It’s full Marx for Masood!
QUESTION To whom was cricket commentator John Arlott referring when he said a certain bowler’s runup reminded him of ‘Groucho Marx chasing a pretty waitress’? TesT Match special’s John Arlott was, for many years, the voice of cricket. With his poetic phraseology, he had a wonderful gift for evoking cricketing moments.
His description of Groucho Marx chasing a pretty waitress was a reference to the bowling action of Asif Masood, who played 16 Test matches for Pakistan between 1969 and 1977, taking 38 wickets, with a best performance of five for 111 against england at edgbaston in 1971.
Masood was a right-arm medium-fast bowler whose unusual run-up to the wicket started by taking a backward step, before travelling forward with a loping action to bowl. Stephen Pryme, Stockport.
QUESTION Do racehorses understand they are supposed to finish the race in front of the rest of the field?
THis is the almost mythical belief in the will to win. Racehorse breeders hope foals don’t only inherit the physical characteristics of their dam and sire, but their behavioural characteristics as well.
To complicate matters, many great racehorses — such as Thirties dual classicwinner Hyperion, champion steeplechaser Arkle, National Hunt-winner Flyingbolt and seabiscuit, the top money-winner of the Thirties — have been criticised for their physical imperfections.
seabiscuit, who inspired a film of the same name, was an undersized, crookedlegged late developer who became an unlikely champion and symbol of hope to Americans during the Great Depression.
Whether there is an inherent will to win, and where it comes from, remains a matter of debate.
it is clear horses have to compete with other members of the herd to survive or reproduce. They compete for access to preferred feeding and watering places, social companions and social status.
Consider two stallions fighting over a harem of mares: factors such as physical strength, size and fighting skills are important, but determination is also a factor. Horses develop these skills when they are young, so trainers encourage horseplay and galloping for fun to foster this sense of dominance.
And there are other reasons why there may be a will to win. On an evolutionary level, horses are a prey species. Their greatest protection from predation is being part of a large group. This is why horses that have unseated their riders are inclined to stay the course. The swishing of a jockey’s stick in their peripheral vision may also be a factor.
A team from The institute for equine Genomics, Binghamton University, state University of New York, are sequencing seabiscuit’s genome. They are focusing on linked genes that control temperament traits such as aggression, curiosity and trainability.
They are attempting to determine whether seabiscuit had variants in these behavioural genes that gave him the incredible desire to win, despite his lessthan-ideal physical attributes.
Zana Hallam, Windsor, Berks.
QUESTION Hypatia has been described as the greatest mathematician of her time. What were her discoveries?
HYPATiA was born in Alexandria, egypt, around 370 AD. she was the daughter of mathematician and philosopher Theon, and became the head of the Neoplatonic school at Alexandria in about 400 AD.
she lectured on mathematics and philosophy and was known for her charisma, eloquence, modesty and beauty. it is thought she helped her father write a new version of euclid’s elements, a work on geometry and number theory.
None of Hypatia’s own works survive, so her contribution to science is uncertain, but she has become a feminist icon. Her prominent position as a scholar, and possibly her gender, made her the focal point of Christian- led riots, which resulted in her grisly death.
Hypatia’s skills as a teacher attracted many famous pupils to her school. The most prominent was synesius of Cyrene, future Bishop of Ptolemais.
Many of the letters he wrote to Hypatia have survived, and it’s clear he admired her: ‘i am dictating this letter to you from my bed, but may you receive it in good health, mother, sister, teacher and withal benefactress, and whatsoever is honoured in name and deed.’ The letters highlight her knowledge of not only mathematics, but astronomy, too.
However, Hypatia’s brand of philosophy, considered pagan by many early Christians, and her friendship with Orestes, Alexandria’s pagan prefect, made her the focal point of rioting. she was stoned to death by a group of fanatics, possibly monks who were acolytes of st Cyril, the future Patriarch of Alexandria.
Charles Kingsley, the author of The Water Babies, made her the heroine of his novel Hypatia, or New Foes With An Old Face. The academic journal Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, was also named in her honour.
Dr Ken Warren, Glasgow.
QUESTION What caused the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946?
FURTHeR to the earlier answer, i found myself unexpectedly in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1946.
i was on my way to Penang, in Malaysia, with a carrier group after the Japanese surrender when the light assault aircraft carrier HMs Begum, which i was on board, was damaged and had to go into harbour for repairs.
At the shore base, i was given the task of collecting NAAFi items from stores. This was at a time of almost continual rioting. On one occasion, when returning to camp several miles outside Mumbai, i came to a junction where a large mob started throwing missiles. i escaped in the nick of time.
i was 19 and, unlike the one day when the NAAFi petty officer came, i had no marine commandoes for protection.
shortly afterwards, the indian Navy mutiny took place. Though mutineers initially occupied their signal station, i was one of a group of Navy telegraphists sent with an armed escort to take it over.
i believe the mutiny, which was almost certainly part of the movement for independence, ended with the arrival of the heavy cruiser HMs London.
Ivan Martin, Derby.
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