Numbers in nature
Going beyond arithmetic problems and formulae, did you know that Math is also an inherent part of nature? Surprised? Watch this video to learn about the golden spiral.
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Toys from Trash – Climbing Man
Make your own peeping Tom. All you need is paper strips and some paint. Watch the video and get started to make your own!
Winter frost
Keep your eyes wide open and try to find five difference between the two images. How long will it take you to find them all?
Kabaddi Kabaddi
Derived from the Tamil word “kai-pidi”, Kabaddi was introduced in the Indian National Games at Kolkata in 1938. Let us get to know this sport better.
Kabaddi is a popular contact sport in South Asia. It originated in ancient India and is played across the country. It is the official game in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Telangana and Maharashtra. Outside of India it is popular in Iran, is the national game of Bangladesh, and is also one of the national sports of Nepal, where it is taught in all state schools. Kabaddi is a game that needs no special equipment, clothing or accessories, ensuring it is a game that is open to everyone.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
An all new Spider-Man is set to hit the theatres – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”. This new story is filled with many new heroes and villains. Play a game to find out about them.
Who doesn’t love Spider-man right? He is perhaps one of the coolest superheroes from the Marvel world. So, gear up for an all new Spider-Man experience with the release of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”. But here’s the thing, it’s not like the usual spider-man story we’re used to seeing. This animated movie revolves around a teen named Miles Morales, who eventually becomes Spider-man. Not what you were expecting right? Due to crimnal mastermind Kingpin’s invention of an ultra-secret nuclear super collider, which opens up a portal to other universes, pulling different versions of Spider-Man (including an older Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham and anime Peni Parker) into Miles’ world.
Aided by familiar characters such as Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen and other new characters such as Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir and anime Peni Parker, Miles learns to accept the challenges and responsibilities of being a real superhero. He ultimately realises that anyone can wear the hero’s mask and take action to fight for what’s right.
Play the memory game below to find some of the new villains and the different versions of Spider-Man. And read on to know more about each of them.
MILES MORALES – The all-new Spider-Man
Miles is a teenager from Brooklyn. He’s a bright kid who’s been thrust into a new school and is having a hard time adjusting to a more rigorous academic environment. But he’s having an even harder time adjusting to his entirely new and unexpected life as a Spider-Man. With the help of some surprising new friends, Miles learns to unlock the hero within himself.
PETER B. PARKER – Miles’ reluctant mentor
He may look like Peter Parker, but he is older and the years of life as a superhero has taken a toll on him. His experiences have left him world-weary and cynical. Peter never wanted to be a mentor, but training Miles Morales to be Spider-Man helps him regain his original enthusiasm for that identity and reclaim the spirit of selflessness for which Spider-Man stands.
SPIDER-GWEN – A super-cool Spider-Woman
An intelligent and quick-witted teenager, Spider-Gwen is the Spider-Woman of her world, an excellent fighter who can swing and flip with the grace of a trained dancer. Although tough and brave when she’s fighting the bad guys, Gwen has suffered a loss in her universe that’s made her afraid to get close to people, even to an open-hearted kid like Miles. Once she learns there are others like her, she has the opportunity to let down her guard and become part of a team who have overcome their own tragedies to become the protectors of their worlds.
SPIDER-MAN NOIR – The Spider-Man of 1933
Spider-Man Noir, a Peter Parker from another century as well as another universe, is a more hardened version of Spider-Man who fought crime during the Great Depression in 1933. Unlike most Spider-People, Spider-Man Noir is only seen in black and white and has the 1930s perspective to match, which makes it harder for him to adjust to Miles’ modern (and colorful) world
PENI PARKER and SP//dr – A half-Asian school girl from the future
Peni is a classic anime character, a school girl from an alternative universe with a psychic link to a spider. She’s an emotional, expressive vigilante who doesn’t wear the typical Spider-Man suit – instead, she has a mechanical, robotic Spidey suit that only responds to her DNA.
WILSON FISK aka KINGPIN – The ultimate crime lord
Kingpin is the king of organised crime in New York. His ascent to power has been built on decades of shady deals and ruthless violence, backed by an almost superhuman will. Kingpin blames Spider-Man for a loss so great that he is willing to risk the lives of every person in every universe to get back what he lost.
THE PROWLER – Villainous henchman on a mission to get that kid!
The Prowler is one of Kingpin’s henchmen, a career criminal. He is an exceptional fighter outfitted with highly advanced gear and weaponry, willing to kill on command. When Kingpin assigns Prowler to hunt down our hero Miles, Prowler will stop at nothing to follow his boss’s order.
GREEN GOBLIN – A monstrous super-villain and long-time enemy of Spider-Man
Of all the villains who’ve plagued Spider-Man, over the years, the most terrifying is the Green Goblin. Although Spider-Man still calls him “Norm” in reference to the Goblin’s previous human form, he must use all his spider-powers to fight this demonic creature. Unlike previous iterations, our Goblin stands at 22-feet tall with green scales and a purple tongue. More beast than man, he’ll stop at nothing to take down our Spidey.
Statescan – December 8, 2018
Keep abreast of the happenings around the country. All you have to do is click on the hotspots.
Hitting the headlines this week is the deaths of a police officer and a youngster who were killed in cow vigilantism-related violence Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh on December 3. And, in a surprise move Union Minister Uma Bharti said she would not contest in the next Lok Sabha elections.
Click on the hotspots to find out what else is happening around the country.
Beautiful bridges
Venice, is probably the only city in the world which can boast of more than 400 bridges, in an area of approximately 415 sq. km. Take a look at a few…
Venice, the city on water, will have you mesmerised from the word go. The buildings, which form the islands, float on water and are connected by bridges — more than 400 of them in different dimensions, styles and materials.
Play the memory game below to learn about some of the many bridges you can be sure to come across in Venice if you ever visit.
Health is wealth
If staying fit and being health conscious is your priority, this crossword is just for you.
Inspiration takes centrestage
Watching a play live on stage is quite the experience. Let’s throw the spotlight on some musicals and plays that have spawned popular adaptations.
A creative work can be adapted into multiple formats to reach different audiences. This is true of books, movies, and plays.
Case in point: J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series spawned a multi-billion dollar movie franchise and then a stage spin-off titled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child that begins 19 years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Slide over the images to see the posters of the play and the works that they have inspired or have been inspired from.
Oliver!
This stage musical inspired a 1968 movie, both adapted from the Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist. The story follows a nine-year-old orphan Oliver Twist who falls in with a group of street-urchin pickpockets led by the Artful Dodger and Fagin. When Oliver’s intended mark, Mr. Brownlow, takes pity on him and offers him a home, Fagin tries to keep the boy from talking.
Anastasia
A musical based on a 1997 animated film of the same name, the story fictionalises a myth surrounding the Romanov family of Russia. It is about the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, who is supposed to have escaped the execution of her family. When the Romanovs were killed, Anastasia barely made it alive. With vague memories of her past, she travels to Paris with two cons who want to portray her as the real princess and be rewarded.
The Wizard of Oz
It is a musical that is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog are whisked away in their house to the magical land of Oz. There, she befriends a scarecrow that needs a brain, a Tin Man missing a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. Together, they set off of an adventurous journey to meet the wizard who is the only one who can help them.
Annie
It is a Broadway musical based on the popular Harold Gray comic strip “Little Orphan Annie”. The plot is set in the 1930s, during which Annie, a fiery young orphan girl, lives in a miserable orphanage run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan. Her seemingly hopeless situation changes dramatically when she is selected to spend a short time at the residence of the wealthy munitions industrialist, Oliver Warbucks.
The Sound of Music
This 1959 stage musical inspired the super-hit film. It is based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp. Maria, an aspiring nun, is sent as a governess to take care of seven motherless children. Soon, her jovial and loving nature tames their hearts and the children become fond of her.
Mary Poppins
The musical is a fusion of P. L. Travers’ Mary Poppins children’s books and the 1964 Disney film of the same name. It is about Mary Poppins, a nanny with a special gift, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and uses her unique talents to improve the family’s dynamic.
Romance the winter skies
December offers long, dark nights which are ideal to watch the stars and planets. Take a look at what the skies have to offer during the last month of the year.
On December 7, look out for the New Moon. This is also the best time to observe faint objects like galaxies and star clusters.
Fantastic sights
Just before sunset, catch a glimpse of the ringed planet, Saturn. You can see Uranus and Neptune with a telescope or binoculars. Uranus can be seen in the constellation of Aries and Neptune in Aquarius. Venus is at its best before sunrise. It will be the brightest in the sky barring the sun and the moon.
