By Jack Fertig

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAY

RuPaul Charles turns 51 on Thursday. The pioneering drag queen continues to step up the art of drag with the upcoming fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race on Logo in January along with the companion show Untucked. But in 2010, he returned to his roots by releasing his fifth album, Glamazon and debuted the single “Superstar” on the finale of the third season of Drag Race.

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THIS WEEK

Mars is in Virgo trine to Jupiter in Taurus directing our energies to critical, constructive matters. Get to work. Flirtations and chatter are just distractions, but a little is good for morale.

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SCORPIO  Oct 23-Nov 21
Efforts to befriend colleagues backfire. Constructive criticism should be offered carefully. Friends’ insights help your partnership and challenge your friendship. But you love a challenge.

SAGITTARIUS  Nov 22-Dec 20
Your eagerness to get ahead is overdone. Crediting your colleagues will help you keep proportion. You don’t need to oversell yourself. Humility is your key to greatness.

CAPRICORN  Dec 21-Jan 19
Your own creative visions and hopes are too extravagant. Share them anyway. Invite your friends to critique your goals. They will help you develop keener focus. Face domestic discord to heal it.

AQUARIUS  Jan 20-Feb 18
Think before responding to a challenge. You’re feistier than usual. On the other hand, taking criticism to heart could provide a lot of material for self-improvement.

PISCES  Feb 19-Mar 19
Too much explaining undermines your efforts. Answer questions succinctly. Hunches may offer insight, but don’t necessarily trust them. Stick to the facts.

ARIES  Mar 20-Apr 19
If you ask for a raise you’ll get what you’re worth. Are you willing to risk it? Quiet time alone can help you get insight into early traumas. Helping those less fortunate can help you to heal them.

TAURUS  Apr 20-May 20
Sex can be healing, but one can overdose. Feelings of satiation can open new insights. Even in hard times life can be good and you have the resourceful creative instincts to make the most of it.

GEMINI  May 21-Jun 20
Advice from Mom is useful, but more a springboard to clearer ideas. Others may trigger your anxieties, those worries are your own from childhood shames. Choose your company carefully.

CANCER  Jun 21-Jul 22
Showing off leads to criticism. The trick is to consider the source, see what you learn from it and don’t let it bother you. Stay strong and focused to take charge and deal with family problems.

LEO  Jul 23-Aug 22
Try not to start arguments at home. An older sibling or neighbor has good advice even if you don’t like it. Hard work and efficiency at work will be rewarded with greater challenges.

VIRGO  Aug 23-Sep 22
Your energy is picking up and liable to go in different directions. Housework is a pleasant diversion. Focus on learning practical issues. What do you need to learn to be truly successful?

LIBRA  Sep 23-Oct 22
Keeping up with the Joneses quickly becomes more jonesing. Challenge yourself to be thrifty. Campy discussions are fun, but easy to overdo. Improve on your own flaws; never mind others’.

Jack Fertig can be reached at 415-864-8302 or Starjack.com

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition November 11, 2011.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAY

Michael Urie turns 30 on Monday. The actor became a hallmark queer TV character as Mark St. James in Ugly Betty. The Plano High School and Julliard grad has kept up his theater roots. He received the Lucille Lortel Award for lead actor as Mattachine Society founder Rudi Gernreich in The Temperamentals.

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THIS WEEK

The sun makes hard aspects to Uranus and Pluto, bringing ego and power-struggles to a dangerous head; but Sol moves quickly into a grand trine with Eris and the North Node, offering routes to reconciliation.

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LEO Jul 23-Aug 22
A few well-chosen words stimulate discussions you’ll learn a lot from. Opening up to challenging new ideas can dramatically change the ways you work and play.

VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 22
Creative angst is a good thing. You are trying too hard for something entirely new and different. Go back to your roots and see what neglected treasures inspire you to innovation.

LIBRA Sep 23-Oct 22
Friendly advice about your home and relationship is malicious japery, but is there anything in it? Whatever the source, dissect it for seeds of truth and opportunities for self-improvement.

SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 21
Speaking out of turn at work ruffles feathers. Open up new ideas. Irritating (or irritated) as your boss may be, keep calm, respectful and focused on your company’s success.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22-Dec 20
Your impulses for adventure tests your rresourcefulness. You’re clever enough to do what’s necessary more economically than it first appears. Trust your instincts and go it alone if you have to.

CAPRICORN Dec 21-Jan 19
If parental voices chime in at the worst times, relax. Take time to meditate and listen to those voices, if only to get where they’re coming from, to talk back and dismiss them.

AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18
It’s no news that your mouth makes trouble. Just keep your brain ahead of it and do not reveal your partner’s secrets. Thinking ahead is what you do best. Apply that foresight in the present.

PISCES Feb 19-Mar 19
Worries about health and money are exaggerated. The future looks tough for everyone, but don’t let your imagination make it worse. You can still thrive. Hard work is the answer, but don’t burn out. Set a goal and do your best.

ARIES Mar 20-Apr 19
What you think is brilliant and clever is threatening to authorities. Think ahead: What battles can you win? Who are your real friends? What do you need to learn to succeed?

TAURUS Apr 20-May 20
Fights at home are displaced frustration. Be careful not to say something you’ll regret later. Whether to head off the fight or to heal the wounds, open up to your partner about your anxieties.

GEMINI May 21-Jun 20
Dare to be shocking and bold, but don’t be surprised if you scare off friends. Are you stronger with fewer friends who agree with you or more friends with more diverse thoughts?

CANCER Jun 21-Jul 22
Feeling underappreciated is more about you misunderstanding what your virtues really are. Job reviews and criticism from your partner hurt, but take them as cues to clarify your strengths.

Jack Fertig can be reached at 415-864-8302 or Starjack.com

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 5, 2011.

By Jack Fertig

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAY

Meredith Baxter turns 64 on Tuesday. For most of the ’80s, Baxter played Elyse Keaton on Family Ties. She’s mostly been seen in TV films and guest-starring roles. In an interview with Matt Lauer on Today back in 2009, she came out of the closet as lesbian. Her memoir Untied was released this past March.

THIS WEEK

For the next few months we get a taste of the Uranus-Pluto square that will dominate the next five years. Recent political turmoil has just been the set-up for major crises and changes ahead. Astrologically it looks a lot like 1848, 1939 and the ‘60s. Buckle your seatbelts; it’s gonna get bumpy.

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GEMINI  May 21-Jun 20
As dystopian as the future looks, you’ll find a way to thrive. Trust your instincts and reconsider the most important lessons you learned from your mother. Talking with siblings can clarify that.

CANCER  Jun 21-Jul 22
Frustrations in love and career are too big to solve by yourself. Fortunately you have some very wise and resourceful friends. As odd as their ideas may seem, they will likely help.

LEO  Jul 23-Aug 22
It’s easy to worry yourself sick. Arguments make it worse. Focus on your career. Working through sexual issues is healing. Quiet time alone gives you space to think about what you need to do.

VIRGO  Aug 23-Sep 22
Sharing your innermost thoughts will open up ideas for creative fun. On the way, you open up some difficult childhood memories. Resolving an ugly past can clear the way for a better future.

LIBRA  Sep 23-Oct 22
Your home and partnership are heading for big changes. Be generous and comforting in bed. Family commitments need to change. Be clear on what those are. Be adaptive at work.

SCORPIO  Oct 23-Nov 21
Obsessing on details leads to accidents and misunderstandings. Don’t neglect the important details; just keep it all in perspective. Your partner’s advice and practical support will prove helpful.

SAGITTARIUS  Nov 22-Dec 20
Now’s the time to find a job you enjoy. Channeling your sexual charisma into the job search is helpful, but if you already like your work that charisma can go back to what it does best.

CAPRICORN  Dec 21-Jan 19
Trying to manage your family or community will backfire. Focus on having fun. If you’re looking for love, play at being moody, broody and intense; but remember, you’re playing.

AQUARIUS  Jan 20-Feb 18
Conversations open up deep psychological insights. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your family, no matter how odd. Releasing old tensions could have surprising health benefits.

PISCES  Feb 19-Mar 19
Reality is challenging your values and your plans, but that’s life. Adaptability and a sense of humor will help you stay true to your core while everything else goes crazy.

ARIES  Mar 20-Apr 19
Be very sure that your career is in line with your ambitions. Being unhappy on your job track will get you derailed. Contempt for authority is well-deserved but pick your battles strategically.

TAURUS  Apr 20-May 20
“Bad religion” is a subjective experience. Focus on your own personal beliefs; know where you find clarity, support and reassurance. Respect others’ paths while finding your own.

Jack Fertig can be reached at 415-864-8302 or Starjack.com

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition June 17, 2011.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAY

Billie Joe Armstrong turns 39 on Thursday. The Green Day frontman has grown into quite the artist since his early punk rock days. From 1994’s brash Dookie to the epic American Idiot in 2004 and now Broadway based on the latter album. He came out as bisexual in ’95 to The Advocate but now refrains from talking about his personal life out of respect for his wife.

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THIS WEEK

The Sun lining up with Neptune in Aquarius, and in a rare combination of aspects with Uranus (for the last time in our lifetime!), offers an unusual boost to intuitive clarity.

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AQUARIUS Jan 20-Feb 18
Birthday splurges carry hidden costs. Think ahead. Take time out to consider where you’re going in life. Maturing is a process of adaptation. Aging offers opportunities for insight and liberation.
PISCES  Feb 19-Mar 19
Take time out from worldly demands. You need to be able to charge your batteries to intuit the big changes coming up both globally and personally. Trust your instincts and act on them.

ARIES Mar 20-Apr 19
Enjoy the company of good friends; talk about where you expect to be in 10 or 20 years. That triggers hunches about the future. Talking about them gives a clearer vision of what will be.

TAURUS Apr 20-May 20
The future is uncertain. Don’t let that worry you. Focus on what you really want and expect of life. That will alleviate concerns about your career and give direction in your planning.

GEMINI May 21-Jun 20
Believe in yourself. Even that may be difficult while you are in the midst of redirection, but look into your own heart, your own guiding light, to see what you know to be true.

CANCER Jun 21-Jul 22
Discuss your fantasies with your partner — or someone you can trust. Something new is likely to come up. You may not be ready to act on it, but at least consider the notion and what’s behind it.

LEO Jul 23-Aug 22
The bedroom is a great place to clear up misunderstandings. Be willing to let your lover lead you to places and positions you’d never considered. Return the favor. It’s about trust and empathy.

VIRGO Aug 23-Sep 22
Your ideas at work are brilliant, but support is a problem. Let others think they had some part in your ideas if you don’t mind giving up some of the credit.

LIBRA Sep 23-Oct 22
Being a team player does include some actual play. Morale-building fun-and-games help you get into better sync with your colleagues. Even solo, new techniques will improve your game.

SCORPIO Oct 23-Nov 21
Scandals open quite a can of worms. In the end it could prove very healing, although the catharsis could put some big bumps on the path to resolution.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22-Dec 20
Confusion is the first step to enlightenment. Remember that when things get a little crazy. Their deception is probably not deliberate. Be patient, forgiving and alert.

CAPRICORN Dec 21-Jan 19
A choice between diplomacy and honesty tests your values. Being kind is a mistake. Gentleness and finesse will be appreciated while pussyfooting and sugarcoated lies will not.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 11, 2011.

No sooner had a Dallas police spokesman sent over some requested info about a same-sex rape in Oak Lawn over the weekend, than we noticed the above video from DPD about sexual assault prevention. And wouldn’t you know it, the major risk factors described in the video appear to have been very much at work in this weekend’s case. According to the video, alcohol is the No. 1 factor in sex assaults, and in 60 percent of cases the suspect is known to the victim. The video also says that one out of every 33 males in the U.S. will be a victim of sexual assault.

The rape occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on Sunday — the day of gay Pride — in the 4000 block of Fairmont Street, and it involved the suspect penetrating the victim’s anus, according to police reports. Here’s DPD Sr. Cpl’s Kevin Janse’s description:

The victim, a Latino male, was invited over to the suspect’s house and they began drinking. They are friends and have known each other for about a month. A knife was pulled and victim was sexually assaulted. Suspect was arrested down the street. Jimmy Ford, a 23-year-old black male, is charged with aggravated sexual assault.

Here are a few tips from DPD for preventing sexual assault, which has been on the rise in Dallas this year:

• Be aware of your surroundings; know where you are, who you are with, and what you are doing.

• When consuming alcohol at clubs, bars, or restaurants, watch your drink; don’t leave it unattended, even for a few seconds.

• Don’t accept a drink handed to you by a stranger or anyone you have just met.

• If you feel you have been drugged, call 911 immediately.

• Trust your instincts. If something about the situation or the person just does not feel right, it probably is not. Get out of the situation as soon as possible.