The Express Tribune hi five - January 1

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e m Sparky th Hi there! I’ you te here to ll m I’ d n a t robo really ou humans y d ir e w w o h ve what we ha are! Here’s this week: All you need to know about bad germs PAGE 3

Do you want to make some homemade rock candy?

PAGE 4 Magicarp, Mowgli, Mister Fantastic and the Gateway to Hell!

PAGE 5 Want to say “I’m Hungry” in 15 different languages?

PAGE 6

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 29, 2012

Hi light

2 The human body is pretty cool. It works everyday without stopping — digesting food, sending signals from our brains and our nerves, pumping blood and oxygen and much more. What you might not know is that your body is also home to millions of really small germs! In fact there are more bacteria living on (and in) our bodies than there are people on the earth! Scientists estimate that each of us have around a trillion germs in our body. But they’re also really tiny! In fact all the germs in your body could fit in a half-gallon jug – making it the world’s grossest milk shake.

Now don’t panic, our bodies are dependent upon these germs. For a healthy body and digestive systems, it is important for 85 per cent of the germs in our bodies to be good and the other 15 per cent to be bad germs. When this balance is disturbed, we become ill and are prone to experience allergies. One of the best ways to preserve this balance is by regularly eating fresh yoghurt, which is in fact made of live bacteria!!

These germs live all over your body — on your skin, in your mouth, in your nose, and in particular your stomach. Did you know that there are 25 different types of germs in the human mouth alone? These germs are alive, and they even breathe! Creepy, right?

But don’t worry, they are the good guys. Some of them also live in our intestines, helping us use the nutrients in the food we eat and make waste from what’s left over.

Our body would not be able to digest all that tasty food without these super important helper germs!

There are also some germs in your body which cause bad breath and smelly skin.

The reason your breath is minty fresh after you brush your teeth or your armpits smell better after you shower is because you have washed away billions of germs — and their gross by-products. They reproduce really fast, that’s why you can brush your teeth at night and wake up with stinky breath eight hours later.

Apart from the germs in your body, there are also the bad germs that attack your body from the outside, always trying to come inside so they can fight with our good germs. They are so small and sneaky that they creep into our bodies without being noticed. In fact, they are so tiny that you need to use a microscope to see them. We don’t even know that they are in our bodies until we get sick!

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

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 29, 2012

Hi light

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Types of germs: Germs are found all over the world, in all kinds of places. They can invade people, animals, and even plants!

Bacteria: These are tiny one-celled creatures that can cause infections if they get inside your body. If you have ever had a sore throat, an ear infection or cavities, it’s because of these nasty creatures. But not all bacteria are bad, some of them are also used by scientists to produce medicines and vaccines.

H to protect How y yourself from g germs:

Viruses: Have you ever had the chickenpox, measles or the flu?

Most germs are spread through the air in M

Well it’s all because of viruses. When viruses get inside people’s

sneezes, snee ez coughs, or even breaths. Some pass

bodies, they can spread and make people sick. Viruses can live for

person to person by touching something from p

a while on doorknobs or countertops, so be sure to wash your hands

contaminated, like shaking hands with that is con n

regularly!

someone who w has a cold and then touching your

cells) plant-like organFungi: These are multi-celled (made of many m

nose. own nose e.

isms. They and

love tto live in damp, warm places, many man ny fungi are not dangerous

The one e tthing germs fear is soap and water!

Washing your yo hands well and often is the best way

to healthy people. An example he h

these tiny evil invaders. Wash your hands to beat b

of something caused by fungi is sso

every time you cough or sneeze, before you eat or

athlete’s athlette foot, that itchy rash that you

prepare foods, after you use the bathroom, after

sometimes gets between your so om

you touch animals and pets, after you play outside,

toes. to oe

and after you visit a sick relative or friend.

Protozoa: These are one-cell Pro ot

If you dislike washing up, then just think of it

organisms organism ms that love moisture and often

as a search and destroy mission to wipe out the

spread diseases through water. They can diise

invaders that are all over your body. Now that you

cause diarrhoea, nausea and belly pain. diarrr

know the facts about germs, you may still pick up a cough or a cold once in a while, but you’ll be ready dy to keep most of those invading germs from atttacking your body.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 29, 2012

Did you know?

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s n i g i r O d r Wo Has your teacher ever told you that you have to do something by hook or by crook? Ever wondered what that means?

To do something by any means necessary, is described as getting things done ‘by hook or by crook’. The origin of this phrase is linked with an early British practice, at a time when forests were still the exclusive property of royalty. It was a crime for any unauthorised person to gather firewood. Though they were not permitted to cut or saw off branches, they were free to remove withered timber from the ground or even a tree, doing so by means of either a hook or a crook.

There are several other theories as to the origin of ‘by hook or by crook’, one states that the phrase probably came from sheep farming. Crooks are the curved or hooked sticks that shepherds use to catch sheep by hooking their hind legs. Hook is a synonym for crook. It is quite possible that the two words were put together to mean ‘one way or another’, for no better reason than the rhyming. Either that, or the ‘wood gathering’ theory is correct. We may never know which.

How to say 'I’m hungry' in different languages?

Indonesian Irish Spanish French Dutch Italian Arabic Japanese Portuguese German Swedish Valencian Mandarin Finnish Hungarian

Aku Laper Ta ocras orm Tengo hambre J’ai faim Ik heb honger Ho fame Ana ja’aneh Haraheta!

Estou come fome Ich hab Hunger Jag är hungrig Tinc fome Wo e (prounounced woah uhhh) Minulla on nälkä éhes vagyok

Cool facts 11% of people in the world are left handed Unless food is mixed with saliva you can’t taste it The average person falls asleep in 7 minutes 8% people have an extra rib Your foot has 26 bones in it The average human brain contains around 78% water Your brain uses between 20-25% of the oxygen your breathe All the blinking in one day equates to having your eyes closed for 30 minutes Lightning strikes the Earth 6,000 times every minute Fire usually moves faster uphill than downhill

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 29, 2012

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Fun & games

Want to be hi five’s artist of the week?

Send your drawing with your name and age to: hifive@tribune.com.pk

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 29, 2012

Activity Corner

4 Rock Candy Rock candy is a simple sugar candy that can double as a great science experiment. Although the process can take up to a week, it’s fun to watch the sugar crystals growing over time.

Sugar Syrup:

s e i l p p u S ded: nee

Fill up a medium-sized pot with water and bring it to a boil. Begin adding sugar, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition. You will notice that it takes longer for the sugar to dissolve after each addition.

Continue to stir and boil the syrup until all of the sugar has been added and it is all dissolved. Turn off the stove and add colours or flavourings if you want. If you are using an extract, add 1 tsp of extract and add 2-3 drops of food colouring and stir to ensure smooth colour. Allow the sugar syrup to cool for approximately 10 minutes and then carefully pour the hot syrup into the jar through a funnel.

2 cups water 4 cups granulated sugar 1/2-1 tsp flavouring extract (optional) food coloring (optional) glass jar wooden skewer

It’s time to make candy!

To make rock candy on a wooden stick, cut a thin skewer until it is slightly taller than your jar. Use clothespins balanced across the top of the jar to clip it into place. This method is illustrated in the picture on the left. Alternately, you can make your rock candy on a string instead. Cut a length of thick cotton thread or kitchen twine a few inches longer than the height of the jar, and tape it to a pencil. Place the pencil across the lip of the jar, and wind it until the thread is hanging about one inch from the bottom of the jar. Attach a paper clip to the bottom of the thread to weigh it and ensure it hangs straight down.

Wet the wooden skewer, and roll it in granulated sugar. This base layer will give the sugar crystals something to “grab” when they start forming. After the skewer is dry, carefully lower it into the jar until it hangs about one1 inch from the bottom and fasten it at the top with clothespins. Do not let the end of the skewer or string come too close to the bottom or sides of the jar, or else the rock candy will grow into the sides of the jar. Place the jar in a cool place, where it can sit undisturbed. Cover the top loosely with plastic wrap or paper towel. You should start to see sugar crystals forming within 4-6 hours. Allow the rock candy to grow until it is the size you want. This process will take up to a week, depending on how large you want your rock candy. Don’t let it grow too large, otherwise it might start growing into the sides of your jar! Once it has reached the size you want, remove it and allow it to dry for a few minutes, and then enjoy your homemade rock candy!

Remember kids, always get permission from your parents before you start. It’s always a good idea to have a helper nearby.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 29, 2012

World wide weird

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

Look it’s Magicarp!

Instead of sitting in despair and hoping to find a genie who would grant all your wishes, all you need to do now is to put your faith in a fish and let it do the needful. ul.

Fishermen in Croatia are rushing to catch a large e gold-coloured fish that reportedly grants a wish each time in exchange for being put back in the water.

Fisherman Vlatko Pecavor, 25, from the central town of Ozalj, says the 10 kilogram fish had been fun to catch and added: “I had not had a bite all day and I was about to go home when I hooked the fish.

It was a fun catch because I had never seen any-thing like it, it’s a beautiful golden colour. I took a picture and put it back in the water, saying I hoped d to catch it again. And I did. My pal told me it had probably granted me a wish, so as a joke I wished for something improbable — and it came true.”

Pecavor adds: “I have now caught the fish seven times and each time I made a wish it came true. I know that that if I say say what what the the wis wish h is is it it will will br break eak the the chance chance chan ce e that it comes true, so I am keeping what I asked for a secrett — b butt it really fish.” ll iis a magic i fi h” Local fishing expert Mutimir Hrvat said: “It’s a type of carp that is not native to these waters, I don’t know how it got there but maybe it was thrown away by someone when it got too big for their pond.” Ozalj which is located north of Karlovac and southwest of Jastrebarsko on the Kupa River is a popular local fishing resort.

SOURCE: WEB.ORANGE.CO.UK

Is that you, Mowgli? gli?

“Can your baby do pull-ups?” the proud parents arents of an impressively macho 10-month-old Jungle ngle Book fan ask innocently on YouTube. Forget et babies — adults like us could be put to shame. me.

Intent on watching a YouTube clip of “The he Bare Necessities”, but too tiny to see the computer screen from the floor, baby Jonass does nine pull-ups in just over a minute. For or a kid this motivated, potty-training will be a breeze. Maybe he’ll even grow up to rival record-holders Giuliano Stroe (who did 20 air push-ups at age 5) or Naomi Kutin, who o squatted 215 pounds at age 10). The baby’s ’s YouTube video has been watched more than 40,000 times. Many viewers were surprised by the baby’s upper-body strength, th, but some were concerned that he might fall and hurt his head. SOURCE: HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

Mister Fantastic!

A boy of five who was crushed under the wheels of a tractor ctor escaped without breaking a single bone. One would imagine gine his bones were made out of rubber or perhaps he is related ted to Mr Fantastic of The Fantastic Four.

Tony Cope was horrified as he watched his son, Leo, ride de his scooter into the path of the growling farm equipment. t.

Leo was rushed to Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, re, where he underwent emergency surgery to repair extensive sive muscle and tissue damage to the back of his right knee.

He also lost skin from his left ankle. But miraculously Leo, whose legs were trapped under a giant wheel, didn’tt break any bones — although doctors think he might have e fractured his pelvis. So what saved little Leo? “The thick Wellington boots he was wearing protected his ankle and d his thick jacket cushioned his back,” says his father.

Leo’s mother, Allison, 49, who was alerted by a neighbour, rushed to be at her son’s side. She said: “He’s a pretty strong character — he’s already been into hospitall once for an operation on kidney stones.” SOURCE: THESUN. CO.UK .UK

Gateway To Hell There are ancient legends that there are doorways to hell scattered across the Earth. Researchers exploring the famous Twins Cave outside of Jerusalem have uncovered evidence that at suggests people may have believed the cave was a portal to this his underworld. Archaeologists found clay lamps in a vertical shaft ft inside the cave, which they said were used in ancient rituals to o supposedly guide the Greek goddess Demeter into Hades to search for her missing daughter. The idea of some mysterious,, dark world of the dead has been written about for as long as humans have speculated about it. Professor Daniel Schowalter, r, at Carthage College in Wisconsin says that humans have always had this desire esire to contact the dead – and it’s o obviously still seen in our society today – where people will go to great lengths dead engths to try to understand what dea ad people would say to them. SOURCE: HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 29, 2012

Help the kids escape from the factory

SOURCE: KIDSPOT.COM.AU