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02 Jan 2012 20:04

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U.S.: Man sought in Mount Rainier National Park ranger’s death found dead

  • Our rangers are very much in shock this morning… we absolutely take it personally. Everybody knew Margaret. Everybody was friends with Margaret. She didn’t have an enemy in the world.
  • Mount Rainier National Park spokesman Kevin Bacher • Speaking about the death of Margaret Anderson, the park ranger who was killed by a gunman early Sunday. Anderson, a mother of two, was killed while attempting to stop a car fleeing from a checkpoint. The man suspected of shooting Anderson, Benjamin Colton Barnes, was found dead Monday morning, though it wasn’t confirmed until the afternoon due to the aerial search used. Barnes, a 24-year-old former Iraq vet, may have suffered from PTSD, according to the mother of his child, speaking in child-custody documents filed in 2011. A dark story all around. source
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02 Jan 2012 11:41

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Tech: Wikipedia’s parent raises tons of cash from yearly fundraiser

  • $20 million in donations raised by the Wikimedia Foundation source
  • » Wikimedia’s best year ever: More that 1 million people donated to the Wiki-cause, a campaign that draws a bit of parody over the somewhat in-your-face nature of the fundraising calls. Honestly, they seemed a little bit more in your face in 2011 than 2010. Do you think Wikipedia should just start running modest ads? As one of the largest sites on the internet, they could easily hit the $20 million mark with some text ads. It’d be a lot less in-your-face, that’s for sure.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2012 11:21

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World: Global warming e-mail whodunit heats up as new e-mails surface

  • It smells a lot like a certain quadrant of the denier community. They pretend to be concerned that we are impeding development in poor countries. Only certain think tanks think that way and play that way.
  • Greenpeace research director Kert Davies • Discussing who he thinks might be behind an infamous 2009 hack that led to the distribution of over 1,000 e-mails from the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, timed in such a way to undercut research being done on global warming. The story, on the backburner for nearly two years, is suddenly starting to simmer again as a result of further e-mail releases and word of an investigation in Britain. During the most recent leak of e-mails, the leaker offered up just enough details in cryptic messages to give investigators something to grasp onto. Many in the climate change community — skeptics, activists and so on — have different views on the motives of the person who released the e-mails, but it’s a whodunit which should keep things interesting in the coming weeks. source
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02 Jan 2012 10:46

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U.S.: “Person of Interest” sought in killing of ranger at Mount Rainier National Park

Benjamin Colton Barnes, a 24-year-old with “strong survivalist skills” is sought in the shooting. (Here’s his photo; not exactly the best calling card.) Overnight, 125 people were evacuated from the park; officials believe the man is still on the run. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2012 10:28

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U.S.: “Person of interest” in custody after L.A.-area arson spree

  • Is this the guy? Last night, the LAPD released this image of a person of interest in this weekend’s widespread arson spree, which was the result of over three dozen separate blazes — some of which damaged significant amounts of property. This morning, the police say they have a person of interest in custody, presumably the guy in this photo. However, officials say “it is too early to speculate if this person is responsible for the spree of arson fires.” However, sources say that fire-starting materials were found in the man’s van, meaning he potentially had the ability to start a number of fires if he wanted to. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jan 2012 16:23

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U.S.: Military member charged with bringing explosives into Texas airport

  • No word on his motive or intent: 30-year-old Trey Scott Atwater, who was visiting family in Midland, Texas before heading back to Fort Bragg, was taken into custody Saturday after airport security officials found out he was carrying military-strength C-4 explosives in his bag. Atwater is expected to be charged Tuesday over the incident — a rare direct catch by the TSA. (Photo by Heather Leiphart Odessa American/AP) source
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01 Jan 2012 15:31

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World: Syria: Arab League-tied group recommends observers leave Syria

  • The killing of children and the violation of human rights law is happening in the presence of Arab League monitors, raising the fury of Arab people. The mission of the Arab League team has missed its aim of stopping the killing of children and ensuring the withdrawal of troops from the Syrian streets, giving the Syrian regime a cover to commit inhumane acts under the noses of the Arab League observers.
  • The Arab Parliament’s Kuwaiti head, Ali Salem al-Deqbasi • Strongly suggesting, along with the rest of Arab Parliament, that the Arab League’s observers should leave Syria, as the deaths of Syrians continue despite their presence. The 88-member Arab Parliament, while a sister organization of the Arab League that makes recommendations to the higher-profile group, its recommendations are non-binding. source
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01 Jan 2012 14:12

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U.S.: L.A. arson spree: Officials struggle as wave of fires continue

  • 39 number of fires suspected to be part of an arson spree in the L.A. area
  • 7 number of fires set last night alone — one of the arson attacks was described as “serious”
  • $60k the size of the reward for info leading to an arrest; despite this, details are scarce source
  • » Cars uses as incendiary devices: The damage caused by these fires, many of which were started by unlocked cars and allowed to blaze out of control, sometimes spreading to nearby buildings — in one case a home where Jim Morrison once lived. “Auto fires, as soon as they get going, they get really hot, really fast,” Los Angeles Assistant Chief Patrick Butler said. “They essentially give off their own combustibles.” Officials are asking neighbors to keep their eye out and to offer up any security footage near the scenes of the arson attacks.
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