" A HALO(also known as a nimbus, icebow or gloriole)

A halo (ἅλως; also known as a nimbus, icebow or Gloriole) is an optical phenomenon produced by ice crystals creating colored or white arcs and spots in the sky. Many are near the sun or moon but others are elsewhere and even in the opposite part of the sky. They can also form around artificial lights in very cold weather ...when ice crystals called diamond dust are floating in the nearby air.

There are many types of ice halos. They are produced by the ice crystals in cirrus clouds high (5–10 km, or 3–6 miles) in the upper troposphere. The particular shape and orientation of the crystals is responsible for the type of halo observed. Light is reflected and refracted by the ice crystals and may split up into colors because of dispersion. The crystals behave like prisms and mirrors, refracting and reflecting sunlight between their faces, sending shafts of light in particular directions.

Atmospheric phenomena such as halos were used as part of weather lore as an empirical means of weather forecasting before meteorology was developed.

Other common optical phenomena involving water droplets rather than ice crystals include the glory and the rainbow.

"THE PRICE OF SMOKING"

Smokers have a saying: "having a cigarette after meal makes one as happy as a celestial being" perhaps smokers do feel relaxed when they smoke;and many believe they can socialize better with clients and friends if they smoke together,while others smoke to relieve their boredom.

• However,there is evidence to show that cigarette is very harmful to health.Chemical analysis on cigarettes had found that it contains more than 4,000 chemical substances of which about 200 are toxic and harmful to our health.The three major substances are TAR,CARBON MONOXIDE & NICOTINE.

The fine particles of tar will stick to the surface of alveoli and affect the exchange of oxygen. Once our red red blood cells are covered by carbon monoxide,they cannot take in oxygen even when they pass through the lungs. Nicotine affects the central nervous system,peripheral vascular system,heart, and so on. And even more frightening fact is that it is very addictive and very difficult habit to give up.

SICKNESS CAUSED BY SMOKING

1. Possibility of a smoker contracting lung cancer is 14 times greater than a non-smoker.

2. one's blood vessels may suffer from vaso-constriction due to the presence of nicotine.

3. Smoking has a greater impact on pregnant women. A fetus is dependent on the mother's blood vessels for nutrition. With the presence of nicotine, the blood vessels contract and nutrients cannot be delivered, thereby resulting in an underweight fetus.

HOW TO QUIT SMOKING

80% TO 90% People rely on their willpower to quit.......with external aid, such as attending the smoking cessation classes..........Use nicotine chewing gum or nicotine patch as aid in the initial period.

'THE AUSPICIOUS SEVENTH LUNAR MONTH'

In the Seventh Lunar Month, many Chinese will offer sacrifices and burn joss paper to seek peace. Buddhists consider this period as an auspicious month and a month for thanksgiving, filial piety and joy.

We should celebrate by offering prayers for world peace, fasting and observing a vegetarian diet to protect life and our environment. There will be peace and bliss if we purify our body and soul and transcend earthly superstitions. Buddhists consider the Seventh Lunar Month as an auspicious month and a month for offering thanks. However Chinese tradition dictates that this is a month we have to appease the dead and the hungry ghosts by burning joss paper and offering sacrifices.

This belief probably stems from the agrarian nature of the olden days. With poverty being the norm in an agrarian economy,meals were simple except during festivals. The deliverance,or offerings, was an opportunity for the people to have a sumptuous meal. In our modern society,there is no need to preserve such a superstitious practice, as offering sacrifices involves killing,which will accumulate bad karma, while burning joss paper causes environmental pollution.Both are undesirable consequences.

SUMMER RETREAT/RAIN RETREAT

During Buddha's time, the summer season in India was also a rainy season, with poisonous insects infesting the surroundings. It was therefore not safe for the Sangha members to beg for alms in the open. So during the three-month period from 15th day of the Fourth-Lunar month to 15th day of the Seventh Lunar Month, which is known as the summer RETREAT RAIN/RAIN RETREAT. Sangha members would stay indoors to meditate. During this time, the followers would offer meals to the Sangha members. The three-month retreat allowed the disciples to attain great progress in their Dharma practice; and upon completion, Buddha was joyful while the common followers felt happy and blessed. Hence,the 15th day of the Seventh Lunar Month is known as Buddha's Happy Day.

Another story about the Seventh Lunar Month concerns Maudgalyayana,one of the 10 great disciples of the Buddha. He intended to deliver his mother and others from hell. So,upon completion of the summer retreat, on the 15th day of the Seventh Lunar Month, he made offerings to the sagely Sangha,thereby collecting merits to achieve the great deliverance. This is what is known today as Ullambaba or Deliverance from suffering among the common people. It also serves to remind us about gratitude and filial piety towards our parents,thus it is also known as Day of Filial Piety.

Having understood the significance behind the deliverance of the suffering, it is good that we purify our minds, do away with ignorant superstitions and strive for conservation. We should also offer sincere PRAYERS for peace and stability so that we have a safe, peaceful and happy world to live.

"THE TWO-HEADED BIRD"

An old monk asked Buddha why Devadatta, who was Buddha's cousin and disciple, had turned against Buddha and continually spoke against him. Buddha said, "I can't help it" and he told this story.

Long ago, there was a two-headed bird.The heads took turns resting, so one head could always be on the lookout.Actually one head was awake and on guard most of the time because the other one was always asleep.When they ate,the alert head would wake up the sleepy one to eat. When it was time to rest,the lazy one fell asleep again. The other one never complained and always stayed on guard.

One day,the lazy head said, "I want to sleep now,so you be on guard. "As it fell asleep once again, a breeze suddenly sprang up and blew down a fruit from a nearby tree, which then rolled to the bird. The fruit was ripe and smelled ever so good. The alert head thought, "the other head is asleep, so i don't want to wake it,but still enjoy the fruit even if i eat it. So i ate the fruit.

The sleepy head suddenly smelled the fragrance and heard the sleepless head burp.It woke up and asked, "what did you eat? How come your burps smell so good that they woke me up?" The alert said, "It was a ripe fruit. I didn't want to wake you up, so i ate myself". The sleepy head wasn't happy and asked, "why didn't you wake me up to enjoy it? All right, I'll get even someday." After that, its mind was filled with hatred.
A few days later, the lazy head said to the other head, "today you can get some rest and I'll stand guard." The alert head happily agreed. When it was asleep, another fruit blew down from the tree, but this time it was a poisonous fruit.T he sleepy head thought, "all right, I'll eat this one and we'll die together". With a heart full of hatred, he ate that poisonous fruit. Buddha said, "That sleepy head so many lives ago was Devadatta, and the one that was always awake and watchful was me. Although I've guided him to cultivate his morality in this life, his hatred towards me is always there"..



After listening to this story, we know that the most difficult thing to control is the mind. Devadatta was Buddha's cousin and disciple but Buddha still couldn't teach him the first thing about controlling the mind. The most important thing in spiritual formation is yourself. When you truly want to cultivate your morality and work hard to remove anger, greed, delusion, suspicion and arrogance; only then can you get rid of your anxieties. Otherwise, even if you were reborn as a bird with two heads, you would still have evil thoughts of hatred and revenge, which would harm both yourself and others. HOW SAD THAT WOULD BE?

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR

It's easy for a relationship to get weakened by the silly details....here's top five(5) love-life tips..

1.LISTEN "be patient and think about what you're doing before you interrupt the person speaking to you...

2.Agree to Disagree "it doesn't mean your perspective is any less important than his,just that you don't have to get mad when he doesn't share your view.,,

3. Let him win an argument .."if you're discussing something of little consequences why not let him win??it's a sign of strength and proves you have a sense of perspective..

4.Be playful: Tickle him ,make faces laugh at yourself...anything to lighten things up.watch other people who are playful;notice how they bring out the best in each other...

5..Stop swapping horror stories"most of us have so little time with our partners-why spend it all reliving horror stories at the end of a difficult day?'...