Editorial......................................3

Opinion.......................................4

Health..........................................7

Culture........................................9

Religion.....................................11

Travel.........................................13

Recipes.....................................14

Problem page...........................16

Opinion.....................................18

Horoscopes..............................19

USJanuary

content

editorial

We are happy to announce the arrival of a new and amazing magazine able to give you what

you want and what you like. Meaning-ful and interesting articles about current matters and issues around you. A strong and united group of writers from different backgrounds living in London and sharing the same challenges that you face are the focus. Every month we offer relaxing items from where you can pick-up tips and food for thought. You will find rubrics on poli-tics, religious subject, fashion and the kitch-en, but also health and practical advice to cope with daily problems.

We wish you all happy reading!

by Massimo Vuillermet

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opinion

In the past century habits, values and people themselves have changed. Would the marriage arrangement change too?

Two people living together without the benefit of marriage has become a common phenomenon.

Furthermore from all over the world, reports say much the same thing: the marriage arrangement is in trouble.

Within the past decade there has been a huge increase of divorce. Cou-ples are breaking up like icebergs in a summer sea.

For that reason many ask: why do we get married with such few possibili-ties of success?

An additional reason why some are choosing not marry is the poor ex-ample of their own parents’ marriage. Maybe they are under the same roof, but without happiness.

Besides, more and more people are choosing to live together without get-ting legally married.

Marriage is an outdated in-stitution in the 21st century

They refer to marriage certificate as just a piece of paper, something that is of no practical value.

They say: “It’s just bureaucracy! A paper doesn’t mean anything. Love is what counts. Living together is a more romantic relationship. You need to be more careful and consi-derate toward each other when you’re not legally linked together.”

On the other hand, history shows that when marriage and family broke down, so did the entire moral climate of society, The end result was not im-provement, but more trouble. Whole

by Massimo Vuillermet

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empires crumbled when people did not work to preserve marriage and family.

Although, today, every man and woman is imperfect and many mar-riages end in divorce, the legalized marriage still constitutes the most secure and firmly established form of cohabitation between a man and a woman in society today. No other form of cohabitation offers the same degree of protection and security to all parties, including the children, that legalized marriage does.

Living together without marriage, they found that they still had fights about everything, and that living together brought the same problems as marriage. Without the marriage com-mitment, however, they always felt that they could leave. But did this help them to get along? No, it hindered them from trying harder to solve problems.

In the book Unmarried Cohabitation, researcher J. Trost, after presenting data assembled from a study of the subject, revealed that “the dissolution frequency among the unmarried co-habitants is about twice as high as among the married couples.”

And what happens if the time comes when the couple decides to split up? Dividing up belongings can be a real problem, resulting in arguments and great injustices. For instance, if the woman has taken care of the children and the household, she may run the risk of being left destitute because her partner earned the money and bought most of the things. There may be little she can do legally because they are unwed.

When you enter into a business part-nership or buy a piece of property or lend money to someone, why do you have the terms written down and even notarized? One reason is that a

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commitment has been made by both parties, and it is to the advantage of both to have the terms in writing. For instance, if one party dies, disappears, or simply loses his memory, the terms are still legally binding. The same is true in a marriage. In the event of the death of one mate or of both, the law in most countries makes provision for the surviving members of the family. This is usually lacking in the live-in arrangement. It is this commitment that makes the difference between living together and marriage. And the marriage certificate is a reminder to the couple of that commitment to love, honor, and cherish each other and of the legal implications of the marriage vows.

Moreover, there are still many who consider it wrong and even immoral to live together that way. Therefore, parents or grandparents may feel unhappy, embarrassed, and worried when their children or grandchildren just live together.

And according to the Bible, a legal marriage is the only form of cohabi-tation between man and woman that is authorized by man’s Creator.

When he brought together in mar-riage the first human pair: “That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) A unique oneness!

Thus, “one flesh” is possible only in a complete, exclusive, legal, lifelong relationship—nowhere else.

After considering the above, you will probably agree that of the two courses—living together or marrying—the latter is better. Cou-ples living together in marriage do so without guilt or fear, and they enjoy the respect of friends and rela-tives. Their children will bear no emotional scars for having been born out of wedlock. And most im-portant, such couples please God by showing respect for his arrangement of marriage.

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As long as you have your health, nothing else matters. What is the secret of keeping healthy? The most obvious health safe-guarding steps are the following: regular check-ups, eat well, exercise every day, quit smoking, shed excessive weight, con-trol daily stress, relax and enough sleep.A healthy diet is the cornerstone of your well-being. It prevents heart disease, strokes, ciculatory disorders, disabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and even certain types of cancer. The food you eat has a major impact on your body – both inside and out.

Therefore, you should be careful in your choice of food. You should choose healthy products such as lean mea t, fish,fresh friut and vegetables, and avoid chips, cookies, pies,sweets, sauces, spaghetti, hot dogs, hamburgers, strews, fatty meat, alcohol and coffee.

A well balanced diet helps you keep healthy but it must be combined with some regular physical activities such as walking, jogging, cycling or swimming. By ex-ercising 20-30 minutes a day, 5-6 times a week, you will not only burn off some extra calories but you will also become fit, strong and full of energy.

At the same time you should take care of your psychological health. You must accept yourself and adopt a positive attitude towards life and other people. It has been proved that optimists live longer! If you are too busy or overworked, you should slow down and find some time for you family, hobbies, rest and en-tertainment. Summing up, the recipe for good health is simple: less unhealthy food, more exercise, less stress, more joys and fewer sorrows.

healthWant a healthy lifestyle?

by Agnieska

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THE DAILY MENU

The daily menu should be carefully planned. You should select food wisely in order to eat well-balanced meals which are low in choles-terol, sodium and calories. The menu presented below is an example of how simple (and tasty) it is to eat healthy.

BREAKFAST - cup of low-fat yoghurt mixed with some fresh berries (strawberries, rasberries or blueberries) - a piece of wholemeal bread with a teaspoon of marmolade or slice of lean ham - herbal tea or coffee

LUNCH - a chicken sandwich - ‘’ health salad’’ : iceberg lettuce with a sliced cucumber, tomato , a few radishes and olives, topped with low fat-oil-vinegar-lemon dressing - ice tea or mineral water

DINNER - a cup of tomato soup - a piece of roast turkey breast - two medium-sized potatoe, boiled and smashes - tossed salad: celery, carrots and red cabbage - a glass of dry red wine

DESERT - threee or four oatmeal-raisin cakes - one fresh peach

SUPPER - a cheese and tomato roll - a cup of skimmed milk

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cultureWhat Armageddon means? Around the world, disturbing trends are causing fear of the future. In a growing number of cities, sur-veillance cameras monitor citizens. Because of the fear of terrorists, many busy airports have almost be-come military camps. Prowling the Internet in growing numbers, thieves and pedophiles prey on unsuspecting victims. On the environmental front, pollution, deforestation, extinction, and global warming threaten future life on our planet.

Unthinkable two or three generations ago, these concerns are global today. For a good reason many people won-der what is happening to the world and what kind of life awaits them and their children.

Today, nuclear weapons proliferate and regional wars continue to cause untold numbers of deaths. The pos-sibility of a nuclear conflagration still threatens mankind.

Among all this, we have heard the story about the end of the world, a prophecy regarding an appointed time when calamity will strike our planet.

Moreover, the world Armageddon keeps showing up in the news. On to Armageddon, oil Armageddon, economic Armageddon, the winter before Armageddon and similar ex-pressions have also appeared during recent years.

The ultimate disaster—that is what flashes through the minds of most who hear the word “Armageddon.” Many of them envision in its wake a charred, radioactive cinder of an earth, with few, if any, survivors.

But is that what Armageddon really means? Does it spell only bad for the future? The answer may surprise you.

by Massimo Vuillermet

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The source of the word “Armageddon” is the Bible book of Revelation. There it appears only once, in a description of a great gathering of all the “kings,” or rulers, of the earth “for the war of the Great Day of God the Almighty.” The prophecy in-cludes these significant words: “They called the kings together at the place called, in Hebrew, Armageddon.”— Chap. 16, vss. 13 to 16, Jerusalem Bible.

There is no actual geographical location, past or present, that is specifically named Armageddon. Hence, the Revelation must be depicting something far more sig-nificant than just a literal place. The Encyclopædia Britannica (1974) suggests that “the Palestinian city of Megiddo was probably used as a symbol” because of its strategic location as “a famous battlefield in Palestinian history.” King Thut-mose III of ancient Egypt reportedly declared that the “capture of Megiddo is the capture of 1,000 towns.”

Therefore, the events associated with Megiddo point to Armageddon as symbol-izing a confrontation far more significant than any that occurred there in Pales-tine in ancient times. The full Hebrew expression is Har Meghiddohn, meaning “mountain of rendezvous” or “mountain of assembly of troops.” Armageddon, then, must refer to the situation to which all the kings or governments of the world “rendezvous” against a common adversary.

While Armageddon will not mean the end of all mankind, nor of the earth, it cer-tainly will mean the end of a system of things (or, “world”) as we know it. Arma-geddon will be God’s way of totally crushing out of existence today’s deteriorating political, economic, social and religious systems that have caused so much grief.

It will be the unique war that will bring an end to all wars.

The end of the present system will pave the way for an entirely new order of God’s making, a human society in which the will of God is going to be carried out “as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matt. 6:10) In that new order after Armageddon, the Bible prophecy tells us, “righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Pet. 3:13) How refreshing, how thrilling that will be after so many centuries of injustice, suffering, heartache and tears! With God’s will being done over all the earth and with righteous condi-tions established, a time of unprecedented happiness will be ushered in. The Bible foretells: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” (Ps. 37:11) It is no wonder that Jesus called it “Paradise.”— Luke 23:43.

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religionThe pillars of Islam

The religion of Islam is the second religion with hight poplution.The Islam word in arabic means (PEACE). As we know every religion in this world has its own rules. The five pillars of Islam are the framework of Muslim life.

What are the five pillars of Islam?

1.The testimony of faith: called (shahada) is saying with conviction, ”la ilaha illa Allah, Muhamadur rasoolu Allah” these saying means “there is no true god but God (Allah)and Muhamed is the final messenger (prophet) of God”. These words must be said by the person that wants to convert to Islam and if the Muslim person is dying.

2. Prayer (sallah): Muslims perform five prayers a day. Prayers are performed at down, noon,mid-afternoon, sunset and night. Each prayer does not take more than a few minutes to peform. In prayer, the person feels inner happiness, peace, and comfort that God is pleased with him or her and prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and God and there are no intermediaries.

3. Giving Zakat (support of the needy): Zakah is a divine duty. The original mean-ing of the word Zakat is both ‘purifcation’ and ’growth’. Giving Zakat means ‘giving a specified percentage an certain properties to certain classes of needy people’. The Zakah can be paid when it reaches a certain amount, in Gold, Silver, and money either comes from crops or other bussines.

by Kawsar Muse

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4. Fasting the month of Rama-dan: Every year in the month of Ramadan,all Muslims fast from dawn until sundawn,abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. The month of Ramadan involves Muslims in the feeling of hungry people, and teaches them to be kind and gentle towards the poor needy and hungry people.

5. The pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj): The yearly pilgrimage hajj is an obligation once in life time for those who are physically, mentally, and financially able to perform. A few million people go to Makkah each year from all around the world.Hajj is performed in the twelfth month of the Islamic calander.

Male pillgrims wear special clothes that are white ,female can wear what they like.

I hope next time we will talk about the six pillars of faith.

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travelCartagena de IndiasCartagena is a city on the Northern of Colombia. The urban area has a popula-tion with 1.240.000 people.

Many tourists visit Cartagena especial-ly from N America. You will be amazed enjoying lovely brown sandy beaches.

Moreover you will be able to share comfortable five stars hotels and an interesting nightlife clubbing throughout the high street of the city.

And if you like to dance, well you will have a lot of opportunities to practice local dance and listen to folk music.

If you want to book a cheap package holiday to Cartagena, go to www.travelcenter uk.co.ukViews of San Andres Beach, Cartagena Old City and San Andres.

by Isabel Moreno

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recipes

Egg custard (Watalappam)

Ingredients:

2 cups of thick coconut milk 300g of jaggery 10 eggs a pinch of salt 4 or 5 cardamom (ground) or 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence 2 cloves (optional) Cashew nuts and raisins

A Sri Lankan dessert.

by Makiya Sabry

SERVES 6-8 peoplePREP TIME: 15 MINSCOOK TIME: 20 MINS

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Egg custard is a dessert that made of coconutmilk, eggs, jaggery, cashewnuts and various spices, including cardamom and cloves. Its original name is watallappam. This dessert is very popular in Sri Lanka. Specially amongst Muslims. It is believed to be of Malay origin and it gained popularity in the 1970s. This is very delicious and easy to make. So try this recipe and enjoy the mouthwatering taste.

How to make:

1) Firstly beat the eggs in a mixer and beat well.2) Then chop the jaggery in to very tiny pieces and add it to the egg mix ture and beat well.3) When all the jaggery has melted, add the coconut milk, cardamom (or vanilla essence), clove and salt.4) Then beat it again for 5 minutes.5) After that strain the mixture and pour it in to a Pyrex dish or to a pot and steam for about 20 minute6) Finally when it is cooked sprinkle some cashews and raisins top of it.7) Let it cool in the dish before serving.

by Makiya Sabry

Tips:

. You can add condensed milk instead of coconut milk. It will taste better.

. Add the cardamom or vanilla to the egg mixture before adding the jaggery. It gives a nice fragrance..The mixture can be poured in to multiple small dishes and steamed for about 5-10 minutes.. It is tastier when chilled, so keep refrigerated for about 1 hour.

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problem page by Monica Gruda

Since my niece started school in September she’s become very agressive and started swearing and using very bad words. Her mother doesn’t correct her. Last week I thought of taking some measures,but I decided that is her mothers responsibility. Shall I take some action or leave it for her mother?

This is very delicate matter.I know that you want to do your best to help your niece but you need to be careful to take over somebody elses role. Try to subtly draw your sisters attention to your niece’s behaviour and suggest that she has changed since she has started school. But remember do this subtly otherwise you might achieve the opposite effect. Good luck

My brother comes every summer to my house. He is a lovely man but he usually doesn’t let me know about his visit and he always comes without any money on him. Whatsmore he spends all day long on the sofa doing nothing. He doesn’t help me with any housework or mak-ing dinner. I have to buy food for him, because he is short of money, but that’s fine, the worst thing is he insists on me buying cigarettes for him. He is a heavy smoker and it costs me a fortune. I can’t afford to keep him all summer and I’m always in the red after his visit. Anyway, he is my brother and I don’t want to hurt him.Please, help me to solve this prob-lem.

I can see from your letter that you are in a really uncomfortable situation with your brother.To be honest it has gone too far and now it will be very hard to sort this out. First of all you need to talk with your brother openly to make him realise that he is now unwelcome be-cause he has outstayed his welcome.This conversation will not be easy for both of you but you need to tell your broth-er how you feel about this because he might not know how he is hurting you by his behaviour.Remember you need to be assertive otherwise he will not take you seriously.

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by Monica Gruda

I spend too much money on travelling in London to work,but my wife doesn’t want to move.How can I change her mind?

The situation is a bit difficult I know especially if your wife has friends in the area. The only one thing I can tell you is to talk to her .You should present all the pros and couns of living in London and also about moving. Show her the advantages connected with a move to somewhere nearer you place of work. It will save you both money and time.Good luck

My mother in law is coming next year and she will stay in my house for one year,but I don’t want to live with her and also I have a lot of problems with my husband because of this situation. As I see from your letter you are in a really uncomfortable situation with your mother-in law. The only one thing I can tell you is talk to your husband. Tell him why you don’t want to live with her. I think it may be possible to change his mind.You should understand him because she is his mother. My advice is tha you can try live with your mother-in law for a few months. Good luck I’m living with too many flatmates at the moment and my boyfriend and I want to move to a new flat. The problem is that only one of us has a job and is dif-ficult to find a flat, can you help me to find a solution please?

From your letter, I suppose that you are a young couple trying to find a place with more privacy. Your situation seems not to be very bad, because at least one of you is working, and as a couple you support each other. You don’t state in your letter how much your income is, and I have doubt it is difficult to find a flat to suit your budget or in a good area or in a good condition. Anyway, in case of an emergency perhaps you should for the time being, look at a small family who may rent a double room to a young couple at a reasonable price, or maybe find another couple to join you,and share the bills and the rent. Good luck

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Wisdom is the prime thing. Acquire wisdom and with all that acquire under-standing to your head, it will give a wreath of charm; a crown of beauty, it will bestow upon you. Education is crucial in our lives, because what ever the education is, it always allows us to find values; show the path of susses and make us spiritually rich. It doesn’t really matter where we came from or what colour we are, education is never discriminated and is always welcomed.It is important for us to grow in an environment where we can develop basic skills, like reading, writing, and numeracy as well, because the aim of education I believe is to communicate and be able to express our selves and understand each other, without being aggressive or violent. It is a fact that between countries a lack of agreement and communication is possibly the root of serious fights and even war. These days, with the access to fast information, combined with high technolo-gies differences, distance seems to disappear. Thinking of that we need to discern between what is good and what is bad and have our own opinion about facts, to make sensible decisions. Education helps us to become more conscious and unique. Regardless of how many years ago you have to exercise your brain like a muscle. The more you use it the stronger and more effective it becomes. Material investment can disappear quickly but when we develop our personal qualities, good results will stay with us until death and will affect our whole life. All the most influenced people in the world are keen readers. That is not by chance. It is a requirement for achieving outstanding results in life. Expand your range of interest and reading, turn off the television when silly programmes are on and open an informative book.

opinion by Ravel Kaur Bajaj

Education makes the difference

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horoscope by Valeria Silva

The Chinese astrol-ogy believes the year that you are born in affect your character. They organises years into cycles of twelve with each year named after an animal. As the fourth sign of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is a symbol of endurance. People born under this sign in this Chinese astrology hold characteristics similar to those the rabbit and aspects of their lives are thought to reflect the rabbits characteristics. Rabbit are benevolent, calm and responsible. Avoid confrontation whenever possible but show bravery when needed. The history of the Chinese Zodiac is very interesting! It is said that Buddha invited all of the animals in the world to join him for the New Year celebrations, but only 12 animals bothered to turn up. As a great reward, Buddha named a year after each one of them and they actually run in the order that the animals arrived to celebrate with Buddha, starting with the rat and ending with the last guest, the pig. The Chinese believe that those born during a year of a particular animal would inherit some of the good and bad personality traits of that animal. Also, each Chinese year is influenced by whatever animal it falls in. The Year of The Rabbit begins on February 3rd 2011. Most Rabbit years are quiet, positive and inspiring and 2011 looks to be heading in this direction – a refreshing change after the fast-moving and quite dramatic Year of the Tiger. Family, diplomacy and per-sonal development will all be highlighted in 2011. Once again alternative sources of energy and green living will be under the spotlight. The arts and culture sector of society will very busy producing amazing works of art and staging important exhibitions throughout the year. Love, romance and family life are well-starred, with a renewed appreciation of loved ones and friends. Overall, it should be a

2011 The year of the rabbit

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fun and relatively peaceful year. Even though aggression, violence and war zones will still be in evidence, the Chinese Rabbit year favours peaceful solutions and diplomacy, so there will be a feeling that all is not lost and that hope is still very much alive.

RatThe year will be the enthusiasm and high expectations on love. Keep the dialogue and complicity. Good chance of finding a new passion for travel, courses or lectures. You must cross a great time at work, with new business opportunities, successful partnerships and advertising recognition. Use your communica-

tion skills and persuasion. Disagreements will be passengers: the harmony in the family will stand out and reflect on all the moments of joy and fulfillment. In general, you have good health. Attention to the feet, skin, liver and circulatory system.

OxTime of happiness and unity in love. However, this will be a year where not everything goes as you planned. Keep the optimism and determination to succeed at work. Transform your reality with new attitudes. The year is favorable to start projects. At times, feel the need to isolate themselves from

family and make reflections. However, available to the dialogue and you can count on the support of loved ones. In health, avoid stress. Take care of the heart, ear, kidney and sexual organs.

TigerThe period will be peace, harmony and tranquility in love. New encounters and affective ties will stand. The friendships are fa-vored. Year moderate, with good news coming and also some shortcomings. At work, the gains will be slow, but progressive. Keep the focus and determination. Avoid cutting corners, get organized, set realistic limits and stick to deadlines. In the fam-

ily, domestic problems and misunderstandings can be resolved with much dia-logue and understanding. Do not forget that in order to maintain health you must try to balance emotions and reduce excessive anxiety.

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RabbitContingencies affecting their relationship. Seek peace and harmony in love through dialogue and understanding. The new year will enable reap great results at work. Do not be influenced by others and just follow their personal goals. The period is favorable for the realization of projects delayed. Devote themselves body and soul activities. Many moments of understanding and peace in the family, besides the possible return of a loved one. In health care food and digestive system.

DragonYou will have moments of pleasure and satisfaction in love, with good chances of marriage or union. This year prom-ises tranquility and stability.However some unexpected test the flexibility and creativity. There will be opportunity for recognition and advancement. Misunderstanding, changes in routine or structure in the family will require reflection. There may be minor problems in health-related head, joy, or respira-

SnakeTry to balance career, love life and leisure. Cultivate mo-ments of affection in love. This will be a busy year and many responsibilities. Follow your intuition when making impor-tant decisions.The period also allows for travel and good relationships with influential people and important work.

Very fruitful year for those who enjoy reading and studying. Balance, growth and prosperity will mark his relationship with his family. Attention to health prob-lems related to allergies and reproductive system.

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GoatBe careful with love. There is evidence of a strong, passion-ate and domineering, which may even disrupt your life. Avoid emotional dependency and relationship-driven interests. Cultivate your talents and let yourself be guided by inspira-tion. Think positive and remain optimistic in their attitudes. Periods of expansion and good opportunities at work. Expect

weakness and even disruptions in the family, which require their presence. To look after their health, eat a healthy diet and pay attention to the liver

MonkeyThe fellowship period is harmony in love. Great chance to further meetings, in addition to much spells. The year will be good prospects, but you should not risk much. You will need to have patience and lucidity not to act too hastily. The work will be routine to study and improve themselves. With good

humor and willingness, you decided to set-backs in the family. The health is very good, overall. But attention to skin problems and fluid retention, which can cause problems.

Horse Cultivate more understanding and tolerance of your loved one. Avoid superficial relationships. Reduce the excess. The period of activity is not to overwhelm. The period will be favorable to start different projects, a new business or other work. You will have more creativity and had become more sociable, which will help to attract people who will help them

succeed. The year permit good opportunities for family trips. Regarding health, better care of your vision and circulatory system.

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RoosterCultivate harmony and complicity in love. Preserve yourself, avoiding superficial relationships. The year will bring challenges and will require changes at work. This will not always please everyone and you could face some opposition. An explosion of anger tends to undermine his plans. Take time enough, always doing better. It is

likely to pass through times of instability and changes in the family. You will need flexibility and understanding. Avoid anxiety to ward off health problems.

DogEnjoy the good times of peace, harmony and security in love. The romance will be on air in 2011. A good year for transformation and change. Be flexible in your thoughts and avoid stubbornness. Keep calm and trust your intuition at work. There will be good opportunities to start your own business. The family problems will be resolved calmly and reflection. Save energy to preserve

their health. Balance your mind and your emotions. Pay attention to posture and the spin

PigHarmony and tranquility will mark your life in love. Exit the routine and surprise your beloved with sur-prises. Good chance of marriage or union. This year will encourage reflection and self-knowledge. Learn to observe facts in a positive way. Search your goals with enthusiasm and be more optimistic at work. The efforts of recent times will be rewarded. Family life will be peaceful and happy possible health problems

will be temporary. Take care of feeding and exercise.