TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Aries (March 21-April 19): You need feedback. Without it, you won’t know how your work and general personality are landing with other people. More importantly, you won’t know what kind of people you’re dealing with. Ask for a response.

Taurus (April 20-May 20): Your sign is keenly aware of the risks involved in taking a bull by the horns — not advisable today. To control beastliness, use the power of the herd. Wild instincts are quelled in a natural social environment.

Gemini (May 21-June 21): Your feeling that someone is showing you a carefully controlled version of his or her image is correct. You could be flattered by this, and yet it’s still important that you get a truer perspective on who you’re dealing with.

Cancer (June 22-July 22): What you thought would please you turned out to be different than expected. Now you know more, perhaps most valuably that happiness is a byproduct, not an end product.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): An exchange will happen. You won’t have to give up what you want to keep, but you just might find that “keeping” isn’t so important to you anymore. Ownership can be a lot of work.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Sometimes people say the wrong thing accidentally or out of social awkwardness and/or personal baggage that disallows them to see the wonder and value in things. Your grace will smooth it over and make you the winner.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Conflict, tension and surprise aren’t just essential elements of drama; they’re needed in real life, too. The safe, nice and appropriate route should work; it won’t, because it won’t attract and hold people’s interest.

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21):

The loudest one is not the most powerful one. Talking the most actually puts a person at a disadvantage. Power comes from knowing what others want, which requires listening well. Listening is the power move.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Regulating one’s own emotions comes more easily to those who aren’t having a lot of strong emotions. It is no more admirable to regulate mild emotions than it is to succumb to overpowering ones.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): There is a primal beat inside you, barely detectable when you’re immersed in the hum of the modern world, though once you’re in the wilderness (actually or metaphorically) it syncs with all that is. Actress Abby Dalton is 87. Actress Lori Nelson is 86. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 84. Actor Jim Dale is 84. Actress Pat Priest is

83. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 81. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 81. Musician Pete York is 77. Authorjournalist Linda Ellerbee is

75. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 73. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston is 71. Actress Phyllis Smith is 70. Britain’s Princess Anne is 69. Actress Tess Harper is 69. Actor Larry Mathews is 64. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 62. Actorcomedian Rondell Sheridan is 61. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson is 58. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is 56. Philanthropist Melinda Gates is 55. Country singer Angela Rae is 53. Actor Peter Hermann is 52.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The comedians know that most times it’s better not to try to be funny at all. The business successes know that making a buck isn’t the bottom line. You will follow your own seemingly contradictory rules for today’s win.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): The thrill of victory is like a special sauce. Once you taste it, you want to see how it pairs with everything you eat. Even the best sauce doesn’t go with everything. Sometimes losing is the best win.

Today’s birthday (Aug. 15): You feel your feelings, understand your needs and develop strategies for getting those needs met that do not require other people to be or behave differently. That last part represents your real freedom this year. A professional breakthrough occurs in October. The year-end sees you leading a troupe. Sagittarius and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 11, 37, 2, 24 and 16.