Are you really the winner if you fail to survive?

Russian dies after winning vodka-drinking contest
November 20, 2003

A vodka-drinking competition in a southern Russian town ended in tragedy with the winner dead and several runners-up in intensive care.

"The competition lasted 30, perhaps 40 minutes and the winner downed three half-litre bottles. He was taken home by taxi but died within 20 minutes," said Roman Popov, a prosecutor pursuing the case in the town of Volgodonsk.

"Five contestants ended up in intensive care. Those not in hospital turned up the next day, ostensibly for another drink."

Mr Popov said the director of the shop organising this month's contest had been charged with manslaughter. He had offered 10 litres of vodka to the competitor drinking the most in the shortest time.

When I was about 15 my family went on a holiday to Hong Kong among other places. I was on a packed train by myself going somewhere that I now can’t remember due to the scarring experience I am about to share with you. I was sitting down on one of those seats where you have your back to the window. There was an identical seat opposite me which gave plenty of room for people to stand in the middle of the carriage holding onto to those support straps which hang from the ceiling, which seems to be the favoured method over there. Anyway, opposite me sat a rather big Asian man with glasses who was wearing a nice grey suit. He was probably in his 40s and had grey flecks in his dark hair which added to his generally distinguished appearance. Between a gap of the people standing between us we could see each other. As the train began moving I noticed that this guy was staring at me. I was the only non-Asian person on the train and so I thought he was trying to work out where I was from. As I was staring back at him something very strange happened. He started to pick his nose, and I’m not talking about some little scratch of the outer nostril occasionally dipping into the inner sanctum. This guy was in up to his elbow, turning his head side to side as he went, which I can only presume was for greater leverage and accessibility. Occasionally he would examine his finger and wipe the fruits of his labour on his suit pants. What made it even weirder was that he continued to maintain eye contact with me for the entire time he did it! Breaking eye contact I looked around the carriage to see if anyone else noticed the animal like performance I was witnessing. No-one else seemed to care. The people sitting next to him must have seen it but no disgust seemed to register on their face. After several minutes of this guy digging away I began to wonder, how much snot can one person have up their nose, and why wait for the most crowded public moment to get rid of it? Anyway I learnt that day that it is quite intimidating to have someone look you in the eye and pick their nose at the same time.