Here's a puffy little piece written masterfully by Steve Schifferes, economic reporter for the BBC News, a piece that makes a new world economic order seem about as snuggly and cozy as a pair of fuzzy bedroom slippers toasting by the fireside.
Our tootsies must be quite chilled by now.
Apr 2, 2009
Is Obama upping war and revenge?
If you're like me and were hoping that Pres. Obama would NOT escalate the war in Afghanistan, please read Chris Floyd's article Darkness Renewed: Terror as a Tool of Empire.
Baitullah Mehsud's recent threat against Washington, DC, if carried out, would give the US government all the onboard (if scammed again) patriots it needs to keep the revenge cycle rolling and the military industrial complex in charge and flush.
Sometimes the healing concept of 'forgiving the unforgivable' - the only way to end revenge escalation personally or publicly - seems very far away, doesn't it?
Especially with "world leaders" having an anti-peace agenda not in the best interests of the innocent people the ruling class so cavalierly dismiss as 'collateral damage.'
Baitullah Mehsud's recent threat against Washington, DC, if carried out, would give the US government all the onboard (if scammed again) patriots it needs to keep the revenge cycle rolling and the military industrial complex in charge and flush.
Sometimes the healing concept of 'forgiving the unforgivable' - the only way to end revenge escalation personally or publicly - seems very far away, doesn't it?
Especially with "world leaders" having an anti-peace agenda not in the best interests of the innocent people the ruling class so cavalierly dismiss as 'collateral damage.'
Apr 1, 2009
Obama abroad: a view from London and Cupid's Love
Der Spiegel has a report on Pres. Obama arriving at 10 Downing Street, London to excited applause on Wednesday, April 1, 2009.
He's being branded the world's best hope or some such nonsense for one mere mortal to handle and definitely the possibility exists of being set up to fail, because no mortal can help but fall off a golden pedestal of exalted praise and admiration!
Still, this little Pandora is hiding a tiny *ray of hope in the dark corner of society's box of ills. Pandora, the asteroid, now traverses the degree range of 10 - 11 Aquarius - between Jupiter 19AQ+ and North Node (path; destiny; forward destination) 6AQ55 which conjuncts or triggers the 'New President' Eclipse of Jan 26, 2009.
The 11 North Series influence includes finding new groups of people to mix with through travel or ideas, and possibly making greater commitments in relationships - Pres. Obama is certainly mixing with a new set of individuals in Europe this week through both travel and ideas...the G20's haughty international crowd of 'global' players. (Eclipse info: Brady's Predictive Astrology.)
Jupiter-NN as a pair is given by Reinhold Ebertin as 'the *Odyle Force of Baron von Reichenbach' which he researched so diligently under the moon's rays attempting to understand the elusive flow of life force in the living organism.
Another life-force-infused myth of similar flavor is that of the Greek myth of Eros (Roman,Cupid.)
'Eros' in Astrology may be used in love matters, of course, and eroticism, but its 'love at first sight' association - and shooting arrow - adds a piercing quality to the asteroid's meaning when prominent in a chart - and with all that the word may imply in working with Mundane Astrology.
(Even the all-seeing-eye at apex (top) of the 13-step pyramid (on back of a soon-to-disappear, they say) US dollar may be of an Eros turn of glance.)
But speaking of love, I want to mention that I enjoyed the new TV program last evening, Cupid - and am sending its creators kudos for the cool premise and fun plot line!
As for the G20 Summit this week, my sincere hope is that our president is mixing with new groups and making commitments as much on behalf of the American people's best interests as he purports himself to be...yet without ignoring the interests of the rest of the world.
Sheesh, now I'm at it, too - over-expectations!
~:~
*Alan Oken gives Moon sextile Jupiter as the ray of hope aspect. And yes, I have it natally. You didn't guess that, did you? jc
He's being branded the world's best hope or some such nonsense for one mere mortal to handle and definitely the possibility exists of being set up to fail, because no mortal can help but fall off a golden pedestal of exalted praise and admiration!
Still, this little Pandora is hiding a tiny *ray of hope in the dark corner of society's box of ills. Pandora, the asteroid, now traverses the degree range of 10 - 11 Aquarius - between Jupiter 19AQ+ and North Node (path; destiny; forward destination) 6AQ55 which conjuncts or triggers the 'New President' Eclipse of Jan 26, 2009.
The 11 North Series influence includes finding new groups of people to mix with through travel or ideas, and possibly making greater commitments in relationships - Pres. Obama is certainly mixing with a new set of individuals in Europe this week through both travel and ideas...the G20's haughty international crowd of 'global' players. (Eclipse info: Brady's Predictive Astrology.)
Jupiter-NN as a pair is given by Reinhold Ebertin as 'the *Odyle Force of Baron von Reichenbach' which he researched so diligently under the moon's rays attempting to understand the elusive flow of life force in the living organism.
You may wish to view the anatomy of a fanciful representation of the Odyle Force in human form here or skip ahead to the completed version of my drawing Odyle Aura, if you dare.
Another life-force-infused myth of similar flavor is that of the Greek myth of Eros (Roman,Cupid.)
'Eros' in Astrology may be used in love matters, of course, and eroticism, but its 'love at first sight' association - and shooting arrow - adds a piercing quality to the asteroid's meaning when prominent in a chart - and with all that the word may imply in working with Mundane Astrology.
(Even the all-seeing-eye at apex (top) of the 13-step pyramid (on back of a soon-to-disappear, they say) US dollar may be of an Eros turn of glance.)
But speaking of love, I want to mention that I enjoyed the new TV program last evening, Cupid - and am sending its creators kudos for the cool premise and fun plot line!
As for the G20 Summit this week, my sincere hope is that our president is mixing with new groups and making commitments as much on behalf of the American people's best interests as he purports himself to be...yet without ignoring the interests of the rest of the world.
Sheesh, now I'm at it, too - over-expectations!
~:~
*Alan Oken gives Moon sextile Jupiter as the ray of hope aspect. And yes, I have it natally. You didn't guess that, did you? jc
Mar 31, 2009
Old Bush vs New Obama: as the police state turns
From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...
Change
Under the old guy:
"On Monday, March 21, at [a town hall meeting] billed as a "conversation on saving Social Security," I and two friends, Leslie Weise and Karen Bauer, decided to go down and participate in this dialogue. Unfortunately, we were evicted before the President arrived by an as yet unnamed man, because of the content on the bumper sticker of my friend’s car. That bumper sticker said, "No more blood for oil. ... We were parked in the parking lot, stood in line for a half an hour or so, went and sat down in the audience and then were forcibly ejected by a person who was posing as a secret service agent." - Alexander Young April, 2005
One of the latest incidents came when John Sachs, 18, a Johnston High School senior and Democrat, went to see Bush in Clive last week. Sachs got a ticket to the event from school and wanted to ask the president about whether there would be a draft, about the war in Iraq, Social Security and Medicare.. But when he got there, a campaign staffer pulled him aside and made him remove his button that said, "Bush-Cheney '04: Leave No Billionaire Behind." The staffer quizzed him about whether he was a Bush supporter, asked him why he was there and what questions he would be asking the president.. "Then he came back and said, 'If you protest, it won't be me taking you out. It will be a sniper,'" Sachs said. "He said it in such a serious tone it scared the crap out of me."
- Des Moines Register October, 2004
Under the new guy:
"We're going to take questions. All right...Just want to make sure my mike's working here. Here's the deal on questions. First of all, we didn't screen anybody. So there's some people who like me in the audience, some people that don't. Some people agree with me, some people who don't. It doesn't matter. We want to take questions from everybody."
- Pres. Obama, town hall meeting, Elkhart, Indiana Feb, 2009
~:~
A shout-out of thanks goes to my friend Alex D'Atria from Modern Astrology who sent along the above information.
Change
Under the old guy:
"On Monday, March 21, at [a town hall meeting] billed as a "conversation on saving Social Security," I and two friends, Leslie Weise and Karen Bauer, decided to go down and participate in this dialogue. Unfortunately, we were evicted before the President arrived by an as yet unnamed man, because of the content on the bumper sticker of my friend’s car. That bumper sticker said, "No more blood for oil. ... We were parked in the parking lot, stood in line for a half an hour or so, went and sat down in the audience and then were forcibly ejected by a person who was posing as a secret service agent." - Alexander Young April, 2005
One of the latest incidents came when John Sachs, 18, a Johnston High School senior and Democrat, went to see Bush in Clive last week. Sachs got a ticket to the event from school and wanted to ask the president about whether there would be a draft, about the war in Iraq, Social Security and Medicare.. But when he got there, a campaign staffer pulled him aside and made him remove his button that said, "Bush-Cheney '04: Leave No Billionaire Behind." The staffer quizzed him about whether he was a Bush supporter, asked him why he was there and what questions he would be asking the president.. "Then he came back and said, 'If you protest, it won't be me taking you out. It will be a sniper,'" Sachs said. "He said it in such a serious tone it scared the crap out of me."
- Des Moines Register October, 2004
Under the new guy:
"We're going to take questions. All right...Just want to make sure my mike's working here. Here's the deal on questions. First of all, we didn't screen anybody. So there's some people who like me in the audience, some people that don't. Some people agree with me, some people who don't. It doesn't matter. We want to take questions from everybody."
- Pres. Obama, town hall meeting, Elkhart, Indiana Feb, 2009
~:~
A shout-out of thanks goes to my friend Alex D'Atria from Modern Astrology who sent along the above information.
Sen. Ted Kennedy returns to work Mar 31, 2009!
Having just heard the news, I want to share with you that cancer patient Senator Ted Kennedy is back in the Senate saddle today!
Chomsky video on the economy + Spitzer, Afghanistan, Wall Street, and Obama
Article Round-Up March 31, 2009:
"Graveyard of Empires. Welcome to Vietnam, Mr. President"
By Ray McGovern
The chickens are coming home to roost after eight years of Cheney and Bush, but there is no sign that President Obama is listening to anyone capable of fresh thinking on Afghanistan. Obama has apparently decided to stay in the chicken coop. And that can be called, well, chicken.
Putting A New Coat on a Failed Strategy
By Ron Jacobs
Washington and its NATO cohorts will stay in Afghanistan until the world is safe from Al-Qaeda. Left unsaid by Obama, just like it was unsaid by George Bush, is the reality that foreign troops killing Afghans and Pakistanis has done very little to end the supposed threat from Al-Qaeda.
It's a bird...It's a plane...No, it's Spitzer to the Rescue
By Mike Whitney
If Obama is serious about restoring confidence in the markets, he should replace current SEC chief Mary Schapiro with Eliot Spitzer. That would send a message to the world that the president is through messing around. Schapiro is another Wall Street today who believes the markets can regulate themselves.
Noam Chomsky on the Economy and Democracy: Video & Transcript
Chomsky: Plan is recycled recycled Bush-Paulson. We need nationalization and steps towards democratization.
Obama's Attack on the Middle Class
By Paul Craig Roberts
If the tax rate on a multi-million dollar annual income goes up by 5 percentage points, the cutbacks won't really affect the lifestyle.
The Absurdity of Spending US Tax Dollars on Israel
By PAUL J. BALLES
Paul J. Balles argues that if enough ordinary Americans "feel the pinch and connect the dots between their own financial losses and America's continued unbridled support of Israel's devastating war machine, Israel could be forced to make peace with the Palestinians.
~:~
During his second term, Pres. Ronald Reagan, laboring under many difficult transits to the US natal chart in the late 80s-early 90s, declared March 21, 1989 to be "Afghanistan Day" - more than a little imperialistic and insensitive of him, I'd say.
America had done many things to undermine the Soviet Union while their troops occupied Afghanistan including the CIA working with Osama bin Laden and approving of his setting up al Qaeda.
So I took a peek at a chart for March 21, 1989, noon, Washington, DC and saw the trio of Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus (4 - 14 Cap) opposing America's natal planets in Cancer - difficult transits for US authority, aims, relationships, and values.
And since the pair of Saturn-Uranus, (fresh from their Great Conjunction/s of 1988 - Feb 13, June 26, and Oct 18 in the 27 - 30 Sagittarius range) represent, on one level, the Middle East (particularly Israel-Palestine), you may wish to know the midpoint picture formed by the trio marking the idealistically named, 'Afghanistan Day'...with Neptune signifying oil, gas, water, ideals, dreams, drugs including poppies, and the veils of deception (including self-deception)...
Saturn-Uranus = Neptune: a new vision fighting to be understood; feeling lost; the inability to face emotional stress; falsehood or malice caused through weakness; resigning oneself to the inevitable; abandoning resistance; weakening strength; separation; bereavement.
With the Sun in a national chart signifying the nation's leader, we may assume one situation described by these transits was Reagan's weakening health and mind - his sleepiness was harder to hide from the public than FDR's wheel chair had been.
Another midpoint picture from that day involves the pair of Jupiter and Uranus, whose synthesized energies represent optimism, lucky breaks, far-sightedness, organizers and inventors, among other things (Ebertin.)
Jupiter-Uranus = Mercury: gathering of ample knowledge (intell?); a fortunate turn in one's occupation; a person with an abundance of thoughts; planning on success; a series of fortunate breaks. (All midpoint pics from Tyl and Ebertin.)
And so we are reminded that Astrology describes the complexity of life as positive transits occur simultaneously with more negative ones. Planets retrograde (seem to move backward), then turn direct and 'hit' or contact our planets more than once which extends the length of time the transits affect us...more time to get things right, to understand, to work it out better 'this time.'
Now thuggish Pluto is making his weight felt in opposition to America's natal planets in Cancer (the same ones mentioned above in the 3 - 14 degree range) - Pluto in Capricorn, sign of authority and control - and we face difficult times once again with a president whose job it is to deal with it.
Venus, Jupiter, and Sun...luxuries and values, money, ego, the things America holds dear, are under siege. But as with personal charts we may remember the one factor that Astrology brings to the table, the element of Time.
And the wisdom to know that all good things - and bad things - must come to an end.
~:~
Evening Update: I return to find that Juan Cole has written on Pres. Obama's apparent Domino Theory for Afghanistan as he uses the same old boogeyman rhetoric favored by his predecessor in the Oval Office.
"Graveyard of Empires. Welcome to Vietnam, Mr. President"
By Ray McGovern
The chickens are coming home to roost after eight years of Cheney and Bush, but there is no sign that President Obama is listening to anyone capable of fresh thinking on Afghanistan. Obama has apparently decided to stay in the chicken coop. And that can be called, well, chicken.
Putting A New Coat on a Failed Strategy
By Ron Jacobs
Washington and its NATO cohorts will stay in Afghanistan until the world is safe from Al-Qaeda. Left unsaid by Obama, just like it was unsaid by George Bush, is the reality that foreign troops killing Afghans and Pakistanis has done very little to end the supposed threat from Al-Qaeda.
It's a bird...It's a plane...No, it's Spitzer to the Rescue
By Mike Whitney
If Obama is serious about restoring confidence in the markets, he should replace current SEC chief Mary Schapiro with Eliot Spitzer. That would send a message to the world that the president is through messing around. Schapiro is another Wall Street today who believes the markets can regulate themselves.
Noam Chomsky on the Economy and Democracy: Video & Transcript
Chomsky: Plan is recycled recycled Bush-Paulson. We need nationalization and steps towards democratization.
Obama's Attack on the Middle Class
By Paul Craig Roberts
If the tax rate on a multi-million dollar annual income goes up by 5 percentage points, the cutbacks won't really affect the lifestyle.
The Absurdity of Spending US Tax Dollars on Israel
By PAUL J. BALLES
Paul J. Balles argues that if enough ordinary Americans "feel the pinch and connect the dots between their own financial losses and America's continued unbridled support of Israel's devastating war machine, Israel could be forced to make peace with the Palestinians.
~:~
During his second term, Pres. Ronald Reagan, laboring under many difficult transits to the US natal chart in the late 80s-early 90s, declared March 21, 1989 to be "Afghanistan Day" - more than a little imperialistic and insensitive of him, I'd say.
America had done many things to undermine the Soviet Union while their troops occupied Afghanistan including the CIA working with Osama bin Laden and approving of his setting up al Qaeda.
So I took a peek at a chart for March 21, 1989, noon, Washington, DC and saw the trio of Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus (4 - 14 Cap) opposing America's natal planets in Cancer - difficult transits for US authority, aims, relationships, and values.
And since the pair of Saturn-Uranus, (fresh from their Great Conjunction/s of 1988 - Feb 13, June 26, and Oct 18 in the 27 - 30 Sagittarius range) represent, on one level, the Middle East (particularly Israel-Palestine), you may wish to know the midpoint picture formed by the trio marking the idealistically named, 'Afghanistan Day'...with Neptune signifying oil, gas, water, ideals, dreams, drugs including poppies, and the veils of deception (including self-deception)...
Saturn-Uranus = Neptune: a new vision fighting to be understood; feeling lost; the inability to face emotional stress; falsehood or malice caused through weakness; resigning oneself to the inevitable; abandoning resistance; weakening strength; separation; bereavement.
With the Sun in a national chart signifying the nation's leader, we may assume one situation described by these transits was Reagan's weakening health and mind - his sleepiness was harder to hide from the public than FDR's wheel chair had been.
Another midpoint picture from that day involves the pair of Jupiter and Uranus, whose synthesized energies represent optimism, lucky breaks, far-sightedness, organizers and inventors, among other things (Ebertin.)
Jupiter-Uranus = Mercury: gathering of ample knowledge (intell?); a fortunate turn in one's occupation; a person with an abundance of thoughts; planning on success; a series of fortunate breaks. (All midpoint pics from Tyl and Ebertin.)
And so we are reminded that Astrology describes the complexity of life as positive transits occur simultaneously with more negative ones. Planets retrograde (seem to move backward), then turn direct and 'hit' or contact our planets more than once which extends the length of time the transits affect us...more time to get things right, to understand, to work it out better 'this time.'
Now thuggish Pluto is making his weight felt in opposition to America's natal planets in Cancer (the same ones mentioned above in the 3 - 14 degree range) - Pluto in Capricorn, sign of authority and control - and we face difficult times once again with a president whose job it is to deal with it.
Venus, Jupiter, and Sun...luxuries and values, money, ego, the things America holds dear, are under siege. But as with personal charts we may remember the one factor that Astrology brings to the table, the element of Time.
And the wisdom to know that all good things - and bad things - must come to an end.
~:~
Evening Update: I return to find that Juan Cole has written on Pres. Obama's apparent Domino Theory for Afghanistan as he uses the same old boogeyman rhetoric favored by his predecessor in the Oval Office.
Mar 30, 2009
Track volcanic clouds from Alaska's Mt Redoubt
Space Weather News for March 30, 2009
MT. REDOUBT: Alaska's Mt. Redoubt volcano has erupted at least 19 times since March 22, and several of the most powerful blasts have spewed clouds of ash and sulfurous gas into the lower stratosphere.
The last time an Alaskan volcano blew its top (Kasatochi in August 2008), similar clouds caused fantastic sunsets around the Northern Hemisphere.
Today's edition of SpaceWeather News features satellite maps of Mt. Redoubt's sulfur dioxide emissions. Using these maps, we can track the volcanic clouds as they drift around the globe and be alert for unusual sunsets and other phenomena when they pass nearby.
Visit SpaceWeather.com for more information and updates.
MT. REDOUBT: Alaska's Mt. Redoubt volcano has erupted at least 19 times since March 22, and several of the most powerful blasts have spewed clouds of ash and sulfurous gas into the lower stratosphere.
The last time an Alaskan volcano blew its top (Kasatochi in August 2008), similar clouds caused fantastic sunsets around the Northern Hemisphere.
Today's edition of SpaceWeather News features satellite maps of Mt. Redoubt's sulfur dioxide emissions. Using these maps, we can track the volcanic clouds as they drift around the globe and be alert for unusual sunsets and other phenomena when they pass nearby.
Visit SpaceWeather.com for more information and updates.
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