How the Red Sea really parted?

 

 

 

 

"The Crossing of the Red Sea", Nicholas Poussin   According to the Exodus account, Moses held out his staff and the Red Sea was parted by God. The Israelites walked on dry ground and crossed the sea, followed by the Egyptian army. Moses again moved his staff once the Israelites had crossed and the sea closed again, drowning the whole of the Egyptian army. God chooses Moses to lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and into the land of Canaan, which God has promised to them. The Egyptian pharaoh agrees to their departure, and they travel from Ramesses toSuccoth and then to Etham on the edge of the desert, led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. There God tells Moses to turn back and camp by the sea at Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, directly opposite Baal-zephon. Crossing the Red Sea, a wall painting from the 1640s in Yaroslavl, Russia God causes the pharaoh to pursue the Israelites with chariots, and he overtakes them at Pi-hahiroth. When the Israelites see the Egyptian army they are afraid, but the pillar of fire and the cloud separates the Israelites and the Egyptians. At God's command Moses holds his staff out over the water, and throughout the night a strong east wind divides the sea,[2] and the Israelites pass through with a wall of water on either side. The Egyptians pursue, but at daybreak God clogs their chariot-wheels and throws them into a panic, and with the return of the water the pharaoh and his entire army are destroyed (see Psalm 136:15). When the Israelites see the power of God they put their faith in God and in Moses, and sing a song of praise to the Lord for the crossing of the sea and the destruction of their enemies. (This song, at Exodus 15, is called the Song of the Sea). The narrative contains at least three and possibly four layers. In the first layer (the oldest), God blows the sea back with a strong east wind, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry land; in the second, Moses stretches out his hand and the waters part in two walls; in the third, God clogs the chariot wheels of the Egyptians and they flee (in this version the Egyptians do not even enter the water); and in the fourth, the Song of the Sea, God casts the Egyptians into tehomat, the mythical Crossing the Red Sea, from Dura Europos synagogue, 3rd century See also: Yam Suph and Red Sea The Israelites' first journey is from Ramesses to Succoth. Ramses is generally identified with modern Qantir, the site of the 19th dynastycapital Per-Ramses, and Succoth with Tell el-Maskhuta in Wadi Tumilat, the biblical Land of Goshen.[4] From Sukkoth the Israelites travel toEtham "on the edge of the desert," then turn back to Pi-hahiroth, located between Migdol and the sea and directly opposite Baal Zephon. None of these have been identified with certainty. One theory with a wide following is that they refer collectively to the region of Lake Timsah, a salt lake north of the Gulf of Suez, and the nearest large body of water after Wadi Tumilat.[5] Lake Timsah was connected to Pithom in Gesem at various times by a canal, and a late 1st millennium text refers to Migdol Baal Zephon as fort on the canal.[6] The Hebrew term for the place of the crossing is "Yam Suph". Although this has traditionally been thought to refer to the salt water inlet located between Africa and the Arabian peninsula, known in English as the Red Sea, this is a mistranslation from the Greek Septuagint, and Hebrew suph never means "red" but rather "reeds".[7] (While it is not relevant to the identification of the body of water, suph also puns on the Hebrew suphah ("storm") and soph("end"), referring to the events of the Exodus).[8] General scholarly opinion is that the Exodus story combines a number of traditions, one of them at the "Reed Sea" (Lake Timsah, with the Egyptians defeated when the wheels of their chariots become clogged) and another at the far deeper Red Sea, allowing the more dramatic telling of events.[9] Reeds tolerant of salt water flourish in the shallow string of lakes extending from Suez north to the Mediterranean Sea. Kenneth Kitchen and James Hoffmeier state that these reedy lakes and marshes along the isthmus of Suez are acceptable locations for yam suf.[10][11] The ancient yam suf is not confined to the modern Red Sea. Hoffmeier equates yam suf with the Egyptian term pa-tjufy (also written p3 twfy) from the Ramsside period, which refers to lakes in the eastern Nile delta.[12] He also describes references to p3 twfy in the context of the Island of Amun, thought to be modern Tell el-Balamun.[13] Tell el-Balamun was the most northerly city of Pharaonic Egypt, located at (31.2586 North, 31.5714 East), about 29 km southwest of Damietta.[14][15] Legacy[edit] The theme of Moses at the crossing of the Red Sea was taken up by the panegyrists of Constantine the Greatand applied to the battle of the Milvian Bridge (312). The theme enjoyed a vogue during the fourth century on carved sarcophagi: at least twenty-nine have survived in full or in fragments.[16] Eusebius of Caesarea castMaxentius, drowned in the Tiber, in the role of Pharaoh, both in his Ecclesiastical History and in his eulogistic Life of Constantine. How the Red Sea really parted? Moses used knowledge of tides to ensure a safe crossing for the Israelites - instead of waiting for a miracle, expert claims Dr Bruce Parker, former chief scientist of the NOAA’s National Ocean Service believes Moses understood the moon and tides Knowledge helped him predict when the Israelites could cross the Red Sea during low tide, when the sea bed was dry Perfect timing meant waters rushed back when the soldiers were crossing A rival explanation of the 'miracle' which will appear in the film,  'Exodus: Gods and Kings' is that a tsunami caused the sea to part The moment Moses parts the Red Sea is one the most famous Biblical miracles. But instead of relying on God to divide the water into two huge columns, as seen in the 1956 film, 'The Ten Commandments,’ Moses may have instead used his knowledge of tides to guide the Israelites to safety and escape the Pharaoh’s army. This is the claim made by Dr Bruce Parker, an author, visiting professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey, and former chief scientist of the of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA’s) National Ocean Service.   +3 Moses may have instead used his knowledge of tides to guide the Israelites to safety and escape the Pharaoh’s army, according to Dr Bruce Parker, former chief scientist of the (NOAA’s) National Ocean Service. A screenshot of the moment from Ridley Scott's new film, ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings,’ is pictured In the Biblical story, Moses parts the sea, allowing the children of Israel to cross a dry seabed to the opposite shore, while the waters ‘close’ and drown the Pharaoh’s soldiers, who are in pursuit. The tale will feature in Ridley Scott’s ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings,’ who claims that his version will be more ‘realistic,’ with the parting explained by a tsunami caused by an earthquake. This is because, before a tsunami strikes, coastal waters often recede. However, Dr Parker writes in The Wall Street Journal that the explanation is flawed, because waters typically only drawback for up to 20 minutes, which could not have given the Israelites enough time to cross the dry seabed, thought to be at the Gulf of Suez, at the northern end of the Red Sea.  Moses would not have been able to predict an earthquake and tsunami, unless he was tipped off by God, he added. Instead, the expert believes that Moses used his local knowledge of tides to ensure his people got safe passage. +3 In the Gulf of Suez (stock image), the low tides mean that parts of the seabed can be dry for hours, before the waters make a sudden return. According to the Bible, the children of Israel were camped on the western shore of the Gulf when Pharoah’s troops were spotted in the distance EXPLANATIONS OF HOW MOSES PARTED THE RED SEA Accounts from the Bible suggest that God gave Moses the power to part the waters in the form of a miracle. It has been suggested that the water parted because of a tsunami caused by an earthquake. This is because, before a tsunami strikes, coastal waters often recede. Hollywood Director, Ridley Scott, chose this explanation to depict in his new film, 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'. Dr Bruce Parker believes that Moses used his knowledge of the tides to enable his people to cross shallow waters at low tide. His perfect timing meant that as the last of the Israelites crossed to safety, pursuing Egyptian soldiers were drowned as the waters suddenly returned.  In the Gulf of Suez, the low tides mean that parts of the seabed can be dry for hours, before the waters make a sudden return. According to the Bible, the children of Israel were camped on the western shore of the Gulf when the Pharaoh's troops were spotted in the distance. Dust clouds raised by chariots and horses of the approaching army would have allowed Moses to calculate their time of arrival, Dr Parker said. Having lived in the wilderness, Moses would have known useful low tide Red Sea crossings and by looking at the moon, he could have predicted when low tide would occur. This knowledge would not have been used by the soldiers who lived along the River Nile, which is connected to the Mediterranean Sea and does not have dramatic tides. Dr Parker writes: ‘Knowing when low tide would occur, how long the sea bottom would remain dry and when the waters would rush back in, Moses could plan the Israelites’ escape.’ The Biblical tale cites a full moon on the night of the dramatic escape, which would have meant that the low tide would be at its lowest, allowing the seabed to have stayed drier for longer, giving the people longer to cross. If this was the case, the high tide would also have been higher and more likely to drown an army, as described in the Biblical story. 'Get a life!': Ridley Scott responds to critics over Exodus... +3 This is the parting of the Red Sea as depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster, 'The Ten Commandments'. Because water levels were higher in the Red Sea in Biblical times, the expert estimates that ‘walls’ of water may well have come crashing down on the Egyptian soldiers, but they wouldn't have parted in this way Joel Edgerton stars in the trailer for 'Exodus: Gods And Kings' In order for this to happen, Moses’ timing would have had to be perfect, so that the last of the Israelites crossed the dry sea just before the return of the high tide – enticing the Pharaoh's army to follow them and letting the powerful returning waters catch them unawares. Dr Parker says Moses may have managed this either by using some sort of delaying tactic, or by sending his most able-bodied people back to entice the soldiers to chase them across the seabed. The Biblical story also mentions a strong east wind that helped to ‘push back’ the waters. Dr Parker said that it is true that wind blowing across a shallow waterway pushes it back, so such a wind may have heightened the effect of low tide to reveal more dry seabed than normal. Of course, such a wind could be attributed to divine intervention, but Dr Parker believes that Moses’ timing ‘had to be based on a tide prediction’. Because water levels were higher in the Red Sea in Biblical times, the expert estimates that ‘walls’ of water may well have come crashing down on the Egyptian soldiers. Dr Parker is not the first scientist to suggest this theory to explain the Red Sea miracle. An account written by an ancient historian called Artapanus between 80 and 40 BC, says: ‘Moses, being acquainted with the country, waited for the ebb and took the people across the sea when dry.’

King Solomon's marker? Ron Wyatt stated (he is dead now) that this pillar is another piece of evidence that Moses crossed the "Red Sea" here at Nuweiba. He stated that this pilar was erected by King Solomon to mark and commemorate the site, and that there is a corresponding pillar on the Saudi side of the Gulf of Aqaba. It is apparently quite difficult for people to get to the area around Jabal al Lawz in Saudia Arabia, to try to confirm claims that people have seen archaeological evidence that the Israelites were once there. The Saudis are said to be understandably cagey about letting people look for evidence that God led the Israelis to Saudia Arabia first! Finally I have to say that the evidence I have seen on the internet arguing that this was Moses’ crossing point and that Mount Sinai is in Saudia Arabia, looks thin! Most scholars feel the same way. The arguments are unbalanced. The arguers have started with a hypothesis and done everything they can to prove it without doing anything to disprove it. An explanation that suits the argument is taken as proof. Critical argument is ignored. But you never know, there have been a lot of other crack-pot ideas over the years that have eventually turned out to be correct! Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a rare temple and religious figurines which date back nearly 3,000 years to the time of the Kingdom of Judah. They say the finds provide rare testimony of a ritual cult in the Jerusalem region at the beginning of the period of the royal House of David. Such idol worship was a major theme in the chapters of the Old Testament relating to the era, and is given in the holy book as a cause for the downfall of the Jewish kingdom.   The dramatic parting of the Red Sea for the Israelites is perhaps the most spectacular miracle described in the Old Testament. Now scientists believe it may actually have happened - although it owed more to Mother Nature than to Moses. A computer simulation suggests that a powerful east wind, blowing for 12 hours overnight, could have driven back shallow waters for four hours allowing a crossing in an area near that depicted in Exodus. An artist's impression showing how a strong wind could have pushed back waters from two ancient basins, a lagoon (left) and a river (right), and led to the Biblical account of the parting of the Red Sea In the biblical account, which was given the Hollywood treatment in Charlton Heston's epic The Ten Commandments, Moses and the Israelites were trapped between the Pharaoh's advancing chariots and the sea. Thanks to divine intervention, a mighty east wind blows all night, splitting the waters to leave a passage of dry land with walls of water on both sides. Other theories to explain the parting of the Red Sea Several previous theories have been put forward to explain the parting of the Red Sea. One involved a tsunami, which can cause a body of water to retreat and then advance rapidly. But such an event would not have caused the gradual overnight divide of the waters as described in the Bible, or been so associated with winds. Other experts have focused on a phenomenon linked to strong persistent winds known as 'wind setdown' which can lower water levels in one area while piling up water downwind. One study found that winds blowing from the north-west at a near-hurricane force of 74mph could in theory have exposed an underwater reef near the present-day Suez Canal, providing a walkable land passage. The fleeing Israelites make their escape, but when the Pharaoh's army tries to pursue them the waters come crashing back and drown the soldiers. Scientists believe the likely location of the 'miracle' was not the Red Sea, but a nearby spot in the Nile Delta region where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon. Analysis of archaeological records, satellite measurements and maps allowed the researchers to estimate the water flow and depth at the site 3,000 years ago. An ocean computer model was then used to simulate-the impact of a strong wind on the 6ft deep waters. The scientists found an east wind of 63 mph blowing for 12 hours would have driven the waters back, both into the lake and the river channel. This would have created a land bridge about two miles long and three miles wide lasting four hours. The waters really would have been parted, with barriers of water raised on both sides of the newly exposed mud flats. As soon as the winds dropped, the waters would have rushed back, much like a tidal bore. Anyone stranded on the mud would have been at risk of drowning, said the scientists, whose findings were reported in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE. Lead researcher Carl Drews, from the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, said: 'People have always been fascinated by this Exodus story, wondering if it comes from historical facts. What this study shows is that the description of the waters parting indeed has a basis in physical laws. 'The parting of the waters can be understood through fluid dynamics. The wind moves the water in a way that's in accordance with physical laws, creating a safe passage with water on two sides and then abruptly allowing the water to rush back in.' The computer simulations showed dry land could also have been exposed at two other nearby sites during a wind storm. Those events did not fit so well with the Biblical account, since both involved a single body of water getting pushed to one side rather than being parted. Previous theories have been put forward to explain the parting of the Red Sea. One involved a tsunami, which can cause a body of water to retreat and then advance rapidly. But such an event would not have caused the gradual overnight divide as described in the Bible, or been so associated with winds. Miracle: Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments   As researchers prove the Red Sea really could have parted... How science backs the Bible's best stories One of the most dramatic stories in the Old Testament, the parting of the Red Sea, may actually have happened, according to new research. Scientists believe the phenomenon may have been caused by freak weather conditions, and computer modelling shows that a storm could have divided the 6ft deep sea, just as the story is told in the Bible - allowing Moses and the Israelites to escape the pursuing Egyptians and enter the wilderness. How many other Biblical tales could have a basis in science? Noah’s Flood In the book of Genesis, God despairs of human corruption and decides to flood the Earth, instructing Noah to build an ark to save himself, his family and a pair of each animal species. Could such a flood actually have happened? Researchers have suggested that, during a warming period in the cycle of the Earth’s temperature around 5600BC, melting glaciers caused an onrush of seawater from the Mediterranean. This cascaded through Turkey’s Straits of Bosporus - dry land at the time - to the Black Sea, transforming it from a freshwater lake into a vast saltwater inlet. In 1997, drawing on archaeological and anthropological evidence, Colombia University geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman claimed that ‘ten cubic miles of water poured through each day’, and that the deluge continued for at least 300 days. More than 60,000 square miles of land were flooded, and the lake’s level rose by hundreds of feet after merging with the Mediterranean, triggering mass animal migrations across Europe. The researchers, whose findings have been backed up by carbon dating and sonar imaging, claim that the story of Noah’s flood had its origin in this cataclysmic event. The Ten Plagues Scientists believe that the Ten Plagues - the ten calamities inflicted in Exodus upon the Egyptians for their treatment of the Jews - could have been caused by a massive volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC, either on the Greek island of Santorini or on the Aegean island of Thera. The plagues were total darkness, the Nile turning to blood, fiery hailstorms, a fatal cattle plague, plagues of boils, of frogs, of lice, of flies, of locusts and finally, the death of all the firstborn children. And in his book The Moses Legacy, author Graham Phillips claims they could all have stemmed from the volcano’s ash cloud blocking the sun over the Nile Delta. He bases his argument on an examination of the eruption of the volcano of Mount St Helens in the U.S. state of Washington in 1980. After it blew its top, the massive cloud of ash obscured the sun for hours for 500 miles around. Hot volcanic debris fell like hailstones, flattening crops far and wide. As a result of the acidic dust permeating everything, hundreds of people were afflicted with skin sores, and cattle perished. Fish were found floating dead in the water which had to be purified before it could be drunk - as in the Bible’s description of ancient Egypt where ‘the fish died, the river stank and the Egyptians could not drink of the river’. But why frogs, lice and flies? Shortly after the Mount St Helens eruption, there was a plague of frogs in Washington State. So many covered the roads that driving over the squelchy swarms became dangerous. They clogged waterways and infested houses and gardens. The reason was that the volcanic ash had killed off fish but not submerged frogspawn. Tadpoles hatched and multiplied in unprecedented numbers because they were not eaten by predators. As for insects, they reproduce at an alarming rate in vast numbers so swarms searching for food ahead of the ash-layer are a common aftermath of volcanic eruptions. The survivors of a volcanic eruption on Martinique in 1901 were attacked by swarms of flying ants that consumed everything that was still growing, just like locusts. The Resurrection of Lazarus In the New Testament account, Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus. In fact, returning from the dead is a well-documented phenomenon. Known in medical books as ‘Lazarus syndrome’, it is the spontaneous restarting of the heart after failed attempts at resuscitation. Its occurrence has been noted by doctors at least 25 times since 1982. Its causes are not well understood: one theory is that the relaxation of pressure after resuscitation efforts have ended allows the heart to expand and triggers electrical impulses that cause it to resume beating. In 2008 the heart of an American woman, Velma Thomas, stopped beating three times and she was clinically brain dead for 17 hours. Her son had left the hospital to make funeral arrangements. But ten minutes after her life-support system was shut down and doctors were preparing to take her organs for donation, the 59-year-old woke up. The Walls of Jericho The Fall of Jericho, as told in Joshua, is one of the most graphic Old Testament stories. In it, the Israelites defeat the city of Jericho when they entered the Promised Land after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. They marched around the city for six days, and on the seventh day, they encircled the city seven times. On the seventh round, the priests blew trumpets, the people shouted, and the walls came tumbling down. Could it be true? Excavations in the southern Jordan valley of Palestine produce tantalising evidence. British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon excavated the area in the Fifties, and found piles of collapsed mud bricks at the site. What caused the walls to collapse? The most likely explanation is an earthquake, as the ancient city is located on a fault line extending from the Red Sea. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Did God destroy these two ancient cities because of the sins of their inhabitants? Genesis reports that ‘the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire out of the Heaven ...’ Two years ago, an ancient clay tablet was identified as a witness account of an asteroid believed to have crushed Sodom and Gomorrah, cities which existed between what are now Israel and Jordan. The tablet was found in the 19th century by Victorian explorer Henry Layard in the remains of the library in the royal place at Nineveh - the ancient capital of the Assyrian empire, near what is now the city of Mosul in Iraq. Its significance remained a mystery until researchers decoded its symbols and suggested it was a 700BC copy of notes made by a Sumerian astronomer observing the asteroid. Using computers to recreate the night sky thousands of years ago, scientists have pinpointed his sighting to shortly before dawn on June 29 in the year 3123BC. Adam and Eve In his book River Out Of Eden, the zoologist and atheist Richard Dawkins set out to take us back to one common ancestor - a black woman who lived in Africa a quarter of a million years ago. He used a complicated mathematical model to work backwards through our DNA genealogy, saying: ‘There has to be a woman of whom this claim can be made. The only argument is over whether she lived here rather than there, at this time rather than at that time. 'The fact that she did live, in some place and at some time, is certain.’ So to the extent that Eve is our common ancestor, even the Godless believe she existed. The Burning Bush This is a pivotal moment in the Passover story, in which God speaks to Moses from a burning bush and tells him: ‘I am come down to deliver [the Israelites] out of the hand of the Egyptians.’ Scientists believe the bush was either growing over a natural gas vent, or could have spontaneously combusted because of local volcanic action. Norwegian physicist Dag Kristian Dysthe has studied the subsurface combustion of organic material in Mali, West Africa, and concludes such events do happen in the natural world. As for the voice of God, Hebrew University psychology professor Benny Shannon proposes that Moses was taking a local hallucinogenic substance derived from leaves of the ayahuasca plant found in the Negev and Sinai deserts.

Those living in cities suffer worse from car pollution: Photos embody rural life

 

 

 

The rolling Montana landscape creates a tranquil backdrop to this series of images exploring rural life in Paradise Valley, a small rural community just north of Yellowstone National Park. It portray the 'salt of the earth' people who live there alongside the ranch animals and  spectacular Big Sky scenery. +30 A rancher takes a drag on a cigarette with the rolling Montana landscape behind him +30 The sun streams across a corral as a wrangler leads his horse towards a barn +30 A rusting Montana license plate, that shows the outline of the state, is nailed to a wall The Chicago-based photographer used just one camera and three lenses for the shoot, and worked from dawn to dusk for a week to get the shots he wanted. 'I was reminded of what a great thing it is to do something you are passionate about. The ranchers I photographed are all so passionate about the life they live. It’s very nice to be around passionate people,' he told Wonderful Machine. Lindsey added: 'It was a true pleasure meeting all these amazing people that let me into their lives for a few minutes to a few hours.' The photographer has had a fascination with the rural life since childhood, and said he feels grounded by that upbringing. He said: 'As a photographer and director, I use this experience to tell honest, inviting stories. I create the backdrop for the story and then I provide the simple direction that lets that story unfold, capturing real moments and emotions that pull viewers into the shot.' +30 Rows of stirrups hang against the wooden side of a Montana barn +30 Horses gallop towards Jason Lindsey's camera as the photographer captures the wild beauty of Montana +30 The piercing blue eyes of a cowboy stand out in this portrait taken by Lindsey +30 Lindsey was captivated by the people living in Montana's Paradise Valley +30 Lindsey says his affection for 'salt of the earth' people comes from growing up in a small farm town +30 A Montana rancher, pitchfork in hand, takes a break from his work +30 Two wranglers gallop across a ridge under Montana's famed big sky +30 A working dog looks poised and alert as it watches the world pass by on the farm +30 Lindsey's portraits capture rural life in Paradise Valley +30 A rancher drinks from a shot glass as he takes a rest from a long day on the farm +30 A resident of Paradise Valley smiles broadly as Lindsey takes his photograph +30 A cowboy saddles up his horse in the low light of the Montana sky +30 The sun warms the back of a row of horses as they stand in a corral +30 The warm glow of lights shine in a cabin as snow settles on a tree-covered mountain +30 An animal skull and horse shoes hang on the outside of a farm building in Paradise Valley +30 The tools of a cowboy's trade hang from horse-shoe shaped hooks on a rustic wall +30 Lindsey's photos capture the beauty and soft light of Montana's rural regions +30 License plates from Montana, Colorado and Arizona adorn a wall +30 A horse grazes in a meadow as a blizzard whips around it +30 A rancher with a snow-white mustache smiles while leaning against a wall +30 A holly wreath hangs on the door of a barn sat next to a winding mountain road +30 Two women sit on their horses as the long grass of Montana's plains waves in the breeze +30 Lindsey has produced a series of compelling portraits of those living in Montana's valleys +30 +30 A horse gazes peacefully into the distance from its Montana meadow   Ranch hands hold their horses on a rain-soaked driveway +30 Antlers fixed to the outside of a building are dusted with snow as a flurry falls on Paradise Valley A father from Poland has used his passion for photography to capture striking and heart-warming photos of his family.  Sebastian Luczywo's photos embody his rural life; the photos depict innocent scenes of children playing with their charming family pets. He is not a professional photographer, but Sebastian clearly has an ability to capture powerful still life images. +13 Family album: An amateur photographer and father captures his family in their rural life. This snap called 'The good and bad' shows Sebastian Luczywo's sons Jack and Christopher enjoying a wintery afternoon Speaking about his hobby, he said: 'Photography is my passion, though I do not make money taking pictures at the moment, I do not know if I will in the future. I have been a business advisor for 15 years but I am looking for a new direction in life, I have always hoped to be a photographer.' Sebastian mainly photographs his family, including his two sons, 8-year-old Jacek and 11-year-old Krzysztof, Kaya his 15-year-old daughter and his wife Agnieszka. +13 Child's best friend: The father from Poland has used his passion for photography to capture striking and heart-warming photos of his family and their furry friends +13 Enjoying a dip: Sebastian Luczywo's photos embody his rural life and one of his favourite subjects is his wife Agnieszka, pictured enjoying a cigarette in a makeshift bath tub in the garden +13 Inspirations: Speaking about his work, he said: 'I love my wife and children. I love seeing how they change, and I like to photograph the most important events in our lives' +13 Talent: He is not a professional photographer, but Sebastian clearly has an ability to capture powerful still life images +13 True love: Speaking about his hobby, he said: 'Photography is my passion, though I do not make money taking pictures at the moment and I do not know if I will in the future' +13 Hobby: He has been a business advisor for 15 years but is looking for a new direction in life, he says He said: 'I love my wife and children. I love seeing how they change, and I like to photograph the most important events in our lives. I am happy when we do things together because it brings us closer.  'I find the beauty of my wife very inspiring, but my kids also give me a lot of inspiration. Kaja, Christopher and Jacek are so carefree, cheerful and they have a lot of great ideas - there is no better inspiration than spending time with them,' explains Sebastian. He lives with his family in Jelenia Gora, which is located in a valley and surrounded by picturesque mountains.  The budding photographer explains he chose to include his pet dogs in his touching photos, as he feels they are very much a part of his family.  Childhood innocence: Sebastian says he is happy when he, his wife and children do things together because it brings them closer +13 Unusual: His clever and mood-filled photos depict his children and pets in the countryside, often with a touch of the surreal +13 Magical: The resulting images are anything but your standard family portraits and have a real magical element to them   Man's best friend: The budding photographer explains he chose to include his pet dogs in his touching photos, as he feels they are very much a part of his family

The bright lights of the city often lure people in with promises of a better way of life. Today, around 3.9 billion people around the world live in towns and cities, with the global urban population growing by about one million people each week. But while urban dwellers may have better access to doctors and hospitals, there are growing concerns that city-living is severely damaging to health. Rat race: The Paris-based International Council for Science has launched a programme that aims to understand how a city environment can be changed to improve the health of its residents Now, scientists at the International Council for Science have launched a global programme to find out exactly how factors such as pollution, overcrowding and crime are affecting overall wellbeing. The 'Urban Health and Wellbeing Programme' hopes to understand what makes a 'healthy urban environment', according to a report by Mark Kinver in the BBC. 'We are facing global epidemics of non-communicable diseases - heart disease, diabetes and so on - and mental health problems,' Professor Anthony Capon, director of the UN University's International Institute for Global Health, told the BBC. Packed: The programme claims that city-dwellers have higher rates of mental illness due to stress and social isolation. Those living in cities also suffer worse from impacts from car pollution 'We are also seeing the health impact of climate change, such as heat-stress in cities and changes in the distribution of infectious vector-borne diseases.' CITIES ARE BAD FOR THE HEALTH OF NEW MOTHERS Women who live in urban areas are more likely to develop postnatal depression than those who live in the countryside, recent research has claimed. Women who live in large cities are three per cent more likely to develop the condition five to 14 months after giving birth. The researchers believe this could be because city living is more stressful and is associated with less supportive communities. Dr Simone Vigod, at Women's College Hospital, in Toronto, said: 'Living in an urban area is a marker of more stress, less support and a potentially higher risk of postpartum depression for women. 'Our study suggests we need to better target our supports and services towards women based on their geographic location to improve their outcomes and reduce their risk of postpartum depression.' For instance, the programme claims that city-dwellers have higher rates of mental illness due to stress and social isolation. It is also looking at how infectious diseases thrive when people are crowded together, or how they emerge when cities expand into surrounding areas. 'The demographic advantage of youth in such countries would be lost unless combined with healthy living' said Indira Nath, Chair of the Scientific Committee at the International Council for Science. 'Policy makers face the challenge of viewing healthy cities as 'systems' consisting of multiple subsystems along with the overarching super system of climate change.'  But Professor Capon said that the programme could offer some hope, by combining expertise between scientists and urban planners on how to better develop cities. The programme will look at everything from the design of public spaces and transport to improvements in housing and free city services. Professor Capon says the key is understanding that cities are really about people. 'We are attracted to cities for economic, educational and social opportunities,' he said 'When we live in cities, they need to work for us. It is not just about the economic efficiencies.'     Reuters photographer Jim Urquhart recently captured these scenes from a fading culture, as he followed Montana ranchers on their final horse drive, moving more than 300 horses down from their winter range. Every spring the Mantle family, along with with a group of wranglers, drives the herd north over 35 miles and three days, through the small town of Three Forks to their ranch. After decades of supplying and tending to horses, the Mantles, citing financial challenges, now plan to sell off their herd and shift to raising beef cattle. Take a moment to travel with the Mantle family through big sky country, on a journey once so familiar and iconic, now fading into memory with the rest of cowboy culture. Wrangler Shad Boardman rides into a pasture during Montana Horses' final horse drive outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 6, 2012. The Mantle family, who own Montana Horses, held their last horse drive where they rounded up approximately 300 horses and drove the herd 35 miles from their winter range to the Mantle ranch. The horses will be picked up by leasers to be used as pack and trail horses at dude ranches and national parks. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) 2 A view of the 500 acre Mantle ranch outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 3, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 3 Renee Mantle rides in a truck on her way to the wrangler camp before Montana Horses' last annual horse drive, on May 3, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 4 Kail Mantle give instructions to wranglers before the horse drive on May 4, 2012. Kail, a former rodeo champion, and his wife Renee have been operating Montana Horses off a plot of land north of Three Forks since 1995.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 5 Renee Mantle checks the hoof and shoes of a horse during Montana Horses' annual horse drive on May 3, 2012.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 6 Wrangler Lori Young readies her horse before the start of the horse drive, on May 4, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 7 Wranglers ride along railroad tracks during Montana Horses' last horse drive, on May 6, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 8 Wranglers gather a herd of horses off the winter range south of Three Forks, Montana, on May 4, 2012.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 9 Horses cross a river during Montana Horses' annual horse drive, on May 4, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 10 Wranglers work to gather horses outside Three Forks, on May 4, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 11 Wrangler Shad Boardman rides his horse through a river on May 4, 2012. The drive is not without dangers -- over the years, a number of wranglers have suffered minor injuries, from head injuries to broken bones. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 12 Wranglers gather at camp outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 3, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 13 A spur on a wrangler's boot during Montana Horses' last horse drive outside Three Forks, Montana, May 6, 2012.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 14 Wranglers visit beside a campfire under a moonlit sky on May 3, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 15 Wrangler Denise Boyd laughs by the campfire on May 4, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 16 The last of the daylight fades over the wrangler's camp outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 3, 2012.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 17 The belt buckle of wrangler Sara Tharp, seen before Montana Horses' last horse drive on May 4, 2012.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 18 Renee Mantle chases a horse trying to break away on May 6, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 19 Horses run to the corrals during Montana Horses' last horse drive in central Montana, on May 4, 2012.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 20 Wranglers from lead a herd of horses down a paved road on May 6, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 21 A horse shakes itself off after the second day of Montana Horses' last horse drive on May 5, 2012.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 22 Wranglers lead a herd of horses outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 6, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 23 Renee Mantle sorts a herd of horses in a corral on May 5, 2012. The Mantles know each of their 300-plus horses by name.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 24 A wrangler's hand rests on a saddle horn during a horse drive on May 6, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 25 Wranglers lead a herd of horses during Montana Horses' last horse drive on May 5, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 26 After the drive, Renee Mantle enjoys a moment in the pasture with her horses as they vie for attention, on May 6, 2012.(Reuters/Jim Urquhart) # 27 Wrangler Nate Cummins takes the opportunity to ride by moonlight, the night before the "Super Moon" during Montana Horses' final horse drive outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 4, 2012. A combine cuts rice in a field near Tucker, Arkansas, on August 16, 2012. Arkansas rice farmers planted 1.135 million acres in 2012, equal to 59 percent of the nation's rice crop this year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.(AP Photo/Danny Johnston) #   Boys and girls compete with their sheep at the West Virginia State fair on August 11, 2012 in Lewisburg, West Virginia. (Image was created using an iPhone 4s with Snapseed's vintage filter) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)   A nodding donkey pump extracts oil from the earth at an abandoned farm near the old ghost town of Dore, North Dakota, on April 19, 2012. Dore has seen a rebirth with booming oil activity in western North Dakota.(AP Photo/ James MacPherson)   A firefighting helicopter fills a bucket of water in heavy smoke as the North Merna wildfire burns in the Bridger National Forest west of the town of Pinedale in Sublette County, Wyoming, on September 16, 2012. (Reuters/Jim Urquhart) #   Visitors walk through the "infinity room" before a public memorial service for U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 29, 2012. Armstrong, who took a giant leap for mankind when he became the first person to walk on the moon, died in August at the age of 82. (Reuters/Matt Sullivan) #   A bear cub with second-degree burns to its paws is examined and treated at the Garden Valley Ranger Station in Idaho, on August 28, 2012. The cub, who is about four months old, was injured in the Mustang Complex Fire. Wildlife veterinarian Mark Drew said the cub, nicknamed Boo Boo, will require long term care to survive. Efforts to locate the cub's mother were unsuccessful. (Reuters/USFS/Kari Greer) #     Kameron Hays, 7, sports a mohawk while attending the Iowa 80 truck stop's 33rd Annual Truckers Jamboree in Walcott, Iowa, on July 12, 2012. The Iowa 80, located along Interstate 80, is said to be the world's largest truck stop.(Reuters/Adrees Latif)   A view of Monument Valley Tribal Park in Utah, on August 14, 2012. (Reuters/Charles Platiau) A cowboy rides his horse through town as he watches a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Beardstown, Illinois, on May 6, 2012. There are approximately 900 immigrant workers from 34 countries employed in Beardstown at the Cargill meat packing plant and most are willing to work hard at just about anything for a better life in the United States. While both longtime community residents and immigrants agree that most people accept the newcomers, the beginnings were rocky and some problems still remain.(Reuters/Jim Young)   Beach visitors watch the sunset in Dauphin Island, Alabama, on August 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) #   View from the south Rim of the Grand Canyon near Tusayan, Arizona, on August 10, 2012. (Reuters/Charles Platiau)