The Writers Strike is Over!

Today Hollywood writers have reached a tentative deal. The Oscars are on and some TV shows will be showing new episodes as soon as this spring!

Yes, Mercury is retrograde

Friday, February 08, 2008


Yes, Mercury is Retrograde

Mercury retrograde
January 28 - February 19, 2008

Here we go again... Mercury goes retrograde once again. It happens 3 times a year and it lasts for about 3 weeks. This time is from January 28 to February 19, 2008. Next, from May 27 to June 19, 2008. And then from September 24 to October 15, 2008.

Stationing degrees: 09Sco04 and 23Lib21. Watch carefully how the stationing of Mercury at these degrees influences your natal chart in order to understand the personalized impact on your life.

This is an important period, and we should be aware of the effects associated with this astrological influence. Since it is so often, we must learn what it means and how to take advantage of it.
Astronomical background

There is no real backwards movement of Mercury; it's just that we see it this way from Earth, because of the combined movement of the Earth and Mercury around the Sun. However, astrologically this is very relevant.
General influence of Mercury retrograde

Mercury rules over the mind's processes, studying, communication, businesses, travels and the like. When Mercury reverses its direction, all these areas are affected as well.

The mind turns naturally inwards and people tend to analyze more the own thoughts and follow the common thinking patterns, rather then be curious and eager of new intellectual experiences or challenges. This helps the meditation or the thorough lonely long-term study of a specific matter, but it affects the study of new subjects, the communication with the others, the attention oriented outwards.

Businesses, travels and communications tend to experience delays and different problems. Computers and other processes that work with information may experience crashes, unexpected failures.

Don't enroll to courses, don't buy expensive Mercurian items (books, cars, mobile phones etc.), don't sign important contracts and do not marry.
What is this Mercury retrograde period good for?

It is definitely a very good period for some actions. No time is completely bad for anything, there is a reason in everything happens.

The key is the reversed direction of movement: take any known Mercurian action, reverse its flow, consider the keywords "re-doing something", "double-checking", "finish the old projects" and there you are, you've found the good side of Mercury retrograde.

For instance, you may want to read again a book you particularly liked, a subject you studied before, meet and discuss with old friends you haven't met for a long time, travel to places you've already been to before.

This is an excellent time to work on old projects that never got to be finished. So, think about the things you started and never finalized.

Next, you might wish to prevent any bad things to happen to you: so double-check your agenda, call your business partners to confirm that everything goes as planned, have everything ready before the deadline and leave some extra time for unexpected events. Make copies of your important files and documents, save your work more often.

The other solution is to go on vacation or at least slow down the pace of your projects. You will find that going slowly during the Mercury retrograde period will spare you many efforts of redoing the same action that wasn't performed right the first time.

Above all, be generous and compassionate: you are already aware about the influence of this period, but the others aren't aware of it or there may be uncontrollable events. That's why you should have more diligence with the others and give them some more time. It'll be your mental health that you'll be sparing actually.
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and from my fave Rx source:

At 20:32 UT (Universal Time), on Monday, January 28th, 2008, Mercury the cosmic trickster, turns retrograde in Aquarius, the sign of the Water-Bearer, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and the www into a general snarlup! This awkward period begins a few days before the actual turning point (as Mercury slows) and lasts for three weeks or so, until February 19, when the Winged Messenger reaches his direct station. At this time he halts and begins his return to direct motion through the zodiac.

Everything finally straightens out on March 10, as he passes the point where he first turned retrograde. Mercury turns retrograde three times a year, as a rule, but the effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which it happens (see box for Retrograde Periods in 2008).

A planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac. According to modern science, this traditional concept arises in the illusory planetary motion created by the orbital rotation of the earth, with relation to other planets in our solar system. Planets are never actually retrograde or stationary, they just seem that way, due to this cosmic shadow-play.

Retrograde periods, although often problematic for us earthlings, are not particularly uncommon. Each planet retrogrades, except the Sun and Moon. Although a powerful astrological influence, Mercury is quite a small planet that travels at a relatively fast speed through the zodiac. Despite being the closest planet in our solar system to the Sun, it is not always in the same sign as the Sun (for example, although this time Mercury turns retrograde in Aquarius, the same sign as the Sun, last time Mercury turned in Scorpio while the Sun was in Libra, but headed back into Libra just as the Sun strode into Scorpio).
Go to Top Fated Events

As a rule, retrograde planets presage a period of seemingly inevitable or fated events that relate to their sphere of influence. They present us with a series of events over which we seem to have little or no control, relating especially to the sign in which the retrogradation occurs. For example, Mercury retrograde in Scorpio (intensity; sexuality) presents quite different sets of circumstances from those generated when it retrogrades into Libra (relationships; harmony; æsthetics).

A retrograde period is best seen as a cycle, beginning when the planet begins to slow to a halt before travelling backwards through the zodiac and ending when the planet returns to the point where it first paused. However, during the cycle, the planet's energy is most powerful (and more likely to generate critical events of universal importance) when the planet makes a station: appearing motionless in the sky.

These stationary periods occur near the beginning of the cycle (when the planet first halts as it prepares to move backwards) and midway through the cycle when the retrograde planet slows to a stop before moving forward again. The "direct station" (when the planet halts before moving forward again) is the most powerful and can be used for maximum benefit.

Some astrologers consider that the "Mercury Shadow" begins some three weeks before the actual retro station (when Mercury passes the point of direct station for the first time). This has some justification, but I am more inclined to think that the really noticeable peculiarities begin when Mercury slows significantly, a few days before the retro station. This period of "Mercury Shadow" extends to the Return date, some three weeks after the direct station. Bear this in mind, because experience shows that the effects of the retro period are still marked during the "shadow" phase. Some of the most characteristic annoyances often occur just after Mercury makes the direct station, while he is crawling forward before picking up speed.
Go to Top What does Mercury affect?

In general, Mercury rules thinking and perception, processing and disseminating information and all means of communication, commerce, education and transportation. By extension, Mercury rules people who work in these areas, especially people who work with their minds or their wits: writers and orators, commentators and critics, gossips and spin doctors, teachers, travellers, tricksters and thieves.

Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray, or awry.

It is therefore not wise to make important decisions while Mercury is retrograde, since it is very likely that these decisions will be clouded by misinformation, poor communication and careless thinking. Mercury is all about mental clarity and the power of the mind, so when Mercury is retrograde, these intellectual characteristics tend to be less acute than usual, as the critical faculties are dimmed. Make sure you pay attention to the small print!
Go to Top The Key Issue

The key issue here is one of focus. Mercury's retro phase tends to bring unforeseen changes and blockages, but the aggravation and frustration that many of us experience during these periods is often due to our own inability to roll with the punches. Is this due to our ego-fixation? Mercury sets out to restructure our thinking processes and for many of us this is painful and frustrating. Moreover, these experiences reveal flaws in our internal organisation as well as our external planning, which can make us feel foolish and inadequate.

Mercury retrograde, like any cosmic aspect, affects people differently, depending on where it hits their personal charts. Some people actually prosper under a retro Mercury, especially if Mercury is retrograde but otherwise well-aspected in their birth charts. It is also a time when matters begun under a previous retro period will come to fruition, or completion as the case may be. Firm decisions that have been previously made when Mercury is travelling normally through the zodiac may be implemented or finalised while Mercury is retrograde without too much worry, for experience shows that this can be done without undue problems arising.
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Go to Top Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius
Aquarius, the Water-Bearer

When Mercury is retrograde, everyone's thinking is more introspective and we tend to think about issues and concerns which relate to the sign involved. With Mercury retrograde in Aquarius, people with this sign prominent in their charts will be especially prone to such introspection. There is little choice but to reconsider our personal views and opinions about life. We receive, however, an opportunity to gain insight into our own ego.

Mercury retro in Aquarius generates an undue focus on originality and independence, love of intellectual freedom and the inclination to repudiate social conventions. Idealistic concepts however, will be under pressure during this Fixed Sign phase, as people will be inclined to be very stubborn and opinionated, while at the same time attempting to pressure others into sharing their attitudes. Intellectual conflict is a sure thing with Mars retrograde as well, which may induce some disloyalty to friends, whom we may criticize or even slander if they cannot be used to further our own ends. Political persons take note! This position can indicate nerve-related ailments and muscle cramping.

All areas of communication are affected, especially in matters related to the family, business, particularly home business, travel, domestic relationships and real estate purchases in general. This period brings travel snafus and missed appointments of all kinds. Documents can go astray. Be sure to carry a diary and refer to it often.

We Support Hillary Clinton!!!

Not that our opinion matters (any more than yours). Nor do we expect that we will influence your vote in any way, but….

Today is Super Tuesday and we feel it is our duty to publicly endorse Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic candidate that will be the next President of the United States.

As we have previously stated, Hillary wasn't our fist choice. We were initially swayed by the promise of change and the inspiring messages of Barack Obama.

But that's not enough!

After careful consideration and much research, we have come to the informed decision that Hillary is the right candidate for us.

We feel more confident with Hillary's abilities to lead and her proven track record of experience. But, more so than that, HER plans for universal healthcare, education reform and emphasis on equality for all are more aligned with what we want in the next President.

We watched the debates and Clinton just won us over.

Barack is great. But Hillary is the better leader, for us.

However, Obama MUST stay in the picture. This country needs him, just as we need Clinton.

It's been a great and heated campaign thus far, but we sincerely hope when it comes time for the Democratic convention that the Clinton/Obama dream ticket will be a reality!

Whether you agree with us or not, please go out and vote today.

Rock it!

[Image via WENN.]
Posted: February 5, 2008 at 4:00 am

....SWEEEEET!

....I love you Perez :-)

<3333

Super Tuesday: Obama Wins Georgia

MSNBC has already projected that Obama has won Georgia. Being a proportional primary for democrats, we don't know exactly what share of the delegates go to Obama yet, as they are clearly not through counting. Georgia closed its polls 18 minutes ago.

Angry Women Back Clinton

Found here:

As much as it made me laugh (especially the headline), it's true. Women don't stand aside when we're challenged like that... or at least we don't want to. We operate with silent resilience when our equality to men is challenged. We often don't see it as discrimination but we understand it and feel it to be something else: 'I am a woman so I will have to prove myself. I will show them.' And we do. By winning.

Now Hillary won't win the popularity contest... ever. But she may win the primary ... and it would shock the nation. Women: get your vagina to the polls on Tuesday!!!

Read this - it rules... mainly cause a dude wrote it. HA!


"Angry Women Back Clinton
| posted by Jeff Fecke | Wednesday, January 09, 2008 | permalink |

So why did Hillary Clinton win tonight? That’s gonna be the question, and it’s a good one. One can cite the “Bradley Effect,” and that was perhaps part of the answer. But not all of it, nor even most of it.

No, Clinton won tonight because in the last few days, the level of misogyny directed toward her had reached a fever pitch, and the women of New Hampshire decided that they’d had enough of it.

Clinton has, of course, faced coded attacks on her gender throughout the campaign, just as Obama has faced attacks on his race. This is nothing new for Hillary, of course; she’s been facing attacks for being too self-actualized since 1992. But starting with Saturday night’s debate, those attacks became less coded and more overt. I’m not sure exactly why; maybe, with Clinton in dire straits, the media and her opponents decided to play the woman card, and bury her. Maybe with her campaign apparently winding down, misogyny that had been buried beneath the surface bubbled up in the gleeful, premature burial of her campaign. Maybe it’s always been at this level, but we’re all paying better attention now.

Regardless of the reason, the misogyny spewed forth, thick and bilious. Going into the weekend, Fox News put Marc Rudov, author of Under the Clitoral Hood: How to Crank Her Engine Without Cash, Booze, or Jumper Cables on the air to discuss the election. Why? God only knows. But Rudov was, for some reason, asked why men seemed to prefer Obama to Clinton. Rudov’s answer set the stage for the next four days:

“When Barack Obama speaks, men hear, ‘Take off for the future.’ And when Hillary Clinton speaks, men hear, ‘Take out the garbage.’ […] I get into lots of taxicabs and I tell the drivers this whole thing about Hillary being shrill, and they say, ‘That’s right. That’s right. You’re exactly right.’ ” Later in the exchange, Rudov asserted that Clinton “does register with married men, like a small worm boring through the brain.”

Subtle as a sledgehammer, but it carried through to Saturday’s debate, where Clinton was pilloried as “angry” for sternly defending her record, and for taking some shots at Obama. The spin got so furious that Margaret O’Brien Steinfels, writing at dotCommonweal, felt compelled to say, “Just watched Meet the Press. Tim Russert and two political consultant, McMahon and Murphy were spinning like mad against Hillary. Do I detect a woman-can’t-really be president message here?” At The Moderate Voice, blogger Holly in Cincinnati added, “Anger is often perceived differently in men and women. The same anger seen as an asset in a male candidate may be seen as a liability in a female candidate. I know this because I have often been perceived as an angry woman (and therefore dangerous and unstable) rather than a rightfully angry person.”

By Monday, the vultures were circling, and when Hillary Clinton showed a trace of emotion, her voice choking up for a second, the media pounced, declaring that she had “cried” during a campaign stop.

Now, before we go on, let’s take a look at that breakdown, shall we?



You may notice something when you watch that: Clinton doesn’t cry. Yes, she chokes up for a moment, shows a bit of emotion, but she doesn’t break down in tears, she doesn’t even stop talking.That didn’t stop the media from piling on. Melissa did a great job documenting the pile-on, and I think it bears repeating:

Reuters: An emotional Clinton vows to fight on

CNN: Clinton gets emotional at New Hampshire stop

The Politico: Clinton fights back tears: ‘It’s not easy’

ABC News: Clinton Gets Emotional on Campaign Trail

ABC News: Rivals Reacts to Teary Clinton

ABC News: Can Clinton’s Emotions Get the Best of Her?

MSNBC/AP: Clinton’s voice catches on eve of N.H. primary

AP: Emotions run high on eve of NH primary

AFP: Emotions run high on eve of New Hampshire primary

Yahoo Play of the Day/AP: Clinton chokes up

Bloomberg: Clinton Says ‘It’s Not Easy’ Dealing With Strain of Campaign

Yes, this brief moment, this brief flicker of emotion from a woman who’d been accused of lacking emotion throughout the campaign, led to story after story about her emotionalism. And John Edwards, of all people, made the point explicit in a truly depressing pander:

Edwards offered little sympathy and pounced on the opportunity to question Clinton’s ability to endure the stresses of the presidency.

“I think what we need in a commander-in-chief is strength and resolve, and presidential campaigns are tough business, but being president of the United States is also tough business,” Edwards told reporters Laconia, New Hampshire.

You see, presidents have to be tough. And women who cry? They aren’t tough. And given that everyone, man and woman alike, cries…well, it turns out women just aren’t up to the rigors of the presidency.

It didn’t take the morons with the “Iron My Shirt” sign for women to get the message. This was a boys club. No girls allowed.

To be fair to Obama, he didn’t join in the pile-on (though he did nothing to defuse it, either). But women (and their allies) could read the narrative nonetheless. Petulant stated the clear message:

Hillary got teary. Yes, she did. The Ice Queen almost broke down and now her campaign is over. She is a WOMAN, you know, and women are weak, overly emotional, uterine-lining-shedding creatures that can never, repeat, never be allowed in such a prominent role leading our country as all that emotion and weakness will destroy the country. That seems to be the underlying sentiments in the press and on the teevee. She showed actual “human emotion”—excuse me—”womanly emotion,” and she must call it quits.

Amanda Marcotte blasted Edwards for taking the media’s bait.

It’s bad enough that the media plays the game with Clinton where if she shows any emotion, she’s too feminine or too scary, but if she’s more stoic, she’s a scary ballbuster, but to have her own party members (if political rivals) play that cheap sexist card is too much.

Zuzu at Feministe concurred:

Perhaps, John, when the press comes sniffing around looking for a quote from you about how one of your rivals — you know, the girl — had an “emotional outburst” and What It All Means, you might want to think about the message your response will send to female voters[.]

Over at Feministing, Jessica Valenti said:

The last few days have really brought out some sexist assholery concerning Sen. Hillary Clinton. In the past, we’ve ran a post series called Hillary Sexism Watch, but given just how many different sexist things have happened recently, one post isn’t enough.

In short, women had eyes, and they knew what they were being told. And while neither Melissa nor Amanda nor Jessica were exactly Clinton supporters, all of them moved to defend Clinton from attacks against her, not as a candidate, but as a woman.

Some will criticize this as misguided identity politics, but they’re wrong. Oh, it’s identity politics — women in New Hampshire and throughout the country recognized that Clinton was being attacked as a woman, and came to her defense. But it’s far from misguided.

Clinton may win the nomination, or she may lose; right now she’s probably the front-runner, but that could change tomorrow. Either way, she’s blazing a trail that more women will follow. When the media and her opponents ramped up hatred against her because of her gender, women recognized that the trail she was cutting would be filled with pitfalls and mineshafts if the bile was not addressed. And so they addressed it. Women who could write, wrote. Women who could speak out to friends, spoke out to friends. And in New Hampshire, women who could vote, voted for Hillary Clinton.

And that’s why she won tonight; because women recognized that, at least for tonight, their future was inextricably bound up with Hillary’s, and that, at least for tonight, they needed to send a clear message that misogyny and sexism just won’t work anymore. Clinton may yet lose — there are plenty of legitimate reasons to oppose her. But if she loses, it won’t be because she was too emotional, or because she reminds someone of their ex-wife. It will be because she loses on her merits as a candidate. That’s as it should be, and it’s why our country should be grateful to the angry women who rallied to her, angry women who were angry for a righteous reason, angry women who accomplished something grand.