Most rules are bullshit in the sense that they're arbitrary. It doesn't matter who made it up; what matters is consensus. But as a style rule, yes, it was made to be broken. Consensus on style is probably something worth preserving just to avoid distracting from meaning. Personally I think it looks weird in formal…

Thirty years! Also, don't start a sentence with a numeral.

It's very uncomfortable that this article sort of presumes the guilt of Assange, and mocks Anderson for standing up for an accused person based on "feelings." It's for good reason that in the American system, suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

"Canceled"—one l, in America.