List of Top 10 iPhone apps for 2009

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So far I've managed to resist the enticing allure of an iPhone but it isn't easy (hacking, reception, and connection problems notwithstanding.)

End of the year is near and the Tops for 2009 lists are appearing everywhere. Here's a techie one that makes for an interesting read of the Top 10 iPhone Apps for 2009.

Did your fave app make the list?

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Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse can't be beat!

Q: Have you ever tasted Julia Child's version of a Chocolate Mousse? It can be whisked, but it can't be beat! Can you tell that I finally saw Julie & Julia over the weekend? Watching the film, my teen years haunted me as catalyzed by Meryl Streep's excellent portrayal of the Jupiterian Julia Child, with Amy Adams playing Julie Powell, the NY blogger who also loved Julia. (As with me, a mother-daughter connection was in play because my mother and I used to watch The French Chef and chuckle together). And Julia's Chocolate Mousse was the most successful of her recipes I ever attempted. Now August just past I published here images of Julia Child's birth and death charts along with a few astro-details and a link to an interesting interview on Fresh Air so check it out here if you wish. ~:~

view 'Mandalan Art' with a Psychedelic flavor!

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Imperfect Mandala, a drawing by Jude Cowell.

When Mandelbrot-inspired mandalas operate as Art images for sparking such things as meditations, eye-brain stimulations, or for simple visual enjoyment of creative images, then we know the Universe still works in harmony at least some of the time, in spite of all man can do!

Have you ever seen this dynamic collection of what I call 'Mandalan Art'?

Click for a few bright examples available there for your viewing pleasure with only a secure click, for I've this very evening discovered the Art Work @ Spirit Mythos and I recommend it to you!

My hope is to find more Mandalan Art of Psychedelic yet charming vibes and locate the links here for you or in my Secret Moon Art gallery online, if you prefer. Peruse the Art Links in the sidebar next time you drop in.

Thing is, 'Mandalan Art' is only what I'm calling it; I'm not sure if anyone else does. And the digital Artist of the Moment at Spirit Mythos undoubtedly has alternate ideas of how to describe their work, don't you think?

So when you reach the Spirit Mythos gallery, click icons to enlarge images of the colorful mandalas for they're so el perfecto for gazing upon and chillaxing your brain a while...

and tell them old Jude Cowell sent ya because I feel you'll like the interesting Art images of Spirit Mythos!

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No personal or professional connections or agreements exist between this gnat of a blogger (Jude Cowell) and the author/s and owner/s of the above-linked Spirit Mythos blog.

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are you still here?



shoo!




shashay away!









mosey now










buzz off, Sparkie!












okay then....click something.





Now.










scat!









Well, then here's Portrait of a Fool, inspired by the -0- card in the Tarot deck.



from CPD a gallery of frisky figure studies for 17+ers' viewing only.

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Forensic Astrology and the case of Amanda Knox 12.5.09

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This is merely a heads-up alert that an article concerning the sad Amanda Knox case and resulting guilty verdicts of last evening has been published after much study by yours truly.

The guilty verdicts against Ms. Knox and her former boyfriend, Rafaelle Sollecito, were delivered "shortly after midnight" in Perugia, Italy for the brutal murder of Meredith Kercher on the evening of Nov 1, 2007.

And although Forensic Astrology is an interest of mine, I consider myself to be barely fluent in its principles. Still, you may find a few notes of interest which are translated from astrologese to English for your consideration. Do check it out and comment thoughtfully, if you wish, on this blog or at Jude's Theshold.

Amanda Knox's natal data is included but with her precise birth time unknown, I've used a Noon chart for her natal planetary details. Meredith Kercher was born in London in Feb, 1986, but that's all the info I've found so far.

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JFay's dynamic Artsy Candles!

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Since my Art/Astrology presence on the web has expanded in recent years and become almost impossible for me to keep up with, it's easy to lose touch with earlier web friends, even those whose artisanship you tremendously admire and have ordered for yourself to enjoy.

One such is Studio 3B's JFay, a dynamic designer of gorgeous handmade candles in a variety of themes and colors. Why, you have only to ask and she'll design a candle specifically for you! Or simply choose from her wonderful collection.

Do mosey by Studio 3B's Artsy Candles Blog to view JFay's intriguing gallery filled with trendy as well as traditional themes and styles of color-drenched scented candles and you'll soon join me in accolades for JFay's waxy work!

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Mercury, our most important planet for love

Mercury, brainy planet of thinking processes, communications, and the senses, is not often thought of as the most important planet in a natal chart. But it is.

Elsewhere I've referred to speedy Mercury as the 'tofu planet' since it tends to soak up the flavors of whatever planets it contacts in a chart.

Take Mercury conjunct Pluto, for instance. George W. Bush as a 1st house (Self) conjunction in Leo of Mercury and Pluto, a pair which together can indicate mental obsessions, cruel speech, and spying tendencies. One of the obsessions is, I suspect, tremendous mental focus (Mercury) on acquiring wealth and possessions (Pluto) and Pluto is god of the Underworld, thus he doesn't care how he attains his desires - or whom it beggars.

Well, W certainly demonstrated such things while he played president, but lack of intelligence wasn't actually one of his shortcomings in spite of how he was marketed and critiqued. Deep (Pluto) thinking (Mercury) is one of the signatures of Mercury/Pluto along with propaganda meant to sway the thinking of others; the conj posited in his natal 1st house shows that Mercury/Pluto was he.

On a lighter mercurial note, expert astrologer Beth Turnage says that Mercury is important for making love last in relationships, so check out Beth's excellent article, for if you've ever had a relationship where communication or its lack caused major problems, you already know the importance of mercurial compatibility in relationships.

And as they say, sexual attraction begins in the brain!

Interview with a Creative Yarn Spinner

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Now you may think this post's title refers to someone like Mark Twain or to that folksy storyteller you heard tall tales from at the last Aunt Granny Fanny Mountain Festival back in the holler. But...no.

And if you've read a post or two at 2 Hours before this moment you know that I often tout my daughter's new Etsy Shop of handspun and handpainted yarns which she then takes gorgeous photos of for online shoppers to view. Therefore, you won't be surprised that Maya and her spinning are featured in an interview which simply had to be shouted out by her mom. Right?

Patience Required!

There are an amazing number of steps in the spinning and dying processes in order to produce even one skein of squishy-soft yarn and have it look inviting, so please check out Maya's interview for more details about my knit-loving offspring's process and inspirations!

And here is a nostalgic photo of one of her dorm friends holding Maya's giraffe, Ayapap Ayam, who is mentioned in the interview above. Wonder if she'd get me if I told you her giraffe's name is 'Maya Papaya' spelled backwards? ;p



View more of Maya's photography at Springtree Road where November is always black'n'white photo month.

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Dreamyfish Art Calendar 2010 is ready for you!

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If you read my last post, you'll know that Old wife, a lovely fish of Western Australia, has been on pins and needles waiting to learn if she was chosen to represent a Month in my new Dreamyfish Art 2010 Calendar.

Sad to say, Old wife is only a runner-up (see her portrait in previous post) because Slender weed whiting beat out her stripediness by a nose...a very long nose.

But it's all good, for you may wish to order a Dreamyfish Art Calendar soon because you know that 2010 is just around the Dec 31 corner. You'll find that botanical names of each fish are included making it possible for you to amaze your non-diving friends with your scientific knowledge of underwater denizens of Western Australia - 12 of them, at least!

And do check out Issue #32 of X-RAY MAG with a Jude Cowell Portfolio feature of my botanical fish drawings with artist interview - and the download is free!

Download Section V to snag my Dreamyfish Art Portfolio, or you may download the entire gorgeous magazine with its astounding underwater photography and articles about what's going on with our oceans and dwindling world fish population. And please, let's...

Save Our Oceans!

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Old wide, Enoplosus armatus and the 2010 Fish Art Calendar

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Here's a little Old wife, Enoplosus armatus fretting at the thought of being left out of the Dreamyfish Art 2010 Calendar I'm in process of creating for my Zazzle Art Shop. The new 12-or-13-fish calendar should be on display and made available for Gift Giving Purposes during the upcoming weekend, Nov 14 - 15, 2009. And perhaps you enjoy a good calendar of original artwork for your office.

Whether or not Old wife will be chosen to represent a Month in the lives of the Tropical Fish of Western Australia...well, stay tuned to find out!

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Return of the '3 Temple Dancers'

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3 Temple Dancers is the original title of this oil and watercolour pencil drawing from my noodle. Its title soon morphed into simply 3 Dancers so it answers to both monikers and may be spied online under one or the other name.

The red trees I'm quite fond of. And who are the ladies symbolically representing? Crone, Matron, Youth?

From left to right: my Mom, Mary, my daughter, Maya, and myself, Judith. Happily I get to wear the hat, and 'Maya' is considered in certain circles to be a form of 'Mary' (FR: mer, sea or ocean.) Maya's name came to me in a dream when my pregnancy was about 6 months along.

Actually, Cosmic Persona Designs, a gallery of figure studies mostly, was opened to much acclaim in June 2005 with these very same ladies' in the portrait as you view it here. The 'acclaim' consisted of my friends egging me on to publish fashiony chiffonery images of dancers, singers, and other mask-related portraits, perhaps with a wee bit of Parisienne flavor to them. (An Adult Warning must be clicked through but not to fret - it's only Art. No photos allowed or sought.)

This image of 3 Temple Dancers will soon be available in one of my online Art Shops - either @ the Zazzle Store or on display @ Cafe Press. So if you wish, choose a shop and sashay by, for Holiday Gift Specials soon will be gathered atop a display shelf of their own not unlike the 1970s when I was an Estee Lauder rep at Macy's, Queen Estee of the Cosmetics Brands way back when before the Lauder estate was drained dry.

But that's another story of a different lipstick...

2010 calendars, T-shirts, ceramic travel and coffee mugs, baby clothing, cool mousepads, Wall Art Posters, and more!
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A spooky Halloween photo journal!

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Bwa ha ha...hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween this year! Did you overdose on candy corn and chocolate? Self-medicating, are we? ;p

Well, my daughter lives next door to a haunted house so if you like spooky photographs in black'n'white, you may wish to check out her frightful photo journal and neighborly comments concerning the cob-webbed haunted house next door!

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Heads-up: new merchandise with my own art designs have been added to Jude's Zazzle Shop and to Jude Cowell Art Shop at Cafe Press, so drop by when you can so that original art designs may turn up on your wall, your desk mousepad, your baby, or...well...your body.

10% of all proceeds go to Disaster Relief and Food Banks.

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A Yarn of Pallas, the Daughter

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This photo of my daughter's new skein of yarn, Pallas 2, was so scrumptious looking that I had to post it for you! Don't you love its hand-dyed autumnal colors? Makes me feel chilly just looking at it and I'm still wondering where my new mittens are coming from.

Pallas, the Daughter archetype in Astrology and Myth, is known for her patterning ability, and spinning is certainly one of her many talents of artisanship. How lovely it is for this astrologer to have a spinning daughter!

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Donna Cunningham on finding accurate birth times

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Making sure a birth time is accurate is not always easy but master astrologer Donna Cunningham has the best advice about the issue that you'll find anywhere, so check out Donna's insights on her SkyWriter blog about this very basic astrological matter upon which all hinges!

For as you know, a person's, entity's, or event's birth time, or time of beginning, is part of the birth data astrologers consider before setting up or calculating a horoscope. Anything or anyone that has a beginning has a birth or natal chart, aka a radical or radix chart.

The hour and minute (and sometimes the second) are what produces the sign and degree rising on the horizon at that moment of beginning and thus the planets can be positioned in their proper places in the chart. Of course, date and place are the other requirements for setting up a chart and yes, some information can be gleaned without knowing an accurate time of entrance into the flux of time and space.

But that's like a photograph slightly out of focus...you need a correct time to view a precise picture of the planetary dynamics and their relationships (aspects) to one another. Years ago my own horoscope was out of focus since no birth time was recorded on my BC so I did an end-run by having my mother sign papers the hospital provided so I could get her hospital records of having me, and there it was - listed not once, but three times.

So the 12 'houses' in a chart are departments of life and knowing which house/s your Sun and Moon are in, as well as the other planets and points, is a surefire way to snag yourself a valuable horoscope that can be useful when looking at transits (where planets are now or whenever), Solar (or other planetary) Returns, and for progressing the chart to tell you an evolutionary tale of your life.

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Heads-Up: today my Art Shop has been updated and refreshed, so please drop by Jude Cowell Art Shop to browse some groovy things!
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Save the Rainforests or else!

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Edge of Petrified Forest, a drawing in honor of denuded forests everywhere - this forest looks rather lonely and sad, doesn't it?

Well, there is something we all could use and that's keeping global rainforests alive and well so the earth can breathe! And lush rainforests have many other benefits for humankind and the animal kingdom as well.

Check out the UK's Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, as he speaks about it in a video that exhorts us to Save the Rainforests.

Then there's the Pachamama Alliance, an organization that does great work all over the place and alerts people to the issues of a what a world without rainforests would be and how serious we must become in our efforts to save them.

As a child I loved nothing better than drawing.

But that was after a day of my other love, running through the forests - 'woods' we called them in Georgia - along old Indian trails, jumping over wayward rattlesnakes coiled on the path, and generally being a wild child on what I dubbed 'safaris' leading my neighborhood friends who had no better sense than to follow me! I ran the fastest, you see, and was quite fearless, though you wouldn't guess it now.

Drawing trees and plants around my parents' yard was a biggie, too, for both my parents were good gardeners which was very inspiring to a child who loved to draw.

Perhaps somewhere in an old sketchbook there may lurk a drawing of a Sweet Gum tree which was a favorite effort of mine for years. And of course, we loved to have Sweet Gum ball battles where we'd throw the spiky little orbs as hard as we could at each other. Ouch! What good aim you have!

Fastforward to today and I still love to draw trees and the occasional forest, and the idea of a world without rainforests is not a future I can or want to face.

Now how about you? Hugged, drawn, or better yet - saved - a tree lately?
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Pumpkins: October 2009

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Photo: mantlepiece pumpkin by Maya whose favorite pie is Pumpkin Pie.

Once upon a time in high school I had a good friend name of Terry Burger who grew up to become a newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania and an excellent writer who beguiles us this October with tales of Pumpkins, Ahoy!

In America, everyone loves a good pumpkin regaling and perhaps even better, amazing pumpkin photos which are included in Terry's article. And I have it on good authority that no pumpkins were harmed in the penning of his article which is more than I can say for that orange fright-mask pumpkin you carved to greet - or dissuade - visitors who dare to approach your front porch!

Even so, heavy on the nutmeg please, for I'm including Paula Deen's Pumpkin Pie recipe to give you a hint of an idea of what you should be doing instead of reading blogs, a past time that won't waft delicious flavors through the air from your kitchen no matter how delicately you bake it...

;p

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Living in Washington DC

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My daughter Maya, born in Washington DC as was my son, has written a 'memory lane post' with photos of when my family lived in DC on D St. NE. She found a photo of the house we lived in which has been painted different colors now, a treat for me to see.

If you wish, check out the comments after her post where I add some details that only a grown-up could know for Maya was a mere 4 years old in the picture! Maybe her post has something to do with daughter Violet turning 4 in a few days.

Thanks, Maya, all the muches for the memories!



Violet, hurrayyy! photo by Maya



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Reading other people's diaries: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

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You have permission, so have you read Diary of a Wimpy Kid yet?

It's on the New York Times bestseller list so I thought maybe you had.

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Brett Dennen on 'Heaven' interview w/ music - Billboard video

Couldn't resist adding this interview which is interspersed over a video of Brett Dennen singing 'Heaven' live with guitar and keyboard - even though it was only yesterday that I published the tune itself (through a photo slideshow video from YouTube) on SO'W.

So with this particular posting of the song, I am now surrounded by 'Heaven' and I appreciate it very very much.

And if the Good News, can't 'go viral' (as they say in today's parlance), then I am compelled to ask you: what ever should?

A Wild Animal necktie makes you say, Rrraowrrrrr!

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Zeeks! Confession: I am getting a bit more into necktie designing mode and have just converted one of my wild animal designs Predator at Dusk into a mens or ladies fashion necktie, if you're feeling a bit on the artsy-slinky side while dressing for something special, or if your old suits need perking.

Predator at Dusk is the first non-Dreamyfish Art image in my Zazzle Art Store so drop by to browse when you may...you'll see I've gone from fish to tiger! And I may try the tigery Predator design as a Mousepad image, too.

'He' won't be too scary, I think, even though it will be a Cat vs Mouse situation...

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Have you seen my Polka dot boxfish?

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My new portrait of a Polka dot boxfish is around here some place...have you seen the spotted little guy?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: buy yarn, Save the Ta-tas!

If you purchase this scrumptious handspun yarn, my daughter Maya, who spun and dyed it a gorgeous pink, will donate 100% of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Now that's a win-win situation!

Spiderwebs and the Astrology of Edgar Allan Poe

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Spider web time is here!

And this capture by my yarn-spinning daughter Maya is quite charming, yes? Click to see more photos of the spider webs found on a foggy October morning.

And if you're all about getting in the mood for Halloween, you may wish to read a post on the Astrology of Edgar Allan Poe with his death chart on display. Yes, a 'death chart' a horoscope set up for the place, date, and hour/minute of a person'a death. The one I use is for 5:00 am LMT although there is a competing one for 3:00 am. But the 5:00 am chart fulfills Horary Astrology's 'malefics on angles' criterium.

And the 160th anniversary of Poe's death in 1849? Wednesday, Oct 7, 2009.

The often macabre poet, novelist, and literary critic is known as the Father of the Modern Detective Novel, so what sort of mysterious tales would we be reading without Edgar's early example, Murders at the Rue Morgue?

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If you're interested in knowing what certain big bankers think of their own (lack of) culpability in the financial crisis, read this interview between Der Spiegel and the president of Deutsche Bank who 'justifies' by saying that there would be no banking system without risks!

Why, his masterful end-run around taking any personal responsibility for the state's rescue of the world's lucrative banking industry is alone worth a read. And Deutsche Bank had offices in the World Trade Center...interesting, especially if you see the 2008 financial collapse shakedown and heistings of the public treasury as part of a timeline issuing from the attacks of 9/11/01.

Now where did you say the gold bars stored in the WTC now sit?

Plus, did you know that moneybags Jupiter will Station Direct on October 13 @ 17AQ10; 12:34:18 am edt in Washington, DC, so check out my post with its strong (Stationing) Jupiter, planet of abundance that on various levels signifies in Mundane Astrology: the general, guru, sage, judge, comedian, ideologue, and sometimes...the Republican Party.
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SkyWriter features Secret Moon Art - woot!

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What an honor for this hidden-away unknown artist of the pencil persuasion to have her Cosmic and Moon Art featured on world class astrologer Donna Cunningham's SkyWriter blog and I want to cordially invite you to view our collaboration When Art and Astrology Combine!

And please follow the link provided within the article if you wish to view a special Art Show for Donna's excellent SkyWriter readers, for as I've brazenly asserted before, everyone should take an occasional, leisurely Art Break to soothe the savage beast within and rest the weary eyes...how better than with Visionary Art images?

Jude, your artist for the moment


ps: today I've been tweaking my Jude Cowell Art Shop at Zazzle, if you'd care for a browse before the holidays are upon us.

And have you ever seen men's ties with Dreamyfish Art images upon them? Of course not, for I've just designed and created them, along with black T-shirts, wall art posters, Greeting Cards, and 'fishy' Mousepads for your office, so do mosey over when you may and check back often for new offerings.

Oh, and have fun customizing my designs how you like if you please!

~:~

Update 10.3.09 10:27 pm edt: oh wow! I just discovered a new guest post written by Donna on Uranus and Your Career - check out Donna's insights on Uranus, the creative spark of genius!

WSJ reports on rare back-to-back undersea quakes

The Wall Street Journal reports that back-to-back quakes are rare and gives many details on today's sad events issuing from the underwater quakes in the Pacific and Indian Oceans Tuesday (their time, Wednesday ours.)

And here is The Guardian's update on rescue efforts as the death toll rises.

Astrologically, we might reasonably blame the ongoing Saturn (in Virgo - an earth sign, Saturn = planet of tectonic plates, and of loss) opposition to Uranus (Pisces, sign of the seas, Uranus = planet of sudden calamities.)

Also Mars continues his trek through Cancer, sign of crabs and oceans; Mars likes to trigger and instigate, and represents the action principle in a horoscope. The Moon rules the ocean's tides, as we know.

Sadly, Sumatra is on the same fault line as the upheaval that resulted in the nightmarish 2004 tsunami yet I hope and pray that current aftershocks end as soon as possible for the good people of Samoa, American Samoa, and Sumatra.

Dreamyfish Art now Zazzle Shop wall art posters!

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make custom gifts at Zazzle

Announcing my new Zazzle Shop of Dreamyfish Art images now available as Art Wall Posters and more! The Zazzle Panel you see here shows the images in the shop so far, and you're most welcome to click and investigate, if you wish.

Ever mindful of your design and lifestyle needs, dear reader, Zazzle's helpful Customize It! button is there, too, so you may order Breaksea cod, Yellow eye surgeonfish, or other marine denizens' images on any product you think the little fellows might look good on: mugs, SIGG Bottles, T-shirts, hoodies, mousepads, other poster sizes, and much more.

That's Zazzle for you.

So in effect, you become my design partner which makes this artist very happy to be working with your excellent self (you have a good eye, it is well known) so do check out my new Zazzle Shop when you get a free Art browsing moment.

Quite naturally, there will be more Dreamyfish Art and other-themed images added as time permits. Perhaps soon a Fairy, Cosmic, or Moon Art image or two may appear.

Well, now here's a shy little Clown surgeonfish who joins me in cordially inviting you to drop by my new Zazzle Shop of Wall Art Posters and such!



To tell him Hi!, click image to enlarge.

Artist Jonathan Harris on the soul of the Web - video link

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My question is: does the internet, the web, the 'interweb' as my favorite comedian Craig Fersuson has called it, have a soul? Hmmm...?

Follow the link to a 2007 video of artist Johnathan Harris speaking on the very subject!

Plus, a link is provided therein to his text and you may wish to note his mentions of Greek myths and archetypes such as Orion, Chronos, Pegasus, etc, which he sees as turning up as archetypal events (weddings and such) in the computer programs he has written and implemented on the web...with Feelings, Nothing More Than...Feelings.

White House/Arts 'scandal' revealed by FoxNews

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Since the actual report in question is publicly available there's not much of a lid to blow off, but Media Matters does it anyway on the current story behind Fox News' pot-stirring of a possible White House/artists/NEA scandal concerning the May 12 meeting with 60 artists and Obama administration officials next door to the White House, and a controversial conference call on August 11 which seems to have led to the subsequent resignation of NEA communications director Yosi Sargant.

Fox News rather scantily charges that the White House is 'politicizing the NEA' and wanting to use artists - rappers, writers, and others, which I assume include visual artists as well - to "push the president's domestic agenda." Later in its online expose, Fox relates info that counters its own claims.

Apparently a US president "pushing his domestic agenda" is unheard of over at the Fox News website! How ironic since with Bush-Cheney they never complained, they promoted. But according to Fox News, artists are not allowed to participate even when they agree with the president - the Fox News Rules of Artistic Decorum.

But for US artists, shouldn't it depend in large part on what the president's domestic agenda is?

Well, as a bit of an artist myself, I can say that if this agenda includes promoting life over violence and death, and decent principles of living over debased lifestyles, I'm all for it...push away, for the creative atmosphere in this country has been a world leader in lowering moral fiber and discourse for too long.

The destruction of society itself, I've read, has been an Illuminati goal for a couple of centuries now, and quotes to that effect are to be found online with little searching effort, if you wish. This goes back to its Bavarian founder, Adam Weishaupt, and his stated goals to undermine every level of civilization - and even earlier to Satan himself, if one prefers to look and consider what lies underneath the modern brou-ha-ha.

Actually, this Fox News kerfluffle attempts to 'politicize' the entire Arts issue especially since it was the artists themselves who asked for the W-H meeting! Guess they already agreed with the president's domestic agenda (to the extent that they know it in full under the maskings of the NWO - or perhaps the particular artists who attended the May meeting and participated in the August conference call agree with a NWO agenda. Shall we 'all join hands' and merge for global totalitarianism??)

Art in Modern Society

It took an artist friend of mine two years+ to convince me to set up Cosmic Persona Designs as an online gallery of Chiffonery Art and Boudoir Blossoms drawings and portraits that may be considered by a few people to be a little on the saucy side. The images are meant for a 17+ age group, so an Adult Content warning must be clicked through to reach the gallery, yet I still have qualms about its availability to a younger crowd...and it's only mild, though somewhat erotic, Art images!

Of course, this is where parents must monitor their kids online, for I certainly can't do it for every net surfer, and adults need content, too.

And when it comes to Hollywood's and other films and TV shows, I've always felt that it isn't so much their degraded content - violence, horror, sex, whatever - that presents problems in society, for you and I might choose to watch such things and never suffer an afterthought, much less an obsession issue with the dark side.

It's our impressionable youth, plus, the mentally challenged or emotionally stunted individuals - such as those who are thinking of committing psychopathic acts already - who in watching such content over and over and over again - are inspired by creative demon-drenched ideas (and possibly feeling themselves to be 'programmed') to commit what might have remained mere fantasies had not Hollywood given its hand or claw of inspiration.

And thus, society and its innocents pay the violent price while filmmakers, actors, and other industry workers and CEOs profit from the degradation of society. Yet if every audience member were healthy, watching such things wouldn't be nearly such a dicey proposition for the common good.

Hmm. Maybe I should apply to participate in a more uplifting presidential initiative on and yes, through, the Arts.

After all, don't we want better options for our children through their 'entertainment' choices rather than the sort of Arts that continue to only bring them 'down'?

~:~

Here's a mild example of a CPD image, a brand new drawing-in-progress of Philyra whose character portrait shan't end up too scanty for your tender eyes, promise!



Update Oct 8, 2009: you may wish to see a full frame of Philyra Farnsworthy on display at my Zazzle Art Store, but Philyra hasn't arrived there yet...she's running late.

Do meet her on Friday evening, for then you won't miss Philyra Farnsworthy's entrance into Zazzle and her portraiture debut there! Or, perhaps she'll pop over to Jude Cowell Art Shop at Cafe Press.

Well, I guess I'm not sure where precisely Philyra will turn up first. I do know that she'll turn up as an Art Poster, Greeting Card, or perhaps a Mousepad for your desk if you use one. A desk. Or a mousepad.

But maybe you two have met before...danced together on the terrace under the dappled moonlight while an orchestra played, Stardust...

Mercury out of the Shadow~Cafe Press Shop in the wings

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As you may know, Mercury is still retrograde and possibly interfering with such things as plans, new ideas, travel, commerce, contracts, and agendas.

The planet of thinking, communication, and trade, Trickster and Messenger Mercury will turn Direct on Sept 29, 2009, yet here are some good reasons to wait for implementation of new plans and ideas until Mercury leaves the Shadow degree range of its current retrogradation phase and enters new zodiacal territory, thus leaving behind its retrograde degrees.

When Mercury is Rx, it's a good time to reassess and work on plans and projects, so during Mercury's current Rx period, I have been attempting to set up a Jude Cowell Art shop at Cafe Press, but with disappointing results as far as transforming some of my Dreamyfish Art images of botanical fish drawings into 16" x 20" wall posters for your consideration.

Stewing in my non-techiness, I am finding the Cafe Press interface difficult to work with, and the site's instructions to be missing key points. So if you, dear and lone reader, have any tips on Cafe Press issues, please leave a comment here, or contact me at judecowell at gmail dot com - I'd muchly appreciate it since their forums have not helped me so far - but there's alway hope for a Eureka Moment, one of Mercury's favorite gifts to us which occurs when left and right brain creativity coincide integratively.

So I shall persevere with this art project when my schedule (also a province of Mercury) allows, and will mercurially announce the shop's official opening asap - probably, if my natal chart-ruler Mercury has a say in the matter, and it will - at or just after Mercury's leaving of the Shadow area of the zodiac @ 6Lib13...on or after Oct 14.

My reason for waiting to implement my botanical fish portraits/Cafe Press plans are noted in boldface in the above-linked article, if you are so inclined to check it out, and the chart image for October 14, 2009 @ 2:39 am edt in Washington DC (the first minute Mercury reaches Shadow degree and thus is 'free' to move forward) is included in the post in case you wish to use one of your mercurial senses, sight, to view it!

~:~~:~

Does McChrystal leak put Obama in a box?

~~
Well, I'm certain you've heard of what a bad and freakish Monday this has been for the White House after President Obama's remarks about sending more US troops to Afghanistan on Meet the Press yesterday have been characterized as 'wobbling' and undersecretary of defense Michelle Flournoy has had to defend the president's idea to put "strategy over resources."

This has the mainstream media and the blogosphere all afluffle with journalistic giddiness, while the GOP smells political blood in the White House. They can't smell the thousands of gallons of blood they've callously spilled in the Middle East, but they can smell Dem blood over the swampy stench of Washington.

So with what may be a method of applying pressure to the president, Stanley McChrystal - or his staff, as this report by Josh Rogin points out - 'leaked' a memo of McChrystal's assessment predicting failure of the whole Afghan venture if more troops were not forthcoming.

Or did McChrystal mean the whole venture of controlling oil and expansion of American imperialism in the entire Middle East including Iraq? Well, I didn't read the memo although you'll find it linked in Mr. Rogin's article. (I'm blogging in a rush against possible power failure here due to lightening and storm - Atlanta is pretty much flooded out - don't go there.)

Yet perhaps one of the more troubling things around here to come from McChrystal's 'leak' (if indeed such it was), is that a wayward rhyming muse alighted heavily upon my shoulder a while ago, and since current storms have neutralized my TV satellite (Tom Delay 'dancing' while seeing stars or not), I'm just bored enough to type it for you here.

So please pardon me in advance, if you can, and set your Groan Meter as low as it goes for...'Afghanistan':


Barack Obama in a box
Afghanistan is like a pox
upon his presidency new
he'd escalate but how and who?

McChrystal memo quite a dud
to land with such a dullish thud
on White House roof and in the hall
Obamaites are right to squall

Since change and hope he touted wide
we'd choose to have the peaceful side
but will the US ever see
an end to war economy?

Though pressure's on to send more troops
our US system has the droops
there are no jobs for every man
returning from Afghanistan.


Jude Cowell 9.21.09 8:49 pm edt

Here's a Jude Cowell Art Slideshow just for you!

~~

Here's an Art Slideshow created at Image Loop with a variety of my drawing themes and styles, some from Cosmic Persona Designs, a smidge from Dreamyfish Art, plus a few Secret Moon Art images tossed in complimentary-like.

And if you haven't as yet, perhaps it's time you moseyed over to Image Loop and set up your own display for your Art or Photography. Just let me know when and where you embed it, okay? Because I lo-o-ove to view Art Slideshows!

Plus, as you probably know by now, I maintain a small Lulu Art Storefront for your downloading and self-printing needs with all images at very modest prices.

Support the Arts!

~::~

Shuttle Discovery exits California on a jet plane's back 9.20.09

~~~

Today there are major storm systems and heavy clouds bedeviling the state of Georgia, but that's okay because my home state isn't on NASA's Look Up list anyway. I now turn you over to...

Space Weather News for Sept 20, 2009

BE ALERT FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE: Space shuttle Discovery is flying across the United States today atop a specially modified NASA 747 airliner. The trip is necessary because at the end of its last mission Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California and must now be returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Sky watchers along the flight path (particularly in Texas, Louisiana and Florida) should be alert for the extraordinary sight of a spaceship flying through blue sky on top of an airplane.

Check SpaceWeather for details.

FARSIDE SUNSPOT: NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft is tracking an active region over the sun's eastern horizon that could be a large, new-cycle sunspot. We can't yet see it from Earth, but the sun's rotation is turning the region toward us, and it could pop into view as early as Sept 21. Readers with solar telescopes should monitor the sun's eastern limb for developments.

Images and updates may be found at SpaceWeather.com.

~:~:~

Athens-Cine Theater and the 2009 Autumn Equinox celebration!

~~~
Athens-Cine is a movie theater in downtown Athens, Georgia which has the most unusual and diverse film showings such as you might find in a much larger market. Athens is a university town so the theater is a popular entertainment hotspot.

And believe me, this doc and film hub fills a woefully empty place in the cinema schedules of Athens!

Current Athens-Cine features include:

Food, Inc., an expose of the seamy underbelly and profit motives of America's fast-food hamburgers, fries, shakes, and their purveyors;

Soul Power, a verite doc about the legendary 'Zaire 74' music festival;

In The Loop, a hilariously comedic look at the US-UK relationship as skewed through a political lens; (politics manages to skew everything it touches, doesn't it?);

and...Sept 22's theatrical readings by Athens writers from the days of last century's Cafe Apollinaire of Paris, when avant-garde leader Guillaume Apollinaire coined the term 'surrealism'. Athens-Cine will also present the world premiere of a documentary about Atlanta rock band, the El Caminos, and more.

So if you happen to be in Athens during the September 22 Autumn Equinox, you're cordially invited to partake in the evening's celebrations with Athens-Cine's full bar of liquid refreshments at your beck and call!



Thea IDs Her Mask; drawing by Jude Cowell 2009+...for All the World's a Stage!

Jay Leno April 28, 1950: debuts at 10 pm Tonight!

~~
Okay, I got curious and had a sneak peek at Jay Leno's natal chart to see what's going on in the heavens with his debut tonight at 10 pm - quite the historical, if money-saving, TV event for NBC.

Born in New Rochelle, New York, on *April 28, 1950, Mr. Leno is an Earthy Sun Taurus-Moon Virgo fellow who has recently had a Saturn Return @ 12Vir50 on Sept 11, 2008. Natal Saturn is in 7th house of Partnerships with Moon 13Vir01 and Mars 22Vir11, and perhaps contract negotiations were on the menu then (n Sun in 2nd house of Money and Earning Ability.)

You may notice that his Mars is conjunct President Obama's natal Mars, so both conjunct US natal Neptune. Mars/Neptune hook-ups are excellent for 'rock star' reflections upon the screen of the public's imagination.

At 10 pm edt tonight, the Sun 22Vir23 will be spotlighting his natal Mars, a transit that indicates a surge of vitality and ego-gratification. Mr. Obama experienced the transit today as he spoke to Wall Street, and I mentioned this in my post on his 9.9.09 Address to a Joint Session of Congress - that the president's vitality and determination would receive a boost from this transit. (See third paragraph from the end of this post.)

Well, Pluto remains on his Direct Station degree (00Cap40 - Sep 11), so Mr. Leno's natal 11th cusp is being stimulated by Pluto while opposing natal Uranus 1Can59, a 'conflicts with those in power' transit. Perhaps powerful Pluto undergirds Leno's time slot change as well. It's been years since transiting Pluto conjoined his Career cusp at Midheaven 9Sag20, which you will note has one of the Royal Stars of Persia upon it: Fixed Star, Antares (keywords: obsessed with success.)

Pluto won't enter Leno's 12th house until he reaches 22Cap30; he may expect a loss (Pluto) of friends (11th house) during the transit, however (the voice of experience speaking here.)

This evening's Neptune 24AQ21 Rx and Chiron 22AQ16 Rx are snugged upon his natal ASC 22AQ57, which is either a dissolving influence, an indicator of entertainment and the masses, or simply a creative and inspirational infusion. If his 10 pm show is a hit with staying power, there will need to be more stable planetary support from other chart factors.

Yet Jupiter Rx @ 18AQ26 is poised to aid him later on and may be providing some 'guardian angel protection' (Jupiter) already since Leno's ASC was visited by Jolly Moneybags in April 2009 and will be so again in December 2009.

And given the hard work it has taken to produce the new version of the Tonight Show for the 10 pm time slot - as Saturn, Mercury (now Rx @ 2Lib54) and the Sun have plowed through his Saturn-Moon-Mars conjunction - it will be interesting to see if the sparkle and pizzaz of tonight's debut wears off soon (as I think it did with Conan O'Brien's revamping earlier this year, or maybe that's just me), or if the show continues to be a vehicle for Jay Leno's comedic inspirations.

Baby boomer fans will be happy, of course, to be heading to snoozyland 1 1/2 hours earlier, but are they messin' with a good thing just to save NBC a bunch of money? After all, the taping of such shows occur hours before air time, don't they?

Now here are the Images for Integration of his thorough, professional, and poised Sun Taurus-Moon Virgo blend with its great timing so perfect for a comedian, actor, or musician:

In her sumptuous garden, the music teacher entertains her now accomplished past pupil...The treasurer for the Association for Social Reform invests proceeds of a jumble sale into gilt-edged securities. (Sun Sign, Moon Sign, Charles and Suzi Harvey.)

This combo of energies is shared natally with quite a few entertainers:

Mort Sahl, Jack Paar (the first ever Tonight Show host, right?!), Sir Laurence Olivier, Daniel Day Lewis, Candice Bergen, Peter Townsend, Shirley Maclaine, and Donovan.

So you know I must say it: Break a gilt-edged leg, Jay! I'll be watching. And how about you, lone reader? Are you a fan?


*Rodden Rating AA, from birth certificate.

~:~

Violet now singing on YouTube

Hurrah! My daughter got around to taping and publishing a video of our favorite jokester, Violet, singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game - with hiccups!

When my kids were growing up, our family frequented Atlanta Braves games quite often, so this video is a treat for me - and you might enjoy it, too.

Popcorn, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks optional...

~~~

Knitting with a Happy Dance!

Even though I've never gone about the place thinking that I love the colors pink and yellow together, my eyes feel refreshed and exultant every time I look at this 'Happy Dance' yarn from Springtree Road's Etsy Shop.

Springtree Road is my daughter Maya's Yarn Shop, and the name refers to the street that I, and later on, my children, grew up on. It's named that because of a spring (obviously) and a creek that runs across and by it, so when my parents were living, their house had water from an artesian well nearby.

How cool is that? ;p

Especially these days when water is an issue everywhere, and will be more so as climates change and plunderers corner the market on the earth's freely provided life-giving substance.

Anyway, mosey yourself over to Maya's lovely Etsy Shop, if you wish, and view her luciously squishy skeins of handspun-and-dyed yarns, plus a few notecards and prints of her photos are available, too.

She'd be glad to meet you and perhaps y'all can do a Happy Dance together while you simultaneously knit me new mittens for winter using some of Maya's autumn-colored yarn...you're a very talented multi-tasker, or so I've heard!

~:~

Space Station and Shuttle Discovery now a double flyby!

~~~
A day late, but still fresh enough to find when to look up at the sky!


Space Weather News for Sept 8, 2009

DOUBLE FLYBY ALERT: On Tuesday, Sept 8 at 3:26 pm EDT, space shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space Station (ISS). The two spaceships are now circling Earth side by side, forming a pair of bright lights in the night sky.

Check the SpaceWeather News to see if you are favored with a double flyby of your hometown before Discovery returns to Earth on Thursday.

DON'T MISS THAT FLYBY: Would you like a call when the ISS is about to fly over your area? Sign up for SpaceWeatehr PHONE.

~:~~:~

And here's another heads-up: the Astrology of Pres. Obama's Address to a Joint Session of Congress 9.9.09 is now available for your consideration and contains dual chart images for 8 pm and 9 pm edt for Wednesday night in the Capitol Building.

Check out the chart's 'Fist Bump of God' pattern which points to orating Mercury, plus the rest of my notations, if you wish.

~:~

Astrologer Julie Demboski on the Dylan/Baez relationship

~~

As you may know, one of my top-fave astrologers is Julie Demboski, now working on her new book which concerns the asteroid Juno, one of the wife archetypes of the zodiac (Hera being the Greek version.)

As Julie points out, astrological Juno isn't only about marriage, it's about sussing out one's power potential in a relationship. Well, this meshes partially with something I read years ago (and can't remember where, or who wrote it) - that Juno in Mundane (Political) Astrology is about abusing power - and represents either the abused, or the abuser.

Well, I was just snooping around one of Julie's blogs and discovered her article on the relationship between Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, a very useful synastric peek under the hood of one of pop music's all-time famous couples, even though they didn't last as an item.

Don't want to check out Julie's article on Dylan/Baez just now?

Well, don't think twice. It's all right.

But you know you really want to, right? ;p
~~~

Reagan's 'Afghanistan Day' haunts a cynical world

Mainstream media now reports that Pres. Obama has lost the majority of his support from US citizens for American expansion into Afghanistan. 18 years after Reagan touted 'Afghanistan Day' George Bush and Dick Cheney preemptively invaded Iraq; most people now recognize what a wild goose chase that was, though it was promoted to us as a golden egger of great humanitarian merit which would deflect an imminent threat to North America.

Yes, on March 21, 1985, day of a New Moon @ Aries Point, Pres. Ronald Reagan proclaimed 'March 21' to be 'Afghanistan Day' and Reagan's address on the occasion makes some interesting points that Pres. Obama and his military team might do well to recall as they plan in 2009 and beyond.

But surely Proclamation 5309 was merely a thinly veiled scene in yet another Capitol Hill Political Theater production meant to aggravate the Kremlin, hide US interference in 'their' war, and feign an objective, humanitarian point of view concerning the heavy-handed Soviet occupation of a sovereign Middle Eastern nation, you chide.

As you know, Afghanistan does have terrifically lucrative resources that support many projects for those organizers not bothered by where backers' funding comes from...the Afghan drug trade.

1985...1986...Afghanistan's American-proclaimed 'joyful celebration' continues to March 21, 1987:

Here's an exchange between the *chairman of the Afghan Community in America, Pres. Reagan, and Sen. Gordon J. Humphrey (NH) on March 20, 1987 concerning Afghanistan and former Pres. Carter's critiques of Reagan's Middle East policies.

Seems Mr. Carter had leveled his 'trashing' of Reagan from a safe distance abroad, an oft-used tactic in political circles. (Blogging gnats in Georgia use it, too, for a comforting, if delusional, sense of safety from the raptor's gaze.)

Speaking of Reagan

In late June this year I posted an article which contains one of what this reluctant astrologer considers to be the primary astrological Things To Know about Pres. Reagan, especially in the financial realm, so here's a link in case you missed it - I knew it was You, Reagan (my main theme on the matter of Reagan policies and actions in the 1980s which have led America directly to 2008's Financial Collapse.

Reagan made mention of the Soviet's frustration at their 'inability to crush the spirit of the **Afghan Freedom Fighters and are increasingly turning their military might against the civilian population of the country, forcing hundreds of thousands more innocent people into exile away from their homeland. Reports of Soviet atrocities and human rights violations are increasingly gaining the attention of the world's public." (Including by way of your remarks, Mr. President.)

On March 21, 1985, transiting Neptune 3Cap33 was conjunct Reagan's natal Mars 3Cap59 (1st house), a transit when one's efforts are undermined or disregarded; deception and confusion are in the environment, and one engages in impractical or unrealistic endeavors; in fact, fraud may be lurking in the wings.

Ever the idealistic Jupiterian, Mr. Reagan, goes on to speak dramatically of "Karmal's tenuous and brutal hold on power..." (not 'Karzai', silly...'Karmal'), and he gives a list of the things which the UN General Assembly had resolved on the Afghanistan situation/Soviet quagmire - including immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops.

That the world has turned cynical on the question of sending invading forces into Afghanistan seems understandable to me and one supposes that such a well-read president as Barack Obama could not possibly be surprised by the waning support of US citizens intent upon their own dire battles here at home and not at all interested in creating more refugees in a faraway, over-victimized land.

So my wish is that Pres. Obama would read (or re-read) Mr. Reagan's time-capsuled remarks of March 21, 1985, then repeat, and (most importantly) apply them to America's military decisions in 2009, and going forward.

A Final Plea: I love and admire the people of Afghanistan, and am very sorry my government and others continue to meddle in their affairs while bombing them into oblivion and chaos.

Sending more troops to Afghanistan is a very bad idea.

Just look at the Sabian Symbol of power-manipulator Pluto's degree on March 21, 1985, which describes what US and other troops are facing there once again:

Pluto @ "5 Scorpio"..."A Massive and Rocky Shore."

~:~

* chairman Habibullah Mayar.
** As you know, it's 'Afghan Freedom Fighters' when the label is in America's interests and follows the slant of our propaganda at the time, 'insurgents' when it isn't and doesn't.

~:~

A Bloggy Note: Hurray! Since I posted a poll plea, about a dozen more readers have answered SO'W's Political Poll ('Obama + NWO') located at the end of Stars Over Washington's front page - thanks abunch, Y'all! I'll report on the results soon, but there's still time to weigh in, if you haven't yet partaken.

And yes, I hope to astro-blog on Pres. Obama's Health Care/Insurance Reform Address to a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday evening, Sept 9, 2009, time notification pending. jc
~~~

Earth's mysterious Chandler Wobble and Bush Sr's 1990 video

Earth's *Chandler Wobble, aka 'large phase jumps' of 180 degrees affect the earth's axis down to the bottom of the seas.

Earth's Wobble 'jumped' in the years 2005, 1920, and 1850, and it's a mystery because nobody knows why.

Is the Pole Shift Theory, reputedly set for either 2011 or 2012, being supported by the Chandler Wobble's radical 180 degree changes?

~:~

Image: 'Neptune Ascends'; drawing by Jude Cowell 2009+; published here in honor of Neptune's mysterious tendencies. You'll discover more Cosmic Art available for viewing here.
~~~

After a whirlwind weekend of schmoozing, today has been a busy blogging day, how about you? There are two posts available in the Political (Mundane) Astrology realm:

Fueling Fires: Mars out-of-bounds in Cancer concerning the California and other wildfires now raging, and Astrology Notes and Famous Quotes on the New World Order; if you feel so drastically inclined, please wobble on over and have yourself a read.

The NWO post contains the video of Bush Sr's Sept 11, 1990 address to a Joint Session of Congress; a link to the text of his address is provided, and it has a time stamp: Bush began @ 9:09 pm edt ASC 3Tau49; his NWO promo ended @ 9:41 pm edt with the Oxen Point rising (15Tau15) which places Pluto's invisible helmet at setting position...Desc 15Sco15, Pluto 15Sco37; '15Scorpio' = the Eagle Point.

This was during a US Nodal Half-Return when associations are broken if they're not strong, and separations may occur in fated fashion; Moon '22Gem' conj US natal Mars - stirring up or marshaling the people, and reflecting upon our military forces (as Bush did); Jupiter '5Leo' conjunct tr SN; Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn are Rx and lined up like little Capricornian soldiers with Saturn at the '18Cap' = POLITICAL POWER degree of 1993's NWO Uranus/Neptune Conjunction/s.

Read more details... with an image of the NWO natal chart linked therein.

Sept 11, 1990's Sun Vir/Moon Gem blend's 'Image for Integration' is "A precision engineer develops new methods of communication.' (Sun Sign, Moon Sign, Chas and Suzi Harvey.)

George H. W. Bush's Sept 11, 1990 address is said to be the first time he mentioned the term 'new world order' in a public address, although others had before him. But he was In Office at the time, and the whole thing - the video, the text, whatever - sounds to me like 'the president' placed the NWO's agenda ahead of the interests of America resulting in skewed priorities, just as Capitol Hill and the White House indulge themselves with now against the common good, and in spite of all logic about the contrariness of their perpetually warring course.

Also at address' end: US natal Pluto @ Mc 27Cap00, just as it is at our Jan 20 US Presidential Inaugurations at noon est, in DC. Pluto's worldly favorites - Extreme Wealth, Power, and Control - are The Goal (Mc.)

Thing is, Bush Sr was inaugurated on Jan 20, 1989 under the 'separations; loss' influence of the 8 South Solar Eclipse which occurred on Sept 11, 1988 @ '19Virgo'...the degree where the Sun shone during Bush's address on the evening of Sept 11, 1990. If you read the text of his speech, you find his mention of loss and separation on the parts of our soldiers and their families.

To quote the NWO shill himself from Sept 11, 1990:

"Once again, Americans have stepped forward to share a tearful good-bye with their families before they leave for a strange and distant shore. At this very moment, they serve together with Arabs, Europeans, Asians, and Africans in defense of principle and the dream of a new world order. That's why they sweat and toil in the sand and the heat and the sun."

Is it now?

Is that why they toiled - why they still toil - for their 'dream of a new world order'? Puh! What an arch propagandist he was.

~:~

*A big shout-out of Thanks goes to my friend, astrologer Alex D'Atria, at Modern Astrology for the Chandler Wobble article link! ;p

~~~

A family weekend of book signings: Gone from These Woods

~~~

It's a big family weekend here as my niece, Donny Bailey Seagraves, enjoys her first Borders book signing, plus a hometown celebration thrown for the release of her book Gone from These Woods, a middle-grade reader for the 9 - 12 age group.

Since I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon it has yet to arrive, but the early reviews are excellent concerning this gripping story of a young boy who must face the kind of loss that we all must face at one time or another in our lives.

Donny has been a published writer for years but Gone from These Woods is her first novel and is published by Random House, so do check it out!

Yes, we're very proud of Donny, but just to keep her head from over-swelling, here's a private view from the late 1950s of Donny with her brother Mike sittin' on the sofa - without a manuscript or editing thought in her head!



Visit Donny's blog Winterville Writer where she'll be featuring other authors, too, as well as updates about her own work.

Congratulations, June Bug!

~:~

Updating 'Blog Art': Helga Prepares 2 Dance

~~~

Just to let you know that an icon cropped from one of my drawings (a brand new rendering, in fact) is now placed in Two Hours' sidebar in lieu of Perry Presenting which was there. 'Perry' has left the building.

In her place, my wish is to update a small image in this blog's sidebar column once a month (or more often if time permits) so that One Click on the image will take you to view the full image.

Not all drawings will be from Cosmic Persona Designs, a collection intended for those art viewers 17 years of age and older due to its saucy Boudoir Blossoms and Chiffonery Art imprints; some images will be from other Art Blogs as the mood inspires, and since I have Moon~Cosmic~Fairy~ Children's~Botanical~Fish Portrait collections to pick from, I'm fairly certain that variety shall ensue.

So please scroll a little and Click to View because at the moment, Helga Prepares 2 Dance awaits you! You do dance, don't you?

Update 9.7.09: Don't Scroll to view Helga!

Unless you want to see a different image there now...here's a direct link to Helga Prepares 2 Dance if you want to check out her moves...

~:~~:~

Thomas Paine on punishment and oppression

~~~

"An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."

Thomas Paine

You know that June 8th of this year was the 200th anniversary of Thomas Paine's death, so click the article's link where you'll be hooked up to the text of Common Sense, in case you'd like to refresh yourself

There's a smidge of Astrology, too.

~:~~:~

Critiques of Scotland over prison release of Lockerbie bomber

Assuming that it's not a case of a wrongful conviction finally righted as I've read here and there, criticism of Scotland's recent release from prison of the only man incarcerated for the 1988 airplane sabotage of Pan Am Flight 103 that killed 270 people over Lockerbie, Scotland has their Braveheartiest hackles up to defend the Scottish justice system which is seemingly more merciful than the US justice system.

Given the harshness of overcrowding and other problems in US prisons, this I can believe, and yet...

Do you think sending the cancer patient home to Libya to die sends a cozy message to terroists everywhere, as characterized in, and promoted by, the media and FBI Director Robert Mueller? Considering the low level of trust in the US gov by the people, one must wonder if they are afraid the man will be given a soapbox on which to speak out.

Now the BBC has picked up Admiral Mike Mullen on CNN chiming in with a 'political decision' critique.

And here are some 'secret oil deal' accusations turning up after Gaddafi's son let the cat out of the trade bag to roam free as...as a caged bird released from prison and ready to sing.

And do you think, as discussed on Stars Over Washington in Comments by Scottish astrologer Anne Whitaker and myself, that the practice of compassionate early release of terminally or seriously ill inmates may be cynically viewed as a cost-saving measure thinly disguised as humanitarian gesture?

Yeah. That's what I thought. It seems to be another of the chaos-creators' and shock-doctrinaires' attempts to undermine yet one more of the world's governmental systems that has worked reasonably well for generations.

Those dang'd Utopians - always on the verge of sending mankind back to the garden from whence he came so he can wander about, scratching and grubbing for meager existence! Tsk tsk.

And with Halloween on the way, we may wish to recognize one of Utopia's many guises: a one-world-government. And it won't be as fun as it sounds.

~:~~:~

You may wish to read a few brief details on Pluto's current triggering of the Lockerbie Bombing chart's Sun and Uranus.

~:~

How's your supply of Health and Wellness?

It's been simply eons that I spent time on the Associated Content website where I've been known to write a little, but have not since Garfield was president (practically.) Not that Garfield. The other one.

Well, I just returned from a brief sojourn with AC and my browser carrying a link for you. It's an article by Laura Brady concerning Health and Wellness which you may find very useful.

And one of the best things about Ms. Brady's article is that it makes absolutely no mention of health care reform or the current deform we're limping along with now.

So go along and check it out, for who can ever have enough health and wellness?

And as a wise man once said, Consider the spine.

~:~~:~

image: a pencil portrait of Self-Heal, moseyed over from Secret Moon Art if you're in the mood for more visuals of the Botanical, Fairy, Moon, Cosmic, and Children's varieties of artwork...all pencil, all the time. Followers heartily and publicly welcomed! jc

~~:~~

Wedding Day Astrology: Gwyneth Paltrow m. Chris Martin

~~~
Continuing my 'Wedding Day Astrology' series, I have just posted an entry on the 2003 wedding and the partnership of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin of Coldplay, if you'd like a not-too-naughty astrological peek into their relationship dynamics.

And how about a cool video from Coldplay's Viva la Vida tour from a few nights ago?

Herning 16.8.09 from Coldplay on Vimeo.

~:~~:~~:~

Update 9.7.09: having just discovered a fascinating blog with two Coldplay videos, I add its link here primarily because it asks a intriguing question: Is Coldplay Illuminated?, a reference to the theme of their latest album - the Masonic-Illuminati-engineered French Revolution, and to song lyrics which are supplied there if you don't know them already.

When I Ruled the World, hmm?

One of my favorite tunes but until now, I actually assumed he was saying, 'For some reason I can't explain, I know St. Peter will call my name.' But Mr. Martin says, '...St. Peter won't call my name.' Double hmm.

If Mr. Martin and perhaps other members of Coldplay are 'illuminated' we might think that talented people who mind their rituals and spells are raised to the pentacled heights of fame, stardom, and wealth - which could explain why other very talented performers barely get the time of day while they're being shooed out the door.

And this makes it a modern-day version of selling one's soul to lucifer in exchange for world tours full of adoring audiences, and a well-stocked limo waiting at the curb for your exalted self.

~:~

Astrologer Lynn Hayes on Health Care Reform

~~~
In 2005, when I first began blogging on Politics reflected through the lens of Astrology, one of my very first online Astrology friends was the gracious and expert astrologer, Lynn Hayes.

Well, now I'm posting this shout-out to Lynn's article of August 19, We need real healthcare reform not more insurance, a sentiment I share, and one which would seem to be a given, now wouldn't it?

At least a 'given' in a normal world with less political opportunism and a ban on the cynical use of people's easily swayed emotions, that is.




Image is an illustration of 'Jimson weed in bloom' from an Associated Content article on avoiding the Deadly Nightshades in your diet, which is a very good thing to do if you're sensitive to them.

If you have any itchy skin conditions or your tummy grumbles against you, you may wish to check out the possibility that regular nightshade consumption may be part of the problem. That's a valuable health hint from me to you, if you'll take it!

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Pea Flowers in Moonlight: a pencil portrait

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Pea flowers don't cease to exist just because the sun goes down, y'know...

Pea Flowers in Moonlight, by Jude Cowell 2009+, from my Secret Moon Art Blog, now updated for your satisfaction!

Plus, my Art Storefront hosted by Lulu is also available for browsing.

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Woodstock 1969: Sun Leo--Moon Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio

Solar Navigator has information about the Woodstock Music and Art Festival of August 15 - 18, 1969.

Living in Washington, DC at the time, a road trip in a van didn't appeal, so I opted out of the fan roster and listened to Edgar Winter and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in a basement on Dupont Circle while awaiting my friends' returns and reports. The reports were glowing, as you might imagine.

But what of the universal As Above, So Below model?

If the muddy musical melee was 'happening' in an alfalfa field of Bethel, NY, then what planetary energies were playing harmonious tunes overhead revelers' noggins and floating 'all around us' like...love, man?

For a quickly peep at the Suns and Moons from the morning of August 15 and extending to the evening of August 18, 1969, we have these Images for Integration, a blending of the Sun/male energy and the Moon/female energy of the siren's call...transiting Circe conjuncts sexy Pluto in Virgo, both conj South Node.

And one planet was out-of-bounds, lusty Mars 10Sag13 - 12Sag05 (which conjuncts US natal ASC in our Sibly chart.) Jupiter and Uranus in early Libra, sign of Partnerships, Love, Beauty, and the Arts, are in process of finishing their triple Great Conjunction/s of 1968 - 1969. In fact, their last 'hook-up' at 00Lib40 (conj US natal Mc, Sibly) occurred just prior to Woodstock on July 20, 1969, so blissful realizations and high enthusiasms echoed across the fields between the cow patties!

8:00 am edt, August 15 -- August 18, 1969, 9:00 pm edt, Bethel, NY:

Sun ranges from 22Leo28 to 25Leo53; Moon begins @ 18Vir07 and ends @ 3Sco21 (conjunct Cupido whose keywords include: The Arts, The Family, The Tribe, Corporations; The Syndicate.)

So here is a 'Luminary Timeline' of sorts, my attempt to describe the Festival (40 years later) using Sun-Moon blends for clues which The Rest of Us Who Did Not Attend (or perhaps you weren't born yet!) might want to consider - kind of a progress report on the celebration after the balloons have all floated away, the babies have been born, and the van's flat tire remains long-changed:

Sun Leo-Moon Virgo: After the ball, Cinderella polishes the floor until its shiny surface perfectly reflects her happy, contented face.

Sun Leo-Moon Libra: Jeeves the butler welcomes Bertie home with a jolly party of artists, important personages, and eccentric friends...A monarch discusses poetry with a visiting diplomat...The Actors' Guild stages a political rally.

Sun Leo-Moon Scorpio: The conception of a divine child takes place during a total eclipse of the Sun...A fateful, passionate love affair between the queen and a mysterious wandering peasant. (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzi Harvey.)

And another quick look: Woodstock Festival's Pre-Natal Eclipse is of the 7 North Series ('27Pis' on 3.18.69), with a flavor that includes: deep passions long-hidden that surprise with their intensity; sudden sexual passions and procreative drives; very sensual. (Brady's Predictive Astrology.)

Last occurrence of a Solar Eclipse in the 7N Series: '19Ari' on April 8, 2005; next: '30Ari' on April 20, 2023.

Well, that's my take on Woodstock 40 years later. Meanwhile, our Peace, Love, and Understanding movement bogs down in the mud of Politics one more time.

Should we turn up the volume to 11, oh people of Woodstock Nation?

Your Bubbles-In-Waiting Tutorial

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Pausing to blow the world's bubbles is like stopping to smell nature's roses. Yet in today's busy world, it often takes a three-year-old to spare the time and concentration needed to get the job done right!



The world is full of a myriad of bubbles-in-waiting, needing only air directly focused



Dedication is its own reward. But bubbles sure are nice



A bubble in captivity at sudsy mitt's command...Bravo!

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~:~photos by Maya. ~:~

US Mars Return in Gemini: Wednesday 8.12.09

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About every two years, Mars returns to the precise degree, minute, and second of his natal position, whether in the birth chart of an individual, an event, or a nation.

We'd be nothing but limp noodles in a corner without the action, energy, desire nature, and the impulse to be of planet Mars, says Astrology. Bad analogy that, since someone would have to fashion the noodles in the first place, but you get my point.

The US has had approximately one-hundred-sixteen Mars Returns to date, give or take (233 years old divided by 2-year-cycle = 116.)

Well, this Wednesday, August 12, 2009, is just such an occurrence when America experiences her Mars Return 2009 so check it out, if you may.

A Mars Return indicates the universe's cosmic clock timing a new cycle of activity starting up - when the two-year cycle begins depends on when it first began in the radix (natal) chart. Thus, any return chart issues from, or is based upon, a natal chart. In my post, I'm using America's Gemini Rising chart, aka the 'Franklin' chart, with Uranus ascending.

Having our natal Mars in Mercury-ruled Gemini, an Air sign, indicates much mental energy, which I think describes America to a T. And Mars placed in the sign of multiplicity/duplicity gives Americans a tendency toward working two or more jobs which is mighty handy these days under the economic circumstances - if you can find or keep them.

Two-Car Garage = Mars in Gemini!

Both Mercury and Mars relate to transport, automobiles, and other modes of transportation. If there are still two cars parked in your garage, congratulations.

Aggressiveness is also part of the Mars-in-Gemini picture, and I suppose we-the-people can admit to resembling that remark, along with our love of debate, and a talent for resourcefulness.

Yes, we're a restless bunch of dudes and dudettes, aren't we?

Plus, Gemini is the sign of Eternal Youth glorying in his love affair with his own reflection. Uh oh! Bellybutton gazing is being performed as I type, and every time I study an Astrology chart relating to...America!

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