Fortune tellers: Year of Tiger isn’t Tiger’s year
February 9, 2010
HONG KONG (AP)—It’s the Year of the Tiger, but Chinese fortune tellers sayit’ll be a rough patch for the world’s most famous one: disgraced golfer TigerWoods.
Other predictions: trying times for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,turmoil in the financial markets, spikes in fire-related natural disasters and acrucial period for U.S. President Barack Obama.
Under the school of feng shui—the traditional Chinese practice ofpredicting fortunes through dates and classical Chinese texts—the new lunaryear starting Sunday is associated with the natural elements of metal, wood,thunder and fire. Metal is a symbol of righteous action—like waging war.Thunder and fire symbolize volatility, while wood feeds the fire.
FILE – In this Nov. 15, 2009, … AP – Feb 9, 12:23 am EST Golf Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
It’s a recipe for geopolitical tensions and drastic market movements, fengshui experts say.
“People will try to take on the strong and help the weak. They will try tohelp their fellow brothers. They will help friends who are being bullied. Thisyear will be more violent,” Hong Kong feng shui adviser Raymond Lo said, notingthat the previous Year of the Tiger associated with metal was 1950—the yearthe Korean War broke out.
Fellow Hong Kong soothsayer Chow Hon-ming expects more terrorist attacks.
Fires and explosions are more likely in the coming year, Lo said, alsowarning that Iran and North Korea may step up their nuclear ambitions. KualaLumpur-based Yap Boh Chu said beware of earthquakes, volcanoes and“metal-related accidents” like car crashes, armed robbery and industrialaccidents.
Markets will remain topsy-turvy as the world recovers from the U.S.financial crisis, but on balance they will post decent results, the forecasterssay.
“When the markets rise, they will rise fiercely and when they drop, theywill drop dramatically,” Chow said.
Yap said investors will be jittery throughout the year.
“You’re always in firefighting mode. You’re always reacting,” theMalaysian said. “It’s like a tiger stalking you. You always have to be aware ofit.”
The Chinese zodiac operates on a rotation of 12 different signs, or animals.People who are entering a year whose sign is the same as their birth year’s areconsidered “in clash” and may have bad luck, according to feng shui belief.But while Chinese fortune tellers give tigers a conservative outlook this year,the zodiac sign that causes the most serious conflict this year is the monkey.
The most notable monkey in world politics is Ban. The South Korean “willface a lot of trouble this year,” Lo said. Other famous monkeys include IranianPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, NBA star Yao Ming, singers Diana Ross, CelineDion and actors Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Owen Wilson andDaniel Craig.
The world’s best-known “tiger”—American golfer Tiger Woods—actuallyisn’t a tiger nor a monkey, according to the lunar calendar. Born Dec. 30, 1975,the 14-time major winner is a rabbit.
But Woods’ birth date is associated with metal, which clashes with thepresence of metal in the coming lunar year. So after admitting to cheating onhis wife and taking an indefinite leave from golf in December, the 34-year-oldcan expect more personal trouble this year, predictions say.
“His long-term fortune is on the decline,” Lo said.
As for Obama, there are differing interpretations. The American president’sbirthday is Aug. 4, 1961, making him an ox. According to Lo, the tiger is alucky “nobleman” for people born in years ending in the digit “1” andObama’s birth date is associated with the natural element of earth, which iscomplementary with metal because minerals come from the earth.
“He will shine with flying colors,” Lo said, adding that the Americanleader will become more aggressive in pushing his agenda. “His foreign policymay be tougher.”
Yap disagrees, saying that the presence of thunder and fire traditionallyrepresents the “arrival of the king”—a metaphor for a fierce battle forleadership. The Malaysian called the Year of the Tiger a turning point for theDemocrat, whose push for health care reform was threatened by the recentelection of a Republican senator in Massachusetts that denied Democrats a60-vote majority in the chamber.
“He will have a bloody hard time this year. If he survives this year, therest of his term will be no problem. This is a crux year,” Yap said.
Tee it up with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Golf 10
Comments
Got something to say?
