Conspiracy Theories: Why we want to believe when the facts often aren’t there
WASHINGTON (AP) — From fears about vaccines containing microchips to election rigging, are popping up everywhere.
But and it’s quite common, according to decades of surveys.
Psychologists say conspiracy theories survive because humans have a basic need to explain the world around them.
When something challenges people’s understanding, they sometimes fill in the blanks with their best guesses. Or in times of uncertainty, they seek out voices of those who claim to know what’s going on — and that may provide some comfort.
Bud brings back Clydesdales as early Super Bowl ad releases offer up nostalgia, humor, celebrities
NEW YORK (AP) — Budweiser is bringing back some familiar characters this year in its Super Bowl ad.
The perennial Super Bowl marketer is bringing back fan-favorite characters the Clydesdales and a Labrador — a nod to the Labradors that starred in earlier commercials during advertising’s biggest night.
Some advertisers are releasing ads ahead of Super Bowl 58 in the hope of capitalizing on the buzz that builds as the game approaches. They hope to recoup some of the reported $7 million that’s the going rate for
Aurora Cannabis to consolidate shares on a one-for-10 basis
EDMONTON — Aurora Cannabis Inc. has announced a plan to consolidate its shares on a one-for-10 basis.
The company says it expects the move will restore compliance with Nasdaq listing rules and ensure the company continues to have access to a wide range of institutional investors.
The plan, which is subject to regulatory and stock exchange approvals, is expected to be effective on or about Feb. 20.
Aurora shares closed down a penny at 53 cents in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Tuesday.
Secret history: Even before the revolution, America was a nation of conspiracy theorists
Canada’s fertility rate hit all-time low in 2022, Statistics Canada says
Statistics Canada says the country’s fertility rate reached an all-time low of 1.33 children per woman in 2022.
The federal agency says that’s part of a downward trend that began in 2009.
The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to have temporarily disrupted the trend when the fertility rate rose in both 2020 and 2021.
According to the report, other countries had a similar experience during those years.
The decline in the fertility rate
US worker paycheck growth slowed late last year, suggesting cooling in the job market
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pay and benefits for America’s workers grew in the final three months of last year at the slowest pace in two and a half years, a trend that could affect the about when to begin cutting interest rates.
Compensation as measured by the government’s Employment Cost Index rose 0.9% in the October-December quarter, down from a 1.1% increase in the previous quarter, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Compared with the same quarter a year earlier, compensation growth
UN agencies rally around agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza as some top donors cut funding
GENEVA (AP) — An array of U.N. organizations have united to warn of “catastrophic consequences for the ” if key donor countries don’t resume funding for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main lifeline for people in the besieged territory.
The United States and more than a dozen other countries have announced to the after that 12 of its thousands of workers participated in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
U.N. officials fired most
Spanish soccer player to go on trial accused of inappropriately touching a mascot before a game
MADRID (AP) — Spanish soccer player Hugo Mallo will go on trial after being accused of inappropriately touching a mascot before a game in 2019, court officials said Wednesday.
Mallo, who denies wrongdoing, was with Celta Vigo when the alleged incident happened before a Spanish league match against Espanyol.
The 32-year-old Mallo, who faces a fine if found guilty, currently plays for Brazilian club Internacional,
Prosecutors said Mallo inappropriately touched the breasts of the woman who was wearing Espanyol’s parakeet
With bonfires and hope, Iran’s minority Zoroastrians celebrate Sadeh and the end of cold winter days
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Lighting fires that brightened the night sky, followers of Iran’s minority Zoroastrian religion marked the Sadeh festival in several cities, celebrating the end of the coldest winter days.
Every year on Jan. 30, Zoroastrians gather after sunset to celebrate the 50 days and 50 nights remaining to Spring. Sadah, which means “the one hundred,” is an ancient feast from when the religion was the dominant faith in the powerful Persian empire, which collapsed after the Arab invasion
Scotland ex-leader admits deleting COVID WhatsApp messages but insists no decisions were made on app
LONDON (AP) — The former Scottish leader in office during the COVID-19 pandemic choked up Wednesday as she admitted to a public inquiry into the outbreak that she sometimes doubted whether she wanted to be first minister at such a consequential time.
Nicola Sturgeon told the United Kingdom’s that she sometimes felt “overwhelmed by the scale of what we were dealing with,” particularly at the start of the pandemic in the first half of 2020. Although Scotland is part of the U.K.