The Year of the Dog

The Year of the Dog begins on January 29th, 2006 and ends on February 17th, 2007.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The dog (?; pinyin: gǒu) is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. According to Chinese folklore, each animal is associated with certain personality traits. People born in this year are loyal, honest, and trustworthy, but can also be stubborn and selfish. Dogs get along with Horses, Rabbits, and Tigers.

Recent birth-years for the zodiacal Dog with associated five elements are (inclusively):

• February 10, 1910 to January 29, 1911: Metal
• January 28, 1922 to February 15, 1923: Water
• February 14, 1934 - February 03, 1935: Wood
• February 02, 1946 - January 21, 1947: Fire
• February 18, 1958 - February 07, 1959: Earth
• February 06, 1970 - January 26, 1971: Metal
• January 25, 1982 - February 12, 1983: Water
• February 10, 1994 - January 30, 1995: Wood
• 29 January, 2006 - 17 February, 2007: Fire
• 2018 - 2019: Earth
• 2030 - 2031: Metal

This next part is the best:

People born in dog years may encounter discrimination in China during 2006, due to the belief that they will attract bad luck during the year. They may be denied jobs, homes, and other amenities by those who fear to be caught in whatever misfortunes befall them.

What??

Read this article from Yahoo News regarding astrological discrimination. I cannot believe I just said astrological discrimination. Whatever happened to people being discriminated against for simple, dyed in the wool, "my only excuse is that I am ignorant" reasons, like their personal religious beliefs! Oh wait...

...Anyway, back to reality; according to the above reference from Wikipedia, the element associated with the zodiacal Dog in 2006 is fire:

The Fire Element, when mixed with the Dog Sign, can construct a canine with more than the right stuff. Fire Dogs are enterprising and courageous, always fighting to stay at the head of the pack. Your philosophy might be summed up as, "If I'm not the lead dog, the view will always be the same." Always on the prowl for a good time on the town, you still manage to meet all of your obligations, since you have plenty of energy to go around.

Fierce when betrayed, you have a stern sense of propriety and property both, and will wreak immediate vengeance on any who transgress against you and yours. If they ever strike you down, they'd better kill you with one blow -- otherwise you'll be back up and swinging in the blink of an eye.

The personal traits listed above seem like excellent qualifications for employment, don't you think?