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Saturday, July 5, 2014
SPORTFACT
BRANDED Budweiser is the most successful alcohol brand in the world. Its financial value is over four times that of its nearest rival Heineken.
US goal keeper, Tim Howard, made 16 saves during their World Cup match against Belgium in this year’s finals, making him the goal keeper with the highest number of saves in a single match in World Cup history.
SOUNDINGCLEVER
ACHIEVING
INQUISTORIAL So prying as to be insulting from the Latin inquirere: to inquire. Many people associate the concept of psychotherapy with lying on a couch whilst an inquisitorial individual asks about your childhood. PURVIEW The extent of the influence (of someone or of something) from the Old French purveu: foreseen. Many decisions carried out by the government are determined by ministers and do not come within the purview of the Prime Minister. ELEGIAC Like a lament from the Greek elegos: a lament. The film Schindler’s List, which covers the atrocities committed by the Nazis, has an elegiac tone. SOBRIQUET A nickname from the Old French sobriquet: a tap under the chin, from sous: under, and briquet: throat. Owing to his command of language, novelist Henry James received the sobriquet ‘the Master’.
SOUNDING GREAT
VEXATION
A source of irritation or annoyance. I miss you very much; think of you at night when the world’s nodding – think of you in the daytime when the cares of the world and its continual vexation choke up the love for friends in some of our hearts; remember your warnings sometimes conclude it’s no use to try.
THE IMPOSSIBLE
Eat fire
We all know just how painful it can be when you burn your tongue on a hot drink, so why would you ever want to stick a flaming torch in your mouth? Despite appearances, however, the celebrated circus skill of fire-eating need not cause you any damage - provided you know exactly what you’re doing! First, a word of warning - fire-eating is the kind of thing that looks cool (if you’ll pardon the pun), and might seem like a good idea when you’re under the influence. Under no circumstances attempt the feat in this condition. Instead, treat it as a serious skill and get proper training from an expert - many circus schools offer courses. The trick is to extinguish the torch by using your mouth to cut off the fire’s oxygen supply. Practise the techniques with an unlit skewer at first - it’s all about controlling your breathing. When the torch goes in your mouth,
THINGS YOU WILL NEVER DO
on no account breath in - doing so will inhale fire and fuel vapours into your lungs, causing permanent damage or even death. Practise your breathing techniques, and never perform if you are puffed out. Choose your equipment carefully: kerosene is a good fuel option, while petrol, with its tendency to explode, is not. Kevlar wicks are better than cotton. Avoid wearing baggy clothes, tie back your hair and make sure onlookers are at a safe distance. Keep a wet rag, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit to hand. The ideal location is a highceilinged, well-ventilated room with a non-flammable floor. If outside, beware of unpredictable wind conditions. Remember that heat rises - keep the flame above you throughout your act. Once the torch is lit, check for rogue gusts of wind or draughts. If conditions are satisfactory, lift the torch above your head. Stand with your legs apart so you are balanced, shrug your shoulders and tilt your head back until your mouth and throat face straight up. Wet your lips and take a breath in. That way, if you are given a shock you can only exhale. Now stick out your tongue wide and flat, lowering the torch onto it. Take the flames into your mouth, being careful not to inhale. Close your lips around the torch to cut off the oxygen supply, but not so tightly that you make contact with the hot metal shaft of the torch. With a final puff out, extinguish the flames. Be prepared for some burns to the mouth and lips as you perfect your skills. For anything serious, seek medical attention.
Tickle yourself
You might be one of those people who roll around uncontrollably and laughs like a drain at the merest hint of someone tickling you. But try to replicate the sensation with nothing more than your own fair hand and the chances are that it’s just not going to happen - for some reason, the vast majority of people are simply immune to self-tickling. A few trenchant investigators swear that auto-tickling is possible - they suggest that teasing the soles of your feet with a feather or rotating your tongue in wide arcs around the roof of your mouth can do the trick. Evidence, however, would suggest that plenty of us remain steadfastly immune to the giggles however much we try to provoke ourselves. The fact is that our laughter when someone else tickles us is fundamentally related to the element of surprise, and the lack of control we have over the situation. Our brains are pretty adept at anticipating sensations so that we ignore what is predictable and safe and focus on what is unexpected and potentially threatening For instance, brushing your own fingers up your arm is
unlikely to cause you to flinch. But if a spider scuttles up your arm, it can send shivers right through you (especially if it turns out to be a tarantula!) Specifically, when it comes to selftickling, the part of your brain responsible for motor control (which resides, so far as neuroscientists can work these things out, in a region known as the cerebellum) tells the bit responsible for processing touch (the somatosensory cortex) and the bit responsible for processing ‘enjoyable’ information (the anterior cingulate cortex) not to get too worked up. However, help is at hand. A team of scientists from University College, London have designed a remotecontrolled (and predictably costly) robot, armed with a probe that has a bit of soft foam mounted at its tip. The ‘patient’ lies on his or her back with eyes closed, and uses a joystick to control the robot, which attacks them with its ticking stick. A time delay system ensures that when the robot strikes, the crucial element of surprise is retained. Which is all very impressive - but its still a lot more fun if you can get someone else to tickle you instead.
Stuff
THAT WILL TICKLE YOUR FANCY
MARCH 2014
SPOTLIGHTS
FILM 300: Rise of an Empire
Greek general Themistokles leads the charge against invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy.
MUSIC Pharrell Williams Marilyn Monroe is a song by record artiste Pharrell Williams released as the second single from his second studio album Girl.
TELEVISION Those Who Kill
A recently promoted homicide detective enlists the help of a forensic psychologist to track down serial killers while also relentlessly seeking the truth behind the disappearance of her brother.
EVENT Malaysia’s Boeing 777 goes missing On the 8th, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, disappears over the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board.
BIRTHDAY Ade Adepitan
Paralympic star, Ade Adepitan, who won gold medals in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, and dance, celebrated his 41st birthday on the 27th.
DEATH Catherine Acholonu Nigerian writer, researcher and former lecturer on African Cultural and Gender Studies, Catherine Acholonu, died on the 18th at the age of 62.