Sasha Grey, Porn Star, Reads To Elementary School, Parents Outraged

Sasha Grey, Porn Star, Reads To Elementary School, Parents Outraged

 

UPDATE: In a victory for education, Grey has released a statement asserting her dedication to continuing her academic endeavors.

“I committed to this program with the understanding that people would have their own opinions about what I have done, who I am and what I represent,” she says (via TMZ). “I am an actor. I am an artist. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am a partner. I have a past that some people may not agree with, but it does not define who I am… I believe in the future of our children, and I will remain an active supporter and participant in education-focused initiatives.”

_____

PREVIOUSLY: How would you feel if an adult film star read to your seven year old child? Believe it or not, some parents in California are pretty angry that it happened in their kids’ classroom.

Porn legend Sasha Grey was a guest reader at Emerson Elementary School in Compton, California earlier this month, joining first and third grade students in their Read Across America day. Grey certainly enjoyed the experience, tweeting, “Spent the am with Read Across America Compton, reading to the sweetest 1st & 3rd grade students @ Emerson Elementary!”

The problem, TMZ reports, is that parents aren’t happy — and that school officials, instead of addressing the issue, are claiming it never happened. Of course, it’d be silly for Grey to tweet about it if it hadn’t happened, and more importantly, TMZ has a photo of the event (as they always seem to do).

To be fair to Grey, she is a recently retired porn star, having recently called it quits. She is now a published author, actress in more mainstream flicks (with a part in the Thomas Jane, Rob Lowe and Jeremy Piven film, “I Melt With You”), Peta activist and fan of Occupy Wall Street.

via Sasha Grey, Porn Star, Reads To Elementary School, Parents Outraged.

PHOTOS 

Personally I find this amusing. seems to me those who are up in arms need to get real. this woman firstly is a RETIRED Porn star, she is giving something to the community.

As for the school instead of denying it should have stood its ground. Considering their are Photos of her reading to the class.

One senario may be they dont watch porn so had no idea, so does that mean those up in arms over this do? Maybe thats how they recognised her.

The main point is she was dressed appropriately and read age appropriate material.  Get real people I’m sure her past was not up for discussion.

 

83-Year-Old Male Prostitute Arrested

Im lost for words, yet i have some unanswered  questions over this news item I came across.

Detectives in Centerville, Iowa, began the investigation into the activities of 83 year old pensioner Ben Clifford Dawson following a complaint the received from a woman who was in debt to him.

According to police they received a complaint about his unusual repayment scheme and launched the investigation. During the investigations into Dawson’s enterprises a female victim alleged that the octogenarian had offered to perform sex acts in lieu of payment for a loan.

Dawson faces two charges of aggravated misdemeanor charges, one of prostitution and one of intent to commit sexual abuse. He was released from the Appanoose County Jail after he posted a bail bond of $2,000.

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House fire started by de-friended Facebook friend

Imagine having an argument with your best friend on facebook. you defriend them and think that is the end of it. Well that may not be the case.

Police in Des Moines, Iowa, have arrested 30-year-old Jennifer Christine Harris  for allegedly setting her neighbor’s home on fire, as retribution for being “de-friended” on Facebook.

Nikki and Jim Rasmussen were awoken by a loud boom at around 1 a.m.,  and escaped the home just as the siding on their house began to melt. Jim Rasmussen named Harris as the prime suspect. Nikki Rasmussen and Jennifer Christine Harris had a falling out on Facebook, when a party invitation that his wife created for Harris had a high number of “declines.” After a large amount of texts and Facebook messages, Nikki Rasmussen “de-friended” Harris. They had been the best of friends before the dispute.

Police say their investigation supports the Rasmussen’s suspicions.

Jennifer Harris is a 30-year-old ADULT who quite frankly acted foolishly and as a result remains jailed on a $100,000 bond.

Read more 

 

Asylum seekers boat sinks.

In a previous blog Titled Gillard Government continues to pursue Migration Act changes I said the following when talking about the immigration bill for asylum seekers

This whole mess is not just a policy it’s about people. People that are looking for our help and are willing to risk their lives to get it. There has to be a better way. If we process them closer to where they come from stands to reason they would go there instead of coming here. We could then process them there. I think over all lives may be saved. As these people are coming through people smugglers there is no record of how many leave and how many arrive but my thoughts are a lot just don’t get here.

Well the latest tragedy of this is a boat of asylum seekers sinking off the coast off the  west coast of Java early yesterday. Federal Government ministers have confirmed this morning that at least six people – including one child – are dead, while 20 are missing.

A local police chief said.

“They were leaving from Cilacap and their ship sank around the island of Nusakambangan. They left Cilacap at 2am (local time) and about 3am their ship leaked. At 5am, their ship already sank and was found by local fishermen,”

So where does the blame for this tragedy lie?  The Gillard Government and the Federal Opposition have been accused of having blood on their hands, but Mr Bowen and Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor lay the blame for the deaths squarely at the feet of the people smugglers. Now while the government and the opposition are being careful not to blame each other it has to be said that if they reached an agreement instead of being bloody-minded and opportunistic, this may not have happened.

Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor

This is not a day for argument, Today it’s about firstly determining the facts and the circumstances around this vessel.

Well I would have thought the circumstances were clear. 70 Iranian asylum seekers sold everything they had to come to Australia for a better life. The Iranians paid $US7000 and flew straight to Jakarta after bribing immigration officers at the airport $US500 for a visa.

Now it seems Some had knowledge about the asylum seeker debate in Australia and decided to come after the Malaysia refugee swap deal was scuttled. Well Mr O’Connor said,

“This is a tragedy, something that the government foretold. We said that if we don’t put in place the most effective deterrent we would see an incline in the incidence of irregular maritime arrivals and we will most likely an incline in maritime fatalities,”

So far its all becoming  reality and not just words. Mr O’Connor also said that all the advice given  to the government was that the best solution was the agreement struck between Australia and Malaysia.

Kamran, a student from the Kurram Valley on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, said another boat taking asylum seekers from Malaysia to Batam, off Sumatra Island, had sunk less than two weeks ago. Kamran paid $US5500 to get to Australia via Malaysia.  If this is the case then the Malaysian deal would have worked, they could have been processed in Malaysia as proposed by the governments original bill. the bill that Tony Abbott was dead against. At least last night the government and the opposition finally managed to find some common ground by supporting a bill clarifying that it is still an offence for people smugglers to facilitate the arrival of asylum seekers in Australia, even if those people are legitimate refugees. However the greens did not support it.

Its time for the fighting to stop and time to put in place a policy where these people are processed offshore deterring them from the perilous boat journey and putting the people smugglers out of business, or at the very least save some lives. With the onshore processing more will come, more boats will sink on the journey and more lives will be lost. This needs to be addressed now. Australian authorities intercepted another boatload of asylum seekers north of Christmas Island yesterday so there is an increase of boats coming. Tony Abbott needs to put on his big boy pants and work this out with Julia Gillard now before more lives are lost.

Scams; Don’t become a victim to these.

It is apparent that people still become victims to scams both old and new. People loose money daily due to these scammers. they have their personal information stolen and in some cases put their online friends at risk. So here is a heads up thanks to Snopes of a few of the most common scams going around.

In Memory of Steve Jobs, Apple has decided to give away

While the “free iPad/iPod” hoax has been kicking about on the Internet for a few years, the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs in October 2011 inspired scam artists to unleash anew. Within hours of that visionary’s passing, the unwary were being tricked into lining the pockets of scam artists via the promise of free Apple goodies for those who clicked on what purported to be links taking them to the prize.

Nigerian Scam

A wealthy foreigner who needs help moving millions of dollars from his homeland promises a hefty percentage of this fortune as a reward for assisting him.

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. THIS IS BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND ‘TOP SECRET’. I AM SURE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR ABILITY AND RELIABILITY TO PROSECUTE A TRANSACTION OF THIS GREAT MAGNITUDE INVOLVING A PENDING TRANSACTION REQUIRING MAXIMUM CONFIDENCE.

The letter continues, and  here’s how it works: Letters (or, nowadays, e-mail messages) postmarked from Nigeria (or Sierra Leone, or the Ivory Coast, or almost any other foreign nation) are sent to addresses taken from large mailing lists. The letters promise rich rewards for helping officials of that government (or bank, or quasi-government agency or sometimes just members of a particular family) out of an embarrassment or a legal problem. Typically, the pitch includes mention of multi-million dollar sums, with the open promise that you will be permitted to keep a startling percentage of the funds you’re going to aid in squirreling away for these disadvantaged foreigners. If you’re not saying “scam” by now, you should be.

Secret Shopper Scams

Employment frauds typically prey upon the gullible or the desperate whose burning desire to secure lucrative work blinds them to the scams about to be run on them. Generally, the promise of easy-to-perform labor that pays very well is held out to those disadvantaged in their search for employment by their lack of relevant job experience or education and so appears to be the answer to their prayers. Because the need to believe in such fairytale careers runs so strong, ordinary skepticism is temporarily set aside by those bedazzled by such false promises, and that little nagging “You know better than to be taken in by this” voice is silenced, thereby leaving job seekers vulnerable to being fleeced.

‘Work from Home’ Scam

If you live in Canada or the US and you have been wanting to work from home, you might be in luck. Google has now released a new ‘Work From Home Program’ that will allow Americans to work for the titan from the comfort of their own homes. To thousands of North Americans this means that they will soon have a safe and bright future working for one of the fastest growing companies in the world. In the middle of this recession this country and the world is going through, Google has been thriving and reporting profits consistently every quarter. Completely innovating the Search Engine industry in the late 1990’s, Google has had a history of development and innovation, and another one is about to come. Google has now opened it’s doors and will be hiring everyday people to work from the comfort of their own homes posting links. The way this works is Google will allow people to sign up and receive a package which will contain all the step by step instructions to get setup from home.

The Family Way

The basic set-up is that a scammer gleans just enough information about a family (e.g., names, ages, addresses, phone numbers) to be able to impersonate one of them during a brief phone call to another family member. The scammer will place a call and claim to be in some form of distress (e.g., a victim of legal problems, theft, or fouled-up travel arrangements) that has left him stranded far from home and in desperate need of someone to wire him some cash. In many cases eager-to-help relatives will promptly send money as instructed, not realizing until it’s too late that the person they’ve been talking to is an impersonator and not a genuine family member. (Grandparents are particularly common targets of this scam: They may be easily

Microsoft Impersonation Scam

Although this Microsoft impersonation scam has been around since at least 2009, in December 2010 and January 2011 it appeared to enjoy a renaissance, as reports came in of its being run in numerous countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and England.

In short, Microsoft does not contact people out of the blue to tell them there’s something wrong with their computers. Ergo, unless you’ve initiated contact with Microsoft about a computer problem you’re having, you should dismiss as frauds any phone calls, e-mails, online chat dialogues, and the like from folks who claim they work for Microsoft and have spotted something wrong with your computer.

The scammers running this type of fraud pretend they’re from the software company’s technical support department when they telephone to inform householders that their computers have been infected with a virus. Often the scam pitch begins “I’m calling for Microsoft. We’ve had a report from your internet service provider of serious virus problems from your computer.” The caller warns that if the problem is not solved the computer will become unusable and then offers to repair the problem.

Please use some common sense if you get calls about anything that sounds like a scam chances are it is, do some research and Ask for a name and contact number, chances are they will hang up, if you get an e-mail report it.

For most things like lotteries money-making schemes giveaways etc. If it sounds too good to be true chances are it’s a scam. 

When Enough is Enough. No to Sharia law in Australia.

This may be old news but in light of what is happening in the US,  I still believe Julia Gillard got it right when the government moved quickly in May to block calls for sharia law to be introduced in Australia.

In its submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the government’s new multiculturalism policy, The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) has called for Muslims to be granted “legal pluralism”. It argued that a mild brand of sharia should be allowed in family law and divorces, promising it would fit in with Australian values.

I have to agree with Attorney-General Robert McClelland who said there was no “place for sharia law in Australian society” and that the government strongly rejected any proposal for its introduction. He went further by saying,

“As our citizenship pledge makes clear, coming to Australia means obeying Australian laws and upholding Australian values, If there is any inconsistency between cultural values and the rule of law then Australian law wins out, People who migrate to Australia do so because of the fact that we have a free, open and tolerant society where men and woman are equal before the law irrespective of race, religious or cultural background.”

There are Two pledges one that mentions god one that does not but both say the same thing.

I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.

In reality if we Australians migrated to any country we would have to live with their laws, Why do Radical Muslims come here and expect us to change laws to suit them. Yes i have singled out Muslims, and thats because they are the only ones who have come here making demands that we change for them.

In an interview with The Australian, the organisation’s president, Ikebal Adam Patel, who wrote the submission, nominated family law and specifically divorce as an area where moderate interpretations of sharia could co-exist within the Australian legal system. Some Muslims believe Islamic law is immutable, regardless of history, time, culture and location.  The AFIC argues this is not the case and sharia can be applied in a way that fits in to Australia and is not extreme. The submission says,

“This means most of the regulations in Islamic law may be amended, changed, altered, and adapted to social change … Islamic law is changeable according to the requirements of different places and times, and therefore suits the values shared by Australian people,”

Sharia confers unilateral divorce rights on men, while women who initiate divorce are stripped of their property and financial entitlements.

In an interview, Mr Patel said:

“I’m saying that instead of letting the extremists within Islam take over the agenda, we are saying there is a path whereby it will work for all the communities in a moderate way. It is important for someone who is Muslim or a practising Jew that aspects of our religion which can be incorporated within the greater legal system are introduced.  This is about personal issues about family, and won’t affect any other Australian,”

AFIC says criticisms of AFIC, as the peak body of Islamic organisations in Australia, “strongly supports that multiculturalism should lead to legal pluralism . . . and twin tolerations”. as being biased against women and treating them as second-class citizens are wrong.  “It is important for Muslims to seriously consider this criticism,” the submission says. ”But it is also important for the Australian government to respect the rights of Muslim women who want to keep and maintain the way they dress, eat and interact with others, as long as such behaviour does not inflict harm to others.

AFIC, as the peak body of Islamic organisations in Australia, “strongly supports that multiculturalism should lead to legal pluralism . . . and twin tolerations”.

Well Mr Patel let me say this, there is nothing stopping women dressing as they please here if they want to wear traditional clothing, eat and interact with others that’s up to them but they  don’t need Sharia Law to do so.

As a multicultural nation we have accepted many nationalities here and we have many different religions within our population. This is just an example of how arrogant some Muslims can be, another example is in the United states where muslims attending a private Roman Catholic University are offended at their Religious Symbolism. Well why go there?

It boils down to this Mr Patel, if you don’t like it don’t stay, Dont push your agenda onto us, If we as a nation allow Sharia law into our laws and culture well it is my opinion that it will just be time before extremists come along demanding a stronger form of sharia. What will be next? Stoning? Lashing? amputation? I don’t think so.

Our Laws work just fine, By becoming citizens and taking the pledge Immigrants have agreed to live by the laws of this country. Maybe some don’t belong here if they can’t live with our laws.

It’s about time those muslims who have come here for a better life stand up against these radicals, let it be known not all muslims are radicals. Show everyone there are more peace-loving muslims than there are Radicals

WHAT IS SHARIA LAW

Sharia law is “the path that must be followed by a Muslim”.

It brings together elements from the Koran and the Hadith, plus judges’ rulings from Islam’s first centuries. It was fixed by about the 10th century, and contains detailed instructions for practically every aspect of life.

In the West, it is most famous for its penal code: the prescribed punishments for sexual offences, which include stoning; for theft, which include amputation; and for apostasy, for which the punishment is death.

Much more important for most Muslims, however, are the parts of sharia that relate to the status of women, to contracts and to family law.

These include provisions that allow men several wives and that enshrine, in law, the inferiority of women.

Women can be divorced merely by their husbands reciting “I divorce you” three times; their testimony is worth less than that of men; and they cannot marry a non-Muslim man – although it is permissible for a Muslim man to marry a non-Muslim woman.

Within Sharia law, there are a group of “Haram” offenses which carry severe punishments. These include pre-marital sexual intercourse, sex by divorced persons, post-marital sex, adultery, false accusation of unlawful intercourse, drinking alcohol, theft, and highway robbery. Haram sexual offenses can carry a sentence of stoning to death or severe flogging. I fail to see how these laws would work with our laws.  They have no regard for Human rights or the rights of women.

How you live your life, regardless of your religon, sexual preference, way of dress is your business, If you want to have a drink after work well go ahead that too is your choice. but in this country men and women are considered equal, a woman is not inferior to her husband.

Muslims came here because they wanted a better life, for themselves and their children and future generations. They took a pledge when they became citizens to uphold the Laws of Australia. Sharia Law is not Australian law, and hopefully never will be. If you want to live in a country that supports sharia law then all means go and do so, dont expect us to change our laws for you. I am sure you wouldnt change sharia laws for us.

https://spotoffun.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/iranian-actress-reportedly-sentenced-to-one-year-in-jail-90-lashes-fox-news/

http://coffeenchat.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/american-muslims-why-americans-are-confused/

 

 

http://islammonitor.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4329:muslims-demand-sharia-in-oz&catid=266:news-headlines&Itemid=16

http://coffeenchat.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/american-muslim-confusion-perfect-example/

 

Three more Australian soldiers shot dead in Afghanistan + Poll

Once again we have the news of 3 more brave aussies killed and seven more injured in Afghanistan.

Reports have not named the three but say that a corporal, captain and lance corporal were members of the Mentoring Task Force in southern Afghanistan. Of the three, the corporal and lance corporal were on their first deployment to Afghanistan while the captain was on a second tour.The corporal and the captain had earlier this year taken part in flood and cyclone relief operations in Queensland. Of the wounded, one soldier was being treated for life threatening wounds, four had serious wounds, and the other two had minor wounds. An Afghan interpreter was also killed.

News of the Australian deaths came as a suicide car bomber in the capital Kabul struck a US-run NATO bus travelling through the south-west of the city, killing at least 17 people, including 13 US soldiers. It is not known at this stage if both are connected.

The biggest question right now is should we bring our people home. My personal feeling on this is YES. If one rebel can infiltrate the Afghanistan Army how many more have. It is concerning because where else have these rebels infiltrated, just going along day by day waiting to strike.

How high a price are we willing to pay?

The Australian forces in Afghanistan have suffered 32 fatalities. 207 soldiers have been wounded.

United States deaths, more than 1,450 have died in hostile action and 14,611 have been wounded in action in Afghanistan.

British forces have suffered 383 fatalities and 1,802 wounded in action, another 3,472 have suffered from disease or non-battle injuries.

This list goes on in fact there have been a total of 2,716 Coalition deaths in Afghanistan.

There is no war against terror that we can possibly win that will eradicate the extremist views and actions. Last week President Hamid Karzai said in an interview, Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States. So tell me again why we are there. Its time these people stood up and took some resopnsibility and trained their own people. Its time to bring our people home.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was a bitter day for Australia, and acknowledged that public support for Australia’s mission in Afghanistan could be further damaged by the incident. She urged Australians not to judge the progress of the mission on one incident alone.

One incident alone, well I dont know how it can be called one incident when this is the second time this year an ANA soldier has targeted a member of the ADF. Lance Corporal Andrew Jones was shot dead by a rogue ANA soldier. That to me raises some serious questions. Questions i think our governments need to be able to answer if they want to justify our troops being there.

How do we know we are training the right people when the ANA dont even know who they have on their side?

Fears of infiltration within the Afghan army ranks have risen as Western backers fund and train a huge expansion of the fledgling national force ahead of the withdrawal of all foreign combat forces scheduled for 2014.

The ADF has launched an investigation to determine whether the gunman, from the ANA’s 6th Kandak unit, was a Taliban or terrorist infiltrator, or whether there was another motivation for the attack. Little is yet known about the shooter but it is believed he had been in the force for some time and was not a new recruit. well to me that raises a lot of concerns.

No matter what the motivation behind the attacks the fact remains a rebel has been a member of the ANA for some time undetected. Striking out when he saw fit killing our men. No one can know how the families of these men feel. Yes they volunteered to defend us, but at no time did they sign up to be sitting ducks. How many more rebels are in the ANA?  The longer we stay there the greater the odds of this happening again. Lets get our people out now!!!

Sympathies, prayers and thoughts to family, friends and colleagues.

Lest We Forget.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-29/three-australian-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan/3608612

http://news.yahoo.com/3-australian-soldiers-killed-afghanistan-220152308.html

http://www.news.com.au/national/aussie-troops-shot-dead-in-afghanistan/story-e6frfkvr-1226180499845

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/shockwave-felt-as-three-australian-soldiers-shot-dead-in-afghanistan/story-fn7x8me2-1226180500371

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/aussie-afghan-forces-in-shock-after-deaths-20111030-1mpxw.html

Facebook ‘horror movie’ sounds cyber-stalking alarm

Facebook ‘horror movie’ sounds cyber-stalking alarm

October 20, 2011

Cool or an invasion of privacy?

Takethislollipop.com director, Jason Zara, on the privacy concerns with his new interactive website that uses personal Facebook content.

Facebook is becoming an ever more intrusive feature of websites, but just how much of your personal life do you give up each time you click the “Connect with Facebook” button?

The danger in exposing your personal life is being laid bare by Takethislollipop.com, a new site that turns the popular social network into a personal horror movie, which is creeping out hundreds of thousands of users across the web.

The man behind the site, Jason Zada, a director at award-winning production company Tool of North America, claims it is not an attempt to gain personal information and reassured users who were wanting to test it out that he had made “very, very, very clear decisions” not to save anyone’s details.

“We don’t save anything. There’s no session that we have or that kind of stuff. It’s just what you saw is what’s yours and that’s it. At the end of that you can watch it again but you can’t send it to anybody.”

The site takes users on a gut-wrenching journey, with an unhinged sweaty man wearing a white singlet gaining access to your Facebook account and stalking it. A video features him looking through your personal photos and friends’ wall posts – obtained when users sign in with their Facebook account – and is a demonstration of how much information people share on the web, Zada said.

At the end of the video a timer counts down from 60 minutes and a friend’s name is shown as being “next” to experience the scare. Throughout the short film various scenes use different information gained via your Facebook account to creep you out, such as your profile image being stuck to the dashboard of a car after the city where you live is displayed on Google Maps.

via Facebook ‘horror movie’ sounds cyber-stalking alarm.

Moamar Gaddafi is Dead!

Libya’s new leaders have confirmed Moamar Gaddafi, Libya’s former dictator, was killed when fighters overran his hometown of Sirte. they said, Gaddafi was found hiding in a cement drainpipe below the main road during the gunbattle that clinched their victory over the city of Sirte. Libyan TV showed mobile phone footage which showed Gaddafi wounded and bloodied, but still alive, He was apparently shot in the legs received a blow the head. He was then taken by ambulance to hospital where he later died.

Western leaders have welcomed the death of Moamar Gaddafi saying it is the end of despotism, tyranny, dictatorship and ultimately war in the north African country.

As Libyans fired automatic weapons into the air and danced for joy on the streets of Tripoli and Sirte , world leaders began to weigh in on the death of Gaddafi who had ruled for 42 years overthe oil-rich north African nation.

President Barack Obama said the United States would be a partner to Libya following Gaddafi’s death, which he said had lifted a “dark shadow” Libya. In a speech from the White House Rose Garden, Mr Obama said,

“Today we can definitively say the Gaddafi regime has come to an end. The last major regime strongholds have fallen. The new government is consolidating control over the country. And one of the world’s longest serving dictators is no more, This marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya.”

British prime minister David Cameron it was an occasion to remember his victims, and a chance for a “democratic future” for Libya.

“I think today is a day to remember all of Colonel Gaddafi’s victims” including those who died in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over the Scottish town of Lockerbie People in Libya today have an even greater chance, after this news, of building themselves a strong and democratic future, I’m proud of the role Britain has played in helping them to bring that about and I pay tribute to the bravery of the Libyans who helped to liberate their country.”

French foreign minister Alain Juppe said, France was “proud” to have helped bring freedom to the country, and “end of 42 years of tyranny” referring to the role of French forces in NATO action in Libya during the seven-month conflict.

“The announcement of the death of Gaddafi and the collapse of Sirte is the end of a very difficult period for the Libyan people. It’s the end of 42 years of tyranny, of a military conflict that has been very difficult for the Libyan people,” Mr Juppe told reporters in New Delhi. It’s a historic event. It’s the beginning of a new period, of a democracy, freedom and the rebuilding of the country,”

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said Gaddafi’s death was the begining of a “historic transition” for Libya.

“Let us recognise immediately that this is only the end of the beginning. The road ahead for Libya and its people will be difficult and full of challenges. Now is the time for all Libyans to come together.”

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said after the death of his onetime ally: “Now the war is over.” “Sic transit gloria mundi (Thus passes the glory of the world),” he said about the ousted ruler of Italy’s former colony.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said it was an historic day for Libyans and for the Arab world, but that there were challenges still to come.

“This is just the end of the beginning – as we reflect on the sacrifices which have been made to obtain political freedom in Libya, we must also now reflect on the future challenges and that’s where Australia also stands ready to assist,”

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Libyans “can now look to the future. After 10 months of extraordinary sacrifices, the Libyan people can say with pride and confidence that they have shaken off a regime that terrorised and oppressed for more than 40 years,”  She also urged the new leaders to build a democratic future in full respect for human rights, and said that “while the crimes of the past must be addressed, the leadership must also seek a path of national reconciliation”, and the EU will remain “a strong and committed” partner in the future.

The news means an end also to the “repression from which the Libyan people have suffered for too long”, EU president Herman Van Rompuy said in a joint statement with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.

European Parliament president Jerzy Buzek will visit Libya from Saturday.

“I am happy I will be visiting a country fully liberated from a dictator who has imposed his iron fist for more than 40 years. Now Libya can truly turn the page,”

Moamar Gaddafi Veteran Libyan strongman  was killed on October 20, 2011, and new regime forces defeated the last pocket of resistance in his home town Sirte.

Gaddafi, Born in the desert near Sirte in 1942, reputedly in a Bedouin tent. was in power for 42 years and had imposed himself as a key international player the West could not ignore. He led a coup on September 1, 1969, overthrowing the Western-backed elderly King Idriss. As a young colonel, Gaddafi established himself as an unpredictable, belligerent leader who alienated the West soon after seizing power, accusing it of launching a “new crusade” against the Arabs. His idol was Egyptian president and fervent Arab nationalist Gamal Abdel Nasser, and a fan of Mao Zedong, Stalin and even Hitler.

Libya, For decades was linked to a spate of terrorist attacks all over the world, with Gaddafi was also accused of using Libya’s oil wealth as the country is Africa’s third largest producer, to fund and arm rebel groups across Africa and beyond.

In 1986, Libyan agents were blamed for the deaths of three people who were killed in a bombing in a West Berlin nightclub in Germany.After the incident under the presidency of Ronald Reagan the US administration, regarded Gaddafi as “public enemy number one”.Reagan dubbed the Libyan leader the “mad dog of the Middle East” and sent US jets to Tripoli to bomb his compound in the Libyan capital.

Libya then became an international pariah in the aftermath of bombing of the 1988 Lockerbie airliner, but things began to thaw when Libya agreed to pay compensation to the families of the 270 people who were killed.

In 2003 Gaddafi declared that he was giving up the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, this promped the lifting of UN sanctions.

This declaration dramatically shored-up Libya’s ties with the West and was topped off with a visit by then US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in September 2008.

Gaddafi was elected chairman of the African Union In February 2009, after he tired from championing Arab unity and months later  African tribal dignitaries gave him the title of “king of kings”.

Gaddafi was reportedly grooming his son, Seif al-Islam who is one of eight children plus an adopted daughter who was killed in US bombing raids in 1986  as his successor.

Confusion surrounds the fate of other members of Gaddafi’s family and inner circle. An NTC representative said up to 17 senior members of the Gaddafi regime have been apprehended or killed. There have been reports that his sons Mutassim Gaddafi and Saif al-Islam have been killed but other reports say Mutassim has been captured alive and that al-Islam has fled.

Mohammed El Senussi, considered by Libyan royalists to be the heir to the old Libyan throne, issued this statement:

The flag of freedom is now flying in Sirte and across Libya on this historic day. People throughout Libya took up arms just eight months ago and in that short time they have been united in their resolve to rid the country of evil

The new Libya must be organised under the rule of law and there is no greater time than right now to demonstrate that commitment by ensuring there are no acts of vengeance against Gaddafi’s supporters and that justice is dealt with by the courts.

Today begins a new chapter in our history. I look forward now with confidence that the people of Libya will build a future we can all be proud of. Now is the time to put freedom and the sanctity of life at the heart of our society and to put the era of terror and oppression behind us.

The Guardian has published an obituary of Gaddafi

CHINA; 2 year old in hit and run.Ignored and left for dead + Poll

On October 13th, closed circuit cameras caught a van running over a two-year-old girl on a narrow Foshan street. The driver takes off, which would be outrage enough. But perhaps even worse than the original sin, the same cameras caught more than a dozen people over the next few minutes passing by without so much as a pause, unconcerned for the fate of the downed toddler.

More than a dozen people over the next seven minutes walk or drive past the girl on bicycles and she is run over by a second truck, state media reported on Monday. A woman then pulls the girl to the side of the street before her mother, a migrant worker in the city, rushes into the frame.

The girl, now hospitalized, is in a coma, China’s Xinhua news agency reported, citing doctors. The country’s official English-language newspaper China Daily, said the girl had been declared “brain dead” and that she could die at any time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwhVUL-H46M