Boxing brains
Muhammad Ali died aged 74, after more than 30 years with Parkinson’s Disease. How many boxers suffer brain damage?
— A 1969 study by A.H. Roberts examined 250 retired boxers and found 17% had lesions of the nervous system.
Many had started out in the 1930s, when a professional boxing career could involve over 300 bouts; it’s fewer than 20 now.
— However, brain examinations are now much more sensitive. A 2012 study by the University of Gothenburg of 30 Swedish boxers found that 80% had protein changes indicating brain damage.
Hideously white?
A BBC memo revealed it was seeking an ‘ethnically diverse’ presenter with a ‘northern accent’. This was the make-up of the BBC’s 19,451 staff by broad ethnic grouping when disclosed in 2011:
| White | 16,064 (83%) |
| Asian | 931 (4.7%) |
| Black | 500 (2.5%) |
| Middle Near Eastern | 373 (1.9%) |
| Chinese | 106 (0.5%) |
The European question
Which country has the best record in the European football championship?
| Wins | Runners up | |
| 3 | Germany / West Germany | 3 |
| 3 | Spain | 1 |
| 2 | France | 0 |
| 1 | Soviet Union / Russia | 3 |
| 1 | Italy | 2 |
| 1 | Czechoslovakia / Czech Rep. | 1 |
Vote early, vote often
The Swiss voted to reject a guaranteed income for all citizens by 77% to 23%.
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