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Your Proofness: Sarah Munir Master Storyteller: Nudrat Kamal Creativity Analysts: Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Talha Ahmed Khan, Munira Abbas, Omer Asim and Umar Waqas
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2014
Hi light
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A new year is upon us, and with it, a chance at a fresh start. A new year is a new beginning. All the drama and misfortune of the previous year has the chance to fade away, and you have the opportunity to face the coming year with a renewed energy and zest for life. Maybe you feel like you didn’t try as hard in school as you should have, or that you weren’t as nice and kind to the people around you as you wanted to be. Maybe you just had a bad year, with things not going as you had planned. Whatever it was, you can let it go, and look forward to a better year. That is why the beginning of a new year is celebrated with such fanfare all around the world. As we prepare to welcome 2015, here’s a look at the rituals people around ar. the world take part in to welcome the new year.
Spanish people eat a grape for each of the twelve chimes when the clock strikes midnight. They make a wish as they eat a total of 12 grapes. According to the tradition, known as The Twelve Grapes of Luck, this leads to a year of prosperity. In some areas of Spain, it is believed that the grapes ward away witches and other forms of evil. The tradition originated in 1895 when some smart vine farmers had lots of extra grapes which they wanted to sell off. By introducing this custom, they ensured that all of their extra grapes would be bought at New Year’s Eve. The 12 grapes tradition is linked to the Puerta del Sol tower clock in Madrid, where it first started.
Lots of chairs are needed for New Year’s Eve in Denmark, as it is customary to jump off a chair at the stroke of midnight. The idea behind it is that by jumping into January, you are jumping away from any bad spirits that may try to follow you into the New Year. Another Danish tradition, which might seem a bit weirder, is to smash plates on the front doors of your neighbours and friends to bring good luck to the household — so if you find lots of broken plates on your doorstep, it means that you have lots of friends.
In Buddhist Bud temples all over Japan, the bells are rung 108 times. The 108 bell chimes symbolise 1 human sins in Buddhist belief, and the the 108 bell ringing is believed to get rid of these 108 worl desires in every Japanese citizen so that worldly they are cleansed. The Japanese believe that the ringi of the bells can absolve them of their sins ringing th past year so that they enter the new year of the wit a clean slate. Another Japanese custom is with to go into the new year with a smile on your f face as this is supposed to bring good luck in the coming year.
In Ecuador, people burn effigies of their enemies at midnight. At the stroke of midnight, people around the country bring effigies of politicians, pop culture figures, and other icons of the year to torch in the streets. This tradition of burning the año viejo (old year) is symbolic of cleansing the bad from the previous 12 months before the new year commences. The scarecrows are made from newspapers and pieces of wood. The tradition of the effigy burning is said to date back to 1895 when a yellow fever epidemic hit Guayaquil especially hard. That year people packed coffins with the clothes of the dead and set them in flames, the act being both a symbol as well as a purification rite. Now the act is much more light-hearted.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2014
Hi light
3 Ic cream is an excellent way to celebrate Ice brate any o e regular occasion, but the Swiss don’t do it the w way. Instead of eating the ice cream, they drop d dollops of ice cream on the floor on New Year’s D bout a year Day. This ritual is thought to bring about o ss people of overflowing abundance. Some Swiss a g up in also observe the tradition of dressing ccostumes to invoke good spirits and chase a away evil energies.
In Greece, people hang an onion on their doors for the new year. It is believed by that hanging an onion, or ‘kremmida’ on your door on New Year’s Eve, you are symbolically being reborn in the coming year. The following morning, parents p their children on the head traditionallyy tap with the kremmida to wake them u up before church. Greeks also commonly br break a pomegranate on their doorstep before entering their houses on New N Year’s Day, another symbo symbol of prosperity and good luck.
In Iran, the first day of Spring marks the beginning of the New Year. The Persian New Year or Nouroze marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year for the Iranian calendar. Preparation for Nauroze begins in the last winter month of the Persian solar calendar, and symbolises the rebirth of the god of sacrifice, Domuzi. A man dressed as Domuzi has his face painted black and dances through the streets with tambourines and trumpets dressed all in red to symbolise good luck. The Jashne-Nauroze (Festival of Nauroze) is celebrated in other parts of the world as well, including the northern areas of Pakistan.
A popular New Year’s custom in Germany is called Bleigiessen, and it involves melting lead and waiting to see what shape emerges. A candle is lit, and small chunks of lead are melted in a spoon held over the candle. Because of the low melting temperature of lead, this process does not take long. The molten lead is then quickly poured from the spoon into a bucket of cold water, where it hardens almost immediately. Each person tries to determine what he or she sees in the hardened lead figure. Often the lead figure is held up to a candle or another light source, and the shape of the shadow it casts is belived to determine the future of that person for the year to come.
To celebrate the Thai New Year, people in Thailand throw bucketfuls of water at each other. The ritual is part of Songkran, a three-day festival that occurs from April 13 to April 15, with the last day marking the first day of the Thai new year. The name Songkran comes from a Sanskrit word which means ‘passing’ or ‘approaching’. The throwing of water is meant as a symbol of washing away the bad and is sometimes filled with fragrant herbs when celebrated in the traditional manner. Crowds of people roam around throwing buckets of water, using water pistols and just generally soaking anyone in the vicinity. Buddhists also visit temples throughout Songkran where water is poured on images of Buddha and on the hands of Buddhist monks as a sign of respect.
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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2014
Reading corner
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Best comic book Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) The best comic book this year was Ms Marvel, with the titular superhero being the newly introduced Kamala Khan, a Muslim PakistaniAmerican teenager living in New Jersey, USA. The comic book series, written by G. Willow Wilson, marks the first time a Muslim character has headlined a book at Marvel Comics. Kamala is just a regular teenager, battling with her strict but loving parents and having fun with her friends Makia and Bruno. But one day, she is suddenly given extraordinary gifts and assumes the secret identity Ms. Marvel. Kamala’s superhero gift is the ability to shapeshift, something which comes in handy while she is taking down bad guys.
Best video game Never Alone The best games are the ones that are not only fun, but that also tell us something about the world which we didn’t already know. The game that did this most successfully in 2014 was Never Alone, which ties the actions of the players with the oral tradition of the Iñupiat, who are the native people of Alaska — the snow and ice-filled state of USA. The game builds a world of ancient Iñupiat stories, thus introducing players to wonderful tales and traditions of a culture they wouldn’t know much about. Never Alone makes the player assume the dual role of a girl named Nuna and her pet arctic fox. The pair must work together to overcome obstacles on a journey that mirrors the one taken by a character in a famous Iñupiat legend. So instead of just mindlessly villains, the game turns the battle ssly beating bea into experience in a society most will nto an active e never see firsthand.
2014 has been a great year in terms of the films, books, video games and more that were produced for children. This year was full of great things to watch and read such as the tale of the magnificent villain-whowasn’t Maleficent to the funny and smart The Lego Movie, and books about Greek demigods and wimpy kids who aren’t so wimpy anymore, Here is a breakdown of some of the top films, books and more of 2014.
Best films The Lego Movie 2014 was a big year for Lego. It was the year when the company became the biggest toymaker in the world. It was also the year when The Lego Movie, a hilarious, smart and heartwarming film was released. The story revolves around Emmett, a completely ordinary Lego mini-figure who one day stumbles into a big adventure, and becomes the key to saving the Lego universe. Emmet and his friends go on an epic journey to stop the evil tyrant, Lord Business. The story is filled with hilarious hijinks, great adventure and fun appearances of famous characters such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Guardians of the Galaxy Based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, Guardians of the Galaxy combines wisecracking heroes, weird and creepy aliens, cool sci-fi technology and an epic good-versus-evil battle. The story revolves around Peter Quill from Earth, who has stolen a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space and is therefore being pursued by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team of space heroes known as the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ to save the world.
Maleficent We all know the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, in which a princess is cursed to an eternal sleep by the evil fairy Maleficent for no reason at all. But Maleficent re-imagines the fairy tale from the villain’s point of view. The film tells the story of Maleficent, who was originally a good fairy who is befriended by a human who later betrays her. Maleficent vows to take revenge by cursing his daughter, the princess Aurora. But unexpected things happen, and Maleficent finds that there might be some goodness in her heart after all.
Best television series Over the Garden Wall The best television series of 2014 is Cartoon Network’s animated miniseries, consisting of ten 12-minute episodes. It is a story of two brothers who one day climb over their garden wall and get lost in a big forest called the Unknown. In order to find their way home, the two must travel across the forest, which is full of magical creatures. They are helped along by Woodsman, a wise, elderly creature, and Beatrice, a bluebird who joins the brothers in order to undo a curse that has affected her whole family. y A mixture of fairy tale, adventure series and d sibling comedy, Over the Garden Wall is a must-watch.
The Flash The Flash is a TV show based upon the life and adventures of DC Comics superhero Barry Allen. Barry is a regular guy working for the police department in Central City, who in a freak accident gets struck by lightning. This lightning gives Barry the gift of super speed. With the help of his friends, Barry decides to use his gift to fight crime and capture people with strange abilities who are using those abilities for evil. With awesome superhero action sequences, creepy villains and a larger mystery, The Flash is brimming with fun.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2014
5 Best books The Girl Who Walked On Air by Emma Carroll Louise was abandoned as a baby at Chipchase’s Travelling Circus, so she has grown up amidst the magic and mayhem of a circus. She dreams of one day becoming the show-stopper, but Mr Chipchase only ever lets her sell tickets. But in secret, Louie practises her act — the tightrope — and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked on Air. All she needs is a chance to shine. But nothing is quite as it seems — there are lots the shady characters in the world of the circus.
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan The fifth and final instalment of the mega hit series The Heroes of Olympus, The Blood of Olympus brings everything to a terrifying and fantastic conclusion, wrapping up all its Greek mythology-related storylines in creative and unexpected ways. The series itself is a sequel to Riordan’s earlier series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and it is centred on a prophecy that predicted that seven demigods would unite to protect the earth from Gaea, who plans to destroy it. Read Riordan’s The Blood of Olympus to enjoy this exhilarating conclusion to a series full of myths and magic.
Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy by Karen Foxlee When Ophelia’s father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows, Ophelia decides to accompany him. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty the Snow Queen and he has been waiting for Ophelia’s help. As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested. Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy by Karen Foxlee is a modern day fairytale about the power of friendship and courage.
Do you have a favourite book or movie you would like us to review? Write to us at hifive@tribune.com.pk and tell us all about it.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2014
6 The best inventions are those that solve problems we didn’t think could be solved — making paraplegics walk, landing on an asteroid without exploding or having an antidote to blindness. Other inventions are those that that solve problems we didn’t realise were problems in the first place — liking having a need for a skateboard that hovers above the ground like it’s flying or having a device that can allow you to take selfies without your long arm coming in the photo. 2014 saw a mixture of both kinds of inventions. Here are the best ones: The Selfie Stick 2014 saw a massive rise in selfies, so it is fitting that this year also saw the development of a device that helps you take better selfies. Several companies have launched devices designed to enhance and improve the selfie-taking experience. The selfie stick (produced by multiple brands) enables users to position their smartphone beyond arms’ reach to get better photo angles and without the awkwardness of having your long arm block out half the picture. PHOTO: AMAZONE.COM
3D Printers Although 3D printing technology has been in the works for decades, 2014 was the year which saw the true rise of 3D printers. A 3D printer is basically a machine that can build any 3D objects from digital blueprints, usually by layering plastic or other materials. In this year alone, middle school students have 3D-printed small cars for their physics lessons, scientists have 3D-printed tissues for human organs and companies have 3D-printed everything from candy to musical instruments.
Hoverboard The hoverboard is a type of skateboard that levitates like a magic carpet, and it has been a pipe dream for scientists ever since it was featured in the 1980s sci-fi cult classic film Back to the Future II. This year, a California-based company has finally turned the dream into a reality. But this real-life hoverboard isn’t as cool as the one that Marty Mcfly rides on in the film. It can float only an inch above the ground, and even then only over conductive material like copper or aluminium. But the technology that powers it could be revolutionary. It can be used to develop magnetic “hovering” tech to stabilise buildings during earthquakes, protect valuable works of art and more. PHOTO: FLIPBOARD.COM
PHOTO: TIME.COM
Tablet Toys Kids love playing games on tablets such as iPads, but studies have shown that too much screen time can lead to obesity and attention problems. In an effort to make this activity healthier by bringing the virtual world into the physical world, ex-Google engineer Jérôme Scholler developed a tablet game called Osmo. Osmo’s “reflective AI” attachment enables the iPad camera to interpret physical objects — allowing kids to mimic an onscreen pattern with coloured tiles, for example, and get rewarded for doing it correctly (while also refining their motor skills). Many kids can play the game together, making it more interactive and imaginative. PHOTO: PINTEREST.COM
Landing on a comet
Children of the world continue to face challenges
Hello Kitty is a human, not a cat
Humanity’s quest to explore the universe and to boldly go where no man has ever gone before had a big development in 2014 when a space robot successfully landed on a comet — something that has never been done before. The historical moment came after the spacecraft, Rosetta travelled towards the comet for 10 years. The comet is called 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko and was discovered in 1969. It is 311 million miles from Earth, and traveling through space at more than 34,000 miles an hour. Rosetta launched a robot named Philae on the comet on November 12, 2014. The comet landing is important for future research as it will tell us if a bombardment from comets billions of years ago created the Earth’s oceans and the building blocks of all living things.
Earlier this month, Malala Yousufzai became the world’s youngest winner of the Nobel peace prize. Malala is a 17-year-old Pashtun girl from Swat Valley who has been raising her voice for every child’s right to be able to go to school. Yet 2014 was a year in which children all around the world were put in danger, kidnapped and even killed for different reasons, all of them incomprehensible. In April, 276 girls were kidnapped from a secondary school in Nigeria by a terrorist organisation called Boko Haram. Of them, 219 remain missing. In December, the terrorist organisation Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan entered the Army Public School in Peshawar and barbarically killed 145 people, 132 of whom were students. 2014 was a terrible year for children, a year in which they were forced to face things they should never have had to face.
In August, a curator of a Hello Kitty exhibition shocked everyone when she revealed that the famous Japanese character is, in fact, not a cat but a human. The curator, Christine Yano, said, “She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature.” And what’s even stranger is that Hello Kitty has a pet cat of her own, which is called Charmmy Kitty. In fact, the official bio of Hello Kitty states, “As tall as five apples, and as heavy as three, Hello Kitty is a bright little girl with a heart of gold. She loves to bake cookies and play the piano, and dreamss of one day becoming a pianist or maybe even a poet.” So the cat’s apparently out of the bag!
PHOTO: GOOGLE+
PHOTO: EPA.COM
PHOTO: PINTEREST.COM
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2014
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Artwork
Fatima Ali
Mahnaz Mir Winner Mumtaz Mir
Anusha Shakeel Winner
Moin uddin Meher Rehman Syeda Ammara Ashfaq Winner
Notable Entries for the Liberty Books Cards
Competition
Mahnoor Shakeel Syeda Rahama Ashfaq
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2014
By Arfa Ezazi Do you want people to know about you in the year 2160? Do you want to remember your current self when you are older? Now you can! The following instructions will tell you how to make a time capsule and surprise yourself or other people in the future.
You will need: • A shoe box (or any other type of box) • A location to bury the box in • Paint and glitter • Coloured markers • Sheets of paper
What to do: 1. Get a box that can fit all your items. If you plan on burying your box, make sure it’s durable and can last a long time outdoors. 2. Find a spot to bury the capsule. 3. Decorate the box with paint and glitter. 4. Put your name and date on the outside of the box.
5. Write a letter to the finder of the time capsule or to yourself. 6. Now get a few items that really reflect who you are. Examples include: — Small toys — Greeting cards that were given to you by loved ones — Photos and postcards — Pictures of your favourite celebrities — Take-out menus and movie tickets — A list of important things that happened to you all year 7. Bury or hide the time capsule, making sure you have permission from your parents beforehand. 8. Now try to forget about the box. 9. Wait for someone to discover it or open it yourself in a few years.
WIKIHOW.COM
Remember kids, always get permission from your parents before you start. It’s always a good idea to have a helper nearby.
It was Christmas night — presents had been opened, a savoury meal enjoyed, laughter shared and games played. The guests had just departed. As Mummy cleaned the kitchen and Daddy helped the two children got ready for bed. Azlan, a naughty boy of seven, collected together all the candies he had been gifted and even added a few from his younger sister Mirla’s pile, and snuck upstairs. Even though he was blessed with a loving family who cared for him and bought him all he needed, Azlan was always complaining. He never thanked others, and instead, kept wishing for more and more, even when he had enough. Due to his greed and sulking, he had very few friends. In fact, he could not even get along with his sister. As he changed into his pajamas, he sullenly thought of the expensive remote-controlled airplane set he had been expecting to get from Santa Claus. Instead, he had only got a battery-run blue car that made a lot of noise. Moreover, he had noticed the joy on Mirla’s face, she had got exactly what she wanted: a beautiful doll house! To top it all off, he had received local chocolates that did not taste half as good as the imported ones. He did not mind the third present, a warm, green sweater, even though he did dislike the colour. With all these thoughts still swirling in his head, he drifted off to sleep. After a few hours, in the middle of the night, his eyes suddenly opened to the sound of chattering in his room. “Did you see him look at the car in disdain?! Unbelievable! I am telling you all that we need to teach him a lesson,” said a two feet tall moustached elf, sitting on the carpet. Azlan sat up and rubbed his eyes in shock. “Who are you?” Ignoring him, a female elf with a kind face commented, “Hard to imagine he’s Mirla’s brother. What a sweetheart that girl is! I am definitely going to put a few candies under her pillow.” “I agree. I have had enough. I am going to take away these chocolates and sneak out tthat th hatt ssweater we w eatte err ffor the orphan who p ph han an boy boyy w h lives in the th e dilapidated dila di dila api pida at house across ac cro osss tthe he sstreet. I saw him h hi im shivering shiv sh iver iv erin er ng in the cold last night.” la ast st n ight ig ht.” Frightened, Azlan loudly F Fr rig ight htten ened ed, A demanded, d de mand ma n e “What’s nd going on here? go g o oin in ng o What are you doing in my room?” roo “Oh “ well, woken up, wo have we we?” said the moustached mou
elf, jotting something in a notebook in front of him, “We are Santa’s elves, Brownie and Minks, and we are here to take back your Christmas presents.” “But why? What did I do?” Azlan asked worriedly, as he hopped off his bed. “Young man, you have behaved in a highly ungrateful manner this whole year. Nevertheless, Santa Claus decided to gift you several things, yet not a smile of thankfulness could be seen on your face!” “But...” “There are countless kids who have nothing at all. They eat stale bread for meals and receive no Christmas gifts. And here you are, with so many blessings and still not happy with them,” said Minks kindly. “Happiness does not lie in having a lot, but being thankful for what you have, Azlan,” Brownie added soberly. After a moment of retrospection, Azlan admitted. “You are right. I have always focused on what I don’t have rather than what I do have. I think this is why Mirla is usually happier than me and also has more friends. Thank you for making me see my mistake. I do deserve all my toys to be taken away.” Brownie and Minks exchanged a look. “Well, if you have realised your wrongdoing, we can consider letting you off the hook.” “That’d be so kind of you. And since a new year is just round the corner, I am going to make it my New Year’s resolution to be more appreciative of my blessings and cherish all that I have got. Not only that, I promise that I will be generous and share things with others around me.” “Then I suppose our work here is done,” and with that, the two elves snapped their chubby fingers and vanished into thin air, leaving Azlan to ponder over their words. The next morning, much to his parents’ amazement, right after breakfast, Azlan came downstairs with his chocolates, offered a large bar to Mirla and with the green sweater tucked under his arm, headed out across the street towards the dilapidated house purposefully.
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