the nerves. Here are three scientifically proven…

Sunday, 23 January 2022 06:16

4 easy fixes for common public speaking faults

Try these basic building blocks for effective and successful public speaking. As a communication coach who works with top CEOs and entrepreneurs, I cover many advanced communication concepts in my column, but sometimes it's important to take a refresher lesson on the basics. I was reminded of this when I joined my daughter for a golf lesson on the first day of the new year. She's just starting to learn the game, whereas I've been playing for years. So I asked an instructor to work with my daughter on fundamentals and to help me with advanced skills like shaping shots.…

Saturday, 22 January 2022 06:30

Nigeria’s conservative north is overflowing with aphrodisiacs - The Economist

Beside the food-sellers at a street market in Abuja, a man in a flowing white kaftan holds a brown leather bag in one hand. In the other, well, is a baby crocodile, which he holds out to a potential customer. “Do you want to touch it?” he asks in Hausa, a language spoken in northern Nigeria and surrounding countries, before offering far more than a fondle of a ferocious reptile: medicines for a cold; for chest pain; for a sore back; and to improve sexual performance. A protracted haggle ensues. Details are discussed. Instructions are issued. Money changes hands, as…

Friday, 21 January 2022 06:03

The seven selves: Your roadmap to improving emotional intelligence

High performers typically have good emotional intelligence (EQ) — researchproves that. And, as you move higher and higher in an organization, the level of your EQ has an increasingly positive general influence. So, if you want to do well, climb the ladder and support your organization as a true team player, building your EQ isn’t an option. It’s a necessity. To discover the current level of your EQ and what you can do to improve it, understanding your “seven selves” is key. The seven selves 101 The seven selves everyone has and can strengthen for better emotional intelligence include: Self-image:…

Thursday, 20 January 2022 06:18

Emotionally intelligent people embrace these 10 simple rules

Put these rules into practice, and start making emotions work for you, instead of against you. "How can I improve my emotional intelligence?" That's a question I get asked a lot. And over the past year I've used this column to focus on answering that question--by providing simple rules that are not only easy to remember, but that you can start putting into practice right away. Here are 10 rules of emotional intelligence that will help you start making emotions work for you, instead of against you. 1. The 25/5 Rule According to ancient legend, billionaire Warren Buffett's personal pilot…

Monday, 17 January 2022 06:18

7 most expensive African countries to live in due to high inflation rates

Many African countries are pressured by high inflation rates, thus causing everything to become expensive. Business Insider Africa presents Africa's seven most expensive countries to live in as a result of high inflation rates. Inflation is measured by the rate at which prices of goods and services increase within a given timeframe. Global economists told Bloomberg that the biggest danger to the economy in 2022 would be inflation, not the Covid-19 pandemic with its different variants. Now, that's surprising and quite interesting! But perhaps that is not much of a surprise after all. Inflation has always been known to be…

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Sunday, 16 January 2022 06:14

The scientific reason it's so hard to make friends as an adult (and what to do about it)

Science confirms it's harder to make friends as an adult, but psychology offers a few tricks to help. The surgeon general has been warning America is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic for years, and the forced physical separation of the pandemic certainly didn't help us stay in touch. Surveys show that many Americans lost friendsthanks to two years of shutdowns and restrictions, with older Americans more likely to have lost touch with friends. Some see this as a positive change, a matter of pruning back our social lives to fewer but stronger ties. But for lots of folks…

Friday, 14 January 2022 04:32

Driving change: The all-female garage shifting attitudes in northern Nigeria

The green-and-red Nana Female Mechanic Garage sign is visible from the main road into Sokoto city. Behind its sliding iron gate, Zainab Dayyabu stomps around in heavy work boots and a blue jumpsuit, her hands callused and oily. “I love the job I’m doing,” says the 23-year-old, as she opens the bonnet of a Peugeot van to test its battery. Zainab is one of 25 young apprentices at the first all-female garage to open in the northern Nigerian state of Sokoto. The workshop aims to provide jobs for women in an industry dominated by men and challenge traditional gender roles…

Sunday, 09 January 2022 06:16

The world’s religions face a post-pandemic reckoning

Ask a vicar, a rabbi or an imam about the biggest challenge facing his or her congregation, and the need to foster spiritual values in a secular world may leap off the tongue. Yet the world’s religions face an equally acute but different sort of problem: how to stay in business in a material, competitive sense. In religion as elsewhere, covid-19 has helped sort out winners and losers. Churches that were catering effectively to the needs of their flocks even before the pandemic have often thrived as people worry more about death—and in lockdown have found more time to spare…

Wednesday, 05 January 2022 06:05

Here’s why you can still get infected with Covid-19 despite having been vaccinated

Why are so many vaccinated people getting Covid-19 lately? A couple of factors are at play, starting with the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant. Omicron is more likely to infect people, even if it doesn’t make them very sick, and its surge coincided with the holiday travel season in many places. People might mistakenly think the Covid-19 vaccines will completely block infection, but the shots are mainly designed to prevent severe illness, says Louis Mansky, a virus researcher at the University of Minnesota. And the vaccines are still doing their job on that front, particularly for people who’ve…

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