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NewsScope for November 8, 1999 by WolfStar MSFT, The Evil Empire Last Friday the presiding judge in the Justice Department’s antitrust case against Microsoft (MSFT) declared that Microsoft holds a monopoly of the operating systems that run personal computers. In an unexpectedly harsh criticism, the judge ruled that Bill Gates’ company was engaged in massive anti-competitive practices that harmed innovation and limited consumer choices. Astrologically, this stunning decision occurred under a tense planetary dynamic between Saturn and Uranus, and triggered by the faster moving Sun. Astrologers have a favorite saying when comparing transits to events or expected developments: “Planets are people.” In this case Saturn in Taurus can be seen as the acquisitive, anti-competitive Microsoft, and Uranus in egalitarian Aquarius represents the Justice Department. Saturn and Uranus have been squaring each other for many months now, which cosmically reflects the long-term legal battle. The Sun often represents an authority figure, and as this bright solar energy moved between Saturn and Uranus, the judge issued his Findings of Fact. >From an historical perspective Saturn in Taurus tends to put limits on greed and monopolistic power. The first successful anti-trust suit was won at the Supreme Court level against John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company in 1911 when Saturn was in Taurus, and opposed by Jupiter. We can expect that this battle between MSFT and Justice is not yet over since Saturn and Uranus are not finished squaring each other. But the case against Microsoft is now strong, and Bill Gates is suggesting an out of court settlement is possible. Saturn and the Environment Saturn’s task of setting limits works not only against excessive financial or corporate power when in Taurus, but also against environmental destruction. Last week when the Sun activated the degree zone held by Saturn and Uranus, several important stories and legal developments in environmental protection made headline news. In the United States EPA officials initiated one of the biggest enforcement actions in the nation’s history by suing seven giant electric companies, accusing them of defying anti-pollution regulations and contaminating the air breathed by millions of Americans. Then, in Germany 168 nations convened to tackle the difficult issue of controlling greenhouse gases which are blamed for global warming. The U.S. Senate, largely dominated by corporate interests, has refused to take up global warming, even as German Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder surprised many observers by proposing early ratification of the regulation process. Saturn was in Taurus during the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 when the world first became aware of potential environmental catastrophes. The increased temperature melts glaciers and causes more ocean evaporation, which in turn creates more severe weather patterns. Last week a massive cyclone in India destroyed millions of homes and killed thousands of people, a stark follow-up of Hurricane Floyd’s damage to North Carolina. Dennis Rodman, NBA Bad Boy Last Friday Dennis Rodman and his wife, former model and Baywatch star Carmen Electra, were arrested on charges of domestic violence. Each accused the other of physical attacks, with Electra sporting a bruised face, and Rodman found sprawled on the ground when the police arrived. Dennis Rodman was born a Taurus, a sign often referred to as traditional, placid, and easy-going (on May 13, 1961; 12:10 am, Trenton, NJ). A Capricorn Ascendant would give additional clues that the person with this birth data is conservative, composed, and businesslike. However, in Rodman’s case his Sun squares unconventional Uranus, and being as “Bad as he wants to be” has become his trademark. When the epic outer planet conjunction of Uranus and Neptune landed on his Ascendant in 1992, he tossed aside his overly serious, responsible role and donned fantasy hair, tattoos, and behaviors. Rodman’s other planetary placements reveal an extremely explosive, volatile personality (Moon square Mars and Saturn, Mercury square Pluto and Chiron). If Rodman can maintain a balanced psyche we should be seeing much more of him over the coming year. The important Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in May 2000 lands right on his Sun, promising him terrific business opportunities and increased celebrity status. This is a big “if” though, since his natal oppositions tend to project hostility onto partners and perceived enemies. Without the protective guidance of NBA rules and referees, Rodman’s sense of appropriate boundaries is disintegrating under transiting Neptune’s influence on his first house Saturn and seventh house Mars. The tension between the first house of self and the seventh house of partners translated last week into a classic case of “He said, she said.”
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