Alex Miller, Author at Alex's Asteroid Astrology

April 17th, 2025 at 09:06am by Alex Miller

Arson at PA Governor’s Residence

In the wee hours of Sunday, 13 April 2025, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were awakened by state troopers pounding on the door of the official Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg, PA. An intruder had been spotted scaling the iron security fence surrounding the property, smashing a window with a small sledgehammer to gain entry, and starting a fire. The south wing of the residence was badly damaged, but fortunately the governor, his wife, four children, and several houseguests who had been celebrating the Passover seder there a few hours earlier, escaped without injury.

April 11th, 2025 at 03:19pm by Alex Miller

Mr. Trump’s Wild Ride

“Investors of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your gains!” – Trumpunist Manifesto

If anyone doubted Donald Trump’s repeated campaign promises in 2024 that, if elected, he would impose sweeping, massive tariffs on foreign imports, all such doubts evaporated on April 2, 2025, when the US President kicked off a global trade war. Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” appears to be working just fine, if the goal was to liberate more cash from Americans’ pocketbooks. With tariffs applied to virtually every country on Earth, even some unpopulated South Pacific islands (but excluding Russia – surprise!), increases in costs from 10% to 49% have roiled global financial markets.

April 7th, 2025 at 08:54am by Alex Miller

Asteroid Sleuth: The Case of the Train Track Tragedy

Shortly after 6 PM EDT on Thursday, 3 April 2025, a father and his two adult sons were struck and killed by an Amtrak train in Bristol, PA. Christopher Cramp, 56, and David Cramp, 31, were apparently on the scene attempting to remove Thomas Cramp, 24, from the tracks before the arrival of the oncoming train. Thomas Cramp reportedly suffered from mental health issues and was suicidal, though no specifics of the circumstances surrounding the incident have emerged. Police have ruled the death of Thomas Cramp a suicide, and that of his elder brother and father as accidents.

April 4th, 2025 at 09:51am by Alex Miller

Aster-Obit: Richard Chamberlain

Veteran actor and ‘60s teen idol heartthrob Richard Chamberlain passed away on 29 March 2025, just two days shy of his 91^st birthday. Dubbed “King of the Mini-Series” in the 1980s, Chamberlain made a big splash on TV and film as a dashing leading man, but experienced internal conflict in having to conceal his homosexuality to preserve his swashbuckling image. Chamberlain first made his mark in the 1961 TV series “Dr. Kildare,” garnering legions of female fans, and went on to a successful movie career, starring in the 1970s “The Three Musketeers” franchise, among other action films.

March 26th, 2025 at 08:11am by Alex Miller

Aster-Obit: George Foreman

On March 21, 2025, former world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman passed away peacefully at a Houston, Texas hospital, surrounded by family and friends. No cause of death has been released. Foreman dominated professional boxing in the 1970s; claiming the championship from the then-undefeated Joe Frazier in 1973, he held the tile for just a year before his loss to Muhammad Ali in “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Foreman retired three years later, but made a brief comeback in 1994, becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion after defeating Michael Moorer. In later life, Foreman became a household name for his endorsement and promotion of the eponymous “George Foreman Grill,” a small double-sided cooking appliance. He is also remembered for his eccentric habit of naming each of his five sons after himself, merely adding regnal numbers to distinguish them.

March 21st, 2025 at 08:35am by Alex Miller

House Diary: Easter’s On the Half-Shell

Seems I’m not the only one moving a little slowly this spring; I’m almost finished with recovery from knee replacement surgery in January, though still a bit wobbly on uneven turf. But Mother Nature has been dragging her feet as well, with the garden a good 4-6 weeks behind its normal schedule, after an unusually cold winter. Fortunately, we also had snow cover through most of the coldest periods, if not deep, but at least that sheltered the more sensitive roots and bulbs from the bitter temps, and I’m hoping not to have much damage or loss.