Letter from the Editor
January 20 2004 Vol 6/ Issue 10

Dear Readers,

The Chinese New Year is on January 22 - a new moon and first day of the first Chinese lunar month. 2004 is the Male Wooden Monkey year. Because Wood (Tree) is equivalent to the color green in the five-element system, 2004 is also called Green Monkey year.

Snake (2001), Horse (2002) and Sheep (2003) are the cycle of Fire years. The cycle of Fire (and destruction) has ended. The Monkey is the beginning of the Metal cycle. This means that 2004 is a turning point for people whose lucky element is metal.

And that goes along just right with Detroit’s prediction that this is the Year of the Car (metal!). There are so many great new models made on our country’s soil for the new year, it’s going to be irresistible! And so we are featuring cars in a bigger way this year. Metal is also money, and so I predict money will be big this year (after a long drought!)

A few words I would like to say about friends and money. If anyone tells you that giving business to your friends, or money to your family, is a conflict of interest, they are wrong. It is in one’s best interest to help the ones who help you. There’s got to be a pay-off, although money is not always the currency. And by the way, winners take all.

My New Year’s resolution is to stop complaining about our president. He’s a business man taking care of his interests. If soldiers are being killed in Iraq, well, they didn’t have to go, there is no draft, thank goodness! Peace has to start in the heart of the individual, like Yoko said in the last issue. And good news - crime is down in L.A., if you choose to believe that.

I choose to believe that. I think people are getting tired of the hard life - killing, stealing, cheating - it’s a rough life, and after all, we’re Americans, we have it easier than anyone else out there, when we realize it.

I predict a good year for all, a year of not blaming others for our own personal shortcomings, and making the most of what we have, whether it’s the big stuff or the little stuff.

- Talk to me, Annie