Blogpost # 7: Sirenomelia, Becoming A Mermaid

Have you ever dreamed to be a mermaid someday? Can we really breathe under water for a very long time?  Is there a possibility for us humans to be a mermaid?

When we think of mermaids, what comes into our mind? Beautiful, has a golden voice, sexy and fit like a princess. right? But what if these happen in real life? Is it still good to see?

Mermaid Syndrome, which is also known as Sirenomelia, is a disease where the feet combined together which makes the patient unable to walk. As far as I know, these diseases commonly happen in babies or infants when born. Let’s define it in a better way.

For us to understand it further, a certain article in healthline.com entitled “Sirenomelia” by Randall Stuart, Sirenomelia is a lethal birth defect of the lower body characterized by apparent fusion of the legs into a single lower limb. Other birth defects are always associated with Sirenomelia, most commonly abnormalities of the kidneys, large intestines, and genitalia.

Sirenomelia is very lethal most specially to the new born babies because it occurs during birth. The buzzle.com has an article that discusses about the Sirenomelia entitled “Mermaid Syndrome Facts” which was written by Sayali Bedekar Patil. In this article, she talks about some facts and important things to know about the said disease.

Facts

-It is such a rare birth defect that only 1 in every 70,000 births is known to have it.

-There are only over 300 (reported) live births of such babies.

-More often than not, the condition proves fatal for the baby. In fact, very few survive it even after surgery.

-Half the cases are usually seen as stillbirths, while it is hundred times more likely to occur in identical twins.

-This disorder was initially mistaken with Caudal Regression Syndrome, but was later reiterated as an independent Sirenomelia Mermaid Syndrome.

Defects

Sirenomelia is caused by the abnormal formation of the umbilical cord blood vessels. The normal fetuses have two umbilical arteries and one umbilical vein while Sirenomelia fetus has just one and the normal growth of the fetus is not possible. This artery steals the blood and nutrition from the lower body of the fetus and diverts it back up to the placenta. Due to this malnutrition, the lower limbs of the fetus fail to develop and separate into two limbs. The lower side malnutrition can also results in malformed kidneys and internal or external genitalia. Also, the large intestine can misplace itself within the abdomen of the baby and sometimes even the anus has no opening.

Causes

-Scientists and medical professionals still don’t know the real causes of this birth defect in newborns babies. But there are theories these are the possible causes why Sirenomelia disease occurs.

-Illness suffered during pregnancy, either by the expecting mother or directly by the fetus

-Poor prenatal care by the expectant mother

-Genetic abnormalities either in the genes of the mother or the genes of the father

Treatments

According to an article entitled “Mermaid Syndrome Causes Facts and Syndrome” by Susan Yoga on shopeastwest.com, the only option for the Mermaid Syndrome is a surgery. But going through surgery is very risky for the newborn. The baby might not survive the operation because she’s too young to take a very heavy surgery.

Survivors

Sirenomelia might be a very lethal disease, but there are cases where newborn babies who go through certain surgeries survived. Going back to the article of Sayali Bedekar Patil on buzzle.com, here are the known survivors in the entire medical history.

Few years ago there were three survivors but in 2009, one of them died and that was Shiloh Pepin.

Shiloh Pepin was born in 1999 and recently died in October 2009, after defying her doctors, who claimed that she would not live past a few days from her birth. The girl lived to be ten years old and can be given the credit for spreading more awareness by appearing on television shows like the Oprah Winfrey Show. A certain article entitled “Born with Fused Legs”, written by Bob Brown on abcnews.go.com, discussed more about the life of Shiloh during her surgeries and operations. The two survivors left are Milagros Cerron and Tiffany Yorks.

 
Milagros Cerron was born on April 27, 2004 in Peru and is also a courageous survivor of the mermaid syndrome. She also had numerous other complications to go with her already severe condition. She was not only born with just one kidney, but it was later found that both her digestive tract and genitals were one single tube. Like the 'miracle' that her name means in Spanish, this girl born in a poor Spanish family received all her medical treatment at the expense of the Lima Government. This Spanish girl was left almost mute by the intense medical treatment that she went through, but she has, today, overcome that trauma, too. Another baby, like Milagros, named Tiffany Yorks went through several operations and luckily survived.

Tiffany Yorks is the oldest survivor of mermaid syndrome and was born with the defect in 1980. Unfortunately, she had more problems than just fused legs. She was born without a bladder which had to be surgically put in. She had about five surgeries before she was one, to separate her legs and correct her other internal problems. She has had many more surgeries all throughout her youth, for her mermaid syndrome has caused her many problems even after the ones she had corrected earlier.

Now that we have enough knowledge about Mermaid Syndrome, do you think we are connected to mermaids?

Based on my opinion, Mermaid Syndrome or Sirenomelia is not one of the possible causes for us to become a mermaid. If you can see, the causes and defects of having a mermaid syndrome don’t have connections to have characteristics of a mermaid. Even if the mermaid babies have fused legs, their tails don’t have scales like the fish or mermaids. The reason why their legs are combined is because of some complications during pregnancy of their mother.

Blogpost # 6: Hide and Seek, Where Are You Mermaids?

Mermaids have been the talk of town for centuries and ages. Many cultures and people sailing said that there are mermaids. Many were claiming that Mermaids really exist but only few of them have been able to provide the evidence to prove that these creatures are real. I found an article that discusses about the places where Mermaid Sightings occurred.

The article, entitled “10 Credible Mermaid Sightings” by Daniel Cameron on theepochtimes.com, shows that there are 10 places where you can find Mermaids.

Kiryat Yam, Israel (May 2013)

Kiryat Yam is the only place where a $1 million reward is up for grabs for the first person who can provide conclusive footage capturing a real mermaid. The local government has offered this reward in response to the numerous mermaid sightings there. And in May 2013, there’s a famous video footage covered by two US tourists which I already discussed with you in my other blog posts. Another, there’s a woman named Shlomo Cohen who said that she saw a mermaid that appears at sunset. She even gave her statement to the Israel National News.

Greenland Sea (March 2013)

On March 6, 2013, Dr. Torsten Schmidt, marine geologist, released extraordinary footage of what he believes to be a mermaid that he captured on camera during one of his deep-sea explorations. At nearly 3,000 ft (1,000 m) below the ocean’s surface, Dr. Schmidt reported not only seeing some interesting phenomenon, but also hearing some remarkable things. After reporting to the Iceland GeoSurvey he requested to undertake an investigation, which was declined. “We were reminded of our confidentiality agreements. And we were told we could not share our recording with anyone else,” Dr. Schmidt said on the Animal Planet’s documentary, “Mermaids: The New Evidence.” He ended up conducting his own investigation where he “took down two cameras on every dive, just in case we see them.” Commenting on his footage, he said that “well I looked at it, and knew I was looking into the face of another intelligent species, like us.” The video footage recorded by Dr. Schmidt was already discussed in one of my blog posts. In there, you can see the image and the video of the said species.

Zimbabwe, Africa (2012)

Mermaids have been sighted in Zimbabwe, Africa which was claimed that these mermaids were the one responsible why the building of dams was delayed. It is being said that these mermaids were harassing the workers when installing the water pumps. And because of this many workers decided to resign and would not return to work there again.

South Africa (August 1991)

Human-like creatures were found in the belly of a dead great white shark in Southern Africa. The body was then examined and it was determined to have hands and a humanoid skull. A stingray barb was left jammed in the shark’s jaws, and this is claimed to be a mermaid’s weapon.

British Columbia, Canada (1967)

A sighting occurred when tourists who were on a ferry saw a woman with the tail of a dolphin. She was described as having beautiful blonde hair and was seen eating salmon. It was reported in the Times-Colonist newspaper and drew a lot of attention, but no one has since spotted it again.

Kei Islands, Indonesia (1943)

In 1943, during World War II, several mermaids were spotted by Japanese soldiers on the shores of the Kei Islands in Indonesia. They reported seeing them swimming in the water, and one on the beach. Sgt. Taro Horiba heard news of a dead mermaid washed up on the shore, he went to examine it. After seeing it with his own eyes he was convinced. After his return to Japan, he urged scientists to go and study such mermaids, however his claims were turned down as they didn't believe him, hence no investigation was undertaken. Locals refer to mermaids as Orang Ikan, or “fish people” in Malay. There have been several such sightings in the area, and apparently mermaids have been reportedly been caught in fishing nets on the odd occasion.

Cape Breton, Canada (August 1886)

This reported mermaid sighting from Canada in 1886 is quoted by zoologist Dr. Karl Shuker on his website karlshuker.blogspot.com entitled "Shuker Nature". He said that “Mr. Bagnall, accompanied by several fishermen, observed some floating object on the surface of the water a few yards from the boat which they thought was a corpse. But when they got near the object, they were surprised when it moved, turned around in a sitting position, looked at them and suddenly disappeared. A few moments after, it appeared on the surface and again looked toward them, after which it disappeared altogether. There is no doubt, that the mysterious stranger is what is known as a mermaid, and the first one ever seen in Cape Breton waters.”

Spain (June 1737)

Shuker quotes another newspaper report from Daily Kennebec Journal of Augusta, Maine, 24 June 1873: “About the same time a story came from Virgo, in Spain, to the effect that some fishermen on that coast had caught a sort of a merman, five feet and a half from head to foot. The head was like that of a goat, with a long beard and mustache  a black skin, somewhat hairy, a very long neck, short arms, hands longer than they ought to be in proportion, and long fingers, with nails like claws; webbed toes, and a fin at the lower part of the back.”

Henry Hudson, Russia (June 1608)

Henry Hudson, explorer and discoverer of the Hudson River, records seeing a real mermaid near Russia. He wrote in his log: “Two crew members—Thomas Hilles and Robert Rayner—sighted a mermaid at 75° 7′ N, and shouted at the rest of the crew to come and look.” Hudson further recorded it as having a “tail of a porpoise and speckled like a mackerel.”

Christopher Columbus’ Travels (January 1493)

Christopher Columbus has reported sighting mermaids whilst he was out at sea. He stated, “They were not as beautiful as they are painted, although to some extent they have a human appearance in the face….”

Now, you already knew where the mermaids can be found. If you really want to see mermaids, visit these places. But, make sure to bring some patience with you, because mermaids are very good hiders. They only go out when they feel that  no one is around. 

Blogpost # 5: Mermaid as Entertainment

One of the things that we consider to take away our stress is to entertain ourselves. And when we say entertain, we find things that will make us happy and contented. But how do mermaids entertain us?  There are some fun games and activities that are related to mermaids where most of us enjoy.

Games

We love to play different kind of games even if we’re not young anymore. For example: DOTA, basketball and computer games like Cooking Games, Action Games, Ball Games or even Dress-Up Games. Honestly, I’m still playing dress-up games when I was in high school. Dress-up Games is dressing up characters like Disney Princesses, Models, Cute girls, and also Mermaids. Many young girls play these kinds of games because they find it attractive. Dressing up is like bringing the fashion and artistic side of you. There’s an article written by Adriana Jefferson entitled “Mermaid Dress Up Games” on ezinearticles.com where the author discussed her love for online mermaid dress up games. In this article, she said that there are three main characteristics why she loves to play these games: “they’re fun, they’re ticket to the dreamland world and they stimulate little girls’ creativity!” There’s another game I found which is also related to mermaids.

An article entitled “’Shark vs.Mermaid Death Squad' Launched by Greenpeace to Raise Awareness for SustainableFishing” written by Dominique Mosbergen on huffingtonpost.com talks about the video game “Shark vs. Mermaid Death Squad”.

In the game, called "Shark vs. Mermaid Death Squad," users can choose to play as a shark, a turtle or a manta ray -- three marine creatures whose populations have been threatened by destructive tuna fishing. Players must navigate the chosen animal character through the Pac-Man-style interface, liberate tuna from cans and avoid three nemeses characters, which are nasty-looking iterations of the mascots for canned tuna brands Chicken of the Sea, Bumble Bee and Mermaid. According to Greenpeace, this game is made to raise awareness about unsustainable tuna fishing.

In my opinion, mermaid games were made not just to entertain us but also used to help environmental problems related to the ocean. 

Film Movies

Many films and movies about mermaids were made for us to watch and be entertained. In an article in thescorexardreview.com, Megan Lehar discussed the “Top 7 Mermaid Movies”. But I will only discuss the two most popular movies I knew, “The Little Mermaid” and “Aquamarine”.

Let’s discuss first The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid is about Ariel, a mermaid princess, who longs to know more about the humans who live on land. While spying on people, she saves the life of a prince named Eric (Christopher Daniel Barnes) and falls in love with him. She sneaks behind her father’s back and makes a deal with Ursula, the sea witch, to be given legs so that she can woo Eric. But she must give up her voice, and if she cannot make Eric kiss her within three days, she’ll be Ursula’s forever. 

This movie is based on Hans Christian Andersen. The Little Mermaid was a very good movie for me. Ariel, being a princess, decided to leave her throne for her uncertain love. Another popular movie entitled “Aquamarine” was discussed in the article.

Aquamarine talks about the two young teens who find a mermaid named Aquamarine in a swimming pool after a stormy night.  When they discover she’s looking for true love, they offer to help her if she’ll grant them a wish for them not to be separated. Aquamarine sets her sights on Raymond, a local lifeguard, who all the girls have a crush on.

Aquamarine

If you can see, movies about mermaids have similar purpose. And that is to inspire us and never give up in finding our true love. I can say that these movies wanted us to know and realize that being different is not an exception to find you true love. And even if you and your love have different levels and statuses in life, always remember that nothing can stop and separate the both of you.

Mermaid Swimming

Do you want to swim like a mermaid? These days, we can learn how to swim like a mermaid. Many people enroll in swimming lessons, because they want to learn how to swim. But there’s another kind of swimming lessons where you will practice swimming like a mermaid. In an article on dailymail.co.uk entitled “Real-life Mermaid Swims with Whales Using Very Own Fish Tail - and Holds Breath for Two Minutes on Deep Sea Dives” written by Deborah Arthurs, the author said that a swimmer named Hannah Fraser, 36,was inspired to make first tail after watching Daryl Hannah in the mermaid film “Splash”. The author said that Hannah made her first tail and started to swim like a mermaid when she was 9. And it’s because of her fascination of mermaids since she was 3. And now, mermaid swimming lessons have already reached our country, Philippines. A certain article on diversityhuman.com entitled “Mermaid Swimming Lessons by Mermaid Swimming Academy” by Mage Lynden discussed that the Academy are now open for people who wants to learn how to swim like a mermaid located in Makati. The Mermaid Swimming Academy also said, "Make your fantasy come true and escape into the mysterious mythical world of mermaids."

Mermaid Shows

Mermaid shows is one of the popular tourist spots in every Ocean Park. There’s an article entitled “Generations of Mermaids Dance in Weeki Wachee Springs” written by Cathy Salustri on visitflorida.com. Northern Sun Coast in Florida has this one of a kind show called “Weeki Wachee Springs State Park” who invited the world to watch these mermaids dance. The girls doing the mermaid dance were very glad to make the people watching them happy. But the sad part is when they leave their job. Barbara Wynns, the spokes-mermaid said that "Whenever these current mermaids get ready to quit I tell them, ‘Be sure you're really done, because you're never really done'," and added, "Every mermaid that ever swam a show at Weeki Wachee would say, ‘If I could just get on that air hose one more time.'"

Swimming like a mermaid might be fun. In fact, I really want to swim like a mermaid, not to be a mermaid.  Mermaids might not be the good looking creatures that we knew, but they have certain characteristics that attract us and make us love them and be fascinated by them.

Blogpost # 4: The Symbolism of Mermaids

Have you ever thought why people love mermaid decorations and designs? Do these mermaids give important meanings to people?

Love, seduction, feminine, wild, free, alluring, enchanting... These are the things mermaids do represent during the ancient times. But when I started searching through the internet, I found out that mermaids have different symbols and representations in our lives. Let us define how important mermaids are in life in different perspectives.

Mermaids as Tattoo

One of the most popular designs tattoo lovers wanted to have in their body is a mermaid tattoo. Some people also bought some mermaid designs as decorations. Have you ever think why many people love tattoos? They wanted to show to people what they can’t say and sometimes to show what they like and love or even a remembrance. Tattoos like skull, chains, butterfly, heart, anchor, cross, angel, dragon, eagle, flowers, stars, lion, moon, snake, yin and yang, and mermaids. These tattoo designs are very popular because it represents bravery, freedom, religion, emotions, feelings and love. But let’s focus on the mermaid tattoo. In an article in about.com entitled “Symbolism of Mermaid Tattoos” by Jodie Michalak, there are different reasons why people have mermaids as their tattoos.  
First is our love to ocean. Many of us have the desire to jump off the ship and swim fearlessly to the ocean. Mermaids signify freedom of life. Like mermaids, we want to be free and do whatever that will make us happy and contented. She also said that mermaid beckons us to calm and feel protected.
Second is sensuality. Mermaids have sensual power. Her breasts, curves and gorgeous hair are symbols of her feminine beauty. Mermaids aren't shy about baring their bodies. This means that mermaids bring confidence especially to women. They inspire women to express their feelings and not to be afraid.
The last is destruction which is about the mermaids who took down ships and drowned any man who followed their lure. We can also say that having a mermaid tattoo also represents seduction and attracting men because of their enchanting beauty.

These mermaid tattoo lovers put tattoos to express their feelings and emotions. That having a mermaid tattoo makes us show how confident, beautiful, and attractive we are. And also, these mermaid tattoos serves as their strength to show what they wanted to show and express.

Mermaids in Jewelries

In an article on katieojewelry.com entitled “Mermaid Symbology” by Katie O’ Sullivan, she said that the mermaid with the body of a woman and the tail of a fish is a symbol for fertility, eternal grace and beauty.  As with many water creatures she is associated with the moon, mystery, and the unconscious.  Residing in the cosmic ocean from which all life has emerged and into which it must eventually return, the mermaid also represents renewal, purification, wisdom, and infinity. She also said that amulets, charms, fetishes, or talismans were worn on the body to bring luck, heal, enhance fertility, protect against injury.

In my opinion, mermaid jewelries and accessories represent and give elegance and beauty in women. However, people wearing charms and amulets might think that these things give them super magical powers and let them stay healthy and strong. But for me, these charms do not bring any powers or magic in people. Believing that these things are powerful makes them think positive in life.

Mermaids in Our Dreams

We all know that every time we dream, there must be something that our dreams wanted to tell us or warn us. But what if you dreamed about mermaids? I found an article in physicsuniverse.com entitled “Mermaid Dreams: What They Mean” by Mackenzie Wright, that dreaming about mermaids have different interpretations.

Femininity

Whether you are a man or a woman, dreaming about a mermaid could be telling you something about your feminine side. If in the dream the mermaid made you happy and inspired, most likely you are happy about getting in touch with your feminine side. If you were a mermaid and happily dashing through the waves, it means you're embracing your femininity. However, the mermaid frightened you or made you uncomfortable; it could mean you're afraid of being overwhelmed by the feminine side of your soul.

Hybrids

Mermaids are half human and half fish. Sometimes dreaming of a mermaid is reminding yourself that there is more than one side to you. Perhaps you are focusing too much on one side of your nature but have been ignoring the other side. But becoming a mermaid in your dream could be your subconscious mind reminding you that you have to find a more balanced lifestyle to be happy.

Drowning in Emotion

Water and women are primal symbols of emotion. If you dream you’re facing a mermaid in your dream that is a threat to you, it may be a sign that you’re feeling emotionally overwhelmed. If she’s fighting with you, struggling with you, dragging you down into the depths, you may be having a hard time coming out of an emotional state like depression or despair. Dreams like this may indicate that you’re in over your head and need to seek help and support.

Transformation

There are two ways in which mermaids symbolize transformation. The first is in their own transformation from human to fish. Out of the water they look like the rest of us, in the water their legs are magically transformed into a tail, their skin transformed into scales. The other reason mermaids are associated with death is that their songs were said to lure sailors to their doom. Death in a dream rarely means physical death, but is a symbol of transformation. You have to kill of parts of yourself in order to let other parts be born.

Honestly, I never dreamed about mermaids. But after reading this article let me know that dreaming about mermaids is not just a simple thing. It may be just a dream but it can give you some realizations in life that will guide you. Like what Mackenzie Wright said, Pay attention to what she’s telling you and you can learn a lot about what’s going on in your subconscious.

The different interpretations and symbolism of mermaids may be true and may not be true. But knowing these things can help us think and consider things in life. It can give us strength and confidence. It can help us decide in our realizations in life.

Blogpost # 3: Good or Bad?

Now that we know the real beauty of mermaids, are they still good in your own point of view? Does their real look have an effect on their actions and behavior? Let us know how mermaids have known years ago. How people that time react when they see or talk about mermaids. Mermaids can be a darling or evil killers of the sea which means that they can be good or bad.

During ancient times, people see mermaids as a bad luck. They were afraid to encounter mermaids because they believed that mermaids were bad. An article in novelnovice.com entitled “All about Mermaids,Myths, Legends and Pop Culture” by Sara discussed that traditionally, mermaids are known for their beautiful voice. They sing lullabies and hymns that distract and enchant the people sailing. They were also blamed for causing shipwrecks and drowning humans.

We can say that mermaid causes bad, violent storm that destroys the ships. Mermaids are also accused of killing people especially the sailors. They hypnotize people, they use their voices to seduce people specially men, they drag people deep down in the water until the sailor will not be able to breathe, drown and eventually died. However, there are also things that makes the mermaid good.

Even if many people say that mermaids are bad luck, some people during the ancient times said that these creatures are good. According to an article in examiner.com entitled “Paranormal Facts About Mermaids” by Kelly Haulotte, mermaids bring some good luck and fortune. These mermaids are beautiful, gentle and kind. Good mermaids also lure men but in a way that they help men on their way. They warn the sailors about storms and other disaster.

Maybe the reason why these people claiming that mermaids are good is because every time they see mermaids, they conclude that these creatures wanted to say something to them. That mermaids wanted them to avoid danger, be careful and be aware.

Based on my opinion and observation, mermaid is neither a good nor a bad luck. And also, the character of a person do not base on his or her appearance. Mermaids do not have that certain evil or good characteristics. For me, It is just our mind who thinks that seeing a mermaid is like this and like that because they are different from us.

How about you? Are they good or bad?

Blogpost # 2: The Real Mermaids...

When I was young, I see mermaids as beautiful goddesses who sing with a golden voice. What I knew is that they’re kind and cheerful. They were one of the favorite things painters and sculptures use to paint and carve. A lot of people wanted to be a mermaid because of its goddess aura – just like Ariel, the main character in the movie, “The Little Mermaid”. Disney describes her as a cute, beautiful, sweet, and humble little mermaid who found her love in the world of humans and did everything to be a part of her man’s world. But this year, finding out their real beauty surprised me. 

Ariel, The Little Mermaid

After watching the video from the animal.discovery.com entitled, “Mermaid Sighting in Kiryat Yam”, In this video, the US tourists were strolling around when suddenly they saw something on top of the big rock. They've decided to video cam the small creature, and were shocked when the creature looked at them and i jumped into the sea.

I was shocked.  It felt creepy while looking at the little monster. But I was happy to see that there really is a mermaid, even if it is an insufficient evidence about the mermaids’ existence. Look closely at the little mermaid. Creepy right? It looks like it’s still a baby. It might be because the camera is too far that I’m confused whether the mermaid has a face or not. But, there's another video of a mermaid with a different look. 

The video is a leaked evidence from the UK Coastguard. The video from animal.discovery.com that makes the mermaid not that attractive is the “UK Coastguard Mermaid Sighting”. In this video, the UK Coast Guard were having their man over board training when suddenly, a glowing creature jumped at the right side of the boat which causes them to stumble and lost their focus.

You can see that the mermaid here looks really scary. If you will look closely, the so called mermaid looks like an alien. Its eyes were big, round and glowing. Its head has no hair, but its head-tail is similar to an alien. And also, its head-tail is pointed. In fact, there is an article who said that the mermaid looks like an alien which is similar to my observation.

An article in agoracosmopolitan.com named “UFO: Mermaid-like appears in the Ocean” by Tanveer Masood and from The Cosmos News in youtube.com, which they also got from the Animal Planet, the video entitled “Mermaid Alien Discovered by Ocean Scientists in Greenland Sea”. Mr. Waring said in the article that “Animal planet recently aired an interview with several scientists from Greenland that had recorded actual evidence of a human-like creature that resembles a mermaid and they had found the remains of a similar creature.” The scientists went 3000 feet deep off the shore of Greenland Sea. While they were looking around, a huge crash startled them and suddenly a webbed hand slammed the windows of their submarine that scared them. Mr. Waring also said that he wonders if the creature is an alien species unknown to us or an alien which has been exploring our oceans. The mermaid here is a human-like creature. For me, It’s like a dead body of a human.

Based on what I have watched and read, mermaids are not beautiful. They look like an alien or a mummy. In the first video, you can see that the mermaid there is like the mermaid that we used to describe despite the fact that it is very small. The second video is about a short mermaid like what the scientists discovered years ago. The third video is what makes me get more excited about mermaids. Actually, I decided to watch the video at day time because I thought it was scary. But when I’m done watching it, I was shocked to see the real look of a mermaid closely. I think mermaids have different types and kinds just like the other species in our planet.

And based on an article in blogs.discovery.com named “Everyone's Asking: Do Mermaids Really Exist?...Well, Do they?” by Betty Chu, she said that, “I believe in possibilities and the power of imagination – that we haven’t found everything out there yet. In the past two decades alone, we just learned about two species of whales that we never knew existed. Scientists have spent countless hours exploring the scientific theory behind this special – it is undeniably compelling –and the ‘what ifs’ are just too irresistible to ignore.”

Yes, it’s true. Our planet is too big for us to discover everything. Particularly the ocean part. We definitely need more time to explore the world and discover new things. 

Thank you!

Blogpost # 1: I Saw A Mermaid!!

Seeing news and different stories about mermaids fascinate me. I really want to know if these creatures were true or not. When I was young, I always watch Barbie, Cartoons, and Disney Princesses such as Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, and Ariel, The Little Mermaid. I am also into reading interesting myth stories and legends. That’s why Mermaids interest me.  I want to know more about them.

Have you ever wondered why there are such beings who are greatly similar to us humans but have tails, swim very fast and do not breathe underwater just like the fish, the dolphins and the sharks?

A mermaid is an aquatic creature with a half body of a human and the other half is of a fish’s tail which serves as its feet.

Mermaids, Merman, Merpeople, Sirens, Water fairies, Water nymphs… they have been known for a very long time. And until now, the stories of these creatures still exist and are passed on to different generations. Why? Because a lot of people still talk about them and are interested to know the truth about the Mermaids’ existence. But where do mermaids come from?

Atargatis

One of the famous stories on how mermaids began is the story of Atargatis. In an article in aquaviews.net entitled "The Mermaid’s Tale"  by Creedence Gerlach, the first known Mermaids originated from Assyria, now called Northern Iraq, where the Goddess Atargatis fell in love with a human shepherd boy and when she got pregnant she ended up killing her love unintentionally. She was so ashamed of herself that she threw herself into a lake and pretended to be a fish.

Mermaids are extremely hard to find. They’re very good in hiding. People, especially those who live near the sea and those who travel during the ancient times, say that mermaids suddenly show up singing. But most of the time, what they can only hear are the mermaids’ hymn. Scientists and researchers take several years to find some information about mermaids. And it takes lots of money to research about them because you can’t use just a simple boat to search for the mermaids. What you need are swimming equipment like diving suits and oxygen tanks in order to stay long underwater. And also the submarines, which cost a lot, because mermaids can’t be found in shallow areas of the ocean. But there are times that faith is with us and some people said that they saw a mermaid. 
There are lucky people who said that they have seen mermaids. In the article of voices.yahoo.com entitled “The History of Mermaids” by Shelly Barclay, there are recorded events and sightings that mermaids have showed up. These are: Pausanias who claimed to have seen two Tritons, Henry Hudson who wrote in his journal, "From the naval upward, her back and breasts were like a woman's . . . her body as big as one of us; her skin very white and long hair hanging down behind, of the color black; in her going down they saw her tail, which was the tail of a porpoise, and speckled like a mackerel”, and Christopher Columbus who claimed to have seen the mermaids off of the coast of Haiti and Guinea Africa. And Alexander Carmichael who reported that he had met people who had seen and touched the mermaids. 

These people believe that mermaids really exist because they saw it with their own eyes, even if there were not enough evidence to prove. But these days, the search for mermaids has been brought up again. In fact, a place in Israel called Kiryat Yam is known to several mermaid sights and stories.

Kiryat Yam, Israel

According to livescience.com, an article entitled "Mermaid Sightings Claimed in Israel" by Benjamin Radford, Shlomo Cohen, one of the people who saw the mermaid, said, "I was with my friends when suddenly we saw a woman laying on the sand in a weird way. At first, I thought she was just another sunbather, but when we approached, she jumped into the water and disappeared. We were all in shock because we saw she had a tail." There were also other people in Kiryat Yam, Israel claiming that they saw mermaids. These rumors have reached to the mayor.

Mr. Shmuel Sisso, Kiryat Yam Mayor

Because of his eagerness to see a real mermaid, the mayor of Kiryat Yam in Israel, Shmuel Sisso, offered $1 Million dollars as a reward to anyone who can give the evidence that will prove the existence of the mermaids. And because of the mayor's proposal, people started to find and record some evidences that mermaids are real. As a matter of fact, two US tourists have recorded an evidence of a mermaid on top of a rock and sent it to the mayor of Kiryat Yam. It reached the Animal Planet.
According to Animal Planet's video of Mermaids: The New Evidence entitled "Israeli Mayor's $1 Million Proposal" in animal.discovery.com, the mayor said that he saw the footage but that video is not enough because it could be something else. He wants a 100% proof because people want a 100%  of the $1 Million.
Proving and making people believe the mermaids is not an easy task to do. We may believe that the video taken by the American tourists in Kiryat Yam, Israel is a real mermaid but still, it is not enough to say and prove that the creature in the video is really a mermaid because the tourists were very far from the stone, the video is not that clear and it’s not an evidence worth of a million dollars. I believe that mermaids do exist. I really do. They might just be at the incredibly deep parts of the sea that are impossible for humans to reach.

Thank you!