5 February: Aquarius

We're currently in the astrological sign of Aquarius. 10 facts about this sign:

1. The Water carrier depicted as representing this sign is Ganymede, the beautiful son of the king of Troy. Zeus fell in love with him and whisked him away to heaven to become cup bearer to the gods.
2. The Greeks tell a different story. They associate Aquarius with Deucalion, son of Prometheus who built a ship to escape a flood with his wife, Pyrrha.
3. The word Aquarius comes from the Latin for water carrier or cup bearer.
4. Other Astronomical systems frequently associate the constellation of Aquarius with water. The Ancient Egyptians connected it to the annual flooding of the Nile. The Babylonians associated it with the destructive floods that happened from time to time. The Greeks represented the constellation as a vase pouring water, as do the Chinese, and in Hindu astrology, it's given the name Kumbha, meaning water pitcher.
5. Despite all that, Aquarius is an air sign, not a water sign.
6. Astrologers speak of astrological ages, related to the procession of the Earth, which proceeds through the zodiac signs in reverse order. Each age lasts about 2,160 years. Hence the Age of Aquarius follows the Age of Pisces. Astrologers claim that each age represents a shift in the development of humankind in terms of culture and society. Our current age is somewhere on the cusp of Pisces and Aquarius. Astrologers disagree about when the Age of Aquarius will begin, or indeed, whether it might have started already. Since the sign of Aquarius is associated with things like computers, flight, electricity, feminism, freedom, rebellion and democracy you can see why they might think that. While some give it a fixed start date (4 February 1962 being one) others say it's a gradual change. The best-known cultural reference to this is of course, the song Aquarius from the musical Hair, including the line, "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius."
7. The ruling planet of Aquarius is Uranus.
8. Aquarius birthstones are Amethyst, Garnet, Hematite, Sugilte and Amber.
9. So what are people born under this sign like? Their characteristics include being fiercely independent and hating restrictions of any kind, which can be at odds with their warm and compassionate natures. They are intelligent and will tend to judge situations based on the facts rather than their feelings.
10. Famous people born under this sign include Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Thomas Edison, James Spader, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bob Marley, Ed Sheeran, Ellen De Generes, Harry Styles, John Travolta and Oprah Winfrey.

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Settling the Score

Another collection of short stories, even more murder and mayhem with carol singers, an orchestra out for revenge, a sinister magic stone and a haunted mansion.

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A Tale of Two Sisters

During a battle with supervillains, a horrific accident leaves the Warner family with no option but to believe their youngest daughter, Jessica, is dead. It doesn't occur to them that the bad guys could, or would, save her.

Jessica wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she came to be on a space station with two bionic legs, a bionic arm and a bionic eye. She is told her family abandoned her and is sent back to Earth with a mission - to kill them. While Jessica wants to kill her family, along with the twin boys who once rejected her, she knows what the Alliance of Supervillains are asking her to do is a suicide mission. She decides to get her revenge in her own way.

As Jessica puts the first part of her revenge plan in motion, she finds herself with an agonising decision to make. Before she can decide, the Alliance come for her, determined to make her do their bidding. This time, it's the Alliance who leave her, crippled and at the mercy of the Warner family, who have no idea who the Alliance's Black Rose really is.

Jessica finds herself having to re-think her decisions in light of what she now learns about her family, the Alliance, the twins, and herself. It would appear the Alliance have left her with an unwanted and permanent reminder of her time with them. Or have they?

Jessica's older sister, Jill, knows her destiny is to be a doctor and specialise in bionics and genetic variant medicine. She is also hopelessly in love with Christopher, Crown Prince of Galorvia. Can their romance survive the lies Christopher told her when they were both at school, an unplanned pregnancy and Sophie, the wannabe princess who comes between them?

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