10
EESTI ELU reedel, 16. aprillil 2021 — Friday, April 16, 2021
Nr. 15
Estonian Foundation of Canada 2020 Short Story Contest Estonian Foundation of Canada 2020 Short Story Contest was a fun challenge to write a fiction or non-fiction piece with a connection to the Estonian-Canadian experience. It was a great way to celebrate our unique community. A panel of judges selected winners in 3 age categories – which will all be printed here in Eesti Elu and can be viewed on the EFC website at https://www.estonianfoundation.ca/en/efc-short-story-contest
Child 1st place “Stage Fright” by Imbi Uukkivi Photo: European Space Agency Sentinel-3A Satellite Imagery
The nuisances, origins, and uses of blue-green algae in the Baltic Sea Vincent Teetsov The presence of blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, is an annoying and hazardous dis turbance when you want to go swimming. When enough algae accumulates, it’s con sidered a “bloom.” You may recognize it in its most severe form as a slimy layer on the surface of lakes, rivers, ponds, or the open sea. This type of algae also develops a putrid smell when it breaks down at the end of its life cycle. If the sight of it doesn’t deter you from swimming, then its tex ture and smell definitely will. Across Estonia in the summer of 2020, on the Baltic Sea and inland bodies of water like Peipsi järv (Lake Peipus), incidences of algal blooms brought swimming to a grinding halt. ERR reported that red flags had gone up at the beaches of Pirita, Stroomi, Kakumäe, and Haab neeme; declaring that swimming wasn’t allowed at that time due to the risks associated with swimming in contaminated water. Tiia Luht, the head of the southern district of the Tervise amet (Estonia’s Health Board) said that seven species of cyanobacteria were dis covered on the western shore of Peipsi järv. At the time, Luht said “there is reason to believe the entire western shore of Lake Peipus has been affected.” In 2019, Pärnu beach was another location affected by this issue; and in each of these occasions, increasing summer water temperatures and less turbulent weather have been determined as causes. A water temperature between 16 and 17 degrees Celsius is an ideal starting point for algae growth. Fertilizer runoff from agriculture and sewage from cities and ferries is also a cause, due to the way it increases the input of phosphorus and nitrogen. In June 2015, approximately 150,000 cubic metres of sewage was emitted into the Baltic Sea per day from the Russian city of Kaliningrad. This was because the city was using infrastructure from 1928 that didn’t facilitate treatment. By the end of that year, a treatment plant was completed, to counter the daily waste output and improve the situation in the Baltic Sea. Some of the financing came from international organizations, including European Bank for Construction and Develop ment. But this is a struggle that needs to be overcome across the
Baltic shores and the whole world. In July 2020, Laurensons Lake and Thunder Lake, two lakes in northwest Ontario, were confirmed as having bluegreen algal blooms, requiring further examination for toxins. In 2019, blooms were found on Lake Superior, outside of Thunder Bay. In all such incidents, regardless of whether it might be caused by warmer water or pollution, authorities ask for people to report it when they see it, to increase awareness and so that action to be taken. Though it photosynthesizes and produces oxygen during the day, blue-green algae can consume oxygen in water by night, resulting in fish and even whales dying. When blue-green algae decomposes, other bac teria that eats it up consumes oxygen, too. Consumption of cyanobacteria toxins in water can be fatal for livestock and pets. For humans, exposure to the toxins causes eye and skin irritation, nausea, headaches, fever, and liver damage, to name a few symptoms. Not all cyanobacteria contains toxins, and the toxins do dissipate after several weeks if they are present; but perceiving this requires more analysis than simply looking at the water. This is why caution is strongly advised. What’s most interesting is that blue-green algae has been around long before we ever worried about what harm it would do to us. In fact, these single-celled cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are part of what has made Earth inhabitable for us in the first place. 2.4 billion years ago, cyanobacteria triggered the Great Oxidation Event, which eventually resulted in the evolution of organisms that we see today. Organisms that are dependent on oxygen to live. What’s more, the chloroplasts in plant cells that allow for photosynthesis, are cyanobacteria. What can be done then, to address the imbalance of cyanobacteria, that are a little too successful and productive in these various water sources? Dr. B. Maršálek from Masaryk University and Dr. R. Zbořil from Palacký University Olomouc in Czechia have experimented with the intro duction of “nanoparticles of elemental iron.” The use of potassium ferrate is also claimed to eliminate cyanobacteria with low toxicity to fish. Is it wishful thinking to won-
Imbi Uukkivi is a 14-year-old Estonian-Canadian, who has lived in Toronto all her life. She is in Grade 9 at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute and attends TES Estonian Highschool. Imbi is active in Põhjarada Girl Guides where she is the assistant squad leader. Imbi was involved in Ritmika gymnastics for 10 years. She has spent 8 summers at Jõekääru and 6 summers at Kotkajärve camps. Imbi is interested in music, fashion and dance. During the Covid pandemic she became interested in creative writing.
Stage Fright I’ve always tried to get the atten tion of one boy. One boy who has been in all my classes since I was a baby. One boy whom everyone knows. One boy who is different from the rest. One boy who has been my best friend since we were little. His name, Taivo Kuursaar. Everyone knows him, and no one knows me. I am invisible and he is out there. A couple weeks before Christmas, there was an event at the Estonian House. With Estonian School, we were per forming. Apparently, people love to hear us sing, but I don’t think we sound all that good. I was in a classroom, with the school, waiting to be called up to sing. I sat on the side, listening to my friend drone on about her Christmas holiday plans, as I tried not to hyperventilate, see ing as I hate performing. “Ok lapsed, we will be head ing out in a few minutes, so please, get into your classes and line up in alphabetical order.” the short, plump school director told us. My heart started racing at the thought of being on stage. Images of me alone on stage, in my underwear, as the crowd laughs, ran through my mind, as I walked with Kristiina, my best friend, to our class line. “Taivo Kuursaar” our teacher called, and he walked up to his spot in line. “Kiili Liivipuu” They called my name, and I snapped my head up, and made my way over to my spot, behind Taivo. “Hey Kiili.” he smiled. “Hi.” I smiled nervously. “Don’t worry, it’s only a cou ple of songs, and I don’t think anyone really listens.” he told me, in a r eassuring tone. Though it did help, it wasn’t
the most effective; I was still very nervous. I smiled and nod ded, waiting for the director to announce it’s time to go on. “Ok kids, I’m going to say this in English, so everyone un derstands.” the director said, standing up in front of everyone, on a chair. “I need the order to be from youngest kids to oldest.” She explained. Taivo leaned over to whisper in my ear “I just think that she wants the young ones behind her so she looks taller than she actu ally is.” I stifled a little laugh, before noticing classes were starting to move. Oh no. We’ll be out there soon. “Don’t worry yourself too much.” Taivo whispered into my ear, holding my hand in his. “I’ll be with you the whole time.” He quickly let go and we followed the class out. Seeing as we were the oldest class, we were going to be the back row, and I was not com plaining. As we entered the large, crowded hall, all eyes were on us. I took a deep breath, and re leased it, as we walked onto the stage and stood in our spot. After the first song, I was no better. In fact, the loud, conti nuous claps and cheers of the audience made me feel as though all eyes were on me. Like I was left alone on stage, in my under wear. “Hey, you ok?” I heard a whisper from beside me, and I remembered I was not alone. Everyone was still here. I turned my head to find Taivo staring back at me. Before I could say anything, the piano started, and we had to sing. Halfway through the song, I felt something against my pinky finger. I looked down to find that it was Taivo’s pinky, rub bing, soothingly, against my own, giving me a small sense of
comfort. Soon enough, he had hooked our pinkies, only to in terlace our fingers, rubbing small circles on the back of my hand. And this, this one small ac tion, made me calmer than I had been all day. My hand was warm; my heart was no longer racing from anxiety. It was racing from the simple and small gesture. I decided to look up to him, only to find him singing, as though nothing was going on, with a wide, toothy grin on his face. Soon enough, I looked away, back to the large crowd, to sing. And for the first time in my life I didn’t mind being up here, looking at the crowd. My mind no longer heard the crowd laughing. My mind no longer saw me, alone, in my underwear, on stage. All I saw was me. With my school. Singing. After the last song, my class made our way off the stage, and I never let go of Taivo’s hand. He didn’t let go of mine either. When we got off stage, we turned to the left instead of right. I had no idea what we were doing, but I just kept fol lowing Taivo. Once we got into a hallway, he turned around and gave me a hug. A big, warm, I-never- wanna-let-go, fuzzy type of hug, and I hugged back right away, wrapping my arms around his waist, his around my neck and shoulders, since he was taller than me. “You did great.” he whispered after a couple minutes of us standing there, in each other’s embrace. “Thank you.” I said. I thanked him for making me laugh, and for reassuring me. I thanked him for the moments on stage, when he made sure I was ok. And I thanked him for now. As he was holding me, making me feel calm. Content. For once, I was content with everything. This was perfect.
der if engineers could harness non-toxic blue-green algae into something useful? Algae of this variety that’s grown under supervision has already used for supplements designed to reduce high blood pressure, though its effectiveness is not universally recognized.
Red algae, conversely, has been and continues to be used as a fertilizer for crops. It’s used for creating red dyes. Working with researchers from Tallinn University, Berit and Janno Joosep of the cosmetics company Berrichi produced a line of creams formulated with
astaxanthin and furcellaria antioxidants from red algae. There is an educational paradox to be found in algae, in that something so instrumental to our origins can now be a bother, but once again become more useful the more we understand it.
by Imbi Uukkivi
