Big Head the turtle
There's a turtle sanctuary north of Salvador where Big Head the loggerhead is channelling the cosmos to make predictions for each game. It's a bit like that octopus in South Africa, but a turtle.
The 25-year-old is predicting the results by choosing one of three fish, with a fish representing each of the teams in a given fixture and a third fish representing a draw. Big Head initially appeared to back Brazil-Croatia to end in a draw, but slowly turned away and crawled purposefully, menacingly to the Brazilian fish, which he devoured.
Goal-line technology
This World Cup ought to signal the end of goal-line controversies. German company Goal Control has focussed seven high-speed cameras on each goalmouth from the roofs of all 12 stadiums.
If a ball crosses the line, the referee's watch will vibrate and the word ‘GOAL' will appear on his screen within a second. Within five seconds of this happening in an England match, TV pictures will cut away to Frank Lampard's reaction.
