They were the More Famous Pair to Explore America

Posted on May 14, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery Expedition (May 14, 1804)

I’m jealous of them. Ask anyone who Lewis and Clark were and they’ll be able to tell you all about their expedition to explore the western lands acquired after the Louisiana Purchase. But if you mention Radisson and Groseilliers, you’ll get blank looks.

To be fair, Lewis and Clark’s expedition was 134 years after the Hudson’s Bay Company was formed. I wondered if the event chart could explain the difference to me:

Ah, so: there are no inconjuncts, so no obstacles, to speak of. Pure and simple, it was a journey of discovery and that was all. Radishes and Gooseberries didn’t stand a chance.

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My David Hockney Impressions

Posted on May 12, 2025 by cdsmiller17
Pool with Two Figures (1972)

David Hockney (July 9, 1937)

There’s something about his art that echoes in my mind. Over the years, when we still had a backyard pool. I would take photos that seemed stylized, like his art. Here’s a sampling.

Pool as Metaphor

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Heart Splash

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My David Hockney Impression
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This Black Comedy is a Wake-Up Call to Seniors

Posted on May 11, 2025 by cdsmiller17

I Care a Lot (2020)

At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch this one, and then I warmed to the subject matter because of the deliciously nasty way that the main characters acted. The storyline is simple: find a juicy ripe cherry and pluck it; but just be careful of getting too greedy.

The film follows a con woman who makes a living as a court-appointed guardian, seizing and selling the assets of vulnerable elderly people, including the mother of a dangerous mafia boss.

Wikipedia

Yes, the language is a bit fruity at times, but the screenplay demands it. Watch this one, if you’re a senior. Guardianship may be different in the States, but I think it could happen here in Canada, too.

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“Elbow’s Up” Comes from “Mr. Hockey” Himself

Posted on May 10, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Gordie Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016)

I’m sure hockey fans would know, but the rest of the world might be slightly mystified with the latest Canadian anti-tariff saying, “Elbows Up”. Gordie Howe was the complete package. He could do it all.

He achieved this ‘hat trick’ only twice in his career, but essentially it is scoring a goal, getting an assist and having a fight in the same game.

This time is not definitive. But there are no inconjuncts, so no hidden motives. What you saw was what you got.

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The 1960’s Became a Free-for-All Sexually

Posted on May 9, 2025 by cdsmiller17
A close up of a packet of birth control pills

FDA Approves First Birth Control Pill (May 9, 1960)

Sometimes you have to look back in time to see how (and why) things turned out the way they did.

There are two inconjuncts: I expect they would have been there for most of the day, 65 years ago, today.

Moon Inconjunct Mars

Until you learn to handle your feelings, you are likely to get angry easily, have temper tantrums and be touchy about what is yours and what is not. You may feel you have to defend yourself against imagined threats. The problem here is that you are likely to become too emotionally involved with ideas, opinions or even objects without knowing it until someone threatens them. Then you react as if you were being personally threatened or attacked. You have to realize that it is possible to change your opinions and attitudes without damaging your worth as a person.

Planets in Youth (page 122) by Robert Hand (1977)

Saturn Inconjunct Uranus

If either of these planets is near conjunction or opposition with the Ascendant or Midheaven, this aspect indicates a serious tension in your life between freedom and restriction. Many people have this conflict, but in your case the tensions may be so severe that you express them physically as muscle tension and possibly nervousness. You feel that somehow you must keep everything in your life under tight control, that if you let go, the whole structure will fall apart. In a very real and direct sense, you must learn to relax.

Ibid (page 294)

Doesn’t that sound like the 60’s?

Ah…

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He’s an American First

Posted on May 9, 2025 by cdsmiller17
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Pope Leo XIV (Elected May 8, 2025)

It only took four votes, over two days. The speculation was that the new Pope could be either American or Canadian born. As MSNBC’s Chris Hayes said last night, “We have a pope named Bob.”

Interesting. Uranus inconjunct Ascendant speaks of the suddenness of the choice.

Robert Francis Prevost (September 14, 1955)

Comparing this chart to the new pope’s birth chart (randomized, as his birth time is unknown) gives us a clue about the man.

Leo’s South Node is conjunct the event Jupiter; the event’s South Node is conjunct Leo’s natal Venus. That means this is a karmic result. Leo’s Neptune is being transited by the event’s Ascendant. Hmm.

Well, it’s a start. The Roman Catholic Church now has a left-leaning pope who has been critical of Trump. This is the Universe’s way of trying to bring back balance onto the world stage.

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That’s Why It’s Called a Confederation

Posted on May 8, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Is Canada Really United?

There are warning signs that a couple of provinces may be thinking of going their own way, and leaving the country. Admittedly, that will leave a hole in the middle of the map should they succeed in acceding. But it’s not a new problem. Quebec has sought independence from Canada since the very beginning of the British North America Act (and the title of that Act is a hint as to why) but every time there’s a referendum, the No vote wins.

This time, Alberta seems to be more inclined to vote Yes. But, why? Because they are the fossil fuel energy sector of the country, they feel that the Liberal agenda is to shut them down, permanently.

One compromise would be to build a cross-country pipeline (with Ontario steel, Doug Ford reminds us). Quebec, on the other hand, is not inclined to let a pipeline cross their boundaries. However, the Bloc Quebecois have a diminished role in the latest Canadian Parliament, so I think this will eventually be a non-issue for Quebec, should the Canadian Government decide to push ahead with the idea.

As always, there are special interest groups that will do their damnedest to disrupt anything that might harm the environment, and the Liberal agenda of trying to be carbon neutral will make for another very difficult tightrope walk.

So, literally, no one will win and everyone will lose. (And then there’s the U.S.A.)

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Canada’s P.M. Walked a Tightrope and Survived the Test

Posted on May 7, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Carney Meets Trump (May 6, 2025)

What can I say? This meeting was fraught, right from the start, but diplomacy kept it from devolving into a Zelenskyy confrontation of epic proportions. Canada chose the right man for the job.

That Mars/Ascendant conjunction in opposition to Pluto is the tightrope. Slowly, but surely, the aspect between Mars and Pluto is shifting. It’s still within 5°, but by the 18th of May, it will be beyond 10°.

Watch this space.

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No Matter How It’s Disguised, It’s Just Naked Greed

Posted on May 6, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Trump’s Tariffs

We’ve been sold a fairy tale. There is no unfair world trade deficits, except maybe with China. Trump needs a way to raise huge amounts of revenue to fund tax cuts for American businesses and billionaires.

What does he always say? “We’ll get rich.” It really is as simple as that…

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Well, It’s All Right…

Posted on May 5, 2025 by cdsmiller17

End of the Line (October 25, 1988)

Well, it’s all right, riding around in the breeze
Well, it’s all right, if you live the life you please
Well, it’s all right, doing the best you can
Well, it’s all right, as long as you lend a hand

You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring
(At the end of the line)
Waiting for someone to tell you everything
(At the end of the line, of the line)
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow will bring
(At the end of the line)
Maybe a diamond ring

Well, it’s all right, even if they say you’re wrong
Well, it’s all right, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well, it’s all right, as long as you got somewhere to lay
Well, it’s all right, every day is Judgment Day

Maybe somewhere down the road aways
(At the end of the line)
You’ll think of me and wonder where I am these days
(At the end of the line, of the line)
Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays
(At the end of the line)
Purple haze

Well, it’s all right, even when push comes to shove
Well, it’s all right, if you got someone to love
Well, it’s all right, everything’ll work out fine
Well, it’s all right, we’re going to the end of the line

Don’t have to be ashamed of the car I drive
(At the end of the line)
I’m just glad to be here, happy to be alive
(At the end of the line, of the line)
It don’t matter if you’re by my side
(At the end of the line)
I’m satisfied

Well, it’s all right, even if you’re old and gray
Well, it’s all right, you still got something to say
Well, it’s all right, remember to live and let live
Well, it’s all right, the best you can do is forgive

Well, it’s all right (all right), riding around on the breeze
Well, it’s all right (all right), if you live the life you please
Well, it’s all right, even if the sun don’t shine
Well, it’s all right (all right), we’re going to the end of the line

Songwriters: George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy K. Orbison, Thomas Earl Petty. For non-commercial use only.

Amen.

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