e n u b i tr THE
EX
SS PRE
T R IB
UNE
, MA
20 Y 11,
14
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 PAGE 2-3
Recipe PAGE 4
Brownie points PAGE 6
Science Experiment PAGE 8
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 11, 2014
Hi light
2
Are you a fan of the red and blue costume donning, web-slinging character that fights criminals to save his city? Yes, we are talking about Spider-Man. SpiderMan is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics and has been featured in films. The character, Peter Parker is an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, who deals with the normal struggles of a teenager as well as those of a costumed crime-fighter. Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes and is back with his latest movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Nerdy, thin and socially awkward Peter Parker’s life changes when a bite from a radioactive spider on a school field trip causes a variety of changes in his body and gives him superpowers. Overnight, Peter can shoot webs from his wrists, stick to walls and develops a ‘spider-sense’. When a criminal murders his Uncle Ben, Peter dons his costume and takes the role of the crime fighter, Spider-Man. It is largely believed that one of the reasons why Spider-Man is one of the most successful superheroes is that his character is relatable for audiences. Peter Parker lives an ordinary life and has straggles that any other teenager does while also maintaining a secret identity. The fact that Peter’s ordinary life is shown, makes him easy to identify with unlike Batman and Superman who weren’t teenagers and their lives were not ordinary. Also, unlike other heroes Spider-Man had no mentor or anyone to teach him tricks and protect him; he had to learn to fight himself. Robin had Batman and Batman had Alfred, the Wayne family Butler to help him but Spider-Man was always on his own, creating his own identity.
Spider-Man’s creators gave him super strength and agility. He has the ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot spider-webs using wrist-mounted devices of his own invention (which he calls ‘web-shooters’), and react to danger quickly with his ‘spider-sense’, enabling him to combat his enemies. Parker is a great student with applied Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Mechanics on the tip of his fingers. With all these strengths he is geared to fight the crime scene all by himself.
Peter Parker using his own talents sews his costume to hide his identity. Along with his red and blue costumes with a black spider imprint on the front, he also constructs devices to complement his powers. His most commonly used and popular device is the mechanical web-shooter. These shooters eject an advanced adhesive (substance such as glue that binds things together), releasing web fluid in a variety of ways, including a single rope-like strand to swing from, a net to bind enemies and a simple glob to blind an opponent. He can also weave the web material into simple forms like a shield, a spherical protection or hemispherical barrier, a club, or a hang-glider wing. Other devices that Spider-Man uses include spider-tracers, a light beacon which can either be used as a flashlight or to project a ‘Spider-Signal’ design and a modified camera that can take pictures automatically.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 11, 2014
3
Hi light
Spider-Man has appeared in six films since the development of his character. The first film was an American made-for-television film that premiered in 1977 and was later shown theatrically. The rights to further motion picture films based on Spider-Man were purchased in 1985 and were eventually bought by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sony produced three new films: Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2(2004), and Spider-Man 3 (2007). Through the films, Peter Parker developed a relationship with his high school friend Mary Jane Watson and as Spider-Man, he battled villains including the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, the New Goblin, the Sandman, and Venom. The other two films based on Spider-Man were part of the comic book series The Amazing Spider-Man. A film named after the comic, The Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012 showing that Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr Curt Connors, his father’s former partner and adventures begin Spider-Man style.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a 2014 film based on the Marvel Comics superhero, directed by Marc Webb and released by Columbia Pictures. It serves as a sequel to the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man. Peter Parker’s biggest struggle in life has been with himself — the conflict between his ordinary life and his extraordinary powers of being Spider-Man. In this sequel, Parker finds out that other than swinging between buildings and spending time with his friend Gwen something more lies ahead. Spider-Man has to put on his crime fighter mask and fight the people who threaten his city. Spider-Man realises that all his enemies belong to the mysterious company Oscorp. From Electro to his childhood friend Harry, Peter must fight all these enemies on his own. The movie is packed with action, thrill and drama so watch it to find out what happens.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 11, 2014
Activity
4
Chef Juhi teaches you how to make healthy French toast. Make it for your mom to surprise her this Mother’s Day!
Ingredients: • Eggs • Butter • Sugar • Cream • Bread
2 2 tablespoon 3 tablespoon 3 tablespoon 4-6 slices
Method: 1. Gather all the ingredients. 2. Take a bowl and add the egg, sugar, butter and cream in it. 3. Use a whisk or fork to mix the ingredients together. 4. Leave the mixture aside for 10 minutes. 5. Dip a slice of bread in the mixture. Make sure to cover the slice properly with mixture from all sides. 6. Place the slices of bread on the tray. 7. Place the pan in the oven toaster for two minutes. 8. Your French toast are now ready! NOTE: Do not use the oven toaster without adult supervision.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 11, 2014
Get your weekly dose of the unusual and funny news from across the globe!
Pie-scraper Takeaway boss John Clarkson has taken extreme food to new heights. The man who brought to the world a giant, fried and battered Ferrero Rocher, has now created the world’s tallest burger and has filled it with pies. Dubbed the ‘Pie-scraper’ the 5ft 4in monster contains 30,000 calories. It comprises 10 three quarter-pound cheeseburgers and 11-and-a-half pounds of beef encasing several fast-food treats. In all, the dish comes with about 8.5kg of beef and a side salad of lettuce. Now Clarkson, 54, is claiming a world record and those who wish to, can see it at ‘Mister Eater’s Eating Emporium’ in Preston, Lancashire. “I’ve researched to see if anyone has created a taller burger but no one has,” he said. “We’ve already created a full burger encased inside another burger so I thought why not try other things inside a burger?” Clarkson and wife Corinne, 39, spent an hour-and-a-half assembling the structure on a metal stand to ensure the tower didn’t topple. Between each cheeseburger lies a different meal encased in burger meat. One can enjoy sausage, steak pie, mushroom, spaghetti bolognese and meatballs, a cheeseburger and much more. “It’s a bit of fun. And it’s not just the gimmick, I can honestly say the pizza burger is delicious.” The burger was only on display for a day, before being devoured by staff and a few lucky customers. METRO.CO.UK
World wide weird
5
Parachute meals
Food delivery has been taken to a higher level, with a restaurant that actually parachutes meals to you. ‘Jafflechutes’, a Melbourne pop-up eatery, delivers their grilled cheese sandwiches to customers waiting at the landing zone, an X marked on the pavement below. Hungry customers pay in advance through cards and then wait with outstretched arms for a parcel containing their lunch to float down from above. There might be some problems regarding receiving parcels as customers may confuse their package with someone else’s but let’s see how the owners deal with this issue. Adam Grant, one of the creators of the restaurant, claims they came up with the idea during a weekend in the countryside. He said: “Without the distraction of YouTube and video games, we spent the night talking about crazy business idea, and by morning we had created Melbourne’s first float-down eatery.” The restaurant may be spreading its wings, as a recent crowd sourcing campaign has raised enough money for them to potentially open a branch in New York as well. What do you think about this idea? METRO.CO.UK
Space station Dog flight A Labrador has become the first dog to get her own crew card after chalking up more than 250 hours of flight time. Callie has been accompanying her owner Graham Mountford since she was 12 weeks old and now at the grand age of three, has clocked up more than 50,000 miles. She has flown to and landed at airports of all sizes from Cornwall to Wales to remote Scottish islands. She has a special habit to strap herself into her copilot chair in Mountford’s six-seater Cessna 210 Centurion plane and is rewarded with a sausage whenever they land. Mountford from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, said of his faithful friend: “I get a lot of comments and smiles when I land at an airport and people realise my co-pilot is a dog.” Amazing isn’t it? METRO.CO.UK
A petrol station owner in York is hoping to trade in space one day and has placed sci-fi film characters in his station. Inner Space Service Station owner Graham Kennedy has installed models of Transformers and Storm Troopers inside, plus Daleks and even a Cyberman from Dr Who on the roof. “The idea behind Inner Space Stations is that the company would eventually operate and retail in space,” he said. “We are a 24-hour life support company. We are not in space yet but one day we will be.” The sci-fi fan recently travelled to Cambodia to buy a nine-foot Bumblebee Transformer replica he hoped would give him the edge in an ongoing price war with local supermarkets. “It is the only one in the UK,” he told a local paper. “He is going to be my secret weapon in my price war with the supermarkets.” Kennedy wouldn’t reveal the cost of Bumblebee, which was built from car parts, although he did confirm he paid £2,000 (Rs333,557) just to transport it back to the UK. METRO.CO.UK
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 11, 2014
6 Word Origins Brownie points Have you heard people say ‘you will earn brownie points’? Brownie points are imaginary points earned by someone for doing a good deed and lost by doing something unfavourable. There are many theories as to where this word originated from and one of them is related to the Girl Scouts. The Girl Scout or Girl Guide Brownies took their name from the mythical creature, the brownie. The mythical brownies were known for being kind and helpful and performing household chores while a family slept. The girl-brownies are supposed to follow this behaviour, being quietly helpful without asking for much in return. As a reward for doing good deeds, Brownies receive badges or ‘brownie points’. Many people assume that this is how the term originated, but there are many other contenders as well. Wartime food rationing is another possible origin of brownie points. People were given ration points in different colours with which to buy food in the United States. Red or brown points were used to buy meat. ‘Brown points’ could easily have turned into ‘brownie points’. However, the Girl Scout Brownies theory is the only one that explains an actual point system for doing good deeds. Further, the term ‘brownie points’ started off in the school yard, working itself into student vocabulary, and was recorded in the 1944 edition of American Speech: A person who is always asking and answering questions in class to impress the instructor. This phrase has a similar meaning today that is imaginary points which can be acquired by doing good deeds or earning favour in the eyes of another, often one’s superior.
How to say ‘ want to watch a movie?’ in different languages Catalan
:
Vols veure una pel lícula?
Croatian
:
Zelite gledati film?
Czech
:
Chceš se dívat na film?
Danish
:
Vil du se en film?
Dutch
:
Wil je een film kijken?
Finnish
:
Haluatko katsella elokuvaa?
French
:
Voulez-vous regarder un film?
German
:
Wollen sie einen film?
Haitian-Creole
:
Ou vle gade yon fim?
Hungarian
:
Akar nézni egy filmet?
Indonesian
:
Anda ingin menonton film?
Italian
:
Vuoi guardare un film?
Norwegian
:
Vil du se en film?
Polish
:
Chcesz obejrzeć film?
Turkish
:
Bir film izlemek istiyorum?
Cool facts The human brain is like a powerful computer that stores our memory and controls how we as humans think and react. The brain is the centre of the human nervous system, controlling our thoughts, movements, memories and decisions. The brain contains billions of nerve cells that send and receive information around the body. The human brain is over three times as big as the brain of other mammals that are of similar body size. Each side of the brain interacts largely with just one half of the body. The interaction is with opposite sides, the right side of the brain interacts with the left side of the body and vice versa. The largest part of the human brain is called the cerebrum. The human brain is protected by the skull (cranium), a protective casing made up of 22 bones that are joined together. The brain of an adult human weighs around three pounds (1.5 kg). Although it makes up just 2% of the body’s weight, it uses around 20% of its energy.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 11, 2014
7
Fun & games
Notable Entries for the Liberty Books Card Competition
Diya Qaim Winner
Uroosha Tasnim
Maheen Imran Anjum Winner Nuriya
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 11, 2014
Here is an experiment you can try at a birthday party or on a normal day with your friends.
What to do: You will need: • Balloon per guest
1. Press a plastic figure inside each balloon. Fill the balloons with water and tie them up. . 2. Place the balloons in the freezer so that the water freezes into ice. It takes approximately 2 days. Keep rotating the balloons at regular intervals.
• 1 small plastic figure which each guest gets to keep
3. Just before the guests arrive, take the balloons out from the freezer. You can feel that the water inside has turned into solid ice. Now carefully remove the balloons from your ice balls. Pack each one them in some aluminum foil, so that they are fully covered.
• Aluminum foil
4. Hand out a silver ball to each of your guests and ask them to guess what’s inside. 5. After a while ask the to open their parcels and look inside. Now work together to save the figures trapped inside the ice balls. What tricks would you use to rescue the plastic figures without letting any harm come to them? You may use spoons, salt, glasses of water etc. Who can figure out first?
This activity is brought to you by:
Scientist Factory is a Norwegian social enterprise working to spread science literacy among students in Norway and Pakistan.
Word of the week: Phases and Phase Transition Water can exist in three phases. They are called solid, liquid and gas. When water goes from being ice to becoming liquid water, we call it a phase transition from solid to liquid. When you dry your hair after a shower, a phase transition from liquid to gas happens. Water in the gas phase is also called water vapour. The water molecule remains H2O in all three phases, it does not change. What changes as water transitions from one phase to another is how these water molecules behave. In solid ice, water molecules lie very close to each other and have very little movement. In the liquid phase, the molecules are not so closely packed and move around freely. Meanwhile in the gas phase, the molecules are really further apart, take up a lot of space and move around with great speed as they have a lot of energy.