środa, 25 maja 2016

Picture of stars over a dead tree in Dead Vlei, Namibia

The skies are in constant movement over the stillness of Dead Vlei in Namibia. Dead Vlei, meaning “dead marsh,” is a clay pan studded with the remnants of trees that died hundreds of years ago. The star trails are a fitting backdrop to a landscape that looks otherworldly even in the light of day.

I have never before heard about this place and I must say - it's quite interesting, isn't it?


wtorek, 24 maja 2016

To rescue or not

Today, when I was coming back home from the university, I saw a baby bird (I have no idea which species was it) which was sitting under the stairs near my block of flats. He was squeaking in a way that everybody would be concerned if everything is ok with him. I had no idea what to do, I even thought of taking him with me and give him some food and water but I decided to look for some information on the internet and I found an article which said that really, we shouldn't try to be a hero. It might seem like a baby bird needs our help but the truth is that his mother is definitely near him, looking for some food and if we take her baby with us, well, it's bad. Of course there are some cases in which a bird, a cat or any other animal won't survive without our help, so we should be careful in distinguishing both of this situations. 

poniedziałek, 9 maja 2016

Booze with rare animals

Sometimes wheat and grapes won’t suffice. Some drinkers in Southeast Asia prefer their alcohol distilled with animal parts, a tradition stemming from the supposed curative powers the creatures provide.
Chinese media report that a liquor manufacturer in Guangdong Province hoped to capitalize on the custom by selling bottles of alcohol stuffed with parts of rare species such as the common water monitor lizard, crow pheasant, and Tokay gecko, which is considered vulnerable.
Snake wine, made by drowning a live snake in alcohol, can also be found in Southeast Asian countries (on occasion, the snake awakens from a drunken sleep to bite the person drinking the wine), as can wine steeped with the bones of tigers. Neither of these have proven medicinal value.
It’s illegal in China to hunt, kill, and trade protected animals. Last January police busted the man and confiscated 24 bottles of the alcohol. He’s been fined 50,000 yuan ($7,690) and sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison.
Awful, I would never taste it!