text:
SAN FRANCISCO — The National Security Agency was blocked by a judge from carrying out plans on Tuesday to begin destroying phone records collected for surveillance after a privacy group argued they are relevant to lawsuits claiming the practice is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in San Francisco ordered the agency Monday to retain the records and scheduled a hearing for March 19 on whether they can be destroyed. The NSA had planned to dispose of the records following a ruling on Friday by the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in Washington.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an Internet privacy and civil liberties group based in San Francisco, asked White for a temporary restraining order Monday, saying the records may be used as evidence in its lawsuits challenging NSA surveillance and are covered under preservation orders in those cases.
NSA is prohibited from destroying "any telephone metadata or 'call detail' records," White said Monday.
The surveillance court, in its ruling, barred the NSA from keeping the records for more than five years because the privacy rights of the people whose phone data was swept up in the agency's database trump the need for the information in litigation.
The retention of phone records has emerged as one of the most contentious issues for the government stemming from the documents leaked by former security contractor Edward Snowden. Civil liberties groups argue that such data collection violates privacy rights. Government officials say the information is needed to combat terrorism.
The records collected under an NSA program consist of "metadata" including the numbers used to make and receive calls and their duration. They don't include information about the content of the communications, or the names, addresses or financial information of parties, according to government filings.
EFF challenged the NSA telephone surveillance in a complaint filed in July alleging that it illegally erodes the free-speech rights of religious, environmental and human-rights groups. The records are also relevant to a pending 2008 case challenging NSA surveillance, and the NSA was on notice in both cases that it should preserve evidence, Cindy Cohn, legal director at EFF, said in a filing on Monday.
Last week's ruling by the surveillance court was in response to a government bid to waive the requirement that the records be destroyed after five years because they might prove relevant to such lawsuits.
The U.S. request to hold the records indefinitely "would further infringe on the privacy interest of the United States persons whose telephone records were acquired in vast numbers and retained by the government for five years to aid in national security investigations," wrote U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, who is the presiding judge of the surveillance court.
The FISC ruling on Friday was "based on a mistaken belief that no preservation order existed for the material," Cohn said.
"If the government proceeds with its planned destruction of evidence, the evidence will be gone," Cohn said. "This is by definition irreparable."
The EFF case is First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles v. National Security Agency, 13-cv-03287, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).
The FISC case is In Re Application of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for an Order Requiring the Production of Tangible Things, BR 14-01, U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, District of Columbia (Washington).


text: There are road trips, and there are road trips. This past summer, drivers Rainer Zietlow, Carlos Fernandez and Marius Biela went from the southern end of Argentina, then covered the whole of the Pan-American Highway (the world's longest) up through South America, Central America and El Norte, ending up in Deadhorse, Alaska, 11 days, 17 hours and 22 minutes later. That's 14 countries and around 16,000 miles covered in record time (the previous record was more than three days slower). Their wheels of choice? A 2011 VW Touareg 3.0-liter TDI. It was virtually a non-stop drive, with each man doing five-hour stints, although they had to replenish their special 74-gallon tank every 2,000 miles and timing their bathroom breaks to coincide (now that's impressive). The motive behind the drive was to commemorate the Pan-American Highway's 75th anniversary. And for every kilometer travelled, 10 euro cents were donated to children's charities. The turbocharged diesel engine delivers a lusty 406 lb-ft of torque, and Zietlow and company often achieved 35 mpg, which is great considering how hard they must have been pushing.

subset: commoncrawl


text: So, as some of you may know, I bought a truck last year in May. I was going to post this sooner, but life got in the way. Anyway, its a 2017 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 with the Duramax 4 cylinder turbo diesel. The bed length is 6.2 ft and it is equipped with 4 wheel drive too. Fuel economy is about 18-20 mpg city, and I've seen as high as 34 mpg on strictly highway travel. My combined fuel economy is around 25 mpg, and my towing economy sits at around 22 mpg. The engine is rated at 181 HP and torque comes in at 369 ft/lbs. I don't have many photos, but I've had it for about 10 months now and I've already put 23,000 miles on it. I'll take more photos of it this weekend. It'll give me an excuse to get out of the house. All but the last photo were shot with a Nikon D3400. The last photo was shot with a iPhone 6.


text:
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About Us
DailyOM - The Art of Predictive Astrology by Carol Rushman
The Art of Predictive Astrology
The Art of Predictive Astrology
BY Carol Rushman
When I started in astrology years ago, I noticed that it was very hard for me to pinpoint timing in my predictions. People responded very differently to the exact same energy. Astrology is the study of how we deal with, experience, and respond to energy. Sometimes we experience the energy as an inner need or desire to make a change, take a chance, or do something new or differentthis is stimulated by a conjunction. Sometimes the energy emerges as an obstacle, a blockage, a challenge, or an opportunitythis is demonstrated with a square aspect. With an opposition, it may be a crisis in a relationship or a learning experience through another person. The aspects, transits, progressions, lunations, and eclipses in a clients chart create energy, but we all respond to that energy very differently.
To better pinpoint when things were most likely to happen, I went back to the basics. By examining the elemental placements (fire, earth, air, and water) and the modality placements (cardinal, fixed, and mutable), and some of each clients predominant psychological patterns, I found I could refine my timing of predictions. From that point on, I started all my chart work by looking at these components. These two factorsmodalities and elementsbegan to reveal a pattern of how each individual responds to a given situation. The Four Elements
The four elements are fire, earth, air, and water. They tell an astrologer much about a clients temperament. An abundance or lack of an element will show how a personality manifests itself. Certainly the signs the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant are in lend prominence to each persons temperament or psychological makeup, but a stellium (group) of four planets in an element also has a very noticeable impact on a persons response to energy. The combination of elements in any chart defines the personality and nature of the individual.
Fire Signs
Fire signs respond to energy very quickly and directly, with no holds barred. They can be impulsive, ardent, and spontaneous. They favor action and activity. They are also ready to go someplace, do something, create something, or be somebody. This is particularly true of Aries and Sagittarius, but even Leos, with their fixity, have a strong, adventurous spirit and, of course, the most confidence in the world. All fire signs are willing to take a risk, start something new, begin a new project, start their own business, or embark on a trip. Fire-sign people are also confident and have high self-esteem. They get involved, and they approach life with tremendous zest and enthusiasm.
Earth Signs
Earth signs are more cautious in their approach to energy. Earth-sign people are more practical than the other elements, more realistic, and more inclined to need solid footing before they can go forward. They take a more cautious, conservative, deliberate approach. Taureans dig in their heels and really ponder things. Virgos want to analyze. Capricorns, while they want to climb the ladder, do it with care. They need a vision, a plan, and an organized structure before starting their ascent. Earth signs need to be prepared. They are dependable, thorough, and solid.
Air Signs
Air signs approach energy mentally. They are people-oriented, social, and seek knowledge. They are always ready to start a new relationship or friendship, and they love learning situations. They bore easily and sometimes talk and think about things more than they actually do them. Geminis have great intellectual curiosity. They will enter into a learning situation at the drop of a hat, but their native duality is tricky. Anyone who lives with a Gemini will tell you that its hard to know which one of the Geminis many personalities is getting out of bed in the morning. Librans are partnership-driven. They need a relationship, love to be in love, and fall in love frequently. Nothing will stop an Aquarian when he or she has a cause or passion. Aquarians need to express their uniqueness. They need freedom, are very independent, and some feel they need to leave their mark on the world. Air signs are communicative, social, and into ideas and other people.
Water Signs
Water signs respond to energy almost unconsciously. They emotionally float into and out of situations. They respond to energy without even knowing they are doing it. I have a water-sign daughter who has seven planets in this element. When she was younger, I saw her emotionally drift into situations, relationships, and careers in a way that seemed to be without a lot of thought. As she matured, this became less apparent. Water signs move with whatever is going on. Cancers are motivated to nurture and be nurtured. They only really find out who they are when they have a home and someone to take care of. Cancers often have issues with getting pregnant and having children. They either get pregnant too easily or they cant get pregnant at all, or they get pregnant when theyre not married, or when they are married they cant conceive. The Cancer astrologers I know are real caretakers. Katherine de Jersey, a Cancer, is one of the most concerned astrologers I have ever met.
Scorpios have intense vision. They dont look to the right or the left, but flow straight ahead with laserlike focus. Nothing stops a Scorpio when he or she wants something. When this happens, I warn my clients to get out of the way.
Pisces are the trickiest to describe. Their energy is chameleonlike and absorbing. I advise my clients whose children have a lot of Pisces (or even sometimes a lot of mutable influences) to make sure their children have the most positive, constructive environment and friends possible because they will adapt or adjust to whatever theyre exposed to. They need to be in an uplifting environment, because if they get in with the wrong companions, they could follow the crowd. Pisces people, or those with strong Neptune influences, are often affected by the moods of others around them. My Sun is conjunct Neptune in Virgo. If my husband is negative or depressed about something, I slide from being happy to being in the pits. If Im around someone who is in a bad mood, a sunny day can turn to gloom, and my parade is sure to be rained on. I have a girlfriend with the Sun in Pisces who has found that she cannot be around negative people. She confessed to me that she had to stop seeing a mutual friend of ours because every time she was with that person she was depressed afterwards. Pisceans have porous psyches. They pick up and take on the moods of other people and must be careful about who they spend time with. In general, all water signs are fluid and will go wherever their emotions take them. Lack of an Element
A lack of any element in a chart creates challenges for the person and the way he or she reacts to energy. These people either struggle to compensate in order to have a balanced response to life, or they have no idea that something is missing from their personality. If fire is lacking, these people may have low self-esteem and little confidence. They may be pessimistic, easily depressed, and lack buoyancy of spirit. Those without earth in their chart may lack practicality and grounding. One of my friends who has no earth in his chart constantly struggles to keep his feet on the ground. He always says that he has money for all of the luxuries of life, but none of the necessities. He has been known to buy luxury items instead of paying his rent.
People with a lack of air have trouble being objective and tend to internalize everything. They hunger for social interaction, but arent very good at it. I have a friend who has no air and an annoying tendency to lecture. He wants his companion to sit and listen, isnt good at verbal chitchat, and has trouble with social repartee. Hes most interested in his own point of view. People who lack water try to fill the emotional vacuum. Its hard for these people to stay in touch with and to express feelings. As a consequence, they tend to get involved with overly emotional people. I have a client who has no water in her chart. When I have a problem and try to talk to her about it, she says all of the wrong things. She cannot commiserate with me and only approaches problems objectively, yet she is a fabulous cook. She may lack compassion and empathy, but she can make me feel better with delights from her kitchen.
If a person lacks an element, he or she needs to develop the missing traits. Those who lack fire must develop self-confidence and an up approach to life, and find their own personal spirituality. People who lack earth need to develop practicality and do things to keep their feet on the ground. The remedy for a lack of air is to cultivate the ability to really listen to others and to learn objectivity by consciously putting themselves in the other persons shoes. A lack of water in the chart can be brought into balance by learning to touch, by consciously nuturing others rather than listening and solving problems only on a rational, analytical level, and by making a strong effort to really feel other peoples pain.
The Three Modalities
After examining the elements, I look at the modalitiescardinal, fixed, and mutable. The modalities most clearly express how people respond to stimuli and especially how they act under tension. Will the individual initiate action? Or try to block, stop, resist, hold back, and not react? Or will he or she stew over things before doing something? The modalities give a clear picture of how each person will handle the energy, especially when there is an overflow of it.
Cardinal Signs
It is easiest to make predictions for cardinal people. If you see a cardinal T-Square or a stellium in a cardinal sign, youll find a person for whom things are happening. Tell this client what to expect, and he or she will agree and probably say, Yes, thats already going on or, I was thinking of doing that. Life is full of adventure and change for such people. They are the easiest to predict for because of the way they respond to tension. They welcome change and arent afraid to initiate it. They also respond well to new ideas and are action-oriented. They thrive on crisis and need it to motivate them. If there isnt a crisis going on, theyll create one. One of my cardinal-sign friends says, When I have a crisis a day, Im happiest.
Fixed Signs
Those with a lot of fixity in their chart will go into denial during times of change. They will say, Nothing is going on. Nothing is happening. Pluto, Uranus, Saturn (all major forces) can be squaring everything in their chart, and they will still insist that nothing is happening.
This is an astrologers nightmare. The astrologer tries to help clients see reality. But these clients believe that if they say something isnt happening, then it isnt. The astrologer sees the tension in their chart and the events that should be transpiring, but these clients feel that if they deny it long enough or strong enough, then their life will not have to change. I sometimes notice this with myself because I have fixed signs on the cusps of the fourth and tenth houses. So I stay in the same career or the same job for years and resist moving even though I could be going to a far better place. I always find reasons not to be happy about it and drag my feet. Once I make the move, I adjust and adapt quickly, but the initial changes in those areas of my life are never easy.
People with fixed energy are very resistant to change, so they need to take time to prepare themselves for the inevitable change. There will always be some who dig in their heels and refuse to make the change or even acknowledge it for as long as possible. Of course, this ability to stay on track and focus is also a great strength. A cardinal sign will respond to the energy immediately, often with the first swing of a transit or the first trigger of a progression. However, a fixed sign may have many triggers, such as a transit, occurring three times, or the aspect can be way past normally accepted orbs before he or she will acknowledge it. Many things happen to these people, but it takes a lot of tension and pressure for them to react or admit it.
I have a client who is a Taurus with Scorpio rising. He has fixed angles and a fixed T-Square in his chart. I have been reading for him for twenty years, and all of that time he has wanted to get a divorce. Ten years ago I told him, If youre going to get a divorce, get it now or dont do it. Youre going to make a lot of money in about three or four years and then a divorce is going to cost you twice as much. He did not divorce and now he says, You were so right. Im so sorry. He still comes in and talks about a divorce, but hes in his seventies and I told him I think its best to talk of other things. A fixed man who is very much in love may need to be given an ultimatum to get him to walk down the aisle. Not only does the woman have to take a firm stand, but she also may have to leave him. Fixity cant stand change, so such a drastic measure may produce the desired result. While this strategy works for some, it doesnt work for everybody. Nonetheless, the thought of a change is difficult at best for any fixed sign. If these clients are forced to decide between two changesshould they go it alone and start all over (which they really hate) or make the commitment, they will often opt for making the commitment.
Not only are the fixed signs slow to move or change, but they also tend to be late. Taureans are just slow, Scorpios use tardiness as a subtle power struggle, Leos enjoy making an entrance, and Aquarians want things on their own terms. Even though fixed signs are often late for dates, once they get there, they stay forever. A good friend of mine is an example of this. Hell say, Ill be over in the morning. At two in the afternoon he shows up, and then hell stay all night. If youre on the phone with him, you cant get off. He is slow to get going and slow to move or change, because fixity is so prominent in his chart.
Its important to note how energy works when progressions are in fixed signs. I am not a fixed person, but I have some fixity in my chart. When I had a progression in fixed signs, I noticed that for the first two years, when it was applying and exact, very little was happening. At first I said, It isnt working. Then when it was 2 after the progression, the events of that progression took place. I had a fixed progression that worked 2 late, and did it ever work! With the progressed Sun in the ninth house of legal matters squaring Saturn, my chart ruler in the first house, in fixed signs, I became embroiled in a two-year legal battle through the federal courts to get the laws about astrology changed. At the same time, my husbands partner died, which caused him a great deal of anguish and financial pressure. There was also a bitter one-year legal fight with his partners widow. It was a very difficult time, and the progression was 2 past when all of this began. On the positive side, this was also the time when I took stock of my body, lost twenty pounds, and started a disciplined exercise program. I also got into a new business with vitamins and became very health-conscious. In my case, as in those of my clients, I have found that events happen later when theres a progression in fixed signs.
Mutable Signs
I think the most interesting modality is the mutable. Much of what happens to mutable people is in the head. So many times things are going on mentally rather than in tangible form. Clients with many mutable aspects are often influenced by whats going on in the rest of the chart. They adjust and adapt to other influences. Because they work on a mental level, those with a lot of mutability may react to an aspect by making a list. When the list is done, they think the project is done. With negative tension, much of what happens involves fear, paranoia, agitation, and panic attacks. A client of mine with a mutable T-Square says that when hes exposed to a lot of tension, he becomes almost paralyzed and afraid to go forward or backward, afraid to make a decision. Mutable signs stew and fret endlessly and really suffer in the process. While they experience actual events, the hardest part of the process is the psychological anguish they experience. Im extremely careful when telling something negative or difficult to clients with a lot of mutability, because when they leave, they only remember the bad things I say, never the good. I can say twenty good things and one negative thing, and guess what they take with them?
In addition to the elements and modalities, there is always an additional component that really motivates people. For lack of a better term, I call this the clients driver. It is what fires up their engine and gets them going. It is a strong part of what propels these people and gives them their life focus. Some powerful drivers are T-Squares, strong applying squares, stelliums, conjunctions, and oppositions. Sometimes I do a lecture that I call The Ten Deadliest Aspects. As I was writing it, I found that our hardest aspects are also our strongest, most positive driving forces. When I counsel a client, I usually say, This is the best thing in your chart and the most difficult thing at the same time.
T-Squares as Drivers
T-Squares certainly are drivers. I once did a research project and found that a large percentage of successful people have T-Squares. Heres how they work in the different modalities:
The cardinal T-Square creates a feeling that comes up from deep inside and says, I have to take action. I have to lead. I have to be somebody. I have to do something. It is a deep motivation, and I consider clients with this aspect to be the born entrepreneurs of the zodiac. They are the trendsetters, the action takers, and this is what drives them. If I see a cardinal T-Square in someones chart, I always talk to them about having their own business. Often they already do, are thinking about it, did it, or want to. Theres always something entrepreneurial in their spirit. Many of them say to me, Oh, I started my own business when I was ten years old with my first lemonade stand, and I never quit. Thats how people with cardinal T-Squares work. If they dont have their own business, they will take on a leadership role somewhere else in their life. Many times they will stay in a corporate structure only if they are authority figures and are moving up the ladder. Because they are natural self-starters, cardinal people do well in sales. Again, even though they work for someone else, they feel like they are in a leadership role, because they call the shots and have the freedom to make most major decisions.
People with fixed T-Squares are the focusers of the zodiac. They are people who finish what they start. For instance, if they start college, they often wont quit until they have an advanced degree. They focus on accomplishing their goals, and if the goals are good ones, they will be successful. Whenever I counsel a person with a fixed T-Square, I always say, You can do or be anything if you focus on it. Set a goal, because you will have the grit and the fortitude to accomplish it. And you will work your way through difficulties because you learned early in life that there are obstacles, stumbling blocks, and challenges. But you also learned how to keep going. I saw this with my stepson, who has a massive fixed T-Square. Pluto was setting it off and I was quite concerned. I thought, Whats going to happen to him? He already had his undergraduate degree and was working in the banking field, but he decided to go back to school. He got an MBA and then went on to law school. He worked extremely hard and ended up in the top 2 percent of his class.
People with mutable T-Squares also have the energy to achieve, but many times it is through conscientiousness. These are the people who dot their is and cross their ts. Theyre highly creative and flexible. I have noted that many times they are adult children of alcoholics, or there is some issue around drugs, addiction, or weight management in their environment (often connected to a parent or sibling). The mutable-T-Square child many times is the hero-child of a dysfunctional family. Often these children come from single-parent homes where they had to take on a lot of responsibility as a young child. Parents with a mutable child should express extra concern for their childs friends and be aware of any negative influences. Mutable children often become what they are exposed to. They are chameleons who absorb energy and reflect it back. On the plus side, mutable T-Squares can often create a drive for perfection, enormous creativity, and great versatility. It is important to remember that all T-Squares are distinct drivers either for the good or for the bad.
Squares as Drivers
The Sun square Saturn, the Moon square Saturn, Mars square Saturn, and Venus square Saturn are a few aspects among many others that drive a person or are a focus of the chart. They are also drivers that motivate a person to achieve, to accomplish, and to go wherever he or she wants to go. People with many Saturn squares are often highly disciplined. They have learned that if they dont do it all right, theyll get into deep trouble, so they usually try to do things the right way. They are achievers, accomplishers, and are very structured. They do what they say they are going to do and are dependable, ambitious, and driven. They set high standards for themselves and for others. The problem is that they cannot or should not expect people to work or function at the same level of perfection at which they function. They can be their own worst enemy and harshest critic by being unrealistic about what they and others can accomplish. Weve seen a lot of this with the superwoman generation. Many women drive themselves with overly high expectations, which can lead to sadness and depression. They must learn to appreciate their achievements, and they need to stop and pat themselves on the back and luxuriate in a job well done. Also, they must not be so controlling. The need to control comes from a place where they feel that everything must be done perfectly. Even when I predict for them, their first response is, No, thats not right. They want to be in control. Being a superwoman can be difficult in relationships. I have a client who is an incredibly accomplished and successful businesswoman, but cannot find a man to measure up (this also applies to her employees and friends). She has her Sun, Mars, and Saturn conjunct in Aquarius. She is very prettyfive foot seven and a size four. She earns a lot of money, but cannot find a man nor keep an employee, and has very few friends who measure up to her rigid standards. Her quest for perfection interferes with her happiness. She, like many other superwomen, forgot that once you become a goddess, its very hard to find a god. Not every person is willing to work and perform at as high a level as these women do.
A person with the Sun square Saturn and Mars square Saturn has a driving force that comes up from deep inside and says, Ive got to go out there and do it. Ive got to be more and have more. I must accomplish. I have to achieve. If this aspect manifests itself in the second house, the emphasis will be financial. Such clients never have enough money to really feel secure. If the aspect shows itself in the tenth house, they never have enough status to feel worthy. If its in the seventh house, their partners never quite measure up. Because the Sun is involved, often they want to prove something to themselves or to their fathers.
A client of mine, whose Sun and Venus square his Saturn, got the message from his father that whatever he did was never good enough. This man worked his way through college and graduated from engineering school. It took him five years to do it, because he had to work full-time and go to school full-time. He and his wife had three children before he graduated. After his graduation, his father said, Engineers are a dime a dozen. You should have been a teacher. Whatever this client did was never good enough to satisfy his father. Unfortunately, this man modeled himself after his father, so he does and says the same things to his children.
A person with the Moon square Saturn often has issues with his or her mother or nurturing parent. Clients with this aspect may not have had the unconditional love they needed from their mother, so they feel they must earn love. They must measure up, and love will come to them only when they live up to mothers standards and expectations. As children, these people heard phrases like Ill love you if you get all As on your report card or I will be very unhappy with if you dont keep your room clean. They are often compared in a negative way to other peoples children. Enough is never good enough. Because of this basic insecurity, they think they must work hard to prove themselves. Both the Sun square Saturn and the Moon square Saturn also create control issues. The person with the Sun square Saturn had control issues with his or her father, and someone with the Moon square Saturn many times had control issues with his or her mother. Often the clients parents were cold, judgmental, and controlling. Clients with these aspects often incorporate this energy into themselves. They tend to model or to parrot their parents behavior. The challenge for these people (as it is for anyone with hard aspects) is to work the energy constructively, and not to repeat the negative expression of it, but instead to use it at a higher level. A person whos evolving will recognize it and work hard to avoid it. It can be helpful to say to clients, Youre going to slip into this behavior unconsciously. The key to growth is to know when youre doing it and then stop yourself. When Venus squares Saturn in a clients chart, issues around love, money, and self-worth usually arise. The individual often felt rejected as a child, so he or she feels inadequate, unacceptable, unlovable, and not perfect enough. Many times the source of these feelings was a real lack of love from one or both parents. As a result, these clients are always looking for proof of their worth and have a hard time accepting love. Sometimes they have a difficult time charging enough for what they do or they cannot attract enough love or money to satisfy themselves. At this point, the astrologer should go back to the basics. Venus is the love nature and Saturn can be cold, so the love nature can be cool and there is difficulty in expressing love or affection. Walls go up and the coolness these people project can make it hard for others to approach them. Once they feel others can be trusted or have passed the test, then they often relax and allow people to come closer. The Venus-square-Saturn person is almost always bitterly disappointed in love. Even someone with soft aspects of Venus/Saturn can experience delay or restriction in love. I have Venus trine Saturn and I married my true love at age fifty. Any Venus/Saturn aspect will bring into the life at least one deep disillusionment in love. I usually tell clients, There will be disappointment in your love life, and it can manifest with love coming late in your lifetime. Saturn does not deny love, it delays it. If you work through your Venus/Saturn issues, you will find love. Unfortunately, I have heard other astrologers say to clients, You will never find love in this lifetime. That is not true. Love could be delayed or there may be disappointments to work through. The client must learn to modify his or her behavior. Once that is done, the walls will come down and love can happen. Free will enters the picture here. These clients are not bound by destiny, they are challenged by it. In counseling, my underlying theme is always this: You can be challenged by destiny, but you are not controlled by it.
Clients with a Mars/Saturn aspect are usually very focused, disciplined, and prepared. They work hard to achieve their goals and overcome obstacles. Those with a fixed square have a particularly strong focus. Early on they learned that whatever they did had to be done right. But there is also a stop-go energy at work here. They will work hard for two or three days on a project, and then the fourth day they will have to stay in bed because they are so worn out. Many times there is an inconsistency present with their energy. They are very competitive and work well under pressure, so they do their best work in competition. In most cases they will triumph.
Clients with a link between Pluto and a personal planet are attracted to power (as is the case with any Pluto aspect). They can be ruthless, obsessed, or have a single-focus ambition that rules their lives. They have a great fear of being controlled and so have to guard against being controlling.
If a client does not have the particular aspects mentioned here, his or her driver may be another square. Often it is the tightest square that becomes the driver. The Moon square Sun is one driver that creates conflict between the ego and the emotions. Over the years I have noticed that Sun-square-Moon children feel the need to bond with only one parent at a time. Sometimes they dont know which parent to please. Famed astrologer Isabel Hickey once told me that the Sun-square-Moon person was many times the child who was born of an inharmonious conception, so the person is out of sync. I have not seen that to be true all the time. I know a very happy couple who have two children with the Sun square Moon in their natal charts. In this case, however, the parents have reversed roles. The mother is the authority figure and big breadwinner and the father is the nurturer. While Saturn squares are about ambition and self-worth, Venus/Mars squares often work more in personal relationships. Unfortunately, what fulfills these people emotionally does not necessarily fulfill them sexually, or vice versa. They always yearn for more and think the grass is greener somewhere else. They can be quite promiscuous if other such indications are present in the chart. I have a client who has Venus square Mars, and while her husband tremendously fulfills her emotionally, there is not a good physical side to their marriage. They live like brother and sister, and he is her best friend. I have other clients who have a great sex life with their partner, but with no emotional fulfillment. They feel they just cant have it all.
Conjunctions and Stelliums as Drivers
The reason conjunctions, particularly stelliums (three or more planets in one sign or house), are so powerful is because more than one planet in conjunction (even a wide one) will emphasize and exaggerate the qualities of that sign. Many clients have their Sun in one sign and a stellium in another, and because of this they present themselves much more as the sign of the stellium.
Conjunctions and stelliums have an enormous impact on defining the person. A person with a stellium of planets in the first house or in Aries will express energy differently than a person with a stellium in Taurus or in the second house. Stelliums or conjunctions indicate focused, directed energy that manifests through the sign and house in which they fall.
Strong cardinal aspects (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) or first, fourth, seventh, and tenth-house stelliums will respond quickly to the energy with initiative, excitement, and a desire for action. As an astrologer, you must integrate not only the sign the stellium is in, but also the house. The following are some examples of how you must blend the influences. Note that in this section I am not implying that every Sagittarius has a wide breadth of knowledge or that every Gemini is sharp, witty, outgoing, and social. I am simply describing the most obvious characteristics of each concentration of energy. A stellium in Aries or in the first house will express itself by being a pioneer, a trendsetter with incredible energy. These people will come into a room and say, Lets do this. Lets do that. Lets get going. Their energy is contagious and stimulates others to do and act. They are most comfortable working on their own and being independent. They often make great salespeople, as they are very self-actualizing and just dont take no for an answer.
A stellium in Cancer or the fourth house normally exaggerates the emotional nurturing qualities and is overly sensitive. Clients with either of these aspects have great perception and understanding of other people and the ability to lead by having intuitive insight of others. The Cancer boss comes into the room and says, How do you feel today? Hows your family? Did you get over that cold you had yesterday? I thought it would be a good idea if we did this and that. This might be a good project for today. When the boss leaves, the worker feels that he or she thought up the project, but actually the Cancer boss led him or her to it.
A stellium in Libra or the seventh house usually bestows tremendous tact and diplomacy. The truth is that most Libras lead by manipulation, but astrologers dont say that. Libras actually lead by seeing both sides of a question, considering all the angles, and looking at the ups and downs of every situation. Libras have the ability to get along with people, and most people think that they are a Libras best friend. Often I will be at a party and the conversation will drift to politics. A Libra will say, Oh yeah, yeah. You are right. The Democrats this and the Democrats that. Theyre humanitarian. They give to causes. Ten minutes later I will hear that person talking to someone else and saying, Those Republicans have their heads on straight. They are good for this and that. They will take the absolute opposite position and agree with both sides. They are not two-faced, they just see both sides of any issue.
A stellium in Capricorn or the tenth house inclines a person to be the boss, the one naturally in charge. A Capricorn leads just by being called a leader. Give a Capricorn a title or a presidency of anything, and he or she will be happy. Capricorns lead by climbing the ladder, getting to the top. They need status, position, and respect. They eventually become the president of most organizations to which they belong. Strong fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) or second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh-house stelliums will be resistant to change, more cautious and hesitant, and will respond to energy more slowly and with trepidation.
A stellium in Taurus or the second house usually gives a client a strong material drive. More than any other sign, these people need to accumulate beautiful things and associate with beautiful people. They are committed to beauty, expensive possessions, and sensuous things such as good food, massages, and nice clothes. When a Taurus client of mine got his first luxury car, a Cadillac, he got behind the wheel and told me later, It was almost as good as having sex, which is also a priority for Taurus.
A stellium in Leo or the fifth house gives the client a theatrical, dramatic flair with a strong inclination towards enjoyment. Leos love to be on stage. They like attention, need to shine, and want to be the dramatic figure. If it means dancing on a tabletop or buying everybody drinks, they will do it. I have a Leo client who says he gets upset when he goes to a funeral because the corpse gets all the attention. When I go out to lunch with a Leo, I let them pick up the check because it makes them feel good. They are generous, warm, and romantic.
A stellium in Scorpio or the eighth house gives the client intensity and magnetism. Strong Scorpio influences create some of the most focused people you will ever meet. They have tunnel vision about their goals. I always say, If a Scorpio is going somewhere or doing something, get out of the way. They will do it. They will get there. They have incredible drive. I have tactfully told Scorpios, You can be kind of ruthless. They have answered, Kind of? I am ruthless.
A stellium in Aquarius or the eleventh house is often expressed as having a tremendous need for freedom and independence. Typically, Aquarians are unique, individualistic, cause-oriented, and friendly, but they tend to be loners. Many times clients with stelliums in this sign are geniuses in a given field or may just have what other people consider to be weird ideas. They can be ahead of or behind the times. Many Aquarians collect antiques. Whatever they do, they do not want to be like anyone else. Two of the most insulting things you can say to an Aquarian are You remind me of so and so or You look just like a friend of mine.
The mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) or third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth house stelliums will react to energy on a mental level. Under tension, they may become paralyzed or caught up in mental stewing.
A stellium in Gemini or the third house can give a client great mental agility and vast intellectual curiosity. I have seen many clients with this placement who have a great facility for foreign languages. These people are alert, quick, witty, and have many different ideas. They are fun to be around and are so clever with words that laughter seems to follow them. The downside is that their personalities can change on a dime. A stellium in Virgo or the sixth house can make the person a workaholic, someone who must do and serve. These people feel fulfilled only when they are productive. They are fastidious, good with details, analytical, and precise. Virgos can be feisty, witty, and clever wordsmiths. They can also be very earthy and lusty, especially if something in the stellium falls at 7 Virgo, the promiscuous degree.
A stellium in Sagittarius or the ninth house can make a person idealistic and a seeker of knowledge and the truth. These people are lucky, optimistic, confident, buoyant, joyful, expansive, and have lots of energy. Gemini, the opposite sign, is an information gatherer and likes little bits and pieces of information and gossip about many things. Sagittarians want the entire picture. They want an advanced degree in everything they study, along with great depth and wisdom.
A stellium in Pisces or the twelfth house makes a client creative, sensitive, and intuitive. These people can, however, also become martyrs and sacrificial victims. They often feel sorry for themselves and can pull others around them down. They have to guard against being taken advantage of and giving and doing too much for others when it is no longer warranted. Pisceans are tuned in and psychic.
In addition to noting the placement of the stellium, it is extremely important to note which planets are in the stellium and what their effect may be. If Saturn is one of the planets in the stellium, it will seem to hold jurisdiction over the others and to temper or restrain the expression of the stellium. I was very surprised to have a client with a stellium in Aquarius who had no friends. When I looked at her chart, I saw that Saturn was part of that stellium. Usually, Aquarians love people and people love Aquarians, but if Saturn is involved it tones down the effect of the sign. It modifies, cools, restricts, and restrains the expression of the sign. An exception to this rule is the sign of Capricorn, where a stellium that includes Saturn only makes the person more of a Capricorn. An Aquarian stellium with Saturn will limit the free spirit that is characteristic of Aquarius, so the client may be less unconventional. Aquarians usually dress with a lot of flair, but if Saturn is present they often dress like a yuppie and wear Ralph Lauren or Brooks Brothers. A Sun/Venus/Saturn stellium in Leo will not be overly generous. Sun/Venus/Saturn in Taurus could make a client extremely practical and thrifty and not very affectionate. Most people experience Geminis as outgoing and talkative, but with Saturn involved they can be uncharacteristically reserved.
Other planets can also modify a stellium. For instance, Uranus can alter a Capricorn stellium by making it a bit unconventional or at least less traditional. Neptune usually diffuses Virgo, making it less precise. Pluto intensifies the energy of any stellium it is in, making it more powerful.
Stelliums contribute more energy than conjunctions because they are simply expanded conjunctions. As such, they can be strong drivers. A client with four planets in Virgo will be driven toward order, and concentrate on work and productivity. A stellium anywhere is a strong driving force. An example is Mozart, who had four planets in Aquarius, three of them in his fifth house. He was inspired to express himself musically in a unique way. I have a client who was a famous baseball pitcher with five planets in Aquarius in the fifth house, the house of sports and entertainment. Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount, who has four or five planets in Virgo, was always described as someone who worked very hard to achieve his goalshe was a perfectionist.
People with four planets in Taurus in the second house are almost obsessive-compulsive about money. A person with four planets in the eighth house could have a preoccupation with the psychological meaning of life. This stellium is often seen in astrologers and psychologists charts.
More on Conjunctions
The Sun conjunct Saturn, the Moon conjunct Saturn, and Mars conjunct Saturn are all strong drivers that push a person to achieve. Conjunctions work very personally. Squares often indicate outer forces or influences, whereas conjunctions show inner ones. Squares can often just be dealt with from the outside and concern things we draw to ourselves from the outer world. Conjunctions force us to look at ourselves. For example, my Sun conjuncts Neptune exactly. As a result, I have to look at my susceptibility towards self-delusion. For many years I was not very clear on who I was. I was vague about my self-worth. Now, I have resolved this because the aspects to my Sun are good and have helped me throughout my life. As I became more constructive and productive and used my Virgo energy to become more successful, my self-image improved.
Sun/Neptune conjunctions are also powerful and magnetic, as are Sun/Uranus and Sun/Pluto conjunctions. People with strong Neptune energy, just as with strong Pisces energy, often want to save others. A woman with this energy may want to help an alcoholic lover or friend give up drinking. I had a client with her Sun square Neptune who drew in every loser in the world. She would always say, I can go to a party with twenty-nine wonderful men and one loser, and guess what? I pick the loser. I call it Loser Radar.
Aspects involving the Sun and Neptune also give a person charisma, psychic intuition, and the ability to weave people into their spell. These aspects create an elusive, hard-to-define energy. I always say to my students, Whenever you are dealing with Neptune, dont be too definitive. Because of the nature of the planet, you dont know all the ways in which it works.
Those who have the Sun conjunct Saturn are self-disciplined and self-motivated. At an early age, they learn that if they make a mistake they will pay for it. With the Sun square Saturn, the effect usually involves the clients father. It can indicate a father who never acted like one, a father who traveled all the time, a father who just was not there, or one who had no place in the home. It could indicate a father who told the child that whatever the child did was never enough or never good enough. No matter how it is experienced, as the conjunction, square, or opposition, the end result with the Sun/Saturn connection is the same. People with these aspects push themselves to perform, to achieve, and to do things the right way.
The Moon conjunct Saturn can indicate that a clients mother was controlling and had very high expectations for the child. A client of mine has this aspect. She was brought up in a harsh religious atmosphere and still deals with those issues many years later. She had a profound fear of death and had anxiety attacks when she encountered those feelings. These were all instilled by strict religious teachings. In addition to a fear of death, Saturn can create personal fear, guilt, and anxiety.
In every conjunction it is important to go back to the basics and think through the implications of the planetary combinations. The planets in a conjunction work as a blended unit.
Oppositions as Drivers
Oppositions most often pit an individual against another person. With the Sun opposite Saturn, many times it involves the father. Either he is absent in some way or is harsh and not emotionally expressive. The father often fails as a role model for the child, and other authority figures often teach the child that if he or she does not do things right, then the child is inadequate or unworthy. An example of this is a child whose father was absent. The role of the authority figure was filled by the collective teachers at her very strict church school. It was a severe education experience in which the child learned to be ultraprepared in order to avoid humiliation in the classroom.
Oppositions tend to manifest in relationships because they indicate friction between a person and someone else. There is always that polarity. I find that with the Sun opposite Pluto, many times these people become successful because they are competitive with other people and they need to prove something. The Sun/Pluto square forces people to struggle and push, while the Sun/Pluto conjunction simply puts an enormous, intense, driving force into their lives.
Squares generate a great deal of activity. Usually it is an outside influence that forces a person to respond to the energy. The push actually comes from within, but it is triggered by someone or something from the outside. As an example, lets say that one of your clients tenants moves out without paying the rent. In a square aspect, your client will probably have to renovate the place because the tenant has also damaged it. With an opposition, there could have been some negotiating.
Clients whose charts are without squares usually lead contented lives up to a point, but when a square is formed by a transit or progression, they have a more difficult time of it because they havent had the experience of dealing with that type of influence. Obstacles and blockages are new to them. Their squares are much more intense, much heavier, and the results more potent. People without squares often feel that the world owes them something and are not as inclined to go after what they want in the proper way. They look for someone to take care of them, someone to do it for them, or someone on whose coattails they can ride.
Clients whose charts are without oppositions, however, have a difficult time learning from their mistakes. This is also the case with a void-of-course Moon (a Moon that makes no aspects before it leaves its sign.) Without oppositions, the individual also is likely to have relationship problems (certainly while theyre young). They make the same mistakes over and over. Because an opposition mirrors everything back, the client can learn from his or her mistakes. On the negative side, the client may also project his or her own shortcomings onto others. If a client lacks oppositions, he or she must learn to walk in someone elses moccasins. A transiting planet opposite the Sun or a progression forming an opposition will integrate these lessons and principles within this client, and he or she can resolve this issue at this time.
To predict for a client, you must first look for the chart driver. Find out what makes this person tick. What is their motivating force? It could be a tight square or a T-Square, or perhaps a conjunction or a stellium. It will be something different in every chart. It is extremely important and you should remember it because when that driver is triggered, your clients life is going to change and things are going to happen. You have to be prepared for it in order to make an accurate prediction. Over the years, I have learned that all psychological patterns can influence a chart, but the drivers are the most important.
Yods as Drivers
A student once asked me if a yod wasnt a driver. I told him that I do not feel it is so much a driver as it is the universe pointing its finger at you and saying, You are at a turning point and your life is going to change. I look at yods positively. I equate them to someone who is an understudy for a famous actress or actor and who fills in for the star one night and becomes an overnight sensation. That is how a yod operates. I have one and that is how it has worked in my life. When I was a new astrologer, my yod was being set off and my life changed. I spoke on my view of eclipses at an American Federation of Astrologers (AFA) convention. Up to that point, few astrologers had lectured on them. I worked hard on my lecture, and fifty people attended the first one. At the next lecture I drew a hundred and fifty people. By the third lecture I had five hundred people in attendance. I was described as an up-and-coming astrologer in some publications and was appointed to the AFA board of directors. My career has flourished ever since. A yod can also be negative. People with yods seem to have more than their share of health problems, but they also seem to have the ability to regenerate themselves. I always have little things wrong with me, but by the time I get to the doctor, they are usually gone. Something life-altering always happens when my yod is activated. When I was diagnosed with cancer, my yod was set off. When I went through a divorce, my yod was set off. It happened again when I met a certain someone who changed my life in a profound way, and again when I got married. Yods are configurations that change your life, but they do not drive you. My life often goes to extremes, but as a person who has two yods, I see it more as being in the right place at the right time and having something very exciting happen. Its that weird sense of fate or kismet. So, while I do not consider a yod to be a driver per se, it certainly is important.
Ease in the Chart
When assessing someones natal promise, astrologers should also look for things that make a clients life pleasant and easy. I once had an astrologer tell me, Wherever Jupiter is placed, you will have abundance. Wherever you have Venus, you will have ease. But the flip side to this can be overindulgence and laziness. My antenna goes up when I see a chart that has Venus trine Jupiter. These people are often lucky, but they can make mistakes. Fortunately for them, when they do make mistakes they often come out smelling like a rose. Even Venus square Jupiter can be lucky. People with this aspect will land on their feet and not face the same lessons that a Sun-square-Saturn person will face. The same thing is true with a Grand Trine. The Grand Trine (three planets in elemental harmony) is certainly a karmic gift. It involves a lot of ease, but without a lot of reinforcing tension it will often result in people who wont go for the gold. They sit back, relax, and let life come to them.
I have the Moon trine Venus in my natal chart, and this aspect has always has been very good to me. When I walk into a hall to lecture, people are more inclined to like me than to dislike me. There is a certain public appeal that the Moon trine Venus gives me. With this aspect, the negative side is to make sure that you prepare well for the task at hand since acceptance can be unusually easy.
Easy aspects are not as important as squares, but when they are triggered, something nice will usually happen to your client. I recently did a research project on lottery winners. It was not a big undertaking, but I did find that winners had a Venus/Jupiter aspect natally. This is something I address in chapter 2 on the natal promise. If the promise is not there natally, its probably not going to happen. I dont have that kind of luck promised in my chart, so I quit buying lottery tickets a long time ago. However, Jupiter was stationing trine my angles when I was on a cruise and I won eight jackpots playing video poker. I also won at bingo, and I am someone who rarely wins. So even unlucky people can have good things happen when the heavens produce the right aspects. But I will not count on ever being a big winner.
Clients who have charts with many easy aspects often lack drive. They will settle for whatever comes along, such as staying in the same old job forever. These clients also stay in the same marriage even if it is bad, and will tend to stay stuck forever if there is not a stimulus such as a square to motivate them to break out and change their life. Theyll need a lot of tension from progressions and transits to bring about positive change, otherwise they wont make a shift.
When I began practicing astrology, I learned that a Grand Trine is a wonderful gift. It can indicate real talent and very special abilities. When I started out in private practice, I found that people with Grand Water Trines had artistic ability, but sometimes did nothing with it. I was shocked when I encountered people with Grand Earth Trines who were on welfare. They did not feel that they had to work. I also see it with women who marry successful men who take care of them. I had a client with a Grand Air Trine who got into terrible trouble. All his life he could talk his way in and out of anything. He thought he could do it one more time, but he ended up in jail.
Of all the Grand Trines, I do find the Grand Fire Trine to be the most beneficial because it seems to endow the person with courage. These people are risk takers and have a lot of fun. But even with the Grand Trine, they wont reach their greatest potential without reinforcing squares. They have an abundance of energy and keep themselves very busy. Theyre warm and charming, and people respond to them positively, but they are also used to having everything fall into their laps. They take for granted what other people have to work very hard for. They just assume that life is easy for everybody. They dont understand why someone may hesitate or analyze before stepping forward, because theyre used to taking risks and coming out on top. They simply wont achieve their greatest potential without reinforcing squares. Often they dont recognize their limits, so they burn out.
I have seen people with Grand Earth Trines go bankrupt. Money comes to them so easily that they become careless or dont take the proper precautions to protect their finances. I had clients who were investment brokers who thought they were going to profit forever and didnt.
People with Grand Water Trines have an emotional self-contentment, and many times their creativity tends to be more internal rather than something they put into tangible form and share with the world. They have enormous creativity, but use it only for their own enjoyment. They can be emotionally fulfilled within themselves and may end up being loners. They often are content living alone because they are self-contained and emotionally self-sufficient.
The Grand Air Trine denotes an able communicator who can process information easily and comfortably, but Ive also seen many people with this aspect who attend school forever and never do anything in the real world. They get hooked on the learning process. They can reach age fifty without ever really working a job. I have a client with a Ph.D. who did postdoctoral work, but has never worked. He enjoys learning more than utilizing the information. He lives frugally on a small inheritance. People with Grand Air Trines have great intellectual ability, sometimes lack common sense, and often neglect their physical well-being. They know a lot about many different things. They study and read voraciously, but they are not doers. They dont know how to get out of their minds and manifest their work in the material world.
Those with a Grand Fire Trine can be too rash and take too many chances, like a fireman who rushes back into a burning building at great personal risk. They feel they have nine lives. They can be impulsive, but sometimes can survive things that other people cannot. I had a client who lived through a German concentration camp and then went back to Hungary. His Grand Fire Trine and the help of a good astrologer later got him to safety when he needed to escape from the Communists. He also had good reinforcing squares. He then came to the United States and started a business that became very successful. People with Grand Trines are very lucky, but they also need a driver, such as a T-Square, to push them along to greatness.
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Jan asked 7 years ago:
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New England Revolution assistant coach Tom Soehn
The game didn't start out with a whole lot of pizzazz, but I felt like as the game built we started to feel it, started to create some opportunities, but we didn't finish on the opportunities. Part of the talk at halftime was we just needed to have that killer instinct. This team continues to create opportunities, and I think today helps getting us over that hump to get those couple goals because we've done a good job, we've been organized, compact, and some of the results haven't gone our way. It was refreshing to get the results today.
The second goal is always important because they're throwing everything at us. They made some offensive moves. They switched to a 3-5-2, and then were really throwing everything at us, so getting that second goal obviously takes the wind out of them a little bit.
It was nice. I really felt like our subs really impacted the game. We talked about that before. Not only the starting eleven making such an impact, but when you come in, you change the game, and I thought our subs did a great job and helped us sure up the game.
Well you know what, we talked at halftime, and they left a lot of space for Kevin (Alston) to attack, and I think Kevin (Alston) just needs the confidence to really take those spaces. So we talked about it, and I was real happy for him that it (the goal) came because he's got a lot of tools. The guy is fast. Just the confidence to beat guys and him scoring is going to help that confidence.
It's never easy losing your captain and your leader on the field. I thought when we put Andrew (Farrell) back there he stepped up and did a fantastic job. Him and A.J. (Soares) have played there in spring training before, so we have the confidence to put them in, and Darrius (Barnes) did a great job coming in on the right side. The back four even as we made the change did a great job tonight.
We keep creating chances, and we're working on our finishing all the time. We almost said maybe we shouldn't work on finishing and ease the pressure, but we said we're going to stick to what we're doing and eventually those chances will start turning into goals. Thankfully tonight they did.
Jerry (Bengtson) opened up the game. We were looking to expose them for pace a little bit, and we knew that they were going to press, so there's going to be opportunities in behind. He did a good job when he came in, and obviously that second goal really helped, and took the wind out of their sail, and made us be able to relax a little bit.
Well, we're obviously at home, and we always try to treat this as our palace, and no one's going to beat us at our home ground. So that obviously weighs in, and we're a different team than we were there. We were missing some guys. We had a little more time to gel together, and today I felt like in a lot of aspects of the game we deserved to win today.
New England Revolution defender Kevin Alston
Tommy (Soehn) was just pushing me all game, just telling me that space was there, just get into the attack, get wide and just try to help out. I think that pushing really helped me to just be in a good spot, to start.
Amazing, finally break the seal you know its six years later and I'm just glad it's finally here. I can say I scored at least one in my career.
It's special being at home. This is my first game starting (at home) since March 31 last year. It's a special game for me. Just to be back in front of the home fans and to be able to get my first goal here.
I think we have a lot of good that we can take from this game and apply it to our next couple games. I think we just have to keep fighting, you know there're no easy games and we need the points and I think we can carry confidence from here moving forward.
Yeah a little bit. I think they're a different team. They switched a little bit without Brad Davis, changes their dynamic. They usually come out flying and I think they did that still, (Giles) Barnes and (Will) Bruin up top battling and they always pressure. I think that was just how their formation was set up.
It was just one of those things where, like you said, it didn't happen but I just tried to stay in a good spot and stay onside and stay in the play. Fortunate to just get that bounce that came right to me and let me take the shot.
(The new turf is) unbelievable. It's way better, it's fresh. More cushion and the ball rolls a lot smoother. It doesn't bounce as much. Anytime you replace turf with new turf it's going to feel a lot better and it definitely showed.
We battled. I think we came out with a game plan and knew they were going to battle before the game we said we have to match their intensity and as a back four and not just as a back four as a team. We need to come out and fight and when you stay connected that was our goal and it feels good they didn't get a shot on goal.
New England Revolution Forward Jerry Bengtson (as translated by staff assistant Jasir Charris)
I knew that (Houston) was losing and they were pushing up their lines. When I looked, I knew that was the opportunity and I looked over the shoulder, just took the space and scored.
(The goal) gives me a lot of confidence – for me, as well as the team. Hopefully it's just the first one. Yes, lots of confidence. Hopefully I can do more for the club.
Fortunately, with the (Honduras) national team, my performance has been a lot different. I don't want it that way. Sometimes it just happens. You can't stop, you've just got to keep working hard and keep putting the effort into it.
It's a lot of work to still put in (before the World Cup). I just have to wait for (Honduras national team) coach (Luis) Suarez to give out the final roster. I know my teammates, playing the same position, forward, are doing a really good job, as well. You just have to keep working hard.
Houston Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear
On differences between first meeting
No two games are the same, they're always going to be different no matter what.
On changes in the back line
No not really. I thought the guys that came in and did alright.
Not a lot to be honest with you. Just didn't play very well today.
We were chasing the game. We were losing so you just kind of send more players forward that's the reason why you do that.
Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall
I think in the first half and for the first couple minutes of the second half, I think our mindset was played out on the field. We didn't want to give them a lot of space. You can't let New England have rhythm and you can't let them get in the groove because they'll punish you if you do. I think we let ourselves down, and at the same time I think later – most of the second half – they found their groove and we were punished for it.
We were a bit out of sorts (when Jerry Bengtson scored) pushing for an equalizer and a through ball comes and checks up, so it's kind of like, after three steps I'm running out knowing I'm probably not going to get the ball, but I've already made a poor decision, and you just kind of hope you get lucky. I felt like I kind of let the team down, took away our chance to get an equalizer and get a point.
I think they matched us in intensity and we struggled kind of controlling the game going forward.
Houston Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark
I think we are a strong team, but that's the way the game goes sometimes. The first goal we were just sloppy getting the ball out of the 18 and they took advantage of it. The second goal we were just pushing and we couldn't help it. It was just one of those things where we were trying to get a goal and they just countered on us. You know, Tally's (Hall) out by himself and they dribbled through so there is only so much we can do on that one. I think on the road we have to do a little bit better to finish out the game. I think 0-0 at half isn't too bad of a result. We just have to keep the 90 minutes more consistent. We could be better.
Like I said, being away, sometimes it's tough to get scoring chances, especially in an environment like this. It's not an excuse, but I think defensively, especially going in at 0-0, we need to be sharper going into the second half. From the forwards, through the whole team, all the way to the back, we need to act more as a unit and not let those kinds of goals happen. I think both of them were preventable.


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A sharp, tangy infusion of fruit, vinegar and sugar, drinking vinegars (aka shrubs) can trace their roots back to American colonial days, though regions across the globe from the Middle East to Asia have all at one point offered their own interpretations. With a snap of fresh fruit flavor, drinking vinegars offer the ultimate thirst-quenching refreshment, and they're versatile, adding a tanginess to alcohol-free sodas and cocktails. The category hit an all-time high in popularity last summer when award-winning chef Andy Ricker released Pok Pok's line of Som drinking vinegars, but they're also surprisingly simple to whip up at home, and with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Some methods call for cooking a syrup, but we like how the freshness of fruit stays in the forefront with the following steep-and-refrigerate method.
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, or more, to taste
Combine the fruit and vinegar in a large jar, tightly screw on the lid and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Let infuse for one week at room temperature, shaking daily. Strain the juice through a double layer of cheesecloth and funnel into a clean glass bottle. Add sugar and shake to combine. Refrigerate for one week before using, shaking daily until sugar has fully dissolved.
To dilute in a drink, add one ounce (or more, depending on taste) to five ounces of soda water. Serve over ice. Following the method outlined above, you can experiment with these other flavor combinations:


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According to the Green Shoot Brigade (Bernanke, Dow Jones, et. al.), however, the economy is on the mend.
Uhhh.. based on what data, exactly? That (dJ/dt), the slope of the curve above, is becoming very, very slightly less negative?
Ok then, I have a question: where are the new jobs going to come from?


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How to Apply: eVisa + Medical Declaration────
Complete our easy online application and pay with credit card or PayPal
No need to deal with the embassy. We do it for you so you don't lose valuable time
Present your Passport and the Document we provide upon entry to destination country
Learn More: eVisa + Medical Declaration
In February 2017, Vietnam launched the eVisa program to simplify the process of entering the country. Previously, travelers needed to get a Vietnam approval letter and receive a visa on arrival. Now citizens of 46 countries can apply online and get their eVisa electronically. The process is 100% online – no more embassy visits.
It must be presented when boarding your flight and to the immigration officer upon arrival along with a Medical Declaration that is now required for all travelers, including the same Vietnamese citizens who are returning to Vietnam from another country.
In order to prevent and stop coronavirus in the world, Vietnam has taken some strict measures, which restrict the flow of visitors entering their country. As a result, the Government has implemented the Medical Declaration as a prerequisite document that everyone must obtain before entering the country.
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Frequently Asked Questions
An electronic visa (eVisa) is a type of visa issued to foreigners by the Vietnamese Immigration Department via an electronic system, providing permission to travel to and enter Vietnam. For reasons of preventing the spread of the coronavirus, the Vietnamese Government is also requiring a Medical Declaration to be presented upon arrival in Vietnam.
We require the following to submit your application:
- Passport (valid for at least 6 months after arrival in Vietnam)
- Credit/debit card or Paypal account
- Digital passport scan (bio page)
- Digital ID/passport image
HOW TO TAKE THE PERFECT PHOTO FOR YOUR VISA: Watch our video
HOW TO TAKE THE PERFECT PHOTO OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Watch our video
The Vietnam e-Visa costs USD 25.00. The Medical Declaration does not have an additional cost, which means that you only have to pay the service fee.
Additionally, we charge a service fee for the eVisa + Medical Declaration that varies depending on the processing option you choose:
- Standard Processing: USD 25.00
- Rush Processing: USD 45.00
- Super Rush Processing: USD 90.00
It depends on the method of processing time you choose. We offer three options:
- Standard Processing Time: 5 Business Days
- Rush Processing: 4 Business Days
- Super Rush Processing: 3 Business Days
The Vietnam eVisa is valid for 30 days from the proposed date of entry. It is a single entry visa and allows for a maximum stay of 30 days in Total.
Your passport must be valid for a minimum of 30 days beyond the visa expiry date and should have at least one blank page. For example, if you enter Vietnam today and your visa expires in 30 days, then your passport must be valid for at least 60 days.
You must present a printed copy of the eVisa, your passport, and the medical declaration.
The eVisa allows for a maximum stay of 30 days in Total.
Only Chinese ordinary passport holders are allowed to apply to the Vietnam e-Visa issuing.
After entering Vietnam with an eVisa, you can request that an agency, organization or individual in Vietnam sponsor your stay. They would have to apply for a new visa on your behalf at the Vietnam Immigration Department.
The following nationalities are eligible:
- Argentina
- Australia
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus*
- Brunei**
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Czech Republic
- Denmark*
- Finland*
- France*
- Germany*
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Ireland
- Italy*
- Japan*
- Kazakhstan
- Luxembourg
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway*
- Panama
- Peru
- Philippines***
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia*
- Slovakia
- South Korea*
- Spain*
- Sweden*
- Timor Leste
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom*
- United States
- Uraguay
- Venezuela
Citizens from countries with an * do not require a visa if they will stay in Vietnam for less than:
- *15 days
- **14 days
- ***21 days
For the Medical Declaration, all the nationalities must obtain this document to be able to enter Vietnam, even the same Vietnamese citizens who have visited other countries and are returning to Vietnam.
The validity period of your eVisa begins from the date specified in your approved eVisa document. You can enter Vietnam on any date within this validity period.
As long as the trip into Vietnam is related to flight duties, no visa will be required. However, if the entire trip is for personal reasons, a visa will be required.
We also encourage you to contact the appropriate department with your airline for more information.
You can enter Vietnam only once with this eVisa.
International airport
- Cat Bi Int Airport (Hai Phong)
- Cam Ranh Int Airport (Khanh Hoa)
- Can Tho International Airport
- Da Nang International Airport
- Noi Bai Int Airport (Ha Noi)
- Phu Bai Int Airport
- Phu Quoc International Airport
- Tan Son Nhat Int Airport (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Bo Y Landport
- Cha Lo Landport
- Cau Treo Landport
- Huu Nghi Landport
- Ha Tien Landport
- Lao Bao Landport
- Lao Cai Landport
- La Lay Landport
- Moc Bai Landport
- Mong Cai Landport
- Nam Can Landport
- Na Meo Landport
- Song Tien Landport
- Tinh Bien Landport
- Tay Trang Landport
- Xa Mat Landport
- Chan May Seaport
- Da Nang Seaport
- Duong Dong Seaport
- Hon Gai Seaport
- Hai Phong Seaport
- Nha Trang Seaport
- Quy Nhon Seaport
- Ho Chi Minh City Seaport
- Vung Tau Seaport
At any entry point you use, you must display your eVisa and Medical Declaration. Remember that both documents are required to enter the country.
The eVisa is only intended for certain nationalities. The Medical Declaration, on the other hand, must be obtained by all travelers without exception.
Yellow Fever vaccine is required if traveling from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.
More information in the following link:
If you want to plan a visit to Asia, then you cannot leave Vietnam out of your itinerary. It is a beautiful country with plenty of beautiful landscapes, breathtaking scenery, and lovely people. While some go there for the cities, more tourists want to explore the wild. And they have what to be amazed of. A trip around rural areas will overwhelm you at times, and the hospitality of the people will humble you. However, before you start planning your trip to Vietnam, you need to know a few basic things that will make your trip a little bit more pleasant. Some research is required before your departure, and this article should help you a bit. The first thing you need to know is that you will be able to communicate with people in English, but more in the urban areas. People in the countryside will rarely know how to speak it, and your chances of getting along are higher with the younger generation. Even so, it is recommended that you learn a few basic expressions before you leave so that you can get around. There are apps you can use, but a pocket-sized dictionary may also help. Plus, do not expect the internet to have the same speed as in western countries, and some regions do not have internet at all. One aspect you need to be careful about is money. In Vietnam, the currency is the dong, and while you may be tempted to make a joke about its name, refrain from doing it in front of a Vietnamese person. However, when you exchange your money, you will notice that the bills are very similar. The 50,000 dong bill is almost identical to the 500,000 bill, which can sometimes make you lose money. We recommend that before you make a payment, you should take a close look at what bills you are giving. Do not expect vendors to give your money back once you make a mistake. Tourists' money is relatively new in Vietnam, which is why some vendors will come off as greedy. Some will even try to take advantage of you. They will bargain for one price and you can end up paying another. Speaking of bargaining, you are allowed to do it almost everywhere. However, if you have no skills, you should refrain from buying too much stuff. You will get scammed, otherwise. Although a lot of people choose to explore Vietnam with the help of a tour guide, we recommend that you do not buy tour packages. A lot of people are not satisfied with what they get and they end up believing that they would have done better on their own. That is actually very true. It may take some time to create your own itinerary, but as long as you do some thorough research, you should be able to handle the situation just fine. Plus, you save some money that you would otherwise give a guide that is probably bored or too quiet. It is a pity that Vietnam does not educate its tour guides better, but surely they will come to the conclusion that it is in their best interest to do so. As for accommodation, the hotels in Vietnam are a bit pricey. Plus, the breakfast they serve is usually plain. However, one great tip is to search the alleys. There are plenty of hotels in Vietnam, more than you would expect, but if you search the alleys, you will find many hotels that are clean and have better prices. Hotels that are on the main street take advantage of the fact that they are the first thing you see, which is why the hotels in the back alleys have lower fees. One of the things you will like in Vietnam is the food. We have Vietnamese food in the western countries, but as you can imagine, it does not compare to the one made by the Vietnamese themselves. However, there are a few things you should know about it. For one thing, you should eat only from very crowded places. Standing in line may not be your favorite, but since the place is crowded, you know that the cooks leave their burners open all day long. Plus, they always have fresh food. Places that have very few clients will make the food and leave it there. It becomes stale very fast, and you can get an upset stomach. Such an event can ruin your vacation. Also, when you go to a street vendor to buy some soup, make sure that the soup in the pot is slow boiling. While people in service may seem a bit greedy and not very nice at times, you should know that people from areas that are not related to tourism are incredibly lovely. They are welcoming people with warm hearts that will treat you with nothing but kindness. The Vietnamese people are curious, and they want to learn things about you. They have a lot of stories, and they will take from their time to indulge you in them. The contrast between the locals and the service people is considerable, and you should never judge Vietnam by the quality of the people in tourism. Lastly, the best way to explore Vietnam is by train. That is because you can avoid the traffic and the constant honking. You get to see a lot of beautiful places in a calm manner. However, if you need to buy a ticket, do it at the train station. Hotels will always ask you where you are headed next, and they will offer to buy you a ticket. As you can imagine, they do not do it for free. Just buy your own ticket and save some cash. All in all, Vietnam is a country worth visiting. There are some things that you will probably not like, but the same goes for every country in the world. There is no perfect place where everything goes the way you want it.
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An e-Visa is an official document permitting entry into and travel within a certain country. The e-Visa is an alternative to visas issued at the ports of entry or visiting an embassy/consulate to obtain traditional paper visas. e-Visas are linked electronically to the traveler's passport.
Our service starts with information. You can use our up-to-date visa requirements tool to search if you need a travel visa. It's as simple as telling us where you are from and where you are going. Based on this information we will tell you how much the visa costs, the number of entries, the start date and give you an action step such as applying directly on our site!
The best place to find this information is our visa requirement tool. Each country has different entry rules and visa fees. If you are in a rush you can also apply online and the form will give you this information as well.
It depends on the country issuing the visa. For many countries such as Australia ETA and Turkey e-Visa, the process can be done in 15 minutes through our rush service. For other countries such as the India tourist Visa, the process usually takes 24 hours. The exact time can be found on each application form. What we guarantee is that your application with iVisa will be the fastest way to apply anywhere.
The documents must be printed on a sheet of blank A4 white paper. Double-side or reduced printing will not be accepted.
We help you get your travel visa in the simplest and fastest way possible. Through easy-to-use online application forms and world-class 24/7 customer service, we make the whole visa process quick and simple! We also use best practices when it comes to protecting your data and credit card.
iVisa offers two types of Visa: Electronic visas (e-Visas) and traditional paper visas, based on your destination. In addition, we also offer the following services/documents that are required by certain countries: ETA (electronic travel authorization), Tourist Cards, Visa on Arrival pre-registration/approval form, Tourist Invitation Letters, and Embassy Registration service.
- Select the country to which you are requesting the visa
- Select the type of visa and read the instructions carefully.
- Select Apply Now
- Fill in the application form
- Pay using a Visa Card, Mastercard or other debit card.
- Await approval via email, then download and print the e-Visa from your account.
- Present your printed e-Visa to the immigration officer at the port of entry.
Please note most countries offer the ability to process a travel visa without a service fee. The main reason we process thousands of travel visas per month is we save you time and frustration. Our service includes an easy to use website and application form. It is much easier to process your application with us especially for mobile users and large groups. We send all of our clients the visa days before travel. This is especially helpful for those passengers who purchase the visa months in advance. We also have a 24-hour customer service with professionals that are based in the United States and speak English. We accept multi-currencies and our website can be translated into over 20 languages. We believe our fee is worth your time and sanity but please note all governments do have their own "free" service.
If you have already applied on our site, please log in to your account and look for your order/application. An account is generated for you automatically after payment is received. Click the link in your confirmation email to set up a password or visit the log in page to set up the password and enter the account. Please note in most cases your visa will be delivered to you via email and can be found in your account after logging in.
This is a rare scenario. However, if your application gets rejected, we will issue you a full refund for the government fee and the processing fee under our 100% approval guarantee. This refund will be given via credit to be used for a future order. If you need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us. Our customer service specialists will be more than glad to help you.
If we have not processed your visa, we can make changes without a problem. We do check your information for mistakes as well. If you have already processed your visa, If we have submitted your application to the appropriate government agencies, some will allow to make changes, while others do not. Please contact us immediately (preferably through chat) if you notice an error on your application.
Some countries may require proof of yellow fever vaccination if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. You can see more info here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list It's the passenger´s own responsibility to verify these regulations before traveling to the chosen country.
In order to download your invoice, please log in to your account and download it directly from there.
You may reprint the e-Visa in your email account. Alternatively, you may retrieve and reprint the e-Visa by using your iVisa account.
Yes. The iVisa system does not retain your credit card information after the transaction is processed.
All visas grant travelers the permission to travel to a country's port of entry. Whether you are granted entry or not will be at the discretion of the Immigration Officer at the entry point.
We know that our applicants can come across unexpected changes in their travel plans that may prevent them from traveling and therefore getting their visa. This is why we understand you may want to request a cancellation of your visa application and a credit for the amount paid. However, we will only approve the refund/credit if it follows our Refund policy guideline:
- If your application has not been reviewed by our team, nor submitted to the government for approval, then you will receive a credit for the full amount of the iVisa processing fee and government fee(visa cost).
- If your application has been reviewed by our team but has not yet been submitted to the government for approval, you will receive a credit for the full amount of the government fee (visa cost).
- If your application has been submitted to the government for approval or a visa is already issued, unfortunately, no credit is available.
Our policy also applies to these circumstances:
- If we make a mistake on your application, a 100% refund of the iVisa processing fee will be issued and we will process your visa again at no cost.
- If you purchase rush or super rush processing additional fee and we do not deliver the travel document within the agreed timeframe, you will receive a credit for the iVisa rush or super rush processing fee.
- If you miss your trip because iVisa does not deliver the travel document within the agreed timeframe, you will receive a full cash refund for the government fee and iVisa processing fee.
- The exception to the clause above is if the government is the cause of the delay or your arrival date was sooner than our super rush processing time. In such case, you will receive a credit for the iVisa processing fee.
If for any reason, you are not satisfied with our services, please feel free to contact us. Under reasonable circumstances, we will grant a credit of the iVisa processing fee to be used for a future order.
When the visa has to be shipped to you, the processing times do not include this shipping time. It is from when we receive your application to obtaining the approval. Most visas (e-Visas) are sent via email upon approval so shipping times will not apply.
No, we are not affiliated with any government agencies. We are a private company that specializes in processing travel visas for travelers worldwide.
Unfortunately, we are not able to, since the government agencies do not inform us of the reason(s) behind the decisions.
If your visa is not approved, we advise that you contact the nearest embassy/consulate for more information on what your options are.
We accept Visa, Master Card, American Express, and PayPal.
All citizens from these territories applying through our website will have their application processed with the nationality/citizenship specified in their passport. As an example, a traveler from Puerto Rico will have their request processed as USA nationality. This does not apply to the travelers under the BOTC (British Overseas Territories Citizen) category according to the British Overseas Territories Act of 2002.