EXPLORING THE DEPTH OF LIFE

On June 28, two noteworthy global events begin: the second round of the World Cup and Ramadan, the Islamic month observed by fasting. For some of the dozens of Muslim players on Algeria, France, and Germany, this will pose a problem: having to play world-class soccer after having abstained from food and water since sunup. As part of the Ramadan fast, all food and drink is prohibited between sunrise and sunset for the entire 30-day month.  Although some players are reportedly going to forgo the fast during the tournament,  others are going to adhere to it .  This is the first time the World Cup and Ramadan have overlapped  since 1986 . To people who don't fast, it probably seems inconceivable to play a whole game after many hours without food, let alone water  — but there's evidence that the  Muslim players who are used to fasting are  capable of effectively coping with it and maintaining their performance. Here's what research has to say about how fasting affect

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of the Netherlands celebrates after scoring a goal during the Fifa World Cup 2014 Round of 16 match Mexico at the Castelao arena in Fortaleza. (Reuters Photo) FORTALEZA (Brazil): Klaas-Jan Huntelaar struck a stoppage-time penalty as the Netherlands staged an incredible late fightback to beat Mexico 2-1 and reach the World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday. Huntelaar kept his cool in furnace-like conditions to fire Holland into the last eight after Wesley Sneijder had scored an 88th-minute equaliser to cancel out Giovani Dos Santos's goal for Mexico. The dramatic Dutch fightback left Mexico's players in tears as their last 16 jinx struck again. Mexico have now lost in the second round in six consecutive World Cup appearances, and had been just minutes away from a first quarterfinal since 1986. The Netherlands had looked to be heading for defeat at the Castelao Stadium after a game played in ferocious heat. The match saw three-minute cooling breaks used for t

D evotees and paramilitary forces pull chariots to set in front of the Lord Jagannath temple, on the eve of the annual Rath Yatra, (Source: AP Photo) Amid tight security, the 137th Lord Jagannath’s rathyatra began on Sunday morning, with Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel creating history to be the first female CM to perform the pahindvidhi at Jamalpur’s Jagannath temple. On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people and prayed for peace, prosperity and rains in the country. As per the century old tradition, elephants had the first glimpse of Lord Jagannath and are leading the procession through different parts of the city. The chief minsiter reached Jagannath temple at around 6.45 am and performed the ‘Pahind Vidhi’ for the rathyatra with a ‘golden-broom’ (symbolic cleaning of the path for chariot of Lord Jagannath). “On Ashaadhi Dooj (second day of waxing moon cycle in the Hindu month of Ashadh), performed Pahind Vidhi to mark the beginning of Rath

India on Monday successfully launched five foreign satellites from four countries on board PSLV-C23 rocket which placed them in orbit, an achievement described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an 'endorsement' of the country's space capabilities. PSLV-C23 rocket launch seen from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. (Photo courtesy: Twitter) After a perfect lift off from the First Launch Pad in Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 9.52am witnessed by Modi, Indian Space Research Organisation's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C23 placed all five satellites into their intended orbits, one after the other between 17 and 19 minutes after liftoff, in textbook precision. Though the Mission Readiness Review Committee and Launch Authorisation Board had on Friday cleared the launch, the launch time was rescheduled to 9.52 AM today, a delay of three minutes, attributed to "probable space debris" coming in the rocket's way. Besides i

Odisha sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has won a prize at the sand sculpting World Cup in the US, the artist said Saturday. Pattnaik said he won the People's Choice prize in the solo category for his sand sculpture 'Save Tree, Save the Future'. The 37-year-old artist was the lone participant from India at the June 15-29 competition in Atlantic City which was attended by artists from several other countries. Pattnaik, a native of Odisha's beach town of Puri, about 56 kms from state capital Bhubaneswar, told IANS he was thankful to the people who liked his sculpture and voted for him. Pattnaik is a recipient of the Padma Shri award and has participated in over 50 international sand sculpture championships and festivals. The medal was presented by the Mayor of Atlantic City as thousands of people voted it for best sculpture. Twenty internationally renowned sand artists around the world participated in this World cup. Pattnaik said, "I am very happy to wi

It’s been fun taking everything the World Cup has to offer for the past couple of weeks. That, few can deny. But if there’s one thing that has been painful to watch, it’s the flopping. Yes, flopping occurs in other sports, too — basketball is the other, main culprit — but soccer takes the cake when it comes to players not just selling contact, but feigning injuries. No, athletes playing dead is not the most exciting thing to watch, but it’s something you learn to look past. It’s like that one great friend who talks a lot of BS or says a lot of dumb things. You know you should interject, but you just let him continue, avoiding conflict so you can continue with your harmonious relationship. Sooner or later, you learn to accept certain things about the people, or stuff, that you don’t like. That’s what it’s like with soccer and flopping. So, rather than spend a whole bunch of time, criticizing and bemoaning the acting that players engage in on the field, we’ll agree to j

According to government figures, a rape occurs every 22 seconds in India. To address this horrendous statistic, two Indian entrepreneurs have developed genius and wearable tech. The design is a line of “anti-rape” jeans, and the garments are programmed to send a distress signal to local police in the event of an attack. The pants are equipped with geolocation technology, which leads emergency responders directly to the scene of the assault. Diksha Pathak, 21, and Anjali Srivastava, 23, are the masterminds behind this design. The women are from India’s northern Varanasi city, and are hoping to expand their product nationwide following a regional trial. The inventors shared with the press that they conceived their idea in the wake of a string of particularly brutal attacks in India. Specifically, the deaths of two young girls (ages 12 and 14) following gang rapes in Uttar Pradesh. In Pathak’s own words: We have been thinking of making this device for a long time. My father

WOMEN   •  JUSTINE NANCARROW  •  JUN 24, 2014 -  10:27AM LIKE US ON FACEBOOK It’s easy to get wrapped up in what you feel (or what society tells you to feel) or perceive to be a normal path. You leave school, go to college, meet the man of your dreams, fall in love and get married at 25, right? Well, not always. Over time, this outlook has shifted; our grandparents found partners at a young age and launched into marriage before war separated them. Our parents were free-spirited, with lives full of hope and opportunity. They sought love a little later than their parents did. As for us? We have shifted even further away from what history tells us is normal. Somehow, though, our expectations to find love early and settle down are still very much in tact. In my early 20s, it seemed as if the majority of my friends were settling down, falling in love and moving in with their boyfriends. I felt like I was being left behind, that I needed to be in a relationship and I ne