Tag: human

Max Mosley’s privacy case rejected by European Court of Human Rights

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, UK

Max Mosley

It appears as if Max Mosley has gotten whipped once again. But this time, it wasn’t in an alleged S&M dungeon with a gaggle of hookers dressed up as Nazi officers, it was in no less distinguished a forum than the European Court of Human Rights.

The former FIA president, as you may recall, was outed by the British tabloid News of the World back in 2008 for his sordid sex life. Rather than recoil as most might – particularly in light of longstanding accusations of Mosley and his family’s fascist sympathies and historical ties to high-ranking Nazi officials – Mosley went on the offensive. He made his case into a privacy issue and sued the newspaper, sued its publisher, and he sued a German newspaper that ran the story as well.

Once the dust settled from those lawsuits – including the nearly $100,000 (plus legal expenses) in punitive damages awarded him in court – Mosley took his case to the European Court of Human Rights. In a landmark decision being hailed by some as a victory for free speech, Mosley’s case was dismissed by the courts yesterday.

The decision ostensibly upholds the rights of the British fourth estate (that is, the media) to publish the news as it sees fit without the requirement which Mosley was seeking to notify the subject of reports before they’re published. Mosley may, however, appeal the decision, though to what higher judicial body remains unclear.

Max Mosley’s privacy case rejected by European Court of Human Rights originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: UAW’s King threatens to expose carmakers who avoid unions as “human rights violators”

Bob King

United Auto Workers president Bob King wants to reverse the UAW’s eroding course, and one of the best ways to strengthen its position is through increased membership. The Detroit News reports that King and company are looking to bring the power of one to the nearest transplant automaker producing vehicles in the U.S. King says that he wants foreign automakers to know that the UAW has learned from past mistakes and that the rank and file is not “the evil empire.” Good to know, right? Well…

After King informed the transplants that the dark side has no power over the UAW, he then went on to tell automaker management at Toyota and Honda that efforts to block the right to fair bargaining will be branded “human rights violators.” King reportedly went on to accuse some transplants of spending millions to keep unions out of plants, adding “I would not want to be a company that was branded as a human rights violator.” And what happens if the UAW feels the automakers are continuing to block workers’ rights to vote for or against the right to organize? King says the next step is to stage global protests that could cost automakers “hundreds of millions of dollars” to combat.

[Source: Detroit News | Image: Paul Sancya/AP]

Report: UAW’s King threatens to expose carmakers who avoid unions as “human rights violators” originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Texas man becomes human speed-trap warning sign

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety

speed trap

Running into a speed trap is a gut-wrenching feeling. Regardless of whether you are going two or 20 mph over the limit, you always have to glance in your mirror to make sure Johnny Law isn’t on your tail. In that spirit, a Lakeway, Texas resident is fed up with the traps in his town and has decided to fight back against them all by his lonesome. Lance Mitchell, co-founder of the website SpeedTrapAhead.org, is taking to the streets and warning other motorists about nearby speed traps.

If he’s out on the road and spots a police officer in a speed trap, Mitchell will backtrack to a spot ahead of the trap, then don a bright orange “Speed Trap Ahead” t-shirt in order to alert other motorists of the waiting radar run around the bend. While the Austin American-Statesman notes that it’s illegal to warn others of an enforcement action, it is not illegal to warn others when the enforcement pertains to matters of the traffic code. In fact, Mitchell believes he is doing the same work as the officers initiating the speed traps but also saving everyone money in the process. People slow down when they see him thus avoiding a ticket and a raise in insurance premiums.

Needless to say, the Lakeway Police Department doesn’t exactly agree with Lance Mitchell’s methods. It’s fined him, jailed him and eventually the two went to court. Mitchell won and then turned around and sued the town and a few of its police officers. A confidential settlement was reached and the unemployed Mitchell can now breathe easy for a few months thanks to the cash infusion. We’re guessing that it also gives him some more free time to wear his orange t-shirt…

[Source: Austin American-Statesman | Image: Corbis]

Report: Texas man becomes human speed-trap warning sign originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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