Weekend Pick and Mix

In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald. wrote a short story titled “Rich Boy", in 1936 it was published in a book of his short stories "All the Sad Young Men". The story begins:

"Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different."

True enough! And proven by one Tom Perkins earlier this week. He showed his true, ignorant colours by using the comparison he did.

On Saturday, Tom Perkins, a founder of one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture-capital firms, wrote a letter to the Wall Street Journal comparing the “progressive war” he thinks is being waged against wealthy Americans to the Nazis’ persecution of Jews. It wasn’t the first time someone had made the comparison, but it was among the most bizarre. “Kristallnacht was unthinkable in 1930; is its descendent ‘progressive’ radicalism unthinkable now?” Perkins asked, and described the form this progressive war has taken: for one thing, people seem outraged about rising real-estate prices, he wrote. For another, someone called Danielle Steel a “snob.” (The San Francisco-based romance novelist is Perkins’s ex-wife, though he didn’t mention this in the letter. The insult against her appeared in a column by the San Francisco Chronicle’s C. W. Nevius, about a Berlin Wall-like hedge surrounding Steel’s house.)

See HERE (and elsewhere)

Yesterday David Sirota, in an article at Salon showed that this ignorant use of Hitler and the holocaust as comparison to present-day situations has become common:

Twisted minds of the super-rich: Why insane Nazi analogies have become so common
Billionaire Tom Perkins thinks the "war on the one percent" is like the Holocaust. The saddest part? He's not alone.

Could these people become any more despicable? I guess they'd be too lily-livered to use a more accurate comparison of what could occur one day: what the French eventually did with France's corrupt equivalent to our 1%, at several points in the 18th century.

While in McKinney, Texas recently, wandering around a couple of antique stores I spotted this in a locked glass case: framed magazine dated August, 1925. I wouldn't have considered paying the asking price, $50 for it, but asked husband to take a quick photograph of it instead.

Evangeline Adams' news of "what men asked " would have been a good read!
I've mentioned Ms Adams in the past here and here.

This news story of a woman in Montreal who died after her scarf and hair caught in an escalator, brought to mind Isadora Duncan's story. Duncan's fondness for flowing scarves contributed to her death in 1927 in an automobile accident in Nice, France, when she was a passenger in an Amilcar. Her silk scarf, draped around her neck, became entangled around the open-spoked wheels and rear axle, breaking her neck.

There's no denying the value of escalators, but it pays not to take their safety for granted. As a child, growing up in an area of England back when escalators weren't commonly found, and eyed with suspicion whenever we encountered one, I remember being warned: "If you don't step off just at the right time at the top, you'll fall into a big black hole!" So, along with that lesson, never forgotten, I shall add: do not wear dangling scarf or any other dangling attire when riding an escalator. However, unsurprisingly these wonders of a once modern age are still few and far between in this South Western Oklahoma township.

Duolingo. I saw, somewhere, a link to this language-learning website the other day. Decided to give it a try as a prelude to diving once again into the Spanish course software I bought some time ago but abandoned after getting myself somehow tangled up in the computer with it. Duolingo is a pleasant and useful way to pass half an hour a day to get a steady footing on the bottom step of learning a language. It can be used on a "steam" desktop computer, laptop, or as an app on a phone or hand-held device. It's free too! Here's a review.

Question: "Will we use commas in the future?" Article by Matthew J.X. Malady at Slate this week.

Answer: One would hope so, unless civilisation crumbles to the point where no human is capable of writing, reading and constructing an intelligible sentence.

Aquarius, Astrologers, Uranus, Urania.

Sun's in Aquarius again, I'll soon need to add another year to my age! I've written more than enough posts about zodiac sign Aquarius over the years - they are easily available via the Label Cloud in the sidebar - click on "Aquarius". I have a special interest in the sign, and its modern ruler Uranus, being a Sun Aquarian-type myself.

Occasionally I ask myself what's the source of my longtime interest in astrology. My parents had no knowledge of the subject, nor did any close relative that I know of. Is Aquarius the source? None of my contemporaries, even among those born within a few days of me, and in the same town as myself, has ever shown the slightest interest in the planets.

There's a list of astrologers at Wikipedia, with handy click-through links to further detail. Many of the names come from eras long gone, many are foreign to me. I found only three astrologers whose names are familiar, with natal Sun in Aquarius. I'll concentrate on two of them initially because of interesting similarities. ~~

The pair: Evangeline Adams (8 February 1868) and Russell Grant (5 February 1951), one from each side of the pond, as it happens. Their natal charts are available at Astrodatabank, and linked to their names above. It was fascinating to compare them. Look at the similarities!

Evangeline Adams had Sun at 19 Aquarius, Mars at 10 Aquarius; Mercury Venus and Jupiter in Pisces; and Uranus (ruler of Aquarius) at 9 Cancer.

Russell Grant has Sun at 16 Aquarius, Moon at 10 Aquarius; Venus, Mars and Jupiter in Pisces; Uranus (ruler of Aquarius) at 5.58 Cancer.

That's pretty amazing! Because they were born 83 years apart, Uranus ruler of their Aquarius Sun had almost completed its 84-year cycle, and was back in the same sign, sensitive, intuitive Cancer - and within a few degrees for Russell Grant as it had been for Evangeline Adams. Both astrologers have two planets in Aquarius (both have one on the 10 degree spot); both have three personal planets in instinctual, ephemeral Pisces, with Venus and Jupiter common to both.

Airy, mentally-oriented Aquarius may not be particularly astrology-oriented without support from Watery signs (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio).

The third Aquarius-type astrologer I found in Wiki's list: Charles Carter - often referred to as C.E.O. Carter - one of my favourites. Chart available at Astrodatabank. He had three personal planets in Aquarius (Sun, Mercury, Venus) and three in Water signs (Mars, Saturn and Jupiter).

My own natal chart isn't closely comparable with those of Adams, Grant or Carter. I have only Sun in Aquarius, with Watery input from Jupiter in Pisces, Mars in Scorpio and Cancer rising - so I guess it could be said that I have a less intense amount of the same "flavours" they did/do. My natal Uranus is in Earthy Taurus though, and conjoins south node of Moon.

My natal Moon in Aries seems unhelpful in this regard, but Asteroid Urania lies very close to it. This celestial body was named for the Muse of Astronomy, and by association astrology. Astrologically, this may mean nothing at all - but it pleases me!


"In Greek mythology, Urania (Ουρανία), which means "heavenly", was the muse of astronomy and astrology. She is usually depicted as having a globe in her left hand and a peg in the right, and her foot on a turtle, symbol of silence. She is able to foretell the future by the position of the stars. She is often associated with Universal Love and the Holy Spirit. She is dressed in a cloak embroidered with stars and keeps her eyes and attention focused on the Heavens. Those who are most concerned with philosophy and the heavens are dearest to her." (See here)
Illustration from HERE

Last year we found a wee town named after her on our travels in Louisiana:

WEEKEND GRAB BAG ~ CASES

ROOTS~~~~ Case, as in instance or example: Old English casus, associated also with Old French cas a happening; both from Latin cāsus, a befalling, occurrence, from cadere to fall.

Case, as in container: from Old French casse, from Latin capsa, from capere to take, hold.

Latin has its own cases:






A Case of Astrology

Evangeline Adams(8 February 1868 - 1932) became nationally known when she read a chart for the owner of New York's Windsor Hotel on Fifth Avenue predicting a serious disaster that would take place almost immediately. The hotel owner was unaware of any impending problems and took no action, but the next day his hotel was destroyed by fire. The resulting media publicity brought Evangeline Adams immediate fame nationwide. In 1914 she was prosecuted for "fortune-telling" but contested the case in court. She demonstrated her methods of work and made an accurate character reading of the judge's son, from a date, time and place of birth given to her without further detail, by Judge John H. Freschi. The judge acquitted her, stating: "The defendant has raised astrology to the dignity of an exact science."


And ~~ The Case For Astrology
In The Case for Astrology John Anthony West presents compelling new evidence that proves the astrological premise that correlations exist between events in the sky and on earth, and that correspondences exist between the human personality and the positions of the planets at birth.

Moral indignation in most cases is, 2% moral, 48% indignation, and 50% envy.
Vittorio De Sica

The song: A Case of You, written and originally sung by Joni Mitchell, born 7 November 1943. Scorpio passion and intensity flows through the song. "You're in my blood like holy wine....." "Go to him, stay with him if you can, But be prepared to bleed...." Scorpio is there, in the "feel" of it all. kd lang whose version I much prefer was born 2 November 1961 (Sun in Scorpio). Diana Krall who ties with kd lang for me in best version stakes, was born 16 November 1964 (Sun in Scorpio). Allison Crowe has a very creditable version; she was born...... 16 November 1981.

Coincidental huh? All Sun in Scorpio.

Male versions of the song are few, although the lyrics fit either gender equally well. Prince included it on a Joni Mitchell tribute album. He has Sun in Gemini, but, according to Astrotheme has Scorpio rising....so the theme goes on!

Just before our love got lost you said

"I am as constant as a northern star"
And I said "Constantly in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar"

On the back of a cartoon coaster
In the blue TV screen light
I drew a map of Canada
Oh Canada
With your face sketched on it twice
Oh you're in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet

Oh I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
oh I would still be on my feet

Oh I am a lonely painter
I live in a box of paints
I'm frightened by the devil
And I'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid

I remember that time you told me you said
"Love is touching souls"
Surely you touched mine
'Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time
Oh, you're in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet

Oh I could drink a case of you darling
And I would still be on my feet
I would still be on my feet

I met a woman
She had a mouth like yours
She knew your life
She knew your devils and your deeds
And she said
"Go to him, stay with him if you can
But be prepared to bleed"

Oh but you are in my blood
You're my holy wine
You're so bitter, bitter and so sweet

Oh, I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I would still be on my feet

“Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.”
W. C. Fields

Expensive Cases

If the sleek design of your iPad doesn’t quite fit your aesthetic preference, then you may benefit from a case designed for Apple’s must-have tablet—and what could be classier than the most expensive iPad case in the world?
David August, based out of Costa Mesa, California, has been creating custom men’s wardrobes for more than 20 years and has outfitted stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Smith and Robert Downey, Jr. Now he has produced a collection of exotic leather goods that includes the priciest iPad case to date.
Like the other items in the collection, the iPad case is made with hand cut alligator skin of the finest quality and stitched by a skilled family of Italian artisans. The case itself is priced at $6,900, and the whole collection—also including a laptop attaché case, Dopp kit, watch holder and change tray—can be yours for $37,800.
http://most-expensive.net/ipad-case

“This case has had full analyzation and has been looked at a lot.”
George W. Bush

CASE DISMISSED.

ENJOY THE WEEKEND!