THE PROFILER ASTROBLOG

Old sayings have a lot of truth in them and none better than the notion that if you can anticipate upcoming events, you are in a better position to prepare for and deal with them On the verge of a new and meaningful year, with many people wondering about global weather, climate change, economic conditions, terrorism and of course the anticipation of what 2012 might mean, 2011 is a year to prepare for A little bit of information gathering: firstly knowing that 2011 = a number 4 year - with implications of hard work, frugality and restraints. Alison Baughman has written a more detailed account confirming expectations that ring true for me. Next, the website of a psychic called Lyn Philips where you can find audio recordings from 2004 that forecast several years ahead including 2011, 2012. Some excerpts for 2011:  a record amount of movement within the earth, earthquakes, volcanoes, disruption. Mexico blown away by incredibly strong winds Cloud of despair over Europe Exci

Julian Assange is currently the global talking point and not just in the English speaking world. Twitter has been deluged with commentary in many languages, mainly from supporters, though, like many other key links in the chain, the US government has chosen to take a heavy handed approach to try and crush wikileaks in response to potentially damaging leaks of information. At this stage the drama is truly a cyberwar with online systems pressured to withdraw support for wikileaks, whether financially or concerning information distribution. In response, hacktivists supporting Assange are systematically disabling his opponents sites. One commentary likened it to the game Whack-a-Mole but this is a multidimensional game with the viral and exponential capacities of the internet meaning that constant reinvention and reincarnation are at wikileaks' disposal. The Bank of Iceland is happy to take supporter donations while PayPal buckles to decline. The Mountain Astrologer website has obt

New Zealand has done pretty well in terms of creating a good society....until recently. The right for women to vote was socially significant in 1893 - New Zealand led the world in granting this. David Lange in the 1980's made us famous on the world stage for promoting an anti-nuclear New Zealand. We have long since maintained a social security system -the first elderly pensions being introduced in 1898; large scale state housing became available in the 1930's and in the following year of the depression era, unemployment benefits became available in exchange for labouring work stipulated by government agencies. From 1938, entitlement was available for any unemployed over the age of 16 years. More stringent rules now apply in the 21st century and the system is targeted for overhaul due to the global economic pinch -the Rebstock Report  is likely to influence significant government changes under the National government's John Key. The picture is terms of "a caring soc

Fame is a curious thing, attaching itself  apparently randomly to the rich, the poor, the highly educated, the unschooled, but also, to the dead. Death, under certain circumstances, can raise the profile of a previously unknown to a level of profound fame - thanks now to global networking. But curiously it is not all deaths so bestowed and not even all collective or mass deaths - hundreds died in a Cambodian stampede in November, thousands die in natural events in the developing world on a regular basis, but it is almost with resignation we pass these events over and move onto the next news. Trapped miners appear to have a far different destiny - in Australia, in Chile and in New Zealand in recent times saturation news coverage followed by apparent celebrity status accorded in the first two events to the survivors. In New Zealand, at the Pike River Mine it has been a different story: no survivors from the 29 trapped miners, but the degree of "fame" accorded to these men