I'm a Gemini. I'm a Taurus. I'm a Gemini ... again!

After the universal cafuffle about how the stars don't match up with the Astrological signs due to precession, I did some digging.

Following several leads I learned that Tropical Astrology, the version that is used here in North America, is quite different from Sidereal Astrology, the version that purportedly uses star maps.

So in reading this:

Tropical astrology is based on the idea that astrology is based on the configuration of the solar system relative to the Sun, not to the remote fixed stars. For tropical astrologers therefore it is irrelevant that the solsticial points (tropics) have drifted from one constellation to another over the millennia, due to the precession of the equinoxes. The names of the zodiacal constellations that became the star signs are supposed to suggest the characteristics of (the sun in) each segment of the year. Thus, Aries (House 1), representing the sun just returning to the northern hemisphere at the vernal equinox, Leo (House 5), representing sun of mid-summer, Sagittarius (House 9), representing the retreating sun close to the winter solstice, etc. In its emphasis on the symbolic or metaphorical meaning of the star signs tropical astrology differs from sidereal astrology which claims intrinsic meaning for the star signs and wishes to preserve those meanings by laying out horoscopes against fixed stars.

... I had to think that all of the hubbub over changing signs didn't actually apply to us here. Western Astrology doesn't even use the stars to make it's predictions.

But THEN, I started to think about all the people who have paid to have their charts done, according to some very complex maths interpreting the positions of heavenly bodies, were being ripped off. It's all bollocks anyway.

"For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky"

Despite a number of uncanny experiences with Town & Country magazine's back page, and a statistically improbable collection of Gemininian friends (cuz only a Gemini can really understand another Gemini!), I do not believe in Astrology. In fact, over the years I have unwittingly started several angry arguments with people who are into Astrology by questioning their pseudo-science. 

"Okay, I understand that you can calculate the position of the sun, moon, planets and stars to exacting degrees, but who decided that the positions of the spheres when someone was born indicate particular qualities?"

"HUMANS, that's who! The interpretations are completely subjective!"

They would usually assume their fallback position by accusing me of not understanding the precision of their charts, and that they are merely describing where things are - stars don't lie.


But, until a few weeks ago, I never imagined that even their math was flawed ... that's just crazy talk!


Turns out that their "precision" forgets about "precession" and the actual positions of objects in the sky don't match what their charts say. Not only do all of the Zodiac signs have the wrong dates, but there are actually 13 signs, not 12. And, it is a lot harder to draw things with 13 sections than it is with only 12.

New Zodiac Signs

Capricorn • January 20 - February 16

Aquarius • February 17 - March 11

Pisces • March 12 - April 18

Aries • April 19 - May 13

Taurus • May 14 - June 21

Gemini • June 22 - July 20

Cancer • July 21 - August 10

Leo • August 11 - September 16

Virgo • September 17 - October 30

Libra • October 31 - November 23

Scorpio • November 24 - 29

Ophiuchus • November 30 - December 17

Sagittarius • December 18 - January 20

Have a listen to this short interview with the scientist that has stirred up a scandalous storm of stellar proportions by suggesting that Astrologers' charts are wrong.

THAT means that, even if I DID believe in Astrology, rather than being a "

dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory

" Gemini, I am actually a 'solid, practical, extremely determined and strong-willed' Taurus. But, me and 'Bull' rarely see eye-to-eye. Now, 

I am going to have to redefine my entire personality to match the magical truthiness of Astrology.

With this new information, I really wish I had been born at the beginning of December so that I could identify with Ophiuchus ( being careful not too mis-pronounce it though ) because then everyone would assume I was wielding a big snake (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

Ophiuchus holds a huge snake, Serpens, in both hands as shown in the Atlas Coelestis of John Flamsteed. Serpens is unique in being divided into two halves.

Chances are the people who believe what they want to believe rather than the facts will continue to do so, hoping the truth will slowly fade into the background for another 2,000 years (when I guess I will be an Aries). But unfortunately, to quote an old friend and her Tarot cards, the stars don't lie.

I predict that a new cult of 'True Astrologers', flanked by their newfound Ophiuchian (pron.?) friends will now descend from the heavens and tell us all that THEY are the aliens that seeded our planet with Life, and we should now call them God... I can hardly wait.

Until then, I guess I should start calling up all of my old, happily twinned, Gemininian friends and tell them that it's over, cuz things get REALLY CRAZY when a bunch of bulls get together.

"For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky"

Orion

Today my sister and I went exploring along the coast to see if we could find somewhere that we could use our boogie boards. Alas, it seems that the wind is offshore and the waves are small as a result.

After taking Mom to the clinic again to have the wound she suffered in her fall looked at, we had a gorgeous dinner of Langostino Shrimp, Yuca, and Peas + Carrots. Then we went for a walk down to the beach to see high tide - albeit 1.5 hours late. The stars were beautiful though and I explained to my sister about the nebula in the constellation Orion:

Hoping tomorrow we can get out into the waves and find out what surfing on boogie boards is really all about!

The sky is falling!

Heard some of the buzz about Hollywood’s new disaster flick 2012, that is being released today? Scientists are up in arms over the silly science gaffs and fallacies the film is filled with.

The basic premise of the movie revolves around a number of converging themes: the Mayan calendar predicting an end date of Dec.12, 2012, coupled with a rare alignment of our Sun and Earth with the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, and throw in a rogue planet that has its cross hairs on Earth. Makes for a great popcorn, sci-fi movie, but not real science. Surprisingly there are many unsuspecting folks who may actually start considering some these so called doomsday predictions for real.

This page has some links to some great in-depth analysis explaining the REAL science that the movie has managed to distort.

UFO sightings soar in Canada

Strange floating objects and eerie bright lights were among the record number of Unidentified Flying Objects that Canadians spotted in the sky in 2008, according to Winnipeg-based Ufology Research.

The volunteer group of a half-dozen researchers said Canadians made a total of 1,004 UFO sightings in 2008 — up more than 25 per cent from the previous year and the highest number in the 20 years Ufology has been keeping track.

"It's astonishing to me that we had such a dramatic increase," spokesman Chris Rutkowski said.

"It could be an indication that there's actually something up there seen in greater numbers than ever before, it could be that there are perhaps more military flights, it could be … that people are more able to access websites where they can report the UFOs."

For next year

I just found out about this so you will all have to wait til next year to get them from me, but what a great idea - to put Hubble's pictures on Christmas cards!

Put your mouse where your mouth is ... Eyeball it !!

This is a very cool and surprisingly fun visual challenge that you must try. WARNING: It may show you whether ... or not ... you have ACTUALLY been right all these years!

THIS IMAGE | Featurepics.com

Some people are bothered by pictures on the wall hanging slightly crooked. Others may not even be aware that something may be amiss.

If you are somebody who is into woodworking or construction, its good to be one of the people who notice when things are crooked. But I suspect the ability to notice that things might be just a little off square, off centre, or not quite straight, varies greatly. I thought it would be fun for people to try to test their abilities to see if things are straight or crooked in a little game.

And thanks to LCD monitors, its possible to display geometry with absolute accuracy on a computer now. So what better way to try this game concept than to put it on the web!

How the game works
The best way to figure out how the game works is to simply play it.

The diary that fell to earth

Pages from a diary that mysteriously floated down to earth went on display at a museum in Israel on Sunday.

The diary holds the words of Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, who was killed along with six other astronauts when Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entering the atmosphere in February 2003.

The book survived temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius as Columbia tore apart while it re-entering earth's atmosphere

The 37 pages found fell 60 kilometres to the ground, landing in Palestine, Tex., named after the biblical region of Palestine.

Cosmic Beauty

Pictured above is a spectacular single-exposure image of our Milky Way Galaxy, taken with a long duration exposure. The planet Jupiter is visible as the bright point just to band's left. Under that are picturesque buttes and mesas of the Canyonlands National Park in Utah, USA, lit by a crescent moon. In the foreground is a cave housing a stone circle of unknown origin named False Kiva.