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STUDENT EDITION
➤➤Intriguing
An educator tells to
questions us ➤ Learn coding in easy ways ➤ Breakdancing at
how you
keep to inculcate
guessing self PLUS: Pic story on places that the Olympics and SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2024
TODAY’S regulation
PLUS: skillseditorials
Handpicked in our from experience the midnight sun; other interesting
Newspaper in
Education

EDITION daily
the lives
Times and the
universe
importance of it
Personality development tips Games-related trivia LATEST BUZZWORDS

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Pics: Istock
FITNESS

G
PS watches come
equipped with satellite
technology and heart
SHOULD YOU
rate monitors to produce
a buffet of functions.
TRUST YOUR
Want to know how far and how fast
you’ve run? How about your average
SMARTWATCH?
stride length? Your cadence? The list

1
goes on. For many runners, GPS
It is prone to inaccuracies when
watches are a remarkably useful train- it comes to tracking data such as
ing tool. But there are others who have heart rate, steps taken, and calo-

W
a hard time understanding the fuss. ries burned. While manufacturers hen it comes to ageing,
To them, all this is more hindrance we tend to assume that
than help. And get this: Some runners, claim their devices are highly accu- cognition gets worse as
including professionals, don’t wear rate, studies have shown that these we get older. Our
watches at all. devices can be off by as much as thoughts may slow
20% in some cases! This margin of down or become confused, or we may
start to forget things. But that’s not the
DRAINING error can have serious consequences case for everyone. For years, scientists
for individuals relying on their smart- have been studying a subset of people
YOUR While watch to track their health and fit- they call ‘super-agers’ (or ‘superager’),
smartwatches ness progress individuals who are aged 80 and older,
BATTERY can be a convenient but have the memory of a person 20 to 30

2
Heather Ma- Smartwatches are not immune years younger. This population falls well
cLean, an and useful tool in our to data breaches or hacks, as outside the “normal” memory skill range
O l y m p i c daily lives, it’s important with any device connected to for people their age.
1,500-metre run-- to recognise their limita-
ner, recalled a the internet.
tions and potential WHO COINED THE TERM?
3
period of her There is a potential for
life when she en- drawbacks addiction and over-reliance. The term “super-ager” was coined by The
joyed the utility
y of a Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology
GPS watch. As a stu-
With constant notifications and Alzheimer’s Disease, Northwestern
dent at the University
niversity of and updates, smartwatches can be a University in the year 2008. The Center
Massachusetts, US, she grew to under- source of distraction, leading to is currently conducting studies to deter-
stand the value of sleep — and more decreased productivity and mine the genetic, brain, and lifestyle fac-
important, that she was not getting tors that help a person retain their mem-
enough of it — while working in a increased stress levels. Additionally, ory so much better than their peers.
neuroscience laboratory. So, she be- individuals who rely too heavily on Their research tactics involve brain im-
gan using a GPS watch to monitor her their smartwatch for everyday tasks aging, blood study, paper surveys, and
rest and adjust her schedule. Why are some top runners ditching the GPS watch? Can may find themselves struggling brain donation.
Later, MacLean tried to be consist-
ent about wearing a GPS watch but tracking workouts become more harmful than helpful? to function without it, which
SIGNS OF A SUPER AGER
was hampered by a couple of issues. can lead to a lack of inde-
First, she was always forgetting to pendence and self-reliance. From a layperson’s perspective, there is
charge it. Second, MacLean realised UNPLUGGED RUNNING Adam Gazzaley and Larry Rosen, a rally competi- one main sign of being a super ager: You

4
her watch was draining the fun from Ditching your running watch could professor emeritus of psychology at tive, they can
They can be a source remember more than others in your age
her runs. It was especially apparent to actually improve your workout, some California State University, US, hav- become obsessed of social pressure group. But from a scientific perspective,
her during a low-key stretch when she research suggests. In fact, the idea of ing a constant flow of information with numbers. and comparison. there are numerous factors that deter-
was simply trying to build fitness. “I unplugged running is gaining steam due to technology can lead to “stress, And the business With features such as fit- mine if a person is a super ager. The fol-
hated that every run I went on, I felt in the fitness community, as recent anxiety, loss of sleep, depression, and of making it to the lowing is true of people over eighty years
like I had to check my pace and my studies show that obsessively track- more”. Many runners say that with- top of the heap as ness tracking and social old who are super agers:
distance and whatever else,” she ing fitness metrics can lead to nega- out the pressure of checking their an elite runner can media notifications, it con-  Their brains look twenty to thirty
shares her experience. “So, I just de- tive mindsets and outcomes. smartwatches to account for every be especially taxing. tributes to a culture of com- years younger than their age when im-
cided that I was going to lay off it for And there is also the problem of mile, they get better at listening to It’s best to keep things aged.
a while and switch to a regular watch.” information overload. According to a their body. as simple as possible.
parison and competition. TNN  Their brains resist cortical shrinkage,
She never went back. 2018 study by cognitive neuroscientist Because many runners are natu- AGENCIES which means that their brains have not
shrunk, also known as atrophied, in
ways that are common for others of their
TECH TONIC age group.
TRAVEL TREND
How CLIMATE CHANGE is
 They lose 1.06 per cent of their brain
peratures become bearable. Greenland, volume annually, compared to the 2.24
which is mostly covered with ice, is per cent of their peers.

affecting your TRAVEL PLANS

 Their brains have higher levels of a
expecting to see more tourists in the
specific type of neuron, called Von
coming decades, with a new Economo neurons.
Shifting weather patterns are raising airport set to open in 2024.  The fibres in their brains do not get

questions about where, when and how tangled in the ways that are markers of
Alzheimer’s disease.
tourists will travel ‘HOT’ DESTINATIONS
The concept of a summer vacation itself
may change. As summers nearly as high as 2019’s peak occupancy in
came amid Spain’s limits on air condition-
become unbearable, vaca- July, bucking the typical sharp down-
ing in public spaces, leaving tourists to
tions could take place ward trend after the summer.
sweat it out. Should ‘peak travel season’

T
ravellers encountered many during the “shoulder In Japan, cherry blossoms are
weather surprises last summer move to the more hospitable autumn or
season”, or during the flowering 11 days earlier, meaning
— from wildfires in Europe to spring months?
autumn and spring the cherry blossom season now
torrential rain and knee-deep What’s more, these trends are only
months. In other words, attracts tourists in March rather
mud at Burning Man. Many tourists are likely to get worse, meaning southern

How to handle a
tourists could change than April. A changing climate will
considering if it makes sense to visit Italy coastal regions like Greece, Italy or Spain
when (rather than where) affect how and when tourists travel. Yet,
or Spain in July, given the high tempera- are expected to see a drop in tourism if
they visit. Indeed, this change this runs the other way too: Tourism is itself
tures, minimal air conditioning and large temperatures continue to rise. On the
may already be taking place. Short-term affecting the climate. Tourism accounts for about
other hand, colder destinations like

DATA BREACH
crowds. Last year, the Spanish city of rental analytics platform AirDNA report- eight per cent of global emissions. And though the
Valencia saw temperatures reach 46.8 Denmark, France or the UK could see
ed that occupancy rates at mountain and airline industry is trying to reduce emissions, it still
degrees in August, a record high. That more vacationers, as their freezing tem-
lake destinations in October 2022 were lags far behind other major emitters. AP

TECH TONIC

A
s more and more of our lives pany or organisation involved to see if they
STAYING ON THE
Do I need to worry about
move online, our personal can confirm the breach. But use their of-
data like email addresses, ficial website, app or social media channels SAFE SIDE
phone numbers, birthdates – don’t use links or contact details in any  Cellphones today are nothing
and even passcodes grow messages you’ve been sent.
like the brick phones of the

3 SMARTPHONE RADIATION?
more vulnerable to theft. STRENGTHEN YOUR PASSWORD: If

1
FIRST CHECK: There are online ser- your data has been exposed, the first early 2000s. The phones we’ll
vices that you can use to check whether thing you should do is change your pass- use next decade will be differ-
your data has been exposed. ‘Have I Been word. Use a strong password — 16 characters
ent, too. This makes it challeng-
Pwned’ is a free website that shows if your preferably — that includes letters, numbers If you’re constantly on your phone, you’re probably not doing your body any ing to study the longterm risks
email has been involved in a data breach. and symbols. Make sure to add multi-
Malwarebytes’ Digital Footprint Portal does factor authentication, which adds a sec- favours. But experts say you don’t need to worry yet and reveal ways to stay safe from any one phone
a similar job but it also checks if your info ond layer of verification by requiring a
 Radiation has actually

E
has been posted on the dark web. code to be sent by text message or email. xcess phone use tion as they use invisible energy scribes many types of energy,

2 4
ALWAYS CROSSCHECK: Even after ASSESS RISK LEVEL: “Just has been linked waves to transmit voices, texts, some of which do carry risks. decreased with newer technology
a breach has been made public, be on because your info shows up in with a range of photos and emails to nearby cell Atomic bombs, or, to a far lesser
 The Federal Communications
guard for phishing in the form of a breach doesn’t mean some- concerns, in- towers, which can shuttle them to degree, X-ray machines, emit en-
emails or phone calls purporting to be from one’s stolen your identity or money. cluding sleep virtually anywhere in the world. ergy called ionising radiation that Commission, US and its interna-
the hacked organisation. Contact the com- But it does mean you’re at risk,” issues, elevated cortisol lev- But nearly three decades of scien- — in high enough or frequent tional counterparts set radiation
said Oren Arar, vice-president of els, joint pain and even rela- tific research has not linked such enough doses — can damage DNA
consumer privacy at Malwarebytes. tionship woes. But if it’s ra- exposures to medical issues like and cause cancer. This is why you
limits for new phones. These
WHAT IS SIMJACKING? “That’s why it’s smart to watch your diation you’re worried cancer, health authorities includ- usually wear a protective lead limits are based on radiation lev-
credit for new accounts, change any pass- about, experts say you don’t ing the Food and Drug Ad- blanket during
du X-rays. els that could theoretically raise
In layman’s terms, SIM-jacking is essentially words that get leaked and have a separate have to ditch your phone. As ministration say. Here’s ere’s But
Bu smartphone our body temperatures a frac-
taking control of someone’s phone number, ‘junk’ email for less important sign-ups.” with all cellphones
c what we know. In September energy
ener falls into a
tion of a degree

5
and tricking a carrier into transferring it to CALL YOUR PHONE COMPANY: The (along with 2023, French authorities category
cat called
Breaches that involve a telephone company experts inter- Wi F i n e t - non-ionising
no ra-
a new phone. Thieves usually manage to can leave customers vulnerable to having works,
wo radio NOT ALL told Apple that it must lower diation,
d which the Northwestern University Feinberg
viewed said that the the radiation levels emitted by isn’t
gain control of your number by fooling or their phone numbers stolen, or ‘simjacked’ (see
box). Thieves could use the hijacked number to studies that have suggested
s t at i o n s,
remote
RADIATION the iPhone 12 to comply with
i
enough
e
powerful
to cause
School of Medicine, US; Emily Caf-
frey, an assistant professor of health
bribing someone who works for the carrier
or contacting the carrier and stating the access accounts that use that number for multi- that smartphones pose radia- controls c IS HARMFUL its maximum limits. Apple this
th damage. NYT physics at the University of Alabama,
factor authentication. To reduce that risk, set tion risks didn’t actually and
a GPS), A lot of people think — Experts: US; Dr Howard Fine, director of the
subscriber’s personal information, which up a unique passcode that’s needed to prevent smart- ‘radiation is radia- a- rolled out a software G
Gayle Woloschak, Brain Tumour Center at New York
thieves can come by in multiple ways significant account changes such as porting prove that cell phones phones
ph do tion,’ but it’s not all the
he update as
associate dean and Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical
phone numbers to another carrier. AP caused those health emit
em radia- same. “Radiation” ” de- professo of radiology at
professor Center in New York City
issues
 02 “I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t
know.” MARK TWAIN QUIZ
SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2024

WORLD
 Leang Karampuang cave was in the
news due to the discovery of the world’s
oldest known figurative cave painting.
The cave is located in?

a) Thailand NOTE: The painting is

located in the Leang
b) Indonesia Karampuang cave on the
Indonesian island of
c) Malaysia Sulawesi. It is the world’s
oldest known figurative
d) India cave painting dating back
Answer c) Indonesia 51,200 years

 Which day is celebrated as the

ENVIRONMENT International Moon Day?

WHAT... WHEN...WHO... WHY...

a) July 15
 Which institute has discovered an eco-friendly b) July 20
solution for treating muddy river water?
a) Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal c) July 17

b) Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy, Visakhapatnam

c) Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

QUIZ AND TELL d) July 18
b) July 20
Answer

d) Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

Answer b) Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy, Visakhapatnam FROM THE TIMES UNIVERSE Note: Moon Day commemorates the day when man first
walked on the moon in 1969. Neil Armstrong was the first
human to set foot on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11
Mission. The theme is ‘Lunar Exploration Coordination &
NOTE: The Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy (IIPE) in
Visakhapatnam, in collaboration with other research institutions, has
Published on: May 23, 2024 RELEVANT FOR GRADES: 7 ONWARD Sustainability’.
discovered an eco-friendly solution for treating muddy river water. The
solution is called the “Surface Modification Technique of Membrane”.  Which country recently unveiled the
Johansson makes OpenAI back down, but most world’s first 6G device?
 Pench Tiger Reserve, recently in news for a
rare leopard sighting, is located in which state? artistes are less effective against Big Tech
a) Kerala

I
t was the voice interface of GPT-
b) Maharashtra 4o that was the real wow factor at
its demo last week. This AI assis-
c) Madhya Pradesh tant sees you, hears you, talks to
you. The latency is down, the
d) Telangana humour is up. Flirtatiousness is fab.
Answer c) Madhya Pradesh But one of the five voices being
debuted sounded familiar to many.
NOTE: A leopard cat, scientifically known as Prionailurus OpenAI chief posting “her” on his X a) Japan NOTE: A Japanese consortium
bengalensis, was sighted in Pench Tiger Reserve, account only made sure that even unveiled the world’s first
marking its first appearance there. those who weren’t thinking about Her, b) China high-speed 6G prototype
would now do. Last year too Altman gadget, surpassing 5G by 20
had tipped his hat to the 2013 movie, times. Developed by DOCOMO,
 What is the theme of ‘World Migratory Bird c) Russia NTT, NEC, and Fujitsu, it can
saying the things it got right – “like
Day 2024’? transmit data over 300 feet at
the whole interaction models of how d) India
100 Gbps, tested successfully
a) Protect insects & birds people use AI” – was incredibly
prophetic.
Answer a) Japan indoors and outdoors.
b) Save water
HOW TO READ THIS EDITORIAL: ■ Speak to your friends about this Op-ed  Where was the ‘World Hydrogen Summit
c) Light pollution Write to us at
■ Read the article in its entirety and find out what they feel about the and Exhibition 2024’ held?
role of AI in creative arts. [email protected]
d) Protect reptiles ■ Compare all articles published on ‘Her’
Answer a) Protect insects & birds

NOTE: World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), celebrated on the second READ MORE HERE: https://tinyurl.com/33uj3mjc
Saturday in May and the second Saturday in October — is an annual
global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds
and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. What laddoos found in Rajasthan say about
 Where was the 19th session of the United the diet of Harappan Civilisation NOTE: Organised by the
Sustainable Energy
Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) held? Published: May 3, 2024 a) London, UK Council and partners

T
a) Paris he Times of India speaks to scientist Rajesh Agnihotri including the Netherlands
regarding seven big-sized, high-protein multigrain
b) Moscow, Russia
government, it’s a
b) New York laddoos excavated from a site in Rajasthan, which premier platform
reportedly date back to the Harappan civilization. c) Paris, France promoting green
c) California During a recent excavation in Rajasthan, a team of Indian d) Rotterdam, hydrogen technology and
scientists discovered seven big-sized, high-protein multigrain its global adoption as a
d) London laddoos that are reportedly as old as the Indus Valley Netherland sustainable fuel source.
Answer b) New York
Civilisation. The study was jointly conducted by the Birbal Answer d) Rotterdam, Netherland
NOTE: The 19th UN Forum on Forests convened recently in New Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow and the
York, aiming to foster global forest management, conservation, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi.
and sustainability. SEE MORE HERE: https://tinyurl.com/bdhsr95u  Who won the silver medal at the
Asian Trampoline Gymnastics
 Manika Batra is associated with
SPORTS  Who won the gold medal in men’s javelin throw
which sports?
Championship?

at the 27th Federation Cup Senior Athletics

 World’s highest competition pool has been Competition in Bhubaneshwar?
opened in which country?

a) Dipa Karmakar NOTE: Srishti

Khandagale scripted
a) Table Tennis NOTE: Manika Batra, India’s top b) Kalpana Debnath history by becoming the
a) Nepal NOTE: World Aquatics and the Bhutan a) Neeraj Chopra NOTE: Neeraj Chopra, Olympic women’s table tennis player, first ever Indian to win a
Aquatics Federation have inaugurated
champion, clinched gold in his b) Badminton achieved a historic milestone c) Srishti Khandagale medal at the Asian
b) Myanmar Bhutan’s first competition swimming pool in b) Kishore Jena first home competition in three by entering the world’s top 25 Trampoline Gymnastics
Thimphu, through the Pools for All
c) Vikas Yadav years at the 27th Federation c) Football in Women’s singles rankings, d) Rucha Divekar Championships. She
c) Bhutan Programme. This facility, located at 8,200
Cup in Bhubaneswar on May 15. reaching a career-high of 24. clinched the silver medal
feet, is the world’s highest swimming pool.
d) Manjinder Singh d) Chess in Women’s Individual
d) Bangladesh Answer c) Bhutan Answer a) Neeraj Chopra Answer a) Table Tennis
Age group category.
 CLICK HERE: PAGE 3 AND 4
WEBSTAR/MYSPACE
SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2024
“As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world,
more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.”
AMIT RAY, AI SCIENTIST
03
WEBSTAR Your window to all that’s happening in the world wide web
COSMOS
LEARN CODING IN EASY WAYS T
he story of
HOW TO

15 billion years
of cosmic evo-
lution transforming

READ THIS
matter and life into
LEARNING TO CODE CAN BE BOTH EXCITING AND CHALLENGING, consciousness, of how
BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL STRATEGIES TO MAKE THE PROCESS EASIER AND MORE ENJOYABLE: science and civilisa-
tion grew up togeth-
er, and of the forces

STEP 1
START WITH THE BASICS:
STEP 3
PRACTICE REGULARLY:
and individuals who
helped shape modern
science. A story told
Begin with fundamental Consistent practice is key with Carl Sagan’s
concepts and programming to mastering coding. Set remarkable ability to
languages like Python, aside dedicated time each make scientific ideas
which are beginner-friendly day or week to work on both comprehensible
and have a gentle learning coding challenges, pro- and exciting.
curve. jects, or exercises.

STEP 2
INTERACTIVE ONLINE
STEP 4
JOIN CODING Army dog Meru takes first
COURSES:
Platforms like Codecademy,
COMMUNITIES:
Join online coding commu- class ride to retirement
Coursera, and Udemy offer nities like GitHub, Stack
interactive courses with Overflow, or Reddit’s r/ home in Meerut
hands-on exercises, quiz- learnprogramming to ask
zes, and projects that make questions, share knowledge,
learning to code more and collaborate with other
engaging. learners and professionals.

STEP 5 WORK ON REAL PROJECTS:

IT’S VIRAL
Apply your coding skills to real-world projects
that interest you. Building something tangible will keep you motivated
and help you see the practical applications of what you’re learning. Watch the full tutorial here: https://tinyurl.com/mvnhj3un

1
CAN GET YOU A DREAM SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT JOB rything yesterday. Not having to look elsewhere for a coder
WHY SHOULD Coding is a fundamental skill for jobs such as software saves both time and money, plus it means you can keep

A
n army dog named Meru, from the 22 Army Dog Unit,
YOU LEARN development. There is currently a shortage of software changing and redesigning as your idea develops. retired recently and his journey to a retirement home
TO CODE? developers worldwide, so learning to code can be an easy in Meerut is winning hearts online. Photos show Meru

4
route into an open field of work. CODING CAN BOOST PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS
travelling in a first AC coach on a train. The post is captioned,
‘Learning to code’ seems It boosts skills which are actually useful to most jobs.
“Army Tracker Dog Meru from the 22 Army Dog Unit boarded

2
to be the buzzword at CODING CAN ALSO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND OTHER TECH Problem solving and logic are the main two. Learning to
a train to Meerut on retirement. He will spend the rest of his
the moment and every- Coding literacy can also help in other ways. For code is like an exercise session for the “left” side of the brain. days at the Dogs Retirement Home at the Remount and Vet-
one from Bill Gates to instance, it can mean you are quicker to learn other erinary Corps (RVC) Center.”

5
Obama is encouraging aspects or tech, plus mean you are more digitally fluent. IT CAN IMPROVE INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
It added, “He is travelling AC first class. The Ministry of
young people to give it a Coding for most big projects tends to be a
Defence recently permitted service dogs on retirement to

3
go. But why is it so IT CAN ALLOW YOU TO PURSUE YOUR PASSION! collaborative effort. This means having to work as one
travel in first class AC compartments with their handlers.”
important? Read on to Coding is a skill for you if you’re the sort of person cog as part of a greater team.
find out. who has tons of ideas and wants to get started on eve- Read the full story here: https://tinyurl.com/3pvjpwd4
Watch full tutorial here: HTTP://TINYURL.COM/2FUJEUH2 Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/y9868hvu

TELL ME
PERSONALITY WHY
DEVELOPMENT
We are also catching up on the successful trend of telling stories via
WEB STORY pictures. This is our Web Story of the week. Each picture and it’s caption says
Personality development, spiritual inclination... a space where you can discover yourself
an interesting story. Tell us what you like about it at [email protected]

4 Ways to Develop
A note: The key is building a personality that you can feel
SVALBARD, NORWAY The place is situated within the Artic Circle. It REYKJAVIK, ICELAND The capital city of proud of and confident in. You want a personality that will
experiences the midnight sun phenomenon between late April and late Iceland experiences midnight sun during the

a Good Personality
attract the type of people that you like. Developing your
August. Visitors to this remote wilderness can witness the sun shining summer months where visitors can enjoy
brightly at midnight, casting an ethereal glow. extended daylight hours.
personality will take time and consistent effort, just like
making any other major lifestyle change.

Step 1: Figure it out

yourself: What
“personality” really means to you.
A lot of people seem like they have a
good personality until you see them in
an emergency or tense situation.
Most people define personality as Then they lose their cool. Don’t be
the collection of mental this person! If you are in a tense
and behaviourial traits that situation, try to remain relaxed
make you who you are. and see what you can do to
These are your enduring resolve the situation.

5
characteristics and tenden-
cies to consistently think,
behave, and feel in certain
ways. While some of your
Step 4: How open
minded

incredible
are you?
personality is defined by your
One important part of having a
genetics and your early experi-
good personality is being will-

places on Earth
ences, it is possible to change
ing to change your worldview.
your beliefs and behaviours
Listen to others and always

that experience
over time to a certain extent.
be willing to change your mind.
Don’t pass judgment on other peo-

midnight sun Step 2: Happiness is good personality. ple just because they act in a different
key: Try to see the way than you do. Keeping an open mind
The phenomenon of the midnight sun takes place in
joy in the world. Laugh with others, will allow you to make many new friends
regions close to Artic and Antarctic circles. These
areas experience continuous daylight for weeks,
sometimes months.
but not at them. Everyone appreciates
someone who is jovial. Smiling and
laughing is a huge part of having a
Step 3: Calmness
matters
Try to stay calm in tense situations.
and probably live a much more interest-
ing life. There’s no need to shut off
parts of the world.
Quiz time:
1. What is ‘midnight sun’?
2. Which places experience midnight sun the most? UTQIAGVIK, ALASKA, USA It is the northernmost city of the US that
3. Why do you think the phenomenon of experiences the midnight sun phenomenon between
‘midnight sun’ exists? August and September. REFLECT AND RECOGNISE YOUR
CONTEMPLATE::
CONTEMPLATE MISTAKES: Admit where
Dwell in the presence you yourself have been
of the divine: Your wrong, and be willing to
path may be to pray, be corrected. This step
meditate, read spirit- makes you responsible.
ual material, take a
long walk through SEE THE GOOD IN
nature — or all of the OTHERS: When you’re
above — but an tempted to judge some-
optimum practice one, make an effort to
includes both see their goodness. Your
morning and evening willingness to look for
sessions of at least the best in people will
20 minutes each. subconsciously bring it
KIRUNA, SWEDEN This city experiences midnight sun from late May to MURMANSK, RUSSIA Set on the Kola Peninsula, This step makes you forth. This step makes
mid-July. Visitors to this Lapland region can embark on wilderness excursions, Murmansk is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle and strong. you positive.
visit the famous Icehotel, or embark on a midnight sun safari. experiences midnight sun from late May to mid-July.
 04
You have to remember that the hard days are what make you stronger. The
bad days make you realize what a good day is. If you never had any bad days,
you would never have that sense of accomplishment
SIMPLY SPORTS
– ALY RAISMAN, American gymnast SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2024

TERMINOLOGY
Breaking or breakdancing BATT TLE
A one-on-one dance-off be-
will make its Olympic debut tween two breakers, divided
into a number of rounds
at Paris 2024. Here is a look where each competitor will
gett to dan
ge ance
ce onc
nce.
e.
at some breaking points… THROW DOWN
A 60-second period during
which one dancer gets to do
a freestyle dance to the
musi
sic
ic se
selle
lecttedd by th
thee DJ
DJ..

WHAT IS BREAKING ROUND

Two throw downs, one from

I
nbbreaking or breakdancing ath-
letes flip, spin and balance like each breaker, equals a
gymnasts to the accompani- round. Two or three rounds
ment of music in the most spon- comp
co mpri
rise
se a bat
attl
tle.
e.
taneous moves. The dance-battle
sport is characterised by acro- FREEZE
batic movements and stylised When a breaker stops mid-
footwork, as they sync their performance, often in an
moves to the music played by UNIQUE ASPECT unusual position, to em-
a DJ or MC (master of cer- p as
ph asis
isee th
is thee po
p se
se..

U
emonies). nlike in other sports with musi-
cal accompaniment, like the
gymnastics floor exercise or TOP ROCK
figure skating, the athletes don’t All the moves performed stand-
THE DEBUT control or pick the music. A DJ ing up. Usually, top rock re-
chooses and plays the music, set- fers to a combination of
hand movements and foot-

T
he sport debuted at the Sum- ting the tone for the battle, as
mer Youth Olympic Games well as the beats and pace the work
wo rk.
in Buenos Aires in 2018. Fol- breakers must dance to.
lowing its outstanding success
DOWN ROCK
at the Games in Argentina, the
All the moves performed on the
International Olympic Com-
floor. Down rock includes
mittee (IOC) added breaking
spins, slides, transitions be-
to the Paris 2024 Olympic
tween dance moves and
programme as a new sport.
“pow
“p ower mov
ower oves.”
oves
JUDGING
POWER MOVES
PERFORMANCE
A
panel of at least three Complex sets of movement used
judges scores a breaking by a breaker to showcase their

T
he athletes or breakers, match, called a battle, on athleticism, usually by spinning
compete by challenging Each throw-down lasts
Ea RULES five criteria: technique, vo- their whole body on their
another breaker, taking around 60 seconds, al-
aro cabulary, execution, musical- hands, elbows, back, head or

A
turns to perform. Each breaker though there isn’t a
thou t the Olympic Games, ity, and originality. Each shoulders. These tend to be
gets a set number of rounds, penalty if it is too
pena b-boys and b-girls c r i t e r i a h a s d i f f e re n t the most intensive parts of
th
or throw-downs, to compete or short. Once
long o compete in separate weightage. Spontaneity of a throw
thr down.
in. Most major competitions both bbreakers per- competitions. They com- the breaker is among the
set up two or three throw- for m dduring their pete in a round robin most crucial factors
downs per dancer. The fi- throw d down, the group stage before mov- while judging.
nals usually have three to over.
round is o ing into the knock-out
five throw-downs. quarter-finals, semi-
finals and finals.

We catch up with some interesting snippets about the Paris

Olympics, that begins on July 26, 2024...

The metal in the medal

 The medals that will
The Olympic Mascot
ascot be presented at the Paris
is a Phrygiann Cap 2024 Olympic games will
contain metal from the
Eiffel Tower. The gold

CALLING medal at these games

will weigh 529 grams.

 Interestingly, dur-
ing the 1936 Berlin
Games, two Japanese
Main venues for the Paris 2024 Olympics pole-vaulters tied for
second place. So, they cut the
silver and bronze medals in half
Before and during the Games, competition sites will be and fused the two different
halves together so that each of
subject to traffic bans and restrictions. Four colour-coded them had a half-silver and half-
perimeters will be set up around the sites, with specific bronze medal.
The
rules for each. historic  The design of Olympic medals
has varied over the years, with
Colombes each host city adding their
Stade de France: stadium was unique touch. From ancient Greek
The iconic stadium will motifs to modern artistic inter-
host athletics events. Its the principal pretations, the evolution of medal
has a seating capacity venue of the designs mirrors the changing
of 80,698, making it the artistic trends and cultural signifi-
largest in France
Games in 1924. Ot cance of each edition of the
will again play games.
host to Olym
y pic
p
sport this
VERSAILLES PALACE:
Grand Palais: summer
A historical monument and seven by
Equestrian events and Belarusians,
Bela includ-
and exhibition hall, it
the modern pentathlon ing the world’s
wo third and
will hold fencing and 16th ranked women’s
wom tennis
will take place here.
taekwondo events. players, Aryna Sabalenka
Sa and
Azarenka.  The four
Victoria Azarenka
Russian judokas invited declined
en masse, as did the wrestlers.
actively support the war in The Russian gymnasts
gym had
Ukraine or have any links with announced in advance they would
CHAMPS DE MARS:  Only 16 Russians and 17 their countries’ armies. not be attending. Track and field
PARIS EXPO PORTE Belarusians have accepted invita-  The updated list, which covers competitors are all banned by
A temporary arena will tions to compete under a neutral ten disciplines ranging from World Athletics. The IOC has also
DE VERSAILLES:
be the site for beach banner at the Paris Olympics. cycling to swimming and tennis, barred the two countries from
Set to host several  To be invited to the Games, could change if competitors with- any team events.  Athletes from
volleyball and is ex-
sports including table “neutral individual athletes” who draw, a spokesperson for the the two countries were banned
pected to hold around achieved good enough results International Olympic Committee from world sport following the
tennis and boxing.
12,000 spectators. qualify, had to pass a double (IOC) told AFP.  So far, the IOC Russian invasion of Ukraine in
check, first by the international has counted 19 refusals on the February 2022, but the IOC orches-
sports federations and then by Russian side - including athletes trated their gradual return under
the IOC, to ensure they did not who have changed their minds - a neutral banner.