THE LIFE OF A SNOWFLAKE

when winter comes, psychosis about the spirit of Christmas, presents and the incredibly hard decision making of where to spend it begin. At that moment snow is just a detail, because of the slush we wade in, trying to reach the bus station, or only the necessary background for the feast. Have you ever thought about what is it made of, what a wonderful creation is the snowflake and what amazing kinds of snowflakes there are?

THE BIRTH

The story of every single snowflake begins with the vapor of water from the oceans, lakes and rivers.
When air is cooled up, there comes a specific moment when vapour begins to condense. When it is happening near the ground, water may condense as dew over the plants. High above the ground, water vapour condenses on dust particles flying in the air. It condenses as drops, immeasurably small, every one with, at least, one dust particle in it. Clouds are aggregates of huge amount of such miniature drops.

In winter, snow clouds are formed mainly by liquid water drops, even when temperature is under the level of freezing. Water is overcooled. As clouds are cooling up further, drops begin to freeze. The process begins at about -10 C, but it is gradual and not all the drops freeze simultaneously.

When freezing, every drop becomes ice, surrounded by other drops in the cloud, which are still not frozen. Ice is growing as more and more vapour condenses on its surface, forming snowflake. With the growth of ice other drops of water slowly evaporate and saturate the air with more and more vapour.

MORPHOLOGY

When scientists began to grow snow crystals in lab conditions, they discovered that their shape depends on temperature and saturation. This behavior is shown on the diagram below.

Crystals form more simple shapes when humidity is lower. The most complicated shapes are formed in extremely high humidity.

Why shapes are so dependable on temperature and so different, it is still a mystery. It is clear that the growth depends on the exact quantity of vapour molecules, integrated in the growing ice crystal, but most of the physical processes are still not well revealed.

So, next time when the snow touches you, stretch your hand and shelter several melting crystals on your glove. Look them closely with the eyes of someone who knows something about them. Make a wish for the new year and feel happy that Nature had touched you with one of its wonderful creations.

This article is based on facts from SnowCrystals.com.
Photographs: SnowCrystals.com

FAR GONE IN EVOLUTION

Something strange is happening with the human evolution. We are loosing more and more faster our ability for adaptation and, it seems, instinctively feel that our survival is unsure. That makes us intensively strive for changing the environment that surrounds us.

Viruses, that make us ill, become more and more resistant to our "innovations" - medicines. From other side, it is become necessary to vaccinate ourselves, because our organisms, damaged by antibiotics and foods, raised with pesticides and filled in with preservation ingredients and colouring agents, could not manage to fight even the most simple viruses and microbes.

There is one, very interesting for me, result of the human "evolution". It is the fact that people become squeamish on a mass scale. We all know women are a little bit nuts about that matter since time immemorial, but the fact that this disease has moved over to men is that amazes me.

I have my own theory on that topic. I think human organism, even completely changed, instinctively keeps itself away from things that "considers" a threat. Though, because human organism "knows" it is weak and could become ill even from insignificant things, it "forces" us to limit our contacts with almost everything, causing us the feeling of disgust.

I know it sounds strange, but isn't it madness to fill in our homes with mountains of detergents for cleaning and desinfection. We couldn't live without them anymore. If we notice a spider or a fly at home, we are really terrified with the thought we have to live "under one roof" with it and the first we do is to kill the creature. We are totally obsessing by the thrill of other creatures and that feeling determines a lot of our actions. Fobias has conquered the world!

In the meantime, while furiously trying to disinfect our homes, the garbage around us is forming a mountain already, because we are not aware of using resources even for such meaningless things as wrappers, which only purpose is to attract the customer. The wrapper is not changing the quality of the product anyhow.

We are not able to eat food, if not prepared, anymore. Less and less people eat fresh fruits and vegetables, for example. The most of children think that milk is coming from the store rather than the caw, they have never seen.

WE ALLOWED TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS TO MAKE US ARTIFICIAL CREATURES

Wake up! Is this the life you want?! What is this all leading us to?!

There will be one day you wake up without birds, insects, fish... The sun will rise gloomy in the empty sky, but you will not be able to see it because of the smog. It will not until then that you will realize what you've lost. Than you will realize we needed to have all this to be alive! Unfortunately, it will be too late at all...

BLOOD ON THE INNOCENT SNOW

I do not intend to save you anything in that posting. If you have a weak heart, do not read it; if you do wish to believe that people are good creatures, do not read it; if you do not care for anything else but your convenient existence, do not read it! No matter if you read it or not, it happens. The same time every year, absolutely sure as the day and night change, without any change for decades.

Every one of us have seen the picture of sweet furry baby seal with its huge attractive eyes...

... and no one presumes what did these deep black eyes see. No one of us has any idea how much horror is hidden insight springtime.

Every year during the spring, for 6 to 8 weeks, the ice of St.Lorence bay and along the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador float red.


It is the most massive annual marine mammal slaughter ever and the only trades hunt, which target is species youngsters.

Every year, during these bloody weeks of the spring, 300 000 baby harp seals, aged 2 to 12 weeks, are beaten to death. Hunters smash their skulls using special tool, called hakapik. Carcasses are being dragged to the boats by hooks and skinned there on the ice. Only the skins are taken, the rest is left on the snow or thrown away in the water.


Thousands wounded youngsters (15 000 to 150 000 a year), manage to escape the hunters and die later of the wounds or get drown, because they still have no ability to swim under the age of 5 weeks.




They are killed mainly for the skin, exported to Finland, Norway, Hong Kong, Turkey, Russia and other countries, where it is used for expensive designers’ coats sewing and accessories. Gucci, Prada and Versace are amongst the biggest consumers of such products.

It is a huge business for the government only. The country is earning billions from export of skins. According to Canadian State Agency, which is responsible for the seal hunt, the monthly profit is “more than 20 million Canadian dollars”.

"Canadian government insists that seal hunt is an animal products industry like any other. They say that, even it is not nice, the only difference with the other slaughter houses is the fact that animals are being killed on the ice. But we discovered obvious levels of suffering, which will not be tolerated in any other industry in the world", said Jan Robinson, British veterinarian.

Two separate veterinary reports, studying the seal hunt in 2001, one of them ordered by Canadian government, show numerous examples of animals being hit by hakapik or shot, but still conscious after that.

Both studies gathered documentary evidences of animals being hooked and dragged on the ice still conscious, and many of them are still alive when dragged to the boat this way, finally.

Here it is what an international team of five veterinarians found:

* 79% of fishermen do not check if the animal is already dead before they skin it.
* In 40% of the kills it is necessary for the fishermen to hit the animal second time, because it is still conscious after the first hit or shot in the head.
* The autopsy shown that 42% of killed seals had no or had minimal fractures, which shows that there is a huge possibility to have been skinned alive.


Brussels, 23 July 2008

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PROPOSES TRADE BAN IN PRODUCTS FROM SEALS TO IMPROVE ANIMAL WELFARE

European Commission adopted today a proposal for a regulation banning the trading of seal products within, into, and from the European Union to ensure that products derived from seals killed and skinned in ways that cause pain, distress and suffering are not found on the European market. Trade in seal products would only be allowed where guarantees can be provided that hunting techniques consistent with high animal-welfare standards were used and that the animals did not suffer unnecessarily.
Addressing the welfare of seals during hunting
The aim of the proposed regulation is to address the animal welfare aspects of the killing and skinning of seals during a hunt by ensuring that products derived from seals killed and skinned in ways that cause pain, distress and suffering do not find their way to the European market.
Seals are sentient mammals which can experience pain. The Commission proposal seeks to address the concerns expressed by the European Parliament and the general public that seals are being killed and skinned using practices that unnecessarily inflict pain and suffering. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientific opinion indicates that seals can be killed rapidly and effectively by a number of methods without causing avoidable pain, distress and suffering, but evidence shows that effective killing does not always happen in practice.
Trade in seal products would be allowed only where guarantees can be provided that hunting techniques consistent with high animal-welfare-standards were used and that the animals did not suffer unnecessarily. In countries where seal hunting continues a certification scheme would be established, coupled, if necessary, with a distinctive label or marking, which will ensure that seal products traded are clearly certified as coming from a country meeting strict conditions.
The aim of the Commission's proposal is to uphold high standards of animal welfare.
The proposal will now be submitted to the European Parliament and to Council for their approval.


Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: " We propose a ban on the placing on the market and importing into EU, transiting through, and exporting from the European Union on seal products. Seal products coming from countries which practice cruel hunting methods must not be allowed to enter the EU. The EU is committed to upholding high standards of animal welfare."


"Commissioner’s Dimas statement is an answer to the massive public reaction and the growing political opposition in the European Union against the industrial seal hunt. Despite the results of number of competent studies showing that the most of Canadians are against the industrial seal hunt too, Canadian government continues to act in full contrast with public opinion, serving local politicians and the fur industry, was the comment of IFAW Canada.

As you read this you may say “Its happening far away from here. Is there something to do with me?!" No, its not happening so far. Its happening in our world, its happening because of people like us, it had being tolerated by people like us!


Now turn your sight off what’s written here and tell yourself that the world is the same as before, after you’ve read it. Can you really insist on it for sure? Can you really forget the blood on the snow, small furry seals, which are not even showing resistance to slaughter? Can you really stop over here, without anything to do for change?

Do not buy fur coat. IT IS DEAD!

Boycott sea food and products, produced in Canada!

Write to the Premier Minister of Canada to show your indignation at the Canadian policy for brutal killing of seals:

His Excellency Stephen Harper
Pime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington St.
Ottawa K1A OA2
Canada
613-941-69oo (fax)
pm@pm.gc.ca

THE PUPPET Gabriel García Márquez

If for a moment God would forget that I am a rag doll and give me a scrap of life, possibly I would not say everything that I think, but I would definitely think everything that I say.

I would value things not for how much they are worth but rather for what they mean.

I would sleep little, dream more. I know that for each minute that we close our eyes we lose sixty seconds of light.

I would walk when the others loiter; I would awaken when the others sleep.

I would listen when the others speak, and how I would enjoy a good chocolate ice cream.

If God would bestow on me a scrap of life, I would dress simply, I would throw myself flat under the sun, exposing not only my body but also my soul.

My God, if I had a heart, I would write my hatred on ice and wait for the sun to come out. With a dream of Van Gogh I would paint on the stars a poem by Benedetti, and a song by Serrat would be my serenade to the moon.

With my tears I would water the roses, to feel the pain of their thorns and the incarnated kiss of their petals...My God, if I only had a scrap of life...

I wouldn't let a single day go by without saying to people I love, that I love them.

I would convince each woman or man that they are my favourites and I would live in love with love.

I would prove to the men how mistaken they are in thinking that they no longer fall in love when they grow old--not knowing that they grow old when they stop falling in love. To a child I would give wings, but I would let him learn how to fly by himself. To the old I would teach that death comes not with old age but with forgetting. I have learned so much from you men....

I have learned that everybody wants to live at the top of the mountain without realizing that true happiness lies in the way we climb the slope.

I have learned that when a newborn first squeezes his father's finger in his tiny fist, he has caught him forever.

I have learned that a man only has the right to look down on another man when it is to help him to stand up. I have learned so many things from you, but in the end most of it will be no use because when they put me inside that suitcase, unfortunately I will be dying.

translated by Matthew Taylor and Rosa Arelis Taylor