Star

CAPRICORN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:09:00 -0700

(21 Dec - 19 Jan)

Anda telah salah menilai seseorang, dan sepertinya memang seharusnya Anda tak menilai seseorang terlalu cepat. Inilah akibat kesimpulan yang dibuat terlalu terburu-buru. Coba berikan kesempatan bagi diri Anda mengejar hal-hal yang ketinggalan. Berjuanglah untuk maju ke depan, dan jadikan pengalaman di belakang Anda sebagai panduan.

Cinta: Perhatian dan rasa sayang lebih penting ketimbang hanya materi belaka. Akhir minggu ini adalah saat yang tepat Anda menghabiskan waktu dengan keluarga, setidaknya sebuah semangat kekeluargaan akan mengingatkan Anda untuk melangkah di awan cinta Anda.

Karir dan Keuangan: Bijaksanalah dalam menata pengeluaran Anda, jangan terlalu boros sekalipun Anda merasa saat ini rejeki mengalir bagaikan banjir. Ide dan kepercayaan diri diperlukan di akhir minggu nanti, simpan energi Anda untuk memberikan penampilan terbaik di dalam pertemuan penting nanti.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

SAGITARIUS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:09:00 -0700

(23 Nov - 20 Dec)

Pertengahan minggu nanti Anda dituntut untuk menjadi pendengar yang baik, coba untuk duduk diam dan tetap fokus, ada nasehat bijak yang dapat Anda ambil dalam dialog tersebut.

Cinta: Beri diri Anda waktu untuk menikmati proses yang memang membutuhkan waktu yang cukup lama. Di akhir minggu nanti perasaan gundah akan meliputi Anda, dan sebuah pertikaian kecil bisa meletus kapan saja.

Karir dan Keuangan: Anda telah bekerja dengan baik dan memberikan hasil yang cukup memuaskan di level sebelumnya. Seiring dengan berjalannya minggu ini, energi Anda meluap dan menghasilkan suatu kreativitas yang berlebihan. Pastikan bahwa hal tersebut tersalurkan secara positif, Anda tahu kan maksudnya?

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

SCORPIO

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:08:00 -0700

(23 Oct - 22 Nov)

Jika Anda ingin membuat suatu perubahan besar, persiapkan diri Anda menghadapi ombak yang akan mengguncang Anda ya! Pertengahan minggu suhu semakin memuncak, begitupun emosi Anda. Coba untuk lebih sabar ya bu! Biar nggak cepet tua nantinya.

Cinta: Namun Anda tak akan bisa menolak kehangatan cinta yang ditawarkan olehnya kepada Anda. Coba untuk lebih santai dan tidak terlalu serius, perasaan rileks dan santai akan mempermudah Anda melewati segala tekanan dan rintangan.

Karir dan Keuangan: Pertengahan minggu nanti suasana akan lebih terkendali, ikuti jalur intuisi dan jangan tertipu oleh emosi semata. Minggu ini bonus menanti Anda dan nikmati sebuah weekend yang manis dengan makan malam bersama keluarga dan orang terdekat Anda.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

LIBRA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:08:00 -0700

(23 Sept - 22 Oct)

Bahkan untuk urusan pekerjaan pun, atasan Anda tak akan ragu memberikan kepercayaan penuh pada Anda untuk melakukan negosiasi penting. Anda tentunya tahu kapan waktu untuk berbicara dan kapan untuk diam, untuk itu di akhir minggu ini Anda akan bertemu dengan sosok yang terpukau oleh pesona Anda.

Cinta: Aha! ini dia sosok yang ditunggu-tunggu, ayo tunggu apalagi, lancarkan semua jurus maut Anda. Buat si dia terpesona dengan kepiawaian Anda bercerita dan membuat si dia tertawa nyaman di dekat Anda.

Karir dan Keuangan: Untuk itu Anda akan diberikan kepercayaan oleh atasan dalam menghadapi sebuah proyek yang cukup penting. Pastikan Anda tahu kapan harus diam dan kapan berbicara, selamat untuk Anda, dipastikan Anda akan mencetak sebuah prestasi bagus di minggu ini.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

VIRGO

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:07:00 -0700

(22 Aug - 22 Sept)

Jika Anda merasa semua terlalu membebani Anda, ambil sedikit waktu untuk kembali rileks dan membiarkan perasaan Anda netral. Coba untuk lebih fokus pada perbaikan diri sendiri di akhir minggu nanti, abaikan sebentar soal pekerjaan dan soal cinta.

Cinta: Selama Anda merasa itu bukan beban, coba untuk jujur dan lebih terbuka. Mengungkapkan perasaan tak pernah salah kok, sekalipun Anda adalah wanita, Anda tetap memiliki hak untuk menunjukkan perasaan Anda pada orang yang Anda cinta.

Karir dan Keuangan: Dengan sedikit usaha keras dan disiplin dalam waktu, akhir minggu nanti Anda lebih bisa bersantai dan menikmati sisa minggu dengan bersenang-senang. Jangan lupa sisakan waktu untuk bersenang-senang ya.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

LEO

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:06:00 -0700

(21 Jul - 21 Aug)

Hidup akan terasa lebih rumit pada minggu ini, akankah Anda menghadapi dan maju atau malah mundur dan bersembunyi tatkala menghadapi suatu masalah? Nikmati saja setiap halangan yang merintangi jalan Anda di minggu ini, tepati janji yang sempat tertunda minggu lalu.

Cinta: Namun jangan khawatir, karena masalah itu akan pergi secepat ia datang. Anda akan banyak belajar hal baru minggu ini, dan coba untuk tidak mengulangi kesalahan yang sama kelak. Buang ego dan keras kepala Anda jadilah sosok yang lebih dewasa.

Karir dan Keuangan: Seseorang yang cerdas akan berusaha untuk mencari cara baru yang lebih modern untuk berusaha menang, dan percayalah Anda bukan orang bodoh! Untuk itu beranikan diri bersuara dan tinggalkan saja orang-orang yang hanya bisa mencaci dan memaki sesuatu yang bahkan mereka tak mampu melakukan.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

CANCER

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:05:00 -0700

(21 Jun - 20 Jul)

Di pertengahan minggu ini Anda mendapatkan sebuah kesempatan lama yang akan mendatangkan keuntungan yang cukup besar, persiapkan diri dan lakukan yang terbaik untuk meraih hal tersebut. Hati-hati, di akhir minggu mood Anda bisa turun drastis.

Cinta: Sebuah perselisihan datang di akhir minggu, pikirkan segala sesuatu dengan jernih dan kepala dingin, jangan biarkan emosi menggerogoti Anda dan mengendalikan hidup Anda.

Karir dan Keuangan: Keluar dari comfort zone Anda dan coba untuk cari tempat yang lebih menantang untuk menguji kemampuan Anda. Kata kunci minggu ini adalah pertimbangan, segala sesuatu tergantung pada pertimbangan dan keputusan Anda.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

GEMINI

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:05:00 -0700

(21 Mei - 20 Jun)

Tunjukkan motivasi dan kerja keras Anda dan Anda akan menemukan kejutan yang tak pernah terduga sebelumnya. Di akhir minggu ini sebuah rahasia akan terungkap, be ready!

Cinta: Manfaatkan saja waktu Anda untuk membuat seseorang terpesona dan bahagia bersama Anda, lepaskan segala kebahagiaan dan tetap berada di dalam keceriaan Anda. Jika pada akhir minggu nanti Anda masih merasa gundah, tetaplah bersabar, sebuah nasehat bijak akan memberikan inspirasi untuk Anda.

Karir dan Keuangan: Sekalipun di akhir minggu Anda punya cukup waktu untuk beristirahat, pastikan email atau ponsel Anda tetap menyala, komunikasi begitu penting bagi karier Anda akhir minggu nanti.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

TAURUS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:04:00 -0700

(21 Apr - 20 Mei)

Tenang saja, karena pertengahan minggu ini Anda akan merasa lebih tenang dan santai. Anda bisa menghabiskan waktu dengan acara shopping, pastikan memilih jeans terbaru yang kini sedang in, yang bisa mengekspose pantat Anda yang seksi.

Cinta: Jangan takut si dia akan kecewa dan meninggalkan Anda, kritik bisa saja membuat hubungan malah lebih baik dan lebih dekat. Oya, sebaiknya Anda bersiap-siap karena si dia akan memberikan kejutan yang membuat jantung Anda hampir copot.

Karir dan Keuangan: Coba untuk mengonsumsi bubur oatmeal setiap pagi, mungkin dengan beberapa potongan buah kalengan manis agar tak terlalu membosankan. Jus alpukat baik untuk Anda, sajikan jus alpukat plain setiap pagi agar Anda merasa lebih fresh.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

ARIES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:04:00 -0700

(21 Mar - 21 Apr)

Beberapa halangan tiba-tiba menghadang di pertengahan minggu, dan hal tersebut memancing emosi Anda. Tetap usahakan untuk sabar dan tetap dingin, di akhir minggu nanti Anda akan menemukan jalan keluar terbaik tanpa harus mengandalkan emosi semata.

Cinta: Tak perlu bingung merasa kesepian dan sendiri, minggu ini dewi cinta sedang memihak Anda. Pastikan Anda selalu tampil cantik dan ceria, karena ada seseorang yang sedang mengamati Anda dengan penuh kekaguman.

Karir dan Keuangan: Walaupun Anda merasa tak terlalu bebas dalam mengambil keputusan, namun untuk saat ini yang terbaik adalah tetap dalam kelompok. Hati-hati di pertengahan minggu emosi Anda memuncak, kendalikan emosi dengan baik agar di akhir minggu ini Anda bisa sedikit lebih lega.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

PIESCES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:02:00 -0700

(19 Feb - 20 Mar)

Imajinasi dan energi Anda berlari bersamaan dengan sangat kencang dan menggebu-gebu, tetapi hati-hati dalam melangkah karena banyak lubang di depan Anda yang akan membuat Anda terjatuh jika tak berhati-hati.

Cinta: Hapus air mata Anda dan bangkit raih diri Anda. Jangan biarkan diri Anda terpuruk terlalu dalam pada kesedihan yang tak berujung. Sahabat Anda adalah sosok yang Anda butuhkan saat ini, cari dia dan keluarkan semua kekesalan dan kekecewaan Anda padanya. Ia akan siap membantu Anda.

Karir dan Keuangan: Hati-hati, karena karier Anda sedang bagus, jangan sampai karena salah langkah Anda jadi jatuh dan terpuruk. Oya, salah seorang rekan kerja Anda tak begitu suka melihat keberhasilan Anda. Sebaiknya Anda meningkatkan kewaspadaan Anda, ada baiknya Anda mengubah password PC Anda.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

AQUARIUS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 18:01:00 -0700

(20 Jan - 18 Feb)

Minggu ini diawali dengan semangat Anda yang baru dan berapi-api. Anda siap menghadirkan tampilan baru Anda dengan energi positif di setiap pergerakan Anda. Di pertengahan minggu ini Anda akan bertemu dengan beberapa orang baru, coba untuk menjalin hubungan aktif dengan mereka karena di lain waktu mereka akan sangat menolong Anda.

Cinta: Suasana hangat terbangun antara Anda dan si dia, Anda akan menemukan bahwa diam-diam sifat lama Anda akan berubah dengan kehadiran sosok tersebut. Nikmati saja momen ini, dan biarkan kupu-kupu cinta membawa Anda terbang ke langit ke tujuh.

Karir dan Keuangan: Lampu hijau menyala untuk Anda bergerak maju dan mengambil kesempatan yang ada di depan mata. Tunggu apalagi? tekan pedal gas sedalam mungkin dan melaju kencang meraih kesempatan yang tak datang dua kali secara bersamaan itu.

Dapatkan KUMPULAN SOAL-SOAL CPNS Terbaru, Klik Di Sini!

Zodiac Terbaru Versi Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:35:00 -0800

Capricorn
Keuangan anda kayaknya bakal jadi masalah hari ini: hindari ke mall dan semua acara balanja kamu, karena keuangan kamu lagi datang dan pergi gitu aja. Mungkin kamu bosen dengernya, tapi nggak ada salahnya bikin anggaran, dan kamu bener2 jalanin anggaran kamu!

Aquarius
Aspek yang menantang hari ini akan segera bergeser, dan kamu bakal merasa mendapat angin segar! yang akan datang dengan semangat baru untuk memperbaiki kesehatan dan lingkungan kamu. Ingat, apapun yang kamu lakukan buat ngajakin temen, pendekatan yang arif akan sangat baik!

Pisces
Adanya perubahan dalam perjalanan planet yang ada membuat kamu agak berbeda sedikit dari biasanya! Kamu bukan orang yang membuat keputusan mendadak di urusan romansa, tapi ada seseorang yang menarik perhatian dan akan bikin kamu jadi ugal2an. Awas, ada anggota keluarga atau temen deket yang kurang suka!

Aries
Hari ini akan terbagi menjadi dua bagian, begitu pengaruh yang ada akan muncul, mood kamu akan berubah dari orang yang santai jadi orang yang pekerja keras! Akan ada banyak kesempatan yang ada untuk perubahan yang positif dan konstruktif dalam kehidupan kamu juga lho!

Taurus
Akan ada kesempatan luar biasa untuk menghasilkan lebih banyak uang hari ini. Nggak mungkin namanya uang jatuh gitu aja kan, kamu harus tetep kerja, dan akhirnya keuangan kamu akan semakin sehat, bahkan kamu juga bakal merayakan ada kemenangan kecil di kerjaan atau di sekkolah hari ini!

Gemini
Keterikatan emosional yang ada akan menghapus hari yang seharusnya bisa sempurna! Planet yang ada akan membuat perubahan di rutinitas anda. Jika ada sesuatu yang bikin kamu nggak bahagia, sekarang adalah saatnya kamu menghadapinya! Karena planet yang ada akan memberikan dukungan yang kamu butuhkan!

Cancer
Hari ini kamu bakal pengen pegang setir, biar juga kamu ngerasa kesulitan. Tapi ada pepatah yang mengatakan bahwa kamu harus mecahin telur kalo mau bikin kue dadar! Investasikan tenaga kamu di kerja keras untuk mengambil kendali, dan kamu akan berbahagia menerima hasilnya!

Leo
Semua hal akan bekerja keras mendukung anda hari ini, perjalanan akan tampak sangat positif, dan semua kesempatan yang memperkaya kehidupan kamu sebaiknya segera kamu ambil. Jika kamu berencana mau liburan, maka sekarang adalah waktunya untuk memfinalkan semua rencana yang ada. Satu hal yang pasti, apapun yang kamu lakukan akan membawa sukses buat kamu!

Virgo
Pengaruh planet yang ada akan menambahkan berbagai semangat dalam kehidupan cinta kamu. Kamu yang jomblo bakal rada "jinak2 merpati" karena ada orang yang menarik perhatian kamu, tapi juga rada penuntut, sementara yang udah ada pasangan, siap2 untuk menjalani malam yang panas dan tidak terlupakan.

Libra
Hari ini kamu bakal merasa sangat dinamis dan luar biasa fokus. Kamu butuh untuk mempersiapkan kehidupan sosial kamu yang sibuk untuk membuat kemajuan, dan mungkin kamu bakal merasa berjuang keras hanya untuk meraih sesuatu, tapi jangan takut, ada dukungan dari seseorang yang tidak disangka!

Scorpio
Kerjaan atau sekolah akan menjadi fokus kamu hari ini, karena hari ini kamu sedang penuh ide. Kamu bakal merasakan rasa percaya diri yang akan membantu kamu menjadi lebih asertif dari biasa. Tapi jangan biarkan antusiasme kamu akan membuat kamu mengabaikan teman atau rekan kerja kamu!

Sagitarius
Kerjaan atau sekolah akan menjadi prioritas kamu hari ini, karena kamu akan merasakan bahwa disiplin dan komunikasi yang jelas akan membuat kerjaan menjadi ringan. Kamu masih berada dalam mood yang baik, jadi jangan gunakan semua energi kamu, coba simpan energi yang ada untuk malam seru bareng ama temen malam ini!
__________________
sariaman arts

Ramalan Bintang ( Zodiak ) dan Horoskop terbaru

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:22:00 -0800

Ingin mengetahui Ramalan bintang ( ZODIAK ) dan Ramalan horoskop terbaru dan juga ramalan keberuntungan, Cinta dan asmara zodiak anda dari cancer, virgo, taurus, capricorn, libra, scorpio, aries, aquarius Sagitarius, LEO, Gemini, Pisces. dibawah ini adalah Ramalan bintang terbaru untuk bulan ini. Source dari Okezone

Horoskop Periode 6-12 Januari 2009

CAPRICORN (22 Desember-19 Januari)

Umum: Energi dan ambisi Anda sangat besar, sehingga banyak solusi yang Anda hasilkan minggu ini. Rentetan keberhasilan itu membuat orang lain berdecak kagum. Namun, jangan terlalu larut dalam pujian. Luangkan waktu untuk keluarga dan orang-orang yang Anda sayangi.

Cinta: Hati dan pikiran Anda berada dalam keseiimbangan yang sangat bagus. Anda tidak bisa mengatakan tidak bila berhadapan dengan si dia. Kalau masih sendiri, Anda akan bertemu dengan orang yang sangat menggoda.

ARIES (21 Maret-19 April)

Umum: Hampir setiap orang yang Anda kenal merasa kurang nyaman berada di dekat Anda. Berusahalah untuk mengurangi kompetisi yang Anda ciptakan sendiri. Karena apa pun yang Anda lakukan akan terasa sulit. Jalin kerja sama dengan orang lain dan bergabunglah dalam suatu kelompok baru. Ingat, kesuksesan yang akan Anda raih membutuhkan dukungan orang di sekitar Anda.

Cinta: Pilihlah salah satu cara yang paling tepat untuk mengekspresikan perasaan Anda kepada si dia. Jika Anda sudah siap, jangan lewatkan kesempatan itu.

TAURUS (20 April-20 Mei)

Umum: Anda akan berpikir tentang kehidupan diri sendiri daripada masyarakat dan hal-hal yang tidak lagi memberi keuntungan bagi Anda. Cobalah untuk mulai melihat ke depan. Bersiaplah untuk menghadapi pengalaman baru. Kesabaran, kejujuran, dan keiklasan Anda dapat sangat membantu keberhasilan pekerjaan Anda. Namun banyak orang yang akan memanfaatkan itu untuk kepentingannya sendiri. Mengajak kerja sama dengan teman-teman yang biasanya dipercaya mutlak perlu minggu ini. Namun, waspada pada orang yang selalu menunggu waktu lengah Anda.

Cinta: Perbaharui hubungan Anda dengan si dia dengan beberapa perubahan dan rencana yang romantis. Ini sangat penting, mengingat ada orang lain yang siap mengganggu hubungan itu.

GEMINI (21 Mei-21 Juni)

Umum: Jangan terlalu percaya pada orang lain dalam urusan uang karena saat ini dia sedang menunggu saat yang tepat untuk mendepak Anda. Maksimalkan talenta yang ada pada diri Anda karena banyak peluang yang bisa mendatangkan pemasukan besar dan mengubah hidup Anda.

Cinta: Kemampuan bergaul Anda yang fleksibel sangat menentukan arah kehidupan cinta Anda. Cobalah membuat rencana yang kreatif dan jangan lupa mengklarifikasi kesalahpahaman yang ada.

CANCER (22 Juni-22 Juli)

Umum: Bila Anda ingin menghindari kesalahpahaman, jangan terlalu agresif minggu ini. Anda akan menemukan kesulitan untuk membuat orang lain mengerti dan memahami sikap Anda. Jangan paksakan! Pikirkan baik-baik sebelum bicara dan lihat baik-baik sebelum melangkah!

Cinta: Dia akan salah mengerti sikap Anda. Karena itu, cepatlah mengklarifikasinya. Kalau sudah begitu, bersiap-siaplah menikmati romantisme baru.

LEO (23 Juli-22 Agustus)

Umum: Teruskan rencana yang sudah Anda susun dan raihlah peluang emas. Banyak pujian datang karena keberhasilan Anda. Tapi akan sangat menyulitkan kalah Anda kembali ke egoisme Anda yang sangat tinggi itu. Percayalah insting Anda. Spekulasi dan naluri terkadang sangat dibutuhkan ketika Anda bimbang menentukan pilihan.

Cinta: Kehidupan romantisme Anda sangat indah minggu ini kalau optimisme dan kerendahan hati hati ada di dalamnya. Kesabaran menjadi kata kunci keberhasilan dalam urusan cinta.

VIRGO (22 Agustus-22 September)

Umum: Banyak ide cemerlang yang perlu Anda wujudkan dan diskusikan dengan rekan-rekan kerja. Anda juga akan sangat dibutuhkan dalam kelompok atau organisasi. Tapi Anda perlu ekstra hati-hati pada persoalan yang muncul karena pergaulan. Saatnya untuk bersikap kritis.

Cinta: Anda kejutan-kejutan yang sangat indah di minggu ini. Ide-ide kreatif sangat dibutuhkan untuk menciptakan romantisme. Untuk Anda yang masih jomblo, kebingungan sangat kuat melanda Anda.

LIBRA (23 September-23 Oktober)

Umum: Batasan-batasan masa lalu hendaknya segera dilupakan. Bangkitkan optimisme dalam diri dan keluarlah dari belenggu yang menghimpit selama ini. Meskipun minggu ini banyak hal yang berjalan tidak sesuai rencana, cobalah untuk selalu flesibel.

Cinta: Upaya Anda menciptakan Susana romantis selalu gagal. Terasa sangat sulit dan melelahkan! Biarjan hati dan pikiran Anda dituntun oleh cinta. Ungkapkan isi hati Anda secara jujur.

SCORPIO (24 Oktober-21 November)

Umum: Satu hal yang perlu diwaspadai, hubungan kerja sama dengan teman akan kurang harmonis karena sikap Anda yang terlalu terbuka terhadap setiap pendapat. Banyak masukan karena minggu ini ada kesempatan dan peluang yang dipercaya oleh atasan Anda.

Cinta: Pergaulan dan hubungan sosial sangat bagus dan Anda mendapat banyak pujian. Ini merupakan nilai lebih yang bisa memperrbaiki kehidupan cinta Anda.

SAGITARIUS (23 November -21 Desember)

Umum: Banyak pekerjaan dan tugas yang harus Anda selesaikan dengan segera. Anda harus berkumpul dengan banyak orang dan mengadopsi ide-ide mereka. Berdiskusi dan bernegosiasi dapat mempertajam wawasan Anda.

Cinta: Dalam urusan cinta pun Anda memerlukan masukan-masukan dari orang-orang yang sudah berpengalaman. Hasrat dan gelora cinta dalam diri Anda sebaiknya disalurkan secara benar agar hubungan itu semakin manis.

AGUARIUS (18 Januari-18 Februari)

Umum: Jangan lawan arus yang ada. Biarkan saja hal itu lewat di depan Anda. Pada pertengahan bulan ini, rasa percaya diri dan karisma yang Anda miliki akan mempengaruhi banyak orang. Cobalah untuk selalu mengintrospeksi diri, mungkin ada sesuatu yang telah salah pada sikap dan kebijakan yang Anda ambil.

Cinta: Biarkanlah imaginasi dan fantasi romantis selalu menghiasi kehidupan asmara Anda.

PISCES (18 Februari-20 Maret)

Umum: Kemampuan menajerial Anda sangat dibutuhkan minggu ini. Ide-ide cemerlang Anda sangat diperlukan, terutama untuk memilah mana yang berguna dan yang tidak.

Cinta: Semuanya mengalir bagaikan air tenang dan menyejukkan. Kehidupan Anda yang stabil sangat memengaruhi suasana hatinya. Pertahankan itu.

From :Suhendrawan.com

Zodiac Killer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 6 Sep 2007 20:53:00 -0700

The Zodiac Killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California for ten months in the late 1960s. His identity remains unknown.

The Zodiac coined his name in a series of taunting letters he sent to the press until 1974. His letters included four cryptograms (or ciphers), three of which have yet to be solved.

The Zodiac murdered five known victims in Benicia, Vallejo, Lake Berryessa, and San Francisco between December 1968 and October 1969. Four men and three women between the ages of 16 and 29 were targeted. Others have also been suspected to be Zodiac victims, but there has been thus far no conclusive evidence to link them to the killer.

In April 2004, the San Francisco Police Department marked the case "inactive", but reopened it some time before March 2007. The case remains open in other jurisdictions as well.

The victims

Confirmed

Although the Zodiac claimed in letters to newspapers that he murdered as many as 37 people, investigators agree on only seven confirmed victims, two of whom survived. They are:

* David Arthur Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16: Shot and killed on December 20, 1968, on Lake Herman Road just within the city limits of Benicia.
* Michael Renault Mageau, 19, and Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin, 22: Shot on July 4, 1969, at Blue Rock Springs Golf Course parking lot on the outskirts of Vallejo; Darlene was DOA at Kaiser Foundation Hospital, while Michael survived.
* Bryan Calvin Hartnell, 20, and Cecelia Ann Shepard, 22: Stabbed on September 27, 1969, on what is today locally referred to as "Zodiac Island" at Lake Berryessa in Napa County; Hartnell survived six stab wounds to the back, but Shepard died of her injuries two days later.
* Paul Lee Stine, 29: Shot and killed on October 11, 1969, in Presidio Heights in San Francisco.

Suspected

Many others have been identified as potential Zodiac victims, although evidence is inconclusive and none are universally accepted as Zodiac victims. The more well-known suspected victims are:

* Robert Domingos, 18, and Linda Edwards, 17: Shot and killed on June 4, 1963, at a beach near Lompoc. Edwards and Domingos were named as possible Zodiac victims due to the specific similarities between their attack and the Zodiac's attack at Lake Berryessa.
* Cheri Jo Bates, 18: Stabbed to death and nearly decapitated on October 30, 1966, at Riverside Community College in Riverside. Bates' possible connection to the Zodiac only came to light four years after her murder when San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery received a tip regarding similarities between the Zodiac killings and the circumstances surrounding Bates' death.
* Kathleen Johns, 22: Abducted on March 22, 1970, on Highway 132 by I-580, west of Modesto. Johns escaped from the car of a man who drove her and her infant daughter around on the backroads between Stockton and Patterson for some three hours. After escaping to the police station in Patterson, she saw the Zodiac's wanted poster and identified him as her kidnapper.
* Donna Lass, 25: Last seen September 26, 1970, in South Lake Tahoe. A postcard with an ad from Forest Pines condominiums (near Incline Village at Lake Tahoe) pasted on the back was received at the Chronicle on March 22, 1971, and has been interpreted by some as the Zodiac claiming Lass' disappearance as a victim. The postcard has not been conclusively linked to the Zodiac nor has Lass' body been found.

Timeline

Lake Herman Road

The first incident widely attributed to the Zodiac Killer was the shooting of high school students Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday on December 20, 1968, just inside the Benicia city limits.

The couple were on their first date and planned to attend a Christmas concert at Hogan High a few blocks from Jensen's home. Instead they visited a friend and stopped at a local restaurant, then drove out Lake Herman Road. At approximately 10:15 pm Faraday parked his mother's Rambler in a gravel turnout, which was a well-known lover's lane.

Shortly after 11 pm, another car pulled into the turnout and parked beside them. The driver apparently got out with a pistol and ordered them out of the Rambler. Jensen exited first. When Faraday was halfway out, the man shot Faraday in the head. Jensen, fleeing, was gunned down twenty-eight feet from the car by five shots through her back. The man then drove off.

Their bodies were found minutes later by Stella Borges, who lived nearby. She alerted Captain Daniel Pitta and Officer William T. Warner. Detective Sergeant Les Lundblad of the Solano County Sheriff's Department investigated the crime, but no solid leads developed.

Blue Rock Springs

Some time around midnight on July 4 - July 5, 1969, Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau drove to the Blue Rock Springs Golf Course in Vallejo, four miles from the Lake Herman Road murder site, and parked. While they sat in Ferrin's car, another car drove into the lot and parked beside them. It drove away almost immediately, then returned about 10 minutes later and parked behind them. The driver then got out and approached the passenger side door, carrying a flashlight and a 9 mm handgun. He first shone the light in their eyes to blind them, then shot both of them multiple times and began to return to his car. When Mageau moaned in pain, the driver returned and shot them both again. He then drove off.

At 12:40 am, a man phoned the Vallejo Police Department to report and claim responsibility for the attack. He also took credit for the murders of Jensen and Faraday six and a half months earlier. The police traced the call to a phone booth at a gas station at Springs and Tuolumne, about three tenths of a mile from Ferrin's home and only a few blocks from the Vallejo Sheriff's Department.

Ferrin was pronounced dead at the hospital. Mageau survived the attack despite being shot in the face, neck, and chest. Detectives John Lynch and Ed Rust of the Vallejo Police Department initially investigated the crime. Detective Jack Mulanax took over the case in the 1970s.

The Zodiac letters begin

On August 1, 1969, three letters prepared by Zodiac were received at the Vallejo Times-Herald, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the San Francisco Examiner. The nearly identical letters took credit for the shootings at Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs. Each letter also included one-third of a 408-symbol cryptogram which the killer claimed contained his identity. Zodiac demanded they be printed on each paper's front page or he would "cruse [sic] around all weekend killing lone people in the night then move on to kill again, until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend. The Chronicle published its third of the cryptogram on page four of the next day's edition. An article printed alongside the code quoted Vallejo Police Chief Jack E. Stiltz as saying "We're not satisfied that the letter was written by the murderer" and a request to the writer to send a second letter with more facts to prove his identity. The threatened murders did not happen, and all three parts were eventually published.

On August 7, 1969, another letter was received at the San Francisco Examiner with the salutation, "Dear Editor This is the Zodiac speaking". It was the first time the killer had referred to himself with this name. The letter was in response to Chief Stiltz asking him to provide more details to prove he killed Faraday, Jensen and Ferrin. In it, the Zodiac included details about the murders which had not been released to the public as well as a message to the police that when they cracked his code "they will have me.

On August 8, 1969, Donald and Bettye Harden of Salinas, California, cracked the 408-symbol cryptogram, which did not contain Zodiac's name. The message, verbatim, read:
“ I LIKE KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME IN THE FORREST BECAUSE MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROUE ANAMAL OF ALL TO KILL SOMETHING GIVES ME THE MOST THRILLING EXPERENCE IT IS EVEN BETTER THAN GETTING YOUR ROCKS OFF WITH A GIRL THE BEST PART OF IT IS THAE WHEN I DIE I WILL BE REBORN IN PARADICE AND THEI HAVE KILLED WILL BECOME MY SLAVES I WILL NOT GIVE YOU MY NAME BECAUSE YOU WILL TRY TO SLOI DOWN OR ATOP MY COLLECTIOG OF SLAVES FOR MY AFTERLIFE EBEORIETEMETHHPITI ”

The meaning of the final eighteen letters has not been determined.

Lake Berryessa

On September 27, 1969, Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were picnicking at Lake Berryessa on a small island connected by a sand spit to Twin Oak Ridge. A man approached them wearing a black executioner's-type hood with clip-on sunglasses over the eye-holes and a bib-like device on his chest that had a white 3"x3" cross-circle symbol on it. He approached them with a gun Hartnell believed to be a .45. The hooded man claimed to be an escaped convict from Deer Lodge, Montana, where he killed a guard and stole a car, and explained that he needed their car and money to go to Mexico. He had brought precut lengths of plastic clothesline and told Shepard to tie up Hartnell, before tying her up himself. The Zodiac checked and tightened Hartnell's bonds after discovering she bound him loosely. Hartnell initially believed it to be a weird robbery, but the man drew a knife and stabbed them both. He then hiked 500 yards back up to Knoxville Road, drew the cross-circle symbol on Hartnell's car door with a black felt-tip pen, and wrote beneath it: Vallejo/12-20-68/7-4-69/Sept 27-69-6:30/by knife.

At 7:40 p.m., the man called the Napa County Sheriff's office from a pay telephone to report his crime. The phone was found still off the hook minutes later at the Napa Car Wash on Main Street in Napa by KVON radio reporter Pat Stanley, only a few blocks from the sheriff's office and 27 miles from the crime scene. Detectives were able to lift a still-wet palm print from the telephone but were never able to match it to a suspect.

A man and his son who were fishing in a nearby cove had discovered the victims after hearing their screams for help and summoned help by contacting park rangers. Napa County Sheriff Deputies Dave Collins and Ray Land were the first law enforcement officers to arrive at the scene of the assault. Cecelia Shepard was conscious when Collins arrived and gave him a detailed description of the attacker. Hartnell and Shepard were taken to Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa by ambulance. Shepard lapsed into a coma during transport to the hospital and never regained consciousness. She died two days later, but Hartnell survived to recount his tale to the press. Napa County Sheriff Detective Ken Narlow, who was assigned to the case from the outset, worked on solving the crime until his retirement from the department in 1987.

Presidio Heights

On October 11, 1969, a man entered Paul Stine's cab at the intersection of Mason and Geary Streets in San Francisco and requested to be taken to Washington and Maple Streets in Presidio Heights. For reasons unknown, Stine drove one block further to Cherry Street; the man shot him once in the head with a 9mm, then took his wallet and car keys and tore off his shirt tail. He was observed by three teenagers across the street at 9:55 pm, who called the police as the crime was in progress. They observed the man wiping the cab down, and then walking away towards the Presidio, one block to the north. The police arrived minutes later, and the teen witnesses explained that the killer was still nearby.

Two blocks from the crime scene, officer Don Fouke, also responding to the call, observed a white man walking along the sidewalk then stepping onto a stairway leading up to the front yard of one of the homes on the north side of the street; the encounter lasted only five to ten seconds. His partner, Eric Zelms, did not see the man. The radio dispatch had alerted them to look for a black and not a white suspect, so they had no reason to talk to the man and drove past him without stopping; the mix up in descriptions remains unexplained to this day. When they reached Cherry, Fouke was informed that they were in fact looking for a white suspect; Fouke realized they must have passed the killer. Fouke concluded that the Zodiac had resumed his original route and escaped into the Presidio, so they entered the base to look for him but the killer had vanished. A search ensued, but nothing was found. The three teen witnesses worked with a police artist to prepare a composite of Stine's killer, and a few days later returned to produce a second composite. The Zodiac was estimated to be 35-45 years of age. Detectives Bill Armstrong and Dave Toschi were assigned to the case. The San Francisco Police Department eventually investigated an estimated 2,500 suspects over a period of years.

More letters and codes

On October 14, 1969, the Chronicle received yet another letter from the Zodiac, this time containing a swatch of Paul Stine's shirt tail as proof he was the killer; it also included a threat about shooting school children. It was only then that the police knew who they were looking for a few nights before in Presidio Heights.

At 2:00 am on October 22, 1969, someone claiming to be the Zodiac called Oakland PD demanding that one of two prominent lawyers, F. Lee Bailey or Melvin Belli, appear on Jim Dunbar's television talk show in the morning. Bailey was not available, but Belli appeared on the show. Dunbar appealed to the viewers to keep the lines open, and eventually, someone claiming to be the Zodiac called several times and said his name was Sam. Belli agreed to meet with him in Daly City, but the suspect never showed up. Police officers who had heard the Zodiac listened to "Sam's" voice and agreed that he was not the Zodiac. Subsequent calls the suspect made to Belli were traced to the Napa State Hospital, where it was learned that "Sam" was a mental patient.

On November 8, 1969, the Zodiac mailed a card with another cryptogram consisting of 340 characters. On November 9, 1969, he mailed a seven-page letter in which he claimed that two policemen stopped and actually spoke with him three minutes after he shot Stine. Excerpts from the letter were published in the Chronicle on November 12, including the Zodiac's claim; that same day, Don Fouke wrote a memo explaining what had happened that night. The 340 character cipher has never been decoded.Many possible "solutions" have been suggested, but cannot be accepted since they do away with codemaking conventions.

On December 20, 1969, the Zodiac mailed a letter to Belli and included yet another swatch of Stine's shirt; the Zodiac claimed he wanted Belli to help him.

Modesto

On the night of March 22, 1970, Kathleen Johns was driving from San Bernardino to Petaluma to visit her mother. She was seven months pregnant and had her 10-month-old daughter beside her. While heading west on Highway 132 near Modesto, a car behind her began honking and flashing its lights. She pulled off the road and stopped. The man in the car parked behind her, stated her right rear tire was wobbling, and offered to tighten the lugs. After finishing his work, the man drove off, and when Johns pulled forward the wheel came off the car. The man stopped, backed up, and offered to drive her to the nearest gas station for help. She and her daughter climbed into his car. They drove past several service stations but the man did not stop. For some three hours he drove them up and down the backroads around Tracy, and when she asked why he was not stopping, he would change the subject.

When the driver stopped at an intersection, Johns jumped out with her daughter and hid in a field. He came out to look for her, but when a truck driver spotted the scene, Johns' abductor drove off. Johns hitched a ride to the police station in Patterson. As she gave her statement to the sergeant on duty, she noticed the police composite of Paul Stine's killer and recognized him as the man who abducted her and her child. Fearing the Zodiac might come back and kill them all, the sergeant had Johns wait in nearby Mil's Restaurant in the dark. Her car was eventually found, torched and gutted.

There are many conflicting accounts of the Johns abduction. Most claim he threatened to kill her and her daughter while driving them around, but at least one police report disputes that.Johns' account to Paul Avery of the Chronicle indicates her abductor left his car and searched for her in the dark with a flashlight; however, in the two reports she made to the police, she stated he did not leave the vehicle. Some accounts state Johns' vehicle was moved then torched, while others contend it was located where she'd left it. The various discrepancies among Johns' accounts over the years have led many researchers to question if she was an actual Zodiac victim.

Further communications

The Zodiac continued to communicate with authorities for the remainder of 1970 via letters and greeting cards to the press. In a letter postmarked April 20, 1970, the Zodiac wrote, "My name is [blank]," followed by a 13-character cipher. The Zodiac went on to state that he was not responsible for the recent bombing of a police station in San Francisco (referring to the February 18, 1970, death of Sgt. Brian McDonnell at Park Station in Golden Gate Park) but added "there is more glory to killing a cop than a cid [sic] because a cop can shoot back." The letter included a diagram of a bomb the Zodiac claimed he would use to blow up a school bus. At the bottom of the diagram, he had written: " = 10, SFPD = 0".

Zodiac sent a greeting card postmarked April 28, 1970, to the Chronicle. Written on the card was, "I hope you enjoy yourselves when I have my BLAST," followed by the Zodiac's cross circle signature. On the back of the card, the Zodiac threatened to use his bus bomb soon unless the newspaper published the full details he wrote. He also wanted to start seeing people wearing "some nice Zodiac butons" [sic]

In a letter postmarked June 26, 1970, the Zodiac stated he was upset he did not see people wearing Zodiac buttons. He wrote, "I shot a man sitting in a parked car with a .38. It has been proposed the Zodiac was referring to the murder of Sgt Richard Radetich a week earlier, on June 19. At 5:25 AM, Radetich was writing a parking ticket in his squad car when an assailant shot him in the head with a .38-caliber pistol. Radetich died 15 hours later. SFPD denies the Zodiac was involved in this murder; it remains unsolved.

Included with the letter was a Phillips 66 map of the San Francisco Bay Area. On the image of Mount Diablo, the Zodiac had drawn a crossed-circle similar to that he had included in previous correspondence. At the top of the crossed circle, he placed a zero, and then a three, six, and a nine, so the annotation resembled a clock face. The accompanying instructions stated that the zero was “to be set to Mag. N. The letter also included a 32-letter cipher that the killer claimed would, in conjunction with the code, lead to the location of a bomb he had buried and set to go off in the autumn. The bomb was never located. The killer had signed the note with " = 12, SFPD = 0".

In a letter to the Chronicle postmarked July 24, 1970, the Zodiac took credit for Kathleen Johns' abduction, four months after the incident.

In his July 26, 1970 letter, the Zodiac paraphrased a song from The Mikado, adding his own lyrics about making a "little list" of the ways he planned to torture his "slaves" in "paradice." The letter was signed with a large, exaggerated cross circle symbol and a new score: " = 13, SFPD = 0". A final note at the bottom of the letter stated, "P.S. The Mt. Diablo code concerns Radians + # inches along the radians. In 1981, a close examination of the radian hint by Zodiac researcher Gareth Penn led to the discovery that a radian angle, when placed over the map per Zodiac's instructions, pointed to the locations of two Zodiac attacks.

On 7 October 1970, the Chronicle received a three-by-five inch card signed by the Zodiac with the drawn with blood. The card's message was formed by pasting words and letters from an edition of the Chronicle and thirteen holes were punched across the card. Inspectors Armstrong and Toschi agreed it was "highly probable" the card came from the Zodiac.

Riverside

On October 27, 1970, Chronicle reporter Paul Avery (who had been covering the Zodiac case) received a Halloween card signed with a letter 'Z' and the Zodiac's cross circle symbol. Handwritten on the card was the note "Peek-a-boo, you are doomed." The threat was taken seriously and received a front page story on the Chronicle. Soon after, Avery received an anonymous letter alerting him to the similarities between the Zodiac's activities and the unsolved murder of Cheri Jo Bates, which had occurred four years earlier at the city college in Riverside in the Los Angeles area, more than 400 miles south of San Francisco. He reported his findings in the Chronicle on November 16, 1970.

On October 30, 1966, eighteen year-old Bates spent the evening at the campus library annex until it closed at 9:00 pm. Neighbors reported they heard a scream around 10:30 pm. Bates was found dead the next morning a short distance from the library between two abandoned houses slated to be demolished for campus renovations. The wires in her Volkswagen's distributor cap had been pulled out. She was brutally beaten and stabbed to death. A man's Timex watch with a torn wristband was found nearby. The watch had stopped at 12:24, but police believe the attack occurred much earlier. Also discovered were the prints of a military-style shoe.

A month later, on November 29, 1966, nearly identical typewritten letters were mailed to the Riverside police and the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Titled "The Confession", the author claimed responsibility for the Bates murder, providing details of the crime not released to the public, and warned that Bates "is not the first and she will not be the last.

In December 1966, a poem was discovered carved into the bottom side of a desktop in the Riverside City College library. Titled "Sick of living/unwilling to die", the poem's language and handwriting resembled those of the Zodiac's letters. It was signed with what were assumed to be the initials "rh". Sherwood Morrill, California's top "Questioned Documents" examiner, expressed his opinion that the poem was written by the Zodiac.

On April 30, 1967 — the six-month anniversary of Bates' murder — Bates' father Joseph, the Press-Enterprise, and the Riverside police all received nearly identical letters. In handwritten scrawl, the Press-Enterprise and police copies read "Bates had to die there will be more," with a small scribble at the bottom that resembled the letter 'Z'. Joseph Bates' copy read "She had to die there will be more" without a 'Z' “signature”.

On March 13, 1971, nearly four months after Paul Avery's first article on Bates, the Zodiac mailed a letter to the Los Angeles Times. In it he credited the police instead of Avery for discovering his "Riverside activity, but they are only finding the easy ones, there are a hell of a lot more down there."

The connection between Cheri Jo Bates, Riverside, and the Zodiac remains uncertain. The Riverside Police Department maintains that the Bates homicide was not committed by the Zodiac, but did concede some of the Bates letters may have been his work to falsely claim credit.

Lake Tahoe

On March 22, 1971, a postcard to the Chronicle addressed to "Paul Averly" — intended for Paul Avery and believed to be from the Zodiac — appeared to take credit for the disappearance of Donna Lass from South Lake Tahoe on September 26, 1970. Made from a collage of advertisements and magazine lettering, it featured a scene from an ad for Forest Pines and the text "Sierra Club," "Sought Victim 12," "peek through the pines," "pass Lake Tahoe areas," and "around in the snow." Zodiac's cross circle symbol was in the place of the usual return address.

Lass was a nurse at the Sahara Tahoe hotel and casino. She worked until approximately 2:00 am on September 26, treating her last patient at 1:40 am, and was not seen leaving her office. The next morning, her work uniform and shoes were found in a paper bag in her office inexplicably soiled with dirt. Her car was found at her apartment complex, and her apartment was spotless. Later that day both her employer and her landlord received phone calls from an unknown male who falsely claimed Lass had to leave town due to a family emergency. The police and sheriffs' office initially treated Lass' disappearance as a missing persons investigation, suspecting she simply left on her own. Lass was never found. What appeared to be a grave site was discovered near the Claire Tappan Lodge in Norden, California, on Sierra Club property, but excavation yielded only a pair of sunglasses.

Santa Barbara

In a Vallejo Times-Herald story that appeared on November 13, 1972, Santa Barbara Sheriff's Detective Bill Baker (ret.) theorized that the murders of a young couple in Santa Barbara County may have been the work of the Zodiac.

On June 4, 1963, five and a half years prior to the Zodiac's first known murders on Lake Herman Road, high-school senior Robert Domingos and fiancée Linda Edwards were shot to death on a beach near Lompoc, having skipped school that day for "Senior Ditch Day". Police believed that the assailant attempted to bind the victims, but when they freed themselves attempting to flee, he shot them repeatedly in the back and chest with a .22-caliber weapon. He then placed their bodies in a small nearby shack and tried, unsuccessfully, to burn it down.

The suggestion that Domingos and Edwards' murders are the work of the Zodiac is due to the similarities between their attack and the Zodiac's attack at Lake Berryessa.

The final letters

After the "Pines" card, the Zodiac remained silent for nearly three years, after which the Chronicle received a letter from the Zodiac, postmarked January 29, 1974, praising The Exorcist as "the best saterical [sic] comidy [sic]" that he had ever seen. The letter included a snippet of verse from The Mikado and an unusual symbol at the bottom that has gone unexplained by researchers. Zodiac concluded the letter with a new score, "Me = 37, SFPD = 0".

The Chronicle received another letter postmarked February 14, 1974, informing the editor that the initials for the Symbionese Liberation Army spelled out an Old Norse word meaning "kill. However, the handwriting was not authenticated as the Zodiac's.

Another letter received by the Chronicle, postmarked May 8, 1974, featured a complaint that the movie Badlands was "murder-glorification" and asked the paper to cut its advertisements. Signed only "A citizen", the handwriting, tone, and surface irony are all similar to prior Zodiac communications.

The Chronicle received an anonymous letter postmarked July 8, 1974, complaining about one of its columnists, Marco Spinelli. The letter was signed "the Red Phantom (red with rage)". The Zodiac's authorship of this letter is debated.

Another four years passed without communication — purported or verified — from the Zodiac. A letter of April 24, 1978, was initially deemed authentic, but was declared by three other experts to be a hoax less than three months later. In recent years, however, the letter has been deemed in some quarters as authentic. Toschi, the SFPD homicide detective who had been on the case since the Stine murder, was thought to have forged the letter, since author Armistead Maupin thought it similar to "fan mail" he received in 1976 that he believed was authored by Toschi. While he admitted writing the fan mail, Toschi denied forging the Zodiac letter and was eventually cleared of any charges. The authenticity of the letter remains in question.

On March 3, 2007, it was reported that an American Greetings Christmas card sent to the Chronicle postmarked 1990 in Eureka had been recently discovered in their photo files by editorial assistant Daniel King. Inside the envelope with the card was a photocopy of two U.S. Postal keys on a magnet keychain. The handwriting on the envelope resembles Zodiac's print, but was declared inauthentic by forensic document examiner Lloyd Cunningham. Not all Zodiac experts, however, agree with Cunningham's analysis. There is no return address on the envelope nor is his crossed-circle signature to be found. The card itself is unmarked. The Chronicle turned over all the material to the Vallejo Police Department for further analysis.

Current status

The last SFPD investigators of the case were Homicide Detail Inspectors Michael N. Maloney and Kelly Carroll. They were the first to submit DNA evidence from Zodiac's letters for analysis, which resulted in a partial genetic profile. DNA testing seems to have conclusively ruled out their lead suspect, Arthur Leigh Allen, and later Mike Rodelli's suspect, a prominent San Francisco businessman who lived near Paul Stine's murder scene.

The SFPD marked the case "inactive" in April 2004, citing caseload pressure and resource demands. They reopened the case some time before March 2007 and returned evidence to Vallejo police for additional DNA testing. The case also remains open in other jurisdictions.

Arthur Leigh Allen

Main article: Arthur Leigh Allen

Though many people have been suspected of being Zodiac through the years, only one, Arthur Leigh Allen (December 18, 1933 - August 26, 1992), was seriously investigated. In July 1971, a friend of Allen's reported his suspicions about him to the Manhattan Beach Police Department, and the report was forwarded to the SFPD. When questioned later, Allen claimed without prompting that the bloody knives he had in his car the day of the Lake Berryessa attack had been used to kill chickens. When asked if he had read The Most Dangerous Game, Allen replied that he had and said it had made an impression on him. This interested the police, as the 408-character cipher appears to reference that short story.

Allen was the only suspect in the case whom police had enough evidence against to execute not just one, but three search warrants: on September 14, 1972; February 14, 1991; and August 28, 1992, two days after he died. Allen denied his guilt in interviews, but there was much circumstantial evidence against him.

Police found no physical evidence to prove that Allen was the Zodiac Killer, and the Vallejo Police Department chose not to press charges against Allen, even though he was a convicted sex offender and weapons and explosive components were found in his home following the 1991 search. Ultimately, Allen's handwriting did not match the Zodiac's, his fingerprints did not match those suspected to be Zodiac's, no concrete evidence linking him to the Zodiac killings was ever found, and recent DNA testing on suspected Zodiac letters in 2002 did not provide a match. However, neither Vallejo nor SFPD ruled Allen out after the test results.

Zodiac (film)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 6 Sep 2007 20:15:00 -0700

Zodiac, a Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. joint production, is a 2007 suspense film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction books Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. A notorious serial killer known as "Zodiac" haunted the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s, leaving several victims in his wake and taunting police with his letters and ciphers mailed to newspapers. Zodiac tells the story of the men and women who were involved in the hunt for the notorious killer, a case which remains today as one of San Francisco's most famous unsolved crimes.

Fincher, screenwriter James Vanderbilt and producer Brad Fischer spent 18 months conducting their own investigation and research into the Zodiac murders. During filming, Fincher employed the digital Thomson Viper Filmstream camera to shoot the film. This was the first time this camera has been used to shoot an entire Hollywood feature film. Reviews for the film have been highly positive, and though it has not performed strongly at the North American box office, it has performed slightly better in other parts of the world with a box office total of $80,280,083 worldwide, slightly above its $75-million budget.

Plot
The film begins on July 4, 1969 with the Zodiac killer’s second attack, when he shot Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau at a lover’s lane in Vallejo. Mike survived while Darlene died from her injuries. A letter written by the Zodiac arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle on August 1, 1969. Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) is the top crime beat reporter covering the Zodiac murders for the San Francisco Chronicle. Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a political cartoonist for the same newspaper who receives encrypted letters that the killer sends to the police and several newspapers, taunting them.

The Zodiac killer stabs Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard at Lake Berryessa in Napa County. Shepard dies as a result of the attack. Soon afterwards, cab driver Paul Stine is shot and killed by the killer in Presidio Heights. San Francisco police detectives Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and his partner Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) are assigned to the case, liaising with detectives Jack Mulanax (Elias Koteas) in Vallejo, Ken Narlow (Donal Logue) in Napa and others. The killer, or someone posing as him, continues to toy with authorities by speaking on the phone with celebrity lawyer Melvin Belli (Brian Cox) when he makes an appearance on a television talk show.

In 1971, Toschi, Armstrong and Mulanax question Arthur Leigh Allen (John Carroll Lynch), a potential suspect in the case. However, a handwriting expert says that Allen did not write the Zodiac letters. Avery leaves the Chronicle. Over the course of the decade, Armstrong quits the homicide division, Toschi is demoted for supposedly forging a Zodiac letter and Graysmith continues his own in-depth investigation, interviewing witnesses and police detectives involved in the case. Due to his obsession for the case he loses his job, and his wife leaves him, taking their children with her.

In 1983, Graysmith finds Allen at a Vallejo hardware store but does not confront him. In 1991, Mageau identifies Allen from a police mugshot. The film offers much circumstantial evidence which could support that conclusion, while offering possible reasons to doubt the evidence (fingerprints, handwriting, DNA) which legally exonerated Allen. An end title credit states that Allen died in 1992 without ever being charged

Production

Development
James Vanderbilt had read Robert Graysmith's book Zodiac in 1986 while in high school. Years later, he became a screenwriter, met Graysmith and became fascinated by the mythology surrounding the Zodiac killer and attempted to translate that into his script. Vanderbilt had endured bad experiences with the endings of his scripts being changed and wanted more control over his material. He pitched his adaptation of Zodiac to Mike Medavoy and Bradley J. Fischer from Phoenix Pictures, by agreeing to write it on spec if he could have more creative control over it. Graysmith first met Fischer and Vanderbilt at the premiere of Paul Schrader's film, Auto Focus which was based on Graysmith's 1991 book about the life of actor Bob Crane. A deal was made and they optioned the rights to Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked when they became available after languishing at Disney for nearly a decade. David Fincher was their first choice to direct based on his work on Se7en. Originally, he was going to direct an adaptation of James Ellroy’s novel, The Black Dahlia (later filmed by Brian De Palma), and envisioned a five-hour, $80 million mini-series with movie stars. When the studio backing it did not agree, the director left the project and moved on to Zodiac. He was given Vanderbilt’s 158-page screenplay in late 2003.

Fincher was drawn to this story because he spent much of his childhood in San Anselmo in Marin County during the initial Zodiac murders. "I remember coming home and saying the highway patrol had been following our school buses for a couple weeks now. And my dad, who worked from home, and who was very dry, not one to soft-pedal things, turned slowly in his chair and said: ‘Oh yeah. There’s a serial killer who has killed four or five people, who calls himself Zodiac, who’s threatened to take a high-powered rifle and shoot out the tires of a school bus, and then shoot the children as they come off the bus. For Fincher as a young boy, the killer "was the ultimate bogeyman. The director was also drawn to the unresolved ending of Vanderbilt's screenplay. "I liked the idea that there was not a neat ending, but I also find the ending satisfying, because it's real, it feels true. Some things just don't get wrapped up neatly.

Fischer realized that his job was to dispell the mythic stature the case had taken on over the years by clearly defining what was fact and what was fiction. Fincher told Vanderbilt that he wanted the screenplay re-written but with additional research done from the original police reports. To this end, Fincher, Fischer and Vanderbilt spent months interviewing witnesses, family members of suspects, retired and current investigators, the only two surviving victims, and the mayors of San Francisco and Vallejo. Fincher said, “Even when we did our own interviews, we would talk to two people. One would confirm some aspects of it and another would deny it. Plus, so much time had passed, memories are affected and the different telling of the stories would change perception. So when there was any doubt we always went with the police reports. During the course of their research, Fincher and Fischer hired Gerald McMenamin, an internationally known forensic linguistics expert and professor of linguistics at California State University, to analyze the Zodiac’s letters. Unlike document examiners in the 1970s, he focused on the language of the Zodiac and how he formed his sentences in terms of word structure and spelling. Fincher said in an interview, "There’s an enormous amount of hearsay in any circumstantial case, and I wanted to look some of these people in the eye and see if I believed them. It was an extremely difficult thing to make a movie that posthumously convicts somebody.
Fincher and Fischer approached Sony Pictures Entertainment to finance the film but talks with them fell through because the studio wanted the running time fixed at two hours and fifteen minutes. They then approached other studios with Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures agreeing to share the costs and were willing to be more flexible about the running time. The film was a tough sell to the studio and they were concerned about the heavy amount of dialogue and the lack of action scenes, as well as the inconclusive nature of the story arc.

When Dave Toschi met Fincher, Fischer and Vanderbilt, the director told him that he was not going to make another Dirty Harry. Toschi was impressed with their knowledge of the case and afterwards, he “realized that I had learned so much from them. In addition, the Zodiac’s two surviving victims, Mike Mageau and Bryan Hartnell were consultants on the film.

Alan J. Pakula’s film, All the President's Men was the template for Zodiac as Fincher felt that it was “certainly much more high-minded journalism. But, it is the story of a reporter determined to get the story at any cost and one who was new to being an investigative reporter. It was all about his obsession to know the truth. And like in that film, he “wasn’t interested in spending time to tell the back story of any of these characters. I just wanted to know what they did in regards to the case.

Vanderbilt was drawn to the notion that Graysmith went from a cartoonist to one of the most significant investigators of the case. He pitched the story as, “what if Garry Trudeau woke up one morning and tried to solve the Son of Sam. As he worked on the script, he became friends with Graysmith and consulted him often. The filmmakers were able to get the cooperation of the Vallejo Police Department (one of the key investigators at the time) because they hoped that the movie would inspire someone to come forward with a crucial bit of information that might help solve the case.

Casting
Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo were attracted to this project based on their enthusiasm for the script and how their respective characters were portrayed. While researching the film, Fincher considered Gyllenhaal to play Graysmith. According to the director, “I really liked him in Donnie Darko and I thought, ‘He’s an interesting double-sided coin. He can do that naive thing but he can also do possessed.’ To prepare for his role, Gyllenhaal met Graysmith and videotaped him in order to study his mannerisms and behavior. Initially, Ruffalo was not interested in the project but Fincher wanted him to play Toschi. He met with the actor and told him that he was rewriting the screenplay. “I loved what he was saying and loved where he was going with it,” the actor remembers. For research, he read every report on the case and read all the books on the subject. Ruffalo met Toschi and found out that he had “perfect recall of the details and what happened when, where, who was there, what he was wearing. He always knew what he was wearing. I think it is seared into who he is and it was a big deal for him.

When casting the role of Detective William Armstrong, Fincher thought of Anthony Edwards because "I knew I needed the most decent person I could find, because he would be the balance of the movie. In a weird way, this movie wouldn’t exist without Bill Armstrong: Everything we know about the Zodiac case, we know because of his notes. So in casting the part, I wanted to get someone who is totally reliable.

Originally, Gary Oldman was to play Melvin Belli, the high-profile lawyer who talked to the Zodiac on television but "he went to a lot of trouble, they had appliances, but just physically it wasn't going to work, he just didn't have the girth," Graysmith remembers. Brian Cox was cast in the role instead.

A number of key cast members are not credited, including Ione Skye, who plays Kathleen Johns, the woman with the baby. The names of actors who play the Salinas couple who solve the first cypher, and the child actors who play Graysmith's children, are also not billed.

Principal photography
Fincher decided to use the digital Thomson Viper Filmstream camera to shoot the film. Fincher had previously used the Thomson Viper over the last three years on commercials for Nike, Hewlett Packard, Heineken and Lexus which allowed him to get used to and experiment with the equipment. Working with digital cameras allowed him to watch what he had just shot in full resolution, experience less equipment failure than with film (eliminating things like film negative damage) and reduce costs in post-production because he was able to use inexpensive desktop software like Final Cut Pro to edit Zodiac. Fincher remarked in an interview, "Dailies almost always end up being disappointing, like the veil is pierced and you look at it for the first time and think, 'Oh my god, this is what I really have to work with.' But when you can see what you have as it's gathered, it can be a much less neurotic process.

This was the first time the camera has been used to shoot an entire Hollywood feature film. Michael Mann's Miami Vice, as well as his previous effort, Collateral (a co-production of Paramount and its current sister studio DreamWorks, and which also starred Mark Ruffalo), were also shot with the camera but mixed in other formats.

Once shot on the Viper camera, the files were converted to DVCPro HD 1080i and edited in Final Cut Pro. This was for editorial decisions only. During the later stages of editing the original uncompressed 1080p 4:4:4 RAW digital source footage was assembled automatically to maintain an uptodate digital "negative" of the movie. Zodiac is the first major Hollywood movie that was created without the use of either film or video tape. Other digital productions like Superman Returns or Apocalypto recorded to the HDCAM tape format.

Fincher had previously worked with director of photography Harris Savides on Se7en (he shot the opening credits) and The Game. Savides loved the script but realized, “there was so much exposition, just people talking on the phone or having conversations. It was difficult to imagine how it could be done in a visual way. Fincher and Savides did not want to repeat the look of Se7en. The director said in an interview, “Part of the approach on Zodiac was to make it look mundane enough for people to accept that what they’re watching is the truth. They also did not want to glamorize the killer or tell the story through his eyes. “That would have turned the story into a first-person-shooter video game. We didn’t want to make the sort of movie that serial killers would want to own,” Fincher said.

Savides' first experience with the Viper Filmstream camera was shooting a Motorola commercial with Fincher. From there, he used it on Zodiac. Savides remembers, “He [Fincher] wanted the camera to be more film-production friendly so the studio would be more comfortable about using the system on a project with this kind of budget. To familiarize himself with the camera, he “did as many things ‘wrong’ as I possibly could. I went against everything I was supposed to do with the camera. Savides felt comfortable with the camera after discovering the camera's limitations.

Fincher and Savides used the photographs of Stephen Shore and William Eggleston for the look of the film. Savides said, “We specifically referenced Shore’s work from the early Seventies, which was more naturally lit. We also worked from a lot of photos in the actual Zodiac police files. The two men worked hard to capture the look and feel of the period as Fincher admitted, “I suppose there could have been more VW bugs but I think what we show is a pretty good representation of the time. It is not technically perfect. There are some flaws but some are intended. The San Francisco Chronicle was built in the old post office in the Terminal Annex Building in downtown Los Angeles. A building on Sprint Street subbed for the Hall of Justice and the San Francisco Police Department.

Production began on September 12, 2005. They shot for five weeks in the San Francisco Bay Area and the rest of the time in L.A. bringing the film in under budget, wrapping in February 2006. The film took 115 days to shoot.

Not all of the cast was happy with Fincher’s exacting ways and perfectionism (some scenes required upwards of 70 takes) as Gyllenhaal was frustrated by the director’s methods: “You get a take, 5 takes, 10 takes. Some places, 90 takes. But there is a stopping point. There’s a point at which you go, ‘That’s what we have to work with.’ But we would reshoot things. So there came a point where I would say, well, what do I do? Where’s the risk? Downey Jr. said, “I just decided, aside from several times I wanted to garrote him, that I was going to give him what he wanted. I think I’m a perfect person to work for him, because I understand gulags.

Fincher responded, “If an actor is going to let the role come to them, they can’t resent the fact that I’m willing to wait as long as that takes. You know, the first day of production in San Francisco we shot 56 takes of Mark and Jake – and it’s the 56th take that’s in the movie. Ruffalo also backed up his director’s methods when he said, “The way I see it is, you enter into someone else’s world as an actor. You can put your expectations aside and have an experience that’s new and pushes and changes you, or hold onto what you think it should be and have a stubborn, immovable journey that’s filled with disappointment and anger.

Soundtrack

Zodiac (2007 soundtrack)

Originally, Fincher envisioned the film’s soundtrack to be composed of 40 cues of vintage music spanning the nearly three decades of the Zodiac story. With music supervisor George Drakoulias, the director searched for the right pop songs that reflected the era, including Three Dog Night’s cover of “Easy to Be Hard” because “it’s so ingrained in my psyche as being what the summer of ’69 sounded like in northern California. Initially, he did not envision an original score for the film, “he wanted it to be a tapestry of sound design, vintage songs of the period, sound bites and ethereal clips of [AM radio giant] KFRC and ‘Mathews Top of the Hill Daly City’ [home of a prominent hi-fi dealership of the time],” remembers the film’s sound designer and longtime collaborator Ren Klyce. The director told the studio that he didn’t need a composer and would buy various songs instead. They agreed, “but as the film developed and hit its stride, I felt there were holes in some scenes that could benefit from music,” Klyce said. So, he inserted music from one of his favorite soundtracks, David Shire’s score for The Conversation and All the President’s Men. Fincher was eager to work with Shire as All the President’s Men was one of his favorite films and one the primary cinematic influences on Zodiac. He reminded Klyce of the deal that he had made with the studio.

Klyce got in touch with sound and film editor Walter Murch who worked on The Conversation and he got Klyce in touch with Shire. Fincher sent the composer a copy of the script and flew him in for a meeting and a screening in L.A. At first, Fincher only wanted 15-20 minutes of score and for it to be all solo piano based but as Shire worked on it and incorporated textures of a Charles Ives piece called “The Unanswered Question” and some Conversation based cues, he found that he had 37 minutes of original music. The orchestra Shire assembled consisted of musicians from the San Francisco Opera and S.F. ballet. Shire said, “There are 12 signs of the Zodiac and there is a way of using atonal and tonal music. So we used 12 tones, never repeating any of them but manipulating them. He used specific instruments to represent the characters: “the trumpet was Toschi, the solo piano was Graysmith and the dissonant strings were the serial killer Zodiac.”

Editing

An early version of Zodiac ran three hours and eight minutes. It was supposed to be released in time for Academy Award consideration but Paramount felt that the film ran too long and asked Fincher to make changes. Contractually, he had final cut and once he reached a length he felt was right, the director refused to make any further cuts, “but we also made promises to people that we were going to tell their story and they would not to be turned into plot devices. To trim down the film to two hours and forty minutes, he had to cut a two-minute blackout montage of “hit songs signaling the passage of time from Joni Mitchell to Donna Summer.” It was replaced with a title card that reads, “Four years later. Another cut scene that test screening audiences did not like involved “three guys talking into a speakerphone” to get a search warrant as Toschi and Armstrong talk to SFPD Capt. Marty Lee (Dermot Mulroney) about their case against suspect Arthur Leigh Allen. Fincher said, “I’ll probably put that back [on the DVD] just because I love the idea of police work just being three people in a room talking to a speakerphone.

Visual effects
Digital Domain handled the bulk of the movie's 200+ effects shots including pools of blood and bloody fingerprints found at crime scenes. For the murder of a woman that took place at Lake Berryessa blood seepage and clothing stains were also visual effects added in post-production. Visual effects supervisor Eric Barba said, "David didn't want to shoot the blood with practical effects because he planned to do a number of takes. But he didn't want to reset and wipe everything down for every take, so all the murder sequences are done with CG blood. CG was also used to recreate the San Francisco neighborhood at Washington and Cherry where cab driver Paul Stine was killed. The area had changed significantly over the years and so Fincher shot the six-minute sequence on a bluescreen stage. Production designer Donald Burt gave the visual effects team detailed drawings of the intersection as it was in 1969 and photographs of every possible angle of the area with a high-resolution digital camera which allowed the effects artists to build computer-based geometric models of homes and textured them with period facades. Then, 3-D vintage police motorcycles, squad cars, a firetruck and streets lights were added.

Reception

Opening in 2,362 theaters on March 2, 2007, the film grossed $13.3 million in its opening weekend, placing second and posting a decent per-theater average of $5,671. The film was easily outgrossed by fellow opener Wild Hogs and saw a decline of over 50% in its second weekend, losing out to the record-breaking 300.It grossed $33,080,083 in North America and $47,200,000 in the rest of the world, bringing its current total to $80,280,083 through July 22, 2007, slightly above its estimated $75 million production budget. In an interview with Sight & Sound magazine, Fincher addressed the film's failure at the North American box office: "Even with the box office being what it is, I still think there's an audience out there for this movie. Everyone has a different idea about marketing, but my philosophy is that if you market a movie to 16-year-old boys and don't deliver Saw or Se7en, they're going to be the most vociferous ones coming out of the screening saying 'This movie sucks.' And you're saying goodbye to the audience who would get it because they're going to look at the ads and say, 'I don't want to see some slasher movie.

Reviews

Reviews have been highly positive. As of August 15, 2007, it was given a rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes (78% for their "Cream of the Crop" designation), and a 77 metascore at Metacritic.

Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman awarded the film an "A" grade, hailing the film as a "procedural thriller for the information age" that "spins your head in a new way, luring you into a vortex and then deeper still. Nathan Lee in his review for the Village Voice wrote, "Yet it's his very lack of pretense, coupled with a determination to get the facts down with maximum economy and objectivity, that gives Zodiac its hard, bright integrity. As a crime saga, newspaper drama, and period piece, it works just fine. As an allegory of life in the information age, it blew my mind. Todd McCarthy's review in Variety praised the film's "almost unerringly accurate evocation of the workaday San Francisco of 35-40 years ago. Forget the distorted emphasis on hippies and flower-power that many such films indulge in; this is the city as it was experienced by most people who lived and worked there. David Ansen in his review for Newsweek magazine wrote, "Zodiac is meticulously crafted — Harris Savides's state-of-the-art digital cinematography has a richness indistinguishable from film — and it runs almost two hours and 40 minutes. Still, the movie holds you in its grip from start to finish. Fincher boldly (and some may think perversely) withholds the emotional and forensic payoff we're conditioned to expect from a big studio movie.

Some critics, however, were displeased with the film's long running time and lack of action scenes. "The film gets mired in the inevitable red tape of police investigations," wrote Bob Longino of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who also felt that the film "stumbles to a rather unfulfilling conclusion" and "seems to last as long as the Oscars. Andrew Sarris of the New York Observer felt that "Mr. Fincher’s flair for casting is the major asset of his curiously attenuated return to the serial-killer genre. I keep saying 'curiously' with regard to Mr. Fincher, because I can’t really figure out what he is up to in Zodiac — with its two-hour-and-37-minute running time for what struck me as a shaggy-dog narrative. Christy Lemire wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle that "Jake Gyllenhaal is both the central figure and the weakest link...But he's never fleshed out sufficiently to make you believe that he'd sacrifice his safety and that of his family to find the truth. We are told repeatedly that the former Eagle Scout is just a genuinely good guy, but that's not enough.

In the United Kingdom, Time Out magazine wrote, "Zodiac isn’t a puzzle film in quite that way; instead its subject is the compulsion to solve puzzles, and its coup is the creeping recognition, quite contrary to the flow of crime cinema, of how fruitless that compulsion can be. In his review for Empire magazine, Kim Newman gave the film four out of five stars and wrote, "You’ll need patience with the film’s approach, which follows its main characters by poring over details, and be prepared to put up with a couple of rote family arguments and weary cop conversations, but this gripping character study becomes more agonisingly suspenseful as it gets closer to an answer that can’t be confirmed. Graham Fuller in Sight and Sound magazine wrote, "the tone is pleasingly flat and mundane, evoking the demoralising grind of police work in a pre-feminist, pre-technological era. As such, Zodiac is considerably more adult than both Se7en, which salivates over the macabre cat-and-mouse game it plays with the audience, and the macho brinkmanship of Fight Club. Not all U.K. critics liked the film. David Thomson in the Guardian felt that in relation to the rest of Fincher's career, Zodiac was "the worst yet, a terrible disappointment in which an ingenious and deserving all-American serial killer nearly gets lost in the meandering treatment of cops and journalists obsessed with the case.

In France, Le Monde newspaper praised Fincher for having "obtained a maturity that impresses by his mastery of form," while Libération described the film as "a thriller of elegance magnificently photographed by the great Harry Savides. However, Le Figaro wrote, "No audacity, no invention, nothing but a plot which intrigues without captivating, disturbs without terrifying, interests without exciting.

Zodiac was screened in competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2007 with Fincher and Gyllenhaal participating in a press conference afterwards.

DVD
The DVD for Zodiac was released on July 24, 2007 and is available widescreen or fullscreen, presented in anamorphic widescreen, and an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. There are no extra materials included. However, there is a trailer for a director's cut to be released in 2008. Extras will include, "footage not seen in theaters including commentary by David Fincher, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., James Vanderbilt, Brad Fischer and special guest James Ellroy. An in-depth examination of the Zodiac’s actual crimes including all-new interviews with the original investigators, survivors and informants and extensive behind-the-scenes supplements covering nearly every aspect of David Fincher’s landmark film. According to the David Prior, producer of the upcoming special edition, the bare bones edition "was only reluctantly agreed to by Fincher because I needed more time on the bonus material. The studio was locked into their release date (and bound and determined to release a single-disc, which nobody except them wanted), so Fincher allowed that to be released first. It had nothing to do with Fincher 'double dipping his own movie before it even makes it to stores' and everything to do with buying more time for the special edition. He stated that the theatrical cut will only be available on the single disc edition. Prior elaborated further: "Nobody wants fans feeling like they're being taken advantage of, and I know that double-dipping creates that impression. That's why it was so important to me that consumers be told there was another version coming. In this case it really was a rock-and-a-hard place situation, and delaying the second release was done strictly for the benefit of the final product...But this is a very ambitious project, easily the most far-reaching I've ever worked on, and owing largely to studio snafus that I can't really elaborate on, I didn't have enough time to do it properly. Thus Fincher bought me the extra time by agreeing to a staggered release, which I'm very grateful for."

Rentals for the DVD have been particularly strong. In its first week, it earned $6.7 million.

Zodiac (disambiguation).

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 22:23:00 -0700

ZODIAC

The term zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude.
The zodiac is the first known celestial coordinate system. There are two apparently independently created zodiacs. Babylonian astrology, inherited by Hellenistic and Indian astrology, developed the zodiac of twelve signs familiar in the West. In Chinese astrology, months and years pass through a cycle of twelve animals that imply certain fortunes or misfortunes related to events occurring within those signs. The Chinese zodiac is not linked to constellations, however.

The etymology of the term zodiac comes from the Latin zodiacus, from the Greek ζῳδιακός [κύκλος], meaning "[circle] of animals", derived from ζῴδιον, the diminutive of ζῷον "animal". However, the classical Greek zodiac also includes signs (also constellations) that are not represented by animals (e.g., Libra, Virgo, Gemini). Another suggested etymology is that the Greek term is cognate with the Sanskrit sodi, denoting "a path", i.e., the path through which the Sun travels.

The zodiac is also understood as a region of the celestial sphere that includes a band of eight arc degrees above and below the ecliptic, and therefore encompasses the paths of the Moon and the naked eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). The classical astronomers called these planets wandering stars to differentiate them from the fixed stars of the celestial sphere (Ptolemy). Astrologers understood the movement of the planets and the Sun through the zodiac as a method to explain and predict events on Earth.

History
By 2,000 BC, the Egyptians and Mesopotamians marked the seasons by the constellations we now call Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. However, the marking of seasons by constellations may go back to 5,000 BC. The division of the ecliptic into the zodiacal signs originates perhaps in Babylonian ("Chaldean") astronomy as early as the 1st millennium BC (likely during Median/"Neo-Babylonian" times) (Powell 2004).

The Babylonian calendar assigns each month a constellation, beginning with the position of the Sun at vernal equinox. Babylonian astronomers at some point during the 1st millennium BC divided the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude to create the first known celestial coordinate system: a coordinate system that boasts some advantages over modern systems (such as equatorial coordinate system or ecliptic coordinate system).

Zodiacal constellations

The precise origins of the twelve constellations of the zodiac are unknown. In particular the reasons for the prominence given to animals is unclear (it is in fact a feature of all the constellations, not just those of the zodiac). The shape of the constellations themselves were probably not the main factor, as most of them bear little or no resemblance to the mythical characters after which they are named. Their origins are more likely to be in the belief of early peoples that events on earth were mirrored in the heavens above them. It followed then, that important mythical beings in the earth's affairs must have a matching image in the sky. Therefore over time a process probably developed whereby various important archetypal characters in ancient myth were linked to the sky by the 'discovery' of a pattern of stars (or 'constellation') in their image.

Because of their important location, the stars along the path of the ecliptic would have been given particular attention, and the constellations there ascribed to especially significant mythical beings or symbols. As the concept of the zodiac developed, these constellations gave their names to the celestial zones they inhabitated, and so by extension to the zodiac signs.
The original Babylonian zodiac consisted of eighteen signs ; however the twelve sign zodiac developed later on to become the permanent form, probably as twelve was the number of months in the Babylonian year. The present day names of the Western constellations and signs of the zodiac were first described by the Greek astronomer and astrologer Ptolemy who lived between 120 - 180 AD. The following are the twelve constellations with their Latin names which gave their names to the zodiac signs , which are still used by astronomers today

Zodiac in astrology

Astrologers use astronomical observations of the movements of the night sky for divinatory purposes. The zodiac remains in use in modern astrology, though the issue of tropical astrology (used mainly by Western astrologers) and sidereal astrology (used mainly by Indian astrologers) is central. At issue in the debate is whether the signs should be defined in terms of zones derived from nodal points defined by Earth's motion during a tropical year , or whether the signs should be defined in terms of signs roughly aligned with the constellations of the same name (for sidereal astrologers). This matters because of an astronomical phenomenon called the precession of the equinoxes, whereby the position of the stars in sky has changed over time. Therefore, over the centuries the twelve zodiacal signs in Western astrology no longer correspond to the same part of the sky as their original constellations, or their Indian counterparts. In effect, in Western astrology the link between sign and constellation has been broken, whereas in Indian astrology it remains of paramount importance.

Regardless of whether the tropical or sidereal definition of the zodiac is chosen, astrologers chart the positions of the sun and planets in relation to the zodiacal signs. The horoscope is used to associate properties of a sign with the properties of planets positioned in that sign. The planet is said to influence events on Earth but the way in which it does this is modified by the influence of the sign in which it is positioned.

The Western zodiac
The modern western astrological signs are simplifications of conventional pictorial representations of the signs, used since Hellenistic times. The characters are encoded in unicode at positions U+2648 to U+2653 (hexadecimal numbers).The glyph representation of these characters will depend on the font in which they are displayed.

Below are the Roman names of the signs of the zodiac (with the ecliptic longitudes of their first points). These figures represent the equivalent J2000.0 ecliptic longitudes for the sidereal zodiac described here in this article. The figures also represent ecliptic longitudes for a tropical zodiac where 0° Aries is understood as the vernal equinox:

Aries (0°) (The Ram)

Taurus (30°) (The Bull)

Gemini (60°) (The Twins)

Cancer (90°) (The Crab)

Leo (120°) (The Lion)

Virgo (150°) (The Virgin)

Libra (180°) (The Scales)

Scorpio (210°) (The Scorpion)

Sagittarius (240°) (The Archer)

Capricorn (270°) (The Sea-goat)

Aquarius (300°) (The Water Carrier)

Pisces (330°) (The Fishes)

The Indian Zodiac

Traditional Hindu astrology has a sidereal coordinate zodiac system with twelve signs. The names of the Hindu zodiacal signs, or rāśis, are similar to Graeco-Babylonian signs, apparently as a result of Indo-Greek contact:

1. meṣa "ram" (Aries)
2. vṛṣabha "bull" (Taurus)
3. mithuna "a pair" (Gemini)
4. karka "crab" (Cancer)
5. siṃha "lion" (Leo)
6. kanyā "girl" (Virgo)
7. tula, from tulā "balance" (Libra)
8. vrushchik "scorpion" (Scorpius), also kaurpi, loaned from the Greek
9. kārmuka, cāpa, dhanus "bow, arc", cāpin "armed with a bow" (Sagittarius)
10. eṇa, mṛga "antelope", also makara "sea-monster" (Capricornus)
11. kumbha "pitcher, water-pot" (Aquarius)
12. matsya "fish", also jhaṣa, timi, mīna after specific kinds of fish (Pisces)

This "Hindu zodiac" (adhvan, rāśi) thus has similarities to Greek zodiac. The Graeco-Babylonian system of twelve signs overlays the native Hindu system of nine grahas or planets.

Chinese and other zodiacs

Chinese astrology also has a system of twelve signs sometimes also referred to as "zodiac". This does not necessarily imply a common origin, since the number of twelve naturally suggests itself from the number of synodic months in a year; in other words, the extent of a zodiacal sign corresponds to the path covered by the Sun between two new moons. It is interesting to note, that despite the lack of a common origin, the Chinese zodiac also consists of animals. However, the Chinese zodiac associates each animal with both one month and one solar year. Thus the signs repeat themselves every twelve year cycle. The animals of the Chinese Zodiac are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit (or hare), dragon, snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey, rooster (or phoenix), dog and pig (or boar). For a list of how these animals map to the months and years see Chinese astrology. There is also a Chinese lunar zodiac comprised of twenty-eight lunar "mansions", each corresponding to a Chinese constellation.

Beyond the traditional Chinese system, in New Age or Occultist movements there are sometimes claims of even other systems such as a "Celtic zodiac" based on the lunisolar Celtic calendar, or a "Galactic zodiac".Other evidence suggests Mayan, Incan and Aztec cultures of the Western hemisphere also noted celestial events along the zodiac. The Maya for example, certainly possessed a zodiac of some kind. The Mayan name for the constellation Scorpio was also 'scorpion', while the name of the constellation Gemini was 'peccary'. There is evidence for other constellations being named after various beasts, but it remains unclear.

Zodiac in astronomy

In astronomy the zodiacal constellations are a convenient way of marking the ecliptic (the sun's path across the sky). The zodiac is also a way for astronomers to mark the path of the moon and planets , as their movements also remain within these constellations. Apart from this role, the zodiacal constellations have no extra significance to astronomers than any other constellation.

Unlike the zodiac signs in astrology, which are all thirty degrees in length, the astronomical constellations vary widely in size. The boundaries of all the constellations in the sky were set by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1930. This was essentially a mapping exercise to make the work of astronomers more efficient, and the boundaries of the constellations are not therfore in any meaningful sense an 'equivalent' to the zodiac signs. Along with the twelve original constellations, the boundaries of a thirteenth constellation, Ophiuchus, were set by astronomers within the bounds of the zodiac.

Comparison to modern systems

Though perhaps as old as 5,000 years, the zodiac coordinate system boasts advantages over its more common modern counterparts. Since the coordinate system is celestially centered, it is insulated from the many eccentricities of Earth's motion: including its rotation, intricacies of Earth time, precession, nutation and its elliptical and perturbed orbit around our Sun. To use the zodiac coordinate system all one has to know is where to find one of the nodal constellations that include the fixed reference points for the system: Taurus and Scorpio. Since those constellations are located on opposite sides of the ecliptic along the zodiac, one should always be visible in the night sky. Also. these constellations are both located within the prominent band of cloud and dust of the Milky Way. From these constellations astronomers can orient themselves for locating any point in the coordinate system.

The modern, commonly used tropical systems require an observer to know the current mean sidereal time, the observer's terrestrial longitude and latitude, and the epoch the observer wishes to utilize, and to account for other peculiarities of Earth's motion. Of course, modern astronomical computers handle most of the tasks for observers, but it involves a large effort by many different astronomers behind the scenes.

In addition, much of the motion of the stars in modern tropical coordinate systems can be attributed wholly to these peculiarities of Earth's motion. Astronomers make the distinction between the proper motion of a star (typically relatively subtle), from the other motion that arises totally from the designation of a tropical rather than sidereal coordinate system. One example where this exhibits itself is in the constellation boundaries drawn up by the IAU. The neat constellation boundaries drawn in 1930 exhibit increasingly distorted boundary lines over time. This may seem like something of little consequence, but why bother drawing neat boundaries around constellations if they inherently become erratic in the dominant coordinate system in use then and now.

Finally, since the zodiac system uses the ecliptic rather than the terrestrial equator for its equatorial plane it is not susceptible to the drifting of stars across the celestial equator as in the commonly used equatorial coordinate system (right ascension, declination). In The Almagest Ptolemy criticizes Hipparchus’ use of an equatorial plane in some of Hipparchus’ variously specified coordinate systems for this very reason (Ptolemy 1998).

These advantages make the zodiac coordinate system a very efficient system of coordinates in terms of requiring very little human-hours of labor to use and maintain: issues particularly important to early astronomers, typically working in often in isolation from one another.

The key disadvantage of a zodiac system of coordinates will manifest as a problem, if the nodal stars that serve as its fixed reference points for the system exhibit significant proper motion so that within the system of coordinates every other star appears to move dramatically in unison. In other words, selecting a star that has eccentiricities compared to the other stars undermines the usefulness of the system of coordinates. For example the inadvertent selection of an asteroid or an entire galaxy outside our Milky Way would lead to this condition. The reason for this is that celestial objects outside our galaxy revolve around our galaxy in a period of about 220 million years, at least in terms of a frame of reference affixed to our Sun and its neighboring stars. The only other sidereal coordinate system in common use today (that shares many of the zodiac’s advantages) is the galactic coordinate system. In galactic coordinates, the plane of the Milky Way and its own axial center serve as the fixed referents. These are fairly logical reference points for a coordinate system, though of course they cannot be located with the naked eye.

Another disadvantage relates to the apparatus required for orienting one to the coordinate system. Using geocentric coordinates astronomers can easily calibrate their instruments to the fixed reference point. As long as astronomers can obtain an accurate compass reading, they can orient themselves to a geocentric coordinate system (such as ecliptic or equatorial coordinates). Using zodiac coordinates requires an astronomer to locate the correct star, whether Antares or Aldebaran, and the correct constellation- Scorpio or Taurus respectively- and make an accurate reading of the position of that star and accurately orient that star to the ecliptic. This may take more skill than a mere compass reading: especially for amateur astronomers.

See Also
* History of astronomy
* History of astrology
* Astrological sign
* Chinese Zodiac
* Elements of the zodiac
* Babylonian influence on Greek astronomy
* Astronomical symbols
* Astrology and alchemy
* Esoteric cosmology
* Zodiacal constellation
* Zodiacal light
* Zodiacal dust
* Cusp (astrology)
* Sefer Raziel HaMalakh

Zodiac

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:35:00 -0700

VIRGO - The One that Waits

Dominant in relationships. Someone loves them right now. Always wants the last word. Caring. Smart. Loud. Loyal. Easy to talk to. Everything you ever wanted. Easy to please. The one and only. 7 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

SCORPIO - The Addict

EXTREMELY adorable. Intelligent. Loves to joke. Very Good sense of humor. Energetic. Predict future. GREAT kisser. Always get what they want. Attractive. Easy going. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Caring. 4 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

LIBRA - The Lame One

Nice to everyone they meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! however not the kind of person you wanna mess with ... u might end up crying... 9 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

ARIES - The Liar

Outgoing. Lovable. Spontaneous. Not one to mess with. Funny. Excellent kisser EXTREMELY adorable. Loves relationships, Addictive. Loud. 16 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

AQUARIUS - Does It In The Water

Trustworthy. Attractive. Great kisser. One of a kind. Loves being in long-term relationships. Extremely energetic. Unpredictable. Will exceed your expectations. Not a Fighter, But will Knock your lights out. 2 years of bad luck if you do not forward

GEMINI - Irresistible

Nice. Love is one of a kind. Great listeners Very Good in the you know where... Lover not a fighter, but will still knock you out. Trustworthy. Always happy. Loud. Talkative. Outgoing VERY FORGIVING. Loves to make out. Has a beautiful smile. Generous. Strong. THE MOST IRRESISTIBLE. 9 years of bad luck if you do not forward

LEO - The Lion

Great talker. Attractive and passionate. Laid back. Knows how to have fun. Is really good at almost anything. Great kisser. Unpredictable. Outgoing. Down to earth. Addictive. Attractive. Loud. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Not one to mess with. Rare to find. Good when found. 7 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

CANCER - The Cutie

MOST AMAZING KISSER. Very high appeal. Love is one of a kind. Very romantic. Most caring person you will ever meet! Entirely creative. Extremely random and proud of it. Freak. Spontaneous. Great telling stories. Not a Fighter, But will Knock your lights out if it comes down to it. Someone you should hold on to. 12 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

PISCES - The Partner for Life

Caring and kind. Smart. Center of attention. High appeal. Has the last word. Good to find, hard to keep. Fun to be around.Extremely weird but in a good way. Good Sense of Humor!!! Thoughtful. Always gets what he or she wants. Loves to joke. Very popular. Silly, fun and sweet. 5 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

CAPRICORN - The Passionate Lover

Love to bust. Nice. Sassy. Intelligent. Sexy. Predict future. Irresistible. Loves being in long relationships. Great talker. Always gets what he or she wants. Cool. Loves to own Gemini's in sports. Extremely fun. Loves to joke. Smart. 24 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

TAURUS - The Tramp

Aggressive. Loves being in long relationships. Likes to give a good fight for what they want. Extremely outgoing. Loves to help people in times of need. Good kisser. Good personality. Stubborn. A caring person. One of a kind. Not one to mess with. Are the most attractive people on earth! 15 years of bad luck if you do not forward.

SAGITTARIUS - The Promiscuous One

Spontaneous. High appeal. Rare to find. Great when found. Loves being in long relationships. So much love to give. Not one to mess with. Very pretty. Very romantic. Nice to everyone They meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! Amazing in the you know where..!!! Not the kind of person you wanna mess with- you might end up crying. 4 years of bad luck if you do not forward.