SEATTLE: Pioneer Square Shooting Leaves Man Seriously Injured, Pedestrians on Edge
Posted: September 24, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, U.S. News | Tags: Harborview Medical Center, Patrick Michaud, Pioneer Square, Pioneer Square Seattle, Seattle, Seattle Police Department, Smith Tower, Wednesday Leave a commentOne bullet actually struck a window at Smith Tower. Luckily nobody inside was hurt.
SEATTLE — There were some scary moments in downtown Seattle when police say a gunman opened fire at 2nd Avenue and Yesler Way.
“They chased the man who they believe had shot our victim but they were unable to catch him or keep up with him. They lost him a few blocks away.”
— Detective Patrick Michaud
One man was shot and was rushed to Harborview with life-threatening injuries.
The shooting happened just prior to a meeting with city leaders who are working to tackle crime that has plagued Pioneer Square.
Police responded just after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning; the shooting happened when the sidewalk was filled with people heading to work. Read the rest of this entry »
PSY/OPS: The Thai Junta Is Using Sexy Babes in Skimpy Camo to Win Some Popularity
Posted: June 5, 2014 Filed under: Global, War Room | Tags: Asia, Bangkok, Coup d'état, Protest, Thailand, Wednesday 1 CommentBecause a sexy smile is totally going to make up for arbitrary detention and suspension of civil liberties
For TIME, Charlie Campbell writes: After seizing power in a coup d’état on May 22, Thailand’s ruling military has faced street protests, the wrath of rights groups and international censure.
But now the generals have launched their own PR campaign to win the hearts and minds of their compatriots — using music, dancing and, well, pretty young women in skimpy military fatigues.
On Wednesday, a crowd of several thousand thronged Bangkok’s militaristic Victory Monument — which has actually been the hub of fervent anticoup protests over the past fortnight — for an evening of music and hawkish propaganda. Read the rest of this entry »
Police Raid Activist Dinner Party in China
Posted: May 13, 2014 Filed under: Asia, Censorship, China | Tags: Beijing, China, Gao Yu, Hangzhou, Pu Zhiqiang, Tiananmen Square protests 1989, Wednesday, Zhiqiang 3 CommentsBEIJING (AP) — Chinese police broke up a dinner party attended by activists in the eastern city of Hangzhou Tuesday night and detained a dozen people, according to an activist who attended the dinner.
“Recently, inside the country people have been getting nervous because they’ve been detaining people…”
Activist and blogger Wang Wusi said he and another 10 people were released after spending about two hours in police custody. He said police held Wen Kejian until Wednesday morning, when he was released although without his cell phone or computer. Wen is a signatory of Charter 08, a document calling for democracy and the end of one-party rule in China.
“We just wanted to get together and discuss this because we all feel the pressure growing.”
— Activist and blogger Wang Wusi
Wang said Wednesday that they had been warned by police that they would not be allowed to meet. He said they organized the event in response to the recent detentions of other activists. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] CNN in Decline: Anderson Cooper Flips the Bird, Drops F-Bomb on Television
Posted: May 8, 2014 Filed under: Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Anderson Cooper, CNN, Dane Cook, entertainment, F-Bomb, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Television, Wednesday 5 Comments.@AndersonCooper just said “fuck you” on .@CNN and it felt totally normal and appropriate.
— Dane Cook (@DaneCook) May 8, 2014
Anderson Cooper isn’t known for being profane, so CNN viewers were surprised on Wednesday night when he dropped an f-bomb on television. Here’s a video of the special moment (at about 2:50):
Twitchy has a collection of responses you won’t want to miss. See also:
[CNN Hits Near Low In Q1 Ratings, Fox News On Top Again For 49th Time, MSNBC Down – Deadline.com]
[What CNN Sacrificed for Missing-Plane Ratings – Hollywood Reporter]
[CNN Ratings Dropped 45 Percent After Malaysia Flight Coverage Decreased – the wrap.com]

UPDATE: Shooting at Fort Hood Army Base, 4 Dead, Including Shooter
Posted: April 2, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News | Tags: Fort Hood, Hasan, Josh Earnest, Nidal Malik Hasan, Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety, Twitter, Wednesday 1 CommentFort Hood Says Shooting at Texas Army Base
Fort Hood said Wednesday that a shooting happened at the Texas Army base and that injuries have been reported.
The base confirmed the shooting in a brief statement posted online Wednesday. The statement also said emergency crews were on the scene and that further details were not yet known.
The Bell’s County Sheriff’s Office dispatched deputies and troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety to the nearby post after receiving reports of an “active shooter,” sheriff’s Lt. Donnie Adams said. FBI spokeswoman Michelle Lee said its agents were also headed to the scene.
The base was the scene of a mass shooting in 2009. Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 wounded in what was the deadliest attack on a domestic military installation in history.
On its Twitter feed and Facebook page, Fort Hood on Wednesday ordered everyone on base to “shelter in place.” The 1st Calvary Division, which is based at Fort Hood, sent a Twitter alert telling people on base to close doors and stay away from windows.
[VIDEO] Gun-Trafficking Senator Update: Leland Yee Appears in Court, Bail Kept at $500,000, Plans to Plead Not Guilty
Posted: March 31, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Guns and Gadgets, Law & Justice | Tags: Chinese Mafia, DeMeester, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Leland Yee, Philippines, San Francisco, Shrimp Boy, Wednesday, Yee 2 CommentsSAN FRANCISCO — Suspended State Sen. Leland Yee appeared briefly in federal court in San Francisco Monday and was told that his bail will remain at $500,000 while he awaits a trial on corruption and gun trafficking charges.
“Yee is also accused of a seventh charge of trafficking in firearms without a license, in connection with an alleged proposal to ship guns to a Muslim rebel group in the Philippines. The alleged plan was discussed with an undercover agent who was posing a Mafia member.”
Yee, 65, wearing a dark gray business suit and white shirt, said nothing during the appearance before U.S. Magistrate Nathaniel Cousins.
Taiwanese Animators do their worst, in this YouTube video
Cousins ordered him to return to court on April 8 for either an arraignment on a possible grand jury indictment or, if no indictment is issued, a preliminary hearing on a criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors last week.
Outside of court, Yee’s attorney, Paul DeMeester, said he expects an indictment and said Yee will plead not guilty.
[VIDEO] Corruption Case: Who is Gangland Dragon Head Raymond ‘Shrimp Boy’ Chow?
Posted: March 27, 2014 Filed under: China, Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice | Tags: California Department of Justice, Chow, Leland Yee, Organized crime, Raymond Chow, San Francisco, San Francisco Chinatown, Wednesday 4 CommentsFor the LATimes, Chris Megerian, Richard Winton and Matt Stevens report: The public corruption and arms-trafficking allegations levied against state Sen. Leland Yee on Wednesday may have shocked some, but to those who have kept an eye on the criminal underworld of the San Francisco area, it came as little surprise that the most colorful figure in the indictment was a man authorities say is an ostentatious gangster known as “Shrimp Boy.”
“You could always count on one thing, that he was up to something no good… used to doing things his own way and getting things his own way…. He was always an organizer; he was always a person who was behind the scenes.”
— Ignatius Chinn, former California Department of Justice agent
Raymond Chow, who has been in and out of prison for his roles in the San Francisco Chinatown underworld since the mid-1970s, also identifies himself as the “dragon head” of a Freemason organization that was among several places raided early Wednesday by federal and local law enforcement officials. Also among them was Yee’s three-story home in San Francisco.
All told, 26 people were identified in the complaint as having violated federal statutes. They were accused of participating in a free-ranging criminal ring that dabbled in a spectrum of activity, including illegal marijuana “grows” and a scheme to transport stolen liquor to China. Read the rest of this entry »
BBC [VIDEO] ‘This is What a Truce Looks Like’
Posted: February 20, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, War Room | Tags: Ballistic trauma, BBC, Duncan Crawford, European Union, KIEV, Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, Wednesday Leave a commentThe BBC’s Duncan Crawford reports that Independence Square resembled a battleground.
At least 21 protesters have been killed in renewed clashes with police in central Kiev after a truce agreed on Wednesday broke down.
Transparency: Senators’ Debt Limit Votes Kept Off Microphones; Reporters Protest
Posted: February 14, 2014 Filed under: Law & Justice, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: C-SPAN, Capitol Hill, Harry Reid, Jentleson, Senate, United States, Wall Street Journal, Wednesday 2 CommentsNiels Lesniewski reports: In a major departure from procedure during Wednesday’s climactic vote on suspending the federal debt limit, the Senate kept some senators’ votes secret while the nearly hourlong tally was under way — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Capitol Hill reporters.
“We were very disappointed that Wednesday’s change in Senate voting protocol kept us from giving the public real-time access to this key vote…The tactic certainly gives the concept of legislative transparency a black eye.”
The stakes for Wednesday’s vote were as high as they come, with the full faith and credit of the United States, the political future of Republican leaders and another government shutdown showdown on the line.
On an average day, any C-SPAN viewer would know how senators voted in real time because votes are read aloud. (See our post on the six senators who appear to have changed their votes.)
But on Wednesday, the clerks did not name names. Instead of announcing the rolling vote tally as the vote went along on the critical motion to limit debate on the debt limit measure, senators were allowed to cast their votes in relative secrecy. Overlooked at the time, it has since caught the attention of numerous reporters.
Winter Storm Pax Updates: Hundreds of Thousands Lose Power; Traffic Snarls; Northeast Braces for Storm
Posted: February 12, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, U.S. News | Tags: Atlanta, Carolina, Georgia, National Weather Service, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Wednesday, Winter Storm Pax 1 CommentWinter Storm Pax continued its second wave of wintry weather Wednesday, dumping freezing rain and sleet across a wide area that could experience catastrophic conditions for a prolonged period of time.
In North Carolina, snowfall led to a disastrous commute Wednesday afternoon in Raleigh and Charlotte. Cars slid off roads and heavy traffic led to gridlock, forcing some drivers to sit in hours of slow commutes or abandon their cars.
(FORECAST: Winter Storm Pax | Live Updates on the Storm)
The National Weather Service also warned to “expect significant – crippling – ice totals from Atlanta eastward along the I-20 corridor.” In the Carolinas, snow fell Wednesday in areas expecting to see as much as 18 inches of accumulation from Pax.
[75% Off Men’s Jackets and Coats at Amazon]
At least 14 deaths have been blamed on the storm: two in North Carolina, one in South Carolina, two in Mississippi, two in Georgia and seven in Texas. More than 3,000 flights were canceled Wednesday in the U.S., with many more flight cancellations expected Thursday. More than 400,000 customers lost power across the Southeast Wednesday.
Next up, Pax is hitting parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast Wednesday and into Thursday, closing schools and disrupting travel plans across the region.
(MORE: Here’s Why Ice Storms Are So Dangerous)
Crackhead Apocalypse: Republican Freshman Congressman Picked up for Cocaine Possession
Posted: November 19, 2013 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Politics | Tags: Cocaine, Florida, Radel, Southwest Florida, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Trey Radel, Tuesday, Wednesday 2 CommentsM.K. Ham writes: It’s a misdemeanor charge, which seems like less than I’d imagine for cocaine:
Rep. Trey Radel, a Florida Republican elected in 2012, will be in court Wednesday on charges that he possessed cocaine.
Radel, 37, was charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday.
He faces a maximum of 180 days in jail, as well as a fine of up to $1,000. Several sources with direct knowledge say it was the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration who were involved in the charges.
I’m interested to see how liberals react to this story. They’re ostensibly anti-drug war and oh-so-nonchalant about drug use, but how to resist knocking a Republican? The go-to is usually to cry hypocrisy, but Radel is a co-sponsor of a bill to give judges discretion on mandatory minimums.
Possible cyberattack knocks New York Times offline
Posted: August 14, 2013 Filed under: Breaking News, Mediasphere | Tags: Daily Caller, Egypt, Fox Business Network, New York Times, Twitter, United States, Website, Wednesday Leave a commentPosted By Josh Peterson
Those hoping to read The New York Times on Wednesday might have been forced to stick with the print edition or its mobile app. When users visited America’s newspaper of record online mid-Wednesday morning, they were greeted with a “Http/1.1 Service Unavailable.” The message indicated that the site was experiencing a server error.
The New York Times confirmed through its Twitter account that its site went down. The site went offline around 11:12am ET, according to at least one observer on Twitter.
The New York Times Web site is experiencing technical difficulties. We expect to be back up shortly.
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 14, 2013
At 12:04pm ET, the Grey Lady directed its Twitter followers to follow its @nytimesworld for updates on the developing crisis in Egypt.
Emmarie Huetteman, a New York Times news clerk, tweeted, “OH: Editor suggesting going outside and shouting the news from the street corner.”
Fox Business reported that the outage, which also affected the corporate sites affiliated with the outlet, was due to a possible cyber attack.
The publication is one of several U.S. news outlets that have reported over the past year that it is under attack from suspected Chinese hackers.
A Fox Business reported that anonymous source said that “the newspaper has been huddling with outside security professionals to assess the threat.”
This story is developing.
via The Daily Caller
Lessons from Woolwich: The Dangers of Britain’s Islamist Underground
Posted: May 27, 2013 Filed under: Mediasphere, War Room | Tags: Adebolajo, Al-Muhajiroun, Anjem Choudary, Buckingham Palace, Choudary, London, Wednesday, Woolwich Leave a commentBy Christoph Scheuermann
Where did the hatred that led to the murder of a soldier in Woolwich come from? Radical hate preacher Anjem Choudary knew one of the assailants and says he is proud of having “a big influence” on his life. The attack demonstrates how difficult it is to prevent Islamist violence in Britain.
Anjem Choudary grabs a can of Red Bull before he talks about the man with the blood-soaked hands and a meat cleaver — a man who is an acquaintance of his. Choudary doesn’t call what happened in London last week murder, but rather “the operation on Wednesday.”
Wearing a dark robe and sporting a beard that grows down to his chest, Choudary sits down at a table in a café in the northeastern part of the city. The press generally portrays him as a hate monger. In the mid-1990s, he founded the now-banned Islamist organization al-Muhajiroun, in which Michael Adebolajo later participated on a regular basis — the same man with the meat cleaver who hacked a British soldier to death so savagely, and so publicly, that an entire country seemed briefly in shock.
Choudary and Adebolajo know each other well. Between 2005 and 2011, Adebolajo often attended demonstrations organized by Choudary. Usually they protested the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the “crusade of the infidels” against the Muslims, as they called it. In video footage shot by the BBC in 2007, Choudary and Adebolajo can be seen together at a protest in front of a London police station. Choudary is barking into a megaphone. Adebolajo is clad in a white robe and has a serious expression on his face.
Over a period of five years, the two men regularly met, and Adebolajo occasionally listened to Choudary’s sermons. He was “a pleasant, quiet guy” when he first met him, says Choudary, who adds that he was surprised to see him again on TV last Wednesday.
On the televised images, the erstwhile pleasant and quiet Michael Adebolajo, 28 — together with his friend Michael Adebowale, 22 — is standing on a street in the South East London neighborhood of Woolwich on a dreary Wednesday afternoon and wielding a meat cleaver and a kitchen knife. His hands are covered in blood. Passersby are standing nearby and filming him with their mobile phones. On the street behind him lies the lifeless body of soldier Lee Rigby, 25, an infantryman and drummer who performed ceremonial guard duties at Buckingham Palace. “The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day,” Adebolajo shouts into the camera, adding: “The British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…”
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