We are now in June. Just think, five months of 1999 are over. How are your studies progessing? It's time to evaluate your work and do a little bit extra on those subjects you feel uncertain about.

Then at the end of the year you need not burn the midnight oil.

What about helping your parents at home? If you don't, why not make a mid-year resolution and start now. It would be a pleasant surprise for Mum and Dad.

Until next time
Aunty Sunshine

Independence Day

We, the Sri Lankan community living in Saudi Arabia commemorated the 51st anniversary of our Independence recently. The celebrations organised by the Sri Lankan Expatriate Association of the Eastern Province at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahad Amusement Park made us feel as if we were in Sri Lanka.

The day's events started around 9 a.m. with the hoisting of the National Flag by the Sri Lankan Ambassador and the National Flag of Saudi Arabia by the President of the Expatriate Association. A group of Lankan children clad in white national dress sang the national anthems of the two countries. Then the traditional oil lamp was lit. A minute's silence was observed in honour of our national heroes.

The welcome address by the President of the Association and independence message by the Ambassador were followed by the messages of by the President, Prime Minister and Foreign and Labour Ministers of Sri Lanka.

To promote ethnic harmony among the children, a song of peace was sung by ten children of different ethnic groups. They were in their traditional dresses. The enthusiastic children living on this soil, away from home voluntarily participated in the children's programme.

Guest artistes Saman de Silva, Priyantha Fernando and Tony Hassan flown in from Sri Lanka provided live musical entertainment along with the local group formed by some members who are working here. We had the opportunity of tasting various types of meals prepared in the Sri Lankan style. After the lunch break, awards were distributed to the winners of the cricket tournament which was held earlier.

The audience seated around were drawn into the musical show. The best baila dancer was given a prize. There was so much to enjoy in the park, specially for the children. We all had the opportunity of enjoying free rides on a roller-coaster, merry-go-round, bumper cars and motor-bikes. It was an exciting and memorable day.

Airline tickets and other prizes were given to the winners of the lucky draw and vote of thanks was given by the Secretary, SLEA. Finally the children who participated in singing received gifts of appreciation. This event was a good opportunity for the children to value our culture.

Timasha Udugama
International School
Dammam

A trip to the moon

The trip to the moon was exciting. We needed a lot of oxygen and food. The rocket was very fast but it took many days to reach the moon. Funny, when we see the moon from the earth it seems white but, when the rocket landed on the moon we found it was brown. I couldn't believe my eyes.

There were many craters on the moon and no plants or other life. But we could see thousands of stars from the moon. We needed a special suit. I walked a few steps on the moon and began to run around and suddenly I took off like a dragon fly. Just then I remembered that there was no gravity on the moon. The same thing happened to my pet dog who was on the rocket. Then I saw the earth. I was very excited. We had to go in a special tank to explore the moon.

There was hardly any water. When it was time to leave the moon, I was sad. I still remember that adventure I had. I wish to go on another trip to the moon soon.

Sakshin Dilip Haran,
S. Thomas' Preparatory School
Colombo 03

Cruelty to animals

If someone asks you to speak about animals, think about what you would say. Perhaps, it would be something like 'they are living things' or 'they are kept as pets to entertain people' or 'wild nasty creatures' etc.

In the cases above, the only answer that could be seen as 'correct' would be that animals are 'a kind of living things' which is the basic reason why I hate cruelty to animals. 'They are living things' what's so familiar about that saying? Of course did you ever stop to think that these 'animals' are as similar to us as no other thing in this world could be?

They inhale the same oxygen that we do, eat more or less the same food, need shelter, love, attention........ all the basic things that humans need. They have the same feelings of hunger, sorrow, cold, pain, joy and in some minor ways, jealousy and anger. They also love to be with their families just as much as we do. And rejecting any one of those above, would plainly be what we call 'unjust'.

We know that we could always make things right for all the wrong done to us. For example, we all know how angry and worried we feel when something happens to us, even when there are times when we could do something about it. But think how these poor, helpless creatures feel when we do things for fun or even kill them for game. They are unable to defend themselves.

Most of all we must realize that we are intelligent beings, so we must try and understand our friends and help them.

I hope that man would think next time before he makes a kill to save some for the next generation. Especially the endangered species.

Sandeeka Mannakkara
Bishop's College
Colombo

Stamp News 70

Remembering World Environment Day

June 05 was World Environment Day. Many programmes are held the world over on this day with the accent on the need to protect the environment.

Seventeen years ago, in June 1972, the first United Nations Conference on Human Environment was held in Stockholm, capital of Sweden. The conference shattered the myth of limitless economic growth and highlighted the important links that exist between nature and man's activities. 'The Pollution of Poverty' was the theme of the conference which was attended by Sri Lanka along with other Asian countries.

The United Nations issued four stamps to mark the event. The theme of the stamps was 'Human Environment'.

As a result of the Stockholm Conference, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established in the same year (1972) to encourage and help co-ordinate the development of sound environmental practices. Nairobi, capital of Kenya was selected as its headquarters. UNEP was the first UN Agency to site its headquaters in a developing country.

Ten years later, on June 5 1982, Sri Lanka issued a 50 cents stamp to mark the tenth anniversary of the Conference drawing attention to the need to protect the environment. The multi colour stamp designed by Upali Karunaratne depicted the free movement of animals and birds amidst lush trees.

In the eighties, Sri Lanka too took positive steps for the protection and management of the environment. The Central Environmental Authority established under the purview of the Prime Minister became operational in 1982. The Authority performs a pivotal role in coordinating the policies for enhancing environmental conditions. Environmental protection and natural resources management are two key areas of the Authority.

The United Nations issue stamps regularly to draw public attention to environmental issues. These depict important themes on environment like Protection and Conservation of Nature, Survival of the Forests, Clean Oceans and Earth Summit.

A call to 'Save Our Forest' was the theme of a stamp (Rs 5) issued on June 25, 1986 to coincide with the commemoration of the centenary of the Department of Forest Conservation. It highlighted that trees, plants and the vegetation are vital to human existence. The occasion was made use of to extend the message of conserving the environment with a number of planned activities. These included tree planting campaigns throughout the country, a Centenary Forestry Exhibition, and poster & drama competitions in schools.

To mark World Environment Day this year, the Sri Lanka Environmental Television Project has released a video documentary that chronicles Japan's bitter lessons from industrial pollution and its achievements in cleaning up polluting industries. The Sinhala version has been titled 'Paninna Pera Sitha Balamu" (Let us look before we leap) pinpointing the need to be careful before we try to achieve rapid economic development through industrialization in order to avoid problems of large scale pollution.

Lichens and mosses

Almost everyone can recognize lichens growing on a country wall. Country people are also familiar with the lichens which sometimes festoon the branches of trees.

Lichens are hardy plants which can live in the very small amount of soil they find in these places. However, they are sensitive to fumes from factories and motor vehicles, so do not grow so well in.

One of the most common plants in the cold northern tundra is reindeer moss. This is mis-named, as it is a lichen and not a moss. But, as its name implies, it is the principal food of reindeer. Reindeer moss is also one of the larger, upright, branching forms of lichens known as fruticose lichens.

Other forms are the foliose lichens, which are also branched, but flatter, and the crustose lichens, which we know as flat, crusty patches on walls and tombstones. Some lichens can even grow down into stone, by secreting a substance which dissolves the stone .

Lichens are really not one kind of plant, but two. The body of a lichen is composed of a mass of fungal hyphae, or threads, which hold many cells of an alga.

The relationship between the fungus and the alga in a lichen can be viewed in two ways. Only the alga can produce its own food by photosynthesis, but the fungus "steals" some too. In this case, the fungus is regarded as a parasite on the alga. The other view sees the two plants as living together in symbiosis, where both plants benefit. In this case, the fungus is seen as protecting the alga and supplying it with moisture, thus enabling the alga to live in places it would otherwise find too hostile.

Lichens can reproduce themselves by soredia, which are one or more algal cells surrounded by fungal threads. The fungus may also produce spores, which must, however, settle near algal cells if they are to develop into lichens. Lichens grow very slowly — at most they increase by only one or two centimetres a year.

These little plants live in damp places. Liverworts flourish only where water is plentiful, in bogs and on the banks of streams. Hornworts, which are very similar to liverworts, include tropical species that grow on damp tree bark .

Liverworts and hornworts appear as flattish, strap-like green plants with a narrow stalk climbing upwards. In liverworts this stalk carries a cap, which is absent in hornworts.

Mosses also have this general appearance but their green parts are more leaf-like and are often raised higher above the soil.

None of these plants has true roots. They are anchored to the soil by simple, rather root-like rhizoids.

Their reliance on water gives a clue to their history. They were among the first plants to attempt life on land. Like frogs and newts, they have never become really independent of water, needing it particularly for reproduction.

Also, the water and food inside their bodies are largely passed about from cell to cell, as in algae. Higher plants use a complex system of vascular tissues.

Reproduction

Reproduction is similar in mosses, liverworts and hornworts. The male sex cells are sperm-like. In mosses, these are produced in special organs on the leafy parts. When released, a sperm swims in the surface moisture on the leaf until it reaches a similar type of sex organ containing an egg. Fertilization then takes place.

The fertilized egg then divides and multiplies until it produces a stalk. This stalk can be considered as a second type of plant growing out from the leafy green plant, from which it gets its nourishment.

Under the cap at the upper end of the stalk, asexual spores are formed. When released, these are carried away on the wind and so the moss is distributed. If an asexual spore germinates in the soil, it first grows into an alga-like protonema. This later develops into the leafy green plant which bears the sex cells.

Liverworts and hornworts have similar life-cycles, except that in some liverworts the sex organs are found at the tops of the stalks, not on the lower leafy parts. Sperms and eggs are made on separate stalks, so fertilization can take place only when the plant is covered in water and the sperms can swim to the eggs. Seaweeds reproduce in a similar way and the flattish, lobed leaves of liverworts strongly resemble small seaweeds.

Some liverworts and mosses also reproduce asexually by means of gemmae. These are small packets of cells which leave the parent plant and float away on the wind. If a gemma settles in a suitable place, it grows into an adult plant.

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