ON A CELL PHONE, THE ADDED FEATURES (PLATFORMS, SHORT STORIES, YEAR AHEAD, ETC.) CAN BE ACCESSED FROM THE TOP LEFT HAND CORNER (STACKED LINES). ALSO, THE ‘TRANSLATE’ & WORLD CLOCK WILL APPEAR AT THE BOTTOM.
在手機上，添加的功能（平臺，短篇小說，提前一年等） 可以從左上角訪問（堆疊線）。
*** All times / dates: Please remember that all time references (e.g., “dawn”) are PDT – Pacific DAYLIGHT Time zone. You can refer to the World Clock in the sidebar for more listings or Google ‘time zone converter’.
Email: suningem@gmail.com
Tim’s YouTube links: Unveiling Astrology
Unveiling Astrology Part 2)
START NOTHING: (ALL TIMES ARE PACIFIC DAYLIGHT):Before 6:44 am Sun., 11:11 pm Mon. to 6:46 pm Tues., and 2:27 pm Thurs. to 5:14 am Fri.
PREAMBLE:
Ending birth tourism in the United States is easy: simply don’t let any pregnant woman in the country unless she’s already a US citizen. I’m sure there is some thermal or other techno way to determine even an early pregnancy. (Keep trans men out also, because the DSA claims that men can become pregnant.)
WEEKLY FORECAST:
ARIES: March 21-April 19
Romance and your winning streak continue, Aries. Be creative, self-indulgent (yes!) play sports/games, teach children, soak up the beauty of nature. Your home and family remain very sweet (and this week gives you a chance to talk things out and make plans on the home front), but you are restless, you want to travel or talk or meet new people, you want to put projects in gear. Many new friends will come not only this month ahead but for years ahead. Your hopes now to 2043 seem to revolve around sex or leveraged money — take care with this, as it is not likely to bring you what you want, and may even box you into a dead end. Be ambitious Sunday dawn to Tuesday supper time. Approach higher-ups, ask for more responsibility. Be cautious all three afternoons (PDT) — possible deception Sunday, practical barrier Monday, and a “start nothing” Tuesday. Tuesday eve to dawn Friday brings popularity, friends, optimism, flirtations — but a romance started Tuesday night will always be “problematical.” Still, this is a great interval for friends, and sharing hopes and wishes, esp. Wed., when all sorts of opportunities pop up, and Thursday, when being yourself is easy — and fortunate. Retreat Friday/Saturday — lie low, rest, contemplate and plan. Friday is a bit dicey because relationships are unpredictable, but Saturday flows with ease — and information.
TAURUS: April 20-May 20
The main focus is on your home and family, Taurus. This is a great time to get out and garden, to hug the kids and show them good ways to act. It’s a good time also to build a base whether for your whole life or for a project. In the garden, this is planting time, but also pruning time. People you haven’t been able to get a hold of or communicate with will now be available. Sunday dawn to Tuesday suppertime brings new ideas and intellectual expansion. There is good and bad luck here, but also some major choices. Best time to make those choices is late Monday night, PDT. Be ambitious Tuesday eve to dawn Friday. There is good luck and at least one open door, esp. Wed. (Look at real estate or furniture ads.) Fri./Sat. bring popularity, social delights, optimism, entertainment and flirting. A bit rough at work Friday daytime, but after that everything’s a weekend!
GEMINI: May 21-June 20
You’re probably in the middle of a pile of receipts, reports, emails, calls — and the need for errands. Good thing your energy is high (until almost mid-August). This “wave” of paperwork and niggly little duties will remain, even grow, for another 11 months. Maybe a good idea to organize, make files, have an appointment calendar, etc. At last, you know what to do about money, what to buy. Home and kids remain sweet. Your real estate luck is temporarily high (to Aug. 6). Sunday dawn to suppertime Tuesday (PDT) immerses you in mysteries, secrets, research, gathering valuable information — and from this can come investments, sexual bonds, medical and lifestyle decisions. Be cautious Sunday, when illusion/deception could hover, and Monday morning (PDT — afternoon EDT) erects practical obstacles. But after this, to almost midnight, things succeed. Someone might offer intimacy. Tuesday night to Friday dawn brings profound thoughts, gentle love, tolerance, wisdom, perhaps far travel or media involvement. This is a lovely interval, with big opportunities Wednesday, and a courage, a readiness for love or friendship, Thursday. Be ambitious Fri./Sat. — Friday’s tough, but Saturday’s fine.
CANCER: June 21-July 22
The weeks ahead focus on money and possessions, Cancer. (A casual lover is also a “possession.”) And these weeks will be the start, the germ, of a whole year of fantastic luck with $. You might be in line for a pay raise. During this year ahead, it is better to take a moderate pay raise than to work overtime – because the pay raise is more permanent. Recent indecision and delays are over, so start carving out, planning your future. Friends gather. Be cautious in dangerous places, with dangerous people. Sunday morning to suppertime Tuesday brings relationships, relocation themes, opportunities, and opposition. Your luck is quite jumbled here, but there’s inspiration and goodness around your home and the whole interval ends on a note of affection and mild good luck. Secrets, valuable information, lust for sex or power, medical and lifestyle, changing events, major finances, commitment and consequences. All these need caution Tuesday night, but after this some really great opportunities occur, especially Wednesday, but also Thursday afternoon. Friday/Saturday, bring intellectual expansion, higher learning, far travel, media, and gentle love. A good week!
LEO: July 23-Aug. 22
Your energy, charisma, clout and effectiveness have never been higher, Leo. Not only is the sun in your sign right now, but so is Jupiter, the luckiest planet in the zodiac – for a whole year! You haven’t had a year like this since around 2014/15. This is a time to start big things! Until August 11, you will tend to make friends with people who are foreign born, or scholars or lawyers or simply people who have ideas that inform and please you. You can fall in love intellectually this week and in August — this would become quite romantic after a time, maybe a short time. Your money luck remains mildly good. Tackle chores Sunday morning to Tuesday supper time. Eat and dress sensibly. You will encounter a few obstacles, but all should end well, Monday night/Tuesday morning. Relationships fill Tuesday night to pre-dawn Friday (PDT) — so do opportunities/opposition, relocation themes, public appearances, and agreements/litigation. A romantic approach will not work Wednesday pre-dawn, but otherwise this is an opportunistic, fortunate interval, especially Wednesday when a project could climax, or a new lucky door could open. Life’s mysteries and secrets hold profit and revelations — your research or investigation can uncover valuable information. You can feel a strong urge towards sex or a financial action. Take care with these Friday — but success taps your shoulder Saturday.
VIRGO: Aug. 23-Sept. 22
Lie low, rest, analyze, examine and plan during the weeks ahead, Virgo. Seek advice, be a mentor or seek one, liaise with government or management types. Tunnelling into these areas can bring good fortune for the 12 months ahead. Take advantage of any government programs to help you buy a home or renovate your home or have another child, etc. Domesticity wins! Avoid competitive situations, especially those that depend on charisma, such as competing for romance. Unless you work in a primary industry (agriculture, fishing, etc.) bosses can be temperamental until mid August. So step lightly, keep a sense of humour and realize that your bosses tend to forget and forgive quickly. Romance taps you on the shoulder Sunday morning to suppertime Tuesday, PDT. Things might go very well with a Pisces or a Taurus, but this interval has a few obstacles – be flexible and willing. Romance is both alluring and problematical Monday into Wednesday — creativity also. Tackle chores Tuesday eve to pre-dawn Friday. Wednesday you can accomplish a lot; in addition, a doorway may open to future (economic?) security. Relationships fell Friday/Saturday. Friday is a bit difficult until late afternoon PDT, but Saturday offers success and intimate understanding.
LIBRA: Sept. 23-Oct. 22
Not only the month ahead, Libra, but the whole year ahead will bring popularity, social joys, flirtations, and almost certainly a love affair if you’re single, entertainment, optimism — and general happiness. Virtually every major planet is set up for your success. But strictly avoid lawsuits before August 12. You might experience a clandestine attraction this week and next. Career and work matters have finally cleared up, so you can march ahead with these. Home and family call you Sunday morning to Tuesday supper time. You can meet some obstacles here, but there is also promise in relationship areas. Affection is strong late Monday night. Romance, creative urges, sports/games, pleasure and beauty enter your life Tuesday eve to almost dawn Friday. A Tuesday night romance will not work, would never become partnership. But Wednesday and Thursday present you with solid, fortunate meetings that contain opportunity, love, and even a bold new future. Tackle chores Friday/Saturday. Some disruption, Friday daytime, especially with computers, but Saturday flows easily, with great results.
SCORPIO: Oct. 23-Nov. 21
Chase your ambitions, Scorpio. Approach higher-ups, dress “up,” display your skills, and mingle with prestigious people. This is your message for late July and August, but also for the entire year ahead, because for the first time in 12 years, super lucky Jupiter will spend 12 months in your career sector. Ask for more responsibilities. Your work will be hard and lengthy, but that’s OK. Some Scorpios will fall in love with a coworker during the next 13 years. This week and next, don’t be too impulsive with finances, investments, or intimacy. If you don’t dive deep, good friends will accompany you. Errands, short trips, paperwork, communications, and casual acquaintances fill Sunday morning to suppertime Tuesday (PDT). Good and bad luck mingle here, but you end on a good note Tuesday night. You might face the ending of a security relationship. Head for home, at least in your heart, Tuesday night to almost dawn Friday. Hug your spouse and the kids, garden, paint and repair. — but also reserve some time for contemplation. Look at where you are and how you got here. This is a fine interval, especially Wednesday, when a career opportunity might open its door for you. Romance, creativity and a winning streak bless you Friday/Saturday — well, not so much Friday daytime, when conditions are disruptive.
SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22-Dec. 21
Your mind and thoughts awaken to huge new vistas this month and the whole year ahead, Sage. If you go back to 2014/15, you might get an idea of what the 12 months ahead will be like — although of course many things have changed. Far travel, international affairs, import/export, lawsuits, higher learning, life philosophy, media, and publishing, gentle but deep love, and social rituals (weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc.) — these are some of the beneficial themes that will fill the year ahead — and it all starts now and in August. Be bold, be adventurous! Some singles among you are already dealing with, or soon will be, someone who represents both romance and marriage to you. But the situation might also create dissension and argument. To some degree, it’s your choice. Bosses and higher-ups still favour you until August 6, so ask for a bit of a small promotion. Handle money, buy/sell, collect and pay, Sunday morning to suppertime Tuesday. You will see and understand easily enough, but practical barriers still confront you. But keep trying, and you’ll reach a happy ending. Casual friends, errands and short trips, communications and paperwork fill Tuesday night to almost dawn Friday. Be careful Tuesday night: romance sets up a “sweet trap.” But the rest of this interval is hugely favourable, especially Wednesday when the door could open to all the beautiful things listed earlier: far travel, higher learning, publishing, etc. Tackle chores, Friday (disruptions until mid afternoon PDT) and Saturday (success!).
CAPRICORN: Dec. 22-Jan. 20
Late July and August bring you to the realm of commitment and consequence — and of potentially huge results, Cap. These are blessed for the 12 months ahead: research, investigation, sexual intimacy (good news for couples seeking pregnancy) investments, lifestyle choices, medical procedures I’m probably other things I can’t remember. With medical situations, the planet that brings all that luck to investments and sex and all that, can also expand a medical situation to a dangerous extent. So get to the doctor if anything arises in that area. Relationships generally remain sweet and affectionate until August 6. Your work remains hard, even a little dangerous until August 11. Your energy and charisma leap upward Sunday morning to supper time Tuesday. Get out and about, start things, lend your shoulder to projects. But be aware that there are some obstacles in monetary and work zones Monday. You end with success late Monday night PDT. Collect money and pay bills Tuesday night to just before dawn Friday; buy/sell, embrace a casual lover and/or learn something by rote/memorizing. This is a fortunate interval, especially Wednesday when new opportunities could open up to you, and Thursday when your work skills shine. Friday/Saturday are for casual, friends, short trips, communications, and paperwork. Some difficulty Friday daytime, but success all Saturday.
AQUARIUS: Jan. 21-Feb. 18
The accent lies on relationships, relocation, public appearances, opportunities and opposition, agreement and dispute, Aquarius. Thus for the month ahead, but also for the entire year ahead. All these meet the strongest good luck — except disputes, which can grow large IF YOU LET THEM. Marriage — or at least meeting the future mate — is a strong possibility for Aquarius singles. Right now, until August 6, a sexual and/or financial merging is favoured. Until August 11, romance can be hot. During the year ahead, every major planet favours you and your projects. Personally, you are launched on a seven year, creative, romantic, speculative, teaching, and winning binge! A Leo or Libra can play a key role. Lie low, rest, contemplate and plan Sunday morning to suppertime Tuesday, PDT. Seek advice, attend to any health concerns, and liaise with government and management types be charitable – it’s good karma. Your luck is jumbled Monday, but you end on a note of satisfaction. Your energy and charms soar upward Tuesday eve to dawn Friday. Get out, start projects, meet people. Wednesday can open the door to success in everything mentioned in the first sentence above. Buy/sell, collect and pay, hug, a casual lover, or learn something by rote, Friday/Saturday. Friday is a little contentious, but Saturday flows very well.
PISCES: Feb. 19-March 20
Your work, your chores, your employment, your use of and ownership of machines, your duties to dependents (kids, pets) and your attention to nutrition — these grow this week and into August, Pisces. Actually, August is just the start of an entire year of the same. If you own a business or work for yourself, keep your eye open for some really good bargains with machines or other equipment, and realize that you are going to increase your number of employees. Health wise, any problems can expand during these 12 months ahead, so don’t be reluctant about going to the doctor. Tone down friction in the home before August 11. You might be dealing with someone quite attractive until August 6 or 7. Sunday morning to Tuesday supper time brings popularity, social delights, optimism, and happiness — and maybe a flirt. Your luck here is very jumbled, good and bad. However, by Monday night all ends well. Retreat from the bustling crowd Tuesday eve to dawn Friday. Rest, contemplate, seek advice and plan for the future. You might need to contact the government or head office. Wednesday can be very lucky, can open the door to a management position or to some generosity from the government or to a successful medical diagnosis, while Friday your actions can help your family life. Your energy and charisma surge upward Friday/Saturday. Friday has disruptions, but Saturday flows well and urges you to start something or contact someone.
THE END.
AFTERAMBLE:
I predicted here last year that the U.S. Democrats would split into two parties. That seems to be happening, with the DSA faction fighting the traditional liberals. (DSA = Democratic Socialists of America, essentially a communist organization that has published its demands, including abolishing the Supreme Court, abolishing all police and jails, and placing Congress in charge of everything. Congress, not the citizens, will choose the president.)
***
There are many occult ways to use astrology. When you wander these occult pathways enough, you’ll realize that everything arises from belief. Love is the engine and fuel of the universe, but belief is the seed.
Here’s an example:
In my own birth chart, I have Pluto and Saturn in Leo, separated by 5°. This conjunction has its main effect as a conjunction, in the sign of Leo, and in the solar and rising houses containing Leo, and should primarily be interpreted as such.
But there is another level of interpretation available here. These two planets are 5° apart. So I look to the fifth sign from Leo, which is Sagittarius. We can say that this conjunction “refers” to Sagittarius, so it also has some influence over travel, publishing, legal matters, and higher learning. Neither Saturn nor Pluto rules these things, but being “dark” planets, I tend to look for the mysterious or the underbelly of places I would travel to as well as women I would woo.
*
Leo and Sagittarius have a bond, a loving bond that can be physically powerful. Leo is the fifth sign, the natural romantic of the zodiac. We attribute romance, no matter what our sign, to the fifth sign from our own. For example, Aries fifth sign would be Leo; Scorpio‘s fifth sign would be Pisces.
If you’re not experienced in astrology, do this: take this or any astrology column (or chart). Put your finger on your own sign. Now counting your own sign as number one, go counterclockwise if you’re looking at a wheel, or just go down the column of this “WEEKLY FORECAST” and count until your finger hits sign number five. This is your Romeo and Juliet, true love sign, offering deeply romantic, almost hypnotic love.
Now keep counting until you’ve hit sign number nine. This is your other true love sign, but you are not really entranced by the very sight of him or her.
Instead, this sign can weave a web around you of sense and meaning, of life, of ideas and — and after a while you find you’re walking on air around him or her. With your ninth sign you are certain to change your life view, even your life philosophy, in some way. A love bond with your ninth sign can be just as strong as one with your fifth sign. (Remember, you are his/her fifth sign.)
Back up a bit and count to your number 7 sign. This seventh sign rules marriage – and divorce. War and peace, opportunities and opposition, and other stuff.
Your 11th sign rules light romance, friendly, unembarrassed romance, as well as groups of every kind, from political parties to juries to Saturday night parties to meditation groups. It rules happy friendships. The rest of the signs (numbers 2, 3 often, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12) although they have a personal component, are mostly for practical purposes. Your sign number two governs earned income and casual sex. Your sign number three is often a marriage prospect, but you won’t be overly excited. Oddly enough, this won’t bother sign number three at all, and he or she will consider you a sparkling friend… and possible mate material.
Your fourth sign is for the home, family, mother and child. It can become very important after romance has done its job. Your number six sign is for work, machinery, and coworkers. Not usually good for marriage or love. Your eighth sign rules assets and net worth, shared money, and all things secret – and sex. You can be almost obsessively attracted to this sign, but a marriage would likely end in regret.
Your 10th sign is where you seek prestige, and where you might marry for that reason. My son is Gemini rising, so Jupiter is his marriage planet. He was born with Jupiter in his 10th sign. He literally married the boss’s daughter. This sign represents the father, so it seems that more women than men would be attracted to lovers from their 10th sign. It doesn’t make, usually, an easy relationship. There is a constant jockeying for power between the two people.
Your 12th sign represents hospitals, jails, spas, restful vacations, restrictions and fears, bureaucracies, psychics, and spiritual people. You can get wrapped in the arms of your protective 12th sign, but to a certain degree, you’re being used. You’re a possession – maybe a valuable one, but a possession, like a fancy car. You can feel cherished and protected, or suffocated and restricted.
***
Strawberries – what an unprepossessing name. Straw is the waste from hay. It’s the inedible part. They line the stalls of horses and cows with it, to soak up the urine and feces. It’s usually changed once a day, and the sodden straw is thrown in a pile for future soil improvement.
That rotting straw, mixed with some soil, is the perfect growing medium for strawberries. It’s possible that wild strawberries thrived on such manure piles, and so begat their name. It would be interesting to see when that name appeared, and if it coincided with the practice of mucking out domestic animals’ stalls.
And from such humble roots, comes a large, sweet berry — it’s like biting into sugar – if you grow your own. The strawberries you get at the grocery store are big and forced, and therefore bitter and sour. If you grow your own, 5 or 6 berries would fit in your hand. But they are sweet, sweeter than ice cream (at least mine were – maybe I lucked out and got a really good brand or something).
***
Hey, I saw a great movie last week: “I, Nobody.” It’s East Indian with English subtitles, but you hardly even need them, as the action is self-explanatory in most scenes – it’s a beautiful piece of work. For and I read what was probably an AI generated review, which said that the first half of the movie was understandable and action packed and simply great, and that the last half alternated between confusing and boring.
So we agreed to watch the first half and then if it did get beyond us, we’d go out and have a nice dinner at a restaurant.
I, Nobody is two hours and 48 minutes long.
Not once did we even think of leaving. The second half is not confusing, nor boring. The whole film is fraught with danger and yet steeped in the human condition. Its characters are subtle and complex, yet caricatures also.
It has its flaws. The hero is a Superman fighter, who gets into these brawls that are reminiscent of all the Chinese kung fu movies where the hero battles 10 to 50 people. In I, Nobody, each fight ends with the hero being beat up after having crushed 10 or 20 other people. He recovers quickly too – he seems to take 20 or 30 fists and boots to the head and ends up with a tiny bleeding scratch. Yet otherwise, Mr. Superman is very believable: a middle level office worker, a husband and a father, whose wife is fooling around with his brother or uncle, and wants to divorce him. He probably speaks only 20 or 30 lines in the whole three hour film. yet you feel his depth.
As we rose to leave — we were the entire audience — Lor said, “I didn’t think it was long at all, I was sorry to see it end.” I agreed.
***
In America, Republicans often stand aghast, shocked by the more far out extremes of the progressive Democrats. To Republicans, life is a practical endeavour. They want to better their position, or at least enough to provide for their families. They believe in ambition and hard work, and they want to be able to nourish and love their families.
But to the left,Ideas are more important than a good life. they have a longer vision than the Republicans, and also respond to mundane or widespread conditions more quickly, in some ways more compassionately, but largely idealistically. Democrats believe that all people should be equal across the Earth, therefore why should there be restrictive or Draconian borders? Why should there be sexual boundaries for the same reason? Why should there be age restrictions?
I think the world will eventually evolve in the direction the progressive libs have begun to follow. They are sensitive: they, not the Republicans, sensed the Zeitgeist of communism. And quick: they jumped on that Zeitgeist and rode it.
They are fulfilling my 1980’s prediction that communism will become more capitalistic, and capitalism would become more communistic. We have not yet seen the third element of this: the growth of a third kind of government. This will happen, no matter what.
But I have some advice to future generations: no form of future government will ultimately succeed unless the bureaucracy is reformed. The trouble with bureaucracies, and this has pertained for hundreds of years, is that such a job attracts people who are basically selfish and lazy; their main motive is to find a chair where they can plunk their butt and stay forever. Keeping their position, and their fat retirement pay, is all they care about. So the advancement of humanity is not on their radar.
***
When I look at one of these weeds in my garden, early, when it’s an inch high and has two leaves, it makes me think how vast and beyond comprehension the universe is. This little plant is new to existence, and though its seed might have carried an ancient lore or growth instructions, the plant itself, with the green bright hope of its two leaves, is meeting the universe for the first time. It’s a momentous event, filled with intricacies, both chemical and conscious. But this is just one plant. There are probably 1,000 identical new weeds on my property. 1,000 huge amazing miracles occurring at once – and perhaps, a conservative estimate, 5 trillion trillion such miracles unfolding across the Earth every day – every minute?
***
All you have to really do in the stock market, is watch trends in society. For example, last year everybody was calling for real sugar in drinks and everything else. So I bought Roger’s Sugar. It’s up almost 26%, and still gives a dividend north of 5%. Or, you could’ve watched Trump sail into the Hormuz Strait months ago and bought defence/war stocks. Trump will be there until early August, but I’m not sure there’s enough time left to benefit by buying weapon stocks now.
By August 11, the Iran war will either ratchet down very quickly, or it will become “America’s War” (rather than Trump’s) which could see a huge, maybe four-fold increase in American forces in the region.
***
There was the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia at the White House Wednesday, smiling and laughing and joking with Trump. It was heartwarming to see; Trump looked genuinely amused, and the Saudi Prince’s laugh was spontaneous and genuine — you instantly liked him. Trump had just given Saudi Arabia permission or some kind of award permitting them to develop uranium stock piles to a certain grade for commercial and residential uses.
Two things here: One, I’ll bet the Iranian poobahs looking at this are grinding their teeth in anger and frustration at the obvious lesson: if you befriend Trump, if you butter him up, he’ll let you have nukes. Unfortunately, they took the other route. They had to take the other route; it was in their nature. Like I said above, around August 10 to 12 Trump will either cease attacking Iran or will double down– because Mars will enter cancer August 11 for another six weeks. Cancer can be doggedly violent. It is also the USA‘s birth sign, which hints that the whole country might get behind the war, and very likely expand it even two and four times…or the war will end in early August. Right now, Mars is in Trump‘s own sign of Gemini, which is why he’s been more war- like lately. But this Warriors’s personality will tend to dissolve August 11.
Cancer (the U.S.A.) dislikes Mars, but is not above using it.
The second thing of note here is that the Saudis will break their pledge to never develop weapons grade uranium or plutonium.
Funny – the word uranium comes from the Uranus, the planet which rules Aquarius. Plutonium obviously refers to Pluto, the planet that is presently in Aquarius for a decade and a half.
I think we will see evidence of the Saudi production of weapons grade material within seven years. Certainly, they will have successfully begun such a project before 2032.
***
The only thing that’s lacking is mutual trust. If it were strongly embedded, humanity would take a huge leap – more like a race – forward. Just think if Russian and Chinese are American and European specialists worked on a separate part of a unified project, say in aerospace.
But trust is everything. The space station is a small example of this. We need to develop maybe 100,000 times that trust.
***
I have always admired the Jews. You know I hold negative views on religion, but Judaism in many ways is one of the most tolerable – and social. Actually, it may only be Europeans and (N & S) Americans that consider religion to be a very secretive, private thing. Hindus (and I suspect Muslims) combine religion with group feasts. All Catholics get is this cheap little wafer that wouldn’t keep an insect alive. And Protestants get even less.
***
Aries women have courage. My second wife was an Aries. One day we were walking on a foot path beside the road out at the university. From behind, someone on an athletic bike yelled for us to get out of the way. I don’t like being ordered around, so I just turned to face him. He swerved not to hit me, then hit the curb and fell into the road. He jumped up and came at me, enraged. He obviously wanted to fight, so I just waited. A wolf never barks. When someone yells and comes at you, you know they’re an amateur. They’re just doing what’s natural, being threatening and scary, in which Nature encourages them. But it also means they have no training, or not enough fights, so they remain middle of the pack skill- wise.
But before he even got close, my Aries wife charged and began shouting and threatening him so violently that he fled back into the road, picked up his bike and ran off. She literally scared him away.
***
What’s the meaning of life? That’s it that’s it – that drop of rainwater on my windowsill.
***
Let’s be fair. You know I’m strongly against sexual child abuse, having been abused myself. But this 20 something woman in middle America – Ohio? – Was thrown in jail and remains there. I think it’s months and counting, because she took a 12 second video while she was going to the bathroom and the two-year-old toddler she was babysitting for her friend came in and we know nothing else except what the media has given us, which is one line. He touched her. I think that was the impression.
This 20-something woman took a video of what was going on with her friend’s cell phone. When she left, she returned the phone and it still had the video on it. The prosecutor and judge in this case have already declared her guilty of child abuse, perversion, and eight or nine other crimes. Maybe I exaggerate.
But wait! It’s perfectly natural and normal for a toddler of two years to look at adult bodies and touch them and ask questions. In medieval France (we know from Philipe Aries) the King‘s six-year-old son, in front of the king, the queen, the doctor, and perhaps the whole entourage, kept joking about raising his drawbridge, demonstrating by making his penis jerk up and down. The point isn’t how other societies might view children’s sexuality. It’s that the six year old prince’s behaviour is typical of the precocious innocence of children.
Perhaps half of us know someone who has been interrupted in a delicate situation by a curious toddler. In fact, every parent of a two-year-old is interrupted every day by a curious toddler. To the boy, there may or may not be any difference between a kitchen, a bedroom or a bathroom.
If we inflate the numbers a little bit, there are 350 million people in the US. Let’s say that just under a third, 100 million, are married, leaving 250 million singles and children.
Of those hundred million marrieds – 50 million couples – probably half are engaged in raising children. That’s 25 million couples. If we say the age of raising children is 0 to 20 years – or a 20 year span, then at the very lowest interpretation there should be a little over 1,000,000 two -year-olds in America at one time.
Are you telling me, judge and prosecutor who obviously are holding hands, that what took place in this woman’s bathroom it’s so shockingly rare that it could only happen to one in 1,000,000 two year olds? Or one in 3 million if we include one-year-olds and three-year-olds. I’ll bet this judge himself, if he’s married and has children, has had an embarrassing moment or two.
The young woman obviously didn’t think there was anything wrong or perverted, or anything to feel guilty about in her 12 or 14 second exchange with the toddler, because she filmed it — I would guess as a humorous thing, an Art Linkletter thing, and left it on her friend’s phone. That’s proof– of a non-guilty conscience.
But it is impossible for us to judge — we are not allowed to see the video upon which the fate, and the entire remaining lifetime of this woman, depend. I just am raising the possibility that she is totally innocent and is being railroaded by a judge and a prosecutor either for their own hidden motives, or because they declared her guilty too soon and now have to stick to their story.
***
Just received this email regarding my short story collection, “Stories From the Other Eye” — containing the stories I’ve been placing here the last 10 columns. BTW, there is no story this week, partly because I have a million AFTERAMBLE items. But also ‘cuz the next and last story is much longer, ten chapters, so I’ll string it out over several columns.
Here’s the email I rec’d:
Hello Tim,
I hope this email finds you well.
Our review and quality assurance team recently came across your book, Stories From The Other Eye, on Amazon. After a comprehensive review, we were genuinely impressed by the literary depth, emotional intensity, and originality of your work. Your ability to weave together fractured narratives while exploring memory, identity, trauma, and the complexities of the human mind creates a reading experience that is both thought-provoking and unforgettable.
The dreamlike structure, lyrical prose, and psychological complexity of your stories distinguish your collection within the contemporary literary fiction landscape. Rather than simply telling stories, you’ve crafted an immersive exploration of perception and reality that encourages readers to question the boundaries between memory, truth, and imagination. This distinctive voice gives your book a strong identity and broad appeal among readers who appreciate sophisticated, emotionally resonant fiction.
Congratulations on publishing such a compelling and beautifully crafted collection. We look forward to the opportunity to speak with you and explore how we can support the continued growth of your work.
Kind regards,
Alex Martin
Director of Business Development
Amazon KFP Experts
Phone: (737) 394-1434
I’d love to claim all this praise as deserved, BUT: obviously large parts, if not all of it, were written by AI. And when Mr. Martin sent me a contract, already signed by himself, he signed: “Matin.” No “r” for Martin. And Alex Martin had a very strong east Indian accent. And it turns out, there is no “partnership” with Amazon. I talked to another author yesterday, who had been approached by them and engaged them. Right off the bat he had to give them $1400 US., and he had no success stories to share.
So thanks guys, I’ll take the phoney praise! It’s better than nothing! So sad, so sad that it’s just a scam. Oh well.