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Get latest news and real estate development in Jacksonville, Florida. A real estate blog by Will Vasana, Realtor.

January 01, 2009

Wells, Bank of America Completed Big Acquisitions

Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. completed major acquisitions before the ball dropped on 2008.

Charlotte-based Bank of America has closed on its $19.4 billion purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. of New York, making Bank of America the largest U.S. bank, with $2.7 trillion in assets.

And Wells has bought Charlotte-based Wachovia for $12.7 billion. The combined bank is the nation’s fourth-largest by assets. Together, Wells and Wachovia have more than 6,600 outlets in 39 states and Washington, D.C. Wells and Wachovia customers will immediately have free use of both banks’ ATMs.

San Francisco-based Wells agreed to buy Wachovia on Oct. 3, topping a bid by Citigroup Inc. for parts of Wachovia. In late September, regulators had pushed Wachovia to find a buyer. The Charlotte bank had struggled throughout the year, crippled in large part by housing loans it inherited through its 2006 acquisition of Golden West Financial Corp. of Oakland, Calif.

Wells says it expects to write down $71.4 billion in assets acquired from Wachovia.

Meanwhile, Bank of America has said it will cut 35,000 jobs in the next three years as it absorbs Merrill Lynch.

Source: Jacksonville Business Journal

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Happy New Year 2009 and Feng Shui Forecasts

Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous year! Here's a toast to our new year resolutions and a quick glance at some predictions for 2009 - The Year of the Ox:

According to Agence France-Presse, Feng shui grand master Raymond Lo says the world can look forward to peace and harmony in 2009 but the road to economic recovery will be long.

The Year of the Rat, marked by an unprecedented, global financial crisis, will give way to a much more stable Year of the Ox, Chinese astrologists and feng shui masters predicted.


"The soil represents a garden or a green field, a feng shui symbol for harmony, relaxation, and recovery," Raymond Lo, Hong Kong feng shui expert, told AFP.

Chinese fortune-tellers study the changing balance of the five spiritual elements they believe form the core of the universe -- gold, wood, water, fire, and soil. A person's element can be calculated by using the exact time and date of his birth.

Each of the elements is further divided into the yin and the yang strands, the two complementary qualities representing respectively the passive and active side of nature.

Coincidentally, Lo said, quite a few world leaders in 2009 were associated with "yin soil", including US President-elect Barack Obama and French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

"People belonging to the yin soil tend to be more charming and charitable. They love peace rather than war. They are usually the ones who contribute to science and humanity," he said.

Examples include Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln, and Sigmund Freud, he said.

However, the feng shui master said he did not expect Obama or other state leaders to be able to turn around the global economic situation in 2009 because the element of fire -- which stands for the force that motivates financial activities -- is missing for most of next year.

"It is a year for Obama to lay the foundation for his administration, rather than achieve anything.

"The financial markets will go up a little in the first couple of months but this will be short-lived. Investors are bound to be disappointed in the end," he said.

The prediction is similar to the forecasts of many financial analysts.

Sarkozy's administration will be more stable than it was in 2008, because the strength of water will weaken in 2009, said Lo.

"There was a lot of water in 2008, which is not good for a yin soil leader because it will flood the soil," he said.

The Chinese calendar moves in 60-year cycles, meaning the world will experience similar events in the new year to those that took place 60 years ago.

In 1949, the People's Republic of China was established by communist leader Mao Zedong. Lo said that 2009's year of the Ox could similarly see a new world order being forged.

Professions or events that can be associated with wood will fare well next year because the element thrives on soil, Lo said.

He predicted that former US Vice President Al Gore, who has since turned himself into an environmental activist, will make big progress in his efforts to combat global warming.

Year 2009 will also be good for professions that are related to wood, paper, and energy, including fashion, news media, entertainment, oil and air travel, said Lo.

Mak Ling-ling, a celebrity astrologist and feng shui master, said the financial markets would be very quiet next year and economic problems would be particularly acute in the west.

"Businesses will be even worse than now. Social order will be disturbed, with the number of fraud cases will rise," she said, but added that the situation would improve after next year.

While many of the wealthiest and the most powerful businessmen will continue to suffer in the present financial climate, Mak said some low-profile individuals would be able to seize the chance to profit from the crisis with their courage and original ideas.

To read more about Raymond Lo's article, see below:

Year 2009 is the Ox year in Chinese Calendar. It is symbolized by two elements – earth sitting on top of earth. According to Feng Shui, earth sitting on earth does not give signs of conflict. The Earth on top is Yin earth which symbolizes a garden, and garden gives a sense of harmony, peace and relaxation. This elemental relationship is expected to bring more harmony and peace in international relationships so this could be the year for healing, cure and relaxation from the turbulent time the world has experienced since 2001. It is a time for rebuilding and reconstructions from the damage brought by war and natural disasters, and the financial tsunami of 2008, and also a time to seek peace settlement and to narrow the differences between different culture, religious believes and begin to care for one another, and make some achievement in solving the global warming issue. It is a year of pure earth element and the theme for this year should be caring for our planet earth.

The Chinese calendar year goes on 60-year cycle. This means that we have experienced the same year of yin earth on the Ox in 1949. This was a year when the world order is basically settled down with the birth of Peoples Republic of China, and the creation of NATO. It is the years countries were healing from the devastation of the Second World War and years when the more peaceful and stable environment induce the birth of many baby boomers. It is still time of confrontation between USSR and the west with USSR testing their first atomic bomb in August 1949. However, it is still a year of no major conflicts between nations and a year of construction and rebuilding after the turbulence of the second world war...

The Chinese character for “Yin Earth” represents a field or a garden.. It is associated with the quality of moderate, peaceful, intellectual, charming and charitable kind of person. People born in a day of “Yin Earth” is often moderate and harmonious and slim.. Some examples of famous earth people born on a “Yin Earth” day are Barak Obama , Uma Thurman, Celine Dion, George Michael, Tchaikovsky, Leonardo Da Vinci, Jet Li, Larry King, and Donald Trump, and famous scientist who contributed tremendously to human civilization such as Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud....

It is also interesting to note that Yin earth Ox has appeared in some significant dates in American history, as the Declaration of Independence on 4th July, 1776, and the Pearl Harbor attack on 7th December, 1941 are both Yin earth Ox day. So could 2009 be a year of significance to USA under new President bringing a lot of changes? It so happens that the new U.S. President Barak Obama is also a yin earth person, and his birth elements bear similarity with Abraham Lincoln, who is also a yin earth person.. Naturally he will be the focus of the world in 2009, the yin earth year. It is interesting to note that Geroge W. Bush is a yin metal person and he also became president in 2001 – a yin metal year that started 8 years of turbulence. Let us hope Barak Obama will bring out the peaceful and healing quality of yin earth for the benefit of the world.

The Ox belongs to the earth element and it is the second of the 12 animal signs. So it represents the construction and building phase after a new beginning of a 12 years cycle. As such, the Rat year can bring a new beginning with the appearance of new international relationships and social order and new leadership, such as in USA, Russia, Taiwan, Japan, Israel, South Africa and Pakistan….the Ox will be the year when the new leaders will commence reconstruction and consolidation of their position and power. This could bring new development in international relationship and improvement in the economy and sure more attention will be pay to the earth aspects, housing, rebuilding, agriculture and caring for the earth. These themes related to the earth element will be the focus of most new leaders in 2009.

The Ox is actually complicated earth element. Firstly, it is not strong earth as Ox earth is winter earth without support of fire. And inside the Ox earth, the hidden elements are water, earth and metal. The water and metal is exhausting the earth. As such, we cannot consider the earth in 2009 is strong earth. And there is still instability which will bring earth disasters. In August 1949, a 6.75 Richter scale earthquake in Ecuador killed 6000 people and destroyed 50 towns. The Ox is also part of a serious configuration in animal astrology called “ Three Earth Penalty”. This configuration is formed when the 3 earth animals Ox, Dog and Goat appear at the same time. Such penalty can cause serious misfortunes related to earth element. Such as collapse of buildings, earthquake, landslide . In the immediately previous year of Ox in 1997, there is serious earthquake in Iran killing 2400 people

The Ox, Dog and Goat penalty often refer to hidden dangers related to the earth elements. Besides earth disasters, it can also bring tragedies such as falling from buildings or accidents in an earth environment, such as skiing, or injury in a mountain etc. In 1997, the previous year of the Ox, Lady Diana died in car crash inside a tunnel which is very much enclosed in an earth environment. And in the same year, Gianni Versac was shot dead in front of his own house and he died on the pavement. This is also an earth environment. And in both occasions there also appeared the three penalty of Ox, Dog and Goat together in their birthday elements..

In 2008, as I correctly predicted, was not a good year for airline business, besides many plane crashes and other incidents, there are also closing down of troubled airlines ( Oasis, Alitalia ) , troubles in airports ( Opening of new terminal 5 in Heathrow airport in London) and maintenance problem of American Airline in early 2008, troubles in the air (Qantas).. The idea is that airline business is in the category of fire element, so when fire element is absent in 2008 it will also weaken the airline business hence causing accidents and problems. This will continue in 2009 as this year of Ox also has no fire elements. . As such, we will continue to see trouble in the airline business and more airline related accidents.

In 2008, we have seen the absence of fire element brought cooler weather and even snow storms. 2009 the year of Ox also has no fire element and so we can expect the cooling weather could continue with danger of severe snow storm and freezing weather again..

The Earth element is also associate with homosexuality. It so happens many famous homosexuals is born on the day of earth – this includes Leonardo Da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Tchaikovsky, George Michael, Boy George, Andy Warhol, Tracy Chapman, K.D. Lang. Rosie O’Donnell etc. As such, there could be more issues in this aspect in 2009. It is not really clear how earth element is linked with homosexuality. Perhaps earth is an element of more neutral nature, compare against the other four, water and fire, wood and metal.

The clash between the Ox and Goat is a serious clash between earth and earth elements. This will often bring earth disasters such as earthquake, collapse of buildings, landslide etc.. Therefore people born in years of Goat have to be particularly careful in 2009. As it is earth clashes the danger could be associate with mountains, roads and buildings disasters such as traffic accidents on the road, industrial accidents in construction sites, or injuries when hiking in mountain area. Therefore, for people born in the year of Goat, it is recommended that they carry the pendant of a Rat which will help to attract away the Ox, so as to minimize the negative influence of the clash. Anyhow, people who are born in the year of Goat will experience a more turbulent year with more movements and traveling, changes. It is suitable to engage in such movements, such as moving house or moving offices. Traveling is also good but one should avoid going straight towards the North east direction as it is the direction of the Grand Duke in 2009. For people born in the year of the Goat, if possible, it is also good to minimize activities involving earth sports, such sports are skiing, golf, climbing mountain, car racing etc.

The Ox also forms a three penalty relationship with the Goat and the Dog. Such penalty is hidden danger and may cause disharmony, worries and irritations, or hidden sickness. Therefore people born in the year of the Goat or Dog is also recommended to carry the pendant of the Rat to minimize such penalty influence in the year of the Ox..

The Five basic elements represent different parts of our body, earth in general relates to stomach, pancreas, muscle and cells. As such, the health problems related to earth could be stomach problem, food poisoning, and diarrhea. Disorder of earth elements can mean problems of muscle and cells, this can bring obesity, diabetes, and cancer …these are all sicknesses caused by imbalance of earth elements. Diabetes is a sickness caused by disorder of insulin which is produced by the pancreas which is also symbolized by earth element in Chinese medicine.. So diabetes problem is also caused by imbalance of earth element. As such, these kinds of health problems will also come in focus in the Earth year of 2009. However, the most serious health threat in the year of the Ox could be cancer as the Ox will create serious earth penalty with the Goat and the Dog and this will create hidden disorder of cells and becomes cancer. There are numerous examples of the serious influence of such earth penalty triggers cancer and other degenerative diseases. it is important to take more anti –oxidant as a preventive measure.

Continuing on the issue of health problems. As there is total absence of fire, the year 2009 is also not favorable for people who has weak heart. Fire is the element symbolizing heart and blood circulation, with absence of fire, the heart will be weak. And also without fire to support the earth, the stomach , which is an earth organ will also be weak. This means both stomach and heart problems will be more serious in 2009.

In recent years the most imminent issue threatening the survival of human race is Global warming. The polar ice caps have been melting down in an alarming speed and there are forecasts that many coastal populated cities will be submerged under the sea by the year 2050. In 2007 we have experienced dramatic change in climate and there are more weather triggered disasters. Such serious impact of Global warming did not slow down in 2008 with severe snow storms and hurricanes. The pair of elements in 2008, yang earth sitting on the rat is the image of floating mass of ice on a big ocean. And this is an alarming sign that the melting of Arctic and Antarctic ice will become more and more alarming in 2008. Also the heavy water elements of 2008 brought obstacles and frustration to Mr. Al Gore, he is a gentleman of strong wood and his favorable elements are fire and earth. Excessive amount of water will not help him to make progress. However, the situation may improve in 2009 as the pure earth elements are something for wood to conquer and this imply Al Gore will make achievements in his battle to reduce carbon emissions. And the pure earth year symbolize a garden of harmony and we may see signs of improvement and some kind of recovery in the health of our planet earth. Global warming is an issue concerning the whole human race and every one of us has the duty to take up effective measure to preserve our environment and support the move to reduce CO2 emission.

In 2009, the feng shui flying star number 9, symbolize fire element, is in the centre. This centre number often reflects the focus of events prevailing in the year. Take for example, in 2005 we have Flying star 4 in the centre and the number 4 symbolizes the chicken. So this the year the threat of avian flu began. In 2006 the star 3 in the centre represents conflict and earthquakes, 2007 the number dominate the centre is 2 which is sickness and it has brought the alarm of avian flu in focus again. In 2008 the number 1 in the centre is water element. Hence in 2008 we experienced more cold weather and snowstorm and flooding. So we have to assume the fire element in the centre of 2009 will also bring some problems with fire and explosion disaster.

Regarding flying star feng shui, the current twenty year period from 2004 to 2024 is called “Age of 8” and this number 8 represents the Trigram of Mountain and it also is symbol of young children. Therefore since stepping into Age of 8 in 2004, it seems there are more disasters and misfortune affecting children. The latest incidents included the big earthquake in China in 2008 killing a lot of school kids, also there are more sickness affecting children such as the Mouth, Foot and Hand disease., and the cyclone in Myanmar also inflicted heavy casualty to children. In second half of year, there is serious problem of contamination of milk products causing kidney stones in babies. This number 8, representing children is always present in the centre of the flying star chart in this 20 years from 2004 to 2024. In 2008, the disaster to children happened because the year star 1 in centre is water which does not support the earth star 8. However, the better situation appear in 2009 as the year star 9 is fire which can support the earth star 8. So I can expect it will be a year of less problem related to children.

Regarding the economy, fire element is often the driving force behind the stock market. The five elements are also affecting peoples mood. In general fire is joy, water is fear, Earth is meditation, metal is sadness, and wood is anger. As such fire year often generate optimism and drive up the stock market, such as 2006 and 2007. But in 2008 the water arrived and obviously people began to have fear about worsening of the USA sub-prime problem and recession. In the year 2009 there is pure earth on earth. . The earth element is not as fearful as water but is meditation. So it means people will be conservative and play safe. As such, it is a year of continue cooling down but gaining more stability. Fire is the symbol of the financial market and strong fire will stimulate optimism and speculative mentality. Without fire investors will play cool and conservative. In 2009, despite the absence of fire element in the year , the spring and summer months still shows strong wood and fire influences bringing upward surge in the stock and property market. But investors will be more cautious and practical and there will not be dramatic fluctuations such as in the magnitude of yin fire year in 2007. In general 2009 is a year of continual cooling down but showing signs of more stability and calmness with steady upward trend in the stock market..

The earth element of the Ox year favors wood and fire industries, as wood conquers earth, so the earth element is a symbol of money to the wood industry, which includes forestry, furniture, fashion, textile, paper, media, newspaper and magazines, and the recently coming up new industry of environmental protection is also falling into the category of wood. As for fire industries, Fire gives birth to earth, so the earth element in the year indicates productivity and strong activity in fire industries – this include finance, entertainment, power generating, electricity, electronic products, energy, oil and gas.

The unfavorable industrial sectors in 2009 are industries of Water and Metal. Water industries include shipping, transport, communication, drinks etc. As water conquers fire, fire is symbol of money to water industry. The absence of fire in 2009 shows this area is not so prosperous. Metal industries include high tech, computer, banking, engineering, skin care, cars etc. As metal conquers wood, so metal industry will be favorable in a wood year. In 2009, there is no wood element. The earth is resources element to metal and so it is a year of investment but not profit making for the metal industry. The theory is that metal always needs fire to melt it into useful tools. So when fire is weak, metal industry will also suffer. This explains why Finance (Fire ) and Banking (metal) share similar ups and downs.

The earth industry represents property, housing, construction, mining, insurance, hotels…. Etc. will have an active year as there is hidden water and metal in the Ox, which symbolizes money and productivity to the earth industry. However, competition is strong with prominent earth element representing competitors. This means there are plenty of opportunities and activities in this sector but the strong competition will erode the money profit. So the overall performance of the property market is still not very favorable in the year of the Ox..

With respect to the hi-tech industries sector, as represented by the NASDAQ. I have postulated that this industry is mainly represented by the metal element. As such, the prosperity of hi-tech industry requires the strong appearance of water and wood, which are symbols of productivity and money of the metal industry. In 2009 the water element, meaning activities to hi-tech industries is not weak but is hidden in the Ox. As such, it is anticipated that the year is favorable for hi-tech or internet types of business but it will not be as active as Rat year in 2008. But the absence of wood in this year could mean there are more activities without real substantial money gains.

In summary, the industries that will perform well in the year of the Ox will be industries related to Wood and Fire elements. Wood industries are fashion, textile, publications, furniture, and environment protection. Fire industries are entertainment, finance, energy, The earth industry such as property, hotel, mining, insurance etc is still active but not making obvious profit with strong competition. The metal industry such as machinery, engineering, computer, and high tech industries will enter a year of investment. And the sectors relating to water such as shipping, communication, drinks, spa will not be doing so well.

In general, the yin Earth Ox year, with earth on top and earth below, is symbol of a peaceful and relaxing garden, It is a place to rest and calm down to refill our energy and reflect on the past and plan for the future. The theme is healing and cure from the turbulent time of 2001 to 2008 and begin to reconstruct our world and allow planet earth to heal. We should focus on earth themes – rebuilding, construction, housing, agricultural improvement to ensure sufficient supply of food, and make progress to reduce CO2 emission and bring back nature to our environment and mother land.. The new breed of leaders will take this year to consolidate their power and to gain confidence and trust of the people through bringing stability instead of aggressive performance... Still there will be international conflicts and unrest as most of the new leaders coming up in 2008 are not expecting good luck in 2009, but such events may be less turbulent. Earth will bring the mood of meditation. It is anticipated that clam, thoughtful and peaceful means to settle difference will prevail in 2009.

The animal sign which is most unfavorable is the Goat which is in direct clash against the Ox. Such clashes will usually bring about turbulence, movements, accident or changes... So people born in the year of the Goat will anticipate more traveling, or movements such as changing jobs or moving house. It is necessary to carry the pendant of a Rat as protection to attract the Ox away. For the Goat people, the clash against the Ox could bring accidents related to the earth element, such as landslide, collapse of building, Traffic accident on the road, injury during earth sports such as skiing, car racing, golf etc. For people who are under clash with the year, it is ok to travel more, making changes such as moving house, or change job. However, for people born in the year of the Goat it is recommended not to travel directly towards the direction of the Grand Duke, which is the north-east direction, and it is also not recommended for them to go up mountains.. The other animal’s signs facing unfavorable positions are the Ox and the Dog. When Dog encounters Ox year will be forming part of the Three Penalty... Such penalties will usually bring disharmony, irritation, worries and frustrations, as well as sickness, especially when the Goat also come to join the Dog and the Ox.. Also people born in year of the Ox are offending the Grand Duke which is also not auspicious and it is necessary to carry Rat pendant to minimize the negative effect. The imbalance of earth and the absence of fire this year will bring serious problem of the stomach, diabetes, heart and blood circulation problem and cancer.. As such, it is necessary to take heavy dosages of anti-oxidant, omega 3 oil or COQ10 which is good protection against cardiovascular diseases and prevent our cells attack by free radicals to cause cancer.

The animals combining with the Ox year are the Rat, the Snake, and the Rooster. These animals are into a year of harmony. However, such animal astrology is not totally reliable as the system is not recognized as a formal type of fortune-telling. For more reliable assessment of ones fortune in the year of the Ox, it is recommended that one checks the full Four Pillars of Destiny, which requires full birth data information of the Year, Month, Day and Hour of birth. As the animal signs can appear in all four pillars in a person’s birth data, the clash and penalty relationship with the Ox will not only cause impact on people born in the year of Goat and Ox and Dog. Such clash and penalties can also impact any one who has such animals in the birth month, or day or hour.

Some examples of famous people born in the year of the Goat and under clash in 2009 are Nicole Kidman, Mick Jagger, Julia Roberts, Maggie Q, Chow Yun Fat, Bill Gates, Yo Yo Ma, Steve Jobs, Bruce Willis, Carla Bruni, Heather Mills. There are people who are not born in the year of Goat, but they are also under clash because they are born on the day of Goat, so they will also face a challenging year. Some examples of these people are – Brad Pitt, John McCain, Richard Li, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Barbara and Jena Bush.....

People born in year of the Ox is said to be “offending the Grand Duke” and it is also recommended to carry pendant of the Rat. Examples of Ox people are Barak Obama, Andy Lau, Keira Knightly, Richard Gere, Burce Sprinsteen...

For people who are born in the year of the Horse, the Ox year will bring “Flower of Romance” so one can anticipate a more sociable year with more opportunity to develop friendship with the opposite sex... People born in the year of the Pig will be into year of “Travelling Horse” and the Ox year will trigger more travelling and movement.

However, the most serious and dangerous aspect of the Ox is it forms Three Earth Penalty with the Goat and the Dog and bring misfortune and worries, even serious sickness such as cancer. Examples of famous people who will have such three penalty configurations are Bill Gates, Arnold Swarzenegger, J.K. Rowling, Julia Roberts, David Bowie, Angela Merkel, Tzipi Livni and Colin Farrel. Such penalty means hidden danger and could bring trouble and health problem. It is also good to people having such penalty with the Ox to carry a pendant of the Rat to minimize its bad effects. There are numerous examples that such Three Earth Penalty caused complicated health problems and misfortunes and breaking up marriages and causing accidents . The tragic deaths of Lady Diana and Gianni Versace in 1997 year of the Ox can also be attributed to these three earth penalty Ox, Dog and Goat which showed up on that day they passed away..

Feng Shui energies also change from year to year. Therefore, it is necessary to watch for the re-allocation of good and bad energies at the beginning of each year, so that we can take necessary precautions if some bad energy happens to arrive at important locations of our residence or offices. In the year of the Ox, the bad energy called “Five Yellow” – symbolizing obstacles and misfortune, arrives at the North. If your North of the house is an important area such as bedroom or entrances, it is recommended that one hangs a metal wind chime there to dissolve this bad energy. The worst months will be in March, September and December. Another bad star number 2, symbolizing sickness, will arrive in the West in 2009. The traditional method to dissolve this 2 is to hang a string of six metal coins in the affected area in the west of the house The Grand Duke this year is in the North-east, hence it is not favorable to “move earth” or make substantial construction work in this direction. It is also not recommended for one to sit with back against North-east as you will be sitting against the unfavorable energy called “Three Shars” or “Three Killings”. Southwest is the “Crash position” against the Grand Duke which is also not good to sit. The bad star 3 is a star of conflict and robbery. This is present in the North east of the house. It is necessary to put a piece of red paper in the North-east to minimize such bad influence. Also the bad star 7, representing scandals is in the East, the traditional solution for this bad star 7 is to place 3 piece of bamboo plant grown in clear glass vase of water in the east location.

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