21
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 2, 2011
playground Enter the ‘Devil’s Triangle’ ! Over the years, numerous ships and airplanes have mysteriously disappeared whilst travelling in and around the triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean that has come to be called as the ‘Devil’s Triangle’. A lot has been said and written about it. There are numerous facts, theories, mysteries and myths that have been associated with the infamous Bermuda Triangle, but never one solid consistent explanation!
Crossword
Where is it located? The exact location and boundaries of the triangle varies, as some say its shape is similar to a trapezoid covering the Straits of Florida, the Bahamas, and the entire Caribbean island area east to the Azores; others add to it the Gulf of Mexico. The more familiar, triangular boundary in most written works has as its points somewhere on the Atlantic coast of Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico and the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda, with most of the accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits. It is one of the two places on earth where a compass will not point to true, magnetic north.
Devilish disasters
A big bug bit the little beetle but the little beetle bit the big bug back. How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood She sells sea shells on the sea shore The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick
? I run, yet I have no legs. What am I?? A nose The more there is, the less you see Darkness Why don’t lobsters share? They’re shellfish Take one out and scratch my head, I am now black but once was red A match
It is believed that numerous mysterious disappearances of aircrafts and ships have occurred in the Bermuda Triangle region, even including gigantic vessels like the USS Cyclops and the SS Marine Sulphur Queen. Famous Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus jotted down many gripping recordings in his diary during his journey through the ‘Devil’s Triangle’ in 1492. He mentioned weird magnetic deviances in his navigation instruments. Unusual lights were noticed on the horizon. Columbus has also described a ‘great flame of fire’ that crashed into the ocean. Coming to modern times, on December 5, 1945, in the very same region, a training squadron of five US Navy torpedo bombers on Flight 19 went missing. The patrol leader, Lt Charles Taylor had radioed Florida the following strange message — “Control tower, this is an emergency. We seem to be off course. We seem to be lost. We can’t make out where we are.” When instructed to turn the plane towards the west, he replied, “Everything looks wrong, even the ocean looks strange.” A Navy seaplane was sent into the Atlantic in search of the missing squadron, but no trace was ever found of the aircraft or crew. Even the Martin Mariner aircraft that was part of the search team blew up just after 23 minutes into its flight. Three years later, on December 27, 1948, a commercial flight flying from Puerto Rico towards Florida met with a similar fate. It radioed Miami that they were 50 miles out and all set to accept landing instructions. After Miami radioed back the instructions, it waited for a reply of confirmation but none came. After three hours, a search and rescue team was dispatched to trace the missing aircraft. No trace, what so ever, was found!
Inexplicable explanations A lot of authors, who have written on the Bermuda Triangle, have
What is the fruitiest lesson? History, because it’s full of dates! I’d tell you another joke about a pencil. But it doesn’t have any point! What happens when you throw a green stone in the red sea? It gets wet! What makes the leaning Tower of Pisa lean? It doesn’t eat much! A noise woke me up this morning. What was that? The crack of dawn!
Quiz it! 1. a. b. c. d.
What is the other name of Bermuda Triangle? Devil’s Triangle Ghost’s Triangle Dangerous Triangle Free port Triangle
2. a. b. c. d.
Bermuda is associated with which ocean/ sea? Pacific Indian Atlantic Arabian
3. a. b. c. d.
What happened in this Bermuda Triangle? A number of aircraft and surface vessels have appeared A number of aircraft and surface vessels have disappeared A number of children have appeared A number of movies and cellphones have disappeared
4. Who was the first person to document something strange in the Triangle? a. Lawrence David b. Donald Crowhurst c. Chritopher Columbus d. Charles Berlitz 5. Which enormous Navy ship disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle with 309 aboard becoming the largest Navy disappearance ever? a. Mary Celeste b. Witchcraft c. Cyclops d. Victory
Materials needed Piece of paper 2 paper clips
Fold a rectangular sheet of paper in half the long way as in Figure 1.
Now fold down the entire length of both sides of the glider to make its wings as seen in Figure 3. DESIGN AMNA IQBAL
put forward supernatural theories to explain the disappearance of various ships and places in this region. One such explanation theory for Bermuda Triangle episode puts the blame on leftover technology from the lost continent of Atlantis. There are other writers who associate the events in the Bermuda Triangle with Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). This idea was used in the Hollywood film ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ by famous director Steven Spielberg. It shows the lost ‘Flight 19’ as having been abducted by aliens. The more scientifically minded believe that it’s all due to weird magnetic disturbances, or the release of poisonous methane gas from the bottom of the ocean. Besides these there are several other theories, stories and explanations for the strange happenings around Bermuda Triangle but till now there hasn’t been any one definite answer to it. Maybe you’ll be the one who finally cracks the mystery of the Devil’s Triangle!
Fold back the corner of one end of the paper. Then fold back the facing corner in just the same way. Notice how these corner folds match in Figure 2
Spread the wings of the glider. Use 2 paper clips to fasten the plane together as seen in Figure 3. The weight of the paper clips will make your plane glide smoothly through the air.
22
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 2, 2011
@Khan: Once my luggage was inspected by a female officer; she went through my stuff, picked up a bottle of my perfume and sprayed it on herself!
@Teefie Butt: Airport security would be a nightmarish gig for anyone. Imagine dealing with thousands of people who somehow think they are above all this.
Why I broke the law at Islamabad airport AYEZA ZAFAR
@Ghausia:
Not many of us who work abroad can afford to go back to Pakistan as often as we like. In 2009, when I finally had some time — and $1,700 to spare — I landed in Islamabad. Two weeks flew by and I found myself at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, ready to head back to the US. As I handed my passport to the official-looking security fellow, he looked at my face and said: “Ji, aap kay pass protector nahi hai” With my passport handed back to me, I was dismissed. Having no clue what he was talking about, I asked him why I could not go through. His reply was still that I did not have a “protector.” Who was a protector? What was he protecting me from? The security fellow finally pointed to a small piece of paper stuck on the wall behind him that said that all Pakistani citizens working abroad were required to have an official stamp from the Protector of Emigrants, Ministry of Labour, Government of Pakistan. On top of all this confusion, I was told that a sum of Rs6,000 (read: bribe) was needed to let me through. I wasn’t surprised. Thankfully, my father was
The official said I could not go through because I did not have a protector still around, and after a few arguments, I was let through and told that I should get this protector the next time around. Obviously, this protector could not have been that important since I was allowed to go through five security checks and board my flight to the United States without it. Later, when I tried looking up the website for the Pakistan Embassy in Houston, disappointingly I could find none. A year later, I was back in Pakistan — this time fully prepared to protect myself in the 14 days I was going to be there. For this protection, I had to fill seven forms and visit three different banks for pay-orders and cash deposits. While doing it, I also had to get a “voluntarily mandatory” life
insurance policy, apply for a new National Identification Card, sign numerous affidavits conceding/stipulating/ affirming/denying various declarations and provide an unbelievable amount of photocopies. There is no doubt that the Xerox industry in Pakistan rules all. The Emigration Ordinance 1979 describes Protector of Emigrants as a public servant appointed by the federal government to authorise the departure of a Pakistani going abroad for the purpose of employment, after submission of a certain fee, of course! The run-around was not so much of a nuisance as the amount of money I seemed to o be dishing out for this so-called ed protection. The registration fee ee e e is understandable. I’ll even accept the life insurance. But a welfare fund? What welfare? I asked this question many times without semblance of a semireasonable answer. In total, I had to spend over Rs5,000 in order to get a simple protection stamp on my passport. One look at the stamp and I wished I had just paid a few measly bucks on the stamp black market and saved myself the headache. Bureaucracy at its finest? I think so.
@Hunain Ali: Airport security is a mess. They don’t have any provision for a person who walks into the airport but are all attentive to people who come there in cars/bikes. I went to book my tickets and the guy at the check-post cross-questioned me: what ticket? Why are you going to Lahore? Why are you going by train? Why are you taking the tickets from here?
If you have an older guy with you to threaten or talk things out, you’ll never need to pay a bribe.
@Marium Khan: If you are a gora, you’ll be given VIP treatment.
Who gets special W treatment at airports? @Sanjay Kumar: An attempt should be made to erase the great divide between the elected and the ordinary. As a democratic nation we should seriously consider reviewing and streamlining all privileges extended to foreign diplomats and other political and bureaucratic representatives rather than perpetuating the old divisive system. Another question that comes to mind is this: how many times have diplomats come to the rescue of ordinary people living abroad when they are subjected to far more humiliating discrimination?
23
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 2, 2011
blogosphere true stories @Rima: We are willing to strip down when going abroad, willing to be x-rayed to the point where your entire body is up on display.
I paid my first bribe when I landed in Karachi SAAD HAFEEZ
I’ve lived in the UK most of my life and visited Pakistan last summer after five years. I was overwhelmed when I arrived at the airport and smiled at everyone and everything I saw. Unfortunately, my feelings of joy came to an end soon enough.
Fist stop: Baggage claim I waited at the baggage claim for the last piece of my luggage — a lawnmower that my grandfather had requested – for half an hour. Finally, I saw the big orange box. It was sitting on a luggage trolley along with another suitcase. Standing next to it was a tall, grey-haired man in a black suit. I walked towards the trolley and asked if I could see the box which had my name written on it in big black letters. After I threatened to call security, he complied with my request. The man shifted the box off his trolley, put it on the floor next to me and swiftly started to walk away. As I tried to stop him, he turned around and said, “Beta, mujhe maaf kardo. Allah tumhara bhala karay.” I was shocked at his audacity!
@Amna: Aiport “laws” are selectively applied. You randomly end up being harassed.
Next stop: Customs desk A fat man with a big moustache
“Do you have any pounds?” he asked with a devious smile checked our luggage. His eyes lit up when he saw the lawnmower. He gave me a price that was double the amount that I knew I should pay. It was obvious that he was trying to make some extra cash. I tried to explain that I had done my research and he was over-charging. The man grew indignant; he said I was accusing him of corruption. The argument drew a crowd. One of the airport officials casually asked me how many mobile phones I had with me. I did not reply. After arguing with me for some time, the customs official realised that I wouldn’t comply with his absurd demands and told the spectators to clear out. When they were all gone, he took me to a corner and asked me if I could “help him out.” I was confused. I had no idea what he meant at the time. He made an unambiguous gesture, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. He wanted a bribe.
I had never paid anyone a bribe in my life and had no intention of starting now. I asked the officer if I could go over the gate and speak to my mother, who had come to receive me, but he refused. After contemplating for a while I reluctantly asked him what he wanted. “Do you have any pounds?” he asked with a devious smile. I felt disgusted but took out a 20 pound note from my bag and handed it over. Before I could say anything else, he waved at two of his colleagues who hurriedly escorted us and our lawnmower past the gate and into the arrival hall. I ended up not paying any duty on the lawnmower.
Last stop: Pakistan As I sat in the car, I realised that airport officials are the first point of contact for everyone entering the country. Did they treat everyone like this? Would a foreigner ever come back here after being treated like this and nearly having his luggage stolen? I contacted the airport officials to tell them my side of the story and I was told to write a complaint letter. It has been months since I sent that complaint, but I have received no reply. ep ply. y.
Local vs international @Faiq Najeeb: At international airports, I’ve been sniffed by dogs and body searched for explosives. But my worst experience was at the Karachi airport. I saw passengers bypassing queues like celebrities assisted by airport officials. While I patiently waited in line, I saw airline officials helping relatives check in. Their bags weren’t even weighed. At international airports, people wait their turn in line and no one is given the unfair advantage to jump queues. Sadly, it is the opposite in Pakistan.
@Ahmed: My friend lost his passport which included his visa and other foreign identification cards. The Pakistani authority did not stop him from travelling abroad because he had a “protector.”
@Ali: While travelling from Lahore to Paris, one official told me that if I had any drugs he’d let me through if I paid Rs10,000.
Visit http://blogs.tribune.com.pk to join the conversation.
DESIGN TAHIR
24
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, APRIL 2, 2011
off beat
Wild & weird A ‘shuppy’ born in China Hundreds of people flocked to a farm in China to see a puppy that has lamb’s wool, with a dog-like mouth, nose, eyes, paw and tail. Farmer Liu Naiying, says he came across the lamb-puppy in one of his fields shortly after it was born. “I was herding the sheep, and saw a sheep licking her newborn lamb on the grassland. The lamb was still wet,” he said. “When I went up close to check on the lamb I was shocked because it looked so weird, like a cross between a sheep and a dog. I was a bit
transported to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley to see if vets there could figure out how to free him. On the way, the exact reason the cat was in the pipe became clear to all, as a rabbit bolted from the other end of it and made its frantic getaway from the vehicle carrying the party. One may never know if the bunny stayed in there because the cat had trapped it or the pair had initiated a pipe-based love affair. In the end, the cat was freed after being anaesthetised and his head gently twisted and turned. SOURCE: METRO.CO.UK
Turtle sparks fast-moving blaze in NYC apartment Giovani, a six-year-old lumbering African turtle sparked a fast-moving fire in a New York City apartment after crawling out of its tank and knocking over the terrarium’s heat lamp, says fire officials. The pet turtle, about the size of a basketball, survived, but officials say one firefighter and three police officers suffered smoke inhalation in the fire incident in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Another turtle that lived in a water tank was killed. The New York Post says both reptiles resided in their 18-year-old owner, Mohamed Salem’s bedroom. His family and Salem were not home at the time of the incident. According to fire officials, the heat lamp crashed to the floor, igniting a pile of art supplies, including thinner and paint. Within minutes, the Post reports, the fire spread through the third floor apartment. SOURCE: MSNBC.COM
frightened, as I’ve been raising sheep for 20 years and had never seen such a creature,” he added. Though veterinarians have rejected the animal being a young sheepdog, the ‘shuppy’ behaves like a puppy, despite being in the company of sheep. SOURCE: POPJOLLY.COM
Here kitty kitty A black-and-white tomcat that chased a rabbit into a pipe found himself in a tight spot, when it got stuck inside and had to be freed by fire-fighters and vets — who got a surprise in the middle of their efforts. The cat was discovered struggling with the pipe inside a shed in Boulder, Colorado. Fire-fighters and animal control officers were called and promptly got to work freeing the feline, cutting away part of the pipe in the process, but they failed in their efforts. The intrepid rescue team then turned to those trusty pipe-yielding tools of yore, vegetable oil and soap. When that didn’t work, the pipe-pussy combo was
Relations & ridiculousness The unusual sight brought out dozens of curious residents on a Ronkonkoma street. Children quickly nicknamed him ‘Skippy’. An area resident spotted the raccoon outside her house at 7 am, and called Suffolk police, the town of Islip and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. They all said little could be done. The raccoon’s ordeal finally ended around 3 pm., when a crew from the Long Island Power Authority came to its rescue. The jar fell off as they used a pole to grab the animal. Skippy quickly scampered off. SOURCE: EMIRATES247.COM
Refusing a kiss, not bliss A 92-year-old woman, Helen Staudinger aimed an automatic pistol at her neighbour’s house and fired four times after being refused a kiss. Authorities say that the old woman insisted that she be given a kiss by her 53-year-old neighbour, Dwight Bettner. When he refused to kiss her, she pulled out a gun and fired at him. “If my head would have been over just a little bit further, (a bullet) probably would have hit me in the back of the head,” said Bettner. Staudinger remained in jail for a day after being arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Bettner says this isn’t the first time she’s made a move on him. Six months ago, when he first moved into the neighbourhood, his elderly neighbour seemed attracted to him and took his actions of helping her take out the trash as romantic gestures. The woman threatened to shoot him recently when he told her he had a girlfriend but didn’t follow through. On the very day, Bettner argued with Staudinger when she came to his house and refused to leave. “I want a kiss before I leave,” Staundinger insisted. When he refused, Staudinger shot at Bettner’s new Mitsubishi 3000GT, a car “that he loved so much.”
Dog pooping leads to shooting When a Mississippi man’s dog defecated in his neighbour’s yard, it escalated to a shootout, sending a man to the hospital and the dog owner to jail. Terry Tenhet, 52, was mad at Jerry Blasingame because Blasingame’s dog went to the bathroom in his yard, Washington County Sheriff’s Assistant Chief Deputy Billy Barber said. The argument got out of control and the neighbours began shooting at one another, the police said. Tenhet was hit in the chest, arm and hip with a shotgun blast. His injuries weren’t considered life threatening. SOURCE: AZCENTRAL.COM
‘Skippy’ in a sticky situation A New York raccoon spent a day with its head stuck in a peanut butter jar last week while perched atop a Long Island utility pole.
SOURCE: REUTERS
Crazycrime
Into the frying pan
Rubber ducks robbed A flotilla of yellow rubber ducks intended for a fund-raising event has been stolen from a police academy in suburban Chicago. The Beacon-News in Aurora says that some 2,500 ducks Be took flight flig this week from the Yorkville Citizens Police Academy. Police say several of the toy ducks have been found Academ roadway and request that any more found be on a Yorkville Yor returned to the academy. Police plan to use the toy ducks annual ‘Duck Pluck’ to raise funds for the academy. in their a SOURCE: EX EXCITE.COM
Stolen gems found in a French drain Jewellery worth £15.4m has been found in a Paris drain more than two years after it was stolen in an audacious heist Harry Winston boutique in 2008. from a H French investigators discovered the stash in a plastic container that had been cemented into a rain outlet of a house in the city’s Seine-Saint-Denis area. Nineteen rings and three sets of earrings — one pair valued at £12m — were recovered from the hiding spot. Some of o the stolen rings, necklaces and watches were recovered in June 2009 after police arrested 25 people and evencharged nine of them. SOURCE: SKYNEWS.COM tually cha
‘Bol haddipa’ with largest arepa Employees of Venezuela’s largest food company cooked the world’s largest arepa, producing a flattened corn flour patty weighing 1,087.31 pounds (493.2 kilos). It was 19.7 feet (six metres) across. Arepas, which vaguely resemble Mexican tamales, are a traditional favourite in this South American country and neighbouring Colombia. The patties are usually stuffed with fillings like shredded beef, cheese or black beans. Ralph Hannah, a representative of the Guinness Book of World Records, certified the record weight after the giant arepa was cooked for hours over a heated metal plate and the water used to mix the dough evaporated. The previous record weight for an arepa was 440 pounds (200 kilos). The huge arepa was cooked at the headquarters of Empresas Polar, Venezuela’s largest food producer. The event was organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Polar’s introduction of precooked corn flour widely used to make arepas. SOURCE: YAHOO.COM
Don’t sell your spy drone on the internet
Out of the box Will your next car be made of bananas? Scientists in Brazil have used fibres from the plants to create a generation of super-strong automotive plastics. They believe the material may not only be used to build car bodies, but also engine parts. Manufacturers are testing the plastics and could be using them in cars within two years, say the researchers. Dr Alcides Leao, from Sao Paulo State University, said reinforcing plastic with microscopic fibres from delicate fruits such as pineapples and bananas made them super-strong. “The properties of these plastics are incredible,” he told the American Chemical Society meeting in Anaheim, California. “They are light, but very strong — 30 per cent lighter and three-to-four times stronger (than regular plastic). We believe that a lot of car parts, including dashboards, bumpers, side panels, will be made of nano-sized fruit fibres in the future. For one thing, they will help reduce the weight of cars, and that will improve fuel economy.” SOURCE: THE SCOTSMAN
Got a spare RQ-11B Raven spy drone lying around? If so, don’t try to sell it on the internet! A Philippine man, Henson Chua tried to do that last year when he offered up his Raven for $13,000 on eBay in violation of the Arms Export Control Act — a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison — and sold it to undercover federal agents. Chua was arrested when he traveled to Los Angeles last month. And the worst part is that he wasn’t even selling a real drone! The Raven is just a measly spy drone that looks like an oversized balsa wood glider, according to Aviation Online magazine. SOURCE: GAWKER.COM
Commode cuisine A former public bathroom in a historic Boston park is being turned into a sandwich shop. Don’t get grossed out. The 660-square-foot “Pink Palace” on Boston Common built in the 1920s hasn’t been used as a restroom in decades. City officials announced that they have agreed to a 15-year lease with the Florida-based Earl of Sandwich chain for a takeout operation at the site. The goal is to open the shop later this year or early next year following renovations. Boston Parks Department Commissioner Toni Pollak says the project is a chance to preserve the historic mausoleum-like structure while bringing new life to the Common. SOURCE: AP
An argument between two individuals at the Dunbar Township in Pennsylvania turned into an all out brawl involving frying pans. The two individuals, Robert Eckhart, 42, and Stacie Moorman, 37, began fighting shortly after midnight, after a day-long argument at their home in West Crawford Ave. According to the criminal complaint, a police officer said, “I asked Moorman what happened and she related the defendant was drunk, they got into an argument and he struck her with a frying pan several times.” Presumably, Moorman retaliated in defense to the attack by arming herself with another frying pan, which she used to hit Eckhart. Both Moorman and Eckhart were charged with simple assault and harassment, which does not carry a heavy sentence SOURCE: AFP
Web meeting sets up date with destiny for siblings
A sister and long-lost brother have been reunited after more than 30 years, after going on a date with each other. The siblings, now in their 40s, lost touch as children when their parents divorced and moved to opposite ends of the country. They went on to live separate lives and, despite several attempts, failed to track each other down. But incredibly the pair, both unmarried, made contact unwittingly after joining a dating website. After swapping emails and photographs, they agreed to meet in a pub in East Ham, London. The pair realised they were related after chatting about their childhood home, places of birth and parents’ names. Luckily, the penny dropped before any “kisses or fumbles” took place. Despite their embarrassment, they celebrated the reunion with a bottle of champagne — and spent the rest of the evening getting “slowly sizzled”. Since the date took place, the siblings have met twice more in Edinburgh and have vowed never to lose touch again. SOURCE: SCOTSMAN.COM
Woman bites co-worker’s finger off A Florida Walmart worker who suspected her coworker of sleeping with her husband was arrested after she allegedly attacked the other woman and bit off a part of her finger at the supercentre’s parking lot. Clodia Coicour, 43, was arrested on a charge of aggressive battery with great bodily harm causing permanent disfigurement for the bloody brawl at an East Naples Walmart, according to naplesnews.com. The victim told Collier County deputies that she was leaving work around 7 am, when she was suddenly attacked by Coicour near her car. She told police Coicour threw a spicy substance — possibly pepper spray — in her face, which burned her eyes before Coicour set upon her and bit off the tip of her right ring finger. Coicour later told deputies that she attacked the woman because she’d heard a rumor she was having an affair with her husband, who also works at the Walmart. The husband and the victim denied the affair to the police. SOURCE: MSNBC.COM