Author Archives: law

YEAR OF THE SNAKE – 2025

Posted on by
Reply

YEAR OF THE SNAKE – 2025

_____________________________________________________________________

Here is a summary of the predictions for this Year of the Snake. You may click on any of the predictions (after you click “continue reading” if you are on the home page) to read the discussion of the facts supporting it.

1. Good things will happen, but most if them will not make the news, What we see on the news will be largely negative.

2. The economy is difficult to predict in Snake years. It is likely that inflation will drop to less than 2.5%; unemployment should decrease to 3.9-4%; and though the stock market will be volatile, it should eke out gains.

3. The war in Ukraine should end. There will be concessions on the part of Ukraine, but the result will generally be seen as a Russian defeat.

4. There will be movement toward peace in the Middle East, though it will not be achieved this year. Actions by Saudi Arabia may slow down the process. We can expect to see the death of one or more Middle East leaders, as well as acts of terrorism.

5. Even as Ukraine and the Middle East become more peaceful, military conflicts will develop in other parts of the world. Areas of concern include India, Pakistan, Egypt and Vietnam.

6. This year will see its share of earthquakes, hurricanes, mass shootings and other disastrous events, with the focus being on fires, airplane crashes, mining disasters and buildings collapsing.

7. There may be a new pope within the next year. At the very least, expect significant developments related to the Roman Catholic Church.

8. This will be a year for scandals related to political corruption.

9. Concerning various campaign promises made by Donald Trump:

a. Immigration and immigrants will be important issues. There will be more deportations with fewer civil liberties. Important new immigration legislation may be enacted.

b. Tariffs will also be an area of concern. Some new tariffs are likely, but there will be litigation as to whether Trump is exceeding the authority that Congress has delegated to the executive branch.

c. In is unlikely that the United States will take any action to annex or invade Canada or Greenland. Relying on the 1977 “neutrality treaty” with Panama, the United States is likely to make some effort to re-establish a presence in Panama.

___________________________________________________________

The Chinese – or Oriental or lunar – system of astrology is based on various cycles of years. The best known cycles are the 12 animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig) and the 5 elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water). That means that the year designated by each animal repeats every 12 years and the year designated by the combination of an animal and a metal repeats every 60 years (12×5). In this post we will assume that those cycles are valid and consider what might occur in the coming year by looking at events from past similar years of the cycles. Continue reading →

Year of the Dragon Predictions Update

Posted on by
Reply

I am writing this on May 19, 2024, which is about 100 days into the Year of the Dragon. One of the predictions made back in January was that the Dow Jones Industrial Average would rise above 40,000 this year. Well, last Friday that average closed at 40,0003, and it is poised to go higher. (The S&P 500 and NASDAQ averages have done even better than the Dow, but round numbers are easier to comprehend.)  The most recent Year of the Wood Dragon – which was 1964 – might give some guidance as to what may be expected from here.

In 1964, the stock market was strong during the first few months of the year, just as it has been this year. Then, in April there was a significant correction – again, just as occurred this year. That was followed by a strong market through mid-summer with another pullback in August. The market then rose sharply in September and was flat for the rest of the year. We shall see whether something similar is seen over the rest of this Dragon year.

Some of the other predictions from January have already come about, though we are only about three months into the year. It was predicted that major flooding could be expected this year, and we have certainly seen that. Unprecedented, devastating floods have been experienced in Houston, Texas, Brazil, South China, East Africa, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Sumatra, Kazakhstan, Russia, and other places around the world. Hundreds of lives have been lost and property damage measures in the billions of dollars.

It was also predicted that there would be transportation disasters, even including buses and shipping. So far, we have seen the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after one of its piers was struck by a container ship and a barge destroyed a portion of the Pelican Island Bridge in Galveston.

Earlier this month, there was a serious, fatal crash of a “party bus” in Maryland and the crash of a bus filled with farm workers that left eight dead in Florida.

It will certainly be interesting to see what we will experience during the rest of this Year of the Dragon. The first part of it has been unfolding pretty much as predicted, though.

YEAR OF THE DRAGON 2024 – PART 2

Posted on by
Reply

The predictions for this Year of the Dragon are fairly lengthy, so we will post them in two parts. Part 1 looks at the economy and the presidential election in the United States. This Part 2 considers other matters that may be important in the coming year.

Before we begin this discussion, here is an executive summary of the predictions from both Parts 1and 2:

PREDICTIONS

  1. The United States will see lower inflation and lower unemployment.

  1. Stocks will rise, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average moving well above 40,000.

  1. There will be no recession.

  1. Joe Biden and Donald Trump may not be the candidates for president in the November election.

  1. The candidate nominated by the Democrats, whether Joe Biden or someone else, will most likely win the presidential election. However, Grover Cleveland’s election to a non-consecutive term in a previous Dragon year shows that Mr. Trump may have a chance for an upset.

  1. There is an increased danger of flooding.

  1. Advances will be made that relate to transportation, but there will be travel disasters, such as airplane crashes and bus or shipping accidents.

  1. Like every year in the United States, there will be mass shootings, some of which may occur at schools.

  1. Progress will be made with respect to civil rights and relations between races. The progress will not be smooth, and we may see racial violence and even genocide.

  1. Expect impressive technological advances, probably in such fields as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and space travel.

  1. The war in Ukraine will drag on, with Russia getting the worst of it

Continue reading →

YEAR OF THE DRAGON 2024 – PART 1

Posted on by
Reply

The predictions for this Year of the Dragon are fairly lengthy, so we will post them in two parts. This Part 1 looks at the economy and the presidential election in the United States. Part 2 considers other matters that may be important in the coming year.

The Chinese (Oriental, lunar) New Year begins on February 10, 2024. Based upon a progression of years moving in a 12-year cycle – each year associated with a particular animal – this is the Year of the Dragon. The most recent Dragon year was 12 years ago, in 2012. Each year is also associated with one of the five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal and water – and this is going to be a wood year. It is the Year of the Wood Dragon. Combining those two cycles, one sees that the Year of the Wood Dragon repeats every 60 years (12 x 5). The most recent Year of the Wood Dragon was 1964.

What will this new year bring? That is always an interesting question. In this post we will make some predictions, and then see what really happens. These predictions are not based on astrology or psychic abilities; they are based on analyzing cycles. Assuming that there is a basis for the cycles that are recognized in Chinese astrology, it should be possible to look at what has occurred in similar past years and extrapolate what may be coming in the future. That is the approach we are taking here.

You may wonder how accurate this method of predicting has been. Well, the track record is pretty good. Last year – the Year of the Rabbit – began with almost every economist and pundit predicting a recession and a bad year for the stock market. Looking at the cycles, though, we said that there would not be a recession and that the Dow Jones Industrial Average could reach an all-time high. Both of those things came to pass.

We also warned that Turkey and Ecuador were prone to major earthquakes. Well a devastating earthquake, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, struck in Turkey only days after the Year of the Rabbit began, causing some 60,000 deaths and incredible damage. Only a month later, a strong earthquake measuring 6.8 was experienced in Ecuador. It caused extensive damage, but only a few deaths.

Other predictions were also accurate, but we should turn now to the predictions for the coming year.  Here is an executive summary of all the predictions:

Continue reading →

YEAR OF THE RABBIT – 2023

Posted on by
5

The New Moon on January 22, 2023 marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit – or the Vietnamese Year of the Cat.

Why are different animals named for the same year in neighboring countries? We cannot say for certain, but there is a plausible explanation. When the animals of the Chinese zodiac were chosen, there were very few cats in China, so it is not surprising they were not included in the heavenly twelve. Sometime later, the concept of the twelve animal cycle was introduced in Vietnam, and there was an issue in the translation. The Chinese word for the zodiacal rabbit is “mǎo tu,” which sounds like the Vietnamese word for cat, which is “meo.” Both of those words sound like the “meow” hear from a cat. It would be an easy mistake to make, and one that is easy to live with.

As you probably know, the Oriental zodiac is comprised of a cycle of twelve years, each of which is represented by a different animal. The rabbit (as we will refer to the year) is the fourth of the cycle. This particular cycle has been a difficult one. It began with the Year of the Rat (2020), which brought the Covid pandemic and contentious presidential politics that ended with an assault on the United States Capitol. Those problems continued and intensified in the Year of the Ox (2021); and remained with us through the Year of the Tiger (2022), which also brought war and problems with inflation and an economic downturn.

The animals symbolize the connection of the Oriental zodiac to the Earth, but our world is also connected to the heavens. This fact is recognized by another cycle that moves through the five elements – earth, fire, wood, water and metal – which combines with the animal signs to make a longer cycle of 60 years.

In last year’s discussion of the Year of the Tiger, we said that beneath any appearance of calm there is a wild animal capable of lashing out at any moment. Indeed, only a very few weeks into the Tiger year, Vladimir Putin launched the Russian invasion into Ukraine that was the defining event of 2022, and which continues today.

Last year we also discussed the possibility of the stock market falling by up to 25%. During the year, the S & P 500 Index did drop by 25%, before rebounding slightly; and the NASDAQ performed even worse.

Can we expect any better with the Rabbit? On the surface, one would think so. The rabbit is seen as a peaceful and clever animal that brings a time of hope and prosperity. The current cycle, though, should keep us wary. Continue reading →

YEAR OF THE TIGER – 2022

Posted on by
3

Back in the 1960s, folk singer Len Chandler wrote a song called “Time of the Tiger” (there is a link to that song at the end of this post). It begins: “This is the time of the tiger/Here alone as he lays with the lamb/The tiger’s just flexing his muscles/The tiger’s just licking his fangs.”

That may be a good metaphor for the upcoming Year of the Tiger, which begins on February 1, 2022. There can be periods that seem calm and placid, but beneath that surface is a wild animal that may lash out violently at any time.

As you probably know, Oriental astrology is based on a cycle of 12 years, each of which is named after an animal. The order of the years in each cycle is: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit or Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat or Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The coming year is the third in the cycle that began in 2020.

The Year of the Rat (2020) was a troubling one with the onset of the Covid pandemic and a contentious presidential election in the United States. The Year of the Ox (2021) continued those same problems as certain Republicans pushed “the Big Lie” that the election had been marred by fraud and COVID-19 intensified through a number of variants. We could only hope that the Year of the Tiger would be better, but I’m not convinced that it will. I think we are in for another difficult year in a difficult cycle. Continue reading →

YEAR OF THE OX – 2021

Posted on by
4

Welcome to the Year of the Ox which begins on February 12, 2021 and lasts until January 31, 2022. The Ox is the second sign in the Oriental astrological cycle, which goes Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit or Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat or Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Therefore, we will be entering the second year of a cycle that began traumatically during the past Rat year.

In addition to the cycle of the 12 animal signs, the years are said to have affinities to the five elements – fire, earth, metal, water and wood, so that a complete cycle includes each of the animal signs with each element and lasts 60 years. This year will be the Year of the Metal Ox.

In this post we are going to look at what may be expected during the coming lunar year. This is not intended to be a psychic prediction or an astrological interpretation, rather it assumes that the cycles of the Oriental calendar are valid and that what is to come may be extrapolated from what has occurred in past Ox years. That takes a bit of analysis, so if you wish you can jump straight to the predictions by clicking here.

When I discussed the Year of the Rat last year, I pointed out that Rats do not have regular patterns like many of the other animals, so pretty much anything could happen – and it did. The Rat year gave us a global pandemic, raging wildfires, hurricanes, millions of people espousing conspiracy theories, an attack on the American Capitol and much more.

Last year’s discussion focused on the American presidential election and concluded that the stock market may be the best predictor for elections in Rat years. I said that if the S&P 500 average was above 3,470 on election day, President Trump would have a good chance to be reelected; if it was below 3,130, then there would probably be a new president. If the average was between the two, anything could happen. Well, during the year the average rose above 3,470 and it fell below 3,130. On election day it was between the two, so anything could happen – and it did. In the end, Mr. Trump was soundly defeated, but he refused to accept that fact.

Nevertheless, the election made Joe Biden the new president, and it is fitting to elect a new president in the first year of a new cycle of animal signs.

The Ox is often described as a hard working, grounded, loyal trustworthy animal and Ox years are seen as times of recovery and stability; times when justice and freedom are advanced through the processes of law and order. Looking to the past, though, it seems that those generalizations are only partly true.

Continue reading →

WALKING WITH DARCY

Posted on by
4

As a rule, I am not nostalgic. I think I should try to live in the present and that takes enough energy that the past simply has to be the past. However, here we are in September of 2020 and I truly wish that this was five years ago.

Think how much better nearly everything seemed five years ago: Barack Obama was president. We could go outside without masks, and could even travel to foreign countries if we wished. The sky presented a variety of colors, and hardly any of them were orange. My brother Jim was still alive. Cathy’s brother Steve was still alive. I didn’t have a device in my chest to help my heart beat properly. Darcy and I could walk wherever we wanted go.

All of those things are different today.

Darcy came to us as a rescue puppy of indeterminate breed when she was six weeks old. We played a lot and she loved her walks. We would go out on the local trails every day, and usually more than once a day. Our walks were always interesting, as she was a curious puppy who needed to stop and investigate many things.

A few weeks after Darcy’s second birthday, my grandson Ryder was born. I had retired by then, so when his mother went back to work I would pick him up each day and bring him over to our house where Darcy and I would care for him. Darcy was absolutely wonderful with the baby. She was patient and gentle and loving and protective.
Continue reading →

YEAR OF THE RAT – 2020, PART 2

Posted on by
2

In the first part of our Year of the Rat discussion, we considered the predictive value of certain political and economic matters over the ten presidential elections that have occurred in Rat Years since 1900. Of course, each of those elections was unique and was not decided by a single variable, so in this second part we will try to add some context by looking briefly at each election. The Rat Years, all of which were election years, are 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 and 2008. Continue reading →

YEAR OF THE RAT – 2020, PART 1

Posted on by
1

The Oriental Lunar Calendar marks the Year of the Metal Rat as beginning with the new moon on January 25, 2020. As you probably know, each year is symbolized by one of twelve animals and each of those animal years cycles through affinities to the five elements – fire, earth, metal, water and wood. We now come to the Year of the Metal Rat, which occurs every 60 years. The Rat is the first animal in the hierarchy, so this is the beginning of a new 12-year cycle.

In this post, we will make some predictions for what may occur in the coming year. These predictions are not based on a belief that I am any more (or less) psychic than you are, or upon the traditional analysis used in Chinese astrology, Rather, we are looking at what has happened in previous Rat years and trying to extrapolate to the present.

A review of previous cycles is a bit difficult due to the nature of Rat years. Rats are seen as intelligent, shrewd, creative, freedom-loving and even downright sneaky. They don’t fall into established patterns like many of the other animals. Continue reading →