Does this Prove Astrology is Valid?

Across the spectrum of philosophies and religions, few grant significant influence—if any—to the events happening beyond Earth's atmosphere. References to 'Heaven Above' rarely refer to the physical domain of space.

We could categorize exceptions to this general lack of extraterrestrial attention into three types of people. The first would be those who make space their livelihood. As an example, the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson likely thinks about outer space more in a day than the average person does in a year. He is influenced by the stars. 

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The second group would be those faithful to modern religious movements within which doctrines and tenets ascribe divine aspects to planets and stars. That is their faith, and whatever else it might be, we can call it space-based

The third, and perhaps most resilient, school of thought is not confined to any one cohesive ideology. Although its popularity has waxed and waned throughout history, it can be found across the globe: I refer, of course, to astrology.

Astrology, while lacking clear definition or organizational centrality, is generally understood as the belief that astronomical objects exert a metaphysical influence on our lives and character. Some astrologers assign houses of influence to the planets and analyze their relative positions to create horoscopes - individual assessments of the astrological influence at play at any particular moment in time. People of power and influence sometimes believe these predictions to such an extent that disastrous decisions then follow. That’s astrology in its most absurd form. 

More easily accepted is the notion that when we are born has an effect on who we become.

In Western astrology, most of us are familiar with the signs of the zodiac and probably know what sign we were born under. It’s been labeled pseudo-science to accept as true certain qualities are baked into one’s character at birth, based on the arbitrary distinctions of the 12 Zodiac. Regardless, the belief persists. Although “what’s your sign?” is rarely heard these days, it is believed by many that Leos tend to be quite able leaders, Aquarius is a sign full of dreamers and idealists. Cancerians are nurturing and Libra are fun to be around. Any treatment of astrological thought consistently presents these common sun-sign characteristics

My personal interest in astrology has been shaped by my own story. As a child with a vivid imagination, I loved everything related to outer space. Growing up without a prescribed religion, I was free to pick and choose what I wanted to believe. At its core, astrology is space-based, which made it cool and as it was so accepted by the culture of the time, I figured they can’t all be nuts. So when I eventually read works from popular astrologists, I could see clearly that I had the characteristics of a Gemini, my particular sign of birth. I’ll spare the reader the full list of mercurial Gemini traits, but suffice it to say that the very act of writing this long-form piece seems to reinforce the belief in Gemini's link to communication.

My confidence in the validity of the sun-signs was nearly shattered by a chance encounter. In my early adolescence, at a local Supercuts while I was waiting around for a family member to finish being supercutted, I saw a sarcastic representation of the  Zodiac that was intended to be humorous. With nothing to keep me occupied, the poster on the wall caught my attention. It showed cartoonish characterizations of the worst aspects of the common conceptions of these mythical divisions of our calendar.  For Gemini, it showed the twins. One twin was in a prisoner's uniform and scowled like a hardcore felon, whereas the other twin wore heart-shaped glasses, flamboyant clothes and posed with a limp wrist.  Was I destined to become one of these two?  No!  It can’t be!

I was a boy who was frequently in trouble and perhaps that was predictive of a future life of crime. As for the other twin, I was already starting to feel attracted to girls at that age and was looking forward to getting older and finding out more about these things called girls. Was I destined to have all of that disappear and become gay? I was suddenly much deposed to reject astrology and its fatalistic consequences.

Over time, I recovered from my visit to the oracle of the hairdresser and its prediction of me becoming a felon or a f… another word that begins with F. Later, at university, I found studies on the psychology of astrology that debunked the idea of inherent character clusters assignable to the signs. These studies highlighted how people exhibit confirmation bias, readily accepting positive traits as determinant of their character.

It occurred to me that an even more rigorous way to challenge the validity of astrology would be through data analysis. Specifically, I decided to test a very common astrological claim: that Geminis possess exceptional communication skills. To do this, all one needs is a large sample of verifiable 'great communicators' and their dates of birth.

Thanks to modern data-mining AI, I knew this analysis was achievable. I was ready to settle the matter once and for all, fully expecting my personal Gemini conceptions to be debunked. What I found was startling: The results I’m about to present show a very strong, statistically significant correlation—one that borders on proving the hypothesis to be true.

The Hypothesis:

People born between May 21 and June 20 (Gemini) tend to have exceptional communication skills, leading to more of them becoming famous leaders, writers, and celebrities.

Methodology:

To test this, I needed a large, unbiased sample of individuals whose success was demonstrably linked to communication and leadership. Thanks to modern data mining, I was able to gather a sample of 277 names whose distinctions are likely earned by individuals possessing the skills noted in the hypothesis.

Specifically, the AI was asked to compile the names of:

• Nobel Peace Prize laureates
• Presidents of the USA
• Sec Generals of the UN
• Pulitzer Prize winners
• Hugo Award winners
• Coaches enshrined in the basketball or football halls of fame
• Losers of the US Presidential Elections
• Female Heads of state
• Time Magazine Person of the Year
• Significant revolutionaries
• There were a few other search prompts to ensure greater geographical and gender diversity 

If the distribution of signs were purely random, with 12 equal signs, we would expect each sign to account for approximately 1/12 of the sample, or  23.08  people.

The Statistical Results: A Non-Random World

Sample Size: 277 names
See Appendix A for the complete list
RESULTS:

The data is unequivocal. The distribution of sun signs among this elite sample of communicators and leaders is not random.

Based on a sample size of 277 highly accomplished individuals, we expected to see approximately 23 Geminis. Instead, we observed an astonishing 35 Geminis. This result corresponds to a Z-score of approximately 2.59, meaning there is only a 0.48% chance of observing this many Geminis if the distribution were truly random. In statistical terms, we have proven with over 99% certainty that the Gemini sun sign is significantly overrepresented among this elite group.

Final Thoughts

So, where does that leave us? Did we prove astrology is real?

Statistically, we proved something just as fascinating: The distribution of birth dates among this group of the world's most successful communicators is not random. The data shows a powerful, statistically significant correlation linking the Gemini sign with fame and leadership. While these numbers alone cannot rule out other variables—such as seasonal birth rate fluctuations or other external factors—they successfully reject the null hypothesis that all birth signs are equally represented.

For a curious mind who once feared the fatalistic twins of a Supercuts poster, finding such strong, quantifiable evidence is thrilling. The data doesn't just suggest a connection; it demands further investigation into why certain birth periods are so powerfully linked to success in communication and leadership. Perhaps the stars truly do influence us, or perhaps we've just found a statistically robust seasonal advantage—either way, this is a discussion that is just beginning.

Link to my raw data

Appendix A: 277 notable communicators

Well Boys and Girls, Let's Talk about Elvis!

 My handouts for the ukulele club today.  Made with some generative AI help. 

Part 3: My Unmasking - What do the Other Countries Think?

Part 3: My Unmasking - What the World Actually Thinks

In Part 2, I noted that I couldn't really gauge how an average American would react to their national identity being used commercially, and not in a good way. But now, I understand better, and the reaction I was expecting to write about has completely changed. How would an American react to this cultural appropriation? I can gauge that - I just look in the mirror.

I reacted by writing this blog. Ethnocentric animosity simmering behind a vaguely humorous rant.

What I thought was the zeitgeist—the raw cultural reaction to MAGA and our standing in the world—is no such thing. My initial outrage was aimed at a nameless industrial designer making a cynical anti-American political statement. I was wrong. Gemini pointed it out after playing my AI secretary - The image is actually Dallas, a character dating back to the 2011 video game series, Payday: The Heist. The original creator isn't a Chinese industrialist, but a Swede—Ulf Andersson.

This realization is my own personal "unmasking," and I feel a bit silly.

The man who gave the world this enduring image of an American flag-wearing, chaotic, gun-toting clown wasn't a political pundit or a member of CCP responding to the news; he was a game designer using Americana as a reliably recognizable marketing decision. The frightening masquerade I found in Mandalay is not a recent political commentary; it is a decade-old, Swedish-designed image of American criminality that has stuck around long enough to make it into merch (although I doubt Ulf sees a penny of that $1.75).

The Consumption of American Chaos

If the mask isn't a direct political attack, does this trivial piece of plastic sold thousands of miles from the nearest American suburb—truly tell us about what the world thinks?

It might be telling us that the image of American disorder, of the heist, the anti-hero, and the chaos, has been transformed into entertainment. Is it now a cultural export like South Park, John Cena or hip hop? The world isn't just watching the news about the U.S.; it's consuming our drama as an exciting, serialized train wreck.

When I look at this mask now, I see that the shock value of the flag and the clown isn't political; it's marketing. The designer knew that this established symbol of gamer mayhem guaranteed to some recognizability and market success. The American flag mask sold in Mandalay isn't a vote against the White House; it's a purchase of American mythology—the one where the criminals are the stars.

The question is no longer, "Who does this reminder of a political figure remind you of?" The question is: When did the world stop taking American exceptionalism seriously and start enjoying our chaos as popcorn entertainment?

The frightening masquerade isn't over. The fear hasn't faded, but it has shifted. The true American decline isn't the political bluster that dominates the news cycle nor the internal divides that characterize our (lack of) dialog. There's an uncomfortable truth that America has become an entertaining villain on the global stage, and we're too busy watching our own news to notice that the world has already bought the cheap costume.

A Mask that Unmasks Amerika: A Frightening Masquerade - Part 2

(Part One is here) Okay, enough backstory! Here it is. My official personal 2025 Halloween costume, the mask that says so much about the USA.

The frightening masquerade began for me with a single product: a Halloween mask, a $1.75 bit of plastic and rubber, through which we can see a seminal moment in world history. It’s a clown mask stamped with an American flag.

The character of the evil clown must predate Stephen King‘s IT, but I'm not sure about that. I don't remember evil clowns being part of the standard pantheon of Halloween monsters. That said, although it has never particularly frightened me, its perversion makes it scary, representing something that shouldn't be. I’d never seen anything like it. 

I can't really get a gauge on what an averagely patriotic American would feel about non-Americans using Americana internationally for reaching market segments that admire the US of A. Some might see it as appropriation of our symbols for foreign needs. 

America doesn’t license the Stars and Stripes, but it is a kind of soft power. Certainly, I've seen the American flag iconography and colors used awkwardly to promote lots of different products in what used to be a very Yankee-friendly Asia.

I won't dwell on how the most admired country in the world, at least in the last hundred years, has become what it is today. I'm worried about my country, and here in my hands is a sign of its decline.

There's an industrial designer somewhere, likely in China, who had the actual notion that popping the Stars and Stripes atop this frightening facade would resonate with the consumer. I've never seen such a mask. Designed for this year, there are shops just like Happy carrying the latest American holiday theme crap all over the world. I would venture that only in 2025, are we finding the USA flag expressed via a frightening masquerade.

This is what we have become to the world: an evil clown. A costume. A frightening masquerade. It may have shock value, but ultimately, the fear fades, the masquerade ends, revealing nothing more than the clown.

I wonder who that might be?

---

Part three is here

The Frightening Masquerade - Part One

 

Part 1: How American Chaos Landed on 35th at 80th

 

It wasn’t the first time I had found something while shopping at Happy, a renowned retailer in the heart of Mandalay, that changed the way I look at the world. So much so that I had to buy it.

What is Happy? I first came to shop at Happy back in November 2021, after asking a more experienced foreigner where in town I could buy a Santa Claus costume.  Anyone who knows Mandalay will happily answer with Happy. 

Happy has their core product lines of children’s clothes, school supplies, toys, games, tiaras, 925 silver, costume jewelry, hair accessories, cosmetics, cigarette lighters, leather goods, luggage, motorcyclist essentials, J-culture collectibles, road wear, educational posters, dinosaurfigurines, all kinds of hats, and God-knows-why, tucked by the back door, adjacent to a single freezer of ice cream treats, they offer a wide variety of tropical aquarium fish. All this in about 8000 sq feet of retail floor.  Happy is the source for all seasonal holiday merchandise, like Halloween costumes. Suffice to say, you never run into the same collection of merchandise any time you go to Happy on 35/36 at 80th.

As it is Halloween, enter Happy today and you might think you’re at the gift shop of Platform 9 ¾ after it’s bought by Spirit Halloween. Amazing how the role of witch of the West has gone from an evil to be ostracized or burned alive to now hanging out with Arianna Grande and is your daughter’s costume of choice.  

Halloween predates the founding of America by millennia, ie, it’s not specifically an American holiday. However, like Valentine's Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and of course Christmas, Halloween has been embraced by American capitalists and made into something new.  It has a proven otherworldly ability to convince every family in the country that they've got to go buy something.

Here in Asia, I can speculate that there were lots of businesses and interests that wanted to create something like that here. Over the last decade, I’ve seen it happen. Last year, the crush of parents and children all descending on Happy  just before the class costume contest at various functions was quite a surprise when I stumbled upon it. 

At Mandalay’s many private schools, kids and adults alike dress up for Halloween. Down in Yangon, there are even Halloween parties among its modest youth nightlife.   Its significance as the eve before All Saints’ Day has been left out of the story. Here, it’s what the candy makers, Pixar and gifts industry intended:  a non-religious celebration of costumes, contests and fun.

Some elements of the Halloween holiday seem quite familiar to the locals. Just a few weeks back, for the October Thandingyut Buddhist holiday, every family dutifully bought candles and lit them in front of their homes. Like Jack-o'-lanterns without pumpkins. I'm sure it's a big day for the candle industry. 

Last week, as I perused the 2025 collection of ghoulish goods at Happy, the frightening masquerade was about to begin for me.

Part II:

Leavnig Greensleaves

 

Google Translate ရေ... စိတ်အေးအေးထားပါတော့။

To demonstrate the point I made in yesterday's blog, here is yesterday's post translated without edits by Gemini: 

ကျွန်တော့်ရဲ့ ဒေသခံ သွားဘက်ဆိုင်ရာဆေးခန်းကနေ လွန်ခဲ့တဲ့ရက်အနည်းငယ်က ထူးခြားတဲ့ Viber မက်ဆေ့ချ်တစ်ခု လက်ခံရရှိခဲ့ပါတယ်။ အောက်မှာ ကြည့်လိုက်ပါ- 

"မနေ့က ယာယီနေထိုင်ရာကို သွားဖို့ အဆင်ပြေရဲ့လား။" ဟမ့်? ပထမတစ်ချက်မှာ နားမလည်တာကြောင့် နှစ်ခါပြန်ကြည့်ပြီးနောက် ဒါဟာ ဘာလဲဆိုတာကို သိလိုက်ရပါတယ်။ ဒါက Google Translate ရဲ့ မှားယွင်းတဲ့ ဘာသာပြန်ခြင်း တစ်ခုပါ။ ဆေးခန်းက ဝန်ထမ်းအမျိုးသမီးတွေဟာ အင်္ဂလိပ်စကားကို ကျွမ်းကျင်စွာ မပြောနိုင်ကြတဲ့အတွက် Google Translate ကို အသုံးပြုပြီး ကျွန်တော့်ဆီကို တစ်ခုခု ပြောချင်ကြတာ ဖြစ်ပါတယ်။

အခုလို ပြောပြနေတာဟာ သူတို့ကို နောက်ပြောင်ချင်လို့ မဟုတ်ပါဘူး။ ဒါပေမဲ့ ဒီလို လုံးဝ နီးပါး နားမလည်နိုင်တဲ့ Google Translate မက်ဆေ့ချ်မျိုး ကျွန်တော် နောက်ဆုံး လက်ခံရရှိတာ ဖြစ်နိုင်တယ်လို့ ယူဆတဲ့အတွက် မှတ်သားစရာ ကောင်းတယ်လို့ ထင်ပါတယ်။ နေ့တိုင်း နိုင်ငံခြားဘာသာစကားတွေနဲ့ ထိတွေ့နေရတဲ့ သူတစ်ယောက်အနေနဲ့ ဒီလိုအတွေ့အကြုံမျိုး အများကြီး မြင်ဖူးပါတယ်။ ဒီနေ့ခေတ်မှာတော့ ကျွန်တော် Google Translate ကို ရှားရှားပါးပါးမှ သုံးဖြစ်ပါတော့တယ်။ အဲဒီအစား ကျွန်တော့်ရဲ့ ဘာသာပြန်လိုအပ်ချက်တွေအတွက် Google Gemini လိုမျိုး AI ကို အသုံးပြုပါတယ်။ Gemini ဟာ Google Translate ရဲ့ မိသားစုထဲမှာပဲ ရှိနေတာဖြစ်တဲ့အတွက် ဘာလို့ တစ်ခုနဲ့တစ်ခု ပေါင်းစပ်မထားရတာလဲဆိုတာ ကျွန်တော် မသိပေမဲ့ မကြာခင်မှာ ပေါင်းစပ်သွားမယ်လို့တော့ ယုံကြည်ပါတယ်။

ကဲ... Google Translate ကို အသုံးပြုပြီး တရုတ်တီးတိုး စကားကစားနည်း (Chinese whispers) ကို စမ်းသပ်ကြည့်ရအောင်... ကျွန်တော်ဟာ "In peace may you rest" (ငြိမ်သက်ခြင်းနဲ့ အနားယူပါစေ) ဆိုတဲ့ စကားလုံးနဲ့ စတင်ခဲ့ပြီး အဲဒီနောက်မှာ ကျပန်း ဘာသာပြန်ခြင်း ငါးမျိုးဖြစ်တဲ့ English-> Burmese->Swahili->Japanese->Sicilian->Batak စတဲ့ ဘာသာစကားတွေကို အဆင့်ဆင့် ပြောင်းလဲပြီး နောက်ဆုံး English ဘာသာကို ပြန်ပြောင်းတဲ့အခါ "Please calm down" (စိတ်အေးအေးထားပါ) လို့ ထွက်ပေါ်လာခဲ့ပါတယ်။ အဲဒီလိုနဲ့... သူတို့ဟာ ကျွန်တော့်အတွက် စကားဝှက်တစ်ခု ချန်ထားခဲ့တာကို မမေ့သင့်ပါဘူး။

ဒီမက်ဆေ့ချ် မပို့ခင် တစ်ရက်အလိုမှာ ကျွန်တော်ဟာ အဲဒီဆေးခန်းမှာ သွားအလုပ်တစ်ခု (သွားတံတား စိုက်ခြင်း) လုပ်ခဲ့ပါတယ်။ "တံတား" (bridge) ဆိုတာ အဆောက်အအုံဖြစ်သလို၊ နေထိုင်ရာ (residence) ဆိုတာလည်း အဆောက်အအုံ တစ်ခုပါပဲ။ ဒါဟာ အဲဒါပဲ ဖြစ်ရမှာပါ။ ဒါပေမဲ့ ကျွန်တော်က ယာယီသွား အတွက် ကျပ်ဆယ်သိန်း (တစ်သန်း) အကုန်မခံနိုင်ပါဘူး! ဘယ်လိုပဲဖြစ်ဖြစ် ကျွန်တော့်စိတ်ထဲမှာ Google Translate ရဲ့ အဓိပ္ပာယ်ကို "မနေ့က လုပ်ခဲ့တဲ့အလုပ် (သွားတံတား စိုက်တာ) အဆင်ပြေရဲ့လား" လို့ ကောက်ယူလိုက်ပါတယ်။ 

သူတို့ဟာ လူနာကို အခြေအနေ စစ်ဆေးတာ ဖြစ်ပါတယ်။ ဟုတ်ကဲ့၊ အဆင်ပြေပါတယ်။ 

ကျွန်တော် ပါးစပ်ရဲ့ နှစ်ဖက်စလုံးနဲ့ ပြန်လည် ဝါးနိုင်ပါပြီ။