The Express Tribune hi five - March 22

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Your Proofness: Dilaira Dubash Master Storyteller: Hurmat Majid Creativity Analysts: Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Talha Ahmed Khan, Omer Asim, Mohsin Alam, Aamir Khan, Eesha Azam, Maryam Rashid, Hira Fareed and Umar Waqas

Making music PAGE 2-3

Secret Disney rules PAGE 4

Ant tales PAGE 6

Battling exam stress PAGE 7

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 22, 2015

Hi light

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Did you know learning to play a musical instrument has many benefits? It improves your memory, mathematics and coordination. It helps you sharpen your concentration and even relieves stress. Studies show that people who play an instrument are generally happier than people who don’t. All of these are the added benefits, the most important thing, however, is the sense of achievement one gets from knowing how to make music.

The concept of drums is as old as mankind. Drums consist of a hollowed-out piece, a membrane stretched over the end of the drum. They first appeared in 6,000 BC. Several wall markings found in caves in Peru show drums used in various aspects of societal life.

The American Indians used gourd and wooden drums for their rituals and ceremonies.

The drum kit, is a grouping of various toned drums, originated in marching bands and parade bands. It was found that one drummer could play more than one drum simultaneously. Cymbals and tom toms, which were invented in China, were added to drum kits.

By the 1930s the standard drum kit had taken shape. The kit consisted of a bass drum and foot pedal, snare, tom toms, hi-hat cymbal, and large hanging cymbals.

In the 1960s rock drummers began the expansion of drum kits that are the norm today. More tom toms and cymbals, as well as another bass drum to increase speed, were added.

Instruments like the ‘guitar’ may have been played as far back as 3,000 years ago. The English word guitar comes from the Spanish word guitarra. There are different types of guitars. The classical guitar has nylon strings and a wide neck.

It’s used to play different styles of music, but mostly classical music. It’s often played with an ensemble. It is also known as the Spanish guitar.

The acoustic guitar is similar to the classical guitar, but generally has steel strings and a thinner neck. It’s usually played with a pick and is used in all sorts of music from country and folk to pop and rock.

The electric guitar uses electronic pickups and electric amplifiers rather than a large hollow body. Interesting sounds can be made with an electric guitar using different amplifiers, distorters and effects.

The flute is actually the oldest instrument in the world. It is between 42,000 and 43,000 years old. It is a member of the woodwind section of the orchestra. The flute produces a sound that is light, clear and penetrating on its highest notes. The oldest flutes found are thousands of years old and made of bones. These flutes were used during hunting and in rituals. Later flutes were found which were made of wood or bamboo. In the middle ages flutes were played by hunters, shepherds, musicians in festive occasions. A shorter version of the flute is called the piccolo, which means “small” in Italian. At half the size of a standard flute, piccolos play the highest notes of all the woodwinds. Flutes can be made of wood, silver, gold or platinum.

There are four main instruments in the violin family and the violin, viola, cello and double bass. They all have similar shapes, use a similar bow, and are played in a similar fashion. The main difference is in the size of the instrument which affects the range of notes they can play. The larger the instrument, the lower the range of notes. The violin is the smallest and most popular instrument of the family and it has the highest pitch. Violins play a major role in classical music. There are generally more violins than any other instrument in a symphony orchestra. Orchestra’s have two sections of violins known has the first and second violins. They each play a different part. A concerto is when there is a solo instrument accompanied by and orchestra. Often the solo instrument will be a violin. Chamber ensembles are smaller groups of instruments often featuring the violin. The string quartet is a popular grouping of musicians and instruments to play classical music. This group generally includes two violins, one viola, and a cello.

Around the year 1700 Bartolomeo Cristofori, an Italian harpsichord maker, invented the piano. The piano combined the expression of the clavichord with the volume of the harpsichord. The name piano comes from the Italian word pianoforte which means “loud and soft”.

There are two main types of pianos. The grand piano has the strings and the main frame of the piano placed horizontally. This allows for long strings and also can help with the mechanics of the piano. However, grand pianos can take up a lot of space.

This type of piano was designed to be more compact, especially for a home. The strings and the main frame sit vertically. There are also electric pianos that produce music with electronics. The keyboard and playing method can be the same as a regular piano, but often the sound can be very different.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 22, 2015

Hi light

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Julian Pavone from Detroit, Michigan, drummed up a world record at age 5. The musical prodigy has earned acclaim for his innate and incredible rhythm. Julian’s father, Bernadino, was practicing one day with 3-month-old Julian nestled in a baby carrier on his chest, when suddenly the baby grabbed the drumstick and started playing. By 6 months, the baby was playing drum rolls on his high chair and at 9 months received his first drum set. At 15 months, Julian auditioned with the Cleveland Cavaliers United Drum Line and became the youngest member by a margin of 16 years.

Brianna Sue Kahane, from New York, has been playing the violin since she was four years old. Her accomplishments at such a young age are breathtaking. With her photographic memory and perfect pitch, Brianna easily commits to memory and performs lengthy and complex violin pieces in a very short period of time. She has a beautiful tone, perfect intonation and an amazing sense of musicality, and she is a natural performer. Indeed, Brianna has become a poised and talented violin soloist at just eleven years of age.

Gavin George, from Granville, Ohio, is only nine years old and can play the piano almost as well as a concert pianist. He’s already performed at Carnegie Hall and has won the American Association for the Development of the Gifted and Talented competition. He has even won a full scholarship to a renowned summer music camp in Luxembourg, Germany. He has appeared on many network news programmes. An aspiring concert pianist, Gavin wants to share his passion for music with the world. He says, “One reason I love playing the piano is just because when I play it, it makes me happy and then I know it makes other people happy.”

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

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 22, 2015

4 Q: Why was the math book sad?

A: Because it had too many problems.

Fun Facts about Language There are more than 2,700 languages in the world. In addition, there are more than 7,000 dialects. A dialect is a regional variety of a language that has a different pronunciation, vocabulary or meaning.

There are 50,000 characters in the Chinese language. You’ll need to know about 2,000 to read a newspaper.

Q: What is a butterfly’s favourite subject at school?

A: Mothematics.

A mother tongue is usually the language one knows best and uses most.

But there can be ‘perfect bilinguals’ who speak two languages equally well.

Normally, bilinguals display no perfect balance between their two languages.

Many languages have 50,000 words or more but individual speakers normally know and use only a fraction of the total vocabulary. In everyday conversation people use the same few hundred words.

Q: Why did the girl wear glasses during math class?

A: Because it improves di-vison.

Q: What did zero say to the number eight?

A: Nice belt.

Bilingualism has many benefits: it makes the learning of additional languages easier, enhances the thinking process and fosters contacts with other people and their cultures.

The most difficult language to learn is Basque, which is spoken in northwestern Spain and southwestern France. It is not related to any other language in the world. It has an extremely complicated word structure and vocabulary.

Most countries in Europe have a number of regional or minority languages, some of these have obtained official status.

Teacher: Why are you doing your multiplication on the floor?

Student: You told me not to use tables.

Somalia is the only African country in which the entire population speaks the same language, Somali.

Did you know?

Secret Disney rules Did you know that all Disney theme parks have a bunch of secret rules? Disneyland is a magical place where imagination guides you and dreams come true. People always have a story about their visit to Disneyland or Disney World. The Disney staff plays a vital role in fulfilling these dreams and making memories that are cherished forever. This is why they have a strict set of rules that must be followed in order to ensure that visitors have the best possible experience. The first of these rules is when you work for Disney, you’re not an employee, you’re a cast member. From the characters, to the ride operators, to the janitors, they’re all cast members. It’s a sweet gesture and encourages the feeling of inclusiveness. Another important rule is that a cast member is never allowed to say “I don’t know.” If a guest asks a question that they don’t know the answer to, they have to call an operator. This keeps people from feeling ignored or helpless while at a Disney resort.

Walt Disney liked to be referred to by his first name, “Walt”. This is why you only see first names on cast member’s name tags. Also if two cast members have the same name, one of them gets to pick a new name to go by in order to avoid confusion.

There is a reason that the Disney resorts are so clean all the time. Every cast member has to pick up trash as soon as they see it. Even the way they pick up the trash has a specific guideline. They are not allowed to bend over to pick it up. The cast member must use the “scooping method” to pick up the trash. After all how royal would Cinderella look bending down to pick up trash?

There’s also a ‘no pointing’ rule. If you ask for directions from a cast member, they will typically use their whole hand to guide you or use a few fingers to point. Pointing with one finger is considered offensive in some cultures which is why it’s not allowed at Disney.

If you’re going to be employed as a character, you must learn the autograph perfectly. This is to ensure that no matter what day you meet a Disney character, the autograph will always be the same. It doesn’t matter who’s in the suit, they all practice the exact same autograph. Also, cast members who play a role stay in character no matter what. When inside the park, they only know about their own role and nothing more. In other words, don’t ask Ariel what she thinks of Princess Jasmine. She has no idea who you are talking about.

These parks hold a special place in many hearts because of the wonderful memories that people make while visiting them, the secret rules, weird as they may seem, make a difference in the quality of experience that visitors enjoy at the Disney theme parks.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 22, 2015

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

Pi day The 14th of March marks “Pi Day”. Each year the calendar’s digits match up with “pi” or “π” (3.14), the irrational number that expresses the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diametre. The date was particularly exciting this time around, as the digits in the year (2015) lined up with the next two digits of pi, “15” Those who looked to kick their veneration up a notch celebrated at 9:26 (am or pm), which corresponds with the next three digits of pi (3.1415926), which has an infinite number of non-repeating digits. Many celebrations took place all over the world, especially in the US, most of which revolved around pies of different sorts. Another thing that makes Pi day special is the fact that Albert Einstein was born on the corresponding date in 1879. HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

PancakeBot PancakeBot is a robot that serves pancakes. This breakfast cyborg will actually whip up your pancakes in whatever shape you ask it to. Be it spiderman or the Eiffile, PancakeBot can shape it all. Here’s how it works: The machine comes with tracing software that allows you to trace anything in the world directly on your computer. You dictate the shading of the pancake by retracing particular parts of the image. Once you produce the design you can save it onto the memory card that’s used to tell PancakeBot what to draw. Then begins the magical printing journey when PancakeBot first scans the selected breakfast design. Once the scan is complete, the Bot will use the batter as its ink to draw a flapjack. You can even add a drop of food dye to some batter and have some colourful pancakes. PancakeBot was invented by Miguel Valenzuela, father of two and apparent genius. Valenzuela and his team are currently fundraising for the product on Kickstarter. The Bot has already exceeded its goal of $50,000. This comes as no surprise, as customisable pancakes are the stuff of dreams. ABC.NEWS.CO

World wide weird

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UK’s first ‘poo bus’

Britain’s first “poo bus”, which runs on human and household waste, goes into regular service this month. Operated by First West of England, the bus will fill up at a site in Avonmouth, Bristol, where sewage and inedible food waste is turned into biomethane gas. The bus, which can seat up to 40 people, was unveiled last autumn. If the scheme is successful, the organisation will consider introducing more “poo buses”. Since its original unveiling last year, the bio-bus has generated worldwide attention. The bio-bus previously made an appearance, running between Bath and Bristol airport at the end of last year. The bus has only been used once in the centre of Bristol before. The bus is expected to generate great interest and open up a debate on smart fuel options. THEGUARDIAN.COM

Man rescued from frozen lake The US Coast Guard crew were astonished to come across the lone individual as their vessel broke ice on Lake St Clair, which lies between the US state of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. They said the unidentified 25-year-old man, dressed in ordinary clothing, was coming down with hypothermia. US Coast Guard picked up the Michigan man just half a mile from Seaway Island on the Canadian shore. Once there, it would have been another 220 miles (350km) by road to reach Toronto. Lake St Clair is 26 miles in length. The American citizen told the crew he slept in a lighthouse on the night before. US Coast Guard officer Scott Sjostrom spotted him walking on the freshwater lake at around 9:30am on the next morning. He said he noticed the individual was not wearing proper winter gear used for snowmobiling or ice fishing. He and another coastguard left their tug to walk across the ice towards him and found him lethargic and uncommunicative. The man could have easily broken through the ice and drowned, observed the officer. He was taken for medical treatment in Algonac, Michigan.

It was the first rescue in four years by one of the Great Lakes’ ice-cutter boats, which clear the waterway for commercial shipping. NEWS.SKY.COM

The Hardshells

By Sana Amir Mir In Mr Roger’s garden there lived a family of snails, tucked away in their perfect little burrow. The snails were called The Hardshells. Mrs Hardshell had been running the family house for as long as the Hardshells had existed. She kept the house in order and dug new rooms for her kids every summer. She had three children, Sarah, Ken and Nora. Nora was the youngest and a little naughty. But lately, she was learning to behave. Once she threw the morning cereal on the floor because she wanted ice cream for breakfast and Mrs Hardshell gave her a tiny broom and made her sweep the place. Nora was finally learning some manners. The eldest girl had stopped playing with dolls a couple of years ago and had put up posters in her room of Zumbo, the rockstar snail who played drums made out of toadstools at high school. She spoke in whispers with her friends and didn’t let anyone in the house enter her room.

Ken, the only boy in the house was fun loving. He often played slither-ball with his buddies in the garden. The ball in this case was a sunflower bud. Winters were usually very difficult for the Hardshells. The snails couldn’t leave their house and Mrs Hardshell had to stock up food for the entire family. She saved crumbs for Nora, sunflower seeds for Sarah and buttercup petals for herself, Ken and Mr Hardshell. Mrs Hardshell had worked very hard all summer and spring collecting food and storing it in jars, cans and boxes. When autumn arrived, her den and kitchen was well stocked. “We’ll have a very good winter this year,” she said happily to Mr Hardshell one morning as he was reading the ‘Daily Snail’ in the den. “Well, you are amazing, Mrs Hardshell,” he beamed and Mrs Hardshell was very pleased. When winter came, school was off and the snails got ready to cosy up in their house. They expected cold winds and that is why Mr Hardshell had fitted brand new twigs at the opening of their house. “Will the new roof keep away snow and rain?” Nora asked Mr Hardshell. “Of course it will, sweet pea,” he replied. But then one night it rained hard and long. The twigs broke and water filled up in all their rooms. The food and their belongings were all soaked and they were forced to evacuate and take shelter under a huge mushroom in the garden.

When it stopped raining, the Hardshells were shivering with cold. They went looking for their home as fast as they could slither. Sadly, their house was completely destroyed. Mr Hardshell only managed to pull out few chairs and a kettle out of the mess. The kids were sad, but Mrs Hardshell went about as if nothing was wrong, soon she found a dry spot in the soil and started digging. Looking at her, the kids realised how wrong it was to spend their time moping about and started helping their mother. Soon the Hardshells had a new home and they all worked together to make it a better place.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 22, 2015

Reading corner

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Materials: • Scissors and a utility knife • Markers • Ruler • Rubber bands • Glue • Tape • Gift wrap or decorative paper • Craft paper • 2 adult-size shoe boxes • Construction paper • Shoelaces

Directions: • Cut a semicircular hole from one end of the top of each lid. It should be just large enough for you to slide in your foot.

• Decorate each box and its lid with gift paper.

Ask an elder to help you punch holes in the lid and thread the laces through.

• Line the side rim of each lid with glue and return it to its box. Secure with tape as needed.

SOURCE: LIVEWELLNETWORK.COM

Ant Tales Every year, a bunch of grasshoppers come to the anthill and eat what the ants have gathered for them. The “offering”, as the ants call the ritual, is a part of their fate. One day in spring, when the offering’s preparation has just been finished, Flik, the unusual inventor ant, accidentally drops the offering into the river. The grasshoppers come and give the ants a second chance to collect food until fall. Flik sets off to find bugs that are willing to fight the grasshoppers and end the menace, once and for all. But due to misinterpretations, the group that he returns with is a circus crew. The “warriors” give everybody in the anthill new hope. When the misunderstanding is finally cleared, there is only little time left for a new plan, which has to work, or else there will be unimaginable horror.

In an anthill with millions of inhabitants, Z 4195 is a worker ant. Feeling insignificant in a conformity system, he accidentally meets beautiful Princess Bala, who has a similar problem on the other end of the social scale. In order to meet her again, Z switches sides with his soldier friend Weaver — only to become a hero in the course of events. By this he unwillingly crosses the sinister and ambitious General Mandible, who also happens to be Bala’s fiancé.

The General wants to divide the ant society into a superior, strong race (soldiers) and an inferior, to-be-eliminated race (the workers). But Z and Bala, both unaware of the dangerous situation, try to leave the oppressive system by heading for Insectopia, a place where food paves the streets.

Lucas Nickle’s the new kid in town and the local bully, Steve, makes sure he knows it. Lucas gets so fed up with being bullied, he takes out his frustration on ants in his backyard in hilarious ways, like squirting them with his garden hose or stamping on the anthill. The ants are understandably fed up with this and Zoc the ant wizard uses a potion to shrink him down to ant size! Lucas is sentenced to hard labour in the ruins and learns to be more compassionate to ants. He becomes an ant friend.

Lucas must now become an ant hero when Stan Beals, the local pest control guy, who’s an even bigger bully, comes to wipe out the entire colony. An ants vs pest control battle ensues and Zoc reluctantly accepts that Lucas may be the ants’ only chance at survival.

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, MARCH 22, 2015

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Artwork

Battling exam stress To a certain extent, a degree of exam anxiety can be beneficial. Without it, most students would find it difficult to perform on the day or to motivate themselves to revise beforehand. Too much anxiety, however, can become disabling. It is important that an optimal level be found, ie where some anxiety is experienced during an exam but not enough to interfere with thinking and writing. Here are some tips to help you battle exam stress. al • Prepare well in advance, but try not to work until the last minute. It’s ideal to stop studying 12 hours before the exam.

• Get eight hours of sleep before the exam. It’s easier to focus when you’re fresh.

• Don’t leave for the exam too early. Other people’s panic can be contagious.

• Don’t frantically quiz each other just before the exam. It only messes things up in your head.

• Allow yourself time to ‘warm up’ mentally, settle your nerves and focus. Remain calm even if you don’t immediately know the first few questions.

• When fear strikes, just pause. Take a slow, deep breath. Focus your mind on positive thoughts and tell yourself, “I can do this, I have prepared well” as you breathe out.

• Don’t try to eliminate fear totally, it’s neither humanly possible nor healthy. Counter your anxiety with positive and reassuring thoughts like, “It’s going to be okay.”

• Focus on the present and forget about what lies outside the exam hall.

• Read over the exam and plan your approach. Decide which questions to do and allocate time for them. If thoughts or ideas about other questions come into your mind, jot them down on a separate piece of paper, then return to the matter at hand.

• Leave yourself time to go over your answers once you’re done. This helps you avoid silly mistakes.

• Remember to breathe.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MARCH 22, 2015

You will need: • An old CD or DVD • A balloon • A pop-top cap from a liquid soap bottle or a water bottle.

• A hot glue gun • Small nails/push pins • Tape

What to do: 1. If you are using the cap from a water bottle, cover the centre hole of the CD with a piece of tape and poke about six holes in the tape with a push-pin or small nail. This will slow down the flow of air and allow your hovercraft to hover longer.

Ingredients: Strawberries Pineapple chunks Pineapple juice Ice cube

4-5 1/4 cup 75ml 3-4

Method: • Blend together the pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, ice and strawberries.

• Pour into tall glasses and decorate them with pineapple chunks.

• Your strawberry and pineapple slush is now ready.

2. Ask an elder to use the hot glue gun to glue the cap to the centre of the CD or DVD disc. Carefully create a good seal to keep air from escaping.

3. Blow up the balloon all the way and pinch the neck of it. Don’t tie it.

4. Make sure the pop-top is closed and fit the neck of the balloon over the pop-up portion of the cap. (This is usually easier with two people) That’s it! When you’re ready to hover, simply put the craft on a smooth surface and pop the top open.

What is happening: The air flow created by the balloon causes a cushion of moving air between the disc and the surface. This lifts the CD and reduces the friction which allows the disc to hover freely. Large scale hovercrafts are capable of travelling over land, snow and water.

SOURCE: SCIENCEBOB.COM

Remember kids, always get permission from your parents before you start.

It’s always a good idea to have a helper nearby.

If you want your story to feature in Hi Five, email us at hifive@tribune.com.pk