The story of the two journalists, is a complex tale of hopes and disappointments, ups and downs. It can be summarized in 5 parts – the incident, the decision, the trial, the plan, and the release. PART 1: THE INCIDENT – Journalists Captured The story began in March with Mercury, the ruling planet of reporters opposing Saturn, the ruler of boundaries and confinement. The opposition occurred at 17 degrees, with Mercury in Pisces, the sign of idealism, Ruled by Neptune who is known for blurring the lines and flowing over boundaries. Driven by their ideals, two American journalists crossed the border into North Korea. With Saturn analytical Virgo, the fault finder of the Zodiac, their action did not go unnoticed. They were captured and detained. A third planet figures predominantly in this story, Uranus – the planet of freedom. It the time of their capture Mercury was 5 degrees from conjoining Uranus, suggesting that freedom was in their future. However, freedom was 5 degrees away, about 5 months from happening, with a new twist in the road every 5 weeks.

PART 2: THE DECISION – They Will be Indicted In mid April Mercury in Taurus formed a Trine with Saturn (a slow planet who has moved very little since March). Trines represent a harmonious flow of energy, and at the same time Mercury formed a sextile, the aspect of opportunity, to the point where he was in mid-March. A few days later, 5 weeks after the journalists were captured, it was announced the journalists would put on trial. It seemed their captivity, an expression of Saturn was moving along smoothly, yet a trial was also the first opportunity they had for a change in their situation. Mercury was also just entering the retrograde zone, a period of time before a retrograde when he is covering the same area he will return to. Events during this time tend to be revisited during the retrograde.

PART 3 – THE TRIAL – Indicted and Convicted Although there was much talk of a trial, the two were not formally indicted until late May, just prior to the end of Mercury’s retrograde cycle – and 5 weeks after the trial was announced. The trial began in early June. With Mercury squaring several planets in Aquarius, the sign of the humanitarian, it did not look promising they would be shown mercy. On June 7th The Full Moon fell at 17 degrees in Gemini and Sagittarius. Both signs relate to journalism, with Gemini being the sign of reporters and Sagittarius the sign of freedom of information. This Full Moon was exactly squaring the mid-March Mercury/Saturn opposition. On this day the journalists were officially convicted. With Jupiter, the planet of optimism, turning retrograde within a week, the situation seemed bleak, and hope began to fade. United states pleas for their release were yielding no results. However, Mercury was also making one sextile, the aspect of opportunity, at this time. The planet providing a glimmer of hope was Uranus – the cosmic wall breaker, the planet of freedom and changes, as well as the co-ruler of Aquarius. Despite the dismal outlook, there was a sudden turn of events ‘in the stars’. There was no change in the situation for about a month.

PART 4: THE PLAN – Bill Clinton, the Diplomat On June 30th, after another 5 weeks, Uranus turned retrograde, suggesting secrecy, something was happening behind the scenes. There was no news around this time, although on June 29th the Washington Post had reported that the U.N. secretary general said he was making personal efforts to free the two. He told the post he had worked behind the scenes in similar situations before. A few days later, on the eve of the Unites States Independence Day, Mercury entered Cancer. The ruling planet of reporters transiting through the sign of home, had to set in motion the events finally leading to their return. Although Mercury would remain in cancer for only two weeks, it would host pivotal events. The Solar Eclipse on July 7th was the first in a rare series of three. Through these three powerful eclipses we have seen the story turn from one of lost hope, to one of success and freedom. This was in the signs of Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, and Cancer, the sign of home – as well as the sign currently occupied by Mercury. At the moment of the eclipse, both Sun and Moon were in sextile to Saturn. That day Laura Ling made a phone call to her sister, Lisa. Lisa Ling said the her sister had admitted guilt, saying they had defiantly broken the North Korean law – in fact she said, this point was made with great emphasis. This also brought about an important shift in U.S. policy. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the United States would accept the guilt of the Journalists, and seek a pardon rather than a release on humanitarian grounds. Mid – July, both the Sun and Mercury formed trines to Uranus. Hillary Clinton officially called for the pardon of Ling and Lee. It was later reported that Ling and Lee told their families, during conversations in mid-July, that North Korea would be open to negotiations with Bill Clinton. The second eclipse in this series, was the Solar Eclipse on July 21st. This was the beginning of the Waxing Moon phase, the time of beginnings, occurring in Cancer, the sign of home. The potent energy of the this eclipse (see my Solar Eclipse post) was all about changes, breaking restrictions, the blending of endings and beginnings. It brought the official beginning of the plan that finally worked. On July 24th and 25th National Security advisor Jim Jones spoke with Bill Clinton about traveling to North Korea. The morning of July 26th Moon crossed Bill Clinton’s Ascendant – at 5 degrees Libra, the sign of the diplomat. There was little official news during this time, fitting with the degree of uncertainty carried by the Solar Eclipse. As it was the middle in a series of three eclipses, we look to the final eclipse for resolution.

PART 5: THE RELEASE – Home at Last! On August 3rd the Moon was in Capricorn, having arrived back at the point she was during the first eclipse in this series as Bill Clinton arrived in North Korea for negotiations. The next day, August 4th marked the was exactly 5 weeks after Uranus turned retrograde. This was exactly 20 weeks after the journalists were first detained; about 5 months, broken down in 5 important chapters. With the energy of the eclipse already building, only one day before it occurs, the Moon formed a sextile with Uranus. The same day she would enter Aquarius. This is the sign ruled or Uranus, and the sign hosting this final eclipse, the very next day. This coming eclipse was one of changes, crossroads, and events coming to a head (see my Lunar Eclipse post). It also formed quincunxes (known as fated aspects, bringing adjustment or change) to the original Mercury Saturn opposition under which they were first detained. On August 4th Laura Ling and Enua Lee were pardoned. August 5th, with Venus, the planet of harmony at 5 degrees Cancer, the sign of home – and only hours before the final eclipse – Lisa Ling and Enua Lee arrived home.

Knowledge of copyright and intellectual property is important for media and law students. So who owns the rights to Village People’s YMCA? We have all danced to it at one stage in our life, most of us more than once, whether you are six to sixty and upwards. The song and many others are soon to be part of a new copyright battle between song writers and the record companies that distribute their work. Copyright and intellectual property is becoming an ever more important issue for the creative and cultural industries. Protecting your rights is important for film and documentary makers, photographers, and journalists across all media. In Griffith College’s??journalism??and??photography??courses intellectual property and copyright is an increasing feature of the curriculum. In the??Law programmes??it is an essential course topic. Getting the true value of your content is difficult in a digital technology orientated world where on the one hand you want your content to go viral online but still want to get paid for it. In the United States this week one new front in the copyright discussions has emerged called “Termination Rights”.

The word springs from legislation passed by the US Congress into law in 1978 that allows song writers regain control of their work 35 years after it was first realised by a record company. You have to apply two years before the date your work was commercially released. This week the New York Times and other news media have reported about the termination rights issue this week as January 1st 2013 will mark the first year Termination Rights can be granted. Albums released in 1978 that could see the rights fully return to their creator include Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, Billy Joel’s 52nd??Street, Funkadelic’s One Nation Under a Groove and Village People’s Y.M.C.A. Victor Willis, the original lead singer in the group has filed termination rights for Y.M.C.A and 32 other Village People tunes. With a song like this played at weddings, sports events on advertisements and even computer games ownership of the rights could be very lucrative. The case is being contested and could be the first of many such copyright disputes.

Good reporters will do whatever it takes to get the right story, the right information, and the right picture. For these reporters, little is more essential than a press pass. One of these passes will allow reporters to access places that would otherwise be restricted. With a press pass, reporters have a wider range of stories from which to choose, allowing them to report on important events. Although any type of reporter may be issued a press pass, they are usually most vital for photographers. Although a journalist may be able to glean information from other sources, a photographer must capture images of events that happen only once. There are a few types of press passes, and getting a press pass depends upon which type of pass you hope to get. One type of pass is event-specific; it is issued by the event, and is null once the event is over. This often applies for things like concerts, festivals, trade shows, and award shows. This may be due to public interest in the event, such as when famous musical acts are performing. In this case, sufficient public interest exists, and attaining passes can be quite difficult.

However, the event may be more likely to grant passes if they particularly desire lots of publicity, such as in the case of trade shows. These are not possible to recreate. And, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Knowing how to get press passes will benefit you immensely. Journalistic agencies and employers, such as newspapers, may issue official identification cards to their employees. This is usually akin to an employee ID. Although this usually serves to identify journalists, it may or may not serve as a press pass, depending on the event. This is also jurisdiction-dependent, though, and no two places have the same rules. The final, and most important, kind of press car is that issued by the local or state police. The process for attaining these cards is usually quite extensive, depending on the jurisdiction from which they are issued.

A background check is usually performed; the journalist’s credentials are checked thoroughly. Usually, if a police press pass enables journalists to gain access to crime scenes, they must give samples of their DNA and their fingerprints. It is generally only possible to attain one of these cards if you report current or breaking news. Special interest writers, columnist, and bloggers are usually not eligible for this kind of press pass. For reporters and journalists who are ready to go after breaking news and report from the front lines, a police press pass is important. The other kinds of passes all have their merits, though, and they should not be so easily dismissed. After all, it takes all types to make the world go around, and the news industry needs to report on all kinds of events. For journalists who have hollowed out their niche, figuring out which type of pass they need should be quite simple.