Zaman International School Newspaper Issue 33

NEWSPAPER

Volume 3 Issue 33

1 March 2006

International Women's Day International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday.

When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and p o l i t i c a l d i ff e r e n c e s , c o m e together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In a n c i e n t G r e e c e , Ly s i s t r a t a initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian w o m e n c a l l i n g f o r " l i b e r t y, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.

The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies. Following is a brief chronology of the most important events:

ZAMAN NEWSPAPER

1909 In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of that month through 1913.

Zaman, Publisher Yasin Erdem, Editor-in Chief Gurkan Cil, Editor at Large

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first three women elected to the 1913-1914 Finnish parliament. No fixed date As part of the peace movement was selected for the observance. brewing on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day 1911 As a result of the decision taken on the last Sunday in February at Copenhagen the previous 1913. Elsewhere in Europe, on year, International Women's Day o r a r o u n d 8 M a r c h o f t h e was marked for the first time (19 following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with their sisters.

1917 With 2 million Russian soldiers dead in the war, Russian women again chose the last Sunday in February to strike for "bread and peace". Political leaders opposed the timing of the strike, but the women went on anyway.

The rest is history: Four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. That historic Sunday fell on 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia, but on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere.

1910 The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the

March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded the right to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.

Less than a week later, on 25 March, the tragic Triangle Fire in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working girls, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This event had a significant impact on labour legislation in the United States, and the working conditions leading up to the disaster were invoked during subsequent observances of International Women's Day.

Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point for coordinated efforts to demand women's rights and participation in the political and economic process. Increasingly, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women's rights.

Leng Kemrith

1 March 2006

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

2

GENERAL

Big Bang Theory

Big Bang Theory, currently accepted explanation of the beginning of the universe. The big bang theory proposes that the universe was once extremely compact, dense, and hot. Some original event, a cosmic explosion called the big bang, occurred about 13.7 billion years ago, and the universe has since been expanding and cooling.

The theory is based on the mathematical equations, known as the field equations, of the general theory of relativity set forth in 1915 by Albert Einstein.

In 1922 Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann provided a set of solutions to the field equations. These solutions have served as the framework for much of the current theoretical work on the big bang theory.

American astronomer Edwin Hubble provided some of the greatest supporting evidence for the theory with his 1929 discovery that the light of distant galaxies was universally shifted toward the red end of the spectrum (see Redshift). Once “tired light” theoriesthat light slowly loses energy naturally, becoming more red over timewere dismissed, this shift proved that the galaxies were moving away from each other.

Hubble found that galaxies farther away were moving away proportionally faster, showing that the universe is expanding u n i f o r m l y. H o w e v e r, t h e universe's initial state was still unknown.

In the 1940s Russian-American physicist George Gamow worked out a theory that fit with Friedmann's solutions in which the universe expanded from a hot, dense state. In 1950 British astronomer Fred Hoyle, in support of his own opposing steady-state theory, referred to Gamow's theory as a mere “big bang,” but the name stuck.

Indeed, a contest in the 1990s by Sky & Telescope magazine to find a better (perhaps more dignified) name did not produce one.

The overall framework of the big bang theory came out of

solutions to Einstein's general relativity field equations and remains unchanged, but various details of the theory are still being modified today. Einstein himself initially believed that the universe was static. When his equations seemed to imply that the universe was expanding or contracting, Einstein added a constant term to cancel out the expansion or contraction of the universe. When the expansion of the universe was later discovered, Einstein stated that introducing this “cosmological constant” had been a mistake.

After Einstein's work of 1917, several scientists, including the abbé Georges Lemaître in Belgium, Willem de Sitter in Holland, and Alexander Friedmann in Russia, succeeded in finding solutions to Einstein's field equations. The universes d e s c r i b e d b y t h e d i ff e r e n t solutions varied. De Sitter's model had no matter in it. This

model is actually not a bad approximation since the average density of the universe is e x t r e m e l y l o w. L e m a î t r e ' s universe expanded from a “primeval atom.” Friedmann's universe also expanded from a very dense clump of matter, but did not involve the cosmological constant. These models explained how the universe behaved shortly after its creation, but there was still no satisfactory explanation for the beginning of the universe.

universe was very hot at the time of the big bang (the point at which the universe explosively expanded from its primordial state), since elements heavier than hydrogen can be formed only at a high temperature.

Alpher and Hermann predicted that radiation from the big bang should still exist. Cosmic background radiation roughly corresponding to the temperature predicted by Gamow's team was detected in the 1960s, further supporting the big bang theory, though the work of In the 1940s George Gamow Alpher, Herman, and Gamow was joined by his students Ralph had been forgotten.

Alpher and Robert Herman in w o r k i n g o u t d e t a i l s o f The big bang theory seeks to F r i e d m a n n ' s s o l u t i o n s t o explain what happened at or Einstein's theory. They ex- soon after the beginning of the panded on Gamow's idea that universe. Scientists can now the universe expanded from a model the universe back to 10-43 primordial state of matter called seconds after the big bang. For ylem consisting of protons, the time before that moment, the neutrons, and electrons in a sea classical theory of gravity is no of radiation. They theorized the longer adequate.

1 March 2006

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

3

GENERAL Scientists are searching for a theory that merges gravity (as explained by Einstein's general theory of relativity) and quantum mechanics but have not found one yet. Many scientists have hope that string theory, also known as M-theory, will tie together gravity and quantum mechanics and help scientists explore further back in time (see Physics: Unified Field Theory).

Because scientists cannot look back in time beyond that early epoch, the actual big bang is hidden from them. There is no way at present to detect the origin of the universe. Further, the big bang theory does not explain what existed before the big bang. It may be that time itself began at the big bang, so that it makes no sense to discuss what happened “before” the big bang.

According to the big bang theory, the universe expanded rapidly in its first microseconds. A single force existed at the beginning of the universe, and as the universe expanded and cooled, this force separated into those we know today: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. A theory called the electroweak theory now provides a unified explanation of electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force theory (see Unified Field Theory). Physicists are now searching for a grand unification theory to also incorporate the strong nuclear force. String theory seeks to incorporate the force of gravity with the other three forces, providing a theory of everything (TOE).

One widely accepted version of big bang theory includes the idea of inflation. In this model, the universe expanded much more rapidly at first, to about 1050 times its original size in the first

10-32 second, then slowed its expansion. The theory was advanced in the 1980s by American cosmologist Alan Guth and elaborated upon by American astronomer Paul Steinhardt, Russian American scientist Andrei Linde, and British astronomer Andreas Albrecht. The inflationary universe theory (see Inflationary Theory) solves a number of problems of cosmology. For example, it shows that the universe now appears close to the type of flat space described by the laws of Euclid's geometry: We see only a tiny region of the original universe, similar to the way we do not notice the curvature of the earth because we see only a small part of it. The inflationary universe also shows why the universe appears so homogeneous. If the universe we observe was inflated from some small, original region, it is not surprising that it appears uniform.

Once the expansion of the initial inflationary era ended, the universe continued to expand more slowly. The inflationary model predicts that the universe is on the boundary between being open and closed. If the universe is open, it will keep e x p a n d i n g f o r e v e r. I f t h e universe is closed, the expansion of the universe will eventually stop and the universe will begin contracting until it collapses. Whether the universe is open or closed depends on the density, or concentration of mass, in the universe. If the universe is dense enough, it is closed.

The universe cooled as it e xp a n d e d . Afte r a b o u t o n e second, protons formed. In the following few minutesoften referred to as the “first three

minutes”combinations of protons and neutrons formed the isotope of hydrogen known as deuterium as well as some of the other light elements, principally helium, as well as some lithium, beryllium, and boron. The study of the distribution of deuterium, helium, and the other light elements is now a major field of research.

The uniformity of the helium abundance around the universe supports the big bang theory and the abundance of deuterium can be used to estimate the density of matter in the universe.

From about 380,000 to about 1 million years after the big bang, the universe cooled to about 3000°C (about 5000°F) and protons and electrons combined to make hydrogen atoms.

Hydrogen atoms can only absorb and emit specific colors, or wavelengths, of light. The formation of atoms allowed many other wavelengths of light, wavelengths that had been interfering with the free electrons, to travel much farther than before. This change set free radiation that we can detect today. After billions of years of cooling, this cosmic background radiation is at about 3 K (-270°C/454°F).The cosmic background radiation was first detected and identified in 1965 by American astrophysicists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson.

The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) spacecraft, a project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), mapped the cosmic background radiation between 1989 and 1993. It verified that the distribution of intensity of the background radiation precisely matched that of matter that emits

radiation because of its temperature, as predicted for the big bang theory. It also showed that cosmic background radiation is not uniform, that it varies slightly.

These variations are thought to be the seeds from which galaxies and other structures in the universe grew.

Evidence indicates that the matter that scientists detect in the universe is only a small fraction of all the matter that exists. For example, observations of the speeds at which individual galaxies move within clusters of galaxies show that a great deal of unseen matter must exist to exert sufficient gravitational force to keep the clusters from flying apart. Cosmologists now think that much of the universe is dark mattermatter that has gravity but does not give off radiation that we can see or otherwise detect. One kind of dark matter theorized by scientists is cold dark matter, with slowly moving (cold) massive particles. No such particles have yet been detected, though astronomers have made up fanciful names for them, such as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). Other cold dark matter could be nonradiating stars or planets, which are known as MACHOs (Massive Compact Halo Objects).

Further refinements to the big bang theory are expected from W M A P, w h i c h c o n t i n u e s t o collect data. An even more precise mission to study the beginnings of the universe, the European Space Agency's Planck spacecraft, is scheduled to be launched in 2007.

1 March 2006

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

4

HISTORY

Early Cambodian History N

o one knows for certain how long people have lived in what is now Cambodia, as studies of its prehistory are undeveloped. A carbon-l4 dating from a cave in northwestern Cambodia suggests that people using stone tools lived in the cave as early as 4000 Bc, and rice has been grown on Cambodian soil since well before the 1st century Ad. The first Cambodians likely arrived long before either of these dates. They probably migrated from the north, although nothing is known about their language or their way of life.

B

y the beginning of the 1st century Ad, Chinese traders began to report the existence of inland and coastal kingdoms in Cambodia.

These kingdoms already owed much to Indian culture, which provided alphabets, art forms, architectural styles, religions (Hinduism and Buddhism), and a stratified class system. Local beliefs that stressed the importance of ancestral spirits coexisted with the Indian religions and remain powerful today.

Early Chinese writers referred to a kingdom in Cambodia that they called Funan. Modern-day archaeological findings provide evidence of a commercial society centered on the Mekong Delta that flourished from the 1st c e n tu r y t o th e 6 th c e n tu r y.

Among these findings are excavations of a port city from the 1st century, located in the region of Oc-Eo in what is now southern Vietnam. Served by a network of canals, the city was an important trade link between India and China. Ongoing excavations in southern Cambodia have revealed the existence of another important city near the present-day village of Angkor Borei.

A group of inland kingdoms, known collectively to the Chinese as Zhenla, flourished in the 6th and 7th centuries from southern Cambodia to southern Laos. The first stone inscriptions in the Khmer language and the first brick and stone Hindu temples in Cambodia date from

the Zhenla period. Kingdom of Zhenla, early Khmer state, covering what is now northern Cambodia and southern Laos.

Originally a vassal state of Funan, it revolted in the latter part of the 6th century, and by 627, during the reign (circa 61135) of Isanavarman I, the previous overlords were completely subjugated. During the next decades Zhenla further expanded its territory, especially during the reign of Jayavarman I in the late 7th century. In 706, following a period of civil strife, the kingdom was divided and later in the century fell under the domination of the Sri Vijaya

empire of Sumatra. Its successor was the Khmer kingdom of Angkor Between the early 9th century and the early 15th century, 26 monarchs ruled successively over the Khmer kingdom (known as Angkor, the modern name for its capital city). The successors of Jayavarman II built the great temples for which Angkor is famous. Historians have dated more than a thousand temple sites and over a thousand stone inscriptions (most of them on temple walls) to this era. Notable among the Khmer builder-kings were Suyavarman II, who built the temple known as Angkor Wat in the mid-12th century, and Jayavarman VII, who built the Bayon temple at Angkor Thum and several other large Buddhist temples half a century later.

Jayavarman VII, a fervent Buddhist, also built hospitals and rest houses along the roads that crisscrossed the kingdom. Most

of the monarchs, however, seem to have been more concerned with displaying and increasing their power than with the welfare of their subjects.

At its greatest extent, in the 12th century, the Khmer kingdom encompassed (in addition to present-day Cambodia) parts of present-day Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and the Malay Peninsula. Thailand and Laos still contain Khmer ruins and inscriptions. The kings at Angkor received tribute from smaller kingdoms to the north, east, and west, and conducted trade with

and to population losses following a series of wars with these kingdoms. Another factor may have been the introduction of Theravada Buddhism, which taught that anyone could achieve enlightenment through meritorious conduct and meditation.

These egalitarian ideas undermined the hierarchical structure of Cambodian society and the power of prominent Hindu families. After a Thai invasion in 1431, what remained of the Cambodian elite shifted southeastward to the vicinity of Phnom Penh.

The four centuries of Cambodian history following the abandonment of Angkor are poorly recorded, and therefore historians know little about them beyond the bare outlines.

Cambodia retained its language and its cultural identity despite frequent invasions by the powerful Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya and incursions by Vietnamese forces. Indeed, for much of this period, Cambodia was a relatively prosperous trading kingdom with its capital at Lovek, near present-day Phnom Penh. European visitors wrote of the Buddhist piety of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Lovek. During this period, Cambodians composed the country's most important work of literature, the Reamker (based on the Indian myth of the China. The capital city was the Ramayana). center of an impressive network of reservoirs and canals, which In the late 18th century, a civil historians theorize supplied war in Vietnam and disorder w a t e r f o r i r r i g a t i o n . M a n y following a Burmese invasion of h i s t o r i a n s b e l i e v e t h a t t h e Ayutthaya spilled over into a b u n d a n t h a r v e s t s m a d e Cambodia and devastated the possible by irrigation supported a area. In the early 19th century, large population whose labor newly established dynasties in could be drawn on to construct Vietnam and Thailand competed the kings' temples and to fight for control over the Cambodian their wars. The massive temples, court. The warfare that ensued, extensive roads and waterworks, beginning in the l830s, came and confident inscriptions give close to destroying Cambodia. an illusion of stability that is undermined by the fact that Khmer Kingdoms, succession of many Khmer kings gained the Southeast Asian monarchies t h r o n e b y c o n q u e r i n g t h e i r based in present-day Cambodia p r e d e c e s s o r s . I n s c r i p t i o n s from the 6th to 16th centuries. i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e k i n g d o m Modern Cambodia is the political f r e q u e n t l y s u f f e r e d f r o m remnant of the Khmer state that rebellions and foreign invasions. reached its peak during the Historians have not been able to Angkor period from the 9th to fully explain the decline of the 15th centuries. During this Khmer kingdom in the 13th and p e r i o d , t h e K h m e r e m p i r e 14th centuries. However, it was extended beyond Cambodia to probably associated with the rise incorporate large areas of Laos, of powerful Thai kingdoms that eastern Thailand, and southern had once paid tribute to Angkor, Vietnam.

1 March 2006

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

5

SCIENCE

SOUND Sending out Sound

1. Sounds we hear are due to LONGITUDINAL WAVES, OR COMPRESSIONAL WAVES. (A SLINKY) 2. Sounds we hear are a series of COMPRESSIONS AND RAREFACTIONS OF WAVES. 3. Compressions are areas of the wave where the molecules are pushed together. Crowded Areas or Dense Areas.

4. Rarefactions are areas of the wave where molecules are farther apart. Less Dense Areas.

5. Sounds we hear are produced b y V I B R AT I O N S o f t h e Longitudinal Wave. Your Voice is made from the Vibration of your Vocal Cords (Voice) which then causes Compressions and Rarefaction in the Air around You. 6. The Energy produced by these Vibrations is carried to your Friend's EARS by Sound Waves.

7. Matter or the Particles of Longitudinal Waves move in the Same Direction as the travel of the Wave.

Speed of Sound 1. The SPEED of Sound Waves depends on the MEDUIM through which the wave travels and its TEMPERATURE. 2. AIR is the most common Medium you hear sound waves through, but Sound Waves can be transmitted through ANY TYPE OF MATTER. NOTE: SOUND WAVES MUST HAVE A MEDIUM TO BE TRANSMITTED IN, SOUND C A N N O T T R AV E L I N A VACUMN, 3 . E X A M P L E , I N S PA C E .

Astronauts on the Moon find it impossible to talk to each other.

Since the Moon has NO atmosphere, there is NO AIR to COMPRESS AND EXPAND. 4. LIQUIDS AND SOLIDS are even BETTER CONDUCTORS of sound than air BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUAL PARTICLES IN A LIQUID OR SOLID ARE MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER THAN THE PARTICLES IN AIR, making the transmission of ENERGY Easier.

5. SOUND WAVES TRANSMIT ENERGY FASTER IN SUBSTANCES WITH

SMALLER SPACES BETWEEN PARTICLES. 6. The TEMPERATURE of the Medium is also important factor in determining the SPEED of Sound Waves.

7. As the Temperature of a substance (including Air) INCREASES, the molecules move FASTER and therefore collide more Frequently.

8. THIS INCREASE IN MOLECULAR COLLISIONS TRANSFERS MORE ENERGY IN A SHORTER AMOUNT OF TIME. THIS ALLOWS THE S O U N D WAV E S T O B E TRANSMITTED FASTER. 9. Most solids transmit sounds better than gases do.

10. When sound is made, Molecules Vibrate. Molecules in Solids are VERY CLOSE Together, A Vibrating molecule in a solid will quickly bump into another molecule. Vibrations pass from molecule to molecule FASTER through Solids. ODER of Speed: SOLIDS, LIQUIDS, LAST IS GASES. 11. Sound travels through AIR at 344 m/s if the temperature is 20 degrees C, or approx. 70 degrees F, BUT at only 332 m/s when the temperature is 0 degrees C, or 32 degrees F. 12. Molecules move FASTER in WARMER Temperatures, when molecules are moving FASTER, the Sound Waves are transmitted more QUICKLY. 13. THE SPEED OF SOUND IS MUCH SLOWER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT (300 000 000 M/S), THIS IS WHY YOU SEE LIGHTENING BEFORE HEARING THE SOUNDS (THUNDER).

14. LIGHT WAVES TRAVEL THROUGH AIR ABOUT ONE MILLION TIMES FASTER THAT SOUND WAVES. 15. THE SPEED OF SOUND THROUGH VARIOUS SUBSTANCE: A. AIR 332 m/s B. WATER 1454 m/s C. WOOD 3828 m/s D. IRON 5103 m/s E. STONE 5971 m/s

WHICH OF THE ABOVE ITEMS WOULD YOU BELIEVE TO BE THE MOST DENSE? Why? What would happen if you

increased the temperature of these items?

16. Calculating the Speed of Sound: Speed = Wavelength X Frequency.

10. Most people CANNOT hear sound frequencies above 20 000 Hz, which are called ULTRASONIC WAVES - Sound Waves of Very High Frequency with Short Wavelengths.

PROPERTIES OF SOUND 11. Bats can detect frequencies WAVES as high as 100 000 Hz. 1. VOLUME: Both SOFTNESS 1 2 . S O U N D Q U A L I T Y : and LOUDNESS of Sound are Describes the difference among referred to as Volume. The sounds of the SAME PITCH AND Amplitude (the distance a sound LOUDNESS. wave moves from a Rest P o s i t i o n ) i n d i c a t e s t h e HAZARDOUS NOISE (SOUND WAVES) INTENSITY OF VOLUME. 2 . T H E G R E AT E R T H E AMPLITUDE, THE GREATER 1. Some Sound Waves can be h a r m f u l t o t h e H u m a n E a r.

THE VOLUME. 3 . I N T E N S I T Y ( V o l u m e ) : NOISE POLLUTION IS NOISE I n t e n s i t y o f S o u n d Wa v e s THAT IS HARMFUL TO HUMAN d e p e n d s o n t h e a m o u n t o f HEALTH. OR SOUNDS THAT E N E R G Y i n e a c h W a v e . ARE LOUD, ANNOYING OR I n t e n s i t y o f s o u n d w a v e s HARMFUL TO THE EAR. INCREASE as AMPLITUDE 2. The Energy in Sound Waves can injure the Human Ear by INCRREASE. 4. INTENSITY OF A SOUND d a m a g i n g d e l i c a t e t i s s u e s WAVE IS MEASURED IN SI through Intense Vibrations.

3. Listening to sound at High UNITS OF DECIBELS, (dB).

5. LOUDNESS: Is the Human Volume over a long period of time perception of Sound Intensity. can gradually make portions of THE HIGHER THE INTENSITY the Inner Ear LESS Sensitive A N D A M P L I T U D E , T H E and LESS Capable of converting S o u n d Wa v e s i n t o N e r v e LOUDER THE SOUND. 6 . P I T C H : P i t c h i s t h e Impulses. Loud Sounds in the HIGHNESS OR LOWNESS OF Frequency Range of 4000 to 20 SOUND. The Pitch you hear 000 Hz causes most of the depends on the Frequency of the damage to these nerve fibers.

4. Listening to Loud Music at Sound Waves.

7 . N O T E : P I T C H I S N O T concerts or on Headphones can AFFECTED BY VOLUME - THE c a u s e p e r m a n e n t h e a r i n g SOFTNESS OR LOUDNESS Damage.

5. These Damaging Sounds can OF SOUND. 8 . T H E H I G H E R T H E come from sources such as a FREQUENCY, THE HIGHER jackhammer, a jet engine, or THE PITCH, AND THE LOWER highly amplified music.

T H E F R E Q U E N C Y, T H E 6. Hearing sounds over 70 dB can cause temporary hearing LOWER THE PITCH. 9. The Human Ear can hear loss. Repeated exposure to sound Frequencies from about levels over 90 dB can cause permanent hearing loss.

18 Hz to 20 000 Hz. 7. dB chart on page 246, notice the things you like! Are they possibly harmful to you!

1 March 2006

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

6

SCIENCE

Tigers Tiger, the largest member of the cat family and the only cat with s t r i p e d f u r, i s r e c o g n i z e d throughout the world for its ferocity and unmistakable beauty, has existed for over two million years, thriving in a variety of habitats in Asia, from snowcovered mountains to evergreen woodlands, from rain forests to coastal swamps. Perfectly designed predators, tigers possess beauty, grace, and a w e s o m e p o w e r. D u e t o increases in both natural and human threats, the wild tiger population suffered major losses during the 20th century and has become one of the most endangered species. Today they are confined to small isolated pockets in a fragment of their former range and they are facing an uncertain future.

four or five) blind and helpless cubs are born in a secluded spot under very thick cover. Cubs weigh about 1 kg (2.2 lb) at birth.

Male cubs grow more rapidly than female cubs and a large size difference between males and females is apparent by six months of age.

Mothers provide all parental care for the cubs; staying with them continuously for the first few days and hunting close by for the first two months. Fathers do not help raise cubs except to keep other adult males, which may kill

captive Amur tigers are managed in zoo conservation programs.

The Amur or Siberian tiger lives primarily in the coniferous, scrub oak, and birch woodlands of eastern Russia, with a few tigers found in northeastern China and northern North Korea.

The Royal Bengal Tiger: panthera tigris tigris The estimated wild population of Bengal tigers is approximately 3,100-4,700 tigers, with about 333 in captivity, primarily in zoos in India.

Most Bengal tigers live in India,

Physical Description Tigers typically reach a shoulder height of 1 m (3 ft) and measure from 2 to 3 m (7 to 10 ft) from head to rear end. The thick, furred tail extends about 1 m.

Tigers range in size from the small Sumatrans, in which females weigh 75 to 110 kg (165 to 240 lb) and males weigh 100 to 140 kg (220 to 310 lb), to the largest Bengal tigers, in which females weigh 100 to 160 kg (220 to 350 lb) and males weigh newborns, out of the area. Cubs 180 to 258 kg (400 to 570 lb). nurse until they are 6 months old, but begin eating meat after six to Tiger Behavior eight weeks when their mother takes them to her kills. Gradually, An adult tiger defends a large through play and practice, tiger area from all other tigers of the cubs learn to hunt on their own, same sex. A female's territory but even at 16 months of age must contain enough prey to they are not yet very efficient support herself and her cubs. A hunters. male's territory is typically larger t h a n a f e m a l e ' s t e r r i t o r y i n At the turn of the last century addition to containing enough there were eight subspecies of prey, the male's territory typically tiger, numbering approximately overlaps with those of one to 100,000. Today 5,000 - 7,000 seven females in order to have animals remain in the wild and access to females with which to three kinds are now extinct. mate.

Numbers Remaining: Reproduction The Amur or Siberian Tiger: The time between conception panthera tigris altaica and birth, known as gestation, is 100 to 112 days for tigers. It is estimated that 360-406 still Commonly two to three (rarely exist in the wild. About 490

although some range through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

White tigers are simply a color variant of Bengal tigers and are rarely found in the wild.

The Indo-Chinese Tiger: panthera tigris corbetti An estimated 1,200-1,800 Indochinese tigers are left in the wild, and about 60 live in zoos in Asia and the United States.

The distribution of the Indochinese tiger is centered in Thailand. Indochinese tigers are also found in Myanmar, southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and peninsular Malaysia.

The Sumatran Tiger: panthera tigris sumatrae About 400 wild Sumatran tigers are believed to exist - primarily in the island's five national parks -

and 210 captive animals live in zoos around the world.

Threats There are many long-term t h r e a t s f a c i n g t h e t i g e r.

Deforestation, population growth, agriculture and development projects are all impacting on the tigers' habitat.

However, poaching for skins used as trophies and rugs, and consumer demand for tiger body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely considered to be the most immediate threat to the survival of the tiger.

Conservation Initiatives The combination of habitat loss, population fragmentation, and poaching are pushing the tiger to the brink of extinction. To protect the animal, the tiger is listed as endangered by both the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species List and the Red List of Threatened Species compiled by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), a nongovernmental organization that compiles global information on endangered plants and animals. The tiger is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which makes it illegal to trade tigers or tiger parts.

What You Can Do Never buy tiger products.

Tell your friends and relatives not to buy tiger products. Their purchases will lead to the killing of more tigers and their possible extinction.

If you see tiger products on sale it is imperative you inform the authorities. Warn any other potential buyers that they risk fines and jail if they are caught.

Help to raise money to support conservation projects, such as WildAid's 'Operation Amba,' ' S u r v i v i n g To g e t h e r ' a n d 'Operation Khao Yai' to protect tigers in the wild.

Use your vote. Write to your Government representatives asking them to do more to protect endangered species and to support on International Ban in Wildlife Trade.

I hope you will do as much as you can in your lifetime to help protecting tigers from extinction, so that our youngsters will be able to see tigers alive not only in the pictures!

SOK SENG

1 March 2006

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

7

MORAL STORY

ONE FRIENDLY ACT One day,when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.His name was Kyle.It looked like he was carrying all of h i s b o o k s . I t h o u g h t t o m yself,"Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?He must really be a nerd."I had quite a weekend planned(parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow a f t e rnoon),so shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking,I saw a bunch of kids running t o w a r d him.They ran a t him,knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.His glasses went flying,and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from h i m . H e looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.My heart went out to him. So,I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses,and I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses,I said,"Those guys are jerks.They really should get lives." He looked at me and said,"Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face.It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.I helped him pick up his books,and asked him where he lived.As it turned out, he lived near me,so I asked him why I had never seen him before.He said he had gone to private school

before now. I would have never always be friends, that the miles hung out with a private school kid would never be a problem.He before. was going to be a doctor,and I was going for business on a We talked all the way home,and I football scholarship.Kyle was carried his books for him.He valedictorian of our class.I turned out to be a pretty cool kid.I teased him all the time about asked him if he wanted to play being a nerd.He had to prepare a football on Saturday with me and speech for graduation.I was so my friends.He said yes.We hung glad it wasn't me having to get up all weekend and the more I got to there and speak.

On graduation day,I saw Kyle.

He looked great.He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him.Boy,sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days.I could see that he was nervous about his speech.So,I smacked him on the back and s a i d , " H e y, b i g g u y, y o u ' l l b e great!" He looked at me with one of those looks(the really grateful W h e n w e w e r e s e n i o r s , w e one)and smiled. Thanks," he b e g a n t o t h i n k a b o u t said.As he started his speech,he c o l l e g e . K y l e d e c i d e d o n cleared his `throat,and began.

Georgetown,and I was going to Duke.I knew that we would "Graduation is a time to thank know Kyle,the more I liked him,and my friends thought the same of him.Monday morning came,and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.I stopped him and said,"Boy,you're gonna really build serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!"He just laughed and handed me half the books.Over the next four years,Kyle and I became best friends.

those who helped you make it through those tough years.Your parents,your teachers,your siblings,maybe a coach... but mostly your friends.I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met.He had planned to kill himself over t h e weekend.He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his s t u f f home.He looked hard at me and gave me a l i t t l e smile."Thank f u l l y, I w a s saved.

My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome,p opular boy told us all about his weakest moment.I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.Never underestimate the power of your actions.With one small gesture you can change a person's life.For better or for worse.Destiny puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.

1 March 2006

ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

8

ENTERTAINMENT

Magic Puzzle

Try to fill in the missing numbers.

The missing numbers are integers between 1 and 9.

The numbers in each row add up to totals to the right.

The numbers in each column add up to the totals along the bottom.

The diagonal lines also add up the totals to the right.

Logic Puzzle Ali and Veli look alike, but Ali lies on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, whereas Veli lies on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. They both tell the truth on Sunday. You come upon the two of them, and they make the following statements. In each case, determine who is who, and what day it is.

A: I will lie tomorrow.

B: I lied yesterday, and I will lie tomorrow