Are you ready for the deal of the century? Well, it’s coming, reportedly on the 1st of December, and if recent events in Gaza are any indication it will not fly with Palestinians. The Palestinian leader Abbas has seen the deal and wants no part of it. The Palestinians want adherence to the terms of the 1967 borders, including East Jerusalem. The US has said that like it or not, the deal is done. Such rhetoric will only serve to unite the Palestinians more strongly, further inflaming tensions. All of a sudden there seems to be a lot of interest in Gaza from the White House. If the deal is announced on December 1st as is purportedly planned, then it could be quite an explosive day. And in the midst of all this, Netanyahu is about to lose government due to his defense minister having just stepped down because of Netanyahu’s actions with regard to Gaza. Interesting times in old Palestine. Continue reading “The deal of the century and Gaza”
Khashoggi and what his death really means (a follow-up)
Now that the dust has settled somewhat on the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, it will be of use to us to begin to parse out what the event and its resulting outcry will mean for the world at large. It turns out that this was no small event, but rather a catalyst for long-term changes in the region and international relations. What has become apparent since that fateful day on October 2nd is that this was not an isolated incident, that it was premeditated, had been planned weeks in advance and that it is playing a significant role in the changing dynamics of international relations. Continue reading “Khashoggi and what his death really means (a follow-up)”
Midterm wrap-up: What to expect
Well, finally, the nail-biter of a midterm election is over. The world at large will breathe a sigh of relief for those quarters that have been appalled at the Trump administration, while there will be disappointment in the farther right-leaning and business sectors internationally. The election was touted as a referendum about Trump. And there you have it: As many pundits predicted for the US midterm elections, the Democrats have won the majority in the House of Representatives and the GOP has retained the Senate. However, there was no ‘blue wave’. The Dems only gained enough seats in the House for a simple majority. The GOP gained at least three seats in the Senate. But, it has been a setback for the Trump administration. Continue reading “Midterm wrap-up: What to expect”
The US Midterm Report
Unless you have been sleeping in front of the television for the past year, tomorrow we have yet another of the seemingly endless elections in the US. At least that appears to be a big part of what we hear about on American television – who will be running for president in a few years, or Congress and so forth. This one has been touted as being special, though, and especially for the world at large. Why? Because the outcome will likely have far-reaching implications for foreign policy, for international relations between the US and its allies/enemies, for financial markets, and on and on. Yes, it is an important set of elections, because it will determine whether or not Trump becomes a lame duck, or emboldened as to his policies. And that will play heavily upon the national mood, which becomes more and more restive with the passing of years. So, are we going to hear a prediction as to the outcomes of those elections here? Continue reading “The US Midterm Report”
A wobbly moon and Halloween horrors
“World history is not the ground of happiness. The periods of happiness are empty pages in her.” (Hegel)
Starting on Thursday, 24 Oct, through to Halloween day, there was a series of shocking events, tragedies really, that marked the week before Halloween, and ended with Halloween day. It was one of those periods where we saw a confluence of violent events, and we were left scratching our heads wondering what was going on. Well, the signs were all there if one knew where to look, and we will outline some of that here. Before we do, though, as with any tragic event we extend our condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones and meditate for the safe and secure passage through the afterlife for those who lost their lives. Continue reading “A wobbly moon and Halloween horrors”
The Brazilian elections: There may be a few surprises shortly
In case you haven’t heard, elections were just held in Brazil. It was a landmark election for a number of reasons, which we will get to. Voter turnout was high. The man who won the presidential bid, Bolsonaro, defeated the challenger, Haddad, by 10 percentage points – a resounding win. Bolsonaro is controversial, to say the least. What may not be apparent is that Haddad made very significant gains in popularity after the first round of the election. In the first round he only polled at about 30%, whereas in the 2nd round he came in a 45%. But the election, in key respects, was a sham. Wait! you say… Continue reading “The Brazilian elections: There may be a few surprises shortly”
Scorpio and the European Union
Following upon our discussion of Scorpio, from the monthly letter, we move on now to a look at the European Union and what it is facing at the moment. Speculation has been rife in forums and media that the EU is doomed to break up, with dire forecasts about the rise of far right political parties and fears of fascism returning to the continent. It is quite fitting for Scorpio, really, looking at the glamours and fears that are aroused in the EU at this point in its short history. Is there any real basis for such fears, though? If so, why? And if not, then what can we realistically expect? We will examine those questions, along with some history, in this short article. From having investigated this over the past months, this is a short exposition. What has emerged in looking at the EU itself and the discussions I have seen about it, there are no pat answers, a lot of wishful thinking – and much of that negative toward the EU – overblown expectations and little knowledge of the Europeans’ views on the matter outside of the EU. So, we’ll start with the astrology of the entity itself and then move on from there…Continue to article HERE.
Featured pic from geoawesomeness
Scorpio for 2018 and the coming elections
The Scorpio article for 2018 is posted on the main site, which you can see HERE.
Topics (linked to paragraphs):
“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise – with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country”… Continue reading “Scorpio for 2018 and the coming elections”
The Khashoggi incident (viewer discretion advised)
Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi journalist and WaPo columnist, has ‘been disappeared’. No one, except for the Saudis, knows where he is. It’s a mystery. Then again, maybe not so much. At about 1:15 PM local time on October 2, he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain divorce papers so he could remarry, and was never to be seen again. The event chart is below (bigger). His distraught fiancé waited outside the consulate until midnight hoping for his return before notifying Turkish authorities that he had disappeared. Turkish authorities claim Khashoggi had been murdered, claiming further they have a video of his murder. Apparently, he had on an Apple watch, which was linked to his phone in the hands of his fiancé outside, and the murder was recorded on the phone. Dick Tracy would be proud, if so. A few grains of salt might be in order for the latter. More likely was that the consulate was bugged. Either his dismembered body was spirited away in diplomatic baggage, buried in consular grounds elsewhere, or the still-alive Khashoggi was loaded into a mysterious black van and flown out to Saudi Arabia, to await, well, we can only guess. The details emerging from Turkish authorities are too gruesome to mention. The whole incident reads like a scene from The Sopranos. The Turks are outraged and have vowed a thorough investigation, but have fallen short of accusing the Saudis. Continue reading “The Khashoggi incident (viewer discretion advised)”
Tracking the wreckage of the Kavanaugh Express
Saturday, October 6 was a bad day for America. By ‘America’, I mean the majority of the American people. It was a great day for Republican operatives and hard right conservatives, and anyone who just wanted to stick it to Democrats and ‘liberals’. I put liberals in quotes because what is called the liberal left in the US is really neither, but that’s a topic for another discussion. Why I say it was a bad day for America is because of the vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) seat and his consequent installation in the SCOTUS. I had seen it coming, like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I just didn’t want to say at the time because of the sentiments I was seeing all over social media, from all sides. We’ll get to why I think the vote was against the American people in a bit, but first to the astrology to tell why I thought he would be confirmed. His hypothetical chart with transits is below (bigger), even though the time of day for his birth doesn’t matter much in this instance: Continue reading “Tracking the wreckage of the Kavanaugh Express”