Dovi's Digest Volume 218
Put a (Olympic) ring on it ππββοΈππ»ββοΈπ§π»ββοΈππΉππ»ββοΈ
A weekly newsletter for all your intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs
Bonjour! Bienvenue a Volume 218 of Doviβs Digest.
For sports fans, this has been a real bumper summer. It started with the European football championships, segued into the Tour de France and Wimbledon, and from today the final showpiece, the piΓ¨ce de rΓ©sistance if you will (because itβs taking place in Paris), is gracing TV screens the world over. I of course am talking about the Olympic Games.Β
Iβm not an amateur when it comes to the Olympics (as I mentioned in DD91 about the Winter Olympics). When it was in Rio, I would stay up till 2am every night for a week watching the athletics finals. When it was in Tokyo, I would wake up at 5am to catch the rowing and the archery. And when it was London, well, my sleep schedule stayed the same because itβs effectively the same time zone as me.Β
I consume Olympic content the way a 1980s banker consumes cocaine: quickly, messily, and with much abandon. Therefore, my laptop will have a second stream running, and Iβll be following live text on my phone. Over the next few weeks, Iβll critique a horseβs canter in dressage, will opine on the relative strengths of an epee and a sabre, and still wonder how on earth the modern pentathlon came up with the events (in actuality, theyβre apparently based on the skills infantry need when behind enemy lines. [For those of you wondering and too lazy to Google, the events are: fencing, swimming, show jumping, and combined cross country running and shooting.])
Iβve never made any bones about my fascination with the Olympics. Iβm not sure why it grabs me; it could be the fact my parents went to the 1984 Games in Los Angeles (on the epic trip mentioned in DD Volume 58), the watch I got with the Atlanta 1996 logo, or it could be the competition, the stories, and the indomitability of the human spirit that are so bound up in our psyche that it pervades much of our pop culture. Although honestly, I think itβs the watch.
Of course this week is entirely Olympic themed, but in case thatβs not your cup of tea (or glass of wine), everything from the facts onwards is business as usual. Enjoy!
Do you know a word you think others should know about? Submit it here!
In this weekβs added extras:
The logistics of feeding athletes in the Olympic Village includes millions of bananas.
This WSJ video explains how Wall Street bankers are turning pop hits into bonds.
Productivity tip: 15 methods to get control over your time.
How one pastel stick-maker creates so many colours.
10 iconic images of the most historic moments at the Olympic Games
Β There are four thrilling new Olympic sports are ready to break in at 2024 Paris games.
Do you enjoy the Digest? Would you like it to get better? Then please consider sharing it, as the more articles Iβm sent, the better it is. It only takes a few seconds, and all you need to do is click here π. Thank you!
There were TWO correct answers to last weekβs brainteaser, well done to Chaim E and Jeff C!! The answer and this weekβs puzzle are below.
Keep those articles (and everything else) coming.
Have a great weekend,
Dovi
And now, the articles:
How to Feed the Olympics
Step one: Get 3 million bananas.
Horses, Guns And Swords: How Cumbersome Equipment Gets To The Olympics
Athletes are responsible for getting their stuff to the Paris Games. Thatβs more complicated for some sports than for others.
Nine Things You Didnβt Know About the Ancient Olympic Games
With an intensive athletesβ boot camp and the threat of execution for unwelcome spectators, the Greek sporting event was a serious affair.
Close Friends, Competing for Coveted Olympic Spots. Who Would Make It?
Conner Mantz and Clayton Young had run side by side for more than 10,000 miles. Both vied for a place in the marathon at the Paris Games.
10 Scandals That Rocked the Summer Olympics
Several Summer Games were marred by controversyβand even tragedy.
For Kenyaβs Women Runners, the Road to Greatness Can Be Deadly
This summer, the world will watch East African women dominate track and field at the Paris Olympics. What you wonβt see are all the dangerous roadblocks and many hurdles they navigate in order to chase their dreams.
Quote of the Week:
βYouβre either a fighter or a runner. And runners always run out of road.β β Dennis Lehane
Word of the Week:
(Courtesy of Dennis B)
Quadrennial
kwoΒ·drehΒ·neeΒ·uhl/ kwΙΛdrΙnΙͺΙl/
Adjective
recurring every four years.
"the quadrennial world championships"
lasting for or relating to a period of four years.
Facts of the Week:
A blind man who is scared of dogs has been given the UK's first guide horse.
The Titanicβs gym had an electric horse for passengers to hone their riding skills.
President Ulysses S Grant was arrested for speeding on a horse.
Horses have three more facial expressions than chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees can be taught to play rock, paper, and scissors.
60% of primatologists have been scratched by a primate, and 40% have been bitten by one.
Pottos are primates that smell like curry.
75 million bacteria per square centimetre can live in one rubber duck.
Cartoon of the Week:
Tweet of the Week:
Headline of the Week:
Brainteaser of the Week:
There are fewer than 30 students in a class. Half of the students play chess, one quarter play basketball, and one-seventh read comics. How many of the students play basketball?
Last weekβs Brainteaser and Answer:
Identify the one letter that completes the following series:
βUsingβ is E
βDesistβ is I
βVisitsβ is E
βDesignβ is ???
Β Answer:
U. U is the final, missing piece that makes it a palindrome. The palindrome: Using is e desist is I visits is e design is u.
Give yourself a pat on the back if you got that one. Source
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