The Express Tribune hi five - September 14

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

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

Hi light ght

2 A girl is walking on air. With all eyes on her, and a hushed silence in the atmosphere, she makes her way across the tightrope. A small misstep and she will fall to her death 20 feet below. The crowd watches with bated breath, and when she finally reaches the other side, the applause is thunderous. The air is filled with excitement, awe and even magic — this is a place where anything can happen. Here, people can make lions jump through hoops of fire, a man can juggle knives, a group of people can do amazing acrobatics 10 feet in the air. This is the circus.

The circus, which is a group of performers who travel from one place to another and put up remarkable shows, has been around for centuries.

In the time of the ancient Romans and Greeks, the circus was a building where horse races and other animal shows were put up. There were even shows about adventures at sea, for which the entire circus would be filled with water. The first circus built by the Romans was called the Circus Maximus, a huge building which could seat 250,000 people. In this building, there were beast hunts, parades and even gladiator contests where warriors would fight each other. Of course, the circus of that time does not really resemble the circus of today, but there are many elements in today’s circus that go all the way back to ancient times. For instance, there have always been people like jesters (clowns) and troubadours (singers and musicians) who travelled from one town to another to entertain people.

The circus as we know it today came into existence, to a large extent because of one man’s vision.

Englishman Philip Astley, who was a sergeant major in the army, discovered that if he rode his horse in a tight circle, physics would allow him to perform seemingly impossible tasks while he was on the horse’s back. In January 1768, Astley invited the public to see him wave his sword in the air while he rode with one foot on the saddle and the other on the horse’s head. The event was so successful that Astley hired clowns, musicians and other performers to be part of his circus troupe, thus forming the first permanent travelling circus of Europe. Astley’s circus visited different places in Britain as well as in larger Europe, with other circus groups soon cropping up as this form of entertainment became popular. Today, there are many circus groups in the world. The largest performing group in the world is Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun), a Canadian group which includes different circus styles from around the world in its shows.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

Hi light

3 The circus is also a part of Pakistan’s history, long before the country even came into existence. The first Indian circus came into being in 1880. It was established by Vishnupant Chatre, who managed the horses of the Raja of Kurduwadi. Chatre went with the Raja to see the Royal Italian Circus, and inspired by its performances, he and his wife opened a circus of their own, which travelled around India. The circus became so popular that in 1901 the first circus school was opened in the subcontinent.

After Pakistan came into being, there weren’t any established circuses. That is, until the Lucky Irani Circus was formed in 1970 by Mian Farzand Ali of Lahore. Today, it is the best circus in Pakistan, visiting different areas of the country and even touring abroad. The circus has 450 performers and 32 animals. The Lucky Irani Circus has many exciting acts which include things like single wheel cycling, aerial acts and a battle between a lion and a human. Other animals that perform in the circus are stallions, giant elephants, bears, camels, monkeys and cobras. There is even a boy who can hold a man perched on a rod with his teeth.

Since a circus is made up of so many people living and working together, it is like a city without a permanent address. For the people of the circus, home isn’t any one place. They live in trailers or tents. They are always on the move, going from one town to another to perform. Many people are born into the circus, and become performers from a very young age.

In fact, the circus is one of the few performing arts which is passed along from generation to generation, with parents teaching their children the art of gymnastics, juggling and acrobatics.

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

Read If I Ran the Circus by Dr Seuss. In the book, young Morris McGurk dreams of opening the best circus ever. The Circus McGurkus will be like no ordinary circus. It will have more than just a lion tamer and a trapeze artist. Here you will be intrigued by the wink-hooded Hoodwink, terrified by the Spotted Atrocious an a and amazed by the daring feats of the great Sneelock.

Read da allllll a about the astonishing performances of the Circus M Mc McGurkus in this hilarious and exciting book.

Wat Watch Dumbo. This classic animated film is about a baby elephant, Dum Dumbo, who is born into a circus. His mother Mrs Jumbo is the star of the t circus but because Dumbo has really big ears, he is forced to p perform with the clowns. Watch the film and join Dumbo as he discovers the ups and downs of circus life.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

Activity

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How to make an origami plane Instructions: 1. Take a coloured origami paper with the coloured side facing upward.

2. Fold the origami paper in half and then unfold it, making a crease in the middle.

3. Fold the upper two corners inwards so that both meet at the centre crease. • Coloured origami paper (it must be square-shaped)

4. Fold the pointed corner downwards till it touches the lower end of the paper.

5. Turn the pointed corner upward in half (as shown).

6. Fold the entire paper in half from left to right.

7. Fold the wings downward to make the shape as shown.

8. Fold both the wings horizontally.

9. Fold the flaps of both the wings to complete the shape.

10. Your origami plane is ready.

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This activity is brought to you by the

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

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

Spider eggs in groceries Grocery shopping can be quite enjoyable (there are new cereals and jams to be bought) or quite boring (the lines at the checkout counters are so long), but one woman’s shopping experience was downright terrifying. Abby Woodgate, 30, came back from her grocery shopping with a bunch of bananas. She was thoroughly shocked when she peeled a banana and found it packed with the eggs of the Brazilian wandering spider, one of the most poisonous and aggressive spiders in the world. Woodgate initially thought that the bananas had mould on them but when she prodded them, she realised that it was actually an egg pouch. The pouch then split open, showering spider eggs all over her kitchen floor. She was told by pest control experts that she would have to burn anything that had come into contact with the spider eggs, as the arachnids are highly venomous.

The venom can cause loss of muscle control and breathing problems, even leading to paralysis. The Brazilian spider tends to hide in banana bunches or plantations, which is why the species is also known as banana spider. JEZEBEL.COM

A dog with farming skills Animals being used for different services are nothing new. Many different types of animals are domesticated to help in hunting, guiding the blind and providing other services. But a dog helping out at a farm is certainly something that hasn’t happened before. Meet Lemon, a Riesenschnauzer who’s taken to farming with its 47-year-old owner, Alexander Matitsyn. Matitsyn purchased Lemon after he retired from the Russian Army, where he worked as an army dog trainer.

Given his experience, Matitsyn thought he would try teaching Lemon basic farming methods. “I made him carry the bucket to get water from the yard because we do not have a main water supply here, and before long he was carrying the bucket himself, hooking it on the pump and then standing on the lever so that the water comes out and then bringing the bucket back without spilling it,” said Matitsyn. Unsurprisingly, Lemon’s skills don’t end there. He can also plough a straight line, as well as drive a skiddoo around the farm on the outskirts of the city of Tara in Omsk Oblast. METRO.CO.UK

World wide weird

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Go-kart superhero

Nine-year-old Nicholas Ferran may have a future as a superhero. One morning in Utah, USA, Nicholas alerted his father when a man allegedly stole two of his dad’s expensive bikes. His father told a local newspaper, “He just said, ‘Hey Dad, is someone borrowing your bikes today?’ I said, ‘No pal, why?’ He goes, ‘Well, there’s a guy who’s taking off with your bikes right now!’” While his father called the police, Nicholas hopped on to his go-kart and started chasing the suspect, who was getting away by riding one of the stolen bikes. He also alerted his neighbour and her husband, who also pursued the man in their car. When more and more people joined the chase, the man ditched the bike and started running on foot, removing his shirt and hat to try and change his appearance. But nobody was fooled and eventually the police arrested the suspect. “Nicolas really is the hero in this, he was really brave,” said the neighbour who joined in the chase. NEWSER.COM

Monkey business If, after watching Planet of the Apes, you thought apes would soon take over the world, you might not be that wrong. It is rhesus monkeys, not apes, which are currently overrunning many different cities right now. Monkeys are well-known for their thieving and bullying. They punch and bite people, and take all their food. In Dehli, India, these monkeys have begun terrorising residents to a large degree. The city’s monkey population is estimated to be at least 30,000. As James Tapper writes for the Globalpost, “It’s hard to over-emphasise this point: India’s rhesus monkeys are derelicts. They regularly steal food, glasses, medical equipment and clothes. They even break into cars.” These monkeys are encouraged to stay in the city by the tradition in which people feed monkeys on Tuesdays and Saturdays — days which are associated with the Hindu monkey-faced God Hanuman. The monkeys pose a real threat as 90% of them carry tuberculosis which they can transfer to humans. The problem is so bad that many people illegally buy langur monkeys (a breed that is stronger than the rhesus monkeys) to protect their homes.

But often the rhesus monkeys gang up on the langur monkey and beat it up. JEZEBEL.COM

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

6 Did You Know?

How to tell if someone is telling a lie For the friends and acquaintances of Pinocchio, it was easy to tell when he was telling a lie. Every time he told a lie, his nose would grow a few inches. Alas, it is not so easy for us to know when someone is telling a lie to us out here in the real world. But behavioural psychology and other fields of science have done quite a lot of research to find out why people lie and how they act when they are telling a lie. We generally assume that when people lie, they would be nervous. But it turns out that telling a lie isn’t very nerve-wracking for people. However, this doesn’t mean that telling a lie isn’t hard — it’s just hard for a different reason. The reason that being untruthful is hard is that it makes you think a lot more, because you have to suppress the truth in your head and make up a story that overrides that truth. In scientific terms, this creates a greater cognitive load on people’s minds.

Therefore, if you want to look for signs that a person is telling a lie, look for signs that indicate that he or she is thinking harder than is required in that situation. Signs of a greater cognitive load include blinking less than normal, fidgeting less than normal and taking longer pauses between sentences. The liar would converse in a strangely impersonal and emotion-less tone. He or she would also try and avoid answering the question directly, maybe by changing the subject or asking a question of their own. Research also shows that smarter and more creative people are better liars, because they can come up with fake stories on the spot. In fact, scientists say that one way to find out how intelligent a young child is, is by tracking how early they start telling a lie!

How to say ‘friendship’ in different languages Albanian Azerbaijani Catalan Cebuano Danish Dutch Esperanto French Galician German Icelandic Italian Persian Spanish

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Miqësi Dostluq Amistat Panaghigalaay Venskab Vriendschap Amikeco Amitié Amizade Freundschaft Vináttu Amicizia Dosti Amistad

Cool facts Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump.

People become more anxious about their looks after staring at themselves in a mirror for a long period of time.

Astronauts often lose their sense of smell and taste while in space.

Paper cuts are more painful because they do more microscopic damage to the skin than larger cuts.

Over 2,000 species of bacteria live in a belly button.

Cats lift their tail and show you their bottom as a way of saying they’re comfortable with you.

Killer whales (orcas) are actually dolphins, not whales.

More people are killed by hippos every year than sharks, bears and lions combined.

Exercising for 15 minutes each day can extend the average person’s lifespan by three years.

Until the 1850’s, there were no left and right shoes — both were identical.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

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Experiment

Notable Entries for the Liberty Books Cards Competition

Ayla Asim Winner

Rive Nur ul Hayat

Zainab Fawad Winner

Ayesha Fawad

Anas Subhani Alima Hasan

Basim Subhani

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

What to do: You will need:

1. Rub a small amount of lotion on your hands.

• Baby powder/corn starch/cocoa

2. Find a small surface area in the kitchen (a section of the countertop, for example). Press your fingers on the surface. This will leave behind your fingerprints.

powder

• Scotch tape • Small paintbrush or make-up brush • Black coloured paper

3. Sprinkle a small amount of powder onto the surface that you touched.

4. Using the brush, gently brush away the excess powder, being careful to leave the exposed fingerprints intact.

5. Place a piece of scotch tape on top of the powdery print, then lift the tape (the print will have stuck to it) and place it on to the black paper to see it more clearly.

6. Once you have dusted for your own fingerprints, try finding other fingerprints on different surfaces in the kitchen. Observe how your fingerprint will be different from someone else’s fingerprint.

2 What is happening: Our skin produces natural oils, which leave behind a residue when our fingers touch or press against a surface or object. The powder sticks to these oils, making visible the unique patterns made by the ridges on our fingertips. No two people have the same fingerprint patterns. This is very useful for detectives solving mysteries. In what other ways can fingerprints be useful?

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