Wednesday, 20 July 2011

DeterritorialSupport
It's.... PAPER! #hackgate

Tuesday, 19 July 2011


How the phone-hacking scandal unmasked the British power elite

UK 
Parliament
LIVE

Israel Navy intercepts sole remnant of flotilla heading for Gaza

What if Rebekah Brooks stays silent?

Louise Fail

Bingo card for Murdoch enquiry

(Click to enlarge)
Via

'Rupert Murdoch, despite giving us Homer Simpson, generally has not been a force for good over the course of his long career'

The Tables Are Turned on Murdoch

HA!

The Mighty Steve Bell

HA!

Via

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism is a 2004 documentary film by filmmaker Robert Greenwald that criticises the Fox News Channel, and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, claiming that the channel is used to promote and advocate right-wing views. The film says this pervasive bias contradicts the channel's claim of being "Fair and Balanced", and argues that Fox News has been engaging in what amounts to consumer fraud.
Wiki

??? (WSJ tries hard...but fails miserably!)

News of the World vs. WikiLeaks

The Murdoch Empire: An Inside View

9 Questions for Rupert

Rupert Murdoch’s appearance before a parliamentary select committee is drawing the kind of international attention usually reserved for royal marriages. The committee, appropriately enough, is for “culture, media and sport,” and the Elizabethan sport that public anticipation calls to mind is that of bear baiting: a powerful, blinded beast maddened by small dogs. That would be to underestimate Rupert, who has been rehearsing for days, and certainly to overestimate the forensic ability of members of the committee (“selected” from unpromoted MPs, but in no qualitative sense “select”). It will operate under severe constraints as a result of the arrest of Rebekah Brooks.
The main constraint will be the presumption of innocence—or at least the British sense of fair play: Ms. Brooks was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to hack unlawfully and to corrupt police, and the Murdochs themselves may soon follow her into the finger-printing room. So "The Wapping Three" have a right to remain silent. When the Maxwells were called before a select committee inquiring into the pilfering of The Mirror pension fund, they brought along George Carman, the country’s top barrister.
The Murdochs will be tempted to attend with a row of Queen’s Counsels—a purse of silks, so to speak—but this would be a public-relations error.  If Rupert ever says, “I will not answer that question on the grounds it could incriminate me,” News Limited shares would go into freefall. His best strategy would be to adopt the pose that enabled some screenwriters to survive dishonor before the McCarthy hearings—“I will answer any and every question about my own role but because others may face criminal investigation, Mr. Chairman, you will understand why it would be improper for me to speak what I know about them.” This pose plays well—it suggests courage in taking all responsibility, although in reality it masks a position that covers up part of the truth.
The committee hearing may well disappoint, because it is not designed for cross-examination. U.S. Senate committees have counsel and investigators, and their questioning can last hours and be very searching. U.K. select committees have few staff and limited time for a few questions from each committee member. There can be no effective cross-examination, which usually requires sustained questioning before it can be effective. “Laying the ground” is the most important part of the art. In court, it might go like this...
   Continue reading
Geoffrey Robertson @'The Daily Beast'

LulzSec 1, Murdoch 0: News Int, the hacker, becomes the hacked

Panorama: Tabloid Hacks Exposed



(Thanx Dangerous Minds!)
Note also  that Alex Marunchak worked as an interpreter for the Met between 1980-2000 while still a reporter at the News of the World!!!
Four Tet
Computer hacking always seems so damn cool to me... ever since this dude bet he's working with

Boris Johnson and the Met

Murdoch Aides Long Tried to Blunt Scandal Over Hacking

LulzSec hack The Scum

(Click to enlarge)
Those naughty boys...and they have apparently harvested lots of e/mails!!!

'Breast Milk Baby' Breastfeeding Doll Heading To U.S. Retailers


In a press release yesterday, Alicante, Spain-based Berjuan Toys announced their commitment to bring their Breast Milk Baby doll Stateside after it sold well overseas. The company has generated more than $2 million in sales since the dolls were first released in Spain four years ago.
“Even before we released the dolls in Europe, we have been receiving e-mails, letters, phone calls and messages from breastfeeding activists all over the States,” said Berjuan Toys’ U.S. spokesperson Dennis Lewis in an interview I conducted yesterday. He added that the doll previously received a formal endorsement from the Spanish breastfeeding organization FEDALMA, as well as support from members of other international breastfeeding organizations.
Each doll comes with a “fashionable” halter-top to be worn by the child; it’s decorated with two flowers carefully positioned where the nipples would be. The doll then makes motions and suckling sounds when a sensor in its mouth comes close to sensors inside the flowers. Available in both genders and three different skin colors, the six types of Breast Milk Babies are currently on sale in Europe and available online for $89, though Lewis said that they expect them to be on sale in U.S. brick-and-mortar stores after the company meets with various retailers and buyers at the Las Vegas ASD merchandise trade show later this month...
 Continue reading
Tracey John @'Forbes'

News of the World phone-hacking whistleblower found dead

Hoare first made his claims in a New York Times investigation into the phone-hacking allegations at the News of the World. Photograph: Hazel Thompson/Eyevine
Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbusiness reporter who was the first named journalist to allege that Andy Coulson was aware of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead .
Hoare, who worked on the Sun and the News of the World with Coulson before being dismissed for drink and drugs problems, was said to have been found at his Watford home.
Hertfordshire police would not confirm his identity, but said in a statement: "At 10.40am today [Monday 18 July] police were called to Langley Road, Watford, following the concerns for the welfare of a man who lives at an address on the street. Upon police and ambulance arrival at a property, the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
"The death is currently being treated as unexplained but not thought to be suspicious. Police investigations into this incident are ongoing."
There was an unexplained delay in the arrival of forensics officers at the scene .
Neighbours said three police cars and three police cars and two ambulances arrived at the property shortly before 11am. They left around four hours later, around 3pm, shortly after a man and a woman, believed to be grieving relatives, arrived at the premises. There was no police presence at the scene at all for several hours.
The curtains were drawn at the first-floor apartment in a new-build block of flats .
At about 9.15pm, three hours after the Guardian revealed Hoare had been found dead a police van marked "Scientific Services Unit" pulled up at the address, where a police car was already parked. Two officers emerged carrying evidence bags, clipboards, torches and laptop-style bags and entered the building. Three officers carrying cameras and wearing white forensic suits went into the flat at around 9.30pm.
Hoare was in his mid-40s. He first made his claims in a New York Times investigation into the phone-hacking allegations at the News of the World. He told the newspaper that not only did Coulson know of the hacking, but he also actively encouraged his staff to intercept the calls of celebrities in the pursuit of exclusives.
In a subsequent interview with the BBC he alleged he was personally asked by his editor at the time, Coulson, to tap into phones. In an interview with the PM programme he said Coulson's insistence he did not know of the practice was "a lie, it is simply a lie". At the time a Downing Street spokeswoman said Coulson totally and utterly denied the allegations; he had "never condoned the use of phone hacking and nor do I have any recollection of incidences where hacking took place".
Hoare said he was once a close friend of Coulson's, and told the New York Times the two first worked together at the Sun, where, Hoare said, he played recordings of hacked messages for Coulson. At the News of the World, Hoare said, he continued to inform Coulson of his activities. He "actively encouraged me to do it", Hoare said. In September last year he was interviewed under caution by police over his claim the former Tory communications chief asked him to hack into phones when editor of the paper, but declined to make any comment.
Hoare returned to the spotlight last week, after he told the New York Times that reporters at the NoW were able to use police technology to locate people using their mobile phone signals, in exchange for payments to police officers. He said journalists were able to use "pinging", which measured the distance between a mobile handset and a number of phone masts to pinpoint its location.
Hoare gave further details about "pinging" to the Guardian last week. He described how reporters would ask a news desk executive to obtain the location of a target: "Within 15 to 30 minutes someone on the news desk would come back and say 'Right, that's where they are.'"
He said: "You'd just go to the news desk and they'd come back to you. You don't ask any questions. You'd consider it a job done.
"The chain of command is one of absolute discipline, and that's why I never bought into it, like with Andy saying he wasn't aware of it and all that. That's bollocks."
He said he stood by everything he told the New York Times of "pinging". "I don't know how often it happened. That would be wrong of me. But if I had access, as a humble reporter … "
He admitted he had had problems with drink and drugs, and had been in rehab. "But that's irrelevant," he said. "There's more to come. This is not going to go away."
Hoare named a private investigator who he said had links with the News of the World, adding: "He may want to talk now, because I think what you'll find now is a lot of people are going to want to cover their arse." Speaking to another Guardian journalist last week, Hoare repeatedly expressed the hope that the hacking scandal would lead to journalism in general being cleaned up, and said he had decided to blow the whistle on the activities of some of his former NoW colleagues with that aim in mind.
He also said he had been injured the previous weekend while taking down a marquee erected for a children's party. He said he broke his nose and badly injured his foot when a relative accidentally struck him with a pole from the marquee. Hoare also emphasised that he was not making any money from telling his story.
Having been treated for drug and alcohol problems, Hoare reminisced about his partying with former pop stars and said that he missed the days when he was able to go out on the town.
On Monday evening the curtains were drawn at his home, a first-floor apartment in a new-build block of flats.
A neighbour living opposite, Nicky Dormer, said three police cars and two ambulances arrived at the property at 11am; police left at 3pm, shortly after a man and a woman, believed to be grieving relatives, arrived at the premises.
She and another neighbour described Hoare as a jovial man who would often sit on his balcony, overlooking the block entrance, and talk to residents. They said he lived in the block with his partner, a woman called Jo, who they believed had been away on holiday. Neither had seen Hoare for a few days.
Paul Pritchard, 30, another neighbour, said Sean Hoare was "the most sociable" resident, and they would regularly see him watering the communal front lawn.
"It is just such a shock. About a month ago he said he felt unwell and he said he went to the doctors for a checkup. Then I saw him again and he seemed well."

We do!

Liverpool Fans Hate Rupert Murdoch the Most

Patti Smith - Rolling In the Deep

 
The Godmother of Punk declared Adele’s hit “Rolling In the Deep” to be the “song of the summer” the other night in NYC, followed by her faithful take, which — despite a few lyric flubs that Smith is never afraid to risk in the name of seizing the moment — must be heard to be believed. While a decent video has yet to surface, an audio glimpse into Smith’s performance did arrive this morning. Preview the clip above while we keep an eye out for footage of the living legend’s latest tribute.
Via

WTF???

Paul Waugh

Call Scotland Yard: Britain's Prime Minister Is In Deep Trouble

Monday, 18 July 2011

HA!

Via

U.K. Tabloid Scandal: 'Lapping At The Door Of No. 10 Downing St.'

Won't be able to use this tactic tomorrow...


What’s next for News Corp. and its worlds

John Yates resigns

Met Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates has resigned as the phone-hacking scandal fall-out continues.
He checked the credentials of Neil Wallis before the Met employed the ex-News of the World executive, arrested last week over hacking allegations.
Mr Yates indicated his intention to resign to the chairman of the Met Police Authority, which was accepted.
Mr Yates's decison to quit comes after Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson resigned on Sunday.
@'BBC'

What keeps the Earth cooking?

Asking questions of Rebekah

For the Few, by the Few, in the Name of the Many

Special from Gaza: Factions vow imminent armed uprising

emptywheel
A reader notes that News Corps' standards of business conduct say they don't engage in bribery.

Terra Nova Trailer Edit



Antarctica, the only uninhabited continent, belongs to no single country and has no government. While certain countries lay claim to portions of the landmass, it is the only solid land on the planet with no unified national affiliation. Drawing on the continent’s rich history of inspiring exploration and artistic endeavors, Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky has put together his own multimedia, multidisciplinary study of Antactica. Book of Ice is one aspect of this ongoing project.
In light of climate change and tireless human enterprise to be present everywhere on the planet, Miller uses Antarctica as a point on entry for contemplating humanity’s relationship with the natural world. The two additional contributors to The Book Of Ice - Columbia University's Brian Greene, best selling author of The Elegant Universe, and Ross A. Virginia, Director of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth College, a world renowned expert on Antarctica - add several layers of analysis to the books exploration of the theme of science and graphic design.
Using photographs and film stills from his journey to the bottom of the world, along with original artworks and re-appropriated archival materials, Miller ponders how Antarctica could liberate itself from the rest of the world. Part fictional manifesto, part history and part science book, Book of Ice furthers Miller’s reputation as an innovative artist capable of making the old look new. Out July 1st on Mark Batty Publisher. 

Luckily he is still a charlatan though...

Letter to Viscount Monckton of Brenchley from David Beamish, the Clerk of the Parliaments
Dear Lord Monckton
My predecessor, Sir Michael Pownall, wrote to you on 21 July 2010, and again on 30 July 2010, asking that you cease claiming to be a Member of the House of Lords, either directly or by implication. It has been drawn to my attention that you continue to make such claims.
In particular, I have listened to your recent interview with Mr Adam Spencer on Australian radio. In response to the direct question, whether or not you were a Member of the House of Lords, you said "Yes, but without the right to sit or vote". You later repeated, "I am a Member of the House".
I must repeat my predecessor's statement that you are not and have never been a Member of the House of Lords. Your assertion that you are a Member, but without the right to sit or vote, is a contradiction in terms. No-one denies that you are, by virtue of your letters Patent, a Peer. That is an entirely separate issue to membership of the House. This is borne out by the recent judgment in Baron Mereworth v Ministry of Justice (Crown Office) where Mr Justice Lewison stated:
"In my judgment, the reference [in the House of Lords Act 1999] to 'a member of the House of Lords' is simply a reference to the right to sit and vote in that House ... In a nutshell, membership of the House of Lords means the right to sit and vote in that House. It does not mean entitlement to the dignity of a peerage."
I must therefore again ask that you desist from claiming to be a Member of the House of Lords, either directly or by implication, and also that you desist from claiming to be a Member "without the right to sit or vote".
I am publishing this letter on the parliamentary website so that anybody who wishes to check whether you are a Member of the House of Lords can view this official confirmation that you are not.
David Beamish
Clerk of the Parliaments
15 July 2011
(PDF PDF 90 KB)

Climate sceptic 'Lord' Monckton told he's not member of House of Lords