It’s that time of the year again. The global elite of economy and finance have descended on the charming town of Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum. Yesterday alone, speakers included Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif.
On Jan. 16, Barack Obama sat down with YouTube star Ingrid Nilsen, for a policy discussion. Nilsen, whose followers number nearly 4 million, asked the US president about terrorism, health, and LGBT issues—then asked to see his most treasured lucky charms.
Up to 39% of people masturbate at work, according to a ”survey” (also known as pure anecdotal evidence) conducted by Time Out New York in December. “Male, female, gay, straight, we were all going to town during business hours,” reads the article—though it seems work-hour masturbation is more of a male habit, or so thinks London-based sex toys company Hot Octopuss, which, in collaboration with PR company Manifest New York, has launched a marketing stunt in New York inspired by the survey’s findings.
Contrary to the common belief that genius emerges in the young, it’s been found that major creative breakthroughs tend to happen in our late 30s. But new talents can emerge at any point in life.
The armed siege at a popular hotel in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou ended on Saturday morning, following an attack by gunmen which began on Friday evening local time. The attack the lives of at least 20 people and scores of hostages were taken, according to reports. An Al-Qaeda affiliate in Africa has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Have you ever wondered what caffeine looks like?
In Jan. 2014, almost two years before harrowing images of people starving in Madaya, Syria shook the world’s conscience, tens of thousands of other horrifying images showed people allegedly tortured to death by the Syrian government’s mukhabarat, or security agency.
What makes gas so expensive in some countries?
It’s not for nothing that the word “artist” is so frequently tied to the qualifier “starving.” While there have been some notable exceptions, making art doesn’t tend to be a very lucrative career path. Remember: even Van Gogh died poor.
Italy’s millennials, nicknamed the “lost generation” for the extent to which they have been impacted by the country’s long recession, continue to face stubbornly high levels of unemployment compared to their fellow citizens.
Self-confidence is hard to build—though perhaps not for everyone.
In the area between the southern Italian cities of Naples and Caserta, people are dying of cancer at a much higher rate than the rest of Italy, according to a recent report (pdf in Italian). The reason is in the name of the area, which is colloquially known as Terra dei Fuochi, or Land of Fires.
Good news: the world is looking at 2016 with much more confidence in terms of economic outlook than 2015, according to market research firm WIN/Gallup’s end of the year survey published on Dec. 31, 2015.
This item has been corrected.
Terror group ISIL has codified the rape of hostages with detailed rules and regulations, according to documents found by US Special Operation Forces in Syria in May, recently released to Reuters.
It’s that time of year when Wikipedia opens with a banner on its site, asking for donations.
As your social media contacts must have reminded you by now, Christmas truly is the story of a Middle Eastern family seeking refuge. Recent forensic research suggests that Jesus looked very much like the men that so many in the predominantly Christian Western world are frightened to let into their countries. Even in photos of the refugees, there are striking echoes of biblical iconography.
The story of Christmas is also the story of a Middle Eastern family seeking refuge, as many have pointed out.
Weather has hit freezing temperatures in Iran, and while the snow and ice make for beautiful landscapes, it’s bad news for the estimated 18.7% of the Iranian population (about 14.5 million people) living below the poverty line.
This post has been updated.
Sorry, New York Times Sunday Book Review, Elena Ferrante is not “one of the great novelists of our time.” Zadie Smith, Arundhati Roy, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie—these are all great novelists.
The year is almost over, but there is still time for one (last?) viral trend: Instagram Husband.
It’s compulsive gift-buying season, and like every year, at least for a few days, bookstores will be full. Because everyone knows it: When in doubt, get ’em a book.
It’s been days of xenophobia and un-American, anti-refugee talk. This is hardly fitting for a country that honors freedom—which, in the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941, ”means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights and keep them.”
