The Short List: Canada's chaos; Google's new email service; Renee Zellwegger's face
If Canada's violence today was terrorism, it would be rare
It was a really sad day for our northern neighbor. A gunman killed a Canadian soldier standing guard at a war memorial in the nation's capital, Ottawa, then stormed Parliament before he was killed. Police said they believed two or three gunmen were involved in the attacks, raising fears of coordinated terrorism. The slain soldier was identified as Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. The dead shooter was identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. It's still too early to say if the shooting was a terrorist act. If it was, it would be really rare for Canada. Some of the most deadly terrorist acts in the country's history were carried out by the Quebec Liberation Front in the 1960s. Only recently has Canada become the focus of radical Islamist groups. Here's a look at some terror-related acts that were carried out or foiled on Canadian soil.
Google's new e-mail service could mean the eventual death of Gmail
Ten years ago, Gmail was born. It was back when we all performed e-mail routines on computers. While a ton has changed about the way we communicate, we're still using e-mail. The difference is that now a big chunk of that use is happening on our mobile devices, so Google is rethinking how your inbox should look and work. The result is Inbox, a new app that Google says is a smarter way to sort e-mail. It started rolling out today, by invitation only. Google said it wants this "to be your inbox for the next 10 years." Two of the new features: 1) Inbox highlights important info from e-mails in the subject line, like showing you photos of your friend's adorable new baby or the document (you so don't want to work on) that a co-worker shared with you. 2) Inbox displays useful info that wasn't in the e-mail: the real-time status of a flight you booked online or of a package being delivered to your home. Waiting on my invite. Not refreshing my e-mail or anything.
Everyone is talking about Renee Zellwegger's face
Renee Zellwegger's mug is this week's hot topic. Half the people who care that her face looks different (and it does) are speculating on what work she's had done. The other half is shaming everyone else for the gawking. Zellwegger says she looks different because she's leading a "happy, more fulfilling life." She also pointed out that people haven't really seen her in her 40s. Her most recent movie was in 2010. So could happiness really drastically alter your face? Unlikely.
New Michael Brown autopsy conflicts with family's autopsy
We've got more info on the Michael Brown shooting. A leaked autopsy report from the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office says Brown, the unarmed black teen who was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo., in August, was shot in the hand at close range. The county report differs in some ways from the autopsy conducted at the request of Brown's family, which said the shots were fired from as close as a foot away and as far as 30 feet away. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Brown's family, said Wednesday that he and the Brown family don't trust the new report.
Guy called 'Hammer' arrested for selling 'Ebola' heroin
So good it'll make your eyes bleed. A New Jersey man known as "Hammer" was arrested Monday for dealing heroin under the brand name "Ebola." Police raided a room at a Ramada Inn searching for evidence of drug dealing by Barnabas Davis, 47, who they believed was trafficking heroin from the rear suites of the hotel. Davis was arrested after police found about 633 wax folds containing heroin and about 40 grams of crack cocaine in the room. The heroin was packaged for sale and had a variety of "trademark" stamps on them, including one that was apparently trying to cash in on the attention paid to the Ebola virus. Because that's been positive.
Extra Bites
Day in Pictures: Our favorite photo from today's gallery.
A baby bear strolled through a drug store in Oregon. Still awaiting word on whether there's any Charmin left.
Officials in South Florida want to secede and become the USA's 51st state. Cue D.C. eye roll.
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This is a compilation of stories from across Paste BN.
Contributing: Alan Gomez, Ann Oldenburg, Jessica Guynn, John Bacon, Pierre Chauvin, William M. Welch, Paste BN