October 2016 – Page 70

October 7, 2016

No Such Thing As Sauce For The King Of Sweden

Live from Up The Creek in Greenwich, Dan, James, Anna and Andy discuss virtual grouse shooting, stolen Van Gogh paintings and what happens after you win a Nobel Prize.

October 7, 2016

No Such Thing As Sauce For The King Of Sweden

Live from Up The Creek in Greenwich, Dan, James, Anna and Andy discuss virtual grouse shooting, stolen Van Gogh paintings and what happens after you win a Nobel Prize.

October 7, 2016

What’s the Kennection?

Kennection Questions:

What Georgy Girl actress went up against her sister Vanessa for the 1965 Best Actress Oscar?

At her 1986 marriage, who became Duchess of York, Countess of Inverness, and Baroness Killyleagh?

What American Idol alum sang "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" on her eponymous 2008 debut album?

On her 2003 reality show, who asked her then-husband "Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish?" about Chicken of the Sea tuna?

Since 2009, who has been America's only black billionaire?

What's the "Kennection"?

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Friday, October 7, 2016 – 16:36

Quiz Number:

October 7, 2016

Show & Tell: Postal Chess Set for Wounded WWII Vets

Erin Blakemore

filed under: History, Show and Tell

Image credit:

Chess for the Wounded Postal Chess Recorder. 1946. Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame. Image courtesy of the World Chess Hall of Fame

Chess may seem like a placid pursuit, but it has plenty to do with combat. Of course, the game itself is a virtual portrayal of war complete with castles, knights, and royalty. But during World War II, it also took on new significance for wounded and captured soldiers, who were often faced with long hours of monotony and intellectual starvation.

The Geneva Conventions are best known today for their definitions of war crimes, but in 1929, the third convention helped lay out how to treat prisoners of war. The rules governed not just the physical conditions of POWs but their intellectual and moral needs, requiring freedom of religion, proper medical treatment, and respect based on military rank. The convention also contained a provision on recreation, which stated that “so far as possible belligerents shall encourage intellectual diversions and sports organized by prisoners of war.”

War relief organizations took that provision seriously—and for many prisoners of war during World War II, the regulation translated into a rousing game of chess. The intellectual pursuit didn’t take much room, could be played over the course of time, and was relatively quiet, making it the perfect pursuit for prisons and hospitals filled with people whose range of motion was limited. Throughout the war, chess was championed by organizations like the International Red Cross, which sent chess sets to prisoners in care packages. Soon, chess tournaments could be found in POW camps around the world.

But POWs weren’t the only war casualties who loved chess. In 1945, in response to the influx of wounded veterans at the war’s end, the United States Chess Federation partnered with the magazine Chess Review to bring chess to injured vets, too. The resulting organization, Chess for the Wounded, didn’t just get chess sets into hospitals—it brought some of the biggest names in chess directly to players. Chess greats (many of them women who had not been drafted into service) headed to players’ hospital bedsides to challenge them. Among them were Gisela Gresser, the first American woman chess master and one of the greatest players of all time, and several other U.S. women’s champions who volunteered.

The portable chess board you see above was given to a player by Herbert H. Holland, a U.S. Department of Agriculture worker, attorney, and avid chess player. Holland knew what it was like to be bored and incapacitated in a hospital bed: During World War I, he entered a diabetic coma and spent a total of nearly four years in hospitals recuperating. During those hours, Holland, a self-taught chess player, amused himself by playing chess with his fellow patients—a pastime that eased his boredom and made the long hours more bearable.

Holland never forgot how chess changed his life. During World War II, he collected a total of 1150 chess sets for prisoners of war. He eventually became the head of Chess for the Wounded. Though many players in the program used traditional chess sets, some used postal sets like the one you see above. The cards on the left were used to help players record the moves of several players at once as they mailed their games back and forth to other wounded opponents. Today, it’s in the collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis—a testament to the game’s little-known connection to the modern horrors of war.

October 7, 2016 – 4:30pm

October 7, 2016

Matthew Hits Florida, Continues Up the East Coast

Dennis Mersereau

filed under: weather

Image credit:

NOAA/NASA

The eye of powerful Hurricane Matthew is just a few dozen miles off the eastern coast of Florida this afternoon, Friday, October 7. The storm’s strong winds and flooding have caused damage up and down the Florida coast over the past 24 hours, and the storm is far from over. The absolute worst-case scenario didn’t play out, thankfully, but there’s still the chance for potentially deadly impacts from this storm as it continues to affect Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

As of 2 p.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center found that Hurricane Matthew was still a major hurricane—though downgraded from category 4 to category 3—with sustained winds of 115 mph in the storm’s eyewall. The hurricane is steadily moving north-northwest, a forward motion that’s brought it parallel to the Florida coast but kept the eyewall just a dozen or so miles east of land. As the storm continues moving generally northward and encounters a southeastern coast that curves northeast, forecasters expect the strongest part of the storm to draw closer to shore. The coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina are particularly vulnerable over the next 36 hours.

The National Hurricane Center’s forecast for Hurricane Matthew at 2:00 PM EDT on October 7, 2016. Image credit: Dennis Mersereau

Powerful winds are likely along the southeast coast as the center approaches the area on Friday night and through the day on Saturday. Hurricane force winds (74 mph or greater) are possible from Jacksonville, Florida, up to Wilmington, North Carolina. Tropical storm force winds are possible across inland counties and as far north as the border between North Carolina and Virginia. Even small flying debris could seriously injure you, so please stay inside during the peak of the storm if you live in this area.

This region of the country is extremely vulnerable to a storm surge, the sea water pushed inland by strong winds. Current forecasts call for a potential storm surge of 6 to 9 feet as far north as Edisto Beach, South Carolina, an area that includes St. Augustine and Jacksonville in Florida, Brunswick and Savannah in Georgia, and Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. Storm surge flooding has already caused damage throughout eastern Florida, with several harrowing videos surfacing on social media showing floodwaters approaching occupied buildings.

The Weather Prediction Center’s rainfall forecast for the week between October 7 and October 14, 2016. Image credit: NOAA/WPC

Not only will the wind and sea cause damage, but flooding from heavy rain is particularly concerning with this storm. Matthew could produce more than a foot of rain along coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, with half a foot of rain or more possible along the eastern halves of these three states. This much heavy rain in such a short period of time will likely lead to widespread flash flooding, especially since parts of eastern North Carolina are already swamped from recent rains. The excess water will quickly overwhelm local waterways, and roads in flood-prone areas will submerge with relative ease. Make sure you know alternate ways to get where you need to go this weekend if you can’t just stay home altogether.

Meteorologists used some of the strongest language possible in the statements they issued ahead of Hurricane Matthew. We knew that the eye of the storm would come very close to shore in Florida, and all evidence suggested that the eye would come close enough that its powerful eyewall would drag along the shoreline. The eye stayed just far enough to the east that most of the coast missed the worst winds, but the difference was just one or two dozen miles in most spots.

Forecasters will undoubtedly receive strong criticism for sounding “alarmist” in the lead-up to this hurricane, but the enhanced warnings were absolutely warranted. Had the hurricane wobbled just a dozen miles to the west, the situation in Florida would be much bleaker than it is now. Think of it this way: When the forest is on fire, you don’t stop to yell at the firefighters because your neighborhood didn’t burn down like they said it would. If there has ever been a storm to go all-out on warning people of the potential hazards using the strongest terms possible, it was Hurricane Matthew.

October 7, 2016 – 4:15pm

October 7, 2016

Portugal Will Give You a Free 3-Day Layover and Domestic Flight

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Portugal Will Give You a Free 3-Day Layover and Domestic Flight

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Portugal Will Give You a Free 3-Day Layover and Domestic Flight

October 7, 2016

‘Rest Days’ Are Important: 4 Ways to Make the Most of Them

Laurel Leicht

filed under: exercise, health

Image credit:

iStock

Consider this your permission to skip the gym today: Exercising too much without giving your body a break might make you sick, according to new research published in the journal Frontiers of Physiology. Researchers at Catholic University of Brasilia observed people who do CrossFit on a regular basis to see how the high-intensity exercise affected their muscles and immune system. After two consecutive days of the rigorous workout, people showed reduced levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines—proteins that white blood cells produce to help lower inflammation. In effect, the back-to-back workouts with no rest were hampering their immune function.

That study looked at CrossFitters specifically, but they’re not the only ones who need a little R&R. Taking some time off from the gym is essential, no matter what kind of workout you tend to do—whether it’s weight-lifting or running or something low-impact like a barre class. “Rest days are important regardless of intensity level because you’re placing the body and mind under some form of stress,” says Marlon Briscoe, a certified personal trainer and owner of BodyByBriscoe Studios in New York City. “Imagine going to school or work 365 days a year with no break—how would you feel?”

Keep reading for his tips about how to make the most of your days off.

1. TAKE OFF AT LEAST ONE DAY A WEEK.

If you’ve been exercising regularly for a while and are fairly advanced, you can probably get away with working out three or four consecutive days without any time off, says Briscoe; but even so, make sure to take off at least one full day each week. If you’re a newbie, you might want to ease into a routine and give yourself another day or two off (spread them out throughout the week).

“When you have a day or two off between workouts, your body will be able to come back at full force,” says Briscoe. Plus, he says, your mind will be rested, “so you’ll also be more encouraged to continue your program.”

2. ON WORKOUT DAYS, MIX IT UP.

If you do work out a few days in a row, make sure to target different muscles—for instance, do arms one day and legs the next, or alternate running days with cross-training. “Muscles break down during exercise and repair when you’re at rest,” says Briscoe. So if you keep working the same muscles over and over, they don’t get the chance to build themselves back up. “You’ll compromise your results if you work out the same body parts on consecutive days,” he says.

Another reason to change up the routine: You’ll lower your chances of injury. If your muscles are tight or sore and you try to work through the pain, you have a great chance of harming yourself, says Briscoe.

3. ON YOUR OFF DAYS, BE LAZY.

Don’t be tempted to go for an easy bike ride, jog, or yoga class on your day off—because you won’t really be giving your body the break it needs. “A rest day should be just that: rest,” says Briscoe.

If you want to do something a little active, he advises sticking to easy stretching (holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds) or foam rolling. Those will help keep your muscles loose without putting too much added strain on them.

4. PAY ATTENTION TO THE P.M.

Getting enough Zs is another key component to your recovery post-workout, says Briscoe. He also recommends eating something with casein protein before you head to bed to help your muscles further recover while you sleep. Science has shown this is a good strategy; in fact, downing a beverage with casein protein half an hour before bedtime improved exercisers’ protein synthesis rates (which helps repair muscles) by 22 percent in a 2012 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. So feel free to enjoy a protein shake as a midnight snack.

October 7, 2016 – 4:00pm

October 7, 2016

What Makes Sulfur Smell So Bad?

Kirstin Fawcett

filed under: Big Questions, science

Image credit:

iStock

If you’ve ever caught a whiff of natural gas, you know the stench is similar to that of bad eggs or rotting cabbage. But the unsavory smell also saves lives: Gas leaks put our homes at risk for fires and explosions, and can even cause asphyxiation and death. Since pure natural gas (a.k.a. methane) has no smell, utility companies add smelly, sulfur-containing odorants called mercaptans, or thiols, to warn us if anything is amiss with our pipelines.

In fact, scientists say that our ability to discern even miniscule levels of volatile sulfur compounds is key to human survival in general, as it helps us detect rotten food, atmospheres with low oxygen levels, and even the urine of potential predators. That’s why chemists and neurobiologists from the University of Albany set out to find which of the nose’s olfactory receptors are responsible for their stench, along with factors that affect our sensitivity to it. Their results were recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Olfactory receptors are present in specialized sensory cells called olfactory sensory neurons, which line our noses. They’re responsible for detecting molecules in our surroundings and sending messages to our brain so that we can recognize and label a smell. Led by chemistry professor Eric Block, the scientists located the receptor—known as OR2T11—that’s most responsive to thiols.

The researchers also found that the presence of copper ions in our nose’s mucus greatly amplifies our sensitivity to them. “Using molecular dynamics simulations, the team found two binding sites which contained copper,” Chemistry World explained. “The importance of both sites in detecting thiols was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis: genetically engineered receptors lacking the amino acids responsible for copper binding lost all functionality.”

“Obviously it is essential for everyone to be able to detect gas leaks by recognizing the smell of the sulfur odorant,” Block said in a release. “Unfortunately, some people have a diminished sense of smell, or the absence of smell all together. Understanding how we smell sulfur could help doctors treat those who are not responsive it.”

Have you got a Big Question you’d like us to answer? If so, let us know by emailing us at bigquestions@mentalfloss.com.

October 7, 2016 – 3:00pm

October 7, 2016

You Can’t Miss Friday’s Best Amazon Deals

Smart Shopping Team

filed under: shopping

Image credit:

amazon / istock

As a recurring feature, our team combs the Web and shares some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. Here’s what caught our eye today, October 7.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

October 7, 2016 – 12:17pm

October 7, 2016

Portugal Will Give You a Free 3-Day Layover and Domestic Flight

Shaunacy Ferro

filed under: travel

Image credit:

iStock

TAP, Portugal’s national airline, really, really wants you to visit the Iberian country. It’s launching a new program giving tourists free airline stopovers in Lisbon, Condé Nast Traveler reports. And for a limited time, TAP will even give you a free flight to Porto, one of the country’s largest cities, about 200 miles north of Lisbon. The free flight deal lasts until October 18, but the Lisbon stopover is a permanent program.

Iceland created a similar stopover program all the way back in the 1960s, and it’s given the country’s tourism industry a major boost, enough so that Icelandair has almost two dozen of its own branded hotels across the country. Earlier this year, the airline even launched a “buddy” program to connect stopover tourists up with locals willing to show them the sights.

Portugal is clearly hoping to replicate the success of the Nordic program, though the country’s tourism industry is already doing pretty well on its own—it hosted a record number of foreign visitors in 2015. More information and deals are at TAP’s Portugal Stopover page.

[h/t Condé Nast Traveler]

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

October 7, 2016 – 2:30pm

1. TAKE OFF AT LEAST ONE DAY A WEEK.

2. ON WORKOUT DAYS, MIX IT UP.

3. ON YOUR OFF DAYS, BE LAZY.

4. PAY ATTENTION TO THE P.M.

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