By Judith Gayle | Political Waves

THE THRILLS and spills of the last few days are winding down, like that Six Flags log ride that gives us a final splash or two as we glide into the unloading area. We start the week with our stellium of Aquarian planets -- Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Chiron and the North Node -- conversing with our higher mind, urging us on into awareness, but Venus and Mercury will move into watery Pisces on the 12th and 14th, respectively, casting a Neptunian influence that asks us to move that conversation from our heads to our hearts. Words may fail us, but feelings will not. Pisces offers us a renewed dialogue with compassion and intimacy.

Emotions expressing themselves in Vietnam. Photo by MaryLaura Barkley-Mau.

Venus is happy as a clam in Pisces -- this is called an exalted position, which means it's comfortably at home in this spiritual sign. Tenderness and romance has the opportunity now to lead into a gentle recognition of how good it feels to love, and be loved. Neptune is playing some celestial music, asking for a slow dance. If we don't have a significant other, we might just fall in love with everyone and everything under this generous influence. Spring is coming soon, and we're opening our hearts to receive it.

Mars in Cancer will continue to direct our attention to the home front -- food and children come to mind. It will soon be nesting time on our side of the world, turning our thoughts to our own nests may have us looking at home improvements that follow a long winter. If we can be authentic anywhere, it's within our own space and, as Mars is uneasy in Cancer, a determination that home is safe for everyone to express themselves makes this transit productive. What might be sharply competitive can be made playful easily enough if we remain mindful that our inner child wants to be included, and nurture is the natural gift of Lunar-driven Cancer.

Mars continues to oppose Pluto, which has caused some international flare-up's, yet when two planets face off in this manner they bring both parts of the dialogue to the table allowing a balance of energies, the 'whole picture' of their dialogue. While this transit still has the capacity to kick up the dirt, there should be few surprises at this point. That same Mars will be moving along late in the week to trine our inspired, imaginative Venus in Pisces over the weekend, stabilizing our creativity and energizing our spiritual expression.
 
The element of water carries us along in the next few days. Calling on intuition and feelings to lead us, will give new information about ourselves and new options when dealing with others. We can expect to find warm-fuzzies in unexpected places and expand our view of the possibilities. Hearing the dreamy music that Neptune provides will warm our spirit -- so when you hear it, don't wait to be asked.  Get up and dance!




THIS WEEKEND'S International Women's Day, March 8, 2008 celebrated its 100 years of action. They have proved the women of the world are ready to foster progress everywhere. This year 626 events were listed for action in 52 different countries. What a success and cause to celebrate.

Human rights groups marched in Islamabad to mark International Woman's Day. Courtesy of Aljazeera.

Progress has been made.  Just days before the official International Women's Day, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made it a point to advance the UN's investment in women and girls, saying: "I am deeply convinced that, in women, the world has at its disposal the most significant and yet largely untapped potential for development and peace."

This is just what many women were calling for in their communities this Saturday. During a workshop in Kinshasa led by the UN Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo's Public Information and Gender Divisions officials decided to make it a point to increase access for girls to primary education, give them adequate representation in the national institutions, as well as end impunity for sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At a ceremony in Afghanistan on March 8th, President Hamid Karzai told hundreds of women, gathered to hear him speak, that they should be free to pursue their education and men, as well as religious leaders, need to stop forcing young girls into marriage.

In the Philippines, hundreds of women used International Women's Day to rally and demand the resignation of President Gloria Arroyo because of corruption. A Pulse Asia survey showed that 58% of Filipinos in Mindanao believe she rigged her re-election in 2006.

The power of a woman's voice need not wait for one single day a year. Though International Women's Day has been acting as a rally point since 1908, social conventions are still in place that oppress women. Let’s recognize the bravery it takes for a woman to take a stand against all odds and celebrate how far we have come and how far we will go as a global community.



CHINA HAS TAKEN an environmentally minded action. On Tuesday last week, China announced its plan of action to ban the production of thin plastic bags provided to its citizens at stores as a shopping convenience. The ultra-thin bags are China's main source of 'white pollution' as they can easily get broken and often end up littering the country and clogging its waterways.

White pollution has reached a critical mass as it builds up across China in the form of plastic packaging. Courtesy of Environmental News Network.

China, the most heavily polluted nation on earth, has been working on a plan to stop providing free plastic bags for a few months now and has finally shown initiative to halt the production of these wasteful bags altogether. Citizens and manufacturers caught with plastic bags under 0.025 mm thick will be fined and goods as well as profits may be confiscated.

China's citizens use an average of 3 billion plastic bags a day, the country has to refine 37 million barrels of crude oil each year just to produce such plastics, and the World Bank report stated that 750,000 Chinese die early due to air pollution every year.

The ban will take full effect on June 1, barely two months before Beijing hosts the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The Chinese Government is encouraging it constituents to use cloth sacs and baskets to carry their goods in an attempt to wean people off of the plastics before the deadline.