Acharya how ideas spread

WITH Britain facing a "40-day freeze", we'll all be more susceptible to picking up nasty winter bugs such as norovirus and the dreaded flu over the coming weeks. And no one wants to be coughing and spluttering or off work poorly, especially with Christmas exactly 20 days away. However, there are some simple things you can do to protect yourself from some of the main winter bugs. As Jakeman's hygiene expert Lisa Ackerley says: "By practising some simple hygiene measures to break the journey of the germ, you can improve your chances of staying cold or flu free." Here, with the help of some other top experts, we take you through the best ways to ensure you remain fit and well this festive season... 1. Sneeze into your elbow Influenza, often abbreviated to flu, strikes millions of people at this time of year and it is almost impossible to avoid completely.Hygienist Lisa urges people to sneeze into their elbow rather than their hands to prevent colds and flu from spreading. She says: … [Read more...] about NEVER sneeze into your hands, and 5 other tips to prevent spreading nasty winter bugs

Why do Indians love cows so much?One of the reasons, writes historian Mukul Kesavan, is that 'for Hindus the desi cow is a beautiful thing"."Its large eyes, its calm, its matte skin tinted in a muted palette that runs from off-white to grey through beige and brown, its painterly silhouette with its signature hump, make it the most evolved of animals," he says.It is also a sacred animal for the majority Hindu community, and they amble unmolested in traffic-choked streets. The animal is worshipped and decorated during festivals; holy men take around cows, with their foreheads smeared in vermillion, to seek alms. There is even a journal called Indian Cow; and a Love 4 Cow Trust to "propagate and promote love" for cows. A right-wing Hindu organisation has actually launched cosmetics using cow urine and dung. The cud-chewing, sedentary bovine also provides fodder for humour. A hugely popular - and possibly apocryphal - story relates to an essay on the animal by a civil service aspirant. … [Read more...] about Why the humble cow is India’s most polarising animal

Two Muslim US congresswomen have been targeted by a vast international operation that exploits far-right pages on Facebook to inflame Islamophobia for profit, a Guardian investigation has found. A mysterious Israeli-based group uses 21 Facebook pages to churn out more than a thousand coordinated fake news posts per week to more than a million followers around the world. It milks the traffic for revenue from digital advertising. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who earlier this year became the first Muslim women to serve in the US Congress, have been singled out for vicious attacks by the coordinated effort. Somali-born Omar is the most frequent target. She has been mentioned in more than 1,400 posts since the network began two years ago. Tlaib has been mentioned nearly 1,200 times. Both totals are far higher than any other member of Congress. Omar and Tlaib are members of a group of progressive women of color known as “the squad” that also includes … [Read more...] about Revealed: Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib targeted in far-right fake news operation

Jim Waterson Media editor Thu 5 Dec 2019 12.58 GMT Last modified on Thu 5 Dec 2019 13.08 GMT Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Ask the average 2019 voter where the problems with political news lie, and you might hear a few familiar claims: fake news. Russian interference. The biased BBC. But take a look at their smartphones, and you might discover a different, more chaotic world – in which news is being shaped less by publishers or foreign agents but by social media algorithms and friendship groups. Now, in a first-of-its-kind election monitoring project conducted by the Guardian and research agency Revealing Reality, a group of voters have allowed their phone use to be recorded for three days – and the results from each individual’s phone show how the traditional media ecosystem is changing and disintegrating. Charlie in Sunderland consumed much of his election news through memes on lad humour Facebook pages, … [Read more...] about Uncovered: reality of how smartphones turned election news into chaos

A father has gone to war with neighbours who branded his Christmas lights ‘tacky’ in a poison pen letter - by putting up MORE lights and a 6ft inflatable elf brandishing a copy of the mean missive. Billy Morgan, 38, decorated his family front garden in Somerset with £220-worth of twinkling icicle lights, an inflatable Santa, inflatable snowman and three projectors that give the illusion the house is covered in swirling snow on Sunday December 1.  But two days later a hand-written letter, claiming to be from a group of neighbours, blasted the ‘tacky, attention-seeking’ lights and urged him to ‘tone it down’. Baffled postman Mr Morgan laughed when he discovered the note lying on the floor by the letterbox but claims the Scrooge scribbler had scarpered by the time he looked out of the window. Instead of following the note writer’s advice, Mr Morgan decided to add to his Christmassy collection, snapping up more lights, a 6ft inflatable … [Read more...] about ‘We’re all about the Christmas spirit, but please tone it down’: Neighbours go to war with father and brand his £220 festive home display ‘TACKY’ in poison pen letter through his door