Chess Boxing: A Test of Mind and Body

Chess boxing is a hybrid sport that asks competitors to do two very different things: out-think an opponent at a chess board and outfight that same opponent in a boxing ring. A typical chess boxing match alternates rounds of chess and boxing, so a competitor might be calculating a checkmate one minute and defending against punches the next. Yes, it's a real sport. Modern competitive chess boxing developed in the early 2000s, inspired by an idea that appeared in a French comic book. Since then, organized events, world championships, and several governing bodies have turned the unlikely combination into an international competition. A traditional chess boxing bout consists of 11 alternate rounds: six rounds of chess and five boxing rounds. The match begins and ends with chess. Between rounds, competitors get a short break — normally one minute — to change equipment. Boxing gloves come off when it's time for chess, then go back on when the fighters return to boxing. During the chess rounds, competitors may wear headphones to reduce outside noise and prevent them from hearing spectators discuss possible moves. A knockout ends the contest, as does checkmate. Running out of chess time can be just as decisive as losing a boxing round. The chess board and boxing ring may seem like opposite worlds, but chess boxing depends on mastering both. The winner has to keep thinking while tired, keep fighting while thinking about the unfinished chess position, and know that one mistake — whether it's a hanging queen or an unprotected chin — can end the match.

Continue Reading...

Postcard From Heaven: Man Receives Postcard 26 Years Later

Bob Sheppard was amazed when he opened his mailbox, only to discover a letter sent by his late parents. The weathered postcard from Copenhagen was mailed by his parents 26 years earlier in 2000. Signed simply “M&D,” the postcard carried a short message from his parents about their trip to Denmark. By the time the postcard finally reached Sheppard’s home, both of his parents had passed away. His mother Joanne died four years ago, while his father John died six years ago during the pandemic. Travel was something his parents loved. In fact, Sheppard keeps a board filled with pages from their passports and photographs documenting their lifetime of adventures. He also has a printed log of the places his parents visited, including Denmark, where 26 years ago, they handpicked the postcard, wrote a note to their son, and dropped it in the mail. Sheppard's mail carrier offered one possible explanation for the decades-long delay. "He believes that probably what happened to this postcard is that it somehow fell out of a bin or a basket or a shelf or something like that, and it maybe went underneath a desk or a file cabinet or something like that, and they must've just found it recently and said, 'Hey, the guy still lives at the same address. Let's go ahead and send it to him,'" Sheppard said. Sheppard, however, sees the postcard’s unexpected arrival differently. "This was, to me, almost a postcard from heaven," he said.

Continue Reading...

The Only Time a Car Collided With a Submarine

We’re all familiar with car collisions; in fact, cars have collided with a myriad of objects over the years. What you may not know is that there’s only one incidence of a car colliding with a submarine. On August 19, 1961, a Volvo was parked by the telephone exchange building near the South Harbor in Lysekil, Sweden. The car’s driver didn’t notice that the parking lot was sloped, so he didn’t set the parking brake before leaving. The car began to move downhill toward the sea, and after passing a shipment of herring, crossed the Southern harbor street and crashed into the bow of the submarine HSwMS Bävern docked at the pier. As a result of the collision, the front part of the car was crushed, and the submarine’s rail was dented. No one was injured as a result of the collision.

Continue Reading...

Why Earwax Is Good For Your Health

Earwax is a little sticky and a little gross, which is why most of us try to clean it out the second we spot it. However, doctors say that instinct is backward. Earwax isn’t a hygiene failure; it’s your ear’s built-in security system. Earwax — medically called cerumen — isn’t leftover gunk. It actually has a job to do. Otolaryngologists (ENTs) say earwax is there to be protective. One of the least known things about earwax is that it’s bacteriostatic, meaning it makes it harder for bacteria to grow. Earwax is also slightly acidic, helping protect against infections in the ear canal, as well as maintaining the delicate balance between beneficial and harmful microbes. In addition, earwax keeps things that shouldn’t be in our ears out — dirt, bugs, and other objects that don’t belong there. So, with all the benefits of earwax, do we need to clean our ears? The answer is mostly no. Our ears are designed to clean themselves. “I tell people a lot of times that ears should be like ovens — self-cleaning,” said Dr. John Seibert, Associate Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Continue Reading...