Tom Cruise is still hitting the hot spot at sixty with yet another box office blitz in Top Gun: Maverick which is his highest-grossing movie yet. He has been going strong since his breakthrough in the 1980s with the original Top Gun, and The Color of Money, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July … Read more
Israel facing a historic moment on its path with a Nodal Return and a liberating Uranus conjunction to its Taurus Sun has turned its face against progress and doubled down on the worst of the past. Benjamin Netanyahu, still facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, was sworn in yesterday as prime minister, … Read more
Vivienne Westwood, the pioneering British fashion designer who made a name for herself as the queen of punk in the 1970s, with her androgynous designs and irreverent anti-establishment attitudes has died. She brought her eccentric and provocative creations into the mainstream, being worn amongst others by Princess Eugenie for various elements of the wedding … Read more
The death of Brazilian footballer Pele, known as The King, has brought an outpouring of grief and adulation. He was regarded in his own country as a demi-god and Brazil’s iconic monuments, Christ the Redeemer and the Maracana were lit up on the news of his passing. He is thought of as the greatest footballer … Read more
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo are escalating, ditto China and Taiwan, India-Pakistan and Israel-Palestine, never mind Russia-Ukraine. Neighbourly spats and identity wars (e.g. Taiwan is China’s) rumble on constantly but there does seem more unrest than usual. There are no hard Saturn Pluto aspects which usually accompany major wars until 2028. Which doesn’t mean there … Read more
Charles gave his first Christmas message with heartfelt sympathies being offered to “those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm;” and thanks to those who give generously with time and money to help out those less fortunate. While understandable and touching, he did veer closer to … Read more
“Change is inevitable, growth is optional” is a thought to hang onto as 2023 throws open its doors. Jupiter changes sign every year, Saturn every two years and Pluto every fifteen to twenty years. This year three sign shifts will require adaptability, resilience and resourcefulness. Jupiter will be in upbeat, fiery and enthusiastic Aries … Read more
The economic doomsayers are murmuring warnings about the EU returning to quantitative tightening as German hawks regain control of policy. Financial arrangements will no longer be tilted in favour of southern Europe’s high-debt states just as they are struggling to cover their energy bail-outs. A one-size-fits-all monetary policy could, as in 2008, significantly worsen the … Read more
The British Museum is doing nothing to improve the UK’s reputation by falling back on lame excuses for not handing back either the looted Greek Elgin Marbles or the Nigerian Benin Bronzes. Germany has handed back their Benin pieces and the Vatican has repatriated Parthenon marble fragments which makes it worse. There have been … Read more
Russia is moving into 2023 facing a significant and humiliating failure in Ukraine but the economy is holding up better than expected. Sanctions against Russian exports, important in the medium and long term, proved ineffective in the short term because high energy prices continued to fill the state’s coffers. Though the population’s assessment of its … Read more