FEATURES

Saturday, 08 May 2021 05:30

The Sheikh, the ransom payments and the bandits

A prominent Muslim cleric acting as a self-appointed middleman has emerged as a divisive figure in the kidnap-for-ransom crisis plaguing northern Nigeria, which has seen more than 800 students seized in recent months. Ahmad Gumi, a former army captain, was involved in Wednesday's release of 27 students abducted in March from a forestry college in Nigeria's Kaduna state. Such is his influence that the parents of the freed students paid him a "thank you" visit where he assured that 16 other students abducted from Greenfield University in Kaduna state in April, would not be killed. Their abductors, who had previously…

Friday, 07 May 2021 05:37

Children learn chess to seek escape from Nigeria's slums

A dozen children crowd around plastic tables in the Majidun neighbourhood of Lagos. Intently focused on plastic mats printed with chess boards, the children thoughtfully move pieces on the board as supervisors observe their moves. The waterside shanty town is just across the lagoon from the mansions and towering office blocks of Nigeria’s commercial capital. They hope the cunning and strategy they learn on the chess board will help them make the leap out of their homes in the slum. “To live here is hard,” said Michael Omoyele, who at 14 has already dealt with food scarcity and worked to…

Friday, 07 May 2021 05:29

Yearly, Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, others are voted happiest countries on earth. This is the secret

Jukka Savolainen Is hygge still a thing? The Danish concept of comfortable conviviality and all things cozy is supposed to capture the essence of Danish culture and has been marketed as the secret for happy living. A few years back, there was a surge of hygge-related books, articles, and household products. Journalists from around the world were touring Denmark to document various aspects of this unique lifestyle. The enthusiasm around Denmark was stimulated by the nation’s reputation of being the happiest country in the world. However, last time I checked, the designer store across the street here in Ann Arbor,…

Wednesday, 05 May 2021 05:35

How conflict can inspire innovation

Rather than discouraging conflict, embrace it. It could make your company better. We seem to be embroiled in ongoing conflict. Our political discourse has turned ugly, and management teams are struggling to find a collective voice on topics spanning from pandemic response to social injustice. We've lost perspective on how to have healthy conflict. If we're really going to celebrate diversity and practice empathy, that requires finding common ground. Employers need proactive methods for defusing negative conflict and channeling that energy into a force for good. We should be reminded that tension created by differing points of view can yield…

Tuesday, 04 May 2021 05:38

You’re vaccinated. Congrats! Now, what can you do safely?

You got your shot and you're ready to get back to normal life. But what does that mean anymore? While being fully vaccinated doesn't mean it's suddenly safe to party like it's 2019, most interactions pose a much lower risk than they did before you got jabbed. Remember, you don't reach full vaccination until at least two weeks after getting your second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. So what kind of precautions do you still need to take after that? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid out…

Sunday, 02 May 2021 05:19

6 habits to borrow from people who live the longest

Bonnie Taub-Dix What can the Blue Zones teach us about getting through the pandemic in better health? When we were told to shelter in place during quarantine, it was a request that I secretly welcomed. For me, enjoying my home, cooking with my family, eating nutritiously, walking outdoors and appreciating my health and safety were things I coveted. Who knew that I was practicing most of the lifestyle traits enjoyed regularly around the globe in the Blue Zones — the places where longevity rules? The Blue Zones are areas of the world where centenarians (those who live to 100 years…

Sunday, 02 May 2021 05:18

Flight attendant reveals why crew greet passengers during boarding

Those flight attendants who greet you while you board a plane aren’t just being friendly, according to a viral video. Flight attendant Kat Kamalani recently posted a TikTik video explaining what crew members are actually doing while they welcome passengers onboard a plane. "Have you ever walked on a plane and saw the flight attendants standing right here greeting you?" Kamalani, who is from Salt Lake City, says at the beginning of the clip. "Or the flight attendants walking up and down the aisle. Well, I’m about to tell you what we’re really doing." According to Kamalani, those are the…

Saturday, 01 May 2021 05:34

How a Nigerian mother fought to hold on to her child in Italy

One sultry afternoon in the main city of the Italian island of Sicily, a Nigerian mother is intensely watching her two-year-old son play. They are in the courtyard of a housing block they share with other African families in a run-down corner of Palermo. The woman is content sitting on a worn plastic chair enjoying her son having fun in the sunshine while a meat stew cooks in the kitchen with heady aromas of Nigerian food wafting through the air. But the 25-year-old is haunted by dark memories. Not so long ago, she says she came close to having her…

Saturday, 01 May 2021 05:29

Why emotionally intelligent minds embrace the 3-question rule

A few seconds can make a huge difference. I was watching an interview with comedian Craig Ferguson several years ago when he said something I've never forgotten: There are three things you must always ask yourself before you say anything. Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me, now? Ferguson said it took him three marriages to learn that lesson. Of course, Ferguson's an entertainer so his goal was to get a laugh. But let me tell you something: It's a brilliant tool, that will immediately…

Friday, 30 April 2021 05:36

8 brilliant things you can do to increase your emotional intelligence

It's a tall order for some, but you won't know until you try. When it comes to leadership and work effectiveness, emotional intelligence (EQ) can matter as much, if not more, than IQ. Studies even found that it can even increase your income! Emotional intelligence definitions differ. To keep it simple, leading scholars say it's having the ability to "recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions and recognize, understand, and influence the emotions of others." A tall order for many. Still, when you master being aware of your emotions and the emotions of others, you can connect and empathize with…

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Thursday, 29 April 2021 05:45

Cases of rape and sexual violence have surged during pandemic. These are the actions taken by Nigerian women

When Kehinde Osakede’s university closed due to Covid-19 last year, the visual arts student returned home to Lagos. A visit to a family friend nearby turned into a horrific ordeal. The friend began touching her, she said, and became violent when she asked him to stop. He then raped her, she said. “The guy was hitting me, beating me,” said Osakede, now 21, “The last notion I had was to commit suicide.” Reuters was not able to confirm her account independently. Osakede did not share the name of her alleged assailant and said she did not want to get involved…

Tuesday, 27 April 2021 05:42

US census: Five key takeaways on population trends

US Census officials have completed their once-a-decade count of the American population, showing the second slowest growth in recorded history. Texas and Florida, two Republican titans of the Sunbelt, will gain congressional seats, while two Democratic giants, California and New York, are losing political influence. US population growth slows, but some regions boom The census shows the US population currently stands at 331,449,281 - an increase of 7.4% over 2010's count. The number is the slowest since the 1930s during the Great Depression. But some regions are booming: the South grew fastest at 10.2%, the West was second fastest at…

Monday, 26 April 2021 05:41

Before you answer, consider the opposite possibility

Ian Leslie In 1906, the British statistician and polymath Francis Galton attended a country fair at which the attendees were invited to estimate the weight of an ox. Out of curiosity, Galton borrowed the cards on which the guesses were written, took them home, and ran the numbers. To his surprise, the average of the 787 entries turned out to be almost exactly the precise weight of the animal. It was more accurate than even the individual estimates of butchers and farmers, who presumably had an eye for such things. Galton published his findings in Nature, thus establishing the study…

Sunday, 25 April 2021 05:50

There are 4 modes of thinking: Preacher, prosecutor, politician, and scientist. You should use one much more

So argues Wharton professor Adam Grant in a fascinating new interview. You wouldn't use a hammer to try to cut down a tree, and try to use an axe to drive nails and you're likely to lose a finger. Different physical jobs call for different tools. So too do different mental jobs. Optimism and big-picture thinking will help you sell your business idea. Keeping your books in order requires a more detail oriented approach. Motivating employees requires more empathy than analytical thinking. Different modes of thinking are best suited for different situations, and according to a new interview with star…

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