FEATURES

Sunday, 12 April 2020 05:45

Our Father, who art in cyberspace: Coronavirus gives a boost to online Christianity

Enter the Reverend Albert Bogle’s coffee shop and you might see a menu listing espressos, enticing cakes and a bell waiting to be rung. It never will be. Mr Bogle resides in Scotland, but his coffee shop exists only online. A parishioner can “enter” the virtual café by clicking a link to that day’s Zoom meeting. Mr Bogle started the virtual coffee shop as a way for people to connect while observing social distancing. But his Sanctuary First church started offering digital worship resources long before covid-19 confined people to their homes—and it is not the only one. Streaming church…

Saturday, 11 April 2020 04:38

Are you suddenly remembering your dreams in the morning? You’re not alone

Britni de La cretaz I had a dream that my partner, quarantining with me and my two kids, packed his bags and left because it was too much to handle. I dreamt that I sent a press release over and over and over again, worried I would forget to do it. In another dream, I endlessly walk down a hallway searching for the bathroom. Nearly three weeks into isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve noticed something: My dreams have become incredibly vivid, and I remember them upon waking. Yes, vivid dreaming is common during this pandemic,…

Saturday, 11 April 2020 04:37

Why do we all seem to feel groggy and tired during lockdown?

Ever since the UK was placed in lockdown on Monday 23 March, people across the nation have had to quickly acclimatise to spending an increased amount of time at home and indoors. Disruptions to everyday life have been far-reaching. While some have had to become accustomed to working from home every day, others have been unable to work at all. The way in which our lives have transformed in such a short space of time has heavily impacted our daily routines, as many individuals no longer have to wake up at a certain time in order to be punctual for…

Wednesday, 08 April 2020 05:30

How do you know you work for a great leader now? They should be doing these 4 things

Working from home while we are practicing social distancing is now the new reality. Despite the many distractions and loss in productivity which we may be experiencing at work, today's leaders and top executives are finding fresh new ways to lead their teams to work from home for the first time. In covering leadership stories during the pandemic, I've been fortunate to be in a position to capture some great examples. Here, four such leaders shared useful advice on how to navigate the current virtual landscape. 1. Create a spirit of community Saar Yoskovitz, CEO of Augury, an AI-based machine…

Tuesday, 07 April 2020 04:44

6 ways to fight off boredom while self-isolating

More and more of us are staying home in an attempt to slow down the spreading coronavirus. More and more of us are staying home in an attempt to slow down the spreading coronavirus. But being stuck at home can lead to boredom. Boredom is a signal that we’re not meaningfully engaged with the world. It tells us to stop what we’re doing, and do it better – or to do something else. But, as a social psychologist who studies boredom, I know that people don’t always make the best choices when bored. So if you’re stuck at home, dutifully…

Monday, 06 April 2020 05:53

'Complete collapse of economies' ahead as Africa faces virus

Some of Uganda’s poorest people used to work here, on the streets of Kampala, as fruit sellers sitting on the pavement or as peddlers of everything from handkerchiefs to roasted peanuts. Now they’re gone and no one knows when they will return, victims of a global economic crisis linked to the coronavirus that could wipe out jobs for millions across the African continent, many who live hand-to-mouth with zero savings. “We’ve been through a lot on the continent. Ebola, yes, African governments took a hit, but we have not seen anything like this before,” Ahunna Eziakonwa, the United Nations Development…

Monday, 06 April 2020 05:50

Covid-19 proves that media’s value is growing – but we need to find better ways to measure it

The Covid-19 pandemic is disrupting every industry. For the media sector, coronavirus creates both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, social distancing has led to a spike in at-home media consumption, and growing numbers are turning to news providers for timely and trusted information on the crisis. At the same time, some of the most valuable broadcast content – such as live sports – is being postponed or cancelled, leading to spending reallocations by advertisers and a subsequent drop in income for media companies. What is the World Economic Forum doing about the coronavirus outbreak? A new strain of…

Wednesday, 01 April 2020 05:58

Africa is watching a potential health disaster turn into an economic crisis much more quickly

Yinka Adegoke There is now almost universal agreement among economists, think tanks and policy makers the global economy is heading into a recession due in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus health crisis. Nowhere is that more clear than in Africa. The focus has naturally been on the potential health disaster looming for African countries where some of the inexpensive preventive measures prescribed for developed countries such as social distancing are costly and difficult to enforce for people in an informal economy. Many African countries also have the additional concern with have inadequate health systems getting easily overrun in the…

Sunday, 29 March 2020 05:39

Coronavirus lockdown is causing people to have longer, more intense dreams. Here’s why

People isolating indoors to slow the spread of coronavirus are experiencing more intense and longer-lasting dreams due to cabin fever, a psychologist claims. Mark Blagrove from Swansea University says a lack of stimulation caused by staying at home for days on end is changing the way people sleep and dream. Millions of people have been told to 'stay indoors' by the government to slow the spread of the deadly COVID-19 and to protect key workers who still need to be out. 'Many people will have experienced a change in their circumstances recently, and any type of stress may be dreamt…

Saturday, 28 March 2020 04:38

Coronavirus: Love under lockdown

For trevor barnes, a 27-year-old teacher from Hershey, Pennsylvania, quarantine could be terrible. He lives on his own in an apartment attached to the boarding school he works at, and he is fully locked down. For ten days he has not been able to go outside even to buy groceries. Yet Mr Barnes has discovered that being cooped up inside at least does not mean he has to give up his romantic dreams. Over the past week he has met several women, all by phone call and video conference. “I go on a lot of dates normally, from Tinder, Hinge,…

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Saturday, 28 March 2020 04:36

Her husband died. Then his family shaved her head and made her strip beside his grave

For many years, Rose's clothing store was the destination of choice for Lagos women in search of a new outfit for a party or occasion. She traveled regularly to textile hubs in Turkey to source high-quality fabrics for her clients and her children helped out in the family business on busy days during December festivities. The small store in Oshodi -- in the heart of the bustling Nigerian city -- did a booming trade until personal tragedy struck the businesswoman in 2015. Doctors diagnosed Rose's husband with chronic kidney failure that eventually led to his death two years later at…

Friday, 27 March 2020 05:39

Economic policy and the virus: Building up the pillars of state

The government intervention is not a government takeover,” the American president argued. “Its purpose is not to weaken the free market. It is to preserve the free market.” The imf pointed to the “unprecedented policy actions undertaken by central banks and governments worldwide”. The economic response to the financial meltdown of 2007-09 was big enough. But in answer to the covid-19 pandemic policymakers are launching even bigger, more radical interventions. Putting the economy on a wartime footing is supposed to be temporary. A look at 500 years of governmental power, however, suggests another outcome: the state is likely to play…

Wednesday, 25 March 2020 04:33

Some people just won't stay home during a pandemic. Six reasons may explain why

Living through a pandemic is strange. Most of us have never been asked to make sacrifices like this before — staying home and limiting contact with others. All that disruption can make people anxious. And for some, that includes ignoring the novel coronavirus altogether and carrying on as though it's business as usual. Despite repeated pleas from public health and government officials to stay home and slow the spread of Covid-19, many people just won't. Spring breakers crowding beaches. Shoppers packed in grocery store aisles. Older adults refusing to skip church. Why won't some people take the threat seriously? Psychologists…

Tuesday, 24 March 2020 05:50

Please stop adding qualifiers to your emails

In all of the communication faux pas in the world, there’s one that’s incredibly subtle, and yet makes you less and less effective over time. On top of it all, it’s more partial to women than anyone else. It is, of course, the consistent and egregious use of qualifiers. “We need to have the meeting by Monday” turns into “I think we might need to have that meeting by Monday.” “I’d like to take the design in a different direction” turns into “I love what you did here but I think this might not fully resonate with the audience and…

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