Things Get Heir-y, Euthanasia, Wikileaks, Norway, World News, Politicians, "Ecco Mono"

Things Get Heir-y

• Nude Harry photos: How UK tabloids lost their sting--The Internet had already disseminated the pics for the world to see while they were dealing with royal pressure not to publish them.
• Prince Harry naked Vegas photos published by Sun--"In a front page editorial, the Sun made the case for the 'public interest' of the pictures, in an attempt to meet the standards that guide decisions on the flow of certain information in the British press."
• I Shouldn't Have Looked at Those Naked Photos of Prince Harry

Euthanasia

• Locked-in syndrome victims lose 'right to die' case--Tony Nicklinson, who wanted to die with dignity instead of living a life he "described as 'pure torture'", died from refusing food less than week after the case.
• Judge says religious couple's brain-damaged baby can be allowed to die
• Analysis: Britain's options for legalising euthanasia

Wikileaks

• Ecuador says Julian Assange can stay at embassy indefinitely--While the UK refuses to guarantee Assange safe passage to Ecuador.
• Ecuador warning over possible Assange arrest attempt--Earlier in the week, President Correa said "removing the WikiLeaks founder from the embassy would set a dangerous precedent."
• Greenwald: The bizarre, unhealthy, blinding media contempt for Julian Assange--"It is possible to protect the rights of the complainants in Sweden and Assange's rights against political persecution, but a vindictive thirst for vengeance is preventing that."
• 'Operation Free Assange': Anonymous take down UK government websites
• Legal myths about the Assange extradition--"A brief critical and source-based guide to some common misconceptions."

Norway

• Anders Behring Breivik: Norway court finds him sane--And faces 21 years in prison.
• The Breivik Verdict and Europe's Far Right--"The smirk on Anders Behring Breivik's face was an indication that the Norwegian mass murderer got the verdict he wanted." NYT
• Breivik report forces Norway police chief to quit--"Norway's police chief resigned... days after an independent commission found that police could have prevented all or part of a bombing and shooting spree by far-right militant Anders Behring Breivik that killed 77 people."

World News

• Gambia to execute all death row prisoners next month--"Gambian President Yahya Jammeh pledged to have all of the country's death-row prisoners executed by mid-September in a stern Eid address aired on Sunday which targeted "heinous acts" including homosexuality and drug use."
• Chinese Government Institutionalizes People Against Their Will: Chinese Human-Rights Defenders
• UK: George Orwell is 'too Left-wing' for a statue, BBC tells Joan Bakewell
• Australian Government Will Issue Overdue Apology to 1968 Olympic Hero Peter Norman
• Burma Abolishes Media Censorship

Polticians

• Wildlife camera catches Austrian politician having sex in forest
• Thai MP Boonsong Kowawisarat 'accidentally kills secretary'--With an uzi.
• Gu Kailai and the body double debate--There's speculation the Chinese politician's wife who murdered a British businessman and received a suspended death sentence for it used a body double during the trial. The Chinese government is having none of it.

"Ecco Mono"

• Elderly woman destroys 19th-century fresco with DIY restoration--"The result was a botched repair where the intricate brush strokes of Martinez were replaced with a haphazard splattering of the octogenarian's paint."
• Woman who ruined Spanish fresco 'had permission' from priest--"The once-dignified portrait now resembles a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic...."
• Beast-Jesus Restoration Society--Let her legacy live on... forever.

Circumcision, Catholic, Sex Abuse Scandal, Religion and Politics, Cheeked Off, Creationism, Scientology

Circumcision

• Muslim and Jewish groups denounce German circumcision ruling--Calling it a 'shameful farce'.
• Norway Centre Party: Ban ritual circumcision of boys
• Why Don't Christians Have To Get Circumcised?

Catholic

• Vatican offers special solution for conservative splinter group, SSPX
• Feeling Under Siege, Catholic Leadership Shifts Right
• Vatican gets Fox media adviser
• Catholic Church Fears Growing Vatican Bank Scandal--"A new scandal threatens to engulf the Catholic Church and this time the focus is money. Senior Vatican officials are battling over the future of the Vatican bank. While some would like total transparency, dubious transactions from the past and present could harm the Church's image."
• Abuses surface at Legion School--"Dozens of women who attended a high school run by the disgraced Legion of Christ religious order have urged the Vatican to close the program, saying the psychological abuse they endured trying to live like teenage nuns led to multiple cases of anorexia, stress-induced migraines, depression and even suicidal thoughts."
• The Catholic Church's Fading Influence in Poland
• Vatican posts $19 million deficit, worst in years

Sex Abuse Scandal

• Jury convicts Lynn of one count, deadlocks on Brennan
• A Troubled Silence NYT
• Sex Abuse Statutes of Limitation Stir Battle NYT
• Pope tells 75,000 at Dublin stadium Mass that child abuse by priests 'remains a mystery'
• Catholic Church loses child sex abuse liability appeal

Religion and Politics

• Alabama Public Television executives fired abruptly after pressure to change programming--"In recent months, APTV has been pressured by members of the commission to air programing produced by David Barton, a Texas evangelist. Barton's organization, Wall Builders, has produced a series of videos promoting a religious conservative view of American History."
• Florida Allows Schools To Offer''Inspirational Messages'
• How close is too close? The bishop of Orlando encourages Catholics to vote 'yes' on two amendments. Over the line?
• Fearless Republican Governor bravely saves his state from a Law that doesn’t exist
• 'Ten Commandments' Judge Roy Moore: Secularism leads to Sharia law
• Louisiana Republican: When I Voted for State Funds to go to Religious Schools, I Didn’t Mean Muslim Ones
• Islam Is a Religion, and Therefore Protected by the Constitution--"Plaintiffs in a Tennessee lawsuit want to deny local Muslims the right to build a mosque. Why? They claim it's not a legitimate faith and shouldn't be allowed First Amendment rights."
• Police now issue statement on Boston pensioner's 'religions are fairy stories' poster
• Feds Sue Two Polygamous Towns--"The Justice Department alleges that local leaders engaged in an intimidation campaign against the unfaithful."
• Netherlands rejects bill banning kosher slaughter; Jewish groups claim victory

Cheeked Off

• Jesus thumbs-up ad 'disrespectful'
• Catholics outraged over German cartoon
• Urine trouble, Pope tells mag in legal threat

Creationism

• Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history--"Discoveries will accelerate to the point that 'even the skeptics can accept it.'"
• How American fundamentalist schools are using Nessie to disprove evolution--That's not all the claptrap they're teaching.
• Science Defeats Creationism In Oklahoma In Flawless Victory
• Sneak Play Foiled: Ala.legislator's Creationism scheme fails to score
• South Korea surrenders to creationist demands--"Publishers set to remove examples of evolution from high-school textbooks."

Scientology

• Murdoch attacks Scientologists over Katie Holmes 'harassment'--What will they do to ensure her silence after her divorce from Tom Cruise?
• Scientology abandoned by L. Ron Hubbard's granddaughter and David Miscavige's Father
• Scientology church tries to destroy families, say ex-members
• Scientology group asks followers to censor Web comments--"The Katie Holmes-Tom Cruise split apparently has had a negative effect on the Church of Scientology, and a faction of the church is calling for members to take action and silence naysayers."
• Church of Scientology launching TV station--"The Church of Scientology [...] plans to start a religious broadcasting centre to promote its teachings over TV, radio and the internet."

Trans-Pacific Partnership, Copyfight, International, Canada, Megaupload, TheOatmeal vs. Funnyjunk

Trans-Pacific Parternship

• TPP: Corporate Power Tool of the 1%
• Apparently The USTR Thinks 'Unprecedented Transparency' Means Hiding TPP Details From 98% Of Congress
• Wyden To Obama: Hollywood Shouldn't Know More About TPP Than Congress
• SOPA Supporters Urge White House To Use Secretive TPP Process To Insert Draconian New IP Laws
• Obama Trade Document Leaked, Revealing New Corporate Powers And Broken Campaign Promises
• Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement Pushes Corporate Sovereignty Over Environmental Law
• New World Order Blueprint Leaked

Copyfight

• Capitalists Who Fear Change--"Digital technology is reinventing our whole world, in service of you and me. It's free enterprise on steroids. It's bypassing the gatekeepers and empowering each of us to invent our own civilization for ourselves, according to our own specifications."
• Supreme Court to Decide Application of First Sale Doctrine to Foreign-Made Copyrighted Works
• Congressional Staffer Says SOPA Protests 'Poisoned The Well', Failure To Pass Puts Internet At Risk
• Comcast Protests "Shake Down" of Alleged BitTorrent Pirates--"The ISP is now refusing to comply with court-ordered subpoenas, arguing that they are intended to 'shake down' subscribers by coercing them to pay settlements."
• DOJ Realizes That Comcast & Time Warner Are Trying To Prop Up Cable By Holding Back Hulu & Netflix
• Creator posts original film to YouTube, BMF claims copyright--YouTube's fault for flagging the film over the sound of wind.
• Letter to Emily White at NPR All Songs Considered

International

• Wikipedia's founder calls for Richard O'Dwyer extradition to be stopped--"Jimmy Wales launches campaign calling on Theresa May to stop extradition to US of UK student facing alleged copyright offences."
• ACTA rejected by committee in crucial blow before final EU Parliament vote
• The Pirate Party Gains Steam Overseas; Will It Catch in the U.S.
• Norwegian student fined for subtitle piracy
• Japan Passes Jail-for-Downloaders Anti-Piracy Law--They also want to "spy on all user activity."

Canada

• Big Content wants to bring SOPA-style policies to Canada
• The MPAA's Secret Lobby Campaign on Bill C-11 and a Canadian SOPA
• Copyright bill finally clears Commons--"Act hasn't been updated since 1997, now in Senate's hands to pass before summer."

Megaupload

• DOJ tries to block return of data to MegaUpload user--"U.S. files motion asking a federal court to deny a request from a former MegaUpload user for the return of his football videos," as doing so "would set a bad precedent."
• Retired Judge Joins Fight Against DOJ’s 'Outrageous' Seizures in Megaupload Case
• FBI told to copy seized Dotcom data--"The FBI has been ordered to start copying 150 terabytes of data - including 10 million emails - contained on the seized computers belonging to internet mogul Kim Dotcom."
• New Zealand's High Court Steps Into Extradition Fight Over Kim Dotcom
• Megaupload: U.S. Intentionally Disrespects Foreign Sovereignty

TheOatmeal vs. FunnyJunk

• FunnyJunk is threatening to file a federal lawsuit against me unless I pay $20,000 in damages
• FunnyJunk's Lawyer responds to the Oatmeal by trying to shut down the fundraiser--He continues to fail.
• The Oatmeal v. Funnyjunk: How The Court Of Public Opinion Beats The Court Of Baseless Legal Threats
• FunnyJunk's lawyer vows revenge on The Oatmeal and Matthew Inman
• FunnyJunk's lawyer sues American Cancer Society and National Wildlife Federation
• FunnyJunk lawyer to subpoena Ars and Twitter
• EFF Will Represent The Oatmeal Creator in Fight Against Bizarre Lawsuit Targeting Critical Online Speech

Russia, France, London Riots, Slavery, International News

Russia

• Occupy the Kremlin: Russia's Election Lets Loose Public Rage
• Putin loses majority and power in parliamentary elections NYT
• Protesters accuse Putin's party of rigging vote

France

• France moves to ban prostitution
• France to immigrants: you must learn French
• Why Are the French So Determined To Run The IMF – And What Will It Cost You?

London Riots

• England's riots shouldn't be blamed on 'moral decline', says Tony Blair
• English riots were 'a sort of revenge' against the police--"Rioters interviewed for our study say they sought retribution for what they saw as police abuse of power in their communities."
• The UK 'Riot Commute': 2.2 Miles, On Average

Slavery

• Slavery thrives in Chinese prisons
• 'Fishermen in slavery' in NZ waters--"Indonesian seafarers are being beaten, raped and forced to eat rotten food in slum-like conditions aboard Korean-owned fishing boats, according to a New Zealand study"
• Pygmies in the Congo treated like "pets"
• The Face of Modern Slavery NYT
• Somaly Mam, Sex Trafficking Survivor, Fights Slavery And HIV/AIDS In Cambodia

International News

• Anders Behring Breivik 'not accountable for attacks'--"Psychiatrists have found that Anders Behring Breivik was insane at the time of his attacks on downtown Oslo and Utoya Island."
• Colombian colonel sentenced for faking civilian murders--"A Colombian army colonel has admitted his unit murdered 57 civilians, then dressed them in uniforms and claimed they were rebels killed in combat."
• Thailand lese majeste man jailed for 20 years
• Coca-Cola's flavoured milk deliberately poisoned: China
• India Dalit boy 'killed over high-caste man's name'
• Liam Fox resignation exposes Tory links to US radical right
• Armed forces minister sorry for misleading MPs over depleted uranium--"Misleading?"

Norway, Murdoch, Vote Machinations, Rand, Bachmann

Norway

• Killings in Norway Spotlight Anti-Muslim Thought in U.S.--"The man accused of the killing spree in Norway was deeply influenced by a small group of American bloggers and writers who have warned for years about the threat from Islam, lacing his 1,500-page manifesto with quotations from them, as well as copying multiple passages from the tract of the Unabomber." NYT
• Glenn Beck Compares The Youth Camp Attacked In Norway To The Hitler Youth--Stay classy Beck.
• Fox News Refuses To Acknowledge Norway Shooter's Right-Wing Beliefs
• Bill O'Reilly: Media Labeling Norway Killer Breivik 'Christian' Because 'They Don't Like Christians'
• Colbert Report: Norwegian Muslish Gunman's Islam-Esque Atrocity

Murdoch

• James Murdoch’s Defense Crumbles--"Rupert Murdoch’s heir apparent looks like the scandal’s next victim (NYT) after claiming ignorance about phone hacking—only to be reversed by two ex-employees."
• Murdoch Veterans Portray an Engaged Boss--Instead of Mr. Passing-the-Buck NYT
• Murdoch: This scandal has exposed the scale of elite corruption--Cameron wants to bury the collusion uncovered in the hacking revelations but it's part of a growing crisis of official Britain
• Phone hacking inquiry judge attended parties at home of Rupert Murdoch's son-in-law
• Phone-hacking scandal has exposed a culture of bullying and intimidation at News International--News Corp really wanted the BSkyB bid to push through.
• Murdoch interview could have been tougher, admits WSJ special committee--"Body that oversees paper's editorial integrity says it was slow to cover story, but is now making up with 'aggressive coverage'"
• What’s the Deal With News Corp’s Other, U.S.-Based, Hacking Scandal?

Vote Machinations

• Bill Clinton: GOP Voting Crackdown Worst Since Jim Crow
• 11 States Trying Really Hard to Keep Poor, Black, and Student Voters From Voting
• After Signing Law Disenfranchising ID-less Voters, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Closes 10 DMV Offices--But it doesn't stop there.
• Billionaires give big to new 'super PACS'--Group spearheaded by Karl Rove vows massive attack ad campaign to defeat President Barack Obama next year
• Campaign Reformers Say Stephen Colbert's FEC Joke Has Gone Far Enough
• Stephen Colbert's Super PAC Wouldn't Report Donations Until 2012
• Supreme Court imposes limits on public funding of campaigns--Kagan says it's 'chutzpah'
• Foreign Company Admits Illegal Cash Donations to U.S. State Campaigns
• New court filing reveals how the 2004 Ohio presidential election was hacked
• Gerrymandering Explained

Rand

• Ayn Rand's Poison: GOP Faces Backlash for Their Obsessive Worship of a Psycho
• You can't reconcile Ayn Rand and Jesus
• To See Through the Deceit-- From Libertarianism to Liberalism
• Producer Admits Atlas Shrugged: Part I Basically A Failure--"[I]sn't this really just an example of the free market in action?"
• How Ayn Rand ruined my childhood Salon

Bachmann

• Bachmann Vows to End Nonexistent Federal Program
• Bachmann pledges to ban pornography
• "There are plenty of good reasons to question Michele Bachmann’s fitness for the presidency, including but not limited to: her thin record of legislative achievement, her blatant hypocrisy in opposing government spending while her family accepts farm subsidies and government grants, and her bigotry."

Norway, Playing Politics, Environment

Norway

• Norway PM: "The Answer to Violence is even More Democracy"
• The Washington Post Owes the World an Apology for this Item--Seems to have lied about Al Qaeda's involvement to scare more people into freaking out over terrorism.
• Lawyer: Norway Suspect Wanted A Revolution--The right-wing Christian fundamentalist says the massacre (NYT) was 'atrocious but necessary'.

Playing Politics

• Congress Must Eliminate Its Own Pensions, Reduce Its Salaries -- Before Cutting a Dime From Middle Class Entitlements
• Vince Cable attacks 'rightwing nutters' over US debt ceiling talk--Business secretary says those trying to derail efforts to raise ceiling are bigger threat to world economy than eurozone crisis
• 'Super Congress': Debt Ceiling Negotiators Aim To Create New Legislative Body
• CNN Poll: Drop in liberal support pushes Obama approval rating down
• American Exceptionalism Fuels Republican Obstructionism

Government and the Environment

• This Hero Didn’t Stand a Chance--"Tim DeChristopher is scheduled to be sentenced... on July 26. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $750,000 fine for fraudulently bidding in December 2008 on parcels of land, including areas around eastern Utah’s national parks, which were being sold off by the Bush administration to the oil and natural gas industry."
• Water-Regulation-As-Federalism Bill Passes House, Looks A Lot Like ALEC--"After being fast tracked by a House panel and passing the House last week, a bill that would strip fundamental powers of the EPA to regulate water toxins crept closer to a Senate vote."
• Who are polluters' best friends in Congress?--A report names 15 members of Congress who have prevented the EPA from improving coal power plant standards. Salon
• Under the radar attack on state parks
• GOP fails to turn off light bulb standards
• Republicans Use Appropriations Bill To Push Uranium Mining Around The Grand Canyon
• Bachmann’s Pledge To Eliminate The EPA Is Fueled By Koch
• In The Know: Coal Lobby Warns Wind Farms May Blow Earth Off Orbit The Onion

Just Business

• Big Coal: Inbreeding, Not Mining, to Blame for Birth Defects--No, not an Onion article.
• Nine Out of Ten Climate Denying Scientists Have Ties to Exxon Mobil Money
• Car makers oppose fuel standards that would save consumers $150 billion and is supported by 75% of Americans
• Feds: Massey faked mine records to deceive safety inspectors
• BP Wins a Big One in Oil Spill Litigation--But they got dinged big time for the 2006 Alaskan spill.
• Preventing radiation contamination more important than TEPCO's stock prices--The Tokyo Eelectro Power Company has a resisted a move to construct an underground dam to contain the radiation from the Fukushima plant.
• Judge Tosses Out Massive Ground Poisoning Class Action Against Dow Chemical

World's oceans in 'shocking' decline--As the saying never went, There's no more fish in the sea.