We’re In This Together

Leo’s Lunch Box (April 22, 2025)

A powerful modern-day story about sharing what you have, based on the biblical Feeding of the Five Thousand, by Reverend Senator Raphael Warnock.


It’s lunchtime at school, and Leo knows exactly what he’s going to have: a baloney sandwich. His mom does the best she can, but sometimes Leo wishes they could afford more than baloney sandwiches. Then one day, the unexpected happens: His mom gets a new job and buys him a lunch box at a yard sale. Suddenly, he’s got something other than a baloney sandwich! Even more amazing, Leo’s delicious lunch begins to multiply, and the more he shares, the more he receives.

A powerful modern-day story about sharing what you have, based on the biblical story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Reverend Senator Raphael Warnock’s tale of empathy, community, and caring for others comes to life with TeMika Grooms’s warm illustrations in the first book in his We’re in This Together series.

The Mary Reader

Senator Raphael Warnock mentions being a Matthew 25 Christian.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matthew 25: 34-46 (NIV)

I’ve written about this before, here. No more needs to said, does it?

Posted in reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Say Hello and Wave Goodbye

Pope Francis Dies (April 21, 2025)

Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on 21 April 2025 (Easter Monday) at 07:35 CEST (UTC+02:00) at his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae in Vatican City. His death was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell in a broadcast by Vatican Media and in a video statement at 09:47, two hours after his death. Francis had served as pope, the head of the Catholic Church, since his election on 13 March 2013.

Wikipedia

My computer program thought that Rome was already on daylight savings time, which would have made an interesting transit of Uranus passing the Taurus Ascendant. So I changed it to ST. My sister pointed out that it was DST, so I’ve changed it back. Uranus (sudden moves) is now transiting the Ascendant, as originally thought. This is the original ‘death’ chart, which sees the Moon eclipsing Pluto @ 3° Aquarius. That conjunction is in a T-square with the Sun at the apex and Mars in opposition. There are no inconjuncts, which suggests Pope Francis completed his life’s work.

And just to confirm that, here are his birth and death charts together:

Hmm. There are two interactive inconjuncts: natal Sun/North Node and ‘fatal’ Uranus; and natal Jupiter and ‘fatal’ Mars. So maybe he had a couple of unfinished issues.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

All the Signs of Intimate Partner Violence

American Murder: Gabby Petito (2025)

The three part series on Netflix documents the lead up to Gabby Petito‘s disappearance in August, 2021.

Hindsight is only available after the fact, but the signs were there that something awful was going to happen to her, at the hands of her boyfriend. There is no definitive date of death, so the moment of her demise cannot be accurately charted. Even her birth chart is shrouded in mystery, since there is no birth time known. In fact, of the two sites that show a birth chart for her, give her a dawn birth. I was originally going to randomize the timing, but then a thought occurred to me: why not use noon, instead?

Other than the unusual conjunctions between the Sun and Mercury @ 28° Pisces and Venus and Saturn @ 1° Taurus, there are very few aspects. That’s strange. By timing her birth at noon, one inconjunct appears.

Uranus Inconjunct Ascendant

Your need for freedom may interfere with your close relationships. When you are with others, even those you like, you feel very restless but you can’t get up and leave because you want to be with them. This is typical of the ambiguity that comes with this transit. Certainly, the more others try to restrict your freedom of movement, the more you try to get away.

Planets in Youth (page 322) by Robert Hand (1977)

This seems to be the echo of the Venus/Saturn conjunction.

Venus Conjunct Saturn

This aspect usually means that you don’t feel that it is proper to show affection very openly. You feel affectionate, but you don’t show it outwardly. Unfortunately, you may think that you are unworthy of being loved, so you hold your feelings in to keep from being hurt by someone who rejects you.

Ibid (page 196)

Certainly, Brian Laundrie played Gabby’s emotions to their fullest extent. It cost them both their lives.

Posted in history, reviews, showbusiness | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Just When You Think You’ve Seen It All:

“…And Justice For All” (September 15, 1979)

I remember this film. It seemed a little improbable at the time, but recent events in the United States have brought it back to mind. EVERYBODY should be afforded a due process before being deported (meaning, punished for being an alleged gang member).

Due process of law is application by the state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to a case so all legal rights that are owed to a person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual person from it. When a government harms a person without following the exact course of the law, this constitutes a due process violation, which offends the rule of law.

Wikipedia

“And what is the truth, today?”

Well, it’s obvious that the truth will out (as Perry Mason used to say). Pluto is in the 7th House (of Open Enemies). Shakespeare coined the phrase in his play “The Merchant of Venice”. Was it ever in doubt?

Watch this space…

Posted in history, showbusiness | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What If This Event Happened on a Wednesday Night?

The Last Supper (Nisan 14, 30 AD)

Because the Jewish calendars have two reference points, sunrise and sunset, it gets very complicated for mere mortals to know to which Julian day any Jewish day refers to. Hence most modern people believe the idea that Jesus was crucified on a Friday before sundown (i.e. before the Sabbath).

I. The Choice of Dates

The day of the crucifixion was a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. The Jewish day of the month was either Nisan 14 or Nisan 15, depending on whether the Last Supper was not, or was, the Passover. The day might be measured as beginning at sunrise or sunset, or both, depending on the calendars in use. A comparison of these variables with the astronomical calculations of Nisan 1, and the following Passover, yields the following possible dates for consideration:1Chart XXIX
Possible Astronomical Dates of the Crucifixion

DateDayJewish DayCalendar
30 CE, April 6ThursdayNisan 14Sunrise
30 CE, April 7FridayNisan 14Sunset
30 CE, April 7FridayNisan 15Sunrise
31 CE, March 282WednesdayNisan 15Sunset
33 CE, April 3FridayNisan 14Sunrise
33 CE, April 3FridayNisan 14Sunset
34 CE, March 24WednesdayNisan 14Sunset

Note that the alignment of the sunset and sunrise calendars on April 7, 30 CE allows both Nisan 14 and Nisan 15 to fall on the same Friday. This alignment is not possible for the other dates considered. This consideration is critical to the possibility of there having been two Passovers observed, as discussed below.

Nowoezone.com

I was alerted to this problem by a YouTube video from the Temple 2030 channel:

We’ll have to take his word for it. In my own calculations, Jesus died @ 2:44 pm on April 4, 30 AD. The discrepancy of dates is due to the fact that it converted the Julian calendar to our modern Gregorian one.

His theory sets the day and date of the Passover to sundown on Thursday, April 6, 30 AD (O.S.). Oh dear.

The Last Supper is typically celebrated on what is known as Holy Thursday. One would think that this should make it an open-and-shut case. But some believe it may have actually been Wednesday when he observed the Last Supper with his disciples.

Why?

The issue here is that the Gospel of John seems to be inconsistent with the Synoptic Gospels. John 13:1-2John 18:28, and John 19:13-14 seem to indicate that the Last Supper happened before Passover. And it seems that Jesus dies as the Passover lamb. While the Synoptics seem to place it as the Passover meal.

Others who hold to a Wednesday meal do so because they believe there are too many events that would have to take place. He would have been arrested, tried, and then crucified at 9 a.m. the next morning.

One would need to squeeze in a sham trial before the Sanhedrin, an appearance to Pilate, a journey to Herod, a second visit to Pilate, and then being crucified.

Though it seems difficult to fit all of that into such a narrow window, it is not impossible, though. And others will point to Mark 15:42 as evidence of a Friday crucifixion.

It clearly says that Jesus was crucified “the day before the Sabbath.” And thus, it was on the night before (Thursday) that he had this meal with his disciples.

Most hold that the traditional Friday crucifixion and Thursday meal are consistent with the scriptural record, though a bit tricky to navigate. While others believe that a Wednesday meal and a Thursday crucifixion actually fit the narrative even better.

Thankfully, all believers are in agreement that he died, was buried, and on Sunday, he rose from the grave. We just aren’t exactly certain of which day.

Christianity.com

Now do you see why this is such a contentious issue? We may be celebrating our Good Friday and Easter Sunday on the wrong days. Maundy Thursday might really be Maundy Wednesday. OK?

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Day the Golden Arches was Born

First McDonald’s Restaurant Opens (April 15, 1955)

It’s hard to believe that McDonald’s has been around almost as long as I have. It is 70 years old today.

New Hampshire brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the very first McDonald’s on April 15, 1955, in San Bernardino, California. Their tiny drive-in bore little resemblance to today’s ubiquitous “golden arches,” but it would eventually come to epitomize the fast-food industry, thanks to a pioneering system for food prep.

History.com

This detail is at odds with my desk calendar which states:

On this day in 1955 Ray Kroc opens the first McDonald’s restaurant under McDonald’s Corporation in Des Plaines, Illinois.

It makes me wonder which one is correct.

That Cosmic Cross configuration is interesting, isn’t it? And there are two inconjuncts, one of which would disappear by noon, while the other would remain for the day.

Moon Inconjunct Pluto (perhaps)

This aspect means that your emotions are very intense and not always easy to deal with. Often your feelings make you want to do or say something without knowing why. Also you may have very intense moods in which you withdraw from those around you into a world of your own. If you do not feel accepted and emotionally supported at home, you may constantly feel guilty for what you think you have done to others, or jealous that people aren’t paying enough attention to you, or generally possessive of those around you.

Planets in Youth (page 136) by Robert Hand (1977)

Mercury Inconjunct Saturn (for sure)

This aspect can have several different meanings. First of all, you may have hidden fears that are difficult to express, but they cause you to do things that others can’t understand. These may include fear of the dark or of certain places or people. Or this aspect can mean that you often feel depressed and sad for no apparent reason. You tend to see the serious side of life, and it weighs on you more than on most people.

Ibid (page 164)

The Alternate Origin Story

The only real difference? The Moon is inconjunct to the Ascendant this time.

Moon Inconjunct Ascendant (maybe)

This aspect ties together a Moon sign and a rising sign that are very different. This indicates that the image you project to other people does not reveal very much about your real feelings. When you are upset, you surprise people by showing a totally different side of your personality.

Ibid (page 139)

And thereby hangs the tale. Reading between the lines, I would say that Ray Kroc’s vision for McDonald’s eventually outstripped the McDonald Brothers version, taking the franchise business to global markets and dominating the world’s fast food industry. It would also suggest that McDonald’s, as originally intended happened way before 1955, back in 1948. Kroc took over in 1961.

Now I see where the golden arches come from.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

I Dreamt Last Night of a Russian Spy

Anna Chapman (February 23, 1982)

Don’t laugh. When I remember dreams like this, they don’t go away until I have acknowledged them.

This young woman in my dream was willing to let me witness her recruitment methods, and her recruits seemed quite willing to spy for her, even though they knew she had links to Russia, Some of their close friends even applauded her efforts. This is unusual in my experience. So I thought I should look at her birth chart (for which the time of birth is unknown), knowing that Neptune and the Ascendant would be connected, somehow. The Neptune/Ascendant aspects seem to highlight an actress’ state of mind.

I used the standby method of the time I set up the chart (i.e. randomized). Guess what? It worked, yet again. There are two inconjuncts, forming a Yod (Finger of God) pointing at the Cancer Ascendant. The aspects link to the Moon and Neptune.

Moon Inconjunct Ascendant

You tend to put your own emotional needs and wants second to whatever you feel has to be done. In other words, you are likely to be more disciplined emotionally than most people your age. But this is not good if you feel that your emotional needs are not important. Your needs must be fulfilled as much as anyone else’s, particularly because your feelings are really very powerful within yourself.

Planets in Youth (page 139) by Robert Hand (1977)

Neptune Inconjunct Ascendant

This aspect can be a sign that you feel you must give way to others in order to get along with them. This can take two forms, both of which will be difficult to handle while you are young. The less positive form is simply yielding to all outside pressure and always giving in to others’ desires. This will produce unconscious feelings of resentment that you can’t express, but that make your relationships with others rather difficult.

But the other, more positive, way of dealing with this energy is by giving freely before others try to take it from you. In order to do this, you have to feel good about yourself and confident that you will always have enough for yourself and others.

Ibid (page 339)

One has to wonder why she would allow herself to be caught. Evidently, she was baited by the FBI:

Officials claimed Chapman worked with a network of others, until an undercover FBI agent attempted to draw her into a trap at a Manhattan coffee shop. The FBI agent offered Chapman a fake passport, with instructions to forward it to another spy. He asked, “Are you ready for this step?” to which Chapman replied, “Of course.” She accepted the passport. But, after making a series of phone calls to her father Vasily Kushchenko in Moscow, Chapman took his advice and handed the passport in at a local police station. She was arrested shortly after.

Wikipedia

Hmm.

Posted in history, personal | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Now that the Global Tariffs are Paused for 90 Days

The Art of the Deal (1987)

Something tells me that this latest ‘flip-flop’ may have been his intention all along. And yet, the bond market is what made him act. The stock market can always recover. And the amount of tariff revenue from all those imports for the 12 or so hours from when they went into effect yesterday (at midnight) would have been enough to fuel tax cuts for his rich friends. The tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports have not changed, and China’s now at 125%. But instead of the fraudulent rates announced on Liberation day, the tariff rate for the world is 10%, which was his intention, too. (You see, if you put the rates outrageously high, people will accept a lower, ‘paltry’ rate of 10% as reasonable.)

US Stocks were seesawing between gains and losses on Wednesday morning when Donald Trump chimed in with some financial advice. At 9:37 am (US time), he posted on Truth Social: “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT.”

Just under four hours later, Trump announced a 90-day pause on nearly all tariffs—news that sent markets soaring. By the close of trading, the S&P 500 had jumped 9.5%, recouping around $4 trillion in market value—roughly 70% of what had been lost over the prior four trading days.

The Economic Times

Most would suggest that this amounts to insider trading, a con, if there ever was one.

No, we didn’t.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Celebration of Canadian Music, When We Need It

Take Me Home (April 8 – 10, 2025)

The original show was delayed by a week due to the power outage that caused all schools in Simcoe County to remain closed, until this week.

It was a great showcase for the students’ talents. The music (especially the brass section) could overpower the vocals at times, but overall the song choices and performances were excellent.

Here is the ensemble group in a photo taken by the Midland Today newspaper:

They must have worked their butts off preparing for the show. (Susan said that they had started working on it a year ago.)

There is no definitive listing of the songs they performed, so if some of them were obscure it’s probably because they tried to encompass all genres. Two songs stood out: “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young and “Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.

.

The title of the show refers to a song that they ended the night with: “Home for a Rest” by Spirit of the West:

Do you get the cross-Canada flavour of the night? It was advertised as a two hour show. It was a three hour concert in the end. A fine time was had by all.

St. Theresa’s Catholic High School, Midland, Ontario
Posted in personal | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

She was Only 13 Years Old When She Wrote:

The Life List (2025)

As an antidote to yesterday’s post, here’s a sweet little film about a young woman who needs to get her life figured out, in the year after her mother dies. For some this will require a box of tissues, but not me.

The final item on her list was to find true love. That’s a tough one, for anyone at any age. Here’s some advice:

The reason I’m highlighting this sequence is the fact that the screen playwright mixed them up when Alex recites them near the end of the film. Didn’t they know that someone would have taken note?

Here’s a partial list of The Life List:

It’s something everyone should do: remind yourself what your goals were when you were young.

Posted in reviews, showbusiness | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment