News Watch

Michael Jackson 1958 - 2009

(Posted June 26, 2009)  The death of pop superstar Michael Jackson yesterday has sparked an overwhelming outpouring of grief and remembrance around the world.  Although more recently known for his bizarre behaviour and various legal and financial troubles, his millions of fans paid tribute to the man and his music and the indelible mark he left on the entertainment industry.   There are several widely divergent birth times floating around for Michael Jackson, some from apparently reliable sources.  And yet unless and until some one sees the birth certificate, his true horoscope will likely remain an open question.  Of all the birth times in common usage for MJ, I think the 7.30 p.m. chart offers a plausible window onto the nature of the man and his life events.  Read more...

Iran election protests

(Posted June 16, 2009)  Mass protests and rioting broke out in the aftermath of a contested election result that saw victory declared by incumbent hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the moderate challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi.  In an unprecedented move to mollify opposition protesters, Iran's religious leadership under Ayatollah Khameni has agreed to a partial recount of the results.  Just where these protests may lead remains unknown, as a new generation of young Iranians try to seize the this opportunity to bring their country into the 21st century.   The astrological indications for this uprising is quite clearly seen in the horoscope of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as it was declared on April 1, 1979 at 3 p.m.
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GM on the brink of bankruptcy

(Posted May 11, 2009)  With time running out on General Motors as the June 1 deadline approaches for presenting its plans to the US government, a growing number of analysts believe it will seek bankruptcy protection.  Certainly, the horoscope of GM is very afflicted at the moment and offers an adequate account of a company of the verge of a major re-organization and scaling down.  The Saturn station at 21 Leo is activating the Moon-Mars square in the GM natal chart with predictable consequences.  I have prepared a short video that discusses some of these basic transit influences which you can view on YouTube.  View Video...

Stocks hold their ground

(Updated June 28, 2009)  Stocks were mostly unchanged last week as the early selloff from the Venus-Mars-Saturn alignment was offset by late week strength on the Mercury-Saturn square aspect.  In New York, the Dow closed at 8439 while the S&P ended at 918.  In Mumbai, the Sensex ended Friday's session at 14,764 and the Nifty at 4375.   I thought the market would be more negative here, mostly because I thought the Mercury-Saturn aspect would tend to encourage more selling.  As it turned out, the Mercury-Saturn aspect on Thursday and Friday was a net positive for stocks, perhaps a reflection of the improved condition of Mercury's dispositor, Venus, which had just passed its conjunction with Mars.     Read more...

Swine flu: real threat or media scare?

(Posted May 1, 2009)  The swine flu threat has emerged as a significant development in recent weeks after originating in Mexico in mid-April where it has caused over 100 deaths. While the number of cases and deaths remains quite low around the world, there is real concern by governments and health authorities that a dangerous pandemic is possible. While I alluded to the possibility of some kind of disease threat in last month's newsletter based solely on the New Moon chart, this matter deserves a closer examination. Just how serious could this flu outbreak become?   Read more...

 

New Moon -- Aries to Taurus

Given that the Sun and Moon are the two most significant bodies in the sky, the lunar phases provide useful clues to the prevailing energies that inform the month to come.  The New Moon of March 24 featured a strong Sun in the 10th house suggesting a greater visibility for government and leaders.  April has seen the Obama administration continue to take the lead on a number of fronts including the salvaging of the US auto sector.   The prominent Mars in the 9th house of foreign countries in that chart may also have signified some friction involving North Korea's missile launch and more generally may reflect Obama's overseas trip in early April to the G20 summit and later in his swing through various European and Middle Eastern countries which caused some consternation in conservative circles.  Read more...

Mars and Obama's first 100 days
 
(Updated February 9, 2009)  As the warm glow of his historic inauguration fades into the background, President Barack Obama now faces more familiar political battles over the stimulus and banking proposals. With most Republicans opposing the huge stimulus package, the oft-mentioned new era of bipartisanship and change in Washington seems to have gone missing. While Obama's tasks to rebuild the economy are momentous, it's clear from his horoscope that the acrimony in DC foretells more difficult times ahead for the new president.

According to the Vimshottari dasha system and Krishnamurti ayanamsha, Obama will enter his Mars subperiod or bhukti on or around February 26.  Read more...

Thailand in Crisis
(Posted April 15, 2009)  As the recent wave of violent protests by the anti-government "red-shirts" wind down, Thailand's future political and social stability remains an open question.  This peaceable kingdom known as the Land of Smiles has become riven with factional struggles that has divided the population across a range of different issues.  At the centre of the cleavage is the controversional leader Thaksin Shinawatra, whose populist coalition won elections in 2001 and 2006 but was removed from power due to corruption charges.  Read more...



Long Term Financial Outlook

(Updated April 15, 2009)  To say a lot has happened in the economy since my last update in September is an understatement.   Stocks markets crashed in the fall more or less as predicted as the global economy worsened as credit was strangled by an increasingly embattled banking sector.  While the new Obama administration has put in place a wide range of programs designed to encourage lending and generate economic activity, unemployment is still rising.   Read more...

Iraq War

(Updated August 4, 2008) While the rebuilding of Iraq remains very much a work in progress, there are genuine signs of improvement as violence has lessened and life slowly returns to normal for Iraqi citizens.  The American troop surge initiative appears to have worked as insurgent activity has sharply declined over the past six to eight months.   This picture of a gradual calming of the conflict is largely borne out by Sun dasha in the 1932 Iraq chart.  When I made the observation in January 2007 (see below) that the coming of the Sun dasha would bring eventual improvement, I noted that natal condition of the Sun in the Iraq national chart was quite good and largely free of affliction.  This strongly indicated that there was reason for hope in Iraq.  Read more...