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23 May 2009 11:41

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World: South Korea’s ex-president, fraught with shame, kills self

  • The former clean politician got caught in scandal. Roh Moo-hyun, who served as president from 2003 to 2008, jumped off a cliff today, according to his aides and police. The former president held a rep for being a clean leader, but was linked to a corruption scandal that had taken down some of his aides. He then started saying things such as “You should now discard me,” which should have been giant flying red flags in retrospect. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 May 2009 23:04

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Tech, U.S.: Creepster of the day: “Mr. Online Suicide Instigator”

  • It is really creepy stuff. If you read the chat logs, it makes your hair stand up on the back of your neck. [This person] certainly knows how to push the right buttons.
  • Celia Blay • A British woman who informed authorities of a creepster who masqueraded around online as a young girl, convincing people to join her in a suicide pact and arranged to let her watch on a webcam. Blay helped narrow it down to a Minnesota man who works as a male nurse. William Francis Melchert-Dinkel, 46, admitted to instigating five suicides, although he never actually watched the videos. He’s also suspected in a sixth in Canada. Creep. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2009 02:15

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U.S.: A murder-suicide in Maryland revolved around a bunch of cash

  • $27 million (or more) could be missing after an ex-lawyer’s death source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Apr 2009 10:10

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World: A lot of people die in a series of attacks in Iraq

  • 60+ people died in two attacks in Iraq yesterday; one in a Baghdad residential neighborhood and the other north of the capital source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Apr 2009 09:10

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Biz, U.S.: Freddie Mac’s acting CFO found dead in an apparent suicide

  • The circumstances David Kellermann, a 41-year-old Freddie Mac executive who lived in the D.C. metro area, was found dead early this morning at his home in an apparent suicide. Kellermann had long been an executive with the company in various roles, but only became acting Chief Financial Officer last year at the peak of the financial crisis. source
  • The circumstances David Kellermann, a 41-year-old Freddie Mac executive who lived in the D.C. metro area, was found dead early this morning at his home in an apparent suicide. Kellermann had long been an executive with the company in various roles, but only became acting Chief Financial Officer last year at the peak of the financial crisis.
  • Not a fun job Freddie Mac was one of the early victims of the financial crisis. After housing’s freefall hit them hard, the company was taken over by the government in September. They then became a quasi-governmental agency that took on big parts of Obama’s recovery plan. Kellermann became acting CFO around this time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

04 Apr 2009 11:45

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Culture: Serious business: Demi Moore got a suicide threat Tweet

  • Her fans stepped in to intervene. Last night, Demi Moore received a tweet from someone threatening to kill themselves. One of Moore’s fans called (not tweeted) the authorities, who put the woman in the hospital for a 72-hour psychological evaluation. And Moore, Ashton Kutcher’s wife and uber-tweeter, apparently sent a message thanking her fans for responding so quickly to the tweet. Nice work guys! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 4 Comments • Permalink

24 Mar 2009 10:52

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Culture: It runs in the family, sadly: Sylvia Plath’s son commits suicide

  • He was a loving brother, a loyal friend to those who knew him and, despite the vagaries that life threw at him, he maintained an almost childlike innocence and enthusiasm for the next project or plan.
  • Frieda Hughes • Sister of Nicholas Hughes and daughter of Sylvia Plath, on Nicholas’ death by suicide in Alaska. Hughes followed in his mother’s infamous footsteps; she gassed herself to death 46 years ago, creating a literary legend in the process. • source
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02 Mar 2009 23:10

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Culture: David Foster Wallace’s failed struggle with the written word

  • What goes on inside is just too fast and huge and all interconnected for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines of at most one tiny little part of it at any given instant.
  • Author David Foster Wallace • From a 2001 short story. Wallace died last year after committing suicide. His unfinished third novel, “The Pale King,” will come out next year, but an excerpt is available at The New Yorker Web site. On a side note, this linked article would require 800 ShortFormBlog posts to do justice; it’s freaking huge. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Jan 2009 19:21

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U.S.: Man who killed his family in murder-suicide “despondent” over job loss

  • You just would never think that something like this would happen. I saw them from time to time and they looked fine, like happy. It’s just sad.
  • Jose Maldonado • A neighbor of a man who killed his wife and five children, and then himself, today in Los Angeles. The man was apparently despondent after losing his job a few days ago after a dispute with an administrator. He sent a suicide letter to a local television station before committing the act. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jan 2009 17:56

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U.S.: In the words of an attempted NYE bomber

  • For the first two years I was in prison I woke up every [sic] wishing I was dead. Now it comes to pass. I was and am a good man.
  • Aspen, Colo. resident Jim Blanning • in a note left with the Aspen Times. Blanning, found dead in his vehicle today, reportedly planted bombs in city banks, shutting down the resort town on New Year’s Eve. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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