ss_blog_claim=6d577f5877650f68cc08d23ffbade3ef March 2009

Friday, March 13, 2009

Can flowers bloom in deserts?

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you think of deserts as arid areas devoid of any colorful plants or flowers, but did you know that flowers can bloom in deserts? Once in a while, a desert experiences rain, and it is followed by a sea of beautiful flowers in brilliant colors that seem to have sprung up overnight!

These flowers grow from the millions of seeds left lying in the sand since their last blooming. The seeds lie dormant in tough shells that protect them from drought, so that the next time the desert experiences rainfall, they germinate and blossom to fill the desert with color and beauty.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

How did typhoons save Japan?

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In 13th century, the great Mongol warrior Kublai Khan sent his mighty fleet to invade Japan. Fortunately for the Japanese, a fierce typhoon developed off the coast, and completely wiped out the invading ships, killing more than 20,000 troops. During the second attempt by Kublai Khan, a vast fleet of 4400 ships and more than 100,000 Chinese and Mongol soldiers were destroyed by another typhoon. These two storms that saved Japan added a new phrase in the Japanese language, 'Kami Kaze', meaning 'divine world'.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Who is laughing Buddha?

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The laughing Buddha is an interpretation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the predicted Buddha to succeed Gautama Buddha in the future. He is also called Hotei or Pu-Tai. In China, he is known as the Loving or friendly one. The laughing Buddha has become a deity of contentment and abundance. According to legend, if one rubs his great belly, it brings forth wealth, good luck, and prosperity.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Weather has four primary elements

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Weather is made up of four elements that interact with each other.

The first is sun. The sun's radiant energy, or the heat produced by it, determines the state of the atmosphere.

Next the Earth comes, whose geometry influences the weather. Because the Earth's surface is curved and tilted, the sun's rays strike different parts of the world at different angles, and this causes changes in weather in different places.

The third element is the envelope of gases that surrounds the Earth, that we call the atmosphere.

The fourth element is the natural landforms, like mountains, valleys, oceans, and deserts that alter the state of the atmosphere. Interaction between these four elements results in changes in weather.