The Express Tribune hi five - May 31

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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

Braving the waters PAGE 2-3

The story of cheese PAGE 4

Newspaper notebook cover PAGE 6

Cheese bruschetta PAGE 8

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 31, 2015

Hi light

2 The Phoenicians, people from the ancient civilisation of Canaan, used the galley, a manpowered sailing vessel, for travel, trade and fighting with their neighbours.

Egyptians were building wooden boats that could sail across oceans.

Boat builders in ancient Egypt used reeds to build what were probably the first sailing boats. The Egyptian reed boats had a mast and sails and were used on the River Nile.

Viking longboats had sails, as well as up to 60 oarsmen who rowed the ship. The longboats were long and narrow so were able to travel on the open sea, as well as along rivers.

Chinese junks were sailing boats with a rudder for steering the boat, battens on the sails to give them greater strength, and watertight compartments long before western ships had them.

Three and four masted sailing ships were in service for several centuries.

These wooden ships were used as battleships, by explorers and as trade vessels carrying cargo from country to country.

For centuries, before inventors were able to harness steam, sea travel was the only way for the world to stay connected. From basic rafts made of bamboos and hollow tree trunks to great feats of engineering like the Titanic, sea travel has come a long way. From accuracy in navigation to advancement in technology, marine travel is nothing like it used to be.

Let’s take a look at how it all began.

Building your own compass • Plastic lid or shallow bowl • Needle or straight pin • A magnet • A slice of styrofoam • Some water

Fast sailing ships called ‘clipper ships’ were built.

They had long, slim hulls and tall masts.

Directions

• Rub the magnet against the sewing needle at least five times. Always rub the magnet in the same direction against the needle. Your needle should now be magnetised.

• Cut a disk of styrofoam small enough to be able to float on water inside the plastic lid.

• Now fill the plastic lid with water and lay the disk of styrofoam on it.

• Place your magnitised needle on top of the styrofoam. Try to keep the disk floating in the center of the water, away from the sides of the cup.

• The needle will automatically move and point towards the north.

SOURCE: ADVENTURE.HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM

The first steamships to cross the Atlantic combined steam and wind power.

Some steam-driven river boats had rear paddles and were called stern wheelers, others had paddle wheels on either side.

The first ocean-going liners made of iron and driven by a propeller were being built.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 31, 2015

Hi light

Historical Navigation Tools Leaving land behind and braving the waters is a great feat within itself, but to do it in the past when there were very few and inaccurate ways of finding one’s way back is truly marvellous. To think that men like Zheng He, Vasco da Gama, Ibn Battuta and Christopher Columbus had very little in terms of navigation tools and yet made such great discoveries leaves one in awe. Here are some of the very basic navigation tools that marine travellers used in the past:

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Dead Reckoning

Chip Log

In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating one’s current position by using a previously determined position, also known as a ‘fix’, and advancing that position based upon known or estimated speeds over elapsed time and course. This process is crude and can lead to great errors during sea travel. However, it was one of the first ways of navigation devised by man.

Essentially a crude speedometer, a light line was knotted at regular intervals and weighted to drag in the water. It was tossed overboard over the stern as the pilot counted the knots that were let out during a specific period of time. From this he could determine the speed at which the vessel was moving. Using the sun and the stars, the navigator knew his beginning and ending latitude – now he could determine the distance he had traveled to estimate his east/west position. Interestingly, the chip log has long been replaced by equipment that is more advanced but we still refer to miles per hour on the water as knots.

Magnetic Compass Initially used only when the weather obscured and the sun or the North Star were not visible, these first compasses were very crude. The navigator would rub an iron needle against a lodestone, stick it in a piece of straw and float it in a bowl of water. The needle would point in a northerly direction. Early mariners found the compass inconsistent – most likely because they did not understand that it pointed to the magnetic north pole, not true north. This problem was solved much later with the invention of the gyroscopic compass which is unaffected by variation or deviation as it points to true north, not magnetic north.

At the time, however, the marine travelers could not explain these variations and could not put much trust in the readings when navigating an unknown area. The most practical use of the compass at this time was to identify the direction of the wind to help the navigator determine which of the eight winds on the wind rose they were experiencing.

Hovercraft could float above the waves on cushions of air and were capable of speeds of up to 140 km an hour. The Atlantic was a ship combining steam and wind power.

The Savannah, one of the first nuclear powered cargo ships, was able to sail for three and a half years without refuelling.

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

Wind Rose A wind rose is a graphic tool used to give a view of how wind speed and direction are typically distributed at a particular location. Wind roses were predecessors of the compass rose. Before the development of the compass rose, a wind rose was included on maps in order to let the reader know which directions the eight major winds blew within the plan view.

DESIGN BY HIRA FAREED

Hydrofoil was invented. It was used as ferries or water taxis, ride-on wings that lift the craft clear of the water so that it rides on skis as it gains speed.

Cruise liners are ships that carry many hundreds of people on floating holidays.

Passengers live on the ship, which has restaurants, shops, cinemas and other recreation venues.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 31, 2015

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Fun Facts about Cats Cats are America’s most popular pets: there are 88 million cats compared to 74 million dogs.

Q. What game did the cat like to play with the mouse?

A. Catch

Some cats have survived falls from over 320 metres onto concrete, due largely to their “righting reflex.”

A group of cats is called a clowder, a male cat is called a tom, a female cat is called a molly or queen while young cats are called kittens.

Q. What goes “oh, oh, oh”?

A. Santa walking backwards.

Every year, nearly four million cats are eaten in China as a delicacy.

Cats have 32 muscles that control the outer ear while humans have only six.

A cat has been the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska for 15 years.

Q. Why was the dog sweating so much?

A. He was a hotdog.

Cats can’t taste sweetness.

Cats sleep for 70% of their lives.

The longest cat ever measured was 48.5 inches (1.23m) when fully stretched out.

Q. What did the rabbit say to the carrot?

A. It’s been nice gnawing you.

Owning a cat can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by more than a third.

Adult cats only meow to communicate with humans.

Q. What do you call a witch at the beach?

A. A sand-witch

There are over 500 million domestic cats in the world.

Did you know?

The story of cheese Cheese dates back to before recorded history, perhaps as far back as 6,000 B.C.E. We know that cheese was part of the Sumerian diet, 4,000 years before the birth of Christ, made from both cows’ and goats’ milk and stored in tall jars. Egyptian tomb murals from as far back as 2,000 BC show butter and cheese being made and other murals which show milk stored in animal skin bags suspended from poles demonstrate a knowledge of dairy husbandry.

An enormous variety of cheeses are made, in virtually every country on earth.

Cheese varieties have been developed with the milk from a broad spectrum of animals, including reindeers in Scandinavia, water buffaloes in Italy, yaks in Tibet and mares in Russia.

How did cheese come to be? First, man discovered that domestic animals could be milked. While no one can be certain who made the first cheese, we can be fairly certain it was an accident. Legend has it that nomadic tribes of Central Asia who carried milk in animal skin bags “discovered” cheese. They carried milk in saddlebags made from animal skins, and possibly made from the stomach, which contains the coagulating enzyme known as rennin. Fermentation of the milk sugars would cause the milk to curdle. The galloping motion of the horse, acting as churning, would effectively separate the milk into curds. The result, curds and whey, provided a refreshing whey drink as well as curds, which would be drained through perforated earthenware bowls or woven reed baskets, and lightly salted to provide a tasty and nourishing high protein food.

However, any people with milking animals would have “discovered” cheese and yogurt in a similar way. Any shepherd or farmer taking milk along with him in the stomach of a slaughtered animal that is used as a canteen or the beneficial microflora in a milkmaid’s oak bucket feeding on the simple sugars in the milk, releasing lactic acid that increases the acidity and causes coagulation. Before long, people learned that the curds could be aged over weeks or months, and then, pressed together to form large cakes of cheese.

Most scholars agree that the art of cheesemaking travelled from Asia Minor to Europe, where it flourished in the hands of the Romans.

SOURCE: THENIBBLE.COM

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 31, 2015

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

World wide weird

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Dog’s eye view Soon people might not have to imagine how their dogs see the world, because new technology could now make it possible for owners to get a better insight into their pet’s thoughts and feelings.

A brand new, state-of-the-art camera, that can be attached to a dog’s collar, claims to use your pet’s heart rate to discover exactly what makes it happy.

Every time a dog gets excited about sights, sounds or smells, the increase in their heart rate will trigger the camera to take a picture of whatever has caught their eye at that moment. In a device test, Grizzler the Border Collie puts the camera to test as he ventures out and about — taking pictures of other dogs, mushrooms and even a bowl of food.

A spokesperson for Nikon Asia said, “The video, filmed by our camera crew, features Grizzler the Border Collie wearing a Nikon camera attached to a harness. “Each time Grizzler gets excited or happy, his heart rate increases and in turn triggers a mechanism to depress the camera’s shutter and take a picture, allowing us to see the world from Grizzler’s perspective.” MIRROR.CO.UK

The “elphie”

Twenty-two-year-old Christian LeBlanc was travelling with his friend in Thailand earlier this year when an unusual event occurred. He was reported saying that the duo had come across a couple elephants and had decided to buy some bananas to feed them. But it seems one elephant had something else in mind. “I got the selfie of a lifetime, which I can’t take full credit for,” LeBlanc talked about the surprising snap saying, “Elephants are incredibly intelligent, and it definitely makes you wonder if it was a conscious action.” LeBlanc’s “elphie” was taken earlier this year, but the photograph has only gone viral this week. It’s certainly an incredible image, but it has been pointed out, it isn’t actually the world’s first elephant selfie as some have claimed. HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

A buffalo scare

An unusual reunion In Staffordshire, a bull terrier called Treacle was reportedly snatched close to the London Bridge last week by someone claiming to be a police officer. Her owner, a homeless man known as Michael, was said to be a “complete mess” and “unable to cope” afterwards.

It sparked an internet campaign to find Treacle. Many people posted pictures of Treacle online, hoping to reunite her with her owner. A week later it has emerged the pair are back together after a photo of Treacle with Michael was taken at their usual spot in London Bridge. Sarah Stephenson Rix, who helped in campagning for the dog’s return, posted the photo to Facebook with the message: “Treacle is with Michael. He’s outside London Bridge Tube, he’s so happy to have her back.” TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

The king of the jungle had his tail between his legs after nearly being trampled by a herd of buffaloes. They saw the lion stalking a new born calf and were not ready to allow an easy escape.

The scared lion jumped on the tree and the herd gathered round. They waited for the cowering lion to fall and it started to slide down the bark as tiredness set in.

But out of desperation the big cat let out a snarl and suddenly leapt from the tree, ran towards a safari jeep parked close by and disappeared into the bush — with a look of terror clear on his face. It was all over in a few seconds.

The pictures were taken in Kenya’s Maasai Mara by ex-Army official Charles Comyn, 63. He said, “It was a hair-tingling moment. The lion could not hang for long, one could really sense that he was almost doomed, so he had to make another attempt to flee. Very quickly the buffalo resumed their early morning grazing. It was only then that we spotted the new born calf in the middle of the herd, which they obviously had been protecting from the lion who possibly had spotted a potential ‘light‘ breakfast.” EXPRESS.CO.UK

An odd friendship

By Fajar Shujaat On the smelly outskirts of a big town there lived a Cheshire cat. She lived behind a metal garbage can. Every Thursday morning the garbage truck would bring loads of scrap food, broken containers, large bottles and old broken furniture. Over time, the cat had built herself a cosy little shelter with everything she needed. The only thing missing in the cat’s life was a friend to share her things with. Every time she went to town, she tried making friends, but the town cats were not very welcoming. They shunned her away only because she smelled and looked different. In time the cat stopped visiting town, realising that the town cats would never take her as their own.

Beside the town was a village, with acres and acres of farmland. On one of the farms lived a horse. Long ago he had been happy in the stable with other horses. There were even cows, chickens, ducks, a dog and sheep to keep him company. But as time passed, the state of the farm deteriorated and the owners sold all the animals one by one, until the only animals remaining on the farm were a duck, the dog and the horse. Soon the dog ran away out of hunger, as the farmers could not give him any food. The duck became the family’s dinner one winter evening and so the horse was left all alone. He barely ate and started becoming weak day by day until one day the farmer’s little boy took pity on him and set him free. Knowing he was on his own now, the horse was afraid. He had never been left alone before, he didn’t know how to find shelter or forage for food. The horse started trotting towards the town, hoping to find some place to stay the night.

It turned dark and the stars were shining, suddenly the cat saw a huge shadow moving towards her. She was scared and hid behind the broken sofa someone had dumped in front of her shelter the day before. As the huge shadow kept coming closer, the cat took a peek at the creature casting the shadow in the light of the stars. She could see whiskers, ears, legs and hairy body. The cat realized the creature was a horse and unafraid she came out.

The horse knew that there was a tiny animal coming towards him so he was ready for anything. After a few seconds they were standing in front of each other. The cat looked at him and walked around to see if he was a wild one or tame. The horse looked confused as to what was happening, but he stood still patiently. Once the exam was complete, he said, “Hello cat, I am a horse and I have traveled a long way on foot. I am hungry and I have no place to sleep or stay.” The cat jumped with joy, she and exclaimed, “Yahoo! This is the friend I have been waiting for!” The cat offered the horse some food and asked, “Do you want to become friends?” The horse replied with a big grin and a happy nod. Soon the two odd friends were inseparable, wherever they went they went together, finding the companion they always wanted in each other.

Share your short stories with us. Email them to hifive@tribune.com.pk

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 31, 2015

Reading corner

Materials: • Newspaper 1 sheet • Butter paper 1 sheet • Scissors • Oil pastels • Glue stick

6 Directions: • Measure and cut the newspaper required to cover your notebook. Be sure to leave an extra two inches to fold inside the notebook. Do not stick the cover to the notebook yet.

• Take the measured piece of newspaper and use it as a reference to cut out your butter paper.

• Once the butter paper is cut, on the non-glossy side draw and colour the image you want on the front of your notebook.

• Now comes the tricky part, place the butter paper, glossy-side-out, under the newspaper so that the coulours of your drawing don’t smudge.

• Carefully crease the sides of both the papers while you tuck the extra material in so that the cover fits your notebook perfectly.

• Once you’re sure the cover fits your notebook perfectly, glue the tucked edges to the notebook and voila, your custom covered notebook is now ready.

Unusual Disney Heroines Mulan The Fa family’s only child, Mulan, fails to fulfill a Chinese girl’s traditional duty to be a desirable bride. When the empire summons a man from every family to fight the invading Huns, Mulan fears her father, an honourable veteran, would no longer be up to fighting and takes his place, masquerading as his fictitious son Fa Ping.

The ancestors designate the mighty stone dragon as her magical protector but instead the tiny eager dragon Mushu takes his place. Ping is assigned to general Li’s son captain Fa Li’s training unit. He does an amazing job preparing the peasant recruits. When the forces reach the front, the Huns have already wiped out General Li’s troops and it is up to Fa Li and his unusual band of comrades to save China.

Pocahontas Capt John Smith leads a band of English sailors and soldiers to the New World to plunder its riches for England. Meanwhile, in this ‘New World’, Chief Powhatan has pledged his daughter, Pocahontas, to be married to the village’s greatest warrior.

Pocahontas, however, has other ideas. She has seen a vision of a spinning arrow, vision she believes tells her change is coming. Her life does indeed change when the English ship lands near her village. Between Ratcliffe, who believes the ‘savages’ are hiding the gold he expected to be plentiful, and Powhatan, who believes these pale newcomers will destroy their land, Smith and Pocahontas have a difficult time preventing all-out war.

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Brave Merida, a Scottish princess whose interests include archery and horse riding, is told by her mother that her interests are not suitable for a young princess. She is given the ultimatum to choose a suitor from one of the other great Scottish families. But Merida chooses to defy her mother and when she and her mother have an argument Merida rides off into the forest to blow off steam. In the jungle she encounters a witch, who promises to change her mother, not fully explaining the foolish princess the repercussions. When the spell is enacted, Merida realises how grave her mistake is and tries to find a way to fix it. Meanwhile, Merida’s mother realises that she needs to change and does so once the spell is lifted.

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, MAY 31, 2015

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Artwork

Mohsin

Maaz Ali Winner Akfa Usman

Khizar Maha Winner Ashar Hussain

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, MAY 31, 2015

You will need:

Ingredients: Bread Tomatoes Onion Capsicum Button mushrooms Green olives Cheddar cheese Salt Black pepper Oregano powder Oil

4 slices 2, diced 1, diced 1, diced 3, thinly sliced 1/4 cup, thinly sliced 1/2 cup, grated to taste to taste to taste 4 tbsp

• A clear drinking glass • Vegetable oil, 1/4 cup • Salt, 1 tsp • Water • Food colouring

Directions: • Fill the glass about 3/4 full of water.

• Add about five drops of food colouring — I like red for the lava look.

• Slowly pour the vegetable oil into the glass. The oil would float over the water.

• Sprinkle the salt on top of the oil.

• Watch blobs of lava move up and down in your glass!

• If you liked that, add another teaspoon of salt to keep the effect going.

Method: • • • •

•

• • •

Heat oil in a pan and add the onions, fry them until they are soft.

Add the capsicum and mushrooms, let them cook for a minute.

Add the tomatoes and a little water to help them break down.

Once the tomatoes have broken down, season the sauce with salt, pepper and oregano. Let the mixture cook until you have thick paste.

Lightly toast the bread on both sides, then place it on an ovenproof tray. Top it with the sauce you made and sprinkle on some grated cheese and sliced olives.

Ask an elder to help you place the pan in the oven with only the top burner on.

Remove from the oven once the cheese has melted.

Your Cheese Bruschetta is now ready.

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

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

What is happening: The oil floats on top of the water because it is lighter than water.

Since salt is heavier than oil, it sinks down into the water and takes some oil with it, but then the salt dissolves and the oil goes back up.

SOURCE: SCIENCEBOB.COM