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The court decided that Guantanamo Bay detainees have the right (known as habeas corpus) to challenge the legality of their detentions in federal district court. It did not authorize the release of a single detainee, nor did it answer many tough questions (What should be the standard adopted in evaluating a detainee’s claim? What deference should be given the military by a civilian court?). But it squarely stated that the Constitution has full effect at Guantanamo, available even to those detained there.

[..]

The decision infuriated Scalia. It “will make the war harder on us,” he asserted in dissent. “It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed.”

Yes, Justice Scalia, Americans will die. Regardless of the decision in Boumediene, Americans will die.

The issue is not whether Americans will die, but how Americans will live. It’s clear “in fear” is your answer, and it’s the wrong one…

Only valid for a limited time:

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Astronaut Ron Garan participates in the mission’s second spacewalk. During the seven-hour, 11-minute spacewalk, Garan and fellow STS-124 astronaut Mike Fossum installed television cameras on the front and rear of the Kibo Japanese Pressurized Module to assist Kibo robotic arm operations, removed thermal covers from the Kibo robotic arm, prepared an upper JPM docking port for flight day seven’s attachment of the Kibo logistics module, readied a spare nitrogen tank assembly for its installation during the third spacewalk, retrieved a failed television camera from the Port 1 truss and inspected the port Solar Alpha Rotary Joint.

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According to research carried out by the organization Free the Slaves, more people are enslaved worldwide than ever before.

In its 400 years, the transatlantic slave trade is estimated to have shipped up to 12 million Africans to various colonies in the West. Free the Slaves estimates that the number of people in slavery today is at least 27 million.

[..]

A slave in 1850 in American South cost the equivalent of approximately $40,000. According to figures published by FST, the cost of a slave today averages around $90, depending on the work they are forced to carry out.

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A trained nurse, Rachelle Jackson immediately ran toward the sound of the crash. A Chicago police car had collided with another vehicle and was starting to smoke, two officers still inside. Fearing an explosion, she quickly pulled one officer from the passenger side.She never imagined her act of kindness nearly six years ago would land her in jail for more than 10 months on charges that she robbed, battered and disarmed a peace officer.

Jackson filed a lawsuit, and on Thursday a federal jury found against the city and several Chicago police officers, awarding Jackson $7.7 million for false arrest, malicious prosecution, coercive questioning and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Good job, guys - the next burning police car will probably lose you an officer…

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Across the Atlantic, the British government has aimed its attack against the dyes on food manufacturers with growing success. That’s why when you order a sundae with strawberry sauce from a McDonald’s in England, the sauce is made of strawberries. In the United States, it’s Red 40.

Late last year, Mars banished artificial colors from its well-known Starburst and Skittles candies sold in the U.K. Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft did the same in early 2007 with its British version of Lunchables.

“This is about listening to consumers,” said Kraft spokesman Michael Mitchell.

Thus far, however, U.S. consumers haven’t spoken up enough to cause big manufacturers to drop the dyes, which are ubiquitous in American foods.

In the United States, you can avoid these dyes if you shop at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or other natural health stores because they don’t carry products with these controversial chemicals.

But most commercial products at regular chain groceries and mass merchandisers do, even foods that aren’t particularly colorful to begin with. That would include Betty Crocker’s Au Gratin 100 percent Real Potatoes, which turns out isn’t all real potatoes.

You can thank Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 for the colors, which come from coal tar.

Yum.

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As noted yesterday, in Warner v. Cassin, the “making available” case that had been pending in Westchester, the RIAA voluntarily dismissed the case, giving no notice to the defendant’s lawyer. Defendant’s lawyer learned of it on June 11th, although it had been filed May 27th.

Today, June 12th, defendant’s lawyer learned that on June 4th the RIAA commenced yet another action against the same family over the same exact allegation of copyright infringement, this time suing “Does 1-4″. The name of the new case is Warner v. Does 1-4. The RIAA did not disclose to the Court, in the new case, that it was “related” to Warner v. Cassin. As a result, the new case was assigned to another judge, Hon. Charles L. Brieant.

Additionally, in the new action, plaintiffs filed an ex parte motion for discovery.

Defendant’s lawyer wrote to Judge Robinson, advising him of what had occurred, and requesting that he recall his previous order and issue a new order making it clear that the dismissal in Warner v. Cassin was “on the merits” and “with prejudice”, since that case was the second action involving this identical claim (the first being the Washington DC action in which Ms. Cassin was sued as a “Doe”).

Defendant’s lawyer also wrote to Judge Brieant, explaining the background, asking him to mark the case as “related” to Warner v. Cassin, asking him to refer the matter back to Judge Robinson, and arguing that the plaintiffs had filed the new case in order to:

-engage in forum shopping;
-do an end-run around the impending decision of the dismissal motion; and
-do an end-run around the stay of discovery.

[Ed. note. (1) You just can't make this stuff up. (2) Guess what the new complaint says about "making available"? Answer: nothing. -R.B.]

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The U.K. media minister has attacked product placement in TV shows and said he will not allow the practice on British broadcasters even though it has been approved by the European Union.

The news is likely to infuriate TV companies, including beleaguered terrestrial giant ITV, which are all trying to find additional revenue streams as new media continues to make inroads into traditional advertising.

Andy Burnham, secretary of state at the Dept. of Culture, Media and Sport since January, dropped his bombshell Wednesday in his first big policy speech on broadcasting.

He said product placement would undermine the status that British TV enjoys internationally and “contaminate” programs.