Everyone has heard thousands of stories about fantastic and incredible creatures who were in some extent representing evil and some others representing good. Though, this particular topic we will discuss will be focused on dragons.

All of those legends are produced in different societies and vary according to their history and ethnicity. However, those stories made deep roots in a lot of people’s fantasy and lived long in the memories of the kids whom they were retold to. Nobody can actually say who was first introducing these legendary creatures but it is obvious that they still exists in our minds. An actual dragon or dragon’s bones have never been found, if they have existed, that is why a lot of people wonder why there is so much talk about dragons. The purpose of the dragon was meant to be for spiritual beliefs and just to make up stories and legends.
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It is necessary to define where the dragons originally come from. It is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that’s the feature they are known for in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the Chinese dragon, with counterparts in Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries.

The two traditions may have evolved separately, but have influenced each to a certain extent, particularly with the cross-cultural contact of recent centuries.Though almost all dragons were thought to be magical beings. In many dragon legends, they were very intelligent and capable of human language.European dragons often had wings and could have any number of legs. The Toltec and Aztec serpent dragons usually had feathery wings, but no legs. And the Oriental dragons resembled huge snakes with four legs (sometimes they were legless).
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The European dragons were considered evil. Often European dragons were said to be poisonous or breathe fire out of their mouth. Many were depicted as hatching from eggs. Some myths presented them with dorsal spines; other dragons have scaly or feathered bodies. Sometimes they were pictured as having very large eyes. Frequently, the European dragonswere described as having an underground lair or cave greedily guarding their treasure.

For the Asian people, dragons represent longevity, wisdom, religion, the universe, or the primal forces of nature. Most were water deities connected to rainfall or bodies of water. Also the majority of Oriental dragons was regarded as good-hearted, and could become human.In the early days of the dynasty’s some of the dynasties worshiped the dragon as their lord and some actually even asked them for help and guidance. [ADS2] The first and 15th of every month they use to perform rituals to worship the dragons. The nine dragons on the Japanese culture are mostly related to the elements of the earth. The fire dragon is the most talked about and the most popular. The fire dragon is known to be in legends the most competitive and expects a lot from people. One of the other traits of the fire dragon is that it is very ambitious and very short-tempered, as everyone already knows. The fire dragon has to have a master in order to learn how to communicate without force. Another one of the dragons, which is one of the elements, is the water dragon.

The water dragon is one of the quieter one’s besides the fire dragon. Some of the characteristics of this dragon is that is has a more positive attitude on things and also it has a more positive approach and also is less selfish and less power hungry than most dragons are. That is why that this dragon is on the most worshiped next to the fire dragon.

All those myths and legends get hundred times more interesting and fascinating as the year of dragons follow the Rabbit and recur every twelfth year. According to the Chinese horoscope 2012 is dragon year which promises to be a dynamic year with plenty of changes underway and plus is considered fortunate time period for our lives.

Thus, let me wish you all the best of luck, happiness, calm and peaceful year full of joy and success.

Happy new dragon year to everyone.

It just seems like there is unlimited chain of emergencies one after another everywhere. So why are there so many natural disasters in 2011? World top scientists seem to be at a complete loss to explain what is happening.

While defining the 5 most significant disasters of 2011 we have to bear in mind several things such as: How many people were affected? How many casualties occurred from this event? Did it have economic impacts? Did it change or alter the way of living in that area for the remainder of the year?

It is still thoughtful to realize what was the major damages world faced during the year. Alongside the other disasters, devastation brought by the earthquake in Japan made 2011 the costliest year ever recorded in terms of ruin and adversity caused by nature. Therefore it’s important to mention that the death toll remains relatively low.

1. One the strongest earthquakes ever recorded (The 8.9-magnitude earthquake) – that’s how the Japan earthquake was estimated by the scientists. The quake only lasted five minutes, but the aftermath and impact of the event has had huge implications for Japan for years to come. It struck off of Japan’s coast on March 11.
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Flowingly, it was the tsunami which was triggered and caused the most lasting damage. The surge of water reached 30 feet high and traveled more than three miles inland. More than 15,000 people were killed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. But the most significant thing which was a topic of discussion, was the threat caused by nuclear meltdown . As of today, we are still unsure how much radiation leaked and how it will impact society in the future.

2. Drought in East Africa — a widespread drought occurred during the months of June and July across Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti over the summer laid waste to food and water supplies across the region, sparking the worst famine in decades. The United Nations declared parts of southern Somalia to be official famine zones. During the summer, nearly three million Somalis were in need of medical assistance.
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It is estimated that nearly 30,000 children died due to famine. An armed conflict with Al Shabaab, the local offshoot of Al Qaeda, only exacerbated the problem. Delivery of aid has been extremely scarce in the area due to the activities by an Islamic militant group called the al-Shabab. This same group is probably responsible for many other deaths because they have also prevented people from leaving the famine zones.

3. Floods in Thailand -Thailand suffered through the worst flooding in half a century this year, inundated large swathes of Bangkok, its densely populated capital. The waters first began to rise in July, and the flooding continued through December. Thai officials say that about 800 people have been killed as a result of the floods. More than 12 million people were affected and the financial cost has been astronomical. The World Bank reported this month that damages could reach as high as $45 billion — making it one of the costliest disasters in recent history.

4. Storms in the United States —the number of unusual and severe weather events in total caused the country $35 billion in damages and killed more than 700 people. Numerous tornadoes, flooding, a drought and a blizzard have all combined to at times cripple regions of the United States.
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April 27 was the unfortunate day with the result of more than 300 tornadoes — four of those reaching the highest level on the tornado severity scale and killed 321 people. These outbreaks were unprecedented; however it didn’t end with this – on May 22, another level five tornado in Joplin, Missouri wiped out the town and killed 158 people. Summarizing it can be inferred that 2011 was the worst year for natural disasters in United States history.

5. Typhoon in the Philippines — Tropical Storm Washi might be the most under-covered natural disaster of 2011. The storm first made landfall on Dec. 16 over Mindanao, the second-largest and easternmost island of the archipelago. It is the site of a long-running separatist conflict, which has complicated rescue efforts. In less than 12 hours, about 8 inches of rain blanketed the region, triggering flash floods and landslides. So far more than 1,200 people have been reported killed as a result, and that number is expected to rise. More than half a million people have lost their homes, according to government officials in the Philippines.

Overall the facts still remain the same. The whole world has been part of these disasters and suffers from its damages at a halt. The world’s finest scientists had failed to predict and overcome these catastrophes. So exactly what is going on here? Is something causing all of this or is this all one big coincidence?

2011 disasters

Recently released video of the tsunami that hit Japan