Boing Boing presents Courtroom sketches of Julian Assange; An anthro prof. writes about Anonymous vs. The Guardian…

Courtroom sketches of Julian Assange

English judges are less inclined to allow cameras, recording devices and other newfangled distractions into courtrooms than their American counterparts. This point was highlighted in recent days by Justice Ousley’s unprecedented decision to temporarily allow reporters to hammer away on Twitter as Julian Assange’s bail case was heard.

Human rights organizations around the world condemn Wikileaks censorship

The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Katitza Rodriguez has rounded up the responses of many human rights organizations around the world to the commercial and governmental attacks on Wikileaks. It coincides with EFF’s new Say No to Online Censorship campaign.

Wikileaks: Cables show India accused of widespread, systematic torture in Kashmir

from Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin

National Security Archive director on “Wikimania,” and the dangers of demonizing WikiLeaks

Thomas Blanton, executive director of the National Security Archive, was among those who testified today before the House Judiciary Committee on the aftermath of “Cablegate” and Wikileaks. Blanton believes efforts to tighten secrecy and crack down on leakers and press will be “fundamentally self-defeating.”

Fidel Castro came close to death in 2006

The big headline from this cable, dated March 16, 2007, is that U.S. diplomats believe Fidel Castro came close to death from his diverticulitis in the Summer of 2006. But what really strikes me is the extent to which State’s top Havana-watchers and their confidential sources seemed just as baffled as the rest of us about Fidel’s condition.

Julian Assange released from jail

Agence France-Presse reports from London:

Linkage and its discontents: What WikiLeaks reveals about Israel-Palestine

from Wiki Leaks by Tom Kutsch

Zimbabwe First Lady to sue newspaper for printing WikiLeaked cable

from Wiki Leaks by Elizabeth Dickinson

Wikileaks on the Pirate Party

Sweden’s Pirate party has been a key supporter of WikiLeaks throughout its recent travails. In August, the party, which is dedicated to the repeal of copyright laws and electronic privacy, agreed to host WikiLeaks on its servers. This month, the party’s Swiss branch registered WikiLeaks’ new URL after it lost its .org address.

The sorry state of American diplomatic correspondence: Empire?s ignorant ambassadors by TAHİR USLU

The Aesthetic Face(s) of Anonymous

[This is a guest post by Gabriella Coleman. Gabriella is an assistant professor in the Dept of Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU. Her work examines the politics of digital media.]

UPDATE: See Gabriella?s follow-up piece: Anonymous vs. The Guardian.

Anonymous vs. The Guardian

[This is a guest post by Gabriella Coleman. Gabriella is an assistant professor in the Dept of Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU. Her work examines the politics of digital media.]

So one of the reasons I was motived to write a post about the aesthetics of Anonymous was due, in part, to some problematic representations of the phenomenon in the mainstream press. The Guardian, in their latest article on Anonymous, managed again to offer up what is at best a crime-show television grasp of reality, when it comes to social communicative norms in digital spaces. I know that sounds especially harsh but I guess since I was misquoted, this time it is now personal.