"THE CLASSIC Maya made no known predictions as to what would happen, but it does mark a change of ages in their way of counting time and they surely thought time would go on and another cycle would begin at that point. The Mayan calendar...is actually not an ordinary civil
calendar such as the one we use."
Thus speaks astrologist Bruce Scofield when it comes to the real implications of December 2012 when many think the Mayans were predicting the end of the world.
- WELL, KIDS, I already told you that the place to be if you want answers to such moon-planets-stars predictions would be the world's biggest astrology conference in NewOrleans, happening May 23-30th. Details are at www.UACASTROLOGY.com.
- I WAS ASKING the other day about a particular astrology favorite of mine -- Michael Lutin? I see he is going to New Orleans, leading a discussion called "Irregulus"- OMG The Mayans Were Right!"
Well, they were right in that the world as they knew, it did come to an end. The Spanish invaded the Mayan culture and destroyed it thoroughly.
- One stargazer Giselle Terry is saying: "We are embarking on a new age of heightened social awareness. There is a potential for social consciousness that is less devisive than has ever been before." Hmmm, well, that's great but considering the attacks on Planned Parenthood, gays, immigrants, women and unions as well as on disenfranchised-from-voting elders and minorities, it sounds like wishful thinking to me.
- More like the reality is market analyst-financial astrologist Ray Merriman. This man who is translated into eight languages, says we are in a period very like unto 1776 in early America, when debt containment could lead to another U.S. credit rating downgrade, paralysis regarding tax compromises, and the same issues arising in Europe. Uh oh!
- BUT ALL in all, this biggest ever get together of believers in the stars will still happen in the Big Easy when Venus will be on display as the most brilliant brightest of the planets. And prexy Dennis Flaherty says, "I cannot personally think of a more fitting name than Venus Rising for this illustrious 2012 UAC get together."
- THERE WAS an SRO crowd at Cipriani 42 Street the night President Obama was in New York -- he was there to congratulate the women of Barnard College. But the Cipriani crowd was gathered for "The Gloria Awards: A Salute to Women of Vision" and Gloria Steinem deservedly got most of the kudos. They gave her two standing ovations and both Gloria and her co-founder, Marlo Thomas, noted the huge Corinthian columns and the grandeur of the room -- which used to be a bank! Gloria said women's standing had improved with a deserted bank offering more posh accommodations for females and Marlo said we'd take the banks down one by one! The honorees were -- young to old -- all outstanding in what they have accomplished for the Ms. Foundation and their own enterprises, be it Planned Parenthood or Jobs With Justice.
My own table had been provided by philanthropist-documentary maker Perri Peltz and was meant as a salute to all the honorees. But we at the table were particularly devoted to our Wow woman -- the great and beautiful Sheila Nevins of HBO. The excerpts from 1000 documentaries she has made were staggering in their complexity, from Elaine Stritch to movie stars-into-nuns to French movie director Roman Polanski to tiny child prostitutes and several wounded veterans. Sheila hadn't missed anything trenchant.
Ms. magazine celebrates being 40 years old this year and next year the Foundation itself becomes 40. The donors to the Women's Funding Network have raised more than $200 million to help women worldwide.
- ENDQUOTE: "It takes years for me to trust; I know that about myself. A lot of it is because I am so private, and so reluctant to make myself vulnerable...Nobody would consciously decide to be guarded and self-protective. I was very open when I was young, but celebrity teaches you. You learn to cope with intense scrutiny." That's "Dark Shadows" star Michelle Pfeiffer, talking with Parade magazine's Dotson Rader.