In Japan people don’t sign documents but have personal stamps for documents. They’re called “inkan” (印鑑) and personal ones need to be registered at your local city hall (市役所・役場) and business ones at the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局). This has made working remote so difficult here. Everything needs to be stamped by all parties to… Read More »
A video on Instagram that has been viewed more than 20,000 times claims that a second wave of Covid-19 has been planned, and Covid-19 vaccines are going to be fatal. Both claims are false. Conspiracy theories about the planning of Covid-19 have been shared widely on social media before. These include claims that Full Fact… Read More »
We see the scale of this pandemic in another way if we look at the death toll alongside how many years of life are being lost—including among people who don’t die. Readers have been asking us different versions of the same question for many months. Is it really true that just 697 people under 60,… Read More »
Last week Avon and Somerset police claimed that two officers had suffered broken bones, and one of those had a punctured lung, following protests in Bristol on 21 March, in opposition to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. It has now emerged that this is not the case. Posts on Facebook correctly claim that… Read More »
On Monday the Telegraph reported that care home workers would be required “by law” to have the Covid-19 vaccination in “a historic legal change” that had been requested by the Prime Minister and health secretary Matt Hancock. Mr Hancock has since claimed that although no decision had been made yet, current requirements for doctors to… Read More »
The New Statesman has published an article questioning why “excess deaths” rose every year between 2012 and 2019. The article, published on 26 March, calls this a “disquieting trend” and links deaths to policies of “austerity” under the coalition and subsequent Conservative governments. It ends by saying: “If there is a lesson from the plague… Read More »
Continuous scientific breakthroughs over the past 20 years are enhancing our understanding of the mental and physiological processes affected by sleep hygiene and habits. To that end, the current data clearly demonstrates several benefits of napping—a practice that, as recently as 2009, even the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommended we avoid.[1] Though it’s important… Read More »
A Facebook post claims to show that an “original NASA photo of Mars” is a doctored version of an image taken in Bulgaria. In fact, NASA never released this image. The post shows a picture of Pobiti Kamani, a natural rock formation in Bulgaria, with the colours changed so that the rock looks red. Beneath… Read More »
That looming feeling of dread about Monday morning –– nicknamed the “Sunday Scaries” –– seemed to hit harder every week. I would try to enjoy relaxing weekend activities, but as the work week approached, I found myself struggling to wind down. All I could think about were the responsibilities waiting for me in the office:… Read More »
