Norwegian court rules Anders Behring Breivik sane, sentences him to prison
The New York Times: A court on Friday sentenced Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian extremist who admitted killing 77 people, to at least 21 years in prison after ruling that he was sane when he carried out his country’s worst peacetime atrocity. The sentence was the most severe permitted under Norwegian law, but it can be extended at a later date if he is still deemed to be a danger to society.
Photo: Anders Behring Breivik listens to the judge in the courtroom, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in Oslo, Norway (Frank Augstein / AP)
Posts tagged law.
A young humpback whale died of starvation while entangled in a ghost fishing net. It washed ashore near Vancouver, Canada a few days ago and locals held a funeral for the animal. Officials are trying to identify who owned the lost fishing net. You can see the tail ripped up by the net. Full story and video.
Meanwhile, Canada’s ultra-conservative government is destroying endangered species act and dozens of environmental laws nearly every week with sneaky, backdoor amendments and secret legislation.
How? Regulatory capture. Canadian officials have successfully been bought by oil companies. In exchange, politicians are gutting environmental laws to help oil companies drill more pollutive wells faster and deeper with little to no regulatory oversight.
Follow climate adaptation.
Canadian scientists protest absurd spending cuts
July 10, 2012
Several hundred Canadian scientists and their supporters held an unprecedented protest march on Tuesday to demonstrate against the government’s decision to close down major facilities and fire research staff.
The protesters, who say the right-of-center Conservative government dislikes science, walked through central Ottawa behind a woman dressed as the Grim Reaper and a coffin designed to mourn the “Death of Evidence”.
“Evidence is the way that adults navigate reality. To deny evidence is to live in a fairy world … when countries engage in fantasy it’s called state propaganda,” Simon Fraser University professor Arne Moores told a crowd of around 800 people gathered on Parliament Hill.
The Conservatives intend to stop funding an Arctic environment atmospheric research laboratory, a move U.S. scientists complain will harm the world’s ability to monitor the ozone layer.
Ottawa is also shutting down the Experimental Lakes Area in northern Ontario, which plays a major role in helping study the effects of water pollution. Budget cuts also mean hundreds of scientists and researchers will lose their jobs.
The government also plans to kill off its own environmental advisory agency.
(via climateadaptation)
Canadian gold mining company asks government to ignore aboriginal "spirituality" and culture while reviewing mining permits ›
They’ll probably win their request. They also ask the Canadian government to ban prayers and children’s plays at public hearings. The mining company states that permit review should only include “objective facts.” They have a point.
A new federal environmental review panel “does not have any right to attribute significance to the spirituality of a place per se,” wrote Taseko Mines Ltd. president Russell Hallbauer in a letter obtained under the Access to Information Act and provided to The Vancouver Sun by B.C. independent provincial representative Bob Simpson.
Last year, the mining company was denied a mining permit. The company went to court to force the government to reconsider the permit, but lost. But, all is not lost for the poor mining company! In addition to weakening the permit review standards, which take native Indian rights into consideration, they’re lobbying the Canadian government to change federal environmental laws all together. After the lawsuit was lost, and the company lobbied some more, the Canadian government will now allow review of a revised permit application.
Stephen Harper’s government is acceptingly being sodomized by oil, gas, and mining companies, which means that the Canadian government is not just gutting environmental laws, it’s obliterating them. The mining company will eventually win their permit to mine for gold and copper - they’ll just have to plant some trees and hire a few natives.
To my mind, this mess reveals major weaknesses of Canada’s progressive voters, environmental activists, and environmental lobbyists. As a result of this disorganization, environmental laws in Canada are bought and sold on the free market right under everyone’s noses.
dear canada: stop it.
Penalties in Muslim Countries/Areas for Being a Gay Male, or for Engaging in Male-Male Sex (from the Economist)
(via kateoplis)
Higher abortion rates where it's illegal ›
An AP article just published last week that reasserts what pro-choicers have known for a long time: abortion rates are the same, if not higher, in places where abortion is illegal.
-Jess
Chevron Must Pay $18 Billion to Indigenous Ecuadorans: Court Upholds Largest Environmental Verdict Ever ›
AmazonWatch: Yesterday, an Ecuadorian appellate court upheld a historic $18 billion award against Chevron for the company’s deliberate contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The decision is the largest environmental award ever handed down and the result of an 18-year legal battle brought by some 30,000 indigenous peoples and farmers seeking a clean up of contaminated sites, clean drinking water, and health care.
For more information, see the excellent 2009 documentary, Crude: The Real Price of Oil
(via mohandasgandhi)
God bless Amurrrica.
Bigoted Governor Chris Christie Vetoes New Jersey Equality Bill ›
The fat, old, bald, white, Christian, male who sits in the Governor’s chair in New Jersey has decided that he and his god don’t give a damn about equality. He’s hoping to be seen in 20 years as this moment’s George Wallace. When he apologizes 20 years from now, remember to tell him that you do not forgive him, and to “F*ck Off!”
However, the people of NJ are for marriage equality, so when Christie gets caught in a gay scandal the law will be sure to change.
Boner Dust.
Suzanna.
Lost on my way to life.
I collect postcards and would love to do a postcard exchange with each and every one of my followers.
Also, I love ducks.
Lost on my way to life.
I collect postcards and would love to do a postcard exchange with each and every one of my followers.
Also, I love ducks.
