Morning Briefing: 2 September 2010

British spy found dead in bath was padlocked into sports bag [via The Telegraph]

The strange case of Britain’s dead spy continues to reveal new twists. MI6 agent Gareth Williams, 31, was found dead in his apartment August 23. New details recently emerged during an inquiry that Williams’ body was discovered by police padlocked inside a large sports bag in the bathtub. Two autopsies have not yet discovered the cause of death, and police say the situation is “suspicious and unexplained” (duh).

Man sued for drunkenly losing $1.35M painting [via The New York Daily News]

Manhattanite James Haggerty is being sued by some (presumably former) friends after he drunkenly lost their $1.35 million painting. Haggerty was supposed to transport the painting, “Portrait of a Girl” by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, to a potential buyer at a hotel. Security footage shows that, after the buyer turned down the offer, Haggerty sloshed out of the hotel, painting in tow, and had lost it the next morning.

Battle Brews Over Michelangelo’s ‘David’ [via The New York Times]

A report commissioned by Italy’s federal government says that Michelangelo’s classic sculpture ‘David’ is owned by the nation, not the city of Florence, where it resides. Proceeds from tourists viewing ‘David’ topped $7 million last year and went to the federal Culture Ministry. The report concluded the sculpture, which was commissioned by the Florentine Republic in 1501, belongs to Italy because the nation legally succeeded the republic.

Dorothy Sucher, Reporter in Press-Freedom Case, Dies at 77 [via The New York Times]

Reporter Dorothy Sucher died August 22 at the age of 77. Sucher was deeply involved in a landmark freedom of the press Supreme Court case, 1970’s Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn. v. Bresler. Sucher had reported on city residents accusing developer Charles Bresler of “blackmail” during a public meeting. Bresler sued for libel, but ultimate the court found that “when accusations that technically amount to a criminal charge are made during heated public debate, they cannot constitutionally be the basis of a libel or slander judgment if it is clear that there was no intention to accuse anyone of criminal conduct.”

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Morning Briefing: 25 August 2010

Va. ACLU asks for review of liquor ad ban [via AP/Washington Post]

A 4^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision prohibiting the advertisement of alcohol in Virginia college newspapers has been appealed to the Supreme Court. The 2-1 April ruling found the ban to be an effective method to combat underage drinking. The ACLU of Virginia, the group which appealed to the Supreme Court, argues the ban is unconstitutional because there is no proof it lowers underage drinking.

A similar 2004 3^rd Circuit case, Pitt News vs. Pappert, ruled in favor of the school newspaper. The opinion, authored by current Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, held that the ban was ineffective and unfairly singled out student media. Conflicting lower courts? This is ripe for Supreme Court review.

Hitler had Jewish and African roots, DNA tests show [via The Daily Telegraph]

In other shocking news, DNA samples from 39 living relatives of former Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler indicates the perpetrator of the Holocaust likely had Jewish and African ancestry. A chromosome called E1b1b1 was discovered in the samples; it is rare among western Europeans but common among those descended from Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian roots, as well as Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews.

Baltimore Sun reviving Sunday magazine [via Baltimore Brew]

What’s that, you say, a small victory for journalism? It might just be. The Baltimore Sun is reviving its Sunday magazine this September. City Hall reporter Julie Scharper broke the news in a tweet. Noting the Sun wants to reinvest in itself, marketing director Renee Mutchnik said, ““We’re doing a lot of enhancing the paper… We’ve debuted a lot of new sections lately.”

Is that my son wearing a dress? [via Salon]

Teacher and freelance writer Matt Cheplic writes in Salon about his 4-year-old son’s desire to dress as Snow White for Halloween. Cheplic wished to remain supportive, but also sought to prevent bullying at preschool that could alienate his son. “I honestly don’t believe that a 4-year-old’s Halloween costume has the power to cement his sexual identity for life. I was not threatened by fears of a same-sex, vegan wedding ceremony or a rejection of power tools and the Super Bowl. A far more immediate evil loomed in my magic mirror: children who mock other children.”

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