Kim Jong Un May Have Ordered His Ex-Girlfriend’s Execution

It’s unclear whether the North Korean dictator had singer Hyon Song-wol killed by a firing squad, or whether he ever dated her, but it wouldn’t be out of character for the regime; business and journalism are becoming increasingly intertwined; meanwhile, to prevent piracy, a startup has begun to stream 3-D print designs that can be used only once. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

Kim Jong-un Reportedly Executed His Own Ex-Girlfriend A woman said to be a former lover of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was among a group of 12 political dissidents who were allegedly executed by machine gun.

The Morning After a Syrian Strike — What’s Next? Washington has done just about everything but take out ads in Syrian newspapers: The target is not Assad, nor is the attack directed at shifting any balance of power toward the “secular” Syrian opposition.

Carl Warner’s Mountains Are Made of Elbows and Knees Two and a half years ago, Carl Warner was building whimsical “foodscapes.”

Bad News: When Journalism and Business Collide Journalism and business have never been on the best of terms.

Copy Protection for 3-D Printing Aims to Prevent a Piracy Plague Streaming designs to 3-D printers like Netflix does movies could prevent unauthorized copying.

Can Slow-Moving Universities Adapt Quickly Enough to Teach in the Digital Age? The start of classes this fall will also bring renewed debate about what journalism and mass communications colleges should teach in an age of disruption.