13-Year-Old Somali Girl Stoned to Death

This is the story of a 13-year-old Somali girl named Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow. She was raped by three men. She reported the rape, even naming the perpetrators. Instead of receiving at least a sympathetic hearing she was accused of adultery and sentenced to death......by stoning.

Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was stoned to death on October 27, 2008 by 50 men in a stadium packed with 1,000 spectators in the southern port city of Chisimaio (Kismayo), Somalia. She died pleading for her life, buried up to her neck in a hole in the ground. She was shown no mercy; not by the 50 men who stoned her to death nor the 1000+ people who gathered to witness the execution.

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This is a story about things that should never have happened. It reminds all of us that in some parts of the world justice is a foreign concept. Brutality rules supreme and those that hold power can and will make life and death decisions with impunity, regardless of the truth and without investigating the facts.

Both Amnesty International and UNICEF have issued statements strongly condemning the stoning death of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow - a victim of rape.

"This is a tragic and deplorable incident," said Christian Balslev-Olesen, UNICEF Representative for Somalia. "A child was victimized twice, first by the perpetrators of the rape and then by those responsible for administering justice."

“Authorities and institutions of civil society have a role to play in supporting and protecting the rights of every child,” Balslev-Olesen said, noting that this killing reflects the great effort that must be undertaken to protect the rights of Somali girls and women.

There was some confusion over Aisha's age. Initial reports claimed that she was 23 years old, based solely on her physical appearance. Her actual age, 13, was confirmed to Amnesty International by other sources including her father.

“This was not justice, nor was it an execution. This child suffered a horrendous death at the behest of the armed opposition groups who currently control Kismayo,” said David Copeman, Amnesty International's Somalia Campaigner.

“This killing is yet another human rights abuse committed by the combatants to the conflict in Somalia, and again demonstrates the importance of international action to investigate and document such abuses, through an International Commission of Inquiry.”

According to reports Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was walking on the road, traveling to see her grandmother in the capital Mogadishu, when she was attacked and raped by three men. She attempted to report the rape to the al-Shabab militia who control Kismayo. It was this act that inexplicably resulted in her being accused of adultery and detained. None of men she accused of rape were arrested.

In their defense court authorities said the woman came to them admitting her guilt. She was asked several times to review her confession but she stressed that she wanted Sharia law and the deserved punishment to apply, they said.

Eyewitnesses said Aisha was taken to a football stadium to be stoned. She was crying. She had to be forced into the hole that had been prepared for her. She was buried up to her neck.

She asked them "What do you want from me?" They said: "We will do what Allah has instructed us". She said: "I'm not going, I'm not going. Don't kill me, don't kill me."

That was when 50 men began to stone her. There were more than 1000 people on hand to witness it. According to Amnesty International, nurses were sent to check during the stoning whether the victim was still alive. They removed her from the hole and reported back that she was still alive. Aisha was then placed back in the hole and the stoning resumed until she was finally dead.

Somalia is among the world's most violent and impoverished countries. The nation of some 8 million people has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 then turned on each other. A quarter of Somali children die before age 5; nearly every public institution has collapsed. Fighting is a daily occurrence, with violent deaths reported nearly every day.

Are Kids Becoming Dumber?

A study conducted by a research team suggests that today's 14-year-olds are no smarter than the 12-year-olds of 1976. The team of researchers led by Michael Shayer, professor of applied psychology, at London's King's College, tested 800 13 and 14-year-olds and compared the results with a similar exercise in  1976. Prof. Shayer says the results are "almost certainly due to the rise of TV and computer games and over-testing in schools."

The tests were intended to measure understanding of abstract scientific concepts such as volume, density, quantity and weight, which set pupils up for success not only in maths and science but also in English and history.

In one test the kids were asked to study a pendulum swinging on a string. The were asked to determine why the speed of the pendulum was changing. Even though the average achievement was about the same as in 1976 the proportion of teenagers reaching top grades, demanding a 'higher level of thinking', fell dramatically...... only 1 in 10 achieved that level compared to 1 in 4 back in 1976. Other tests revealed similar results.

Professor Shayer believes most of the downturn has occurred over the last 10 to 15 years and can be traced to two main developments: National curriculum testing in schools and the electronic media (TV and video games).

National Testing

Professor Shayer blames national testing and targets that tend to make teachers prepare students to take and pass tests, at the expense of developing more advance skills.

'The moment you introduce targets, people will find the most economical strategies to achieve them,' said Professor Shayer. 'In the case of education, I'm sure this has had an effect on driving schools away from developing higher levels of understanding.'

An Ofsted report said millions of teenagers were finishing compulsory education with a weak grasp of maths because half of the country's schools fail to teach the subject as well as they could. Inspectors said teachers were increasingly drilling pupils to pass exams instead of encouraging them to understand crucial concepts. The report said:

'It is of vital importance to shift from a narrow emphasis towards a focus on pupils' mathematical understanding.'

Electronic Media

Professor Shayer also believes that changes in how today's kids spend their free time has had a detrimental effect on brain power. TV, with its numerous channels, has encouraged passive viewing. Computer games have cut down the time available for playing with tools, gadgets and other mechanisms.

Another researcher, Dr Aric Sigman, previously reported that the decline in intellectual ability was linked to a shift away from art and craft skills in both schools and the home.

Dr Sigman said practical activities such as building models and sandcastles, making dens, using tools, playing with building blocks, knitting, sewing and woodwork were being neglected. Yet they helped develop vital skills such as understanding dimension, volume and density.

Educators are beginning to take notice. Earlier this month the Government bowed to mounting pressure and scrapped SATs for 14-year-olds. They have also created an independent exams watchdog and promised a return to traditional, open-ended questions at A-level plus a new A* grade to mark out the brightest students. A spokesman for the Department for Children said: 'Good teachers do not need to teach to the test and there is no evidence that such practice is widespread. '

'We have already taken steps to reduce the testing burden, but targets and testing are integral features of any work to drive up standards.'

Professor Shayer warned that without the development of higher-order thinking skills, the future supply of scientists will be compromised. 'We don't even have enough scientists now,' he said.

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ExxonMobil Tops it Own Record - Again

Exxon Mobil is once again the King of Corporations. And if any others had their eye on breaking its record earnings for the second quarter of 2008 (April-June) of $11.68 billion, Exxon Mobil just moved the bar again. They just set another record for corporate profits in the third quarter (July-Sept.). Exxon Mobil earned a whopping $14.83 billion - almost $5 billion a month - a 58% increase in profits compared to the same period last year ($9.41 billion).

Oil producers are coming off a quarter during which crude prices reached an all-time high of $147.27 — and their profits have reflected it.

Exxon Mobil, which produces 3% of the world's oil, was able to earn its record-breaking profits on reduced production. It produced about 8% less oil than one year ago. It cited disruptions caused by hurricanes Gustav and Ike, production-sharing contracts and increased maintenance activity.

Despite the upheavals in the financial and credit markets and the uncertain economic climate, Exxon Mobil continues to be confident in its future:

“Our integrated business portfolio, strong operational performance and financial discipline continued to allow us to capture the benefits of the commodity price environment,” Exxon Mobil investor relations chief David Rosenthal said on a call with analysts. “Despite recent volatility in the financial, commodity and credit markets, the fundamentals of Exxon Mobil’s business remain strong.”

If you are inclined to be skeptical or indulge in conspiracy theories; maybe President Bush and Dick Cheney, both ex-oil men, may have been looking out for the industry all along:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya5rcBtzt3g]

Save My Penis!

Here is one of those stories that leaves more questions than answers. It involves a 73-year-old unidentified man with an erotic aid (a pipe one inch long, one inch in diameter and made of quarter-inch-thick steel) stuck on his penis; a firefighter-turned-surgeon with a "Wizzer Saw"; and the staff of St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh, New York. This story was reported in the Times Herald-Record and is reproduced in its entirety below:

By Doyle Murphy

Times Herald-Record

October 26, 2008

CITY OF NEWBURGH — A Newburgh firefighter became an ad hoc surgeon Friday, called upon to use a pneumatic saw to cut a piece of steel pipe off a 73-year-old man's penis.
Firefighters were dispatched to the Newburgh campus of St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital shortly after 9 p.m. for a public service call, Assistant Chief Scott Mandoske said. Hospital personnel asked them for tools to cut off a ring. The fire department has a ring cutter used to clip wedding bands from swollen fingers, but firefighters learned that wouldn't be enough. The pipe was an inch long, an inch in diameter and made of quarter-inch-thick steel.

Authorities said the pipe was apparently an erotic aid, but did not elaborate.

Medical personnel weren't able to perform typical medical procedures, such as forcing blood from one side of the penis to the other in order to pull the pipe off. The man's penis had swollen and turned purple.

Mandoske said firefighters chose a "wizzer saw" for the job. The wizzer saw is an automotive tool, powered with air bottles and adopted by emergency responders who frequently deal with car crashes. Firefighters use it more commonly to saw off mufflers.

Hospital staff prepared the man, who was unidentified, by wrapping the skin and sliding a lubricated tongue depressor between the pipe and the man's penis to protect him. A doctor, nurses and a paramedic gathered in the Emergency Room as a firefighter — "one of the new guys" — prepared to begin the operation.

"Just don't cut it off," the senior citizen reportedly said.

For more than 90 minutes, the firefighter sawed bit by bit into the pipe, pausing occasionally to cool the saw. The time duration was critical, Mandoske said. Hospital staff worried the man could lose his penis if blood circulation was cut off too long.

The wizzer saw emptied the first bottle of air and then a second. Finally, after five air bottles, the saw clipped through the final bit of pipe, and they were able to free the man. He was apparently unharmed by the operation, Mandoske said, although the assistant chief didn't press for details.

dmurphy@th-record.com

I guess  Viagra doesn't work for everyone!!

The Longest Dreadlocks

Asha Mandela, 46, is going for the Guinness World Records. Her hair, or more precisely her dreadlocks, is her pride. She has been growing them for 20 years. They are longer than she is tall. Mandela has submitted her hair to Guinness World Records as the Longest Dreadlocks, the first entry in a new category.

In order to qualify for this category Mandela had to have her three longest locks measured and verified by witnesses. One such witness was Ryan Spinella, executive assistant to Longwood's city administrator. He watched the unfurling and measuring of Mandela's hair.

"I couldn't say what to compare it with. Just a lot of hair," Spinella said. "You don't believe it until you measure it, really."

Her longest dreadlock was measured at 8ft 9ins - it would have been 11 inches longer if she had not accidentally stepped on it and broken off the piece that she still carries around in her purse. In fact her dreadlocks is longer than the tallest man in the world - Leonid Stadnik, who is 8ft 2ins tall.

Asha Mandela of Davenport, Polk County, Fl. started growing her dreadlocks 20 years ago when she decided that she would no longer use chemical in her hair. Mandela, who is originally from Trinidad but was living in Brooklyn at the time, shaved all the hair off her head. When it started to grow back she began corkscrewing it into curls that in turn were twisted together into dreadlocks.

Mandela is really proud of her hair but there is one person who is no fan - her own mother. As her dreadlocks started to grow she sent a picture to her mother. Her mother told her not to send anymore pictures, complaining that Mandela was spoiling her hair:

'I took such good care of your nice curly hair, and this is what you are doing with it?'

Nevertheless Mandela is pleased with her hair. She calls it her baby, comparing it to raising a child from infancy to 20 years old. But caring for almost 9ft of hair can be burdensome. It takes one bottle of shampoo and one bottle of conditioner every time she washes her hair. She started off by washing it 3 times a week but because of the time and energy involved she now only does it once a week.

She wrings out the water as you would a wet beach towel. When the days are hot, and she takes it out by the pool in the backyard, it takes two hours to dry. When it's humid and cloudy or cool outside, it might take all day for her wet hair to lose its dampness.

It may take a few weeks for certification from Guinness World Records. Afterwards Mandela will then have to defend her title against all the unknown contenders with dreadlocks who would just love to take the title away from her. Guess who she fears the most - the Rastafarians of Jamaica.