A new Vincent Van Gogh exhibition at London’s National Gallery has been described as a “once-in-a-century” show with rave reviews from critics. It opens on 14 September and features more than 60 pieces painted by the Dutch artist, who died in 1890 aged 37. Lurid tales of his psychosis, ear cutting off episode, brothels … Read more
Justin Trudeau may survive as Canada’s prime minister into next year, political analysts say, despite the withdrawal of support from a small left-wing party. Though he can no longer be sure of surviving confidence votes in the House of Commons chamber, where the Liberals only hold 154 of the 338 seats. In that case his … Read more
A bloated Henry V111 in his final years with a 54 inch waist, needing nine men and a mechanical device to get his 28 stone bulk aboard a horse, is not an intuitive role for the winsome Jude Law. But his performance in the movie Firebrand about Henry’s declining years is described as a show-stealer … Read more
Abraham Lincoln’s election in late 1860 was held under an intense, pressured Scorpio Sun opposition Pluto and by the Inauguration in March 1825 there was an aggravated/enraged Mars Pluto conjunction. It led directly to the Civil War with secessionist states forming into the Confederacy after his election. Neptune was in late Pisces at that point … Read more
Former East Germany has seen the first radical right-wing party to come first in a state election since 1933. Fears of a Nazi past being resurrected are misplaced but the success of the anti-immigration AfD party and failure of the present three governing parties is a sobering moment. Alternative fur Deutschland was founded on 11 … Read more
History tends to put a shine on politicians and only decades later does the often startling truth emerge. It now appears that Herbert Asquith, UK prime minister from 1908 to 1916 took a young socialite lover whom he cavorted with in passionate weekly trysts in the back of the official prime-ministerial car. He also shared … Read more
The reputation of the much revered novelist Charles Dickens has taken another dent with the publication of letters from Catherine Dickens, mother of his ten children, to one of her sons. When Dickens left Catherine for a teenage actress, the same age as one of his daughters, in order to prevent any public fallout he … Read more
Nick Cave, the Australian musician, writer and actor, frontman for the rock band the Bad Seeds, has a new album out and has been talking of the transformative effect that grief and the death of two of his sons brought about. One son died in 2015 in a cliff accident after taking LSD for the … Read more
The world looks on in despair and asks is there an end game in all this tit for tat slaughter? Israel kills a Hezbollah commander in the Lebanon. Hezbollah respond with attacks on Israel. Israel ups the ante in response and batters Lebanon. There is not much to add to the previous post … Read more
The Kamala Harris Donald Trump debate is scheduled for 10 September 2024 in Philadelphia at 9pm. That puts a fight-for-control Pluto in the 10th and an argumentative, heated Mars in the communication 3rd; with the Virgo Mercury and Sun in the attention-seeking 5th house. Although the Sun opposition Saturn will put a damper on proceedings … Read more