"That's how it goes......"

Senator Bernie Sanders has done what had to be done, in current circumstances, to try to ensure that he and others representing his views will be at the table when important policy decisions are being made. If, by some circumstance that turns out not to be the case, the fact that Sanders ran in this primary, did well, kept his word - hard as that must have been for him, says far more about Senator Sanders than it does about the legion of his sell-out former supporters. They have been cruelly denigrating him, after his endorsement of Hillary Clinton, during past days. So...they now say they are determined to vote for the Green Party's Jill Stein. She can't win, the Party isn't on every state's ballot. Even if, through some amazing circumstance, she had the possibility of a win - would she be allowed to? Really? The same thing, or something far worse, would in all likelihood, happen to Ms Stein as has happened to Bernie : "not allowed".

If only more voters had supported Bernie Sanders, made the primary into an uncontrollable landslide, that could have changed things - made the "not allowed" into "try and stop it now!" The voters didn't do that though...too many remained too blind, or misguided by others, to recognise a good thing when it was right under their noses!

The fault is not in Bernie, the fault is in the USA's culture of fearing anything resembling socialism, and in being duped by neo-liberalism under the label "Democratic". Bernie Sanders' policies hardly resemble socialism anyway, as any expert would confirm. There's paranoia in the USA, paranoia so deep, handed down from McCarthyism and still, in 2016, too many remain unable to see past it.

There has been no proper left-wing politics in the USA for too long. The powers that be prefer it to remain that way, and will make it their business to see that it does. It'll take several more elections, some catastrophic out-turns and drastic events before the truth finally dawns.

The best, fairest and sanest piece, about Senator Sanders, I read at the weekend is by William Rivers Pitt at Smirking Chimp:
The Long Victory of Bernie Sanders


Not forgetting that it's Music Monday:

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows.......

(From Everybody Knows by Leonard Cohen)

Sung by Don Henley

When will this spate of madness end?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Zodiacal Aggravation

I came upon this light-weight, fairly light-hearted ramble through the zodiac signs
(Sun-sign-wise) in

The Best of the Illustrated National Astrological Journal 1934

- a volume I found in an antique store on our travels years ago:

Aggravating the Zodiac - Advice to Belligerents and Tips on the Art of Peace Making, by Ellen McCaffery

I've copy-typed the piece here. The original used "he" throughout, I've changed those references to "he/she" or "their" to make it clearly all-inclusive.

As astrology fans are well aware, Sun sign related edicts are not always 100% reliable. If your Sun sign paragraph isn't recognisable to you as "you" in this context, take a look until you find a paragraph that fits well, then look at your natal chart. I bet you'll find that you have personal planet(s) in that sign or, if you know your time of birth, your rising sign is "it". Image below has reminders of date spans for each zodiac sign.

Aries
Keep an Aries person waiting for hours on end, then give a long-winded explanation as to why you are late. Insist on both of you wearing headgear or carrying an umbrella in the rain, and such trivialities will arouse the Aries temper to boiling point. Aries will walk out slam the door vigorously. Next day, in trying to make amends, Aries is called asking for their help to fix some equipment of yours that's out of order, and "nobody can fix it quite as well as you" - a promise that they'll be there "on the dot of" 8pm might ensue. Aries admires positiveness, for there is no zodiacal sign quite so positive as Aries. Peace-making may be stormy but can be done...until next time.

Taureans, unlike Arians, are notably late-arrivers. If you wish to make one completely enraged, don't wait when he/she is late. Try to hurry anyone born under the sign of the Bull, and you will have snorting anger on your hands. Hurt his/her feelings by leaving him out of the festivities you plan. The old adage, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", might have been said of Venus on the occasion when she was denied the prize apple and left out of a party, and as Taurus is ruled by Venus, draw your own conclusions. Nasty, slighting remarks concerning the success of your affair will be made. When you have thoroughly aggravated your Taurean, wait until he/she has had time to stop sulking, for if his/her anger is really aroused you'll have to wait for your own safety, until he/she cools off. Then, meet him/her "accidentally" someplace, or get an intermediary to arrange it. Upon seeing you, his/her old
habit of being nice to you will take precedence over his/her anger. Be pleasant and he/she'll be at your feet again.

To rile a Gemini is one of the easiest things you can think of, and he/she is equally easy to placate, for the memory of the Twins is not long. They are as volatile as steam but highly intelligent, so to make one angry, criticize his/her mental processes. Insist on pinning him/her down to details. Weep on his/her shoulder, but don't let him/her dampen yours with his/her grief. After all this is accomplished, you will have a highly irritated Gemini. To make up, don't do anything but pursue your ordinary course and call that evening.

For all the home-loving, peaceful nature of the Cancerian, he/she is worse than a catastrophe of nature when aroused, so don't start to pick a fight, for in all probability you won't last long enough to make peace. The only way to bring about harmony again, once it is disrupted, is to prime one of your friends to say harsh things about you, and he/she will rush to the rescue.

A Leo is so thoroughly complacent and sure of himself that ridicule touches him not, so don't take this tack during the aggravating process. He/she will merely think you a fool, but he/she does love a good fight, so you can expect a jolly time if he/she gets mad. The way to bring about this condition is to introduce him/her to another Leo, and leave them to settle the conflict. Annoy his/her light-o'-love, and he/she will rise to the defense immediately. Put him/her in an inferior position and hurt their pride. That is the Leo "Achilles heel" - pride. The last bit of advice is to be used only when you wish to remove a Leo permanently from the scene of activity. Don't employ that in a an ordinary friendly or lovers' spat, for you will find there is no Leo on your horizon to make up with. For peace, after a small quarrel, though, just make known your real affection/respect and the depth of it, and all will be lovely.

Offend Virgo's love of detail when he/she is preparing long columns of statistics, if you wish trouble. Make loud noises of any kind when he/she is occupied; argue with him/her about their diet. Insist on a quick decision, for the Virgo mind must weigh every detail before a ponderous opinion is expressed. Insult his/her sense of the fitness of things by splitting infinitives; he/she can't stand bad grammar. When you've worn his/her nerves to the ragged edge, insist you were in the wrong. He/she knows that, but likes to be told, for it soothes his/her wounded vanity.

Librans don't like to fight, so they fade gracefully away if strife gets too thick, but there are a few things that disturb the sign of harmony. One is to make him/her get their hands dirty doing manual labor. That has no part in the Libra scheme of existence. Criticize their clothes or try to make them hurry. If you do upset his/her equilibrium he/she becomes moody. But remember this: he or she can find ready consolation with another and more sympathetic individual, so don't delay with the peace offering.

Our advice concerning the aggravation of Scorpios is - don't! They always get you in the long run. He/she won't show wild emotion as the Cancerian does - his/hers is a cold icy wind from the North, full of sharp, stinging remarks that hurt no end. If you do have the misfortune to fight with a Scorpio, you may be sure that, although it appears so on the surface, things will never be the same again. Give them the last word, and either make the best of it or gently disappear from the scene.

Sagittarius is the sign of theories, so to anger one, pull his or her pet theory to pieces. Limit him/her in anything and he/she's done for, as they like the whole world as their field of activity. Accuse him/her of lack of chivalry or generosity, and to cap the climax, talk about your trips when he/she wants to talk about his/hers. Don't do anything after a scrap - a Sagittarian thinks that you've gotten over being angry as quickly as he/she has.

Capricorn represents dignity and ambition, so to anger one, offend that overweening confidence and pride of his/hers. Make ribald remarks when he is trying to make an impression, and find fault with him/her. When time comes for an armistice to be signed, the Capricornian will work all around the cause for anger but never mention it directly. He/she finds the hardest task in the world admitting that he/she was wrong.

Aquarian anger is a bit heavy-footed, for this subject often blunders into a battle, rather than seeks it. But to irritate Aquarius thoroughly, delve into the past and drag it up for him/her. He/she can see nothing but the bright future of a coming age. Pooh-pooh his/her ideals and you have him/her in a veritable stew. Tell him/her long stories and make him/her listen. His/her temper is quick and on a hair edge, and you may find yourself involved in a scrap when you least expect it, by unwittingly treading on his/her figurative toes. To patch up the rents in friendship though, wait until he/she has exhausted his/her energy and he/she'll do the peace-making. An Aquarian in a rage is like a tornado, suddenly there and suddenly gone, so the best policy is not to pick a fight.

Pisceans find themselves in the clouds, so to make one mad, bring him/her down from their heavenly perch. Talk practically to him/her - they have no use for it. Disparage their successes, lay them to luck rather than their own efforts, and then tell him/her they are an ingrate. As a Piscean doesn't deliberately lie, but rather brilliantly embroiders the truth until it is a beautiful rainbow-colored story, the best thing to do in angering him/her is to tear large holes in the delicate gossamer of their tales. In making up, remember that you, and you alone were the cause of friction, regardless of the true facts. He/she dotes on martyrdom, so let him/her feel abused. But give him or her to understand that you are one of the few souls alive who "understands" him/her, watch the Piscean fold delightedly up on your bosom, and all is well.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Ernie Barnes

Ernie Barnes, a former professional football player, was born this day: 15 July in 1938. He became a successful figurative painter, known for depictions of athletes and ordinary people at sport, work and play. His signature was muscled, elongated characters, expressing palpable energy.

As I looked at the Google Image page of his artwork I thought: bet he had Mars prominent in his natal chart - I can feel it!

From an obituary by Elaine Woo in the LA Times, in 2009, when Mr Barnes died, from complications of a rare blood disorder, aged 70.

Barnes was a child of the segregated South who transcended racial barriers to play for the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers before pursuing his real dream: to be an artist. He became the official artist of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, whose insights from his trials on the gridiron resulted in powerful, sometimes haunting portraits of agility, strength and the emotional costs of fierce competition.

His style, which critics have described as neo-Mannerist, became familiar to a prime-time television audience in the mid-1970s when producer Norman Lear hired Barnes to "ghost" the paintings by the Jimmie Walker character "J.J." in the groundbreaking African American sitcom "Good Times."

As the backdrop for the show's closing credits, Lear used Barnes' 1971 painting "Sugar Shack," his most famous work. Singer Marvin Gaye later adapted the painting as the cover art for his 1976 album, "I Want You."

"Sugar Shack" shows a Brueghel-like mass of bodies, writhing and jumping to the rhythms in a black jazz club. There is joy, tension and despair in the canvas, which Barnes once said was inspired by a memory of being barred from attending a dance when he was a child. As in nearly all of his paintings, the subjects' eyes are closed, a reflection of the artist's oft-stated belief that "we are blind to each other's humanity."


Singer-songwriter Bill Withers, who was close to Barnes during the last decade of his life, said the artist often spoke of wanting to educate people through his art.

"He meant getting people to look past the superficial into the real vulnerable parts of themselves," said Withers, for whom Barnes completed his last major commission, a painting inspired by Withers' 1971 hit "Grandma's Hands." "He wanted to help people peel away that layer of protection that we all wear to ward off any intrusion into our real private thoughts. He didn't mind people looking deeper into him. I found that fascinating."

Barnes was born into a working-class family in Durham, N.C., on July 15, 1938. His father was a shipping clerk for a large tobacco company, and his mother was a domestic for a wealthy attorney. She brought home books and records that her employer no longer wanted and used them to broaden the cultural horizons of her three sons. She encouraged them to draw pictures from their imaginations instead of using coloring books. The shy and overweight Ernie began drawing to escape from the taunts of his schoolmates. (More at the link.)

ASTROLOGY, briefly:

What did I say at the top of the post?
Yes!
Sun conjunct Mars - and Pluto.
This is a 12noon chart as Mr Barnes' time of birth isn't known. Natal Moon might have been in late Aquarius or early Pisces - hard to guess which. If pressed, I'd gamble on Aquarius due to the artist's gravitation to depicting groups of people; and his comment, as mentioned above: "..in nearly all of his paintings, the subjects' eyes are closed, a reflection of the artist's oft-stated belief that "we are blind to each other's humanity." I guess that could reflect Piscean sensitivity too though, so Moon position remains a mystery.

Women in Power ~ Golda Meir

Following yesterday's theme, here's another re-run, this of a blog post of mine from 2008. (Once again, apologies if any links within the post are now defunct.)

A few women throughout history have broken that legendary glass ceiling and progressed onward and upward to eventually lead their countries, Golda Meir was one of these. She became Prime Minister of Israel on 17 March 1969.

Golda was born in Kiev, Ukraine and emigrated in childhood with her parents to the USA where she was educated. In 1917 she moved to live in Palestine, after Britain had declared its support for a Jewish homeland there. She and her husband lived on a kibbutz. Continuing with extracts from here

"There, despite her fear of chickens, she became an expert on raising poultry. Soon, she was representing the kibbutz at meetings of the Histadrut, Israel’s General Federation of Labor.

While now an Israeli, Golda’s early years in America shaped her thinking and her career –not to mention her spoken Hebrew --which was filled with English-sounding pronunciations—and helped lay the groundwork for her rapid rise in Israeli politics. In 1928, Golda was offered a job with Histadrut’s Council of Women Workers, which she accepted....... A charismatic speaker, she rapidly became a spokeswoman for Histadrut and later the world Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency, and was particularly effective raising funds from Americans.

When Golda was elected to the Knesset in 1949, David Ben Gurion appointed her Minister of Labor. In 1956, he promoted her to Foreign Minister, the second highest cabinet post. Renouncing the pomp associated with diplomacy, according to Pogrebin, Meir "entertained foreign dignitaries in her kitchen, in an apron, serving them her homemade pastry along with a stern lecture on Israel’s security." Diagnosed with lymphoma, Golda retired from government service in 1966 but three years later she was persuaded by the Labor Party to come out of retirement to serve as Prime Minister.

In the early 1970’s, polls revealed that Golda was the most respected woman in America, despite the fact that she was no longer an American. Nevertheless, Golda’s stint as national leader ended sadly when Israel suffered heavy losses in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Blamed for Israel’s military unpreparedness, Meir resigned in June of 1974. In the years before her death in 1978, Golda earned the status and affection accorded an elder stateswoman. Golda Meir now ranks as one of the great female heads of state in modern history."

Golda Meir born 3 May 1898 in Kiev, Ukraine (12 noon chart used as no time of birth is known)



This chart has not reproduced well - for clarification: Sun & Mercury in Taurus. Mars in Aries. Neptune, Pluto and Venus in Gemini. Jupiter (and maybe the Moon) in Libra, Uranus and Saturn in Sagittarius. Moon's Nodes and Vertex/anti-Vertex in Cancer/Capricorn.

[For further clarity there are natal charts for Golda Meir at Astrodatabank]

Without a time of birth, what's to be seen in the chart is fairly limited, but what I see first is the Mystic Rectangle formed by trines, sextiles and oppositions (I've marked it on the chart), closely integrating at least four planets. Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Uranus, with Saturn and perhaps the Moon near enough to be included too. These planets are in Air and Fire signs, bringing a predominantly masculine/positive polarity strongly into focus.
A good explanation of the Mystic Rectangle configuration can be found here

There's a nice combination of signs emphasised in Golda's chart - Sagittarius, Libra and Gemini bring diplomacy, fairness, philosophical outlook and good communication skills. Mars in its own sign of Aries brings determination, energy and strength. The Sun and Mercury within three degrees of each other in earthy, sensible but stubborn Taurus came to mind as I read this in above extracts :"Meir entertained foreign dignitaries in her kitchen, in an apron, serving them her homemade pastry along with a stern lecture on Israel’s security"

Taurus Sun/Mercury are quincunx (150 degrees) Saturn in Sagittarius, which indicates some internal conflict between incompatible elements, perhaps reflected in Golda's concentration on her poltical work rather than home and family, which may have resulted in the failure of her marriage in 1945. She once said hereself:"At work, you think of the children you've left at home. At home, you think of the work you've left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself, your heart is rent."

There's a very brief soundclip of Golda Meir speaking of her hopes for the future HERE

A few more quotes from this great lady:

With regard to President Richard Nixon, with whom she is pictured here
"As President Nixon says, presidents can do almost anything, and President Nixon has done many things that nobody would have thought of doing"

"To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don't be."

AND - "Don't be humble, you're not that great.” (But she was both!)

Women in Power ~ Benazir Bhutto

This is a blog post of mine, originally published in the summer of 2007, about Benazir Bhutto a woman I much admired. (Apologies, should any link within the post be now defunct).

There has been one piece of good news this week, amid the gloom.
See HERE"Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, has agreed to drop corruption charges against Benazir Bhutto to allow her to return to Islamabad as part of a power-sharing deal, the former prime minister has claimed.

Ms Bhutto, the leader of the Pakistan People's Party who lives in self-imposed exile in London, and Gen Musharraf, who is beset by challenges to his eight-year rule, are near to a deal that would pave the way for the general to be re-elected as president and Ms Bhutto to return to contest parliamentary elections."

and HERE, from Nathan Gardels:

"LONDON -- By returning to Pakistan and leading her party in October's elections, the pro-American Bhutto will fundamentally alter the way the "war on terror" is being waged in this frontline state. She offered me this analysis in London on Wednesday:

There are moments in history that prove decisive and mark a turning point for the future. The American Civil War was such a moment in the United States. The fall of the Berlin Wall was such a moment for Germany and the European Union. Today is Pakistan's moment of truth. Decisions made now will determine whether extremism and terrorism can be contained in Pakistan to save it from internal collapse. The stability of not just Pakistan but the civilized world is at stake."

I've long admired Benazir Bhutto. I don't fully understand the corruption scandals which led to her exile, and somehow doubt that things were exactly as portrayed by her adversaries. Her platform was always leftist, including food for the hungry, health care, jobs, slum clearance and a monthly minimum wage. She has been opposed by Islamic fundamentalists.

I can see only good coming from her return to her homeland. She has suffered a great deal of hardship in life for the sake of her political career. See HERE for more detail and an excellent summary of her life so far.



Ms Bhutto has a natal stellium in Libra at midheaven - very good placements for politician or diplomat. Three natal planets in Cancer, including Mars within 5 degrees of Sun in Gemini, Jupiter also in Gemini, and Venus in Taurus.
The mix of Libra, Cancer and Gemini indicates a beautiful blend of tact, compassion and caring with an agile mind.

The current Mars/Jupiter opposition is touching Ms Bhutto's natal Jupiter at 10 Gemini - it must surely have something to do with this turn of events?

These paragraphs give us some idea of what she has gone through in the past - the period during the summer of 1981 she describes below coincided with the transit of
Pluto over her natal Moon/Neptune/Saturn conjunction at midheaven, in Libra !

"Bhutto's persecution began in earnest after the dismissal of her father's government in 1977 and his execution in 1979 as she intensified her denunciations of Zia and sought to organize a political movement against him. Repeatedly put under house arrest, she was finally imprisoned under solitary confinement in a desert cell in Sindh province during the summer of 1981. Bhutto described the hellish conditions in her wall less cage in "Daughter of Destiny":

"The summer heat turned my cell into an oven. My skin split and peeled, coming off my hands in sheets. Boils erupted on my face. My hair, which had always been thick, began to come out by the handful. Insects crept into the cell like invading armies. Grasshoppers, mosquitoes, stinging flies, bees and bugs came up through the cracks in the floor and through the open bars from the courtyard. Big black ants, cockroaches, seething clumps of little red ants and spiders. I tried pulling the sheet over my head at night to hide from their bites, pushing it back when it got too hot to breathe."

Released in 1984, she went into exile in Britain until 1986, when martial law was lifted in Pakistan"

A quote from this very brave lady:

"You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea."

On 27 December 2007, Benazir Bhutto was killed while leaving a campaign rally for the PPP at Liaquat National Bagh in the run-up to the January 2008 parliamentary elections. After entering her bulletproof vehicle, Bhutto stood up through its sunroof to wave to the crowds. At this point, a gunman fired shots at her, and subsequently explosives were detonated near the vehicle killing approximately 20 people. Bhutto was critically wounded and was rushed to Rawalpindi General Hospital. She was taken into surgery at 17:35 local time, and pronounced dead at 18:16. The cause of death, whether it was gunshot wounds, the explosion, or a combination thereof, was not fully determined until February 2008. (WIKIPEDIA)

A footnote from my blog post later the same year:

Although I didn't actually try to predict anything in my post last summer [above], my comment that "nothing but good can come of her return to Pakistan" was most unwise. I finished the post with some of her words: "You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea." I hope her ideas will not die with her.
R.I.P. Benazir Bhutto - the world could ill afford to lose you, especially at this point in history.

Bernie Endorsed Hillary

It had to happen, it was always going to happen, in spite of what many of Bernie's supporters were suggesting.

Bernie Sanders declared, from very early in his campaign that, should he be the loser he would support the Democratic nominee. He has held out from doing so for as long as he could, while attempting to have some of his campaign issues included in the party platform (wobbly though that platform may prove to be, in time), and to edge Hillary Clinton leftward in her stances.

I watched the whole joint Hillary/Bernie campaign speeches from New Hampshire this morning, felt for him, and for his legion of supporters.

I hope some benefit accrues to Bernie for his efforts on behalf of the Democrats, I hope he will attain some prominent position in the next administration - he certainly deserves it. I shall always remain a fan, as I had been for years, long before the 2016 campaign began. I shall continue to trust his judgment and integrity, whatever happens from now on.

Hillary Clinton's speech was fair to Bernie, and for that much I'm happy.

Women in Power

An interesting piece by British astrologer Marjorie Orr on women in power and Saturn/Neptune:
Saturn Neptune turning the focus on women

I'm glad that the UK will have some capable hands to steer it through choppy waters ahead; though Theresa May would not be my cup-of-tea, politically, as Prime Minister in ordinary times, these times are far from ordinary. She is now Prime Minister elect, just awaiting Cameron's visit to Her Majesty the Queen. Ms May will no doubt be visiting Buck House too. My recent post on Ms May and her astrology is HERE.

Music Monday ~ Neat Tweets

I have a Twitter account, but don't use it much for its main purpose. I've recently been reading threads in the # hashtag menu where a kind of game is sometimes played using song titles, book or movie titles - there's almost always something to bring on a grin, and occasionally a LOL.

At the weekend a # "Songs with Lower Expectations" appeared. I decided to borrow a few Tweets from the long thread for this Music Monday. I feel sure there'd have been an easier way to copy Tweets than the way I did - ham-fistedly, but here are some I enjoyed, followed by a few I made up myself (but didn't Tweet).

My own ideas for Songs With Lower Expectations:

Fools Saunter In

Half an Hour in the Life

A Half Litre Bottle of You

Stranger in a Boring City

The Night They Invented 3.2 Beer

Send in the Cleaners

Free State & Bears

Good stuff seen this week : Free State of Jones at the cinema; and the bears on Bearcam. If that Bearcam link no longer works, a Google search for Bearcam will provide others. I find watching it to be nicely relaxing, the sound of the water as well as the visual treats.

Matthew McConaughey has lately been showing us that he's a serious actor. His early films used him as pure chick-flick bait, lightweight in acting demands. In recent years Matthew (I'll call him by his first name because I simply cannot remember how to spell his surname) has proved what he really can do given the opportunity: in Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar, Season 1 of TV series True Detective; and The Lincoln Lawyer for example he's proved he's a lot more than simply Texas cheesecake. That pattern continues in Free State of Jones.

Free State of Jones is a deadly serious movie, unlike most others on offer at this time of year. It's really a history lesson made palatable by excellent performances, by Matthew and a cast of mostly unknown (to me) actors, both black and white.

Much that was relevant in the mid 19th century, when the movie is set, is still sadly relevant today, in different ways or contexts. I've read a couple of reviews since seeing the film, one applauding it, one not as keen. I understand there are some which really pan the film badly. To each their own! I'm very glad to have seen it, was never bored at any point during the 2 hours and 19 minutes of its run-time.

There's a very good piece at Smithsonian website outlining the long painstaking research period undertaken by Gary Ross, the film's director. Even for anyone not seeing the movie, I think this article's detail of the story would be of general interest .

In a nutshell, Free State of Jones, necessarily fictionalised in places, is the fact-based story of a poor white Mississippi yeoman farmer, Newton Knight (played by Matthew M), during the time of the Civil War and after. Knight discovered an unexpected "calling". He deserted from his nurse/orderly post in the Confederate army, during a bloody battle (the early scenes in the film had me covering my eyes), to return the body of a very young kinsman to his mother. Knight had become so disenchanted with the war, enough so that he was to remain a deserter, continually on the run. He threw in his lot with a group of runaway slaves. The group was joined, in time, by other local opposers of the war, runaway slaves and men and women whose homes and livelihoods had been destroyed by Confederate forces.

After many challenges, changes and much heart-searching there was established by Newton Knight and his followers, in Jones County within the state of Mississippi, the tiny "Free State of Jones". Within this Free State all, regardless of colour of their skin, were considered equal. There were some problems in that regard along the way, but it was due to Newt Knight's strong personality and leadership skills that most were smoothed.

 Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw)

There's little time for romance in this movie. Knight manages to keep both his original wife and family, together with a new black lover, Rachel, a slave from a nearby plantation who he first met in early scenes when she helped heal his son's fever. He has several children by her too, but that's not the main part of the film's story. Knight, by the end of the film, wills his property to Rachel, being unable to marry her under segregation law then in force.

Interspersed, in the 19th century action, now and then and rather oddly, but for a purpose, are scenes in a Mississippi courtroom some 85 years later, when a great grandson of Newton Knight is being tried for marrying a white woman. The great grandson looks just like any other white man, but it has been proved that he has one eighth black blood, from his great grandmother, Rachel - Newt Knight's black common-law wife. He is therefore sent to jail for marrying a white woman. Reviewers I've read are critical of these "inserts", but I felt they showed how, in spite of every effort, every good intention, every law, the insidious disease of racism persisted - and still persists now, a further 70 years on.

A scene I saw as important, though not mentioned in the reviews I read: after slaves were freed and eventually allowed to vote, Newt Knight saw to it that they all attended the voting place. They, along with Newt and his mixed group, were told that voting papers for Republicans had not arrived, only Democrats could vote. Knight stood his ground and demanded they be given voting papers , and eventually they were - and they all voted. However, when the results were declared and recorded they were as follows: Democrats - more than 400; Republicans - 2. (This in spite of the fact that the former slaves and Knight's large mixed group of followers had all voted Republican).

Memorable quotes from the movie:

Newton Knight: I'm tired of it. You, me, all of it! We're all out there dying so they can stay rich!

Will Sumrall: [referring to Knight's young kinsman, Daniel] He died with honor.
Newton Knight: No, Will, he just died.

Newton Knight: Somehow, some way, and some time, everybody is somebody else’s nigger.

Newton Knight: From this day forward we declare the land north of Pascagoula Swamp, south of enterprise and east to the Pearl River to the Alabama border, to be a Free State of Jones. And as such we do hereby proclaim and affirm the following principles.
Number one, no man ought to stay poor so another man can get rich.
Number two, no man ought to tell another man what you got to live for or what he's got to die for.
Number three, what you put in the ground is yours to tend and harvest and there ain't no man ought to be able to take that away from you.
Number four, every man is a man. If you walk on two legs, you're a man. It's as simple as that.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Canadian Painter Tom Thomson & His Mysterious Death.

This time, looking to discover whether astrology can help explain the mysterious and tragic death of a painter.

Tom Thomson, one of Canada’s most influential painters of the 20th-century, was last seen alive around mid-day, July 8, 1917, when setting out alone across Canoe Lake to begin a fishing trip. He was familiar with the area, having visited there a number of times – while working in the Park as a fire ranger, a guide for fishing parties, and of course, pursuing his painting. Within hours of his departure, his empty canoe was spotted floating not far from the dock he had left from, and more than a week later, his body surfaced in the lake. His untimely death helped transform the aspiring artist into a cultural giant. His paintings are now seen in galleries across Canada, and exhibitions of his work always attract large audiences. In the last few years, paintings by Thomson have fetched over a million dollars at auction.

How Thomson died, who found his body, its condition, and even its final resting place all remain mysteries. Some propose the cause of Thomson’s death was an accident resulting from plain bad luck, while others suggest suicide, and still others point to foul play resulting from a conflict over debt, a love interest, or opinions about the war effort. To add even more mystery to the affair there are serious questions regarding whether Thomson’s body was moved from its first resting place............

(More HERE)








From a piece on Thomson by Lee Parsons HERE

Tom Thomson grew up in a family of 10 children in the small town of Leith, Ontario, near the shores of Georgian Bay. Second-generation Scottish, his parents placed a good deal of importance on their children’s cultural education, encouraging them in the areas of literature, art and particularly music.........

Thomson suffered from a weak constitution as a child and at a certain point was taken out of school because of a chronic lung ailment. Consequently, he spent a good deal of time away from the social interaction of school and passed many of his formative years relatively isolated, often exploring the neighboring forests and fields where he developed a close affinity with nature. Though he could be highly focused when he set himself a task, he typically wouldn’t pursue any interest for very long and this aimlessness characterized his early adult years. He worked in various occupations—as a farmer and as a machinist, and at one point he attended business school in Chatham, Ontario, before he found a pursuit that brought him some satisfaction.

Thomson’s brothers had ventured out to Seattle when he was 20 to start a business school, and he followed them there and began working as a photoengraver for an advertising company. With some success under his belt, he returned to Ontario to continue as a photoengraver and during this time set about developing his skills as a graphic designer. It was at this point that he took to drawing, albeit in somewhat crude strokes, taking some classes in both drawing and painting for a time.

Little is known about his activities until 1911—about five years later. While in Seattle, there is some record of a troubled romantic episode that may have prompted his return to Toronto; his relations with women seem to have been problematic on the whole. It was during this time, however, that he began working for a prominent commercial art firm then known as Grip Limited where he met some of the men who were to influence his development as a landscape painter.

Noon chart for birth of Tom Thomson - 5 August 1877 in Claremont, Ontario, Canada.

Noon chart for 8July, 1917, possible date of death of Tom Thomson on Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada.

Any ideas? I see that transiting Uranus, planet of the unexpected, was opposing natal Uranus at the time of Thomson's death.

Natally, Jupiter in Sagittarius trined Uranus in Leo, while Pluto was in square aspect to Uranus.

On date of death the transiting conjunction of Saturn/Neptune/Venus at 1/3/5 Leo was in the general area of Thomson's natal Sun at 13 degrees, but certainly not close enough to be considered conjunct at that time - whether this is relevant I'm unsure.

The Uranus opposition seems most of interest.

Blogly

Today I got nuttin' - maybe some other extant bloggers have sumtin':




Kn@ppster - King of all Polemic
5th July post on Hillary caught my attention.

Tom Clark Blog
Just scroll down the photographs - always something of interest or delight.

Sentence first - an Irishman's blog about the English language.
Speaks for itself! Lots to pick at, if you enjoy words and stringing 'em together.

DARKBLACK - Steaks from sacred cows, cheap.
More and more fun with The Donald - scrolling down.

Women in Charge: Comparing May and Thatcher

I have some sympathy with the sentiments expressed in this brief piece:

Voter wishes we could just once have woman leader who didn’t openly despise us.

SNIP: “Unfortunately here in England we’re once again faced with a step forward for feminism being three to four steps back for humanity, whose rights Theresa May is actively campaigning on stripping away.”

I don't recall Theresa May from my time in the UK, though she must have been around. It's looking highly likely that she will succeed David Cameron as Prime Minister, but we won't know for sure for a few weeks, there are various stages of voting to be completed.

British astrologer Marjorie Orr took a quick look at Ms May's natal chart, along with those of other bright sparks hoping for "a leg-up the political ladder" during this oddly chaotic political season.

I'm inclined to compare Theresa May's natal chart to that of Margaret Thatcher - just because...

Margaret Thatcher: born on 13 October 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, at 9 a.m. according to Astrodatabank (A rating)..
Thatcher ought to have been more of a charmer, except for her Saturn in Scorpio rising - that is if 9.00am exact is really 100% accurate, if so with Pluto in trine to Saturn, from Cancer, the lady was likely to exude both power and....sexiness - really....Maggie Thatcher? (I do recall, though, reading that in her youth Maggie was something of a charmer among her male colleagues - pity it didn't extend to her "subjects!)

Moon at 28 Leo, if time were not 100% accurate could have been in Virgo, and I see that as not unlikely. She had only one planet in Earth - if born at 9 am on the dot: Jupiter in Capricorn, which is a good fit.

Theresa May born on 1 October 1956 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England. No time of birth available - chart set for noon.
This lady is more earthy workhorse than charmer, I suspect. Without time of birth ascendant can't be known but, what a coincidence that at noon Saturn was in much the same position as in Thatcher's chart! Saturn would be in Scorpio whatever time May were born, but not necessarily on the ascendant, so the two have that in common, as well as natal Suns in Libra.

Astrologer Jane Harrison at always Astrology begins a piece on Saturn in Scorpio thus:

Saturn in Scorpio is impatient. They demand a lot from themselves and from those around them. They can be so intense that it can be overwhelming to those who are not as directed as they are. Full of willpower and energy, they are so determined to meet their goals it is hard for them to remain calm. They are not the type to stop and smell the roses. Instead of going gung ho for their goals, however, they are usually more subtle and calculating. Saturn in Scorpio can be secretive. When hurt, they can be unforgiving. They don't like to be treated unfairly. They may be cunning, resentful, jealous, or possessive. They are shrewd and like to come out on top of any type of deal............

May's Saturn is square Pluto in Leo, rather than in trine as in Thatcher's case, so still linked but not as harmoniously. Venus conjoins Pluto, perhaps even Moon too, but without time of birth it's not possible to know. Venus conjunct Pluto, in some charts might indicate a sex-goddess type, but here, because of the square to Saturn, I wonder if it reflects more her limitation in not being able to have children "for health reasons". Don't know. She has been married to her husband, a banker, since 1980.

I guess one could make a trio here and compare Hillary Clinton's natal chart - it's at Astrodatabank HERE should anyone wish to take a look. It might be a tad apples and oranges though, as life, customs, environment and political systems in the USA and the UK are not fully comparable. I'm not sure that, had Hillary Clinton been born in England, with the same natal chart, without connection to any of her US history, she'd have risen to a political position comparable to that of Thatcher and May. (Just speculation!)

GULP...

There's so much going on just now that it's not easy to focus on any single issue for long.

Brexit and the fall-out from that : who will be the new Prime Minister? How will she/he deal with what has to be dealt with in regard to the UK's exit from the EU, not forgetting that Scotland, and possibly Northern Ireland are likely to try (again) for their own independence from England/Wales, so that they could remain part of the EU. That internal UK tangle really needs sorting out first! Some establishment members of the opposition Labour Party want its current leader to stand down, but he, Jeremy Corbyn, is reluctant to do so - rightly, because his supporters, and the unions still believe in him. Then there's the Chilcot Report due for release this week; possibly fear of what the Report will reveal has been the driver of goings on in the previous sentence.

Nearer to home: Hillary Clinton's three and a half hour interview with the FBI on Saturday, result due in weeks to come. Bill Clinton's rather (ahem) opportune meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch at an Arizona airport the day before Hillary's interview. Party Conventions later this month. What will Bernie do? Will Donald Trump ride out his storms with the RNC? Who will be chosen as Vice Presidents for the two nominees?

SCOTUS is still a Justice short of a full court. Republican congress is still being as obstructive as ever, if not more so.

Outside of the political, I'm still keen to know what caused the Egypt Air plane to crash into the Med. a few weeks ago, as well as being still bugged by the disappearance of MH370, 2+ years ago, presumably sunk deep in the Indian Ocean. Those matters have disappeared from news media.

And: ISIS, Olympics, climate change, Zika virus......PHEW!

Independence/Interdependence

“There’s a lot of things wrong with this country, but one of the few things still right with it is that a man can steer clear of the organized bullshit if he really wants to. It’s a goddamned luxury, and if I were you, I’d take advantage of it while you can.”
― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in America: The Brutal Odyssey of an Outlaw Journalist, 1968-1976

“When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government. Independence is my happiness, the world is my country and my religion is to do good.”
― Thomas Paine, Rights of Man

The USA's Independence from Britain in the 18th century is celebrated today, while Britain, or parts of it now strain for their own independence from the European Union. Hmm. I saved a comment found on a British-Ex-pats' discussion forum this week, as representative of the situation in the UK at present:

"So, let me get this straight… the leader of the opposition campaigned to stay but secretly wanted to leave, so his party held a non-binding vote to shame him into resigning so someone else could lead the campaign to ignore the result of the non-binding referendum which many people now think was just angry people trying to shame politicians into seeing they’d all done nothing to help them.

Meanwhile, the man who campaigned to leave because he hoped losing would help him win the leadership of his party, accidentally won and ruined any chance of leading because the man who thought he couldn’t lose, did – but resigned before actually doing the thing the vote had been about. The man who’d always thought he’d lead next, campaigned so badly that everyone thought he was lying when he said the economy would crash – and he was, but it did, but he’s not resigned, but, like the man who lost and the man who won, also now can’t become leader. Which means the woman who quietly campaigned to stay but always said she wanted to leave is likely to become leader instead.

Which means she holds the same view as the leader of the opposition but for opposite reasons, but her party’s view of this view is the opposite of the opposition’s. And the opposition aren’t yet opposing anything because the leader isn’t listening to his party, who aren’t listening to the country, who aren’t listening to experts or possibly paying that much attention at all. However, none of their opponents actually want to be the one to do the thing that the vote was about, so there’s not yet anything actually on the table to oppose anyway. And if no one ever does do the thing that most people asked them to do, it will be undemocratic and if any one ever does do it, it will be awful.

Clear?"
(mrken30, British Ex-Pats forum)

Booking It

If I'd read of this before it must have slipped out of memory! Ben-Hur (2016 film)

Wiki:

Ben-Hur is an upcoming 2016 American historical epic action film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Keith Clarke and John Ridley. It is based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace and has been termed a "re-adaptation", "reimagining" and "new interpretation" of the novel....The film stars Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi and Rodrigo Santoro.... The film is scheduled to be released on August 19, 2016 in North America in 2D, 3D, RealD 3D and Digital 3D.

Coincidentally, I'm currently in the middle of reading the 19th cenury novel Ben Hur, by Lew Wallace. I bought the book, an old library copy, at a book sale some weeks ago. I'm finding it, quite amazingly, a good read! It probably helps that I know the 1959 movie Ben Hur back to front and every which-way, it has long been my all time favourite movie. Ask me why and I don't know, because I'm not religious.

It's pleasurable to find the plethora of extra detail Lew Wallace included in his novel, most inevitably cut out from the film, due to time consideration. One difference in book and film I've come across are the ages of Judah Ben Hur and Esther. Esther is just 16 when he first meets her, well after his adventures in the galleys and in Rome. He is just a youth as the story begins, with the accidental fall of a tile - nowhere near as mature as Charlton Heston was depicted in the movie.

Wallace describes many scenes in intricate detail, his style reminds me, a bit, of Victor Hugo's in Les Miserables, and Frank Herbert's in Dune.

There's one location Wallace described in detail, The Grove of Daphne, which propelled me to Google to discover whether it was a figment of Wallace's imagination; it was not. The Grove wasn't mentioned in the 1959 movie, nor, I understand in the older 1925 version. Judah Ben Hur seeks out the Grove during a visit to Antioch (Syria), after his time in Rome. It is variously described in websites around the net, dedicated to Daphne a nymph changed into a laurel tree to escape the amorous advances of Apollo.

Here's one description

DAPHNE: A suburb of Antioch on the Orontes, according to Strabo and the Jerusalem itinerary, about 40 furlongs, or 5 miles distant. It is identified with Beit el-Ma' on the left bank of the river, to the Southwest of the city. Here were the famous grove and sanctuary of Apollo. The grove and shrine owed their origin to Seleucus Nicator. It was a place of great natural beauty, and the Seleucid kings spared no outlay in adding to its attractions. The precincts enjoyed the right of asylum. Hither fled Onias the high priest (171 B.C.) from the wrath of Menelaus whom he had offended by plain speech. To the disgust and indignation of Jew and Gentile alike, he was lured from the sanctuary by Andronicus and basely put to death (2 Maccabees 4:33-38). It sheltered fugitives dyed with villainy of every shade. It was the great pleasure resort of the citizens of Antioch; and it gained an evil repute for immorality, as witnessed by the proverbial Daphnici mores. In Tiberim defluxit Orontes, says Juvenal (iii.62), indicating one main source of the corruption that demoralized the imperial city. The decline of Daphne dates from the days of Christian ascendancy in the reign of Julian. The place is still musical with fountains and luxuriant with wild vegetation; but nothing now remains to suggest its former splendor .

From Lewis's descriptions I got the impression of a huge area of both cultivated and natural beauty, with fountains, statues, glades, etc, mystics, seers, and lots of erotic or sexy stuff going on; an ancient version of 1960's hippiedom, Summer of Love an' all that, but with a tad more erm...classical class.

Anyway, on I go, slowly relishing these old scenes. Next will come the horses and chariots, the excitement of the race with Messala, and hoped for vengance.

Awaiting the new movie version of Ben Hur, I'm not optimistic that it will improve on the 1959 version - in spirit - but it might correct one or two mis-representations and omissions I guess, or perhaps it'll just make a few more!

Arty Farty Friday ~ Signs that whisper ...

Just for a change this week I decided to try to equate the 12 zodiac signs with various art styles or arty -isms. Somebody has already been there, done that etc:

The signs as art styles

The signs as art movements.

One could find numerous ways of attempting a similar exercise, endless examples of the art to present. I decided to find a painting which, for me, could represent each zodiac sign, in content and/or "feel" and spirit - not necessarily related to any art style, art movement, or Sun sign of the painter.

Click on images for clearer views.


ARIES

First sign, Mars-ruled - I first think of military-related paintings - and as Aries is the first sign, let's go for a very early example:

 The Battle of Poitiers in 1356, in a manuscript of Froissart's Chronicles of c. 1410

TAURUS

First of two Venus-ruled signs - beautiful, earthy...John Constable:

 The White Horse by John Constable

GEMINI

First of two Mercury-ruled signs - deals in communication, words...as, often, did Dadaism:

CANCER

Ruled by the Moon, relates strongly to family, home, emotion, sentimentality - all frequently found in the work of Norman Rockwell:

 Coming & Going - Norman Rockwell

LEO

Ruled by the Sun - represents brightness, love of splendour and the spotlight. An old favourite painting of mine comes to mind - In years gone by (many years) I used to have a brooch, round, silver frame with a replica of this portrait embedded. I've always seen the portrait as bright, happy, warm and altogether splendid, just like the Sun-ruled sign.

VIRGO

Second Mercury-ruled sign - stickler for detail - has to be photo-realism:

 Ralph's Diner by Ralph Going

LIBRA

Second Venus-ruled sign, said to represent beauty, grace, charm, balance, tact. So...Michael Parkes always produces variations of those attributes:

 Concerti Vivaldi by Michael Parkes

SCORPIO

Ruled by dark, sexy and transformative Pluto in modern astrology.

 Death and Life by Gustav Klimt

SAGITTARIUS

Jupiter-ruled sign of exuberance, richness, excess, philosophy and luck.

 The Wedding Dance by Pieter Bruegel

CAPRICORN

Saturn-ruled, business-oriented, earthy, practical and structured.

By  Piet Mondrian

AQUARIUS

Ruled in modern astrology by Uranus, planet of the unexpected and all that is avant garde or a wee bit odd.

 On the 1st March Crows Begin to Search by Kay Sage

PISCES

Ruled by Neptune, planet of dreams, watery expanses, fog and illusion

 Coq Rouge Dans la Nuit by Marc Chagall

[Note re post title:
"Signs that whisper" is a phrase from the song "Signs" by Neil Diamond.]