Mercyvill

(Getty) Fed up with futile internet arguments, a bunch of psychologists investigated how best to correct false ideas. Tom Stafford discovers how to debunk properly. We all resist changing our beliefs about the world, but what happens when some of those beliefs are based on misinformation? Is there a right way to correct someone when they believe something that's wrong? Stephen Lewandowsky and John Cook set out to review the science on this topic, and even carried out a few experiments of their own. This effort led to their " Debunker's Handbook ", which gives practical, evidence-based techniques for correcting misinformation about, say, climate change or evolution. Yet the findings apply to any situation where you find the facts are falling on deaf ears. The first thing their review turned up is the importance of “ backfire effects ” - when telling people that they are wrong only strengthens their belief. In ...

An aerial view shows the central business district in Nigeria's commercial capital of Lagos, April 7, 2009. (Akintunde Akinleye/Courtesy Reuters) In a celebration of Lagos and African urbanization, the Financial Times ran a piece by Xan Rice highlighting Nigeria’s commercial capital’s size, its economic importance, and its government’s energy in addressing concrete urban problems. The UN estimated the city’s population at 11.2 million in 2011. The New York Times estimates that it is now at least twenty-one million, surpassing Cairo as Africa’s largest city. It is clear that whatever the size, and however the city is defined, Lagos is the center of one of the largest urban areas in the world. With a population of perhaps 1.4 million as recently as 1970, its growth has been stupendous. Rice estimates that Lagos generates about a quarter of Nigeria’s total gross domestic product. The center of Nigeria’s modern economy, Lagos has ma...

Nigerian security forces burn motorcycles at the demolished home of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf in the northern city of Maiduguri, on August 3, 2009. Yusuf was killed in police custody five days earlier. (Reuters/The Atlantic) They came on motorbikes. It seemed like a throwaway line in an Amnesty International report on Boko Haram's recent kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in northeast Nigeria. One evening in mid-April, the NGO noted, a phalanx of shadowy, armed men on motorbikes arrived in the village of Gagilam, announcing their intention to target a girls' school in nearby Chibok. But it wasn't just another detail in the investigation. Motorcycles have long been a trademark of the radical Islamist group—so much so that in 2011, the city of Maiduguri banned bikes to prevent mi...

epochtimes. (Monkey Business Images/Thinkstock) Don’t Over-Commit. Many people over-commit, try to please everyone, rush around and do too much. Sort of like too much total load . So decrease your load and enjoy the fewer commitments you make. Stay Present or Be in the Moment. The more you are in the moment with awareness, the less you are caught up in the mind and all the things you still have to do or haven’t done yet. Be aware of your breathing. If it becomes short and shallow, you know you are getting anxious. Stop what you are doing and take a breathing break. You will enjoy the time much more.

Google News exits Spain after a new law would have forced to it to pay publishers for their content ' Online search giant Google is shutting down its Google News service in Spain before a new intellectual property law is introduced. Google will shut the service on 16 December before the law comes into effect in January, the firm said. The law allows Spanish publications to charge services like Google News if their content is shown on the site. But Google has argued against the ruling, saying that it makes no money from its search-based service.

John Holland built Australia's parliament building in Canberra A Chinese construction giant is set to buy one of Australia's largest construction companies for $1.15bn Australian dollars ($951m; £603m). China Communications Construction International (CCCI) will buy Leighton Holdings' building unit John Holland. CCCI is a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which is the world's fourth largest construction firm by revenue.

(Thinkstock) Researchers are claiming that taking supplements of a pigment found in food like spinach and eggs could sharpen vision. Douglas Heingartner looks at the evidence. A recent study has suggested that we should significantly increase the amount of fruit and vegetables we eat from five a day to at least seven. So how do you do it? Eyesight is an easy thing to take for granted, but our ability to see is one of the human body’s most incredible senses. And there’s a lot more to it than simply discerning objects in the distance. Our eyes are capable of dealing with huge variations in contrast, for example.

It wasn’t only a sprightly performance that caught columnist and season ticket holder Giles Smith’s eye as he watched last night’s win… Remember losing? I’d almost completely forgotten about it. And not surprisingly really. I’m pretty sure that the last time it happened, milk still came in glass bottles. But that was before last Saturday, of course, and that slightly surprising result at Newcastle, the pointless aftermath of which, inevitably, brought back a few distant memories, not all of them entirely pleasant. That said, once the initial gloom had begun to lift, I personally was quite relieved to have got a defeat on the board at long last.

      Military bases and facilities, especially top secret bases, are some of the world's most frequent sites for reported UFO activity. Whether this is a coincidence or not, I'll leave it to you. 1 HAARP - Playing God with the Ionsphere A surviving remnant of Reagan's “Star Wars” initiative, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) in Gakona, Alaska is one of the more controversial and mysterious military projects in recent history. The official objectives of this Air Force/Navy lovechild is to shoot high frequency beams through the ionosphere for scientific research purposes (meaning there are no military applications).

For the fourth time since the return of Democracy in Nigeria, former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari would again contest for the 2015 presidential election. Buhari this evening polled 3,430 to defeat other contenders in the All Progressives Congress Primaries that held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in the capital city of Lagos, Nigeria. Amid jubilation by his supporters at the venue of what many have termed one of the most transparent presidential primaries ever held in the history of Nigerian democracy, Buhari was declared winner. While the former Head of state polled 3,430, his fellow contestants, Alhaji Atiku Abubabakar, Sam Nda Isaiah, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Rochas Okorocha polled 954 votes, 10 votes, 974 votes, and 624 votes respectively. The result was announced by the former Governor of Ekiti state and Chairman of APC Convention Committee, Kayode Fayemi.

It's easy to become obsessed with the unsolved mysteries of this Earth. Most people like to think that anything can be figured out or solved... but that's just not true. Take these 7 mysteries, for example. They have been mysteries for decades (if not longer). No matter how many experts have examined the cases, they are still shrouded in mystery. 1.) The Aluminum Wedge of Aiud In 1974, this is a wedge-shaped object found 1.2 miles east of Aiud, Romania. It was discovered on the banks of the Mures River. It was reportedly unearthed 35 feet under sand and alongside two mastodon bones. It looks like the head of a hammer and is made of an alloy of aluminum encased in a thin layer of oxide.

Ukrainian heavyweight boxing world champion Wladimir Klitschko enters the ring before fighting Bulgarian challenger Kubrat Pulev in the IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA title bout at the O2 arena on November 15, 2014 in the northern German city of Hamburg. AFP PHOTO / JOHN MACDOUGALL (Photo credit should read JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images) A recent poll taken by BILD shows that 72 percent of Germans want to see heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko fight Shannon Briggs, who has been “stalking” and taunting him since earlier this year. “Shannon is hoping that everyone will eventually say, ‘why don’t you just give this guy a shot so you can hurry up and knock this guy out,'” trainer and fighter Johnathon Banks said, per FightSaga . “That’s what Shannon wants.” Briggs, 43, also said, “It makes all the sense in the world for Klitschko to fight me in New...

I don’t see Jon Lester and his new $155 million deal ending up on this list in five years, but then again, few saw Barry Zito’s deal becoming an albatross back in 2006. But it happens nearly every offseason: Owners bid against each other, driving up the price, and eventually someone’s spending $50 million on Gary Matthews Jr. Here are the worst of those signings over the last 10 years. 10. Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels : 10 years, $240 million, starting in 2012—Just when everyone was collectively gasping at how awful the 10-year deal with A-Rod was looking, the Angels decided they needed one of their own. Admittedly, it looked like the production in Pujols’s early years would even out the back end, but that’s not been the case. Pujols is still an above-average first baseman—though not an All-Star anymore—but there’s still seven years and $189 million left for the soon-to-be 35-year-old.

The star of the movie - Mutant Giant Spider Dog A Polish film maker's short horror film featuring his pet dog in a tarantula costume was the biggest "trending" video on YouTube in 2014, parent company Google has announced. With over 113m views since it was posted in September, Mutant Giant Spider Dog was the most shared and discussed online, according to YouTube. Katy Perry's Dark Horse music video was the most popular with 715m views. Facebook recorded over 3bn interactions about the Brazil World Cup this year. The football tournament was "the most talked about event" on Facebook since the firm began measuring event-based chat, the company said, with over 350m people posting about the game. However Brazil's presidential election attracted even more chat on the social media platform, with 674m interactions recorded by 48m people.

Arranged marriages are standard practice in many societies, but the introductions and screening process can be an ordeal for the young people involved - even if they are pleased with the eventual outcome. Some Western Muslims have concluded that online matchmaking can help reduce embarrassment. "You don't like her? Why not? She got two legs, she got two arms, she's a professional. How can you not like her?" Adeem Younis remembers all too well the trials of his family-orchestrated matchmaking. "Someone would be brought round for an evening meal and it was a really big deal. The samosas came out and the chicken and the chapattis… It was so highly pressurised." Along with others in Europe and the US, Younis began looking for samosa-free ways to help young Muslims tie the knot, and Muslim online matchmaking was born.

Photographs appeared to show Ziad Abu Ein (left) being held by the throat by an Israeli soldier A Palestinian minister has died after a confrontation with Israeli troops at a protest in the West Bank. Palestinian medics told the BBC that Ziad Abu Ein died from complications related to tear gas exposure. But several witnesses said the minister had been hit and shoved by soldiers. One said he had been hit in the chest by a tear-gas canister fired by them. Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon expressed regret for the minister's death in a statement. Jump media player Media player help Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. Kevin Connolly says there are conflicting reports about what happened A statement released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its forces had "halted the progress of rioters into the civilian community of Adei-Ad using riot-dispersal means". ...

Among all the bizarre maladies which may afflict a human being, the prize for weird comedy must surely be awarded to the broadcaster’s teeth possessed by a housewife of Daytona Beach, Florida. The lady in question agreed to talk to reporters only if her name was withheld; the phenomenon was an acute embarrassment. For the purpose of the price we will call her Mrs Jones(not real name)– but should incredulous readers doubt the account, they may confirm it by consulting the Ottawa Journal of 9 April 1970.

You may not know it, but your home could be a treasure trove of valuable objects that are easy to appraise and sell. Hunting around the house for sellable items is not only a great way to make some extra cash, it’s also a strong incentive to clear up your clutter. Whether you take your sellable stuff to a formal exchange event, advertise it online or just hold a yard sale, you can profit while you clean.

Oil personnel work at the Rumaila oil refinery, near the city of Basra, Iraq, on Dec. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) As the price of oil hit rock bottom at $49.69 at the wellhead in the Bakken shale region in North Dakota, the consequences for producers and consumers alike could be dire. First, let’s recap why oil at the wellhead in North Dakota is a third cheaper than the $70 paid for Brent crude on the global futures market: It’s hard to leave North Dakota. According to Bloomberg, the Bakken formation produces 1.12 million barrels a day but only has the estimated capacity to ship out 773,000 at the end of this year. Add to this the fact that shipping is more expensive by rail than by tanker or pipeline, and you get the picture. However, companies desperate to get their oil out will charge less in order to sell it.

Put a sparkle in your step (and dance all night) with our pick of the best party flats. Don’t want to compromise your laid-back style with sequins and gems? We understand. A subtle nod to seasonal sparkle goes a long way. These fancy flats are gem-encrusted. Be warned, you won’t be able to stop looking at your feet all night .

Many adults, as well as children, dislike needles One in 10 of us are said to have a fear of the hypodermic needle, a necessary but frequently uncomfortable fact of medical life. While the needle is an efficient way to administer drugs and take samples for analysis, it still involves sticking a sharp bit of metal into the body. This is problematic for many children, but particularly premature babies. Since they are typically ill, premature babies are given a lot of medicines. But, because of their vulnerability, doctors need to take frequent blood samples as to ensure they get the right dose.

Tired of phone lines and traditional telecommunications providers? You're not alone. Big businesses and small startups alike are turning to SIP trunking as a way to empower users and make communications simple. But what exactly is SIP — and should your company take a drink? Tech Target defines Session Imitation Protocol (SIP) trunking as “the use of voice over IP (VoIP) to facilitate the connection of a private branch exchange (PBX) to the Internet.” That's a mouthful. Bottom line: it's like virtualizing your telephony services while still maintaining the call clarity, speed and security. And it's rapidly gaining ground as businesses opt for VoIP-based alternatives over traditional integrated digital services networks (IDSNs).

The results-only work environment, or ROWE, is a management strategy designed to increase productivity while eliminating the arbitrary constraints of traditional workplaces. The program , created in 2005 by two Best Buy staffers, gives employees the freedom to work on their own terms and their own time, and measures them only on the results they produce – not the amount of time they spend at their desks. Though Best Buy abandoned ROWE  in 2013 (a move that many think was indicative of much deeper company issues), many organizations, both large and small, have implemented ROWE or variations of results-only workplaces to great success.

Arsène Wenger spoke to the media after Arsenal's 3-2 defeat against Stoke City at Britannia Stadium on Saturday. You can read a full transcript of his press conference below: on the defeat… Stoke started strong and we were not decisive enough in our defensive challenges. From then on we gave them an early present and after that put a lot of energy into the game. In the second half we had good opportunities to come back and we couldn’t. Overall we put a lot of energy into this game like we always have recently and unfortunately we missed our start. We were slow at the back and when we started to respond it was too late in the game.