Nixon Vogelman Slawsky Simoneau January 2019

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INSIDE This Issue

The Day I Met the President

1

My Favorite Podcast Employee Spotlight

2

One Right After the Other

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Happy Year of the Pig!

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Even with the delay, he still finished well before most of the other animals.

NEW YEAR’S MENAGERIE Legend of the Chinese Zodiac

And what about poor Cat? When he woke up to discover he’d missed the race and would be left out of the zodiac, he was enraged. He declared vengeance on Rat, and to this day, cats still hold their grudge against rats. Was there really a celestial race that named each year in the Chinese calendar? Probably not. After all, cats hadn’t been introduced in China when the zodiac calendar was first put into use! But it’s an exciting story and one that’s always fun to tell on the Chinese New Year.

You have probably heard of the Chinese zodiac and the 12 animals that represent each year: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Maybe you already know which animal claims your birth year, and you’re ahead of the game if you know that we’ll be celebrating the Year of the Pig in 2019. But do you know how these specific animals earned such a high honor? According to legend, when the celestial Jade Emperor created a way to measure time, he invited the animals in his kingdom to earn a spot on the zodiac by winning a race. Cat and Rat, who were best friends back then, were both eager to participate. Wanting to be well-rested, Cat took a nap before the race. But when the time for the race came, Rat, who was determined to win, sneaked away without waking his friend. Rat’s cunning didn’t stop there. When the race reached a raging river, Rat secretly climbed on the back of Ox, who was in the lead. When they reached the other side, Rat jumped off, crossing the finish line before Ox

and claiming the first year of the zodiac for his own. The other animals finished the race in the order they appear in the zodiac, each taking a place influenced by their unique traits. Now, you might be wondering how Dragon came in fifth place. Unlike their monstrous brothers in Western mythology, Chinese dragons are wise, helpful creatures. During the race, Dragon saw a village suffering from a terrible drought, so he stopped to help make rain so the farmers’ crops could grow.

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