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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

'Localized terror attack' foiled by FBI

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? The FBI believes authorities disrupted "a localized terror attack" in its planning stages when they arrested a man after converging on a western Minnesota mobile home that contained Molotov cocktails, suspected pipe bombs and firearms, the agency said Monday.

Buford Rogers, 24, of Montevideo, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He remained in federal custody Monday and it was not clear if he had an attorney.

"The FBI believed there was a terror attack in its planning stages, and we believe there would have been a localized terror attack, and that's why law enforcement moved quickly to execute the search warrant on Friday to arrest Mr. Rogers," FBI spokesman Kyle Loven said Monday.

Loven declined to elaborate about the location of the alleged target, other than to say it was believed to be in Montevideo, a city of about 5,000 people about 130 miles west of Minneapolis. He also declined to say whether Rogers was believed to be acting alone or as part of a group, or if other arrests were expected.

"This is a very active investigation," he said.

In a news release Monday, the FBI said it believed "the lives of several local residents were potentially saved" by the search and arrest, and said "several guns and explosive devices were discovered." The agency said the alleged terror plot was discovered through analysis of intelligence gathered by local, state and federal authorities.

"Cooperation between the FBI and its federal, state, and local partners enabled law enforcement to prevent a potential tragedy in Montevideo," Christopher Warrener, the special agent in charge of the FBI office in Minneapolis, said in the release.

According to a federal affidavit obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, FBI agents from the domestic terrorism squad searched the property at the mobile home park in Montevideo and discovered the Molotov cocktails, suspected pipe bombs and firearms. The affidavit said Buford was there at the time of the search, and one firearm recovered from Buford's residence was a Romanian AKM assault rifle.

In an interview with authorities, Rogers admitted firing the weapon on two separate occasions at a gun range in Granite Falls, the affidavit said. Rogers has a past conviction for felony burglary and is not allowed to have a firearm.

Rogers is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court this week.

Rogers' 2011 felony burglary conviction stems from an incident in Lac qui Parle County. He also has a 2009 misdemeanor conviction for dangerous handling of a weapon in Hennepin County, as well as other criminal violations, according to online court records.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-minn-raid-disrupts-localized-terror-attack-163339217.html

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Opel expects cheaper car deals after taking finance in-house

By Edward Taylor

RUESSELSHEIM, Germany (Reuters) - General Motors' lossmaking European carmaker Opel expects to boost the proportion of cars sold on financing with the offer of cheaper loans and leasing deals now that it has taken its German banking license back in-house, it said on Monday.

Last month the U.S. group's financing subsidiary GM Financial Company Inc launched its new 'Opel Financial Services' brand, having bought back the European and other international operations of its former financial services affiliate Ally Financial , which held the German banking license.

"The launch of Opel Financial Services was a very important step for our brand and for our product offensive. Opel was not always in a position to make the best financing offer. We did not have our own bank, like competitors," Opel's finance chief Michael Lohscheller said at a press conference at Opel's headquarters on Monday.

As part of the $4.2 billion acquisition deal with Ally Financial, which was announced in November last year and partially closed last month, GM Financial has attributed $1.7 billion to its European financing operations, Lohscheller said.

The partial closing of the deal in April gives GM Financial the German banking license and this has given it more favorable refinancing opportunities, Opel said.

As a result, Opel now hopes to raise the proportion of cars sold using financing to above the current level of 40 percent. Some competitors are able to sell up to 50 percent of their vehicles through financing offers.

In all GM has pledged to invest another 4 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in Opel by the end of 2016 to support new model launches, renewing a commitment to the ailing European brand.

GM's chief executive Dan Akerson has said the investment will help it increase market share by funding the development and launch of 23 new models and 13 new engines through 2016.

But the company's adjusted operating loss in Europe widened to $1.8 billion last year from $700 million in 2011 and it only expects to move back into profit in the middle of the decade.

Last month Germany's VDA industry association said its new car market may stabilize in the second quarter after a further plunge in sales in the first quarter mirrored declines in other key European regions.

(This story has been refiled to correct spelling of 'cheaper' in first paragraph)

(Editing by Greg Mahlich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/opel-expects-cheaper-car-deals-taking-finance-house-122152283.html

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Amazon Leaks the World's First Small-Screen Windows 8 Tablet

Rumors have swirled recently suggesting that a new breed of small Windows 8 tablets would soon appear in the wild. Now, Amazon has managed to accidentally leak the first tablet of its kind.

The Acer Iconia W3, previously rumored to be the first small-screen Windows 8 tablet, made a brief appearance on the website of Bezos and co. With a 1280 x 800 resolution 8.1-inch screen and Intel dual-core Atom processor, PC World claims that its list price was $380. Otherwise, details are scant.

Obviously the tablet was listed as Out of Stock, and there was no release date published, but it should be enough to convince people that little Windows tablets are indeed on the way. [PC World]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/amazon-leaks-the-worlds-first-small-screen-windows-8-t-493096100

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Experts warn about donation drives after bombing

BOSTON (AP) ? At least two online campaigns aimed to help David Henneberry buy a new boat after his was shot up while a Boston Marathon bombing suspect hid inside. And a handful of drives have cropped up to help the family of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old killed in the attack.

Neither recipient had anything to do with setting up those fundraisers.

That didn't stop the sites from raising tens of thousands of dollars, while campaigns on similar "crowdfunding" sites have raised millions combined for other victims.

That's on top of the nearly $28 million given to The One Fund, a more traditional relief fund established by top state officials.

Such giving is the reliable flipside to tragic events, with the Internet bringing heightened levels of immediacy, publicity and generosity. But charity watchdog groups warn not all giving opportunities are equal, with online drives more prone to confusion, scams or misuse of money.

An advantage to crowdfunding sites, which essentially provide a platform for individuals to set up their own fundraising efforts, is the speed at which they can start soliciting donations. For instance, the site GoFundMe had marathon victim relief campaigns going by 10 a.m. the day after the bombings. It now hosts more than 40 individual marathon-related campaigns that have raised $2.7 million.

But that ease of setting up a fund drive means less scrutiny of the fundraisers using the sites, which may be known only by a picture and a short testimonial.

"There may be little oversight going in, in terms of how the money is actually spent, and whether it's going to the appropriate parties," said Bennett Weiner, chief operating officer of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.

Examples of fraud after tragedy are plentiful. After Hurricane Katrina the FBI found 4,000 bogus websites that stole donors' money and personal identification.

And it raises questions when the beneficiary of an online campaign doesn't even know about it.

Henneberry, of Watertown, said he had "nothing, nothing, nothing" to do with any drives to raise money for a new boat.

A spokesman for the Martin family said it has approved only The Richard Family Fund, which has its own site.

The lack of an initial connection with a fundraiser doesn't mean the money won't eventually get to the intended recipient. A spokesman for Crowdtilt, where a campaign raised more than $50,000 for Henneberry, said they sent him the payment Friday.

And bombing victims say the sites offer a convenient way for people to directly give to their specific needs, and can be tremendously encouraging.

"My sisters and mother would read the comments (from donors) to me while I was in the hospital, and it really helped me in my recovery there," said Brittany Loring, the beneficiary of a campaign on the GiveForward site. Loring required three operations after her left leg was badly injured by shrapnel from the first blast.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley's office is checking out fundraisers and has yet to find fraud, said spokesman Brad Puffer. But it's promoting vigilance.

"We simply encourage people to do their homework and give wisely," Puffer said,

Ken Berger of the watchdog group Charity Navigator prefers well-established charities or credibly backed efforts like The One Fund, founded by the governor of Massachusetts and mayor of Boston.

Such groups leave long paper trials and do robust vetting before they distribute money, he said. The tradeoff is the process takes weeks, which can be a lot less satisfying than an instant Internet donation, he said.

Berger added, "The faster you go, the greater the risk."

Dan Borochoff, of Charity Watch, said the same emotions that spur remarkable giving are used to take advantage of people. Ultimately, Borochoff said, people are free to throw their money away, but they shouldn't make it easy for the people trying to take it.

"Ignorant bliss is what they are going for," he said. "If you really care, you're going to be more responsible."

Brad Damphousse, chief of executive of GoFundMe, said his site takes significant steps to verify campaign organizers, including checking the linked Facebook account and affirming account payment information.

He added there's a natural social safeguard, since strangers usually won't donate to a site until they see dollars from an organizer's closest family and friends first.

"The earliest donors are essentially vouching for the authenticity of a given campaign," said Damphousse, whose company charges a fee of 5 percent of each donation.

Tom Teves, whose oldest son, Alex, was one of 12 killed during the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., said raising money is an irrelevancy to someone in the midst of grief. But he and other family members of mass murder victims are pushing a National Compassion Fund, which he described as similar to The One Fund, to increase equity and transparency for victims.

Having a primary entity collecting and distributing money transparently can simplify things for people going through the unthinkable.

"You don't understand where you're at," Teves said. "You're just trying to literally figure out how you are going to stand up and keep breathing."

Erika and Leonardo Galvis, whose parents were badly injured in the marathon bombings, said they didn't think to set up a campaign on GiveForward until days after the bombings, and then only after their parents had been through surgeries that pointed to a long recovery with large and uncertain costs.

It's not easy to think in such practical terms amid the shock and disbelief over what happened, Erika said.

"It's very hard to focus on the fund," she said. "But we have to do it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/experts-warn-donation-drives-bombing-153907173.html

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19 Real-Life Protective Suits Worthy of Iron Man

The honor of wearing badass protective gear isn't limited to astronauts, supersonic jet pilots, or Tony Stark. Here's an apocalyptic collection of not-quite-everyday personal protective garments you should wear the next time you're taking on the Mandarin.

1942: Two people test American fire-proof suits lined with asbestos.

Photo: Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Getty Images

This heat and gas resistant metal headpiece and suit was developed for mining rescue work in the Soviet Union in the Fifties. The headpiece has a built-in oxygen apparatus, cooler, and telephone.

Photo: Keystone/Getty Images

1954: Workers of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Commerce City, Colorado) use airtight suits, gloves and masks to work with deadly nerve gas. They are not allowed to stay in the blending chamber for more than 20 minutes at a time, even in these suits.

Photo: Library Of Congress

The Captive Man suit, a protective suit with an access tunnel attached for use in radioactive environments. It provided a barrier against radioactive contamination in the 60s.

Photo: Keystone/Getty Images//Central Press/Getty Images

Soviet mine rescue team in protective suits in the 70s.

Photo: Ukraine. Photoalbum. Publisher: Planet. Moscow, 1971.

Soviet fire fighters practice mining fire rescue in protective suits.

Photo: Delta, 1974/2.

Firefighters practice rescue techniques and procedures for the aircraft fire simulator in Alpena, Mich., 1997. Here they drag a 110-pound dummy away from the flames in their heat-resistant clothes.

Photo: Dale Atkins/AP

2002: Dressed in their SCAPE suits, workers are ready for the fueling of the Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft in the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2), Kennedy Space Center. SCAPE refers to Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble.

Photo: NASA

A German soldier in a military chemical protection in the desert at Camp Doha, outside Kuwait City, Dec. 16, 2002.

Photo: Anja Niedringhaus/AP

2003: Damage Controlman 3rd Class Jeremiah Layman instructs his shipmates on the correct donning, wearing, and protective measures of an advanced chemical protective garment (ACPG) and gasmask aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

Photo: PH3 Christopher L Jordan/U.S. Navy

Fukuoka Prefectural Police personnel conduct chemical protection drill at a pier in Fukuoka, south of Tokyo, June 8, 2004.

Photo: Kyodo News/AP

Singapore Civil Defense personnel in encapsuled hazmat protective suits gather outside a subway station during a simulated bombing training exercise, Jan. 8, 2006 in Singapore.

Photo: Wong Maye-e/AP

"Redman" is a U.S.-made protective training suit used for hand-to-hand combat training. "Redman" allows "attackers" to strike its wearer without causing injury.

Photo: 1st Lt. Zach Anderson/U.S. Air Force

Patrick Brown of ArcAttack performs at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle, England Friday, March. 11, 2011. Brown's chain mail suit acts as a "Faraday Cage" and protects the wearer from the electricity by causing it to flow around the surface of the suit and not through it.

Photo: Scott Heppell/AP

A sailor wears protective anti-flash clothing during an exercise in the Operations Room of the Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring. Anti-flash gear is basic personal protective equipment to provide protection to the head, neck, face and hands from short-duration flame exposure and heat.

Photo: LA(Phot) Keith Morgan/Royal Navy

Lt. Ryan Ramsden runs in a protective suit while training with the Police Dog Operations Unit of the Australian Northern Territory during Talisman Sabre 2011.

Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jennifer A. Villalovos/U.S. Navy

Bomb disposal officers are some of the bravest people on Earth. Here's what stands between them and a blast.

Photo: Ian Waldie/Getty Images//Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Another pair of photos of an anti-explosives expert, this time a member of the Afghan National Army (ANA) Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Team of the Afghan National Army.

Photo: Sgt Steve Blake RLC/Ministry Of Defense

Marines and sailors conduct chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense training with the new M50 joint service general purpose gas mask. Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 27, 2012.

Photo: Cpl. Michael Petersheim/U.S. Marines Corps

Top image: Czech nuclear, biological and chemical defense specialists from the U.S. led Combined Joint Task Force wear protective suits during a field training exercise at Kuwait's Mubarak Airbase, Feb. 23, 2003. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps./Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon/AP

Source: http://gizmodo.com/19-real-life-protective-suits-worthy-of-iron-man-482282339

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