The grind of the 21st century throws up obstacles at every turn. Nikolaus Oliver is on hand with advice to guide you through. This week: coping with those things sent to try us.
Adverse conditions. If asked to sum up one of the essential challenges of modern life, these two words express it in a nutshell.
But I may be casting my net a little too wide. The adverse conditions I am referring to are those things, usually natural phenomena, that make life so difficult.
Take snow. In Europe recently there's been a bit of it, perhaps a bit more than in years just gone. Everything came to a halt. In the UK this is quite normal - it happens every year. Some years ago, the then British Rail delighted its customers by announcing that no trains would be running for several days after a 2cm snowfall, because it was, in its immortal words, "the wrong kind of snow". Had it been expecting cuddly warm-pink sparkling snow instead of the nasty cold-white kind that came down instead?
The French take a different approach. The air traffic controllers of Gaul met the snowy challenge by immediately going on strike - their standard response to any unexpected (or even expected) development.
But other regions are not immune. In the UAE, the normal winter rains produce the normal winter chaos.
Some adverse conditions are indeed so disadvantageous that a breakdown of normal service is inevitable and understandable. The Haiti earthquake is just the latest of these kinds of catastrophes - earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes - which have abounded in the new century to such a degree that they almost seem to be a hallmark of it.
For the rest, it's all about being prepared. In Yakutsk, in the Russian Republic of Sakha, where the average winter temperature is minus 45°C, everything runs like clockwork. Flights are never cancelled and even the local markets remain open for business.
What societies can't handle is the unexpected. And here is a paradox of modern life: economically and technologically, change and innovation are the norm. Yet progress appears to be making us less, rather than more, adaptable to unexpected circumstances. We live more and more on a knife-edge where everything works well if conditions are stable. But woe betide us if the temperature dips (or soars), if it rains or snows.
It's also paradoxical that as we work to prepare for long-term changes such as global warming, we are caught out by things like a change in the weather. Unfashionable as the idea is, perhaps some short-termism would help us cope better with at least some of the modern world's adverse conditions.
Mountain%20Boy
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Kibsons%20Cares
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How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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