As we saw from yesterday’s post, sports such as football and rugby can be hazardous for even the most capable of players. There are, however, a host of sporting activities which up the fatality factor and are reserved for extreme adrenalin junkies only. Here is our list of 5 of the most dangerous sports in the world, in no particular order.
Base Jumping
As the name suggests, base jumping sees participants leaping from a significant height with nothing but a hand-deployed parachute. The acronym ‘BASE’ stands for Building, Antennae, Spans (bridges) and Earth (cliffs) – the four categories of fixed locations jumpers can choose from. Base jumping is not illegal, however, jumpers require permission depending on where they jump from and where they (hope to) land.
Cave Diving
The list of hazards that come with cave diving is fairly extensive. Diving in itself is a dangerous sport but add to that the fact that, in the event of an emergency, the diver can’t ascend directly to the surface and the risks are multiplied. On top of that, divers have to cope with poor visibility, complex cave systems, limited air supply and strong currents.
Street Luging
This extreme sport involves the participant whizzing down a steep, winding road while lying face up on a large skateboard without brakes. In many cases, lugers even choose to practice the sport on streets open to traffic. Unsurprisingly, fatalities are not unheard of.
Heli-Skiing
With this expensive sport, skiers are dropped from a helicopter onto the top of a mountain and have to make their own way down without being injured or killed. Besides the high-altitude helicopter journey, risks for participants include avalanches, snow drifts and concealed steep drops.
Bull Riding
Called “the most dangerous sport in eight seconds”, rodeo bull riding involves a rider jumping onto a large (usually angry) bull and trying to stay on for as long as possible. If the rider is thrown off, he faces a variety of serious injuries, from broken bones to punctured lungs.
Antonio Valencia suffered a horrific injury playing for Manchester United on Tuesday night, severely breaking his ankle. Football players essentially represent large investments for clubs and there is risk there. The career of a football player is so short that one bad injury can finish them. To this end, clubs would have to take insurance out against injury. It makes sense. The risks are simply too big. Lets look at some of the worst and weirdest sporting injuries there have been.
Dan Carter
Perpignon rugby team in France signed Dan Carter last year for 6 months on a salary of £500,000. It was to work out at around £25,000 per game. However Carter ruptured his achiles tendon early on and didn’t play for them again. His on field contribution to the club was 45 points and 361 minutes of rugby.
David Busst
The career of former England footballer, David Busst was cut short just two minutes into a Premiership match in 1996 when Busst collided with a player from the opposing team, fully fracture his right leg in two places. The match was delayed for 15 minutes while officials cleaned the blood off the pitch. The damage was so severe that at one point it was thought the leg would require amputation. He underwent 17 operations but never played again and retired in 1998.
David Beckham
Beckham has suffered many injuries in his career but few with the hilarity of the one he sustained from his own boss. Sir Alex Ferguson was lambasting his team after they lost 2-0 to arch rivals Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Cup. He then proceeded to kick a boot across the dressing room which caught Beckham square in the face. Two butterfly stitches were needed for poor old Becks.
Brian O’Driscoll
Irish rugby captain was selected as the captain for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour in New Zealand. The Leinster man was the main threat to the Kiwis and was unceremoniously dumped in the opening minutes of the game by Tana Umaga and Kevin Mealamu. He badly dislocated his shoulder and didn’t play again until December 2005.
Clint Malarchuk
Former professional Canadian ice hockey goalkeeper, Clint Malarchuk, suffered one of the most famous sports injuries of all time in 1989, when a fellow player’s skate caught him on the throat, severing his internal carotid artery. Incredibly, Malarchuk was back playing just a week later. Well, they do say hockey players are a tough bunch.
Allen Ray
This is a pretty horrific one. Playing college basketball for Villanova against Pittsburgh in March 2006, Ray had his eyeball dislodged by an opposing player. Ray’s eyeball sat in front of the eyelid and he temporarily could not see through it. Seriously.
With the recent news that Ireland’s economy may finally be beginning to resurface after the far-reaching recession, we thought we would take a look at which sectors are emerging victorious from the crisis and which ones have a long road to recovery ahead. Here are our picks for the winners and losers of the ‘Big R’.
Some Winners
Digital Media The digital media industry is one of the recession’s greatest success stories, despite it only having arrived onto the scene relatively recently. According to the Digital Hub Development Agency, robust growth is expected in the sector in the coming years.
Information Technology
Ireland has attracted a host of high profile IT companies in recent years and, according to Dave Kilmartin of the Dublin Institute of Technology, the outsourcing of the market could boom as employers continue to look for ways to cut costs.
The Green Sector
We can expect to see a rise in so-called ‘green-collar’ jobs in the coming years as environmental concerns take centre stage.
Some Losers
Property
The property boom of the Celtic Tiger years left a legacy of ‘Zombie Hotels’ and ‘Ghost Estates’ in its wake. There are currently approximately 620 residential estates around the country with little or no occupancy and many hotels have been forced to permanently close their doors, leaving their competitors to fight it out amongst themselves with reduced rates and special deals.
Retail
Many retailers have found themselves forced to shut up shop and the lucky few who remain open have lowered their prices significantly. On a positive note, discount supermarkets appear to be benefiting from the budgeting: according to Kantar Worldpanel, Lidl and Aldi (along with Tesco who launched a price-cutting campaign in 2009) gained market share this year.
Recruitment
The loss of many jobs meant that recruiters were hit very hard. This has been accelerated by the emergence of the online CV and self promotion. People are now more accessible to companies and easily found, thus negating the use for recruiters to a degree.
Tourism
With many would-be travellers opting to stay at home and unfavorable global currency movements, Ireland’s tourism industry has been hit hard in the past few years. Recent figures from Failte Ireland shows that the country’s total tourism revenue declined by nearly 17 per cent in 2009.
Following on from last week’s launch of our “what object gets destroyed” competition, we thought we’d have a look at the world’s most expensive luxury toys. From private jets to diamond-encrusted mobile phones, here are some of the most outrageously overpriced playthings known to man. We only hope the lucky few who own the following items have remembered to insure them!
Luxury Yacht
The most expensive yacht in the world belongs to Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich. The €1 billion custom-made yacht comes with two helicopters, three boats and requires a minimum of 70 crew members.
Private Jet
If you’ve got a spare €46 million lying around, you’ll probably want to go for the ultimate in personal air travel, the Gulfstream G550. The G550 has the longest range in its class and can carry 14-19 passengers, two pilots and two to four attendants.
Pet
The South African White Lion is the officially the world’s most expensive pet, costing an estimated €100,000. The animals, who are white due to a rare recessive gene, are considered to be divine by some locals.
Mobile phone
The gold iPhone Supreme is currently the most expensive mobile phone on the market. The 22 carat, solid gold mobile is encrusted with 200 diamonds and costs a cool €2 million.
Car
Although it was sold for an undisclosed sum, the 1936 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic is estimated to have fetched between €23 and €31 million this May, making it the most expensive car in the world.
Champagne
In 1998, a team of divers recovered 2000 bottles of perfectly preserved 1907 Piper Heidsieck champagne from a torpedoed 1st world war ship. One bottle of this champagne will set you back around €214,000 per bottle.
Some of the biggest sports stars in the world have been caught playing offside recently in their personal lives. The Tiger Woods story simply won’t go away and a divorce looms large. The latest scandal to hit the headlines is Wayne Rooney and footballers are amongst the most prolific offenders.
You cannot get insurance for a situation like this but that’s where the prenuptial agreements come into play. Some celebrities missed the boat on the prenup however, and ended up shelling out massive amounts of money. Here are seven of the biggest celebrity divorce settlements of all time:
Rupert Murdoch
The notorious media mogul was married to Anna Murdoch for 32 years before divorcing in June 1999. Initially, it was an amicable disunion but the gloves soon came off. Anna Murdoch received $1.7 billion’s worth of assets and $110 million in cash. Not bad, eh?
Mel Gibson
The former Lethal Weapon star has gone a bit mad in recent years and divorced from his wife of 29 years in 2009. Although no figure was officially released, Robyn Gibson was reported to have been granted in excess of $500 million.
Michael Jordan
When legendary basketball star, Michael Jordan, divorced Juanita Vanoy in 2006, the $168 million settlement was the largest celebrity divorce settlement in history (up to that date). The couple had in fact signed a prenuptial agreement when they married in 1989, stipulating that she would be entitled to half of his wealth should the marriage fail.
Neil Diamond
The popular singer set new world records in album sales and concert attendance in the 1970s. Alas, he would end up losing half of it when he shipped out $150 million to his wife of 25 years, Marcia Murphy.
Steven Spielberg
The director actually had a prenup, although it was written on a napkin which probably didn’t help him much! Spielberg was married for four years and had to pay out $100 million upon the divorce. That’s $25 million a year!
Tiger Woods
The Woods’ settlement could dwarf all that has gone before them. There are rumours of a $750 million price tag. Don’t feel too sorry for him though, he cheated prolifically and will still be loaded! Never has a man’s fall from grace been so public and dramatic.
Harrison Ford
Not only did Ford’s estranged wife, Melissa Mathison, bag herself an estimated $118 million settlement when they divorced in 2004, she will also receive a percentage of future earnings for a number of films he made during the marriage, including the Indiana Jones trilogy and The Fugitive.
Electric Picnic 2010 is almost upon us and we are continuing our essential guide today with some of the bands you must see! Here are five acts you can’t afford to miss …
Villagers
Fronted by Conor J. O’Brien, Irish indie-folk group Villagers have performed at several music festivals since their inception and were shortlisted for the 2010 Mercury Prize. The band released their debut album Becoming a Jackal earlier this year and are the only Irish act to have been signed by London-based Domino Records.
Crawdaddy Stage 4pm – 4.45pm
Redneck Manifesto
Dublin-born, instrumental rock band Redneck Manifesto have been at the forefront of the independent music scene in Ireland for over ten years. The four piece are considered to be one of the country’s best live acts and have an extremely dedicated group of followers.
Crawdaddy Stage 2.30pm – 3.15pm
Hurts
This British electro-pop duo from Manchester officially released their debut single Better Than Love earlier this year. Although new to the scene, they are already making quite an impression and finished fourth in BBC’s Sound of 2010 poll.
Crawdaddy Stage 5.30pm – 6pm
And So I Watch You From Afar
Instrumental, post-rock foursome And So I Watch You From Afar hail from Belfast and have been going since 2005. Known for their energetic live performances, the group is highly tipped by various publications such as Kerrang! and NME.
Crawdaddy Stage 12.30pm – 1pm
Foals
This five-piece band from Oxford will be taking to the stage at Electric Picnic as part of their world tour. The indie-rock group formed in 2005, releasing their debut album, Antidotes, in 2008. The follow up album, Total Life Forever, was released in May of this year, bagging them a Mercury Prize nomination.
With Ireland’s top music and arts festival kicking off this Friday in Stradbally, Co. Laois, we thought we would put together our top ten tips for surviving the weekend. Whether you’re planning on three days of debauchery or some cultural, child-friendly camping, there should be something here to help you make the most of your EP experience.
1. Take toilet paper
We have listed this in first place for a reason. You can never underestimate the importance of having your own stash – the portaloo paper runs out rapidly.
2. Decant your drink
Glass bottles are not permitted on site so make sure to switch to plastic if you’re bringing your own booze.
3. Mark your territory
It can be difficult to identify your tent at three in the morning after one too many rock shandies. A colourful flag or unique tent will help you find your way home.
4. Pack painkillers
Need we explain this one?
5. Be practical
Swap the high heels (it happens) and handbags for flats and a backpack or over-the-shoulder satchel.
6. Stock up on snacks
Chocolate, breakfast bars and jelly sweets are great for boosting energy levels. There are shops down there but it’s worth having your own stash. Same goes for bottled water.
7. Safeguard your valuables
Ideally, leave anything non-essential at home but if you do bring items of value, make sure you keep them on you at all times (money belts worn under your clothes are a good call) and padlock your tent at night to deter any unwanted visitors.
8. Prepare for every season
We all know how comically changeable Irish weather can be. Rain gear, suncream, sunglasses and extra blankets/clothes for nighttime are vital.
9. Take extra caution with children
If you are toting the tots along, make sure they are wearing/carrying (waterproof) identification at all times in case they get lost. Ear protectors are also must-haves for mini festival-goers.
10. Keep it clean
Baby wipes are crucial for avoiding the shower queues and disinfectant hand gel will help minimise portaloo-related health risks. Dry shampoo and hats also help disguise an unwashed mop.
Finally, don’t forget your toothbrush, or any of these easily-overlooked essentials:
Suncream, a torch (with batteries), a cooler bag for beer, plasters, a fully charged phone and deodorant.
One of Ireland’s biggest and best festivals is on this weekend in Co.Laois – The Electric Picnic. We will be helping out all you festival-goers this week with survival tips and advising you on what might be worth insuring before you go down there! You will probably lose or break some possessions!
To get in the mood, we dug out clips of some of the best concerts of all time. What are your favourite concerts?
They might be a good-looking bunch but Hollywood’s A-listers aren’t generally known for their intellectual prowess or common sense, especially when it comes to getting behind the wheel. We have collected eight of the best (or should that we worst?) celebrity driving disasters in recent years for a bit of Friday fun.
Britney Spears
It was hard to choose just one car-related calamity for Ms. Spears so we have listed her top three, in chronological order.
February 2006:
Britney found herself under investigation by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services when she took off in her car with her then five-month-old son in her lap. She claimed she was trying to protect him from a throng of paparazzi.
November 2006:
On a number of occasions back in 2006, she was photographed getting out of a car without any underwear. Enough said really.
September 2007:
En route back to rehab, a newly bald-headed Britney was caught on camera smashing an umbrella into the windows of a paparazzi’s SUV.
Paris Hilton
In 2007, Paris served just five days of a 45-day sentence for violating the terms of her 2006 probation for drunk driving. She ended up serving a total of 23 days, however, when public outrage prompted a judge to send her back behind bars.
Mel Gibson Gibson was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after being caught careering down a Californian highway at 140 kilometers per hour with a bottle of tequila. The infamous anti-semitic rant which followed made media headlines for months afterwards.
George Michael
In July of this year, Michael crashed into a shop in North London shortly after getting his license back following a two-year ban. In 2007, he was found to be under the influence of drugs while driving.
Lindsay Lohan
This summer, Lindsay served three weeks of a planned 90-day stay in jail for violating probating stemming from a 2007 conviction for driving under the influence. What is the first thing she did after getting her license back? Pick u a car at a nearby rental company.
Base Jumping
