Star Power: The Week Ahead
________________PETER VIDAL

From 17th September To 23th September

ARIES
(21 March - 20 April)
The Moon is nestling in a sensitive region of your solar chart, a strange place of mystery and dreams. This may, therefore, not be the best moment to start pushing your worldly ambitions. It is much better to sacrifice your own interests and see that a close family member has your total attention.

TAURUS
(21 April - 21 May)
The Moon is nestling in a sensitive region of your solar chart, a strange place of mystery and dreams. This may, therefore, not be the best moment to start pushing your worldly ambitions. It is much better to sacrifice your own interests and see that a close family member has your total attention.

GEMINI
(22 May - 21 June)
It's back to the real world and most Geminians will be confronted with the sheer scale of current financial complexities. There are two main psychological issues: on the one hand, you have expectations which are difficult to satisfy, on the other, you suffer from a deep fear of poverty.

CANCER
(22 June - 23 July)
The romantic hopes of a lifetime are crystallised into one very special planetary alignment. It may, though, be difficult to tell someone exactly how you feel about them, or even come to terms with your own rampant emotions. The prospect of enhanced financial fortunes should boost your spirits.

LEO
(24 July - 23 August)
The part of your solar chart most strongly signified is that which rules your health. This is why those of you who have niggling complaints must clear them up, while those of you who have not yet succumbed to the season’s ailments must take sound preventative measures.

VIRGO
(24 August - 23 September)
Relations with younger relatives and children in general are what makes this a special time. Psychologically, the emphasis is on rediscovering your inner child-like spontaneity and sense of fun. Financially, the emphasis is on making fast profits and creatively, it’s on expressing your real talents, not trying to conform to other people’s expectations.

LIBRA
(24 September - 23 October)
Your relationship with your family lies at the heart of this week’s developments and no amount of tinkering with your domestic circumstances will do the trick unless relatives are confident and happy. An unusual invitation late in the week should be accepted — as long as you know what you’re letting yourself in for.

SCORPIO
(24 October - 22 November)
Even though your travel stars have never been stronger, there are various hurdles to cross. The difficulties seem to involve a loss of motivation, perhaps leading to carelessness and may, therefore, be overcome through greater attention to detail. In love, you may have to wait your turn.

SAGITTARIUS
(23 November - 22 December)
It's time to look at Venus’ rather inconsiderate movements. Just as this planet was promising to make communication easier in a number of important partnerships, it is withdrawing its favours and starting to place various obstacles in your path. Yet the entire future is laid out before you. Take your pick!

CAPRICORN
(23 December - 20 January)
All your current difficulties arise out of the fact that your stars are confronting you with such incredible possibilities. If ever you feel overwhelmed, just sit back and take a long deep breath. It is time to make personal choices, after considering its consequences for the next 10 years.

AQUARIUS
(21 Janury - 19 February)
Nobody knows better than an Aquarian what needs to be done to put the world to rights. Now you may feel absolutely free to indulge all those fantasies and whims that may not save the world, but will prove immensely entertaining. Above all, enjoy yourself.

PISCES
(20 February - 20 March)
The Sun’s approach to Neptune combines with the Moon’s sensitive influence to make this an ideal moment for all Pisceans everywhere. If there is a lesson to learn, it is that your compassion, sensitivity and romantic vision are rare and wonderful qualities.

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY

Sunday, September 17
There's passion in the air. You can almost smell it. The truth is that today’s lunar alignments are deep, intense and emotional and mysteries which surface over the coming weeks will dominate your feelings over the coming year. Your goals will be unusual, eccentric even, much to your partners’ amusement.

Monday, September 18
The truth about a romantic and personal connection will now begin to dawn on you. The real question is whether you wish to spend the rest of your life with someone special or not. You’ll be inclined to take such decisions on purely practical grounds and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Tuesday, September 19
You, like most other people, are subject to the rather encouraging movements of planets like Venus and Mars. It may be best if you make it a point to put family affairs on a more mature and responsible footing. At work, it may soon be time to learn a new skill.

Wednesday, September 20
Variety, the old saying runs, is the spice of life. With that in mind, you can put old regrets and resentments behind you and make peace with your past. The sooner you do that, the quicker you’ll be ready to face a bright future, ready for absolutely anything that turns up.

Thursday, September 21
There are right decisions and there are wrong decisions. Sometimes, there is a grey area in the middle, but at the moment, the choices seem to be polarised. You may have to come off the fence and commit yourself. A lover or partner will admire you for your determination.

Friday, September 22
Don't struggle to do things correctly if it seems easier to follow the path of least resistance. You’ll only face an emotional hurricane if you throw away all chances of compromise. Do your best to find a middle path — in all things. Plus, the Moon’s swift movements signify pleasant meetings.

Saturday, September 23
You'll be in search of fresh pastures, tickled by nomadic and restless tendencies. On the other hand, before you imagine that the grass is always greener on the other side, pause and think for a while. You must be absolutely sure that you’re making the right move.

He was born in India, and curiously, it will be the country of his birth which will make and break the fortunes of General Pervez Musharraf. He is genial and affable — that is one side of him, and its not a facade: the man is genuine. But there’s another side too — complex, irrevocably wedded to certain ideals and a suave style of functioning. Even in crunch moments, his statements and public reactions are likely to be tempered by situational realities. In fact, if Saatchi and Saatchi were ever asked to look for a role model of a dictator, they would hit gold if, for a moment, they looked beyond Fidel Castro and focused on the image conscious General Musharraf. There is refinement here, together with a habit of doing his homework and analysis thoroughly and keeping his goals clearly in mind even when they are enveloped by a haze of confusing events. Add to that a very finely honed, very well controlled sense of timing — and that includes knowing when to raise issues and when to lie low. Add yet again an unwavering confidence in his own abilities, and you have a very dangerous combination. Ironically, it is this background, his character traits and the realisation that he has very little time on his side which is likely to force his hand. It is the dream that he nurtures — of the man who rid the subcontinent of its canker — the Kashmir problem — which will compel him to act in a manner at variance with his composite approach. On the plus side, it is the approach that he values — getting high profile results while maintaining a low profile, minus the rhetoric that marked his predecessors at the helm — that will lead to more attempts in the months ahead to initiate peace dialogues. And herein will lie contradictions that will ultimately rob him of the chance to write history on his own terms. The peace talks will be handicapped by conditionalities, and when the General finds himself caught in a cleft stick and as global pressures grow, he will be unlikely to control the groups involved and the violence that will be unleashed, and yet another power struggle — though a short-lived one — could materialise. In any event, his cards reflect ‘‘a major, sudden, news-creating development’’.
Within Pakistan, the focus on Kashmir and the attendant complications will boost his ratings, but Pakistan’s economy will remain in the doldrums. Internationally, the General — given all the handicaps, will do a good job in trying to bolster Pakistan’s position.

(General Pervez Musharraf’s cards were read on September 5, 2000. )

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