The Express Tribune hi five - February 23

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Your Proofness: Sarah Munir Master Storyteller: Sundar Waqar Creativity Analysts: Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Samra Aamir, Talha Ahmed Khan, Munira Abbas and Umar Waqas

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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 23, 2014

Hi light

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Colour is the property, humans can visually perceive (distinguish or see). Colour has been investigated and used for more than 2000 years. Many different civilisations have experimented, learned and used colour. We are still learning today about how colour affects us and its importance in our lives.

It is believed that the ancient Egyptians used colour to cure illness. They worshipped the sun, knowing that without light there can be no life. They looked at nature and copied it in many aspects of their lives. The floors of their temples were often green — as the grass which then grew alongside the River Nile. Blue as the colour of sky was important to the Egyptians. They would have different rooms for different colours. There are lists on papyrus (paper-like material made from the papyrus plant) dating back to 1550 BC of colour cures. The Chinese also apparently practiced colour healing.

Some of the early studies and theories about light were done by Aristotle. He discovered that by mixing two colours, a third is produced (that is primary colours produce secondary colours, see next page). He did this with a yellow and blue piece of glass, which when brought together produced green. He also discovered that light travels in waves.

A pioneer in the field of colour, Isaac Newton in 1672 published his first paper on colour.

Newton passed a beam of sunlight through a prism. When the light came out of the prism it was not white but a ray of seven different colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Through this he learnt that when the light rays were passed again through a prism the rays turned back into white light. If only one ray was passed through the prism it would come out the same colour as it went in. Newton concluded that white light was made up of seven different coloured rays.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 23, 2014

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Hi light

We are lucky to be able to choose any colour we like and freely buy products of any colour. This was not always the case. In times gone by, the pigments (natural colouring material of plant tissue) used to dye fabrics violet/purple were very expensive and, therefore, only available to the wealthy. For example, the Romans in high office would wear purple robes since this, to them, indicated power, nobility and authority. Historically, during wars red was worn. Red is considered the colour for courage, strength and pioneering spirit, all of which were much needed by the men and women who were fighting wars. However, in the most negative aspect, it is the colour of anger and violence. As the wars came to an end, pale blue became a popular colour — a colour for peace to come perhaps.

What would you like to see in Hi Five? Send an email to hifive@tribune.com.pk and let us know!

In theory, the primary colours are the root of every other colour. In paint pigments, pure yellow, pure red, and pure blue are the only hues (colours or shades) that can’t be created by mixing any other colour together.

When you combine any two of the primary hues, you get three new mixtures called secondary colours. Some examples: Yellow + Red = Orange Red + Blue = Violet Or Purple Blue + Yellow = Green When you mix a primary and its nearest secondary you create six new mixtures called tertiary colours.

Yellow + Orange = Yellow-Orange Red + Orange = Red-Orange Red + Violet = Red-Violet Blue + Violet = Blue-Violet Blue + Green = Blue-Green Yellow + Green = Yellow-Green This totals twelve basic colours that allow you to mix an endless variety of hues, tones and shades.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 23, 2014

Activity

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Make these tiny teddies for your next birthday party or for an evening snack. Serve them on their own or use them as cars on your racetrack birthday cake.

Ingredients: • 100g milk chocolate, melted • 1 bag mini chocolate bars (you will need 24) • 1 box tiny teddy biscuits • 1 bag smarties (340g)

Method: • Set out a tray or serving plate for the teddies.

• Sort the smarties into colours. Keep in mind the wheel colours need to match.

• Remove the wrappers from the mini chocolate bars.

• Cut 24 tiny teddies in half at the belly button using a sharp knife.

• Place the melted chocolate in a plastic bag and cut a tiny corner off.

Squeeze out a few drops of chocolate to glue four smarties wheels on each car then place on the serving tray.

• Place a few drops of chocolate on the top of each car and sit the teddys on. Your teddy cars are now ready!

Prep Time: 20 mins Note: Do this under parent supervision.

Do not use knives and make a parent or supervisor cut things for you instead.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 23, 2014

Get your weekly dose of the unusual and funny news from across the globe!

Unlikely friends As friendships go, this might be the cutest and most unlikely one around. A silky chicken and a two-legged chihuahua have struck up an adorable alliance after they were rescued by an animal hospital. Penny, the chicken, was part of an experiment and at nine weeks old was rescued by Alicia Williams, an employee at the Duluth Animal Hospital in Georgia, US. And Roo the dog was taken in after being abandoned in a park on a freezing February night last year. It is believed he was deformed from birth, possibly as a result of his breeding. The two rescued animals have now become best of friends, spending lots of time together in the home and office of Williams. “Penny gets excited when Roo is around because she knows he’s got treats and food all the time,” Williams says. “Whenever she hears him being fed, she steals his food. He loves snuggling with her because that’s his big teddy bear. He runs over her sometimes because he doesn’t realise how big his wheels are,” she continued. Visitors apparently come in to the office on a regular basis just to see the pair behind the counter. METRO.CO.UK

World wide weird

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Flaming fast

Powered by three jet engines and hitting speeds close to 400mph, Shockwave is one lorry you won’t get stuck behind on the motorway. It is the world’s fastest jet-powered truck. The four-tonne vehicle generates 36,000 horsepower and can cover 400m (a quarter of a mile) in just 6.5 seconds. Owner Neal Darnell, 64, said: “It’s an awesome experience. You won’t believe it until you see it.” Shockwave, which could outrun a Japanese bullet train, holds the world record for the fastest full-size truck at 605km/h (376mph).

Fitted with three Pratt & Whitney J34-48 engines taken from US Navy jets, each one produces 12,000 horsepower, prompting Darnell to call Shockwave, ‘the most impressive jet ground vehicle on the planet’. It burns about 180 gallons (680 litres) of fuel in each performance. Darnell bought the 30-year-old lorry in 2012 and races it at airshows in the US and Canada. METRO.CO.UK

For real?

A massive 7ft hedgehog has been installed in South London to promote David Attenborough’s new TV series. The life-like structure, placed in Clapham Common, took over two months to create and with 2,000 soft wood spikes is 12ft long and 8ft wide, making it larger than a rhinoceros.

The well-known animal will feature in the broadcaster’s new show Natural Curiosities, which starts on February 18th.

Each episode will feature two creatures that, while hugely different from one another, share a ‘distinctive evolutionary quirk’. A quarter of British adults have never seen a hedgehog in the world, according to research by a local channel, while a further 74 per cent are worried about the species’ decreasing numbers. “[The] hedgehog is one of the most familiar animals in our countryside, but actually what do people know about hedgehogs?” Attenborough asked. Catherine Catton, senior commissioning editor at a local channel, said: “This series is amazing because it takes creatures that people think they know really well but actually reveals really unknown stories behind them.” The episode with the hedgehog will also take a look at the rhino and discuss how both hide behind a seemingly strong coat of arms. Other animals featured in the series include the giant squid, owls and cuckoos. METRO.CO.UK

No stables for me A woman who took in a horse during the storms could be regretting her decision after the animal decided to stay. The owner Stephanie Arndt thought it would be safer if the horse came to stay with her during the bad weather in Holt, Northern Germany. But Nasar, three, has become so comfortable that he spends most of the time there rather than at his stables nearby. Arndt said: “He is not a fan of the wind and the rain.” As well as enjoying the luxuries of the house, Nasar also seems to have acquired some human tastes. He reportedly likes to eat sweets, drink fruit juice and play the keyboard. Although Arndt allows the stallion in her house during the day, he is always forced to return to his stables at night — no matter how long that process takes. METRO.CO.UK

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 23, 2014

Did you know?

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Word Origins What are marshmallows?

Whether they form a hot chocolate topping, or roasted over a campfire, marshmallows are a favourite treat for many people. Marshmallows date back to as early as 2000 BC and were considered a delicacy worthy only for Gods and royalty. During those times, Egyptians made individual marshmallows by extracting sap from a mallow plant and mixing it with nuts and honey. This delicious sweet developed a new form when, in the 1800s, candy makers in France took the sap from marshmallow plants and combined it with egg whites and sugar. The mixture was whipped by hand and took the form of the marshmallow we all know today. Since they were no longer reserved for people of high status, the increased demand for marshmallows from the public required candy makers to speed up the production process, so they developed a system known as the ‘starch mogul system’. It used corn starch molds to form the marshmallows. Additional changes to the recipe were also made when candy makers replaced the sap taken from the marshmallow plant with gelatin, which enabled the marshmallow mixture to maintain its form. The use of gelatin reduced the labour intensive process of extracting the sap from the mallow plant. It was combined with corn syrup, starch, sugar, and water to create the fluffy texture of the marshmallow. The gelatin is an essential ingredient in extending the shelf life of marshmallows because of the moisture it infuses into the candy. Thus, by replacing the previous egg whites with gelatin, marshmallows maintain their elastic and spongy qualities much longer than they previously had.

The process of marshmallow has been changed since and is now made using machines.

How to say ‘Happy Holidays’ in different languages French

:

Joyeuses Fêtes!

Spanish

:

Felices Fiestas!

Swedish

:

Trevlig Helg!

Portuguese

:

Boas Festas!

Turkish

:

Mutlu Bayramlar!

Romanian

:

Sarbatori Fericite!

Mandarin

:

Jie Ri Yu Kuai

Catalan

:

Bones Festes!

Japanese

:

Tanoshii kurisumasu wo!

(Have a happy Christmas)

Italian

:

Buone Feste!

South African (Xhose)

:

Ii holide eximnandi

German

:

Forhe Feiertage

Dutch

:

Prettige feestdagen

Hawaiian

:

Hau’oli Lanui (pronounced how-oh-lay la-new-ee)

Gaelic

:

Beannachtaí na Féile

Slovenian

:

Vesele Praznike

Indonesian

:

Selamat Hari Raya!

Croatian

:

Sretni praznici!

Cool facts Fingernails grow four times faster than toenails.

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than lefthanded people.

If you rub an onion on your foot — within 30 to 60 minutes you will be able to taste it, this is because it travels through the blood stream.

On one square inch of human skin there are 20 million microscopic creatures.

A snail can sleep for three to four years during which period it does not need food.

Giraffes can live longer without water than camels.

The songs of humpback whales can change dramatically from year to year, yet each whale in an ocean-wide population always sings the same song as the others.

The forces required to remove a foot from quicksand at a speed of one centimetre per second would require the same amount of force as that needed to lift a medium-sized car.

There are over 200,000 identified plant species and the list is growing all the time.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 23, 2014

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Fun & games

Crossword

How carefully did you read this week’s issue of HiFive? If you think you are upto the task, try to solve our special crossword. The answers are all over HiFive! Put on your thinking caps, it is time to put the old noggin to work!

Across 3. There are over 200,000 identified ------------— species and the list is growing all the time.

4. It is believed that the ancient Egyptians used colour to ----------— illness.

6. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years ------------— than left-handed people.

7. Aristotle discovered that by mixing two colours, a -----------— is produced.

8. Fingernails grow four times -----------— than toenails.

11. On one ------------— inch of human skin there are 20 million microscopic creatures.

Down 1. Many different civilisations have experimented, have learned and have used ------------.

2. The forces required to remove a foot from quicksand at a speed of one centimetre per second would require the same amount of force as that needed to lift a medium-sized -----------.

4. Giraffes can live longer without water than ----------------.

5. Newton passed a beam of --------------— through a prism.

9. A snail can ------------— for three to four years during which period it does not need food.

10. In theory, the primary colours are the -----------— of every other colour.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 23, 2014

Notable Entries for the Liberty Books Card Competition

Beemish Fatima Class: IV-B Winner

Find Your Ways..!

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