Santorum: Trim Social Security now even if painful (AP)

KEENE, N.H. ? Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum called Friday for immediate cuts to Social Security benefits, risking the wrath of older voters and countless others who balk at changes to the entitlement program.

"We can't wait 10 years," even though "everybody wants to," Santorum told a crowd while campaigning in New Hampshire and looking to set himself apart from his Republican rivals four days before the New Hampshire primary.

Most of his opponents have advocated phasing in a reduction and say immediate cuts would be too big a shock to current and soon-to-be retirees.

Politicians typically suggest phase-in periods of up to a decade when broaching the topic of changing Social Security to avoid grievous consequences from angering older voters.

Clearly aware of the risks, Santorum argued that everyone must sacrifice now because the nation's "house is on fire" with soaring federal debt. He argued that he is being courageous and honest by telling Americans they can't afford to wait to rein in Social Security's growing costs. And he said he anticipated possible attack ads on his position.

He made a similar pitch last week in Fort Dodge, Iowa, when he was getting little attention in the GOP race ? and before he came from the back of the pack to nearly win the Iowa caucuses.

At that event, Santorum said: "The Democratic National Committee is going to say, 'Ah, ... he's for changing benefits now.' Yes, I am. Yes, I am."

"We need to change benefits for everybody now," Santorum said at the time. "Is everybody going to take a little bit of a hit? No, but a lot of people will."

Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, says changes should include a higher eligibility age to qualify for Social Security benefits, and tighter restrictions on benefits for upper-income people. Americans now qualify for reduced Social Security benefits at age 62 and full benefits at 66, soon to rise to 67.

Social Security pays proportionately higher benefits to low-income people. But Santorum says wealthy retirees' proportionate benefits should be trimmed further. He did not offer details.

This week, he told New Hampshire audiences that Americans over 65 were society's poorest age group in 1937, when Social Security was created. Now that group is the wealthiest, he said.

He also noted that Americans now live much longer, putting far bigger demands on the government retirement program.

Santorum offers only modest details on how he would implement his proposed changes. He has not said how much money he hopes to save.

In a brief interview Friday as he plowed his way through a crowd after the Keene event, he was asked if the nation should make the changes now.

"I think we should, yeah," Santorum said. "Obviously we're going to have to go through a debate next year and figure out ways in which to make the revenues meet the expenditures."

He tells voters he would rule out higher taxes or more deficit spending to help the Social Security program. That leaves benefit cuts as the only way to match revenues and costs, he notes.

Santorum's call for immediate benefit cuts puts him at odds with his Republican rivals.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who came under fire for calling Social Security a "Ponzi Scheme," tried to recover in part by emphasizing that any changes in benefits would not affect current or soon-to-be retirees.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas says younger workers should be able to opt out of Social Security taxes and retirement benefits. "My plan explicitly protects the elderly and the sick in the transition," he says.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has said in a statement, "We must keep the promises made to our current retirees: their Social Security and Medicare benefits should not be affected."

Like Santorum, Romney has called for increasing the eligibility age for Social Security and slowing benefits to high-income recipients. His aides have said the pace of change has yet to be decided, but soon-to-be beneficiaries would not be affected.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich calls for giving younger workers the option of diverting Social Security taxes to private retirement accounts. Some independent groups say his proposal, which is based on a Chilean program and does not anticipate automatic benefit cuts, is unduly optimistic.

President Barack Obama last year discussed possible reductions in Social Security benefits as part of a large debt-reduction deal with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. The talks collapsed, however.

The Romney and Gingrich campaigns had no immediate comment Friday on Santorum's proposals.

A House Republican budget-cutting plan, authored by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., would exempt everyone now over 55 from proposed reductions in Social Security benefits.

Ryan and others have said a phased-in change would give Americans time to plan their retirements without surprises. But Santorum says those officials are seeking political cover by delaying their proposed changes.

"That's why you see Paul Ryan saying, `Oh, I'm going to fix Social Security, I'm going to fix Medicare in 10 years,'" Santorum told a crowd Thursday in Northfield, N.H.

He said Ryan assumes, "well, if you're under 55, you won't be paying much attention, right? Well, the problem is, this is not a problem that we can wait 10 years to solve."

Max Richtman, president of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said in an interview that cuts in Social Security benefits are not justified under any timetable.

Santorum, he said, "is willing to change the rules in the middle of the game." He called Santorum's proposals "Ryan on steroids."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120107/ap_on_el_ge/us_santorum_social_security

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Defending Snooki ... no, really!

Noel Vasquez / Getty Images Contributor

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi isn't really so bad.

By Ree Hines

The fifth season of "Jersey Shore" kicks off Jan. 5, and that means it's time for all the usual Seaside Heights fun, including hookups, fights and alcohol-filled parties ? most, if not all, of which will revolve around Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, otherwise known as the unofficial star of the show.

That also means many viewers and even more non-viewers will resume their seasonal pastime of Snooki-bashing, which seems to involve criticizing the Princess of Poughkeepsie for almost every mundane move and outrageous act that she makes.

But why?

OK, sure. She can't hold her liquor, as evidenced by her boozy beach arrest in season three, repeated "kooka" flashings and nearly every fight she's ever had with her boyfriend, Jionni. And, yes, she's used the house minifridge to cool her itchy backside alongside the Cheez-its and Red Bull when a new tanning cream left her a little rashy. And it's true that even outside of "Shore" she's given dieting advice that's included drinking vodka and recommended kitty litter as a beauty product. But then again, aren't some of these things what make Snooki so great?

Great? Yeah, great. Well, not the public drunkenness maybe, but the general over-the-top behavior is part of?what makes Snooki worth watching. She's like a cartoon character come to life, ready to do and say what most others won't and probably shouldn't. It's part of her appeal, and it's part of why she's worth defending against her many detractors.

Besides, Snooki's appeal goes far beyond her diminutive, do-anything routine. Those who look past some of her embarrassing habits might just notice her winning qualities, such as the fact she's a loyal friend to the women in her life (minus the occasional Sammi mess and that whole thing with Angelina, but hey, they had it coming) and she won't let anyone tear her down.

The latter might just make up her best quality. See, despite all the requisite bashing, for the most part, Snooki takes it in stride. She doesn't get overly mad or offended. She refuses to be shamed for her behavior. And if a swipe is crafted with a sense of humor, she even seems to appreciate it. ??

If there's a Snooki-related joke to be made, she's either making it or she's among those laughing the loudest.

Heck, when Bobby Moynihan repeatedly poked fun?at her on "Saturday Night Live," she didn't simply approve of the send-up. She teamed up with him for some dueling-Snookis action on MTV.

And when South Park portrayed the "Shore" star as a rusty colored, hunched-back, whiskered beast who creeped around in constant pursuit of "smoosh-smoosh," she took it as a sign of her success.

"Snooki want smoosh smoosh," she tweetedthe night the episode aired. "I'm going to have nightmares tonight. lmao!!! We've officially made it. Goodnite my b----es ?"

That's an indomitable spirit, and it's all too rare in real life or reality TV.

See the latest from Snooki and the rest of the Seaside Heights gang when "Jersey Shore" returns to MTV Thursday, Jan. 5., at 10 p.m.

What do you think is the dumbest/funniest thing Snooki has ever done? Sound off on our Facebook page.

Is she worth defending?

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Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/03/9927771-defending-snooki-no-really

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TPM: BREAKING: Employers add 200,000 jobs, unemployment rate falls to 8.5 percent, lowest in nearly 3 years

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US arson suspect also faces German fire probe (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? The man who allegedly ignited more than 50 fires that terrorized Los Angeles last week is also under investigation in Germany for a house fire near Frankfurt.

U.S. investigators also disclosed Wednesday that a search of Harry Burkhart's Hollywood apartment turned up news articles about the Los Angeles fires and a series of car blazes in Germany last year.

The disclosures came on a day when Burkhart made an awkward first court appearance in Los Angeles, where he appeared dazed with his long hair matted on the front of his face, and alternated between sitting and standing.

The ponytailed Burkhart was arrested Monday near the Sunset Strip in a van with Canadian license plates loaded with fire-starting materials, and he has stonewalled investigators while being placed on a suicide watch. His mother, Dorothee Burkhart, appeared disoriented in federal court Tuesday after being arrested on a fraud warrant from Germany, where she referred to Nazis and questioned if her son had died.

Their family history remains murky, but documents reveal both mother and son struggled with mental illness. They had a vagabond lifestyle, with addresses at various times in Germany, the U.S. and Canada, and the son holds a German passport but authorities say he was born in Chechnya.

Medical records dated March 2010 and submitted in a lengthy dispute over commercial space the mother rented in Vancouver say she suffered from depression, anxiety, severe post traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks. A separate note, also dated March 2010, says Harry Burkhart suffered from autistic spectrum disorder since his childhood, and he has severe anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, depression and "is not stable mentally because of increase stress due to fear."

His mother said in court Tuesday that he is mentally ill.

Harry Burkhart was charged Wednesday with 37 counts of arson as part of a rash of fires that caused more than $3 million (euro2.32 million)in damage, while his mother was being held without bail after being detained on 19 counts of fraud from Germany, including failing to pay for a 2004 breast-augmentation surgery and pilfering security deposits from renters and landlords.

In requesting Harry Burkhart be held on no bail, investigators said in court documents that a search of Burkhart's Hollywood apartment turned up news articles about the Los Angeles fires as well as a series of car fires in Frankfurt last September. Authorities couldn't comment on whether Burkhart is a suspect in the German fires. His bail was set at $2.85 million.

The fire at the German house that belonged to the Burkhart family has been ruled an arson, Marburg prosecutors' spokeswoman Annemarie Wied told The Associated Press Wednesday.

Burkhart did not live in the area, but his name surfaced as a suspect after he filed an insurance claim shortly after the fire, Wied said.

"When one files an insurance claim on a house the same day it burns down, it raises eyebrows," she said.

Burkhart, whom Wied identified only as "Harry B." in keeping with German privacy laws, has not yet been questioned in the case and no arrest warrant has been issued for him. She said she did not know how long ago he had been identified as a suspect in the arson investigation.

Burkhart was in Los Angeles by Oct. 26 ? 12 days after the Marburg area fire ? according to U.S. court papers, which say that he went with his mother on that day to the German consulate to renew his passport.

Neighbors say they kept mostly to themselves in a second-floor apartment across from a supermarket in Hollywood, where doors in the apartments are shielded by steel gates.

Their lives in the U.S. began unspooling last week.

Harry Burkhart watched as his mother was arrested on fraud charges from Germany, and a day later he exploded in a profanity-laced rant against the U.S. at her court hearing, saying "F--- the United States!" or "F--- all Americans," authorities said.

The next day, police say, he began setting car fires at night, many in the Hollywood area near his apartment. Authorities believe he began the rampage after being outraged by his mother's legal troubles.

Court documents give "a sense that this particular individual was set off by the incarceration of his mother, with whom he appears to be quite close, and he had latent anti-American views. That combination apparently set him off on this binge," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley.

Harry Burkhart was taken into custody after authorities received a tip from federal officials who recognized him in a security video that showed a ponytailed man emerging from a garage where a car was set ablaze.

Burkhart's nonimmigrant visa is set to expire Jan. 18, authorities said. His mother last entered the country lawfully in January 2007 and she left four months later, officials said.

A website offering appointment-only sensual massage is registered to Dorothee Burkhart, though her name is not mentioned on the site.

Frankfurt court spokesman Guenther Meilinger told the AP that Dorothee Burkhart will go on trial for the fraud charges once she is extradited back to Germany.

"We expect and hope that the U.S. authorities will look into the request for extradition ... so that the proceedings against her can continue," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Dorothee Thiesing in Frankfurt and Bradley Klapper and Pete Yost in Washington contributed to this report. Rising reported from Berlin.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120105/ap_on_re_us/us_los_angeles_arson

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Magnetically levitated flies offer clues to future of life in space

ScienceDaily (Jan. 4, 2012) ? Using powerful magnets to levitate fruit flies can provide vital clues to how biological organisms are affected by weightless conditions in space, researchers at The University of Nottingham say.

The team of scientists has shown that simulating weightlessness in fruit flies here on earth with the use of magnets causes the flies to walk more quickly -- the same effect observed during similar experiments on the International Space Station.

Dr Richard Hill, an EPSRC research fellow in the University's School of Physics and Astronomy, is one of the researchers involved in the study, which is published in the latest edition of the Royal Society journal Interface.

He said: "It is unfeasible to apply this technique to investigating the effects of weightlessness on a human being directly: no magnet exists that can do this. However, by studying the effects on 'model' organisms such as the fruit fly, we can hope to obtain information about the effects of weightlessness on particular biological mechanisms.

"It's also important to remember that, in our future endeavours to explore space, setting up permanent bases on our Moon, or Mars for example, or other planets, it will be crucial to understand the effects of weightlessness on all living organisms: our long-term survival will of course require us to take with us many different biological organisms."

The magnetic materials that we are most familiar with are ferromagnetic materials such as iron, which are strongly attracted to magnetic fields. However, most biological materials are affected by a different type of magnetism called diamagnetism, in which objects are weakly repelled from magnetic fields.

The team of scientists from Nottingham's Schools of Physics and Astronomy and Biology used the university's powerful superconducting magnet to produce a very strong magnetic field of around 16 Tesla -- approximately 350,000 times stronger than the strength of Earth's field.

Inside the superconducting solenoid magnet, the diamagnetic repulsive force on the flies can be large enough to just balance the force of gravity so that they levitate with no support. This effect was first demonstrated by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Andre Geim and colleagues at the University of Nijmegen in 1997 when they used the same technique to levitate a live frog.

Dr Hill added: "Crucially, as far as living organisms are concerned, the levitation force balances the force of gravity right down to the molecular level. This means we can compare the levitation force, which balances the force of gravity in our magnet, with the centrifugal force that balances the force of gravity on an astronaut in orbit around Earth.

"In orbit, aboard the international space station for example, gravity is still present, but because an orbiting body is effectively in 'free-fall', the centrifugal force on the astronauts (because they're going around the planet so quickly), is large enough to balance out the force of gravity. Here, we're using the diamagnetic force to balance gravity instead of centrifugal force."

The scientists need to be careful when using a strong magnetic field as it can have other effects on living organisms. However, they controlled for these effects by examining how the flies behaved in different parts of the magnet: at the centre of their solenoid magnet, there is a strong magnetic field but no diamagnetic force so the flies experienced normal gravity. By comparing how flies in the centre of the magnet behaved with flies outside the magnet, they could isolate the different effects of the strong magnetic field.

Dr Hill said: "What we showed was that the flies in the magnet behaved in the same way that they behave in space. They walk more quickly. Why they do this, we really don't know yet. It may be because the flies just find moving around in weightlessness easier on their joints and muscles, or it could be that it's some kind of response to their confusion about which way is up and down when gravity is absent."

Diamagnetic levitation doesn't balance gravity as perfectly as 'real' weightlessness does in space, but diamagnetic levitation can be used to see which experiments are suitable and interesting to perform in space before spending money on a space launch.

The advantage of doing these experiments on the ground is that it's a lot cheaper and much easier, and scientists do not need to worry about the effects of high g-forces endured when launching the flies into space on a rocket. It's also very easy to do the comparison between flies in weightlessness and flies in ordinary gravity: the scientists set up the same experiment in different positions in the magnet and run the experiments simultaneously. By moving the flies to different positions in the magnetic field, they can simulate gravities between zero-g and 2g (twice Earth's gravity conditions), enabling them to simulate the gravity on the Moon or Mars.

The work was conducted in collaboration with scientists at the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas in Madrid and took place in The University of Nottingham's superconducting magnet supplied by Oxford Instruments. The project is supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

A video of the magnetically levitated fruit flies can be viewed at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~ppzlev/fruitflies_MPEG4.avi

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Nottingham, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Richard J. A. Hill, Oliver J. Larkin, Camelia E. Dijkstra, Ana I. Manzano, Emilio De Juan, Michael R. Davey, Paul Anthony, Laurence Eaves, F. Javier Medina, Roberto Marco, Raul Herranz. Effect of magnetically simulated zero-gravity and enhanced gravity on the walk of the common fruitfly. Royal Society Interface, 2012 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0715

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104133201.htm

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Washington Humane Society Announces 11th Annual Sugar & Champagne Affair

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From Jacquie Toppings:?The 11th?Annual Sugar & Champagne Affair benefiting the Washington Humane Society (WHS) will be held February 1, 2012 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The Washington Humane Society will honor its Law Enforcement Officers, Animal Control Officers, Humane Educators and a select few community Humane Heroes at this annual dessert and champagne reception. For the 11th?year, hosts Chef Todd and Ellen Gray of Equinox & Watershed Restaurants and Muse at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, with Trade Center Management Associates, will welcome gourmands and animal lovers as well as their four-legged friends for an evening of fine wines, savory treats and gourmet desserts from some of the metropolitan area?s most talented chefs and pastry chefs.


The benefit will be emceed by 94. 7 Fresh FM Radio Host Tommy McFLY. New this year, guests will have the opportunity to meet contestants from TLC's hit show?Next Great Baker, and four-legged guests will enjoy fresh fare at the 'Doggie Bar.' In addition, an assortment of free-flowing champagne and sparkling wines will be available in both the VIP and General Receptions. The VIP Chefs? Tasting Room will feature a selection of savory bites from restaurants including Equinox, Watershed, Think Food Group, Restaurant Eve, The Source, Brasserie Beck and Kushi. The VIPevent will also offer an exclusive, ultra-premium Scotch Whiskey?tasting?presented by?DIAGEO, the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of alcoholic beverage brands across spirits, beer and wine.

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Tickets to the general reception are $90. VIP tickets to the Chefs? Tasting Room are $150; these include a special 90-minute savory reception prior to the unveiling of the desserts. All proceeds from the Sugar & Champagne Affair benefit the animals and the critical programs and services of the Washington Humane Society. For more information, visit?www.sugarandchampagne.org.

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Source: http://princewilliamcounty.wusa9.com/news/events/87640-washington-humane-society-announces-11th-annual-sugar-champagne-affair

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Nick Lachey: Business Before Babies

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They may have tied the knot, but don?t look for a baby bump just yet! According to The Sing-Off host Nick Lachey, he and his Wipeout hostess wife, Vanessa Minnillo, are a little too preoccupied right now to be parents. ?There?s a lot going on,? Nick told In Touch when asked about expanding their family at the Tostitos Fiesta in the Square event benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York. ?We?re just enjoying being newlyweds.?

Despite the delay, Nick is certain that he and Vanessa, who wed in a fairy-tale Caribbean ceremony in July, will be the perfect mom-and-dad pair. ?We both take parenting seriously,? he explained. ?We very much look forward to that chapter of our lives when it comes.?

And more than six years after their split, Nick has only kind words for his expectant ex-wife, Jessica Simpson. ?I wish her all the best,? he said. ?And I mean it!?

For more on Nick's parenting plans ? and Vanessa?s reaction to his hesitation ? pick up the new issue of In Touch.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InTouchWeekly/~3/BrKrvG3-6RU/nick_lachey_business_before_ba.php

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Rainier gunman's body might have been found

In this undated photo provided by the Pierce County Sheriff's Dept., Benjamin Colton Barnes, is shown. Officials said Barnes is a person of interest in the fatal shooting of a park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012 in Washington State. (AP Photo/Pierce County Sheriff's Dept.)

In this undated photo provided by the Pierce County Sheriff's Dept., Benjamin Colton Barnes, is shown. Officials said Barnes is a person of interest in the fatal shooting of a park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012 in Washington State. (AP Photo/Pierce County Sheriff's Dept.)

This undated photo provided by Mount Rainier National Park shows park Ranger Margaret Anderson. Anderson, 34, was fatally shot Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state, according to the National Park Service. Officials closed the park after the shooting Sunday, and asked people to stay out of the area while they search for a man carrying a long rifle. (AP Photo/Mount Rainier National Park)

The west entrance to Mount Rainier National Park is shown, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012 in Washington State. State Patrol Troopers were checking outgoing cars and park rangers were turning away visitors after a National Parks Service Ranger was shot and killed Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A convoy of evacuees leaves Mount Rainier National Park in the early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 2, 2012 in Washington state. More than 100 people were kept in guarded conditions at a visitors center in the park until the evacuation as a safety precaution after a gunman shot and killed a park ranger during a traffic stop, fled on foot, and remained at-large overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

People evacuated from Mount Rainier National Park walk to the fire station in Ashford, Wash., in the early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. More than 100 people were kept in guarded conditions at a visitors center in the park until the evacuation as a safety precaution after a gunman shot and killed a park ranger during a traffic stop, fled on foot, and remained at-large overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP) ? A plane searching the slopes of Mount Rainier National Park for an Iraq War veteran suspected in the slaying of a park ranger found a body believed to be his lying face down in chest-deep snow Monday, authorities said.

It could be several hours before authorities reach the body. While they haven't identified the body, they believe it is that of 24-year-old Benjamin Colton Barnes.

"Obviously the strong probability is that it is" the gunman, Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Barnes is believed to have fled to the remote park to hide after an earlier shooting at a New Year's house party near Seattle that wounded four, two critically. Authorities suspect he shot ranger Margaret Anderson later Sunday.

Police cleared out the park of visitors and mounted a manhunt for Barnes, who was believed to have weapons and survivalist training. The body was found face down, Washington State Patrol spokesman Guy Gill said.

Barnes has had a troubled transition to civilian life, with accusations he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and is suicidal.

He was involved in a custody dispute in July, during which his toddler daughter's mother sought a temporary restraining order against him, according to court documents. The woman told authorities he was suicidal and possibly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after deploying to Iraq in 2007-2008, and had once sent her a text message saying "I want to die."

She alleged that he gets easily irritated, angry and depressed and keeps an arsenal of weapons in his home. She wrote that she feared for the child's safety. Undated photos provided by police showed a shirtless, tattooed Barnes brandishing two large weapons.

In November 2011, a guardian ad litem recommended parenting and communication classes for both parents and recommending Barnes be allowed to continue supervised visits with the child, two days a week. That visitation schedule was to continue until he completed a domestic violence evaluation and mental health evaluation and complied with all treatment recommendations.

On New Year's, there was an argument at a house party in Skyway, south of Seattle, and gunfire erupted, police said. Barnes was connected to the shooting, said Sgt. Cindi West, King County Sheriff's spokeswoman.

Two of the three people who fled the scene were located. West said authorities were trying to find Barnes and had been in contact with his family to ask them to convince him to step forward and "tell his side of the story."

At Mount Rainier around 10:20 a.m. Sunday, the gunman had sped past a checkpoint to make sure vehicles have tire chains, which are sometimes necessary in snowy conditions, Bacher said.

One ranger began following him while Anderson, a 34-year-old mother of two young children who was married to another Mount Rainier park ranger, eventually blocked the road to stop the driver. Before fleeing, the gunman fired shots at both Anderson and the ranger that trailed him, but only Anderson was hit.

Anderson would have been armed, as she was one of the rangers tasked with law enforcement, parks spokesman Kevin Bacher said. Troyer said she was shot before she had even got out of the vehicle.

Park superintendent Randy King said Anderson had served as a park ranger for about four years. King said Anderson's husband also was working as a ranger elsewhere in the park at the time of the shooting.

"It's just a huge tragedy ? for the family, the park and the park service," he said.

Adam Norton, a neighbor of Anderson's in the small town of Eatonville, said the ranger's family moved in about a year ago. He said they were not around much, but when they were, Norton would see Anderson outside with her girls.

"They just seemed like the perfect family," he said.

The shooting renewed debate about a federal law that made it legal for people to take loaded weapons into Mount Rainier. The 2010 law made possession of firearms in national parks subject to state gun laws.

Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said Congress should be regretting its decision to allow loaded weapons in national parks.

He called Sunday's fatal shooting a tragedy that could have been prevented. He hopes Congress will reconsider the law that took effect in early 2010, but doubts that will happen in today's political climate.

____

Associated Press writer Donna Gordon Blankinship contributed from Seattle.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-02-Mount%20Rainier%20Shooting/id-7be8d99f613d4f5aa42d998208a22d33

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Quanta sues AMD, claims it sold defective products

Yikes. Quanta -- also known as the planet's largest contract maker of laptops -- has just slapped a nasty lawsuit on the world's second-largest chipmaker. According to Bloomberg, Quanta is alleging that AMD and ATI sold chips that "didn't meet heat tolerances and were unfit for particular purposes." Those chips were then used in NEC-labeled machines, and caused them to "malfunction" in some regard. No big deal? Hardly. In the complaint, Quanta states that it has "suffered significant injury to prospective revenue and profits," and it's seeking a jury trial and damages for good measure.

As if that weren't harsh enough, the suit also claims "breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation, civil fraud and interference with a contract." When pinged for comment, AMD's spokesman, Michael Silverman stated: "AMD disputes the allegations in Quanta's complaint and believes they are without merit. AMD is aware of no other customer reports of the alleged issues with the AMD chip that Quanta used, which AMD no longer sells. "In fact, Quanta has itself acknowledged to AMD that it used the identical chip in large volumes in a different computer platform that it manufactured for NEC without such issues." Somewhere, Intel has to be smirking.

Quanta sues AMD, claims it sold defective products originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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