"We think it's cowardly, quite frankly, to have a man hiding out of sight, exhorting his armed forces to continue to slaughter the civilians of his own country" - U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell in a statement as Syrian President Bashar Assad's low profile has raised questions about whether he fears for his personal safety as the civil war escalates dramatically.

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"I will make him die, slowly, surely. Next I will set fire to Uni High and try to burn down as much as I can, there should be nothing left that gives them a reason to continue their miserable school." - Rainer Reinscheid fantasizing in an email about buying a dozen guns, killing 200 University High students, sexually assaulting a school counselor and killing the assistant principal who was the last person to speak to his son, Claas Stubbe who hung himself at his high school in California.

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"I think it's one of many, many things that has rattled investors' faith in the equity markets." - Matthew Rubin, director of investment strategy at Neuberger Berman in New York on the trading glitches that brought unwelcome reminders among traders of previous technological problems that have damaged investors' faith in the financial system, including technical problems on the Nasdaq stock exchange when Facebook went public in May.