SHE HEARD THE STARS

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Jocelyn Bell Burnell, an eminent astrophysicist from Northern Ireland, is known for her perseverance, discovery and advocacy. In 1967, she revolutionised the field of astronomy with the discovery of 'pulsars'.

Jocelyn was born on July 15, 1943, in Belfast, Northern Ireland to Allison and G Phillip Bell. Her father was an architect who helped design the Armagh Planetarium. During her visits there, the staff encouraged her to pursue further studies in astronomy. Even as a child, she used to read her father's book on astronomy, which also encouraged her to explore the field. 

Jocelyn grew up in Lurgan and attended the Preparatory Department of Lurgan College from 1948 to 1956. This was a time when boys could pursue technical fields, but girls were expected to learn skills like cooking and cross-stitching. However, it was different for Jocelyn, as her parents and a few others challenged the school's policies, and she was able to study science. But then, she failed her eleven-plus exam, and her parents sent her to The Mount School, a Quaker girls boarding school in York, England, where she completed her secondary education in 1961. Here, she was impressed by her physics teacher Mr Tillot, and said, "You don't have to learn lots and lots..... of facts; you just learn a few key things, and.... then you can apply and build and develop from those.... He was really good teacher and showed me how easy physics was." 

After finishing her secondary education at The Mount School, she joined the university of Glasgow for a Bachelor of Science in Natural Philosophy (physics) and graduated in 1965. Then she joined New Hall, Cambridge, where she gained her Ph D in 1969 in radio astronomy. As a research assistant at Cambridge, she helped in building a large telescope, and in 1967, while reviewing the experiments monitoring quasars, she discovered a series of extremely regular radio pulses. Extremely puzzled over this peculiar occurrence, she consulted her advisor, astrophysicist Antony Hewish, and together their team spent months eliminating possible sources of the pulses, which they dubbed LGM (Little Green Men). Once they monitored the pulses using more sensitive equipment, they discovered several more regular patterns of radio waves and determined that these waves were emanating from rapidly spinning neutron stars, which the press later named as 'pulsars'.

This discovery was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974, but it was given to only Antony Hewish and Martin Ryle. Jocelyn did not receive the award, but she maintained that: "The fact that I was a graduate student and a woman, together, demoted my standing in terms of receiving a Nobel Prize." This decision continues to be debated even today. 

HISTORY BEHIND MOST POPULAR SPORTS PLAYED WORLDWIDE

The History Of Football

Football is undeniably one of the most popular sports played worldwide.

Around 2500 BC, the Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese played games involving a ball and feet. Most of these games included the use of hands, feet, and even sticks to control a ball.

The most relevant of these ancient games to our modern-day 'Association Football' is the Chinese game of Tsu'Chu, meaning kicking the ball. Records of the game began during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), and it may have been a training exercise for the soldiers.

Tsu'Chu involved kicking a small leather ball into a net strung between two bamboo poles, and the use of hands was not permitted. The main difference between Tsu'Chu and football was the height of the goal, which hung about 30 feet from the ground.

Football began to evolve in modern Europe from the medieval period onwards, around the 9th Century. Most towns in England would kick a pig's bladder from one landmark to another. However, it was banned during some periods of Britain's history.

Records trace the history of football to ancient China. But, it was England to transform football into the game we know today. The English are credited with recording the first rules for the sport, including forbidding tripping opponents and touching the ball with hands.

As the sport developed, more rules were implemented and more historical landmarks were set. For example, the penalty kick was introduced in 1891, and red and yellow cards were introduced during the 1970 World Cup finals. In 1930, the first ever FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay. There were 41 members of FIFA at that time. Today, it boasts of over 200 members and the World Cup is one of the biggest events which happens every 4 years.

Football Facts 

● There are more than 265 million players worldwide, and an estimated 4 billion people are actively watching the sport from time to time, which without a doubt makes it the most popular sport in the world.

● Sheffield FC is the oldest professional football club in the world and it was founded in 1857.

● A professional game is always 90 minutes long, divided into two halves of 45 minutes + stoppage time. The stoppage time is usually between 1 to 5 minutes, depending on injuries and breaks in each half of the game.

● Nawaf Al-Abed scored after just 2.4 seconds and is usually credited as the fastest goal ever scored.

● Sialkot in Pakistan is famous for making the balls for the FIFA World Cup since 1982. And, some of the best balls are manufactured by hand-stitching in Pakistan. Adidas and other high-quality balls are made here.

● The FIFA World Cup has been ongoing every fourth year since 1930, and despite 21 tournaments being played since the first one in Uruguay, only 8 different countries have won the tournament.

● Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup 5 times, which makes it the most successful national team of all time.

● Canadians and Americans are the only ones in the world who call it soccer instead of football.

● The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang is the biggest stadium (having an area of 20.7 hectares) in the world with a capacity of up to 150,000 people.

● Football players run on average 9.65 km every game.

● Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Luis Suarez are the only 3 players to ever have scored a goal in every single minute from 1 to 90 minutes.

THE SECRET TO QUICK AND SUSTAINED ENERGY

Bananas

Have you ever noticed the foods that athletes keep during practices and matches?

Bananas are usually at the top of that list. But why bananas, and not just any and every fruit? In other words, what is so special about the banana that athletes and gym enthusiasts always have one in their kit?

The answer is simple. Bananas are one of the best ways to gain quick and sustained energy. In fact, they have often been called the 'perfect food' because they are rich in nutrients like potassium, zinc, iron, folic acid, calcium, Vitamin B6, and soluble fibre.

To be used as fuel, our system converts all foods into simple carbohydrates or sugars. This procedure takes up a lot of energy. That is why you feel tired after having a particularly large and heavy meal; it's because your body is working overtime in trying to digest the food! The carbohydrates in ripened bananas are already in their most basic form, making them easy to digest with minimal energy loss.

In bananas, there are two types of sugars-glucose and fructose. Glucose is the sugar that is the easiest to digest. It quickly enters your bloodstream and can be used to provide a burst of energy. Because fructose is absorbed more slowly, it provides a longer-lasting source of energy. Thus, you get quick besides long-lasting energy... a double win!

Moreover, potassium is necessary for normal muscular function. The lack of it leads to muscle cramps, weariness, and dehydration. Bananas provide the dense, readily available carbohydrates required to replenish muscle glycogen (muscle sugar) lost during exercise.

Thus, bananas are a perfect food for before, during or after any physical activity.

So, have you had your daily dose of bananas today?

LEANING TEMPLE OF INDIA

Ratneshwar

Did you know that the Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple is taller and also leans at an angle higher than the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

Lying on the Manikarnika Ghat in the holy town of -Varanasi, the traditional Ratneshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped as Mahadev (a form of Shiva).

The Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple leans by over 9°, more than the Pisa tower, which leans only by 4°. While the tower of Pisa is 54 metres high, Ratneshwar is 74 metres in height. The leaning temple of Ratneshwar Mahadev is thus also called Kashi Karvat (lean in Kashi).

Although this temple remains underwater for most of the year due to its visibly low level, it is valued and preserved even now. When the temple entrance is drowned in water, it is said that a priest dives into the water to worship and perform other rituals. The elegant architecture of the Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple includes a Nagara Shikhara (high curve shape) and a Garbhagriha (sanctum), which gets engulfed by water, the level of which reaches up to the Shikhara.

Before the 1860s, it was erected straight, but then, according to one of the beliefs, the temple ghat collapsed as it was not to bear its weight, thus tilting the temple backwards. Dr Ratnesh Varma of the District Cultural Committee once claimed that it was constructed by the Amethi royal family. Legend has it that a servant of Raja Man Singh built the Ratneshwar Temple as a token of love for his mother, Ratna Bai.

During the monsoon, when the temple sanctum submerges in water, no rituals are performed, and no prayers are heard. So, some people also believe that it is a cursed temple that could bring misfortune in their lives. 

DO YOU KNOW

Why do people shrink as they get older?

As people age, it’s common to get shorter. This can start as early as in your 30s! By the time men reach 70, they can lose about an inch, while women may lose two inches. But why does this happen?

As we age, the cartilage between our joints wears out, and conditions like osteoporosis cause bones to weaken, making the spine shorter. Another condition called Sarcopenia leads to muscle loss, which can also make people shrink. 

By eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D and staying active, older people can help keep their bones strong and slow down the shrinking process!

TO PROTECT TREES IN WINTER

Wool or thread bombing

Trees in the cold? Koreans knit blankets to protect trees from low temperatures. Since ancient times, in traditional Korean culture, trees were considered more than just an earthly plant; they were sacred trees. 

Also, South Korea is one of the many countries that live through the four seasons of the year and in December they have to go through the really cold winter season. 

For this reason, a community of elderly people in “Jeongdong-gil” have a wonderful custom every winter. It is a practice in which the elderly take their needles and knitting elements to make blankets or coats that they wrap around the trunks of the trees. This art, also known as “wool or thread bombing,” initially sought only to recover the trees and personalise sterile or cold public places, but now it has advanced as a positive influence to recover traditional arts such as knitting and crocheting and with it, to care for and shelter their trees in busy avenues with a lot of pollution. 

Likewise, when Korean trees are sick, they are treated with serums that are injected into them through plastic containers so that they can drink from them over time and recover in the spring and summer.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD

Dealing with setbacks 

There may be days when you feel sad of unexpected setbacks. Your marks may not be up to your expectations. Your parents may not be able to offer the support you expected from them.There are times when people disappoint you and let you down. Even your best friend might have behaved in a rude way.

But these are the times when you must remind yourself to be confident of yourself. If you believe in yourself and continue fighting for what you want, then people will understand you and they will be kind to you.

Recognise that dealing with failures and setbacks is a part of moving forward. No one wants to fail, but thinking that you will never fail is unrealistic. Take responsibility for your part in the failure so that you can learn from it.

Successful people didn’t get there automatically. They had to overcome many obstacles. They built enormous self-confidence during the days of their struggle. 

● Albert Einstein could not talk before the age of four.

● Winston Churchill had to repeat a school year.

● Beethoven was scolded that he would never become a composer.

● Thomas Edison’s teacher told him: “ You are not worth enough for school education”.

● Walt Disney was fired because he wasn’t creative. 

But they all made it! Think of them as being your silent mentors.

Whatever setbacks you are experiencing, whatever people say about you, keep on believing in yourself. Analyse the reasons for your set back, change your strategy and move on.

Remember the words of the famous television commentator, David Brinkley: “ A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.