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	Fishing Spiders   Look closely ! There are two spiders in the picture on the right. One has all its 8 limbs stretched out to dry under the sun, while the other is 'fishing' beneath the water surface. Its 'belly' is turned facing skyward. See close-up of the spider 'sunbathing' on the frond of a swampfern, Acrostichum aureum. The spider belongs to the genus Dolomedes. It is known to hunt small fishes. That is why it is called a Fishing Spider. Fishing is truly an old art imbued richly in human traditions. And though I am not a fisherman by profession, I had decidedly made it my sacred duty as a father to teach my son how to fish when he was younger. He learned quick and was able to cast the line with the sweetest of swing. I figured long ago that if one know how to fish, one would not get hungry even in the darkest of economic gloom. I really felt it ought to come under the category of life's skill to be taught in school. And in all my years of chatting up strangers in the great outdoor, I have invariably found fishermen to be the most friendly. They are as open, and as unguarded, as the big wide sea and sky. There is always so much to talk about and share. And laughter can be as uninhibited as the disarming waves and winds that come and go, as if were, to partake the fun (and chasing time away too!). Truly, there could be no greater way to nurture camaraderie than packing a bunch of people off fishing in the sea. Perhaps, if we could persuade the leaders of all nations to fish together often enough, it would indeed cultivate true fellowship among men and peace in the world. Acknowledgement: Joseph Koh's assistance in identification of the species is gratefully acknowledged here. He is the author of 'A Guide To Common Singapore Spiders' published by the Singapore Science Centre.
	©Joseph Lai 2003