1. THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON, 2012
Spring’s Greeting Cards 01/23/2012 - 02/09/2013 (Water)
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2012 is the Year of the Dragon, which begins on January 23, 2012 and ends on February 9, 2013. The Dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal signs. The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. In ancient China, the celestial Dragon represents an emperor and power. Today, it is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. May the celestial Dragon bring great good luck to everyone.
In Sung Dynasty (a Chinese imperial dynasty lasting from AD 960 - 1279) texts, the dragon is described as having the head of an ox, muzzle of a donkey, eyes of a shrimp, horns of a deer, body of a serpent covered with fish scales, and feet of a phoenix. The dragon usually clutches a pearl symbolic of its super-natural powers. Invariably accompanied by thunder and rain, dragons move like lightning and whirlwinds - - all powerful yet totally unpredictable.
The Sign of the Dragon
People born in the Year of the Dragon share certain characteristics: Innovative, enterprising, self-assured, brave, passionate, conceited, and quick-tempered. The Dragons are the free spirits of the Chinese Zodiac. Restrictions blow out their creative spark that is ready to flame into life. So, they must be free and uninhibited. The Dragon is a beautiful creature, colorful and flamboyant. An extroverted bundle of energy, gifted and irrepressible, everything Dragons do is on a grand scale - big ideas and extreme ambitions. However, this behavior is natural and isn't meant for show. Because they are confident, fearless in the face of challenge, they are almost inevitably successful.
People born in the Year of the Dragon usually make it to the top. But, they must be aware of that too much enthusiasm can leave them tired and unfulfilled. They find pleasure in helping others, and you can always count on their help. Even though they are willing to assist when necessary, their pride can often impede them from accepting the same kind of help from others. Their generous personalities give them the ability to attract friends, but they can be rather solitary people at heart. Their self-sufficiency can mean that they have no need for close bonds with other people.
Dragon people tend to take thrilling risks, and burn the candle at both ends so they are fortunate to be blessed with good health. However, they can suffer bad health as a result of excess stress. Symtoms of their personalities often stem from emotional outbursts and can range from tension headaches to depression to hypertension. They can remedy these problems by maintaining their cool, implementing a routine in their daily lives, and practice meditation, Tai Chi or Yoga that soothe the mind and spirit as well as tone the body.
2. Why Tennis Rules the Earth
The Wall Street Journal JANUARY 30, 2012
To be clear, when I say men's tennis, I am really talking about the interactions of three players. Maybe four, if we want to be generous and include Andy Murray, who has yet to win a Grand Slam, and keeps grabbing for that glory, only to pull the doorknob off in his hand. The unquestioned top three are world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Between them, they have won 31 Slams, and Djokovic is still shopping in aisle one. They are as formidable and as entangled a trio as tennis has ever witnessed—as silly as it is to get into generational comparisons, it's fair to say that the great three of Borg, McEnroe and Connors (26 combined Slams) are on the run, in their flowing hair and short-shorts.
These days are like those good old days. This past week there were early mornings, depending on where you lived, and your ability to have woken up in darkness to watch the spectacle. Reasonable people reasonably used a DVR, but Sunday's 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 epic, won by Djokovic over Nadal, wasn't designed to be breezed over via remote control. This was a match that accelerated and de-accelerated and accelerated again; that both men locked up and let escape; that left a pair of champions droop-shouldered and wobbly. It lasted a boiled egg under six hours, beating the second-longest Grand Slam final by 59 minutes. It was briefly delayed by rain. It ended with Djokovic yanking at his collar, stripping off his shirt, and unleashing a primal yell—Fred Stolle meets Freddie Mercury.
The win was Djokovic's second straight Australian Open title and his third Slam victory in a row. Nadal won three straight in 2010, and Federer did it twice before, and Pete Sampras once before him. Looming above, there is only Rod Laver, who polished all four in the 1962 and 1969 calendar, and watched Sunday's final in the arena that bears his name.
Once considered an interloper with dubious endurance, Djokovic, 24, now stands as the sport's alpha. He began 2011 with a 41-match win streak, and has won four of the last five Slams. You'd think Djokovic's dominance might suck some of the drama out of the sport, but this is thoroughly not the case. After a string of one-sided defeats to Djokovic, Nadal's narrow loss Sunday is new fuel for the Spaniard, who remains just 25. "During all of 2011, I didn't play much like this," Nadal said afterward. At 30, Federer is elegantly fighting the sunset—he's still capable of beating both, pushing Nadal to four sets in the semis, beating Djokovic in the French and taking him to match point in the past two U.S. Opens.
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