Dhaka Tribune Wednesday, October 2, 2013Volume 1, Issue 25

Tales From The CiTyTales From The CiTySpecial

epiSodeS 13-24

jumboiSSue

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

1jonaki's Headquarters

A weekly production ofDhakaTribune

EditorZafar Sobhan

Magazine EditorSabrina Fatma Ahmad

Treehouse TeamSabiha Mahmud SumiRubab Nayeem KhanMunira FidaiAzfar RahmanNatasha RahmanSaudia AfrinTahsin Momin

ContributorsSama E DeenAfshan SattarRad Sharar Bin Kamal

CartoonistSyed Rashad Imam TanmoyRio Shuvo

GraphicsSabiha Mahmud Sumi Mohammed Mahbub Alam

ProductionMasum Billah

AdvertisingShahidan Khurshed

CirculationWahid Murad

Email treehouse@dhakatribune.com

Websitewww.dhakatribune.com

It’s October! We’re counting down to yet another Eid now, coming your way pretty soon. While you’re getting ready, buying new clothes, and looking for the perfect cow or goat, we’ve decided to give you an early gift with our second Treehouse comic special.

Now you can catch up on all the episodes in Chapter two in one big issue, plus one new episode. Isn’t that great? And each page has a special treat, a bit of trivia or a funny joke. What are you waiting for? Jump into the Treehouse and come play with us.

lovejonaki

Hey Friends!

Sour

ce: J

aago

Fou

ndat

ion

ww

w.ja

ago.

com

.bd

The JAAGO Foundation started in a tiny classroom with 17 children. JAAGO’s founder Korvi Rakhsand didn’t let the Rayerbazar slums dampen his spirit. Rakhsand along with a group of determined change makers went on to take up the JAAGO cause and built the JAAGO that today educates 1,400 underprivileged children.

During the course of JAAGO’s evolution, the organisation has been tagged by the popular media with a bunch of “rich Dhaka kids” who “sell” flowers on the streets wearing yellow t-shirts. Many went on to claim that the fund collected during this “Flower Selling” is what JAAGO survives on! JAAGO’s volunteers spread awareness regarding the wellbeing of underprivileged children on “Universal Children’s Day” and the flowers are not “sold” but gifted to passersby for their time to stop and listen to the message being spread. During this awareness campaign, the masses are encouraged to donate to JAAGO’s cause. Contrary to rumors, the JAAGO Foundation runs through a sustainable proceeds generating system. Each JAAGO student has a sponsor who pays Tk1,500 per month to support the sponsored child’s schooling. It is quite obvious that this non-profit cannot solely rely on arbitrary or campaign donations to support all of its existing and expanding functions.

JAAGO today is home to children who have seen many struggles in their initial years. The dawn of their lives are chalked in harsh shades of reality, turning life into an unpleasant dream. Children like Raju and Mukti have families who migrated to city centers in hopes of better opportunities and better lives. However, changing localities did not mean that they could break free from the poverty that dominated their existence. To the parents

of most of these children, education was perceived as a luxury before they got involved with JAAGO. With JAAGO these children are evolving into strong, intelligent and idealistic individuals. The once rowdy Raju now has the best etiquettes amongst all his cousins and Mukti who has a severe heart condition, now considers herself of being capable of doing everything that a regular 5 years old can! JAAGO has wonderful sponsors who play a pivotal role in molding the lives of these children. Sonia Bashir Kabir who is the Country Director of Dell Bangladesh, sponsors a bunch of 20 JAAGO children. To her, this is the beginning of a new chapter of motherhood as her own children have already left the nest! Imtiaz Mahmud, another sponsor at JAAGO, sponsors 8 years old Sumaiya and 5 years old Ratul jointly with his friend in California. Another JAAGO success story is Bithi’s, a 15 years old girl from a disadvantageous background who was one of the first 17 students to put their faith in JAAGO. Bithi is currently speaking in a conference organised by UNICEF in Nepal.

The JAAGO Foundation provides its students with international standard education, proper mentoring and global exposure alongside the necessary stationeries and nutritious meals that guarantee a healthy childhood and a rich and fulfilling schooling experience.

JAAGO Sponsors are always very encouraging others to sponsor. To them, JAAGO’s sponsorship program is extremely rewarding in terms of getting the chance to mentor and stand by these children while they achieve their academic goals and become their own person. To know more about the JAAGO Foundation and its sponsorship programme, visit JAAGO’s online page, www.jaago.com.bd or the JAAGO head office in Rayerbazar.

photo: courtesy

With a definite resolve to make a difference, and an aim to make a change in the world, Julian Malcolm Mendez is a person with a great personality and thus this time, he is our Teacher of the Week. Graduating from Dhaka University in 1990, Mendez completed his Masters in Social Welfare and did his LLB from Central Law College. In 2006, he joined SFX Greenherald School as a teacher of Computing Studies for class 6 and is currently teaching Computing and Moral Studies in classes 5 and 6. Besides these subjects, Mendez also teaches Debate, is the co-moderator of the school and is also the coordinator of the Green World Earth Club in Greenherald. When asked about his reason for embracing teaching as his career, Mendez said that he was inspired by his family, especially by his mother and sister who are also teachers, to take up teaching as his profession, and it was his will to improve the teaching system and influence students into social welfare, that really pushed him to choose this noble profession. When not teaching, Mendez loves travelling to different places and for the future, he aspires to get established and together with his students and his knowledge, make a noticeable difference in the society and the world that will be remembered by all. Sama E DEEn

makinG a diFFeRence

TEAChEr of ThE WEEk sPECiAl

jaaGo SponSoRS: a biG bRiGHt Halo oveR 1 ,400 HeadS

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

epiSode 13: FiRSt day oF ScHool

Created by Sabrina Fatma Ahmad Story by Sabrina Fatma Ahmad

Illustration by Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy

taleS FRom tHe citytaleS FRom tHe city

school lifeJonaki has come all the way from the Forest to live in the City. She moves into the Treehouse, and the landlady Bhootum says she must go to school. She starts classes at Pokamakor Academy, and that’s when a strange adventure begins...

ThE sTory

treehousecomics

2

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

Aye Aye

• They are natives of the North-eastern coasts of Madagascar.

• Their incisor teeth grow on till the day they die.

• They live in nests made out of twigs and leaves but shift houses every few days.

• They like living 700m or more, above the grounds.

• It’s scary looks and chilling call has earned it the Symbol of Death title in the ancient Malagasy legends.

• It can live up to 20 to 23 years in captivity.

• It is the largest nocturnal primate in the world and highly active at night, so much so that they hardly stop to rest.

• Though aggressive towards each other, Aye Aye is usu-ally pretty harmless.

• It is 6 to 7 pounds in weight and grows up to 2 feet tall with bushy tails, twice the size of its body.

treehousecomics

3

epiSode 14: ScHool day blueS

AniMAl fACTs

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

treehousecomics

4

epiSode 15: Speedy’S StoRy

Wind, wind, blow away. Wind chimes are a particular favourite in all houses. Why not make some really cool chimes all by yourself?

You will need• Tin cans in different sizes

with soft lids• Tape• Paint• Pen• Long threads of yarn• Rocks

Instructions1. Tape around the edges of

the tin cans to prevent any cuts.

2. Paint the outside of the cans with any colour you want.

3. Use a pen to punch holes on the bottom of the cans.

4. String a long piece of yarn through the holes and tie two rocks onto the end of the string, inside the cans. One rock will keep the thread in place and the other will make noises when the wind blows.

5. Once done, hang your chimes in the doorway or any place you want and watch them blow.

SamE E DEEn

Diy

BLOW IT AWAY

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

treehousecomics

5

epiSode 16:tRouble

• Every other mammal can jump apart for elephants.

• A cat’s jaw unfortunately cannot move sideways.

• The volume of the Earth’s moon is exactly the same as the volume of the Pacific Ocean.

• An average person falls asleep in seven to eight minutes.

DiD you knoW?

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

treehousecomics

6

epiSode 17: FlaSHback

you will need3 tablespoons of vinegar1 drinking Glass2 teaspoons of baking sodaA pair of rubber gloves

instructions1. Pour the 3 tablespoons of

vinegar into the glass, set aside.

2. Put 1 tablespoon of baking soda into the glove. Hold the glove by the wrist and shake it, so that the powder falls into the fingers.

3. Carefully attach the glove to the glass of vinegar, keeping the glass straight and the fingers of the glove down-ward, so that the baking soda stays in the fingers of the glove.

4. Pull the glove upright, so that the baking soda falls into the vinegar.

5. Watch the bubbles grow.6. Stare at your ghost hand!7. A chemical reaction takes

place when the vinegar’s acetic acid reacts with the baking soda’s sodium bicar-bonate. It forms carbonic acid, which breaks down into carbon dioxide and water.

how it worksThe bubbles come from the es-caping carbon dioxide. The CO2 has no where to go except up into the glove causing it to inflate like a mad hand!

afShan Sattar

ExPEriMEnT

GhOsT hAnd

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

treehousecomics

7

epiSode 18: tHe plan

Knock knockWho’s there?Frank!Frank who?Frank you for being my friend!

Knock knockWho’s there?Wooden shoe!Wooden shoe who?Wooden shoe like to hear an-other joke?

Knock Knock!Who’s there?Avenue!Avenue who?Avenue heard this joke before.

Knock knock!Who’s there?Water?Water who?Water way to answer the door!

knoCk knoCk

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

treehousecomics

8

epiSode 19: pRepS

Mynah’s make really cool pets, particularly because they can talk. For those of you who want this chatterbox of a bird, here’s what you got to do.

homeMake sure you have a cage big enough for your Mynah to move around. The cage needs to be set on a table or desk.

WordsStart teaching your Mynah some words, phrases or maybe a tune as soon as it makes itself comfortable around the cage. Continue this for ten minutes a few times every day.

Quality timeSpend some time with your bird. Observe it’s personality to see if it is able to fit in with its sur-roundings and of course talk to them, make them feel special.

BathAs funny as it sounds, birds do wash themselves every now and then. Provide a bowl of water, small to fit inside the case but big enough for the bird to fit into it so that it can clean itself.

rubab nayEEm Khan

PET TiPs

CArInG fOr A MYnAh

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

full Name Usain St. Leo Bolt OJ CD Nick Name Lightning Bolt

Usain is a Jamaican sprinter widely regarded as the fastest person ever. He is the first man to hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records since fully automatic time measure-ments became mandatory in 1977.

Born August 21, 1986 (age 27)Trelawny Parish, JamaicaNationality Jamaicanheight1.95 mWeight 94 kgsiblings Sherine Bolt, Sadiki Boltparents Wellesley Bolt, Jennifer Boltpersonal Best(s) 100m – 9.58seconds 200m – 14.35seconds300m – 30.97seconds400m – 45.28seconds

tahSin momin

treehousecomics

9

epiSode 20: invaSion

sPorTs sTAr

UsAIn BOLT

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

treehousecomics

10

epiSode 21 : waR

Alter ego Oliver Jonas “Ollie” Queen

team Affiliations Justice League, Queen Industries, The Outsiders, Seven Soldiers of Victory

partnerships Speedy, Red Arrow, Green Lantern, Black Canary

Notable Aliases The Emerald Archer, The Battling Bowman, Former Mayor Queen, Auu Lanu Lau’ava, Poltergeist

Abilities Superb archer, peak human physical condition, highly-trained martial artist, athlete and swordsman, possesses a recurve bow with a variety of trick arrows

tahSin momin

suPEr hEro

Green LAnTern

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

treehousecomics

11

epiSode 22: tHe queen

Q Why is a horse like a wedding?A Because they both need a groom!

Q Why did the boy take a pencil to bed?A To draw the curtains!

Q Why was Rita carrying a ladder?A Because she was going to high school

Q What is a witch’s favourite part in school?A Spelling LOL

lol

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

12treehousecomics

epiSode 23: it’S oveR

Q How do you make seven an even number?A Take the “s” out!

Q Why are ghosts bad liars?A Because you can see right through them

Q Why did the elephant paint himself different colours?A So he could hide in the crayon box

Q What did the math book say to the other math book?A Boy do I have problems

rofl

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

treehousecomics

13

epiSode 24: HeRe to Stay

• “Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt”.

• Solitary magnetic fields are invisible to the human eye.

• Travelling at 80 kilometres per hour, a car utilises half its fuel to overcome wind resistance.

• Mushrooms are considered to be a type of fungus.

• There is no word in the dictionary that rhymes with orange.

• Australia is the only conti-nent on earth which doesn’t have an active volcano.

fun fACTs

WEDN ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013

14

The plot of the Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is basically a colourful cartoon-like ver-sion of Australia. The main character takes charge and decides to go on a journey to the land down under to save the animals that have been lost or have gotten trapped. On his journey, he has to go through dangerous lands sur-rounded by enemies. Along the way, he uses his trusty boomerangs to get rid of the creatures that get in his way. Although the game filled with plenty of

unselfish and heroic sto-ries, but it is really not about the story. The majority of the gameplay feels like an old-school game with the action of running and jumping through a range of colourful 2D environments. The ex-perience brings virtually all ages to the table. On the flip side, it doesn’t offer anything amazing or new.

Treehouse rating tahSin momin

MusT PlAy GAME

MoviE

tiGeR Gone wild

For those who love a good challenge, this is the game for you. A game that can either make you flinch with frustration or giddy with gladness, Jigsaw puzzles have been a family favourite for years.

Jigsaw puzzles are large puzzles consisting of hundreds of small pieces that fit together to form a picture. Pieces can vary in shapes and sizes, but it’s really those puzzles with almost similar looking pieces that can test you.

The jigsaw puzzle was created in 1760 by John Spilsbury, a London mapmaker. Most Jigsaw puzzles come in pieces of 300 to 500 to 1000. The

largest solved puzzle was a commercial venture that reached 32,256 pieces!

Puzzles are not only an enjoyable group activity, but they help keep the brain active and have also been proven to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

Solving a jigsaw can become your life for a few hours. Here’s a quote that will benefit you in both, “don’t force the pieces into where they don’t belong.” – A practiced solver.Treehouse rating

afShan Sattar

Toy

Every child needs inspiration, and surprisingly, a noticeable part of it comes from their favourite animated heroes. And in these fictional characters there remains one who never forgets to teach us a healthy lesson. This is none other than our rail track buddy, Thomas the Tank Engine. Readers, he’s back!

The story, is that of Sir Robert, an ancestor of a beloved king, who wishes to bring back his king’s former glory by repairing the broken down castle. He shares his intention to Thomas and a few other friends and they all face a thrilling adventure fulfilling the cause among other twists.

Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway is available at most music stores in Dhaka. This movie is truly worth a double take.

Treehouse rating raD Sharar bin KamaL

tHe Railway kinGSAuthor Neil GaimanGenre FantasyAge above 8 years

the storyA house is out of milk, and when the father sets out to buy milk for his kids breakfast, he returns empty handed, to the children’s disappointment. But when the father launches into an ad-venturous tale of why he failed to bring the food, his kids are amazed, yet suspi-cious. Was there really a stegosaurus in an air balloon, aliens and a volcano god,

or was their father making excuses to calm his kids down?

Any GoodAn extremely fun read. Fortunately, The Milk is a wonderful tale about mag-ic and adventure which will keep you guessing and entertained till the very end. A wacky, colourful tale with eye catching illustrations, this is one book you should not miss.

Treehouse rating Sama E DEEn

Book

wHeRe’S my milk

MusiC

Gypsy folk instrument, Castanets, are played with great artistry by Spanish flamenco dancers. The two clappers of a pair of castanets are hinged together by preferably cotton strings. The common shape of Castanets are circular or slightly oval. The word castanet comes from “castaina,” the Spanish word for chestnut. Ancient versions of small, wood or metal clappers were used by Egyptian, Greek,

Speedy's Zone

facts about tHe caStanetS

Roman, Arab, Moorish, and Chinese dancers. Currently most professional quality castanets are made from a type of synthetic laminated material, such as Micarta. Micarta is called “tela de musica” (cloth of music) by castanet makers. Novelty castanets, however, have been made through the ages from ivory, marble, crystal, gold, silver, bronze, and aluminum, but only a few of these are musically useful.

in pieceS