According to tradition, the angels call it the day of prize-giving because all those who fasted are rewarded by God on this day.
In Arabic “Eid” means “festivity” and “Fitr” to break a fast. In Malaysia, it is ‘Hari Raya Aidilfitri’, in Indonesia it is ‘IdulFitri’ or ‘Lebaran’ while in Turkey it is ‘Seker Bayram?’ or sugar feast.
And to add our festivity is the just started FIFA World Cup 2018. For Russia, the first time host of World Cup finals, it has been a dream start at the sporting extravaganza as they thrashed Saudi Arabia in the opener.
There’s no debating that the “beautiful game” is the height of athleticism. The technical skills, IQ and talent needed to compete at this level, to say the least, is awe-inspiring, as more than a billion football-crazy fans reschedule their lives around the matches.
And for novices and uninitiated, Brazil is the team with the most number of World Cup trophies with 5. Germany and Italy have taken home the cup 4 times each. These 3 teams have a combined 13 World Cup titles of the 20 held. Despite winning the World Cup on four different occasions, Germany have lost the most number of finals with 4. South America and European countries have won 9 and 11 titles, respectively. No other continent has produced a world champion.
Brazilian legend Pele is the only player who has won the World Cup trophy thrice. Germany’s Miroslav Klose is the all-time highest goal scorer in the tournament with 16 goals from 24 matches. Russian striker Oleg Salenko holds the record for most goals scored in a single World Cup match. In 1994 during a group game versus Cameroon, Salenko knocked five goals.
FIFA World Cup 2018 is now a global behemoth. With a cost upwards of $12 billion to stage, it will be watched by more than half the world’s population. And despite the rampant bytes of commercialisation and globalisation, some things will remain unchanged. There will be heroes and villains, unheralded headliners and faded superstars, golazos, outstanding saves, unbelievable howlers, edge-of-the-seat excitement and mind-numbing boredom. Yes, great teams will crash out and underdogs will defy the odds.
The time starts NOW. And welcome again to the world of ‘Nutty’s Infotainment.YAYS!’
1. Name the country which has been the highest goal scorer in all three previous editions of the World Cup.
Germany (18 goals in 2014, 16 goals in 2010 and 14 in 2006)
2. In football, how far is the penalty spot from the goal-line?
10.97m or 36 ft
3. Name the only sportsperson to have played both World Cup Football (qualifiers) and World Cup Cricket.
Sir Vivian Richards. He played football for Antigua in 1974 World cup qualifiers.
4. Which is the only Christian country in the world to recognise Eid al-Fitr as a national holiday?
Philippines. It is known to most as Wakas ng Ramadan.
5. Jimmy Donal Wales is best known as being the co-Founder and promoter of which Internet presence?
Wikipedia
6. ‘Hobby horse’ was the first ‘mass production’ name of which invention, 320 of which were made in 1819?
Bicycle
7. Macau in China has the highest revenue of any city globally for what?
Gambling. Macau, arguably the gambling capital of the world, generates 3 times the gambling revenue as Vegas with gross gaming revenue of $28 billion annually.
8. Phytopathology is the branch of science that deals with the disease of what?
Plants
9. What is common to Amy Madison, Lavender Brown, Jadis of Charn, Aunt Clara, Bonnie Bennet and Penny Halliwell?
All are witches in different stories. Amy Madison (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Lavender Brown (Harry Potter), Jadis of Charn (Narnia), Aunt Clara (Bewitched), Bonnie Bennet (The Vampire Diaries), Penny Halliwell (Charmed).
10. Which game is it in the image below?
(Answer next week. Answer to last week’s photo-quiz: Mr. Clean)
Mahjong
