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16 Nov 2011 15:01

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U.S.: Armed man shot by Berkeley police dies in hospital

  • Police shoot, kill armed man at Berkeley: Yesterday, Berkeley campus police shot a man named Christopher Nathen Elliot Travis, who had transferred to the university during the fall semester. Travis was witnessed placing a handgun into a backpack on his way to a computer lab at the Haas School of Business, and was subsequently confronted by the police. He reportedly drew the gun, and when he refused to drop his weapon, an officer fired multiple shots, hitting and incapacitating him. He was taken to Highland Hospital, where he died from his injuries last night. Authorities have said that there is “absolutely no evidence” of this being anything but an isolated incident. source

16 Nov 2011 14:26

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U.S.: White House shooting suspect apprehended by authorities

  • friday Shots were fired outside the White House, though fortunately nobody was injured or killed — one bullet hit a window but failed to break the ballistic glass.
  • today Authorities have arrested the man they consider the chief suspect, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, who was found in a hotel room in the city of Indiana, PA. source

16 Nov 2011 10:55

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U.S.: Bay Area Occupy movement starts anew with Berkeley encampment

  • This despite threats by officials to shut it down. In what might be a good example for the New York movement as it attempts to regroup, members of Occupy Oakland have joined with the Occupy Cal movement to start a fresh encampment. This isn’t without controversy, however: Occupy Cal had its camp torn down November 9, and the university isn’t exactly taking so kindly to having a new one. “We will not allow encampments equivalent to what has occurred in Oakland and San Francisco,” said Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. The move could potentially lead to a conflict with police. Meanwhile, the San Francisco encampment is staying strong, and plans to meet with Mayor Ed Lee today. source

16 Nov 2011 10:38

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U.S.: Guns around the White House: One week, two incidents

  • Friday Two vehicles were spotted in the midst of a gunfight within a relatively close distance to the White House — within a few hundred yards of the building. An AK-47 was recovered.
  • Tuesday White House officials found a single bullet that had been fired at the White House itself, but was held off by ballistic glass. Officials don’t know if Friday’s incident was the cause for the find. source

15 Nov 2011 19:54

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U.S.: USPS expected to default on payment, could be broke by next year

  • $5.1 billion lost in fiscal 2011 by the US Postal Service source
  • » They could be broke by September 2012: On top of that, they expect to default on a key health care pension plan payment (which forces them to pre-pay for workers’ future health benefits decades in advance) — of $5.5 billion.

15 Nov 2011 14:38

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U.S.: Penn State: Number of allegations against Sandusky roughly doubles

  • 10 or so new claims of sexual assault against Jerry Sandusky source
  • » The floodgates open: One of the macabre ongoing aspects of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse story has been the suspicion that the eight children the authorities believed had been victimized weren’t the only ones. This fear looks to have been warranted, as a source close to the investigation told the New York Times yesterday that about ten more people had come forward to authorities with new allegations. This comes on the heels of Sandusky’s interview last night with Bob Costas, in which he insisted the allegations were untrue and that he’d only showered with children and “horsed around” with them.

15 Nov 2011 10:23

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U.S.: Michael Bloomberg: Occupy Wall Street not expression

  • New York City is the city where you can come and express yourself. What was happening in Zuccotti Park was not that.
  • Mayor Michael Bloomberg • Offering a tough take on Occupy Wall Street this morning, after a long night in which police randomly showed up at the encampment’s door and gave protesters 20 minutes to vacate. The mayor seemed to imply with his statement that safety concerns trumped First Amendment concerns, which is perhaps a dangerous take on the law. source
 

14 Nov 2011 11:19

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U.S.: Occupy Oakland: Oakland mayor’s legal advister quits in protest

  • No longer Mayor Quan’s legal adviser. Resigned at 2 am. Support Occupy Oakland, not the 1% and its government facilitators.
  • Attorney Dan Siegel • Revealing that he resigned as Oakland mayor Jean Quan’s legal counsel, in protest of the treatment of Occupy protesters. In an early-morning raid of the camp, 32 people were arrested, including many clergy members. As we previously reported, the Occupy Oakland group received eviction notices Friday night, a day after a shooting death brought fresh negative focus onto the movement. source

12 Nov 2011 17:14

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U.S.: Some quick numbers from Saturday’s Penn State football game

  • 107,903 the number of people that paid to see the game, the largest crowd at Beaver Stadium this year
  • $22,000 the amount raised during the game by charity groups that support the prevention of child abuse source
  • » “Therapy” for a battered school: Why did the game, the team’s first in 46 years without Joe Paterno, draw such huge crowds? Simply put, it was a bit of a release after a trying week, despite the discomfort around the game. “It’s therapy,” said one fan, Dave Young. “I love Penn State football, always will love Penn State football. Tough week, cried in my office a couple times when I had moments to myself. But now it’s time to release and watch the football game and enjoy it.” Penn State lost to Nebraska, 17-14, which, despite a late rally, was not to be.

12 Nov 2011 13:33

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U.S.: Venezuelan MLB player Wilson Ramos describes kidnapping

  • I was super scared, and even though they did not hurt me physically, it was something that was very painful. I didn’t think I was ever going to see my family again, and that hurt me so much. But now, I am with them again and it feels tremendous to be back.
  • Washington Nationals player Wilson Ramos • Discussing his kidnapping ordeal, which ended last night amidst a storm of gunfire. Ramos claims that, despite his kidnapping, his kidnappers treated him well. “They wanted money and they said they were not going to hurt me if they got their money,” he said. “They actually treated me well. They never hurt me. They fed me. They knew who I was and said it was not about hurting me. It was about money.” Ramos, who is from Venezuela, is the first known MLB player to be captured in this way, though it’s happened before with players’ relatives. source