7.7.12 Tennis the Mennis

Yes it may well be too much. I can already hear the cry – do we really care that much about tennis? And as I already told you but 2 posts ago, the answer is a resounding no. But during the weeks of Wimbledon it is almost impossible to watch the BBC without constant reference to the events that are happening at the tennis.

And it just got even worse!

That’s right, Andy Murray has reached the final. Never mind that he’s a dour faced, miserable man who considers himself Scottish whilst the papers try to cram him down our throats as British. I don’t inherently have a problem with Murray, he’s a very good tennis player, but he’s not elite in the way the others three are (Side Bar – You know how you know they’re elite? I didn’t have to list them). It also doesn’t matter what he’s doing for British tennis as he definitely considers himself Scottish.

Nevertheless, today I did learn a minute bit of information of the history of British tennis – Andy Murray is the first British tennis player to reach the final of Wimbledon since Bunny Austin in 1938 (Fred Perry was last to win it in 1936), a whopping 74 years ago. But if you’re worried about the lack of British supremacy, prior to 1906 all of the winners were British (Side Bar 2 – that’s because nearly all competitors merely competed at their home tournaments.)

So we have yet more proof that our sporting arrogance is completely unfounded in history. Sure we’ve won some stuff but we’ve never performed consistently and I’m sure that Rodger Federer will prove that point again on Sunday.

DC

6.7.12 Gay is Good

Despite my grumpy exterior, I like to this of myself as a modern 21st century kind of guy. I believe in equal rights for all races, genders and sexualities. I don’t buy into any kind of prejudice apart from my belief that there are obviously inherent differences between some cultures and indeed men and women. I also don’t consider myself especially liberal in thought like some do-gooders do. I just think that it seems obvious that we shouldn’t discriminate based on any of these factors.

These beliefs were what got me started on reading through an article on this weeks Gay Pride event, which Stephen Fry said had been well attended despite being a washout through the weather. This led my intrigue to want to know more about how the event came about and the extent of it etc.

Gay Pride is actually more than just an event, it is an organisation that positively promotes the rights of lesbian, gay, transsexual and bisexual people. Not just through events but also through literature, television shows and other mediums. Typically their largest events are promotions of people’s sexuality and rights help throughout their Gay Pride month.

The organisation grew out of the States in the 50s and 60s where homosexuals and lesbians had no rights, so groups picketed every year to remind the country that they were being repressed. This led to the 1968 promotional slogan, “Gay is Good”. Following riots in 1969, these organisations started forming pride marches, not to cause rioting but instead to celebrate that they were proud of their sexuality. These displays were promoted and organised as national annual events on the last weekend of June and known as Christopher Street Liberation Day.

Brenda Howard is seen as a key proponent in making these events happen and as a result is thought of as the mother of Pride. Whereas the term itself derives from other activists Robert A. Martin and L. Craig Schoonmaker. The first official Gay Pride march was 28th June 1970 and from there it snowballed. The events now are held in June to commemorate the original riots.

If you want to see how much these events have shaped gay and lesbian rights, look no further than the our neighbours the US. In the last 4 years the US government has officially recognised the month. Proving just how far we’ve all come. Maybe that just how many people share my views.

DC

8.7.12 I Wish I was a Little Bit Taller

At 6am in the morning…. On a Sunday……. When you’ve been up since 5….. And the whole reason is for work not please…. The last thing you want is to be emasculated. Well, that’s exactly how my Sunday started and boy did it add insult to injury.

After going to be around 2am, I was up at 5 to go to Heathrow to travel out for work to Prague and boy was I tired. Let me preface the rest of this preamble by mitigating that I think of myself as far from statuesque, I’m far far far from overly manly or ‘built’. That being said I am 6ft 2 and weigh in around 14 stone so I’m far from small. That was, until this Sunday morning.

As I stood waiting to go through airport security I suddenly realised that the light was being blocked as huge skyscrapers appeared around me. It wasn’t until I saw the red ‘GB’ trainers and looked up through a slightly ugly looking tracksuit, up until I was craning my neck and could see the smiling, slightly sleepy faces of the GB rowing team for the Olympics. They were huge. Not a single one was smaller than 6ft 5, and as you might expect, all broad shoulders and jacked arms. I felt miniscule and more than slightly inadequate. Now I knew that rowers were fit but I didn’t realise quite how big they were (they all obviously look the same on tv). So what is the archetypal rowers body? Maybe the size is something to do with the required fulcrum!

Sure enough, Courtesy of the BBC Sports Academy, Dr Kevin Thompson (Physiologist at the EIS) takes us through it:

Rowers are Tall
World-class rowers have long “levers” (their arms and legs) so that they can make long strokes. Male Olympians tend to be between 1.90m and 1.95m (6’3″-6’5″) and females 1.80m-185m (5’11”-6’1″).

Rowers are Muscular
They need to be strong so that they can apply a lot of force to the water on each of their strokes. The extra muscle power makes them heavy. The average weight for a male world-class rower 90-95kg (14st 2lb-15st). The women weigh in at 75-80kg (11st 11lb-12st 8lb). And that’s almost pure muscle – because they don’t want to carry any extra weight, rowers tend to be very lean.

Coxes
Coxes steer the “Eights” boats and often also give their crews instructions and motivation during the race. They must weigh a minimum of 55kg for men and 50kg for women. The rowers don’t want to carry any more weight than they have to, so coxes generally weigh exactly the minimum.

So I guess now I see the ideal, it becomes apparent why I cant see my surroundings for all of the muscular giants. The only problem is, I am neither that tall, nor anywhere near light enough to be a Cox. I guess I’ll have to give up on my Olympic rowing dreams.

DC

5.7.12 Hawking Their Wears

It’s that time of year again and although I’ve missed most of it abroad, it is as synonymous with summer for me as my hay fever is. For 340 or so days of the year I couldn’t really care about tennis, but come 2 weeks in the summer I get very interested for the British institution that is Wimbledon.

A month or so ago now we covered the use of replays in football and some of the aspects to take into account when considering refereeing decisions. Football is, however, a sport that as yet hasn’t decided to go down the replay route. Tennis, on the other hand, has a challenge and replay system similar to cricket and American football and what do they go to when they need a technological decision – Hawk Eye.

Created in 1999 in Great Britain by Stephen Hawkins it was originally an invention used for cricket. Once adopted in tennis during the 2006 US Open, the invention became used for rulings in line calls. The system works by calibrating at least 6 cameras around the court to track the movement of the ball. To avoid any confusion or error, there are also cameras that follow the lines of the court and both sets of cameras are correlated to each other.

These camera images are use to filter through the Hawk Eye software to create a 3D image of the ball. This is tracked as an image to the line in question and then a virtual print is left to show where the ball hit in relation to the line. The Tennis Association tested the accuracy of the system in 2006 before its use and found it to be 100% accurate and able to place the ball to within 3.66mm from the pinpoint of the ball at worst. A quite phenomenal degree of accuracy.

So if they can do it with tennis I guess it raises the question of what other sports this can be used for? I mean I know it would be almost impossible to track multiple variables in sports where the ball is handled such as rugby but could it work in football? It’s surely worth a test.

DC

4.7.12 Put a Bit of Zip on It

Occasionally my on and off passing interest in fashion persuades me to read articles and listen to discussions around particular trends or what’s ‘in’ this month. Flicking through magazines such as Esquire or GQ, scrolling through pages and pages of ASOS’s online catalogue looking at things I like. Ok, I’ll admit it, it’s no longer just a passing interest – I love it. I guess I’m what some may term as metrosexual, some may term a little bit camp and others may just think that my pretention overshoots my modest at best looks. One thing’s for sure though, if I could, I’d buy a lot more clothes.

Through all of this pointless pontificating there’s one thing that I’ve always wondered…. Why on earth do clothes producers still design men’s trousers/jeans with a button up fly? Fortunately I now know that I’m not alone, as I read through my holiday issue of GQ, the exact same question had been posed. Which lead to me not just knowing that I’m not alone, but also a little bit more about the invention I wish they had used instead, the zip!

Although the idea of a zip (or ‘automatic, continuous clothing closure’ as he filed the patent) was first filed for by Elias Howe, the idea wasn’t used and marketed until 1893. This time the concept was popularised by Whitcomb Judson who began manufacturing the design, however, this bore little resemblance to the design we now know. In 1913, Gideon Sundback designed a ‘separable fastener’ which was y-shaped with teeth that pulled into one by a slider.

The zipper name actually came from the B.F.Goodrich company using them on rubber boots and describing it as a ‘zipper’. Initially the design just took off for boots and tobacco pouches (an odd mix), it took the fashion industry 20 years to finally latch on to the concept fully. Esquire even described the invention as the “newest tailoring idea for men” as recently as 1937.

Finally the impetus had been given to the zipper to displace the button fly and it took off. Now if we could just get them to do away with buttons all together.

DC

3.7.12 Let me Mussel In

It seems that now a days the most important thing when it comes to ingredients for cooking and eating is seasonality. Obviously before advances in agriculture and trade, seasonality was enforced on us as a result of what could grow at that present time. However now, more than ever, it has come back en vogue.

It was this modern notion that came to bare as I sat overlooking the Portuguese sky line with my girlfriend and her family as we all tucked into a huge paella (made, somewhat unauthentically by myself and Lucy). One of her brothers happens to be a chef and in coming to discuss seasonality, particularly of seafood, he noted to us that mussels have a particularly interesting way of you being able to tell whether they are fresh or not. During months with the letter ‘r’ in, mussels are in season (September through till April), months without a ‘r’ aren’t prime time for these little sea urchins.

So if you’re ever thinking of making up a moules mariniere or a paella with these lovely high in protein, low in fat treats, then make sure that you get them fresh and during a month with a ‘R’ in it.

DC

2.7.12 What’s the Matter with Tattoo

The rise of tattoos from adorning the shoulders and arms of sailors to popular fashion statements really is a meteoric change in the perception of quite a life altering action. I for one have a tattoo across my shoulders, you know a tribal design, fairly standard and basic. If I could go back I would still get a tattoo but it would be far from the one that I actually have.

The word Tattoo itself comes from the Tahitian word ‘Tatu’ which takes the form of an indelible mark or design fixed upon the body via injection of ink under the skin. My indelible mark sits across my shoulders, as I mentioned, but an interesting comment came to my attention today as Mr Mogford made a comment in regards the effects that large surface area tattoos can have on the body.

The claim was that large surface area tattoos can have effects on body temperature which, when you think about it seems to make sense. I mean they’re is an insular layer of ink between the air outside and your nerves, organs etc.

To ensure that the answer avoids going into too much details on the layers of skin that the human body has, I will just say that the ink of a tattoo is inserted into the dermal-epidermal junction to separate these two layers. This process disrupts the barrier process of the epidermis (outermost skin layers). The sweat glands in your skin are way below where this ink is placed so these aren’t directly damaged, however, the process of tattooing in essence forms some healing over the ink. This process means that some of the surface ducts that are used to sweat could well be damaged.

There is very little actual research on this topic but for large surface area tattoos it is safe to bet that the sweat-gland function would be affected resulting in poor regulation of body temperature, it’s just hard to say just how much. I’m a sweater at the best of the time so I guess that I’ll have to just be thankful that mine is just across my shoulders!

DC

1.7.12 Based on Merit

Sometimes (just sometimes) I have a burning desire to know something just because I think it will make me sound that little bit more intelligent. To be honest, most of the word definition based learnings that we have covered so far fall into that category. You know, that need to be able to throw some vocabulary down occasionally because it’ll make people think, ‘Gee, he’s not a complete moron’.

Once again, this irrational rationalisation has lead way to today’s learning. Quite simply, I’ve always thought that the word ‘meritocracy’ is a word that makes you sound that little bit more intelligent, or at least it would make me if I knew exactly what it meant. So lets me learn what it means and then I can start dropping that bad boy into every sentence or exclamation that I make.

Meritocracy noun
1. an elite group of people whose progress is based on ability and talent rather than on class privilege or wealth.
2. a system in which such persons are rewarded and advanced: The dean believes the educational system should be a meritocracy.
3. leadership by able and talented persons.

The term was originally coined by the Brit Michael Young in 1958 who wrote a fictitious essay, set in the future, detailing a Great Britain governed and basing its power hierarchy on merit. The theories roots, however, are based on Confucius’ ancient writings that detail his belief that teaching and being a learned scholar shouldn’t be prohibited by class. The only currently existing meritocratic state is Singapore whose government’s guiding principles include emphasising knowledge and academia as a basis for merit within their society.

I’ll admit that I still love the word, but it’s going to be an enjoyable challenge trying to fit it into conversations not relating to Singapore.

DC

30.6.12 Any Port in a Storm

It’s time once again to get very excited because I’m leaving behind the dredging rain of England with my sights set firmly on sunnier climbs. I know, it’s not my first holiday of the year and I am becoming more than a little fortunate with these breaks but I’ve packed my bags and this time I’m setting off to an unfamiliar part of Iberia (I really am learning) – Portugal!!

Now I’ve never been to Portugal before, Spain yes, but not Portugal. So what better way to prepare myself for the holiday and new cultural experience than to read up on some interesting information on the home of PiriPiri and Cristiano Ronaldo (Yes, I’ve definitely not got the hang of their cultural intricacies yet!).

With a population of approximately 10.5m people the country takes its name from one of its largest cities, Porto. It is one of the 20 most visited countries in the world and I am now one of the 13 million (on average) yearly tourists. That is staggering – they have more people visit each year that native residents. More specifically 7 million foreigners visit the area that I am, the Algarve.

Aside from it’s incredible tourism, I don’t want to just list out stats from a book etc. Instead, here are some more interesting facts about Portugal:

– The former Portuguese Empire was the first in history and once encompassed areas such as Brazil, and parts of Africa and Asia.

– Portugal’s boarders have been defined since 1139 making it Europe’s oldest country.

– it is home to the worlds oldest bookshop and one of the oldest universities.

– The Vasco de Gama bridge is the longest in Europe at 10.5 miles long

– in 1761 Portugal became the first country to abolish slavery.

– The Algarve region is one of the least densely populated regions in all of Europe.

So I’ve managed to avoid too many boring facts and figures about the region. I’m here drinking wine and eating fish so there seems little point in too many stats. But it sure is interesting to learn about just how important Portugal is in history.

DC

29.6.12 Hey, Fever Pitch

Summer, or what passes for summer in England, rolls around every year to the sound of much excitement from all of my friends and family. Facebook feeds are awash with people delighting in the sun, boasting that they’re having lunch out in the sun or other such mirth. Well, not to be Scrooge McDuck, but their delight is always met with a certain reticence from me.

Not because I don’t like the sun, I’m not that grumpy, but instead because the second I read these messages I can feel my nose twitch. My eyes start to itch, my sinuses start to feel smaller and I have an all too familiar feeling. I like many others suffer from dreaded hayfever. What I don’t know is exactly how it works (obviously pollen causes it) or the best way to cure it, because a tiny tablet a day doesn’t seem to be working!

At its most basic hay fever is the the bodies reaction to the pollen released during plants reproductive cycle. The protein contained in the pollen causes sinuses to block, eyes to itch and often a sore throat too. This protein hits cells in the nose or sinuses known as mast cells causing them to releases histamine. This histamine forces nearby blood cells to swell and release plasma.

There are also 3 types of hay fever which affect at different times of the year (Most people only have one type):

– Tree Pollen – Early Spring
– Grass Pollen – End of Spring to Mid Summer
– Weed Pollen – From Early Spring to Late Summer

By the looks of the timing it would appear that I have an allergy to grass pollen as mine really picks up around late April through to mid-July time. But knowing how it works is only so much help if you don’t know how to stop it. So what are the cures beyond anti histamines (The name makes sense now)?

There is no real cure but if you require methods to reduce the effect beyond anti histamines then apparently the further option is a steroid injection. These are available from GPs for severe instances and although they are extremely effective they can lead to negative side effects (such as osteoporosis, cataracts and skin thinning)

BBC Health also offer the following evasion techniques:

– Keep an eye on the pollen count (often included in weather reports) and stay inside as much as possible when it’s high.
– Wear wrap-around sunglasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes
– Saline douches or a little Vaseline applied inside the nose will reduce symptoms
– Keep car windows closed and switch on the air conditioning to prevent pollen entering the car
– Keep bedroom doors and windows closed in mid-morning and early evening when pollen levels peak
– Avoid areas such as parks or fields, particularly in the early evening when there’s a lot of pollen floating at nose level
– Get someone else to mow the lawn and don’t lie on freshly cut grass
– Change into clean clothes when you come home and wash the clothes you wore outside

It doesn’t seem like I’ll be getting relief from a steroid injection anytime soon so I guess until then I’ll be counting those pesky histamine by closing all of the windows and sweating to death instead. Oh well….

DC