Afghanistan: single women and widows are struggling to find their next meal under Taliban restrictions
Jamila*, a widow living in Herat, lost her husband in a suicide attack about eight years ago. She has an 18-year-old daughter who is blind and a 20-year-old son who lost both legs in a mine blast. Since the Taliban gained control of the country, Afghanistan has been on the brink of universal hardship. As many as 97% of people are now estimated to be living in poverty, up from 72% in 2018. Continued here |
Sweet temptation: Istanbul's beloved 'brothel dessert'
As I entered the grand arches of Istanbul's Misir Carsisi (Egyptian Bazaar) – considered by many locals to be the city's greatest marketplace – I was hit by a heady aroma of spice and kaleidoscope of colour. Moving with the current of busy shoppers sifting through a sea of produce, I spilled out on the market's backstreets where carts of stuffed mussels and barrels of stringed cheese sat alongside piles of pistachios, rose bud tea and bright pink olives. Transfixed by these treasures, I drifted, dream-like, until I spied the storied sweet I'd come in search of, beckoning beneath a pastry shop's glass. Halka tatlisi ("ring dessert" in English) is one of Istanbul's favourite and oldest street foods. Found on every corner and said to help restore one's vigour after hours spent walking the busy streets, the circular dough that's deep-fried to a golden-brown and soaked in syrup has long been associated with the city's seedier side. And it's that connotation that gave rise to its local nickname of the "brothel dessert". Continued here |
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Data Scientist: The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century
Back in the 1990s, computer engineer and Wall Street “quant” were the hot occupations in business. Today data scientists are the hires firms are competing to make. As companies wrestle with unprecedented volumes and types of information, demand for these experts has raced well ahead of supply. Indeed, Greylock Partners, the VC firm that backed Facebook and LinkedIn, is so worried about the shortage of data scientists that it has a recruiting team dedicated to channeling them to the businesses in its portfolio. Continued here |
A fish that sparked a national obsession
On a cold winter's evening in Portugal, it might come to your table com natas – fresh from the oven and bubbling in cream – layered between fried potato and sliced onion and spiced with nutmeg. Weaving through Lisbon's steep and cobbled streets, it wouldn't take long before you found someone serving it as a light and crispy fritter, dusted with a little coarse salt and dished up with a pot of pungent aioli. You could buy it shaped as mouth-sized fried potato dumplings pastéis style, flavoured with parsley and garlic, for a walk along the banks of Porto's Douro River. You might even come across it as part of a hearty southern bread soup, topped with coriander and a poached egg. That's because bacalhau – or salt cod – which sits at the heart of all these dishes, runs deep through Portugal's culinary identity, with the country consuming 20% of the world's supply. In fact, so central to Portuguese hearts (and stomachs) is this ingredient, that the saying goes "there are 365 ways to prepare salted cod, one for each day of the year". Continued here |
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Moving the Needle on Sustainability
Many sustainability initiatives focus on improving the sustainability of products and operations in legacy or adjacent markets or on achieving sustainability gains by exploring new markets with a more diverse set of products. This is a variation on the classic “where to play/how to win” strategy familiar to most executives. Fewer leaders, however, are exploring an important new frontier in sustainability, in which brands actively partner with customers to achieve ongoing impact. Continued here |
Shrinking: a psychiatrist doesn't know the "truth" and other issues with the show's depiction of therapy, according to a clinical psychologist
Shrinking is advertised as the story of the grieving therapist Jimmy (Jason Segel) who has lost his wife and wants to try a new approach to his loss, one that involves honesty, including telling his clients exactly what he thinks of them and their problems. Humour (it is hoped), insight into human nature (presumably) and a thoughtful consideration of the role of honesty in therapy will follow. Unfortunately, for this viewer at least, there was precious little humour, less insight and some rather bizarre assumptions about human nature in general. Continued here |
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LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky: Skills, Not Degrees, Matter Most in Hiring
Ryan Roslansky, the CEO of LinkedIn, thinks the site should be a place where its members’ billions of years of collective work experience should be freed to upskill anyone, anywhere, any time. Skills, more than degrees or pedigrees, are the true measure of what makes a great new hire, he argues, especially as the workforce evolves in fast and dramatic ways. Continued here |
A Better, Fairer Approach to Layoffs
Today layoffs have become companies’ default response to the challenges created by advances in technology and global competition. Yet research shows that job cuts rarely help senior leaders achieve their goals. Too often, they’re done for short-term gain, but the cost savings are overshadowed by bad publicity, loss of knowledge, weakened engagement, higher voluntary turnover, and lower innovation, which hurt profits in the long run. Continued here |
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South African Tourism wants to sponsor football club Tottenham Hotspur - is it a good idea?
Sponsorship of a sport team, event, or of individuals is an accepted and proven marketing communication tool. As countries, regions and cities are increasingly competing in the global marketplace for the attention of potential customers – in this case tourists – some destinations have also embraced sport as a marketing medium. Typically, destinations promote themselves through associating with a sport event or team within their geographic location. In Spain, for example, Visit Catalunya sponsors Spanish club FC Barcelona. Continued here |
The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj
When terrorists attacked the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, employees of the Taj Mumbai hotel displayed uncommon valor. They placed the safety of guests over their own well-being, thereby risking—and, in some cases, sacrificing—their lives. Deshpandé, of Harvard Business School, and Raina, of the HBS India Research Center in Mumbai, demonstrate that this behavior was not merely a crisis response. It was instead a manifestation of the Taj Group’s deeply rooted customer-centric culture that, the authors argue, other companies can emulate, both in extreme circumstances and during periods of normalcy. Continued here |
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Coriander: The unsung hero of Indian cuisine
Peek inside any Indian spice box, and you'll likely find the holy trifecta of spices – turmeric, red chilli powder and ground coriander (often mixed with cumin) – that forms the base of many a curry, lentil or vegetable dish. Though it lacks the striking ochre hue of haldi (turmeric) and isn't associated with any of India's signature red-hot flavours (like chilli powder), coriander (commonly called dhaniya or kothmir in India) is perhaps the most versatile of these spices. Its coarsely ground seeds bring warmth and nuttiness to many dishes, while as a powder, it can be used to thicken curries. As an herb, its fresh stalks and leaves often serve as an aromatic and tangy finishing flavour. Continued here |
My Daughter, the Magician’s Apprentice
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The 10 Best Fitness Trackers To Kickstart Your Health Goals in 2023
From smartwatches to standalone trackers, quantifying your health and fitness has never been easier. Tracking your health and fitness is no longer just for data-obsessed nerds. Not only are there plenty of smartwatches available with advanced fitness-tracking sensors, but the good ol' fashioned fitness tracker is still alive and kicking — and the latest models offer some pretty high-tech features that can keep your body and mind in tip-top shape. Continued here |
You Need to Watch M. Night Shyamalan's Best Apocalypse Movie on HBO Max ASAP
Before you check out Knock at the Cabin, revisit the director's last take on the end of the world. Crop circles had never looked this good. In 2002, M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs brought something new to the little green men hoax, made ubiquitous in a wheat field in Conholt, England in the 1980s. Continued here |
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Native Americans have experienced a dramatic decline in life expectancy during the COVID-19 pandemic - but the drop has been in the making for generations
That’s the decline in life expectancy that the COVID-19 pandemic wrought upon American Indians and Alaska Natives, based on an August 2022 report from the National Center for Health Statistics. This astounding figure translates to an overall drop in average living years from 71.8 years in 2019 to 65.2 by the end of 2021. Continued here |
James Gunn's Cohesive DCU Vision is a Radical Misstep for One Huge Reason
James Gunn’s plans for the new DC Universe are, in a word, radical. The DC Studios’ co-head made a shocking string of announcements this past week, delineating the first “phase” of the DCU. While it includes exciting projects like a Green Lantern television series modeled after True Detective and a Wonder Woman series modeled after Game of Thrones, one of the more surprising and groundbreaking pivots is how the new DCU will consolidate roles across multiple mediums. The same actors will portray the same characters in live-action, animation, and video games. While it helps to clarify an increasingly complex continuity, it raises concerns about what happens to the many great voice actors already part of the DC animation library. Save for a couple of independent storylines (labeled as “Elseworlds”), every storyline will interconnect in the DCU. For example, Viola Davis plays Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, and she’ll also voice the character as an important part of the DCU’s first announced adult animated series, Creature Commandos. She’ll also have her own standalone live-action show. Continued here |
Recipe: Boxty pancakes and bacon for St Brigid's Day
St Brigid is Ireland's foodie saint. One of the nation's three patron saints and the most associated with food (particularly farming and dairying), the Irish celebrate her for the first time this year with a new public holiday on 6 February. St Brigid's Day itself, also known as Imbolc or Óimelg, falls on 1 February marking the beginning of spring in the ancient Celtic calendar. Associated with miraculous abundance of food and a powerful figure in Irish pre-Christian folklore, Brigid was brought under the church and proclaimed a saint. Continued here |
The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome
When an employee fails—or even just performs poorly—managers typically do not blame themselves. The employee doesn’t understand the work, a manager might contend. Or the employee isn’t driven to succeed, can’t set priorities, or won’t take direction. Whatever the reason, the problem is assumed to be the employee’s fault—and the employee’s responsibility. Continued here |
Mahua: The Indian liquor the British banned
I smelled the sweet flowers before I saw them. During an early morning drive inside the Similipal National Park in the east Indian state of Odisha, I had stopped near a picturesque waterfall where thousands of pale-green blooms were falling from the surrounding trees and carpeting the forest floor. "These are mahua trees," said Suresh Kisku, my guide from the Santhal tribal community. He pointed towards the cluster of short, stout trunks and dome-shaped canopies that edged a small clearing. Continued here |
'Hi-Fi Rush' Ending Explained: How It Sets Up a Sequel for Chai and 808
Hi-Fi Rush doesn’t let up on the gas from start to finish, but it still finds plenty of time for quiet character development amidst all the bombast and rock. The massive surprise shadow-drop from Xbox and Bethesda brilliantly blends rhythm and action games and has a genuinely heartfelt story to boot. Every one of the main characters gets their time to shine in the final hours, leading right up to the climactic final battle with Kale, who launched a literal hostile takeover of Vandelay before the game started. Hi-Fi Rush’s ending is clear-cut, but there’s still important context to dig into —especially if you take the time to do some of the post-game content. Continued here |
Nintendo Direct rumors reveal the blurred lines between guesses and leaks
The video game industry is shrouded in mystery. Games are only sparsely shown to the public, showcases can happen at a moment's notice, and even entire games can be developed without the public ever knowing about it. This is why there is a culture of paying attention to industry insiders and leakers who allegedly seek to give the public a peak behind the curtain as to what is on the horizon. The latest “leaks” that have the internet abuzz are about an impending Nintendo Direct. There is just one caveat, they are all educated guesses. Don’t you trust me? — The news of a Nintendo Direct is highly anticipated due to the possibility of learning information on any of the company’s many exciting games coming out. With the release of Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom slated for May 12, 2023 many are hoping that a Nintendo Direct will give more insights into what players can expect from the highly anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild. Continued here |
Sahlab: The Middle East's answer to the latte
Whether it's ladled from a Bethlehem street vendor's steaming urn or savoured around a California kitchen table, the holiday drink sahlab tells a story in each sip. The first taste is as warming and floral as its sunlit origins. The second reveals a viscous texture as silky as orchid petals. And with the third comes the first hints of its history, the rich flavours of the Levant and the spices of holiday traditions that reach across religions and stretch back centuries. In the kitchen of cookbook author Blanche Shaheen, steam drifts from small cups, carrying scents that recall the passing of seasons, late winter orange blossoms and the roses of spring. For Shaheen, sahlab isn't simply the winter holiday drink her mother taught her to make. It's also a story of family and the persistence of culture. Continued here |
Why Inclusive Leaders Are Good for Organizations, and How to Become One
Companies increasingly rely on diverse, multidisciplinary teams that combine the collective capabilities of women and men, people of different cultural heritage, and younger and older workers. But simply throwing a mix of people together doesn’t guarantee high performance; it requires inclusive leadership — leadership that assures that all team members feel they are treated respectfully and fairly, are valued and sense that they belong, and are confident and inspired. Research involving 3,500 ratings by employees of 450 leaders found that inclusive leaders share six behaviors — and that leaders often overestimate how inclusive they really are. These are the behaviors: visible commitment, humility, awareness of bias, curiosity about others, cultural intelligence, and effective collaboration. Continued here |
The Wall Street Journal, Economist and Financial Times all now have female editors -
Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot-Watt University in Dubai, Heriot-Watt University February 1 was a date to celebrate for women in business everywhere. It happened to be the day that water group Severn Trent became the first large UK quoted company to be led by an all-female team by appointing Helen Miles as chief financial officer. That’s certainly worthy of celebration – but not what I had in mind. Continued here |
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Just Rejected the 1 Thing Jeff Bezos Thought Was Most Important The most important single thing is to focus obsessively on the customer ..." Continued here |
Samia Suluhu Hassan is reforming Tanzania - it's winning her fans but boosting the opposition
A series of political manoeuvres by Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan have set the east African country on an unfamiliar, yet hopeful, political path. Since her elevation to the presidency two years ago following the death of John Pombe Magufuli, the new president has struck a reformist political tone and led reconciliation with a previously marginalised opposition. None of this would have been possible under Magufuli. Magufuli not only stifled the opposition, but also went as far as threatening to annihilate it. Hassan has made several reforms, including reconciliation talks between the government and the opposition. Her government also lifted the ban on newspapers. Continued here |
A Conversation with Bonnie Raitt, Plus Public Enemy’s Chuck D
After more than fifty years in music, Bonnie Raitt is far from resting on her laurels; her latest album, "Just Like That . . .," is nominated for four Grammy Awards this year, including Song of the Year—a category in which her competition includes Beyoncé and Adele, stars a generation younger. She talks with David Remnick about her early career in the blues clubs of Boston, and reflects on the state of the genre today. Plus, the staff writer Kelefa Sanneh talks with another icon of American music, the rapper Chuck D. Forty years ago, as the front man and m.c. of Public Enemy, he showed listeners how exciting, radical, and unpredictable hip-hop could be. Now, at sixty-two, Chuck D is an elder statesman with a documentary on PBS, "Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World." After more than fifty years in music, Raitt's latest album is nominated for four Grammy Awards this year, alongside stars a generation younger. Continued here |
Introducing PenceGPT, from the Makers of ChatGPT
Thank you for your interest in PenceGPT, a new product from OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, in collaboration with former Vice-President Mike Pence (long suspected to himself be a bot of some kind, on account of his dead eyes, soulless demeanor, and three-hundred-and-sixty-degree swivel head). You may be wondering, What sorts of features can I expect from a chatbot that generates text based on Mike Pence’s speeches and interviews? Well, look no further than this handy guide, which summarizes some of PenceGPT’s exciting new offerings: Woman Identifier: Not sure whether the woman sitting next to you is your wife or your mother? Neither is Mike Pence, apparently. Use this feature to demystify the nature of your relationship with any female human. Simply type, “Who is this woman?” into PenceGPT, and the model, which has been trained on all Pence-approved relationship statuses, will output from the options of Wife, Mother, and Wife/Mother. Continued here |
Marvel just revived its primate assassin -- What to know about 'Hit-Monkey'
Monkey mayhem continues on against all odds, Marvel’s Hit-Monkey on Hulu will return for Season 2. The announcement was made on Feb. 2, over a year after its launch on the streaming platform. Since Marvel’s Hit-Monkey is a story of survival — as well as one of vengeance, poltergeists, martial arts, and friendship — it’s appropriate that it would be the sole survivor of Marvel and Hulu’s proposed four-show animated slate, which includes two that were scrapped entirely (Tigra & Dazzler, Howard the Duck) and one that was canceled after only one season (M.O.D.O.K.). Continued here |
The world's surprising fried chicken capital
The little karaage, one of the most popular snacks in Japan, is a delicate and intricate version of fried chicken that is a staple across the country. This delightfully crunchy treat is so beloved that every year, hundreds of thousands of people vote in a country-wide competition to determine which karaage shop serves the best ones. While shops from massive metropolises like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka should be dominating any large-scale contest, it's shops from one small town, Nakatsu City, located in the Oita prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu, that typically garner the most awards. The Karaage Grand Prix is the annual competition in Japan whose winner gets to boast that they have the crispiest, juiciest, most flavourful fried chicken, and nearly 1,000 shops enter to compete. Up until 2022, this contest was based entirely on popularity, with common denizens getting to vote on their favourite places. But in 2023, the rules are changing, judges are being brought in to taste test, and the true crown for the best karaage will ultimately be rewarded. Continued here |
A brief history of the Black church's diversity, and its vital role in American political history
With religious affiliation on the decline, continuing racism and increasing income inequality, some scholars and activists are soul-searching about the Black church’s role in today’s United States. For instance, on April 20, 2010, an African American Studies professor at Princeton, Eddie S. Glaude, sparked an online debate by provocatively declaring that, despite the existence of many African American churches, “the Black Church, as we’ve known it or imagined it, is dead.” As he argued, the image of the Black church as a center for Black life and as a beacon of social and moral transformation had disappeared. Continued here |
GP numbers continue to fall but the UK isn't unique in losing family doctors
The 2019 Conservative manifesto promised to increase the UK’s GP numbers by 6,000 by 2024. That target will clearly not be met. In fact, the proportion of GPs working full time in England has fallen compared with last year, according to the latest figures from NHS Digital. There were 26,706 permanent qualified GPs working in England in December 2022, down from 27,064 in December 2021. And if projections from the Health Foundation prove to be accurate, the shortfall is set to increase to around 8,800 GPs by 2030-31, equivalent to one in four posts being vacant. But is the UK unique among wealthy nations in suffering from a crisis in primary care? Continued here |
Isla Bryson: Scotland's transgender prisoner policy was assessed as not affecting women
The decision to place double rapist Isla Bryson in the segregation unit at Scotland’s Cornton Vale women’s prison, ahead of sentencing, has sparked a political crisis that looks unlikely to abate soon. Following a backlash, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon quickly announced that Bryson would not stay at Cornton Vale. That same day, Bryson was moved to a male wing at His Majesty’s Prison Edinburgh. The Scottish parliament’s justice committee has confirmed that it will scrutinise these events. Continued here |
Four scepticisms: what we can know about what we can't know | Aeon Essays
The ancient Sceptics used doubt as a way of investigating the world. Later thinkers undermined even that possibility Ask any philosopher what scepticism is, and you will receive as many different answers as people you’ve asked. Some of them take it to be showing that we cannot have any knowledge – of, say, the external world – and some of them take it to be even more radical in showing that we cannot have any reasonable beliefs. In the interests of getting a handle on the varieties of scepticism, one can locate four different milestones of sceptical thought in the history of Western philosophy. These four milestones start with the least threatening of them, Pyrrhonian skepticism, and continue by Cartesian and Kantian scepticisms to the Wittgensteinian moment in which even our intention to act is put in question. Continued here |
Citron: The exquisite fruit that brings rabbis
Every summer, in preparation for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, Hasidic rabbis from all over the world travel to the northern part of Italy's Calabria region to handpick the best citron fruits for their lulav, the bundle of four plants used to bless the small, temporary huts built every autumn by Jews to celebrate the holiday. For about two weeks, the orchards around the town of Santa Maria del Cedro fill up with English, Russian, Hebrew and Yiddish-speaking rabbis and their families. With the help of local farmers, they inspect the trees and analyse the fruits, sometimes with magnifying glasses, in their quest for citron perfection. The most ancient and aromatic of all citrus fruits, citrons are far less known than their renowned yellow and orange cousins. They resemble large, green lemons, have more peel than pulp, and with a sour-bitter flavour, they are not considered desirable for home consumption. This means that, outside of Calabria, you won't typically find them at the supermarket. Continued here |
The Whale: Brendan Fraser's comeback offers rare representation of the fat queer male body on screen
The Whale debuted at the 2022 Venice Film Festival to a six-minute standing ovation for its Academy Award-nominated lead, Brendan Fraser, who has returned to the big screen after a considerable hiatus. Fraser’s fame was amplified in the 2000s by his starring role in The Mummy saga. He was consistently cast as the six-packed hunk, in such films as George of the Jungle (1997) and Gods and Monsters (1998). Continued here |
Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Regularly Use These 5 Words
Humility goes further than you think.Continued here
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