Defense: It’s The Cops Fault; He Was Chasing Me!
Court asks motorcycle rider to pay blood money
Web posted at: 12/19/2009 2:30:29
Source ::: THE PENINSULA
DOHA: A young man who rode a motorcycle and killed a pedestrian in a bizarre crash has been asked by the court to pay QR200,000 as blood money to the family of the deceased.
The court fined the convict QR10,000 for violating traffic law. But how the man was caught by the law-enforcement agencies is quite interesting.
It so happened that the Police Patrol saw two men riding motorbikes with tremendous speed. They gave the duo a chase but in vain. They vanished in think air. But soon the police was informed that a pedestrian was hit by a speeding motorbike.
When a police party reached the spot of the crash it saw a motorbike lying near the body of the victim.
The cops were quick to realize that this was one of the two motorbikes they had given a chase sometime ago.
With help from its registration plate they zeroed in on the culprit and referred the matter to the court after investigation.
The defense lawyer argued in the court that the crash occurred because they motorbike was chased by the cops. The court, however, did not buy the argument and convicted the man.
QR 200,000 sounds like a fortune, but it is $55,000 for taking a man’s life. For a young man who was running from the cops and then tries to claim their chasing him as a defense! This case sounds like a perfect opportunity to give a community service penalty in addition to the blood money; expose this young man to the consequences of motorcycle accidents, and accident victims, allow him to see with his own eyes, and serve, the victims. It could change his life, and change his callous attitude.
Doha: Keep Your Camera Handy
Today I had one of those experiences I have so often in Doha, a “no-one-would-believe-me” moment, but I have learned to keep my camera handy, and fortunately we were stopped in traffic so I could snap this one without endangering any lives, especially my own.
Traffic is steady, busy, but pretty mellow. Yeh, there are the normal “I’m-going-to-make-a-left-turn-from-the-right-lane” guys; I’ve lived here for so long it doesn’t even rate a roll of the eyes. It’s part of the Doha / Kuwait driving culture.
This, however, I only see in Qatar. Mr. I’m-So-Important-I-Can’t-Wait is this guy in the white Land Cruiser.
He is sitting half on top of the street median, trying to get back into traffic going in his direction. To get there, he drove down the wrong way down the street on the other side of the divider. At first, there was no traffic, but when traffic came, he got up on the divider so he was only HALF blocking traffic from the other direction, and he is bullying his way back into the line he was too important to wait in.
I carry my camera now, every day, in my purse, because I know if I just tell you about these things, you won’t believe them.
I have seen this also at major roundabouts. Some yahoo drives up the other side of the road to the roundabout to avoid waiting in the line. Up over the medians, facing oncoming traffic. I know, I know, what are they thinking?
In Kuwait, I was sickened by the number of young men killed on the roads every week, every month. If it were an epidemic killing young men, people would do something about it, but tell these guys to obey the law? Make them pay fines for reckless driving? Make them wear seat belts? Their behavior tells me that no one has ever held them accountable for their arrogant and dangerous driving habits.
While we are told that “no one is above the law” somehow the message hasn’t made it to these guys.
Somalia Returns to Stoning
What gets me about this article I found on BBC News is buried way down is a detail that a 13 year old girl was recently stoned for adultery. What does a 13 year old know? Some say she was raped. What kind of protection is this, for a little girl, to be stoned for something over which she had no control. Oh? She was just so tempting, she must be punished?
Somali adulterer stoned to death
Islamists in southern Somalia have stoned a man to death for adultery but spared his pregnant girlfriend until she gives birth.
Abas Hussein Abdirahman, 33, was killed in front of a crowd of some 300 people in the port town of Merka.
An official from the al-Shabab group said the woman would be killed after she has had her baby.
Islamist groups run much of southern Somalia, while the UN-backed government only control parts of the capital.
This is the third time Islamists have stoned a person to death for adultery in the past year.
Al-Shabab official Sheikh Suldan Aala Mohamed said Mr Abdirahman had confessed to adultery before an Islamic court.
“He was screaming and blood was pouring from his head during the stoning. After seven minutes he stopped moving,” an eyewitness told the BBC.
The BBC’s Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says that if the woman is also killed, her baby would be given to relatives to look after.
Meanwhile, President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has accused al-Shabab of spoiling the image of Islam by killing people and harassing women.
“Their actions have nothing to do with Islam,” said the moderate Islamist during a ceremony at which he nominated a new administration for the capital, Mogadishu.
“They are forcing women to wear very heavy clothes, saying they want them to properly cover their bodies but we know they have economic interests behind – they sell these kinds of clothes and want to force people to buy them.”
Last month, two men were stoned to death in the same town after being accused of spying.
A 13-year-old girl was stoned to death for adultery in the southern town of Kismayo last year.
Human rights groups said she had been raped.
Another man has also been punished in this way in the Lower Shabelle region.
Mr Sharif, a former rebel leader, was sworn in as president after UN-brokered peace talks in January.
Although he says he also wants to implement Sharia, al-Shabab says his version of Islamic law would be too lenient.
The country has not had a functioning national government for 18 years.
The Social Contract
Without accountability, does the social contract exist?
Wikipedia on the Social Contract:
Social contract describes a broad class of theories that try to explain the ways in which people form states and/or maintain social order. The notion of the social contract implies that the people give up some rights to a government or other authority in order to receive or maintain social order through the rule of law. It can also be thought of as an agreement by the governed on a set of rules by which they are governed.
Social contract theory formed a central pillar in the historically important notion that legitimate state authority must be derived from the consent of the governed. The starting point for most of these theories is a heuristic examination of the human condition absent from any structured social order, usually termed the “state of nature”. In this condition, an individual’s actions are bound only by his or her personal power, constrained by conscience. From this common starting point, the various proponents of social contract theory attempt to explain, in different ways, why it is in an individual’s rational self-interest to voluntarily give up the freedom one has in the state of nature in order to obtain the benefits of political order.
He’s on the Roads Again
This also from today’s Gulf Times. This 25 year old was convicted of killing an Asian driver, due to his reckless driving, and the court fined him the equivalent of $1370. He also had to pay the family of the man he killed about $41,000. Oh. Wait. He “and his insurance company” will pay the fine.
And they didn’t take his driver’s license away, they suspended it. Oh. His jail sentence is also suspended.
Do you think because his license is suspended, that he isn’t driving?
What do you think he has learned about the value of a human life?
What do you think he has learned about equality before the law?
What do you think he has learned about accountability?
Do you believe he will be a better driver now that he has learned the consequences of reckless driving?
You will note that I did not use the tags “Doha” or “Qatar” on this post. That is because these are not situations unique to Qatar, unique to the Gulf countries, unique to the Middle East . . . in every country, including my own, there are pockets where justice depends on who is on trial. I would venture a guess that no country is exempt, that it is always a question of degree. So the question for us, as parent,s is how do we raise children who respect the value of life? Who respect the law? Who see themselves as equal to every other person before God and before the law?
Jail term suspended
A Doha appeals court has suspended the three-month imprisonment given by a lower court to a local motorist for reckless driving that caused the death of an Asian driver on June 27, 2007.
According to sources, the fatal accident took place in Shahaniya soon after midnight, “when the accused swerved left suddenly, for unknown reasons, colliding with a pickup driven by the deceased in the opposite direction.”
According to the court papers, there was no median separating the two lanes that ran in the opposite directions and the pickup was damaged in the crash.
The Qatari motorist was 25 at the time of the incident.
The appeals court ordered him to pay, jointly with the insurance company, QR150,000 as blood money to the family of the Bangladeshi victim (32).
The Doha court of first instance ordered to cancel the driving licence of the convict, but the upper court suspended it. A fine of QR5000 was upheld.
Scam of the Day: Short and Sweet
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FBI Press Release Re: FaceBook, Social Networking Sites
Read the message for yourself on the FBI Press Release Page
No, Your Social Networking “Friend” Isn’t Really in Trouble Overseas
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), there has been an increase in the number of hijacked social networking accounts reported to http://www.ic3.gov.
One of the more popular scams involves online criminals planting malicious software and code onto to victim computers. It starts by someone opening a spam e-mail, sometimes from another hijacked friend’s account.
When opened, the spam allows the cyber intruders to steal passwords for any account on the computer, including social networking sites. The thieves then change the user’s passwords and eventually send out distress messages claiming they are in some sort of legal or medical peril and requesting money from their social networking contacts.
So far, nearly 3,200 cases of account hijackings have been reported to the IC3 since 2006.
Cyber thieves are also using spam to promote phishing sites, claiming a violation of the terms of service agreement or creating some other issue which needs to be resolved. Other spam entices users to download an application or view a video. Some of these messages appear to be sent from friends, giving the perception of legitimacy. Once the user responds to a phishing site, downloads an application, or clicks on a video link, the electronic device they’re using becomes infected.
Some applications advertised on social networking sites appear legitimate but install malicious code or rogue anti-virus software. These empty applications can give cyber criminals access to your profile and personal information. These programs will automatically send messages to your contacts, instructing them to download the new application too.
Infected users are often unknowingly spreading malware by having links to infected websites posted on their webpage without the user’s knowledge. Since the e-mail or video link appear to be endorsed by a friend, social networking contacts are more likely to click on these links.
Although social networking sites are generally a safe place to interact with friends and acquaintances, keep in mind these suggestions to protect yourself while navigating the Internet:
• Adjust website privacy settings. Some networking sites have provided useful options to assist in adjusting settings to help protect your identity.
• Be selective when adding friends. Once added, contacts can access any information marked as viewable by all friends.
• Limit access to your profile to only those contacts you trust with your personal information.
Disable options, such as photo sharing, that you might not regularly use. You can always enable these options later.
• Be careful what you click on. Just because someone posts a link or video to their wall does not mean it is safe.
• Familiarize yourself with the security and privacy settings and learn how to report a compromised account.
Each social networking site may have different procedures on how to handle a hijacked or infected account; therefore, you may want to reference their help or FAQ page for instructions.
If your account has been hijacked or infected, report it to by visiting http://www.ic3.gov or http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
Attempt to Kidnap Kuwaiti Girl: Print Their Names
From the Arab Times
Here is what scares me about this story – the language. It says “the side glass of the car broke.” That is very neutral language. I am pretty sure that the girl who was the intended victim would not break the glass; it was part of the barrier protecting her from the would-be kidnappers. It bothers me that it doesn’t state that the man broke the car glass attempting to kidnap the girl.
It also bothers me that the language says that they have been “detained for interrogation.” These men are a danger to society. They need to be locked up, for their own good and for the sake of the innocent young women who are their potential victims. There are witnesses, including the police. Enough! Try them, convict them and put them away!
It is also time to start publishing the names of the men who commit these acts. Would you want your daughter to marry such a man? Your cousin? Your sister? Doesn’t a woman have a right to know what sort of man she is marrying? Yes, it would shame the families from which the kidnappers have come. It seems that maybe shame is the only effective tool for deterring this kind of shameful behavior. If the families forbade this kind of behavior, you would see a drastic drop in the crime of kidnapping. Print their names.
Women are not the only victims. These same entitlement-loaded kidnappers seize boys and young me off the streets, sometimes lure their own friends, take them to the desert and rape them. What are they thinking? What makes them think they have that right? What makes them think there will be no consequences for bestial behavior?
Police save Kuwaiti girl from kidnappers’ clutches in Shaab Entertainment Park
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 2: The Hawalli police recently foiled at attempt by two Kuwaitis to kidnap a female compatriot from the parking lot of the Shaab Entertainment Park, reports Al-Shahid daily.
It has been reported as the victim was about to pull out of the parking lot, the youths blocked her way with their car and one of them got down from his vehicle and tried to drag the girl into his vehicle.
At this point the victim strongly resisted and in the confusion the side glass of the car broke. The victim then cried for help and a passing police patrol went to her rescue.
Seeing police the suspects grabbed the victim’s handbag containing her personal documents, cell phone and money and tried to escape but police chased and arrested them.
They have been detained at the Hawally Police Station for interrogation.
Predators prey on those they perceive to be weak and without protection. We, society, are supposed to be protecting the weak. When this man is refused sex, he and his friends try to rape the man, and trash the entire massage parlor?
Kuwaiti Man attempts to rape Jordanian massageur
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 2: An 18-year old Jordanian teenager reported at Jahra Police Station that a Kuwaiti man attempted to rape him while he was massaging the suspect inside a men’s salon — where the complainant works, in the Industrial Area on Thursday.
He narrated the man offered to pay him certain amount of money if he acceded to his demand for immoral act, which the complainant turned down and immediately asked the suspect to leave the salon.
He stressed the suspect later tried to kidnap him, which he resisted, so the suspect fled with his friends, but they destroyed some contents of the salon before fleeing the scene. However, he managed to record the number plate of the suspect’s car, which the detectives found out it belonged to a Kuwaiti man. A case has been registered against the suspect.
The Worst Scam Ever
This has got to be one of the worst scam-mails ever. From time to time, I get a scary one – something that looks and feels so genuine that it could fool someone not on guard against these phishing attempts.
This one is so poorly done, the grammar, the spelling – you have to wonder who sent it out and who on earth would respond???
Dear Nestle Beneficiary,
This is to informed you that Nestle Food has recently exposed their weak
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12 Years Nestle Food Promotion Award of the New Year Held on 1st of October
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Address for the promotion selected, your details (e-mail address) fall within
Our zone during the nestle food promotion as indicated in your Sending mails
and exchanging mails in the internet and your prize of ( 920,000.00GBP) this
will be released to you from the regional branch office in UK.
Your fund is now deposited with our delivery agent Company in United Kingdom
and it will be insured in your name after your information is provided.
Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you you keep this award
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advantage of this program by participants, that has happened in the
past.http://www.nestle.com.my/Nestle+In+Your+Life/Promotions/
To file for your claims please contact our Uk online fiduciary officer with
the information
1. Full Name: _____________
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4. Occupation: _____________
5. Phone: __________
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Agent: Name:
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EMAIL: nestlefoodonlinepromotionn@gmail.com
This is very advice able you reach contact via mail quickly.
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Apartment With a Gulf View? Not so Fast!
Not so fast! Make sure you know who really owns those flats before you fork out the big bucks! This happens everywhere; people selling or renting property they don’t own, taking deposits, and disappearing!
From today’s Arab Times
Kuwaiti, wife make big money selling ‘sold out’ flats;
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 28: Eight Kuwaitis have filed complaints with the Al-Shaab Police Station accusing a compatriot and his Arab wife of cheating them, reports Al-Rai daily. The complainants said they bought apartments overlooking the sea from the compatriot and the wife received money on behalf of the husband. The complainants said each of them paid KD 100,000 in advance upon receipts and contracts only to discover the apartments have been sold to other people. The daily did not say in which country the complainants purchased the apartments.
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