FEATURES

Sunday, 18 July 2021 05:44

No-stress scripture: Christians relish Pidgin Bible

At the Heavenly Citizen’s Church in Lagos, the pastor and congregation have adopted a new tool to help them understand Christian scripture: the first Bible translated into Nigerian pidgin. Sometimes called pidgin English, the language is widely used and understood across regions and ethnic groups in the nation of 200 million people, although most books and newspapers on sale in Nigeria are in English. “Most people here, they are not properly schooled, you know, and so we do more pidgin English here,” said Ben Akpevwe, who has been using the Pidgin Bible during services at his church in the down-at-heel…

Sunday, 18 July 2021 05:43

A long way from home: The child ‘house helpers’ in homes of Nigerian elite

The clouds are receding after a light drizzle on a damp May afternoon in Sabon Tasha, northern Nigeria. The front door to the three-bedroom bungalow is wide open to let in air, as the neighbourhood wades through one of its frequent power outages. Inside, 12-year-old Aisha* moves around, doing chores and serving guests. She is one of many underage girls working as domestic help – commonly called “house girls” – in cities across Nigeria. A little light pours into the sitting room through two windows at the back as Aisha’s employer, Safiya (who asked that her full name not be…

Saturday, 17 July 2021 05:41

Research shows this simple activity can boost your IQ by 10 points

A few minutes of reflection can help you make the most of your intellectual potential. We tend to think of IQ as fixed -- whether you take an IQ test now, next week, or in a decade you should get roughly the same scores. And to an extent that's true. We're all born with some level of intellectual horsepower that stays relatively stable over time. But while your natural ability may be fixed, your circumstances can change. Teach people to plan their time better or manage their anxiety more effectively, for example, and their scores on IQ tests will go…

Tuesday, 13 July 2021 05:46

Psychologists finally discover how to stop buying things you don’t need

Impulse buying and overspending defeat all of us on occasion. But no longer! The good people of the psychology department at Germany’s Julius Maximilians Universität have found a solution: It all comes down to understanding your type. Pleasure seekers crave enjoyment, and are frequently driven by spontaneity or curiosity, such as wanting to treat themselves to a truffle they’ve never tried before, or add a great pair of jeans to their wardrobe. They are reaching for pleasure. So curbing those expenditures is a matter of curbing the spontaneity by forcing a pause between the urge and the purchase. The solutions…

Sunday, 11 July 2021 05:49

How to create a personal vision that lets you lead fearlessly and drive success

A clear vision has always been a cornerstone on which people build businesses. You need to be able to communicate an understandable, unambiguous concept of what you want. Otherwise, trust and effective strategy are pipedreams. But especially over the past year, we’ve all been tossed into a pit of uncertainty that makes it hard to know what direction to go in. To lead fearlessly and overcome doubt, it’s more important now than ever that your vision be not just clear, but deeply personal and empathetic, too. Why it matters so much that you make your vision personal Let’s not beat…

Saturday, 10 July 2021 05:27

Want to sound smarter? Avoid these 24 overused words and phrases

Careful what you say or type at work — because it could backfire. As word and grammar experts, we asked dozens of managers what bothered them the most when they talk to employees and read emails or DMs from them. The most common complaint? All the "junk" words and phrases! Too many of us fill our conversations with useless, clunky and pretentious words and phrases, especially ones that have duplicate meanings. In some cases, they aren't technically incorrect, but it's always best — and safer — to err on the side of caution and stick with the standard rules of…

Wednesday, 07 July 2021 05:40

These are the 32 most commonly misspelled words, say grammar experts. How many can you get right?

Spelling seems like such a minor thing. And don't we all have the spell-check feature in our computers? But it's actually one of the most problematic issues we deal with in the business world. Bad spelling can put a dent in your professional reputation. According to one survey, 43% of hiring managers automatically chuck a candidate's resume if it has spelling errors. Another showed that 79% of recruiters and human resource managers said spelling and grammatical mistakes were the biggest "deal breakers" in job hunting. Here are some of the most commonly misspelled words in American English, along their common…

Sunday, 04 July 2021 06:02

Liars tend to have a higher cognitive ability, study finds

People who are better at making up 'bulls**t' explanations for things tend to have a higher cognitive ability than their peers, a study has concluded. Experts from Ryerson University in Toronto, , conducted tests to explore the link between people's willingness and skill at lying and their cognitive abilities. Fortunately, even though smarter people are better at making up nonsense, the team found that they were less likely to do so than their less-intelligent counterparts. The researchers also found that people who are more willing to are also more susceptible themselves to believing profound-sounding twaddle. Similar results — that —…

Saturday, 03 July 2021 05:35

Talking out loud to yourself is a technology for thinking

Nana Ariel This week, a woman was strolling in my street, walking in circles and speaking out loud to herself. People were looking at her awkwardly, but she didn’t particularly mind, and continued walking vigorously and speaking. Yes, that woman was me. Like many of us, I talk to myself out loud, though I’m a little unusual in that I often do it in public spaces. Whenever I want to figure out an issue, develop an idea or memorise a text, I turn to this odd work routine. While it’s definitely earned me a reputation in my neighbourhood, it’s also…

Friday, 02 July 2021 05:54

5 traits that set extraordinary people apart

Joe Navarro What makes someone extraordinary? As a retired FBI agent with more than 40 years of studying human behavior and performance, no question has captivated me more. Extraordinary people have a wisdom and way of being that inspires and commands respect. They energize you with their wisdom and empathy. You want them to be your friend, neighbor, co-worker, manager, mentor or community leader. The 5 traits of extraordinary people Surprisingly, the qualities that make these people stand out aren't related to their level of education, income or talents (say, in athletics or art or business). As it turns out,…

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Thursday, 01 July 2021 05:48

A church in Brazil takes on a new mission, baking bread for the poor

As Brazil battles a pandemic that has taken over half a million lives and thrust millions more further into poverty, a church in the west of Rio de Janeiro has assumed a new mission: to bake thousands of loaves of bread. Since its creation in April of last year, the Pão de Fátima - or Fátima’s Bread - social action program has donated more than 2 million hunks of freshly baked bread to Brazilians hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. The program is supported by volunteers who take bread, hot food and other basic goods to low-income families, rehabilitation centers,…

Saturday, 26 June 2021 04:12

Why emotionally intelligent people embrace the rule of 'first things first'

I have a recurring nightmare. It goes like this: I'm 16 years old again, back on my old newspaper route. But there's a major problem: I've overslept. Now it's 6:43, and I have 150 newspapers to deliver by 7:00 a.m. If I don't, I start getting complaints. A wave of immense anxiety immediately follows. Followed by a feeling of pressure, all over my body. At this point, I usually wake up in a cold sweat--thankful that all of this was simply a dream, until ... I realize the dream is related to a real-life situation. The true source of the…

Wednesday, 23 June 2021 05:43

Why Gen Z is experiencing much higher rates of mental health issues

Jean M. Twenge For girls and young women, mental health is now front and center. When tennis player Naomi Osaka recently announced her decision to drop out of the French Open, she said, “The truth is I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.” In particular, she said, the required press conferences caused her “huge waves of anxiety.” Now, according to her representatives, Osaka has withdrawn from Wimbledon to spend time with her friends and family. Osaka, 23, is part of the group known…

Sunday, 20 June 2021 05:43

5 ways to keep your brain sharp as you age

Matt Fuchs Important parts of the brain tend to atrophy as we get older—yet brain scans of some 70-year-olds resemble those of 20 to 30-year-olds. Emerging research points to habits that may keep the mind sharp during the aging process. “Despite the stereotypes, cognitive decline is not inevitable as you age, and adopting healthy lifestyle habits can significantly reduce your risks for dementia later on in life,” says Sarah Lenz Lock, AARP’s senior vice president and executive director of the Global Council on Brain Health. Start socializing “Social isolation increases dementia risk by 50%” in older adults, says Lock. “The…

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