Note: this is NEXT WEEK’S forecast. To read the present week’s column, please scroll down to “RECENT POSTS” on the right margin, and click on “July 10 – 16, 2016.”

ALL TIMES/DATES ARE PDT (Pacific Daylight Time Zone). PDT is 8 hours “before” Greenwich (England). (As long as Britain is also on Daylight time.) For example, when it is noon PDT, it is 8 pm in England – and 4 am the next day in China.) The “World Clock” in the right margin gives you some clues. (You can also Google “time zone converter.”)

START NOTHING: 1:57 am to 12:33 pm Sun., 3:56 pm to 8:10 pm Tues., and 6:56 pm Thurs. to 1:35 am Fri.

PREAMBLE:

Your email gone astray? Just for fun, I clicked on an old, unused gmail account (suningem@gmail.com) and discovered that I haven’t answered about 600 emails sent since last year. I apologize if you’ve sent anything here and have not been answered. I can’t go through all these 600 mails, so please, if you never received an answer, send your email to: timstephens@shaw.ca. It’s the only account I check. BTW, most of those emails were either a) new registrations on the Astral Blog, or b) people who had lost their password for the ASTRAL Blog. To tell you the truth, I don’t know how to handle these. If you have lost your password, please let me know. (I didn’t even realize you needed a password for anything on the blog…?)

The Weekly Forecasts will be a little short or different today, as I’m jacked up on muscle relaxants for a pain in my neck. (Probably karma for the pain in the neck I’ve often been.)

My gut tells me “Brexit” will be a long-term positive for Britain, not the disaster presently being broadcast everywhere. Last week I told a friend that Brexit would bring Britain “back to Thatcher” – the female PM who dragged England out of deep doo-doo, and began the thriving economic breeze the nation’s still riding. Lo and behold, today it was announced that Britain’s next Prime Minister will be a woman – the first since Thatcher. Still, European banks are down 25 – 50 %, and British “REITS” are having to be frozen, due to redemptions – much like a run on a bank. (I bought Barclay’s and ING, the Dutch internet bank. Both have great dividends now due to the price drop – though of course they might slash their dividend. — I’m not a financial advisor.)

 

(I HAVE PLACED MY STUFF ON BLACK/POLICE VIOLENCE,  HILLARY, ETC., IN THE AFTERAMBLE” – AFTER the Weekly Forecasts below.)

 

WEEKLY FORECAST:

 

 ARIES   March 21-April 19

Your career, social standing, prestige relations, and interfacing with authorities, are highlighted Sunday to Tues. A special kind of luck accompanies you. You might have to decide between security and risk, home and the outside world. Tuesday night through Thurs. brings happiness, popularity, wish fulfillment, entertainment, optimism and flirty, light romance. Again, you get a green light – except Thurs. suppertime (PDT) when happiness does not mix with money or sex. Retreat late week (all Fri./Sat) – sleep, contemplate, plan, deal with institutions, charities or spiritual forces. Friday’s tough, results slim to negligible. But Saturday flows smooth, productively and easily. Your health could improve unexpectedly. Friday starts a month of romance – and a winning streak.

 

 TAURUS   April 20-May 20

A gentle, mellow mood flows over you Sunday noon to Tues. night – a great interval to travel afar, or to pursue intellectual, media and love goals. The only “negative” time occurs Tues. morn – possible disruption, fender-bender, or a bit of stress. Be ambitious Tues night through Thurs. – again, all is lucky, except Thurs. night, which needs care to avoid an argument. Another might try to reveal your secret(s) or use it against you. Happiness surges Fri./Sat., when your popularity rises, bringing social delights, entertainment and flirtation. Your future looks bright! However, obstacles exist Friday (though in your happy mood you’ll hardly care) so go slow, realize when a path is closed. Saturday, you might meet a sexy person who has life-mate potential. Friday starts a month of domesticity, of food and shelter concerns.

 

 GEMINI   May 21-June 20

Continue chasing money. Sunday noon to Tues. sunset favours investment, debt reduction, sexual intimacy, lifestyle changes, research and discovery, and health actions (e.g., surgery) – all lucky except around mid-morn (PDT) Tues., when friends don’t help, and driving, machines need caution. Your mind “wakes up” Tues. night through Thurs. – chase far travel, learning, philosophy, religion, understanding, media exposure, and love. Opportunities exist! Protect your health (a small thing) Thurs. suppertime. Your social standing, prestige relations, career, and dealings with authorities are highlighted Friday (softly frustrating, minimal progress) and Saturday (opportunities, especially in real estate, home, family matters – and good health!). Friday begins a month of travel, errands, messaging, media, and “easy work.”

 

 CANCER   June 21-July 22

Your energy and charisma remain high: start big things, or seek opportunities, Sunday noon to Tues. suppertime. These few days are superb for furthering (or starting) a relationship, and might even, for some couples, produce a marriage. Also, negotiating, making peace with enemies, relocation and dealing with the public – all favoured. Careful Tues. mid-morn, when a career disruption (a minor one) can occur. Changes, lifestyle choices, medical diagnoses, research, investment and financial manoeuvres, and sexual desire – all come Tues. night through Thurs. – and all flow well, except Thurs. suppertime, when a career obstacle, or an argument, sours your mood. Understanding, wisdom, gentle love (for one person, and for all humanity) fill Fri./Sat. Friday’s unlucky, especially in relationships. But Saturday’s the opposite: love, friends, law, far travel and intellectual pursuits are favoured. Friday starts a month of money, possessions, and sensual attraction.

 

 LEO   July 23-Aug. 22

This is your last week of feeling weary and relatively alone, Leo. Sunday morning’s pleasurable, nature’s beautiful. But this noon to Tues. night nudges you to tackle chores and protect your everyday health (eat, dress right). Within reason, almost anything you try will work, so don’t waste this splendidly productive time on routine tasks. It’s an excellent time (except Tues. morning) to buy machinery. (Remember, too, you’re tired, so don’t bite off a lion-sized task.) Careful with relationships (especially legal, ethical, or international ones) around 10 am (PDT) Tues. Relationships face you Tues. night through Thurs. Again, your luck is pretty high, so accept others, negotiate, agree, co-operate, and be diplomatic. Someone thinks you’re pretty attractive, is willing to “dance” even though your charisma is down. Don’t argue Thurs. suppertime. That problem, of low energy and charisma, will end Friday, when a month of personal power starts – you’ll be the star for four weeks. But Fri./Sat., on their own, bring mysteries, research, lifestyle changes, large finances and sexual yearnings. None of these work Fri. daytime, and you should hope they don’t work this night (when you’re likely to tip over into a vat of gooey, yucky karma). Saturday, they all tend to work – with a lucky little money bonus, too.

 

 VIRGO   Aug. 23-Sept. 22

This is your last week of fun and frolic, Virgo, so pack in some enjoyment and socializing. Sunday noon to Tues. night brings romance, immediate pleasure, beauty, and creative and risk-taking urges. Your luck is splendid, so chase someone or something! (Only caution: don’t seek sex, nor invest) around 10 am Tues. (PDT). Tackle chores and protect your health Tues. night through Thurs. If buying tools or machines, do it Wed. DON’T invest, buy machines, get into a fight, nor seek sex Thurs. suppertime. Friday/Saturday bring relationships, relocation themes, dealings with the public, marriage themes, negotiations and, possibly, litigation. Friday’s not easy. Worse, after the difficulties ebb, a siren call might nudge you into pursuing a mysterious person Fri. night – he/she/s a trap, as you’ll discover in a year or two, if you do “hook up.” Saturday’s the opposite: good relations, opportunities, co-operation, and, very late, sex – or reassurance that it will come, soon. Friday starts a month of quietude and rest – start gently withdrawing.

 

 LIBRA   Sept. 23-Oct. 22

You’re in an ambitious month, Libra, but it’s winding down: Sunday noon to Tues. night nudges you toward home, domesticity, humility, withdrawal, “closing down.” This is a splendid period, filled with good luck and easy progress. (Except Tues. morn, when love disappoints.) Monday, especially, is good for renovations, repairs, etc. Romance calls Tues. night through Thurs. – so do creative surges and speculative urges, beauty, pleasure, charming kids. However, Thurs. suppertime needs care with money and your mate/spouse. If you’re single, this Tues.-Thurs. interval can start a love affair – but it won’t end in marriage, so save yourself. Tackle chores and protect your health (eat, dress sensibly) Fri./Sat. Stick to easy chores Fri., as obstacles and delays could “defeat” any ambitious efforts. Sat.’s the opposite: work progresses well, might even “introduce” you to a viable potential mate. Friday starts a month of happiness, optimism, popularity, wish fulfillment, and light romance.

 

 SCORPIO   Oct. 23-Nov. 21

Jump into errands, paperwork, applications, details, communications, and travel Sun. noon to Tues. night. Your luck is good here, so start large projects in this sector – e.g., start a mail sales campaign, fill out that application, etc. (Be wary of starting a new office phone system, a web site, or anything electric.) Careful driving, with tools, Tues. morn. Be quick, busy. Then, retreat Tues. night through Thurs. – be home, embrace your family, garden, contemplate, reach your “centre” again. Don’t try too hard to fix a mechanical problem. Avoid fire, argument and passion Thurs. suppertime. Despite this, a good interval! Passion, art, beauty, pleasure, charming kids, creative surges, risk-taking and self-expression fill Friday (poorly, and then, after waiting, “beauty” is a trap) and Saturday (all good, charge forth, chase someone attractive, paint, write, etc. – a friend might want to be a lover). Friday starts a month of ambition and career efforts.

 

 SAGITTARIUS   Nov. 22-Dec. 21

The general accent lies on secrecy and financial, sexual, or lifestyle actions that can change your life. (E.g., if you buy a house and take a 30-year mortgage, your life will change. Or have sex and become pregnant, same thing.) Chase money Sun. noon to Tues. night, when your luck is high – ask for a pay raise, sell items, etc. A sensual relationship might work, though it develops slowly. Careful with romance, driving and unsavoury associations Tues. morn. Errands, messaging, short trips, paperwork and casual friends fill Tues. night through Thurs. Again, your luck’s high, except Thurs. suppertime when romance is more like anger. Head for home Fri./Sat. Friday’s hard, slow, and attempts to “suck you in” to an un-winnable or unworkable home-related chore, renovation, or commitment. Best to do nothing. (If plumbing acts up, wait until Sat. to call the repairperson.) Saturday’s very different: opportunistic, lucky, and, at the end, romantic. Friday begins a month of heightened mental awareness, far travel, law and love.

 

 CAPRICORN   Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Rest Sun. morning. This noon to Tues. night boosts you to the top of the heap. Your energy, charisma and clout soar. Start significant projects, make contacts, impress others. You might get the “inside dope” on a good investment or other secret. Be diplomatic Tues. morn. Chase money, buy/sell, cultivate clients, etc. Tues. night through Thurs. Again, progress should be relatively easy. A sensual (and easy) attraction might occur. But don’t argue or be drawn into a friend’s problems Thurs. suppertime. Errands, calls, visits, trips, paperwork, easy chores fill Fri./Sat. You’ll get things done Fri., but might feel a subtle dislike for or from another. DON’T start a major project in these areas (e.g., buy a car, train ticket, phone, or start a mail campaign). Saturday’s much better – friends are true, and you might encounter a travel or other opportunity – it comes from a “secret corner” (or person). Friday begins a month of mystery, finances, sex, and life changes.

 

 AQUARIUS   Jan. 20-Feb. 18

This is your last week of chores and minor health concerns, Aquarius. You feel optimistic Sunday morning, but this noon to Tues. night shunts you into relative solitude, quietness, and temporary weariness. That’s okay. Your luck is good, so deal with civil servants, institutions, head office, charities and spiritual groups. Make future plans. Your energy and pizzazz returns Tues. night through Thurs. – again, your luck’s favourable, so get out, impress people, make contacts, start significant projects. One caution: don’t cross a higher-up Thurs. around suppertime. Same time, drive carefully. Chase money, a better income, Fri./Sat. – but not too hard, as this area contains a possible, subtle trap for you this year and half of next. Friday’s hard, progress difficult, and this night makes you worry about money, or worse, be over-optimistic. Saturday’s better for action: grab an investment or other financial opportunity around midday (PDT). Now, especially in the pm, you can impress that higher-up (or solve Thursday’s possible “misunderstanding”). Friday begins a month of excitement, opportunities and relationships.

 

 PISCES   Feb. 19-March 20

This is your last week of romance, creative and speculative rushes, so enjoy it while you can. Sunday noon to Tues. night brings optimism, entertainment, popularity and social joys, light romance, and happiness. A wish could come true. Blue skies are everywhere except Tues. morn, when you might make a mistake with government, in management, or might reveal a weakness to a competitor. Retreat Tues. night through Thurs. – rest, contemplate, plan your future. Now you can deal successfully with government or head office. Avoid an argument over money, or a money disruption, Thurs. suppertime. Your energy and charisma come roaring back Fri./Sat. But Friday’s difficult, puts boulders in your way. This night your charms bewilder, enchant: but is the timing, and the motive (your motive) right? Saturday’s splendid. You could meet a possible mate, or run into another opportunity involving, possibly, relocation, partnership, dealings with the public, or negotiations. An aggressive person (Scorpio?) might pursue you.

The End.

AFTERAMBLE:

The Black Solution:

Blacks killing police officers in the U.S.: I have different opinions on this. First, I think Blacks are justified in killing police indiscriminately (e.g., Micah Johnson gunning down the Dallas officers). This is what the police have done to Blacks in America, at the rate of 2 per day, for years. I also think it is justified for Blacks to kill 2 police per day, or about 700 per year: again, this is what the police are doing to Blacks. This isn’t crime; it’s group-self-defence. Some will say, that’s ridiculous, there are laws and Blacks need to seek their defence in the justice system. (Most of the suck-up tv pundits say this.) But though there is law in the United States, there is no justice – The Clintons, Lynch, Comey and Obama have proved this. The law is a snake, trained to slither in any direction its masters point. The police are really the army of the rich.

Because the police themselves refuse to get rid of their bad, racist cops, then we can assume that all cops are guilty. Therefore, it’s philosophically permissible to shoot any cop, since members of their group shoot any Black, without distinction. Shooting police in such cases is justifiable self defense, of one group against another.

You might also fear, probably correctly, that killing cops will bring even more police repression – a police state. Well, wake up – we’ve already entered a police state (mostly worldwide, since 2008) as I predicted ten years ago. And Blacks are a minority: only 25 % of the population. But when you have a repressive regime such as White America, the only way, usually, to bring them to the table, to wring concessions, is violence, even guerrilla violence, even terrorism. Terrorism, despite what all these sluggish, white-bellied politicians might say, is almost always justified. Look at the Irish – the British didn’t stop abusing and repressing them until Sein Fein and the IRA started bombing English office buildings and slaughtering “innocent” English citizens. Gee, guess what, now London respects and lives peaceably with Ireland. (Nothing’s perfect, of course.) In fact, in most cases, the only answer to repression and abuse is violence, simply because the oppressors will not give up their goodies just because you demonstrate and discuss. Want proof? Look around. The “discussion” happened in the 1960’s with the Civil Rights movement. Things are different now, but better? Are the ghettoes gone? Has Black employment risen? No, the Whites, or the hierarchy, whichever you prefer, are even richer and Blacks even poorer. (Let’s not forget poor Whites, also.)

Another idea: remove all the duties of uniformed police except for direct response to criminal (NOT Black or poverty) activity. Then train them like we train the elites: FBI, etc. Strictly restrict overtime for police – as shown on television a week ago, an appreciable number of police make over $ 300,000 per year by loading up on overtime. Overtime = exhaustion = bad temper and poor judgement = kill a Black.

One woman on Minnesota tv had a brilliant idea: all police should be given a workplace insurance policy that will pay them if injured, and also give them liability protection (much as dentists have). This insurance will be a requirement of employment. One claim under this insurance will appreciably up the premium; a second offense would make it very expensive; a third would be so high the cop would probably quit. This way the bad apples automatically get weeded out; in addition, it gives cops an incentive not to be violent. But before we throw too much faith into this, we should also realize that many police, in the U.S. and Canada, make over $300,000 a year. That might equal a few rate hikes.

Another solution: The Democrats want to abolish gun ownership. That leaves them in power, with tanks, ARPs, gas, everything up to nukes – and a citizenry that has given up their weapons. Smells like a bid for dictatorship, to me.

A good solution if they could do it: clone 10,000 or whatever copies of the Dallas PD, and replace all other police departments with them.

The best solution? (Not for poverty but for racism – I think.) It’s drastic and could probably never happen, but it would solve the problem: legislate interbreeding of Black, White, (and maybe throw in Hispanics for good measure). Then, in a few decades there will be no Whites and no Blacks – just coffee with cream.

Obama, in reaction to the (Black) Dallas police-killer, stated, “There is no possible justification” for the shootings. So where has this dufus President been for the last 8 years? No justification? U.S. police kill over 700 Blacks every year. What better justification does one need?

And why should we believe Obama when he has protected Hillary from prosecution? Obama might be the biggest Uncle Tom ever to exist.

The “Group” argument: Not all police are hate-filled, racist bullies, but the Police as a group are ALL guilty, for the simple reason that as a force, they protect and favour their own. They don’t bother removing the bad ones from the force before they murder, nor do they prevent such psychos from enlisting in the force – this would be almost laughably easy, with modern psychological vetting, yet police departments don’t bother. Why not? I think that, deep down, even the “fair” white cops get a bit of visceral satisfaction when one of their group “offs” one of those Blacks.

I think Blacks should call the Dallas sniper a hero. The only other choice is cowardice, impotence, frustration and loss of manhood – or public marches, which have had no effect in the last decade.

Justice is not a solution, since it seldom exists, except karmically.

You could even make this a manifesto: every time a Black is unfairly gunned down by a cop, a cop should, soon after, be shot and killed. One for one. And there is no need to make sure the cops they shoot are “bad ones.” Any cop will do; just as the killer police didn’t bother to kill a “bad Black” – they didn’t care if their victim was guilty or innocent. Indeed, killing cops indiscriminately, one-for-one, will probably lead to speedier results than gunning down only the “bad” cops. If any cop, even a good cop, can pay for his brother officers’ murderous cruelty with his own life, the cops as a group are more likely to be motivated to expunge the bad apples. (Of course they could, also, be motivated to murder, or to peace.) The bad cops don’t care about individuals; they simply want to gun down any Black. In essence, they are attacking all Blacks by willy-nilly killing members of the Black community. Just so, Blacks are morally entitled to kill cops with the same indiscriminate licence: as a group.

I suspect the lack of a “Black war” (or any war against the false-speaking, oppressive elite) in the U.S. is one reason so many youth (White, Black and Arab) have gone to ISIS, where they can exercise against the anger, muscle-binding frustration and ultimate humility of life in Crooked America.  The youth need a war, not the daily soup of lies and inaction that bind the upper class. (For the elite are, in their own way, as bound to this unjust society as the poor are.)

Here’s the problem with “Black Lives Matter” and the entire world-wide zeitgeist (Syria, Russia, Egypt, Libya, etc.) of revolt against old, stale and crooked-to-the-core hierarchies: we keep hearing calls – from both the underdogs and the hierarchies – for dialogue, peace and understanding: but that cannot produce any positive results when one of the parties – the hierarchy – never tells the truth, has an ongoing hidden agenda, and uses both the justice system and police to get its way. Look back: have dialogue or the justice system helped the situation in Baltimore or Ferguson, or anywhere else? I think violence is the only answer – the Hierarchy is already using it.

 

POLITICS:

It’s possible FBI Director Comey is playing a bigger game: perhaps he’s making Hillary feel secure by not charging her, because he is still waiting to investigate the Clinton Foundation for bribery and influence peddling, and perhaps he plans to pounce on her there. (Though I doubt it.) He was pressured by Lynch to set Hillary free, which he did, to save his career – but let us know she did commit several crimes.

And Hillary’s law firm, which chose 30,000 emails and destroyed them while she was under investigation, why aren’t they in court for obstruction of justice? Because the U.S. power elite is crooked to its core. I really feel a bit disappointed in Bill Clinton. Sure he was a philanderer, a liar and a charming snake oil salesman, but I never thought he would just take America in his fist and throw it out the moral and criminal window. His talk with Loretta Lynch, and the following events, are the most sickening thing I have witnessed outside a dictatorship. Remember my little item months ago about the democratic dilemma: do you act in an undemocratic, even criminal way, to save democracy from the election of your scary opponent (Trump)? I guess the answer, in America, is yes. Yes from Obama on down, cheating to get Hillary elected; yes in the Republican ranks, who forced Trump to sign a pledge, and signed it themselves, then like cowards broke it as soon as the pledge didn’t favour their own circumstances. So crooks on the Dem’s side, and promise-breakers on the GOP side.

BUSINESS HIERARCHIES:

If I was a curmudgeonly lawyer (I’m already a curmudgeon) I’d sue Microsoft over Windows 10. It literally chews up programs it doesn’t like. It destroyed two new printers, it destroyed a brand-new Microsoft Word program purchased from Microsoft; and, just last week, it sent me an “update” which destroyed the “Sound Organizer” program which I use to record client’s sessions.  Evidently one woman sued them successfully for $ 10,000. I think there should be a class action suit, for at least $ 500 million, even a billion. This program has cost me at least $ 500 so far in printers and techie fees ($480 just in fees so far!) and countless lost hours, lost work, and negative client impacts/impressions. Probable total impact: $ 1,500 to $ 3,000. Multiply that by, say, 50 million Microsoft users. That’s 5 to 15 BILLION in destruction that Microsoft has caused. If anybody out there wants to class-act sue Microsoft, count me in!

I’d also sue Telus, our local internet-phone-cable provider, for cruelty toward its customers, and for discrimination. Telus, a phone company, will not answer their own phone. I spent, over 3 days, 30 then 80 then 20 minutes on the phone listening to their recorded music. That’s over 2 hours of my time wasted by this uncaring monolith. Now, you can get to Telus on their internet chat line. Or so they say: once I was answered on their internet site within a few minutes; another time, I waited 30 minutes – on the internet – and still was ignored. Now, even if Telus’ internet site does give you SOME access to a human being, the telephone does not.

I have some senior clients. In my anecdotal experience, I’d guess that 90 per cent of people over 70 do not own, nor know how to operate, a computer. Telus knows this, from their own records. To refuse access to service to a certain segment of the public – in this case seniors – is discrimination – in this case ageism. Fair penalty: I’d say 50 billion, to convince them to be human beings, not cold ruthless money-grabbing machines with only one mandate: make money, screw people.

You might also notice that in navigating the telephone trees of most large companies, if you hit the button saying “I’d like to order something new or pay my bill,” your call is answered almost immediately – within seconds. But if you hit the button for “repair” or “help” your call will take, probably, half an hour to an hour to five days to be answered. Gee, I wonder why? This should be against the law.

 

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