KOMODO DRAGONS

Many years ago, when I was a child, I was watching on TV a documentary of Komodo dragons and I was astonished about their magnificent.
Last summer I went to Indonesia and I wanted to visit one of the islands where these dragons live but it was impossible.
Maybe this summer I will see them because I am thinking to come back to Indonesia.

The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world. They live in various islands in Indonesia: Komodo, Rinca and Flores.
The first time one European person saw one was in 1910. In 1980 the Komodo National Park was founded to try to protect them.
Large adults tend to weigh around 70 kg but in captivity they can weigh more. The biggest one that have been founded was 3.13 metres and weighed 166 kg.
Komodo dragons have a tail that is as long as its body. They have 52 serrated teeth that can be 2.5 centimetres long. Their saliva is red like blood and they have a long yellow tongue.
Males are bigger than females. Komodo dragons like hot and dry places. They live in dry open grasslands, savannas and tropical forest at lower elevations. They are diurnal creatures but on certain occasions they have activity at night.
Komodo dragons are solitary animals but sometimes they meet others to breed and eat. They can run very fast (20 km per h), swim and climb trees using their large claws. They are a little blind and for this reason do not see stationary objects very well. They do not hear very well either. Like other reptiles they use its tongue to detect taste and smell stimulus.
Its only predator is human and for this reason they are really important for eliminating weak and sick animals.
New research at University of Melbourne suggest that Komodo dragon and many other lizards are venomous. They have a venom called Toxicofera.
Komodo dragons are carnivorous. They eat insects, small reptiles, birds, bird eggs and small mammals, wild pigs, goats, deer, macaques, horses and water buffalos.
Occasionally they have been known to eat humans and human corpses. Over a dozen human deaths have been atributed to dragons bites in the last century.
They have a strict hierarchy when they are eating. The dominant male eats first and when he is finished the others males of the group eat. Females do not have hierarchy and eat all together.
The mating season is between May and August. Females lay the eggs during 7 months. When the young dragons are born they spend their first years living in the trees to protect themselves. They grow till 2-3 metres in 3-5 years and they can live 25-30 years.

MY PARADISE

This is my paradise.
I hope that one day I will live here.....

STEREOTYPES

People from other countries think the Spaniards are noisy, lazy, not really hard workers and like partying since late at night. They think we only eat Paella, Spanish omelette and drink lots of Sangria or Wine. The only music we listen to is Flamenco music and our most famous and traditional art is Bull fighting, and of course we look up to European countries because they have better laws than we have and their style of life is better than ours. We are friendly and warm with tourists.

Personally, I think some of these stereotypes are true. For example, we are really noisy, specially when our soccer team is playing an important match or when we are with our friends inside a bar. And it is true, we like partying since late at night, why not? But there are some stereotypes I disagree with. The first one is we are lazy and not really hard workers. Nowadays, there are many people with stress and I do not think the reason is going out with friends. In my opinion it not depends on to be born in one or in another country, it depends on the person you are. Another stereotype I disagree with is Flamenco music and Bull fighting. Personally I do not like either. In my opinion Bull fighting must completely disappear because it is extremely cruel to the animal.

Finally, it is true that Spanish people eat Paella but not every day, we have the Mediterranean diet which is healthy and its taste is really good.

To sum up, I invite the people who believe these stereotypes to come to Spain and discover themselfs how we are and how we live.

WHAT IS IN A NAME?

Do you think your name is nice? My name is...I think it is a traditional and old fashioned name but I like its meaning in Hebrew: Star of the sea.
Many people say the name of a person is irrelevant. In my opinion this is not true. I think the name of a person is really important. Think for a moment you are named Mounia, Saiko, Ozone or Hades. Maybe lots of people think your name is strange, rare but it is probable lots of people think your name is really attractive.

I completely agree with Dr.Erwin who suggests that a name can have a direct effect on our personal happiness, and this effect can be positive or negative.
In my opinion if you have a popular name it can make other people think you are intelligent, attractive or handsome. It is true people associate a name with a stereotyped image and it is the same with an unpopular name.
Imagine your name is Adolf or Diego Armando, it is probable people remember Adolf Hitler or Maradona.

Psychologists suggest people with an unpopular name tend to work harder to get on in life. I do not know if it is completely true or not but there is some logic. I am sure all of us know someone who we do not get on well at all and it is logic that I would never name my son with the name of this person.

In conclusion, I think the best option is to choose a name you like without thinking about if it is fashion or not!

Shanti

Hello!!!

Here I am!

Many people waste little moments of joy...waiting for the greatest happiness. (Pearl S.Buck)