Geniuses don’t make great human beings. Steve Jobs’ eldest daughter, Lisa Brennan Jobs has written a memoir Small Fry about her troubled relationship with her father.  She was the result of an on-off relationship and Jobs publicly denied being her father for two years after her birth, even claiming he was sterile in a deposition. After a DNA test proved he was her father, a court ruled Jobs had to cover welfare and child-support payments totalling $500 (£385) a month. Days later Apple became a public company and Jobs’ net worth rose to over $200m. He appears to have apologised and made up with her later in his life.

She was born 17 May 1978 in Portland, Oregon, and is a Sun Taurus square Saturn; with Saturn conjunct Mars and Mars square Uranus; plus Jupiter square Pluto. All of which describes a cold, rejecting, cruel father.

Her Mercury was conjunct his 8^th house Mars, her Neptune conjunct his IC and her Saturn conjunct his Pluto  – argumentative, disappointing and blocked.

Their relationship chart is fairly brutal as well with a composite Mars square Pluto Uranus; a cold Venus opposition Saturn perhaps square Moon; and a strained, disillusioning Yod of Mars sextile Sun inconjunct Neptune.

Jobs had both his Pisces Sun and Aries Moon unaspected so neither his identity nor his feelings were well integrated. He had a powerfully driven Cardinal Grand Square of an inspirational and lucky Uranus Jupiter in Cancer opposition Venus square Neptune opposition an aggravated 8^th house Mars; with Mars trine a 12^th house Pluto and Pluto square Saturn in obsessive Scorpio. He may have changed the world but he was a troubled man and not an easy temperament.

Turkey is facing a full-blown balance of payments crisis as foreign funds flee the country with the lira down 35pc in the last six months. The fear is that their currency collapse may be ‘harbinger’ of an emerging market rout which could ripple out. The increasingly autocratic Erdogan recently tossed out his Economic Minister and replaced him with his son-in-law.

The country chart looks confused, uncertain and on high alert with tr Neptune conjunct Uranus on the midheaven now into late 2019; with real hardship approaching for the beleaguered population in 2020/2021 with tr Pluto square the 4^th house Saturn and the Solar Arc Moon is also conjunct the 4^th house Mars in late 2019/early 2020.

Erdogan was sworn in for his 4^th Term at 4.30pm 9 July 2018 in Ankara. It’s an explosively erratic chart with the Mars opposition Node square Uranus in place; and more significantly a pressured and blocked 8^th house (financial) Sun opposition Pluto, which will come exact by Solar Arc in 2021.

Erdogan’s Saturn is conjunct the Turkey Scorpio Sun so he’ll have a dampening effect on the national spirit; and his Neptune conjunct the Turkey Saturn will produce uncertainty and distrust. The relationship chart has a composite Pluto square Mars Saturn which is bleak and cruel. That’s been jolted an detonated through this year up to 2020/21.

None of it good news.

Boris Becker doesn’t have his woes to seek at the moment with a calamitous financial situation, involving ludicrous excuses about non-existent diplomatic immunity as a get-out, as well as an acrimonious and messy public divorce being played out through the tabloids.

Born 22 November 1967 8.45 am Leimen, Germany he became the wunderkind tennis star very young, won everything going,  had a turbulent emotional life throughout and has not found his feet in his retirement.

He married his second wife Lilly, on 12^th June 2009, when there was a passionate and aggravated Venus Mars in Taurus trine Pluto; a head-in-the-clouds, illusory Sun trine Neptune Jupiter; as well as Sun in a needs-space square to Uranus and in a cool square to Saturn. Not ideal.

He’s a last degree Scorpio Sun conjunct Neptune with a talented, ultra-determined and highly emotional Half Grand Sextile. His intense 8^th house Cancer Moon opposes Mars and is sextile/trine Sun Neptune and Uranus Pluto. Certainly a unique personality but there’s chaos, anger and delusions tied up in that configuration. His Moon, the leading planet of his Half Grand Sextile is conjunct the Fixed star Procyon which is changeable and unpredictable, raising people to great heights and bringing them down again.

Lilly is also emotionally intense and possessive with a Sun Venus in Cancer square Pluto and trine Uranus; a Gemini Moon; and a dramatic Mars in Leo square Jupiter in Taurus. Her Mars squares his Sun Neptune for arguments and irritation on her side about his evasiveness. Her Pluto is conjunct his midheaven so she’d try to control him which was obviously a lost cause.

Their relationship chart is a touch sparse without her birth time but there’s probably a composite Moon square Pluto and trine Mars, which isn’t too tranquil; with a suspicious and doubting Saturn opposition Neptune.

He’s moving into a low profile phase with tr Saturn now into his 2^nd house, for money shortages; with a frustrating, trapped and scary 2019/2020 as tr Pluto is conjunct his 2^nd house Mars and that will run on beyond 2020 for three years or so right round his Half Grand Sextile.

All that talent and what a tragic mess it’s all turned out to be.

David Hasselhoff, former Baywatch and Knight Rider star, married his Welsh model girlfriend Hayley Roberts on Tuesday in Italy. They met seven years ago when she asked him for his autograph in Cardiff.

They picked a sparky date for the weeding with the Sun opposition Mars square Uranus in place, which will make for an eventful and not altogether peaceful marriage.

There’s doubt about his birthdate, either 17 or 21 July 1952, though most sources say 17^th. Whichever he has a last decan Cancer Sun with an adventurous, risk-taking and indulgent Jupiter in Taurus opposition Mars in Scorpio; with his amplified Jupiter in a confident square to Pluto and square North Node. With either a Gemini Moon or a New Moon in Cancer.

Hayley, born 2 May 1980, is a Sun Taurus which connects well with his Jupiter, with Venus in Gemini and Moon in loves-to-travel Sagittarius. Her Uranus squares his Pluto so she will turn his life upside down and not always be happy with attempts to control her. And his Uranus squares her Pluto so it’ll be six and half a dozen of either and both.

Their relationship chart has a sugary-sweet composite Venus Jupiter; a constantly-changing composite Sun square Uranus Pluto; and a sacrifice-demanding Mars Saturn conjunction.  Not all going to be plain sailing.  He’s been married twice before.

Protests against the heavily disputed presidential election results in Zimbabwe led to troops opening fire on the streets of Harare with three dead. The party of Emmerson Mnanagwa, a former-enforcer for Robert Mugabe, is deemed to have achieved a two thirds majority (later reduced to 50.8%, just over the threshold to avoid a run off). EU observers allowed in for the first time say they observed several problems, including media bias, voter intimidation and mistrust in the electoral commission, adding that there was an “improved political climate, but un-level playing field and lack of trust”.

If and it’s a big if, Mnanagwa turns out to be better than Mugabe there will be a long haul back to a stable economy. The country has slid sharply backwards in the recent decades with malnutrition and diseases rife.

The Zim chart has Pluto opposition an Aries Sun, under pressure from tr Pluto squares until the mid 2020s, finishing up with tr Pluto square the midheaven. Later this autumn till next spring tr Uranus will also conjunct the Sun and oppose the midheaven, so the unrest will run on. Tr Neptune will move to oppose the 8^th house (business finances) Saturn in 2021/2022 which won’t be good news. Only once Pluto moves into Aquarius in 2024/2025 and onwards is there likely to be a major uptick. There will be changes, perhaps rebellions in 2020/21 when tr Pluto sextiles the 10^th house Uranus

Mnanagwa, 15 September 1946, has his Sun conjunct the Zim Saturn so he will be concerned about international investment; and his Jupiter Mars in Libra connects with the Zim Pluto, MC and Sun which could breathe new life and inspiration into the country – or give free rein to his opportunistic impulses, depending on which way it swings.

He’s not much loved, but isn’t as off-the-wall as Mugabe was; and he might just push through some much-needed reforms with a composite Sun trine Neptune, sextile Uranus in the relationship chart. Which if he wants outside investors in, will require a modicum of transparency and democracy and a nod to human rights.

Family embarrassment continues to escalate for poor Meghan with her father talking constantly to the US media about being rejected. The DM speculates the Queen has stepped in to quell the unwanted publicity though quite what she can do isn’t obvious. She will no doubt be displeased at the mishandling of the affair from square one, which possibly wouldn’t have happened if the older courtiers had still been around. Harry should have met him in person, more than once; he should have been brought over and bought off if necessary to keep him quiet. There’s no way of knowing yet what the whole back story is and it’s odd he lives in rundown Mexico but still it did look like an accident waiting to happen.

Thomas Markle was born 18 July 1944 in Los Angeles,  was a television lighting director, winner of several awards. He won $750,000 in a California lottery in 1990, but spent it and filed for bankruptcy in 2016 over a debt of $30,000. He’s been married three times.

His Cancer Sun is conjunct the Fixed star Procyon which can rise to heights and then fall. He’s got Jupiter in flamboyant Leo in an adventurous conjunction to Mars and a Venus Pluto conjunction in Leo. He shares that Venus Pluto conjunction with Sarah Ferguson, who shares his lack of sense about money or discretion and the tendency of hanging on emotionally.

It is a controlling relationship with Meghan since she has Pluto in the 4^th so she’d find him quite scary when she was growing up. His Sun is conjunct her Ascendant which suggests a strong though competitive link; and his Venus Pluto is conjunct her Mercury Sun, so he will want to manipulate her.

Their relationship chart also has a competitive edge with a composite Sun Mars Mercury, a chilly, emotionally blocked Venus Saturn; and a composite Mars square Neptune  = when one succeeds the other feels diminished.

Their connection looks if anything bumpier in 2019/2020; and undermined this year and next.

HM Queen looks frustrated and irritated with Prince Harry especially this September/October; and her relationship with Meghan is also gritty and exasperated through till early 2019.

There is that odd composite Moon square Saturn Pluto in Meghan and Harry’s relationship chart, which suggests bleak, destructive and unkind family relationships – which I had rather ascribed to the Royals. But it clearly works on both sides. Their composite Moon is being seriously jangled this December and January 2019 with tr Uranus square; and under discouraging challenges in 2020 to 2024.

Bob Woodward, reckoned the best investigative reporter in the USA, has his take on the Trump presidency out in September in a book called simply ‘Fear.’ He has written books on three past presidents all with their cooperation which was not forthcoming this time round. But he appears to have persuaded insiders to talk in private. One former official said: ‘It’s gonna be killer. Everyone talked with Woodward.’ Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said: “He has an extraordinary ability to get otherwise responsible adults to spill [their] guts to him…his ability to get people to talk about stuff they shouldn’t be talking about is just extraordinary and may be unique.”

The book title came from a conversation with Trump during the 2016 campaign when he said: ‘Real power means you can get what you want without having to exert violence. Real power is Fear.’

Woodward was born 26 March 1936 6.35pm Geneva, Illinois, the son of a judge, served in the navy and then went into journalism, hitting the bullseye with his expose of Watergate, along with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein, which brought Richard Nixon down. Since then he’s written 18 non-fiction books, 12 of them best-sellers, and has remained at the top of his game being part of the Pulitzer prize winning Washington Post team not just for Watergate but also 9/11. He’s been married three times.

He has a 7^th house Aries Sun and Mercury in late Pisces opposition Neptune on his Ascendant – perhaps why he’s able to get underneath interviewees’ defences to winkle out the truth.  He’s got a courageous and ruthlessly determined Mars in Aquarius in the spotlight 5^th opposition Pluto square Venus in Taurus in the 8^th. His Venus in the 8^th will also give him the ability to plug into people at a deep level. He has a talented Half Grand Sextile off the Mars opposition Pluto, sextile Sun and Saturn (Uranus) in Gemini. With Uranus trine Neptune sextile Pluto. His crusading Sagittarius Moon is in the journalistic 3^rd; with a successful Jupiter in his 10^th. He has a subtly powerful and very influential chart with a leadership North Node in Leo.

His Sun falls in Trump’s secretive 8^th house; with his Mars opposing Trump’s Pluto for a definite clash. And Woodward’s innovative Saturn Uranus falls in Trump’s 10^th, which has the capacity to affect the reputation and status of both for good or for ill.

Their relationship chart has an argumentative and competitive composite Sun Mercury opposition Mars; with the Sun in a power-struggling square to Pluto; a suspicious/paranoid Saturn square Neptune being triggered now; and Uranus hitting both the composite Venus and Moon, so not a chummy friendship.

Trump is continuing his summer of bad-temper and high angst with tr Uranus still in square to his Mercury/Mars and Venus/Pluto up to publication date. Immediately after tr Uranus returns to square his Saturn/Pluto – self-destructive energy, egotistical, violent.

The strain on that man’s heart must be extraordinary from rolling, screeching tantrums. What he ought to do is maintain a discreet silence and let it blow over but on past form when he’s let fly a twitter storm at James Comey and Michael Wolff’s respective books, they shot to the top of the best seller lists.

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Alan Alda, the multi-awarded and much-loved Hawkeye Pierce in Mash has announced he has Parkinson’s Disease. He said he was diagnosed three years ago and has been living a full and energetic life since then. As well as acting and writing during a long career, he has also been involved in programmes about scientific and technological advances.

Born 28 January 1936 5.07 am New York, he had an unsettled childhood following his vaudeville and burlesque-theatre father’s acting career, contracted polio at one point and said his mother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. He’s been married over sixty years with three children.

He has a 2nd house Sun in Aquarius (scientific) square a 4th house Uranus (constant upheavals in childhood). His 3^rd house Aries Moon is sextile his Sun and in an out-of-element trine to Pluto and ditto square to Venus. He has spoken of how much he resented/hated his mother’s condition which is reflected in his Moon = Mars/Pluto = Saturn/Pluto.

For all that he’s always given the impression of being amiable and laid back, due to a focal point Jupiter in Sagittarius in his 12^th square a showbiz Neptune opposition Mars Saturn in Pisces. He didn’t have an easy start in life but seems to have risen above it all and made a good life for himself.

The title of his book came from his grief at a pet dog dying so his father had it stuffed which horrified him even more.  His motto – face reality and move on.

Is this the end of the road for the euro? That’s the question asked by one of Germany’s leading economists who serves as an adviser to the government. Hans-Werner Sinn writes: ‘It is hard to see a clear path forward. Some argue for still more debt socialisation and risk sharing at the European level. Others warn that this would push Europe into an even deeper quagmire of financial irresponsibility. …. The euro’s third decade will decide its fate.’ He comments that sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf was right to conclude: “The currency union is a grave error, a quixotic, reckless and misguided goal, that will not unite but break up Europe.”

At present Portugal, Spain and Greece are all governed by radical socialists who have abandoned the “austerity policy”; and Italy intends to increase the country’s debt substantially to pay for tax cuts and a guaranteed-income scheme. All of these four countries’ manufacturing sectors are still way below 2007 levels of competitiveness and their youth unemployment is shockingly high.

The euro was launched as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999 and as a cash currency on 1 January 2002, assuming both 12 am. Both charts indicate a Saturnine period in late 2021/2022. Which doesn’t mean an end of times but it does suggest there will be a harsh dose of reality.

The 1999 chart has a T Square of Mars opposition Saturn square a financial Venus which has been under pressure since 2017 and worsening in 2021 to 2023 as tr Pluto is conjunct the Venus and square Saturn. The Solar Arc Mars squares Uranus in early 2021 for a mighty crash of sorts and high insecurity; and the Solar Arc MC is square Saturn in late 2021/early 2022.

The 2002 chart has a fractious Mutable T Square of Pluto opposition Saturn square Mars, which has been muddling through heavy doses of Neptune since 2015, worsening drastically this year and next as tr Neptune is conjunct the Mars and square Pluto. With the Solar Arc Saturn conjunct the midheaven in early 2022.

Germany’s Target 2 surplus with the European Central Bank is about to tip 1 trillion euros – in Sinn’s words it is “unsecured credit against the euro system, which cannot be called in and which debtor countries pay no interest on.” The prospect of the possibility of it going up in smoke is not surprisingly causing deep unrest in Germany .