2008 Natural Disasters Killed Over 220,000
Earthquake, flood, cyclone, tornado, fire, oil, war, housing problems, economy crisis have been happening around the world in 2008. Typhoon and hurricane season are coming. Many natural hazard we cannot predict and prevent when they will arrive. However, Chinese astrology tells us something. If something lucky is happening on you, you should stay clam. If something bad has occurred on you, then you still have hope this year. 2008 is an intangible, but predictable year.
BERLIN (AFP) – Natural disasters killed over 220,000 people
in 2008, making it one of the most devastating years on record and underlining
the need for a global climate deal, the world's number two reinsurer said
Monday.
Although the number of natural disasters was lower than in 2007, the
catastrophes that occurred proved to be more destructive in terms of the number
of victims and the financial cost of the damage caused, Germany-based Munich Re
said in its annual assessment.
"This continues the long-term trend we have been observing. Climate change has
already started and is very probably contributing to increasingly frequent
weather extremes and ensuing natural catastrophes," Munich Re board member
Torsten Jeworrek said.
Most devastating in terms of human fatalities was Cyclone Nargis, which lashed
Myanmar on May 2-3 to kill more than 135,000 people and leave more than one
million homeless.
Just days later an earthquake shook China's Sichuan province, leaving 70,000
dead, 18,000 missing and almost five million homeless, according to official
figures, Munich Re said.
Around 1,000 people died in a severe cold snap in January in Afghanistan,
Kyrgystan and Tajikistan, while 635 perished in August and September in floods
in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Typhoon Fengshen killed 557 people in China and the Philippines in June, while
earthquakes in Pakistan in October left 300 dead.
Six tropical cyclones also slammed into the southern United States, including
Ike which, with insured losses of 10 billion dollars, was the industry's
costliest catastrophe of the year.
In Europe, an intense low-pressure system called Emma caused two billion dollars
worth of damage in March, while a storm dubbed Hilal in late May and early June
left 1.1 billion dollars' worth.
The earthquake in Sichuan province was the most expensive overall single
catastrophe of 2008, causing around 85 billion dollars worth of damage, helping
to make the year the third most expensive on record, Munich Re said.
With 200 billion dollars' worth of damage, only 2005, when a large number of
hurricanes slammed into the southern United States, and 1995, year of the Kobe
earthquake in Japan, wreaked more destruction since records began in 1900.
According to provisional estimates from the World Meteorological Organization,
2008 was the tenth warmest year since the beginning of routine temperature
recording and the eighth warmest in the northern hemisphere.
This means that the ten warmest years ever recorded have all occurred in the
last 12 years, Munich Re said.
"It is now very probable that the progressive warming of the atmosphere is due
to the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity. The weather machine is
running in top gear, bringing more intense severe weather events," it said.
The number of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic in 2008 was much higher
than the long-term average, and in terms of both the total number of storms and
the number of major hurricanes, 2008 was the fourth most severe hurricane season
since reliable data have been available, it said.
The world needed "effective and binding rules on CO2 emissions, so that climate
change is curbed and future generations do not have to live with weather
scenarios that are difficult to control," board member Jeworrek said.
Last December, the international community agreed in Bali on a two-year roadmap
culminating in a new global climate deal to be signed in Copenhagen in December
2009.
Unprecedented in scale and complexity, this accord, due to take effect from
2012, is meant to rein in the greenhouse gases that stoke global warming and
throw a lifeline to poor countries exposed to mutated weather patterns.
2008 is the year of Brown Rat. Brown is
equivalent to Earth in Chinese Astrology Five Element theory. The element in Rat
is Water. Earth and Water are opposite elements. They have conflicting
relationship and are hard to see them coexisting.
Chinese astrology analyzes Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth) from people's birth chart, then determine a Lucky Element for the person. To predict people's fortune is based on the Lucky Element. Usually, if a person's Lucky Element is Earth, then the Water is an unlucky element. If the Lucky Element is Water, then Earth is the unlucky element.
If Earth or Water is equivalent to the Money Star, then the person's money luck in 2008 should be "money comes, then money goes" or "money goes, then comes". If Earth or Water is the Career Star, then career opportunity either come early or come late in 2008. If Earth or Water represent health, then the heath will be either good or bad, however it will be the opposite at the end of the year. In short, everybody will win some but lose some in 2008. The simple prediction for 2008 is at Yearly Five Elements and Events page.
Chinese Astrology 2008 Yearly Cycle
| Year |
Note |
    |
2008 Male Brown Rat. Brown is Earth and Rat is Water. Basically, It's
favorable to Lucky Element Earth or Water people. But, we have to pay attention that Rat will turn into Earth when it meets Cow. |
If we want to predict more detailed luck in 2008, then we need to study the Monthly Cycles using 12 Horoscope Animal Names. According to Chinese Monthly zodiac signs, something very special in 2008 is that we have strongest Wood month, strongest Metal month, strongest Water month and very strong Fire month in 2008. That means people luck might turn 180 degree during 2008. If you don't know this theory, then you might totally lose in the end of 2008.
Chinese Astrology 2008 Monthly Cycles
| Calendar Month | Astrology Month | Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water |
Note |
|
February 02/04-03/04 |
    Wooden Tiger |
46 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Tiger and Rabbit are Wood. These two months have a very strong Wood,
Especially,
March Wooden Rabbit is a pure Wood month. Water is a supporting Element of
Wood. The Water Rat of 2008 can make Wood even stronger.
It's very favorable to Lucky Element Wood people. But it's very unfavorable to Earth or Metal people. |
|
March 03/05-04/03 |
    Wooden Rabbit |
60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
April 04/04-05/04 |
    Fire Dragon |
9 | 30 | 18 | 0 | 3 | Dragon is Earth. Basically, this is good for Lucky Element Earth people. But Dragon meets Rat of 2008, then Dragon will go with Rat Water and weaken the power of Earth. |
|
May 05/05-06/04 |
    Fire Snake |
0 | 46 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
Snake and Horse are Fire. May and June also contain Earth. Sheep is Earth.
July has even stronger Earth. When Fire and Earth together, the Earth becomes
dry.
These there months are favorable for Lucky Element Fire and Earth people who like hot, dry, warm and sunshine. But this period is very unfavorable to Lucky Element Water and Metal people, who like cold, dark, night, water, shadow and lake, beach. |
|
June 06/05-07/06 |
  Earth Horse |
0 | 20 | 40 | 0 | 0 | |
|
July 07/07-08/06 |
    Earth Sheep |
3 | 9 | 48 | 0 | 0 | |
|
August 08/07-09/06 |
    Metal Monkey |
0 | 0 | 7 | 46 | 7 |
Monkey and Chicken are Metal.
Especially,
September Metal Chicken is a pure Metal month. The Earth of 2008 is on the
top of Rat Water. Earth of 2008 becomes wet. Earth is the supporting element of Metal.
Therefore, Metal is very strong and these two months are very favorable to Lucky Element Metal
people. But this period are very unfavorable to Lucky Element Wood people. The events should focus on Metal related field - gold, money, bank, investment and economy. |
|
September 09/07-10/07 |
    Metal Chicken |
0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | |
|
October 10/08-11/06 |
    Water Dog |
0 | 3 | 18 | 9 | 30 |
Water in this month has fighting relationship with Earth in the Year.
Dog is Earth. Earth is Dog and Water in Rat of Year and Earth have fighting relationship.
This is a double fighting relationships. This is not a peaceful month outside. Water Dog itself has the fighting relationship. Water fights with Earth in the Dog. Year 2009 is Earth Rat, which has the same situation. Earth fights with Water in the Rat. The total of four fighting relationships in this month. If Earth is related to Land Property and Water is related to money, then there is no good news in real estates and economy. |
|
November 11/07-12/06 |
    Water Pig |
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
Pig is
Water. Female Water and Male Earth of 2008 have attraction relationship into
Fire. But Pig and Water Rat of 2008 are cold enough to bring good luck for Lucky
Element Water people. Fire is too weak. November is not a lucky month for Lucky Element Fire people. December is good for Lucky Element Water and Wood people, but not Earth people. The Water force doesn't begin in November. Water starts to grow strong in Metal Month September, because Metal is the mother element of Water. This Water cycle is extremely cold. If Water is related to your money, then something you have to prepare before this month. |
|
December 12/07-01/04 |
Wooden Rat |
30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
You can see that Lucky Element Wood people are very lucky in February and March, but very unlucky in August and September. The other way around, if you are Lucky Element Metal person with poor luck in Spring, then you will turn around in Fall. It's same that there is no Water in May, June and July, but Water is very strong in November.
In general, many people in 2008 will feel ups and downs all year long. If you feel lucky now, it's not recommended to take aggressive approach on your investment in 2008. If you are unlucky now, then do not give up, continue to hold on it and you will gain some when your turn comes.
Our Chinese Horoscope example for Democratic US president candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama shows they keep fighting their reputation and money during their up and down campaign. The one has less trouble on reputation and money will win the race.
2010 Chinese Horoscope - Year of White Tiger
2009 Chinese Astrology of Barack Obama
2008 Barack Obama 44th US President 2009 Chinese Astrology - Year of Cow
2009 Chinese Horoscopes By 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs
Yearly Chinese Astrology Major Cycles Astrology
Chinese Fortune Angel
tells your lucky elements and lucky animals
