India, again

Crimes against women, tolerated by a culture that is insensitive to the origins or causes of the crime.

Cannot be tolerated.

'Nobody helped us for an hour,' Indian rape witness says

 By Reuters

Passers-by left a gang-raped Indian student lying unclothed and bleeding in the street for almost an hour, a male friend who was assaulted with her said on Friday in his first public comments on the case that provoked a global outcry.

The 23-year-old student died in the hospital two weeks after she was attacked on Dec. 16 in a private bus in New Delhi, prompting street protests over the Indian authorities' failure to stem rampant violence against women.

The graphic account from the man in a television interview is likely to add fuel to public anger over the death in a country where official statistics show one rape is reported every 20 minutes.

The woman's friend told the Zee News television network he was beaten unconscious with a metal bar by her attackers before the pair were thrown off the bus.

They lay in the street for 45 minutes before a police van arrived and officers then spent a long time arguing about where to take them, the man said.

"We kept shouting at the police, 'please give us some clothes' but they were busy deciding which police station our case should be registered at," the man said in Hindi.

Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told Reuters GPS records show the first police van reached the scene four minutes after it was were called and took the man and the woman to hospital within 24 minutes.

Neither the woman nor her friend have been named. Five men were charged with her gang rape and murder on Thursday. A court is due to consider the charges on Saturday.

Twitter anger
The man's comments caused an renewed outpouring of anger on Twitter. "After reading and watching the Zee News interview i'm absolutely shocked and ashamed of being an Indian," said @BarunKiBilli.

The man called on the protests to continue, but said he wished people had come to his friend's help when she needed it.

"You have to help people on the road when they need help."

The male friend said he and the woman were attacked after an evening out watching a film.

"From where we boarded the bus, they (the attackers) moved around for nearly two and a half hours. We were shouting, trying to make people hear us. But they switched off the lights of the bus," he said, according to a transcript of the interview.

When they were thrown out, they pleaded with passers-by for help, he added in the studio interview, a blue metal crutch leaning on his chair.

"There were a few people who had gathered round but nobody helped. Before the police came I screamed for help but the auto rickshaws, cars and others passing by did not stop," the man added.

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 We do not need to make up any stories about them.  We do not need to make allusions to problems ... the state itself is a problem and the people, if they deny it, are the problem.

India and the Rape of the Dalits

I will bet - without knowing, that the woman was a Dalit.

This, in a country where there is no caste system and all people are equal.  The rape and brutality perpetrated upon the dalit class is unquestionable.



Delhi Gang Rape: Youngest Attacker 'Ripped out Victim's Intestines with Bare Hands'


By Hannah Osborne



January 3, 2013 1:13 PM GMT


The youngest of the attackers was the most violent of all.A juvenile who is one of six suspects accused of gang raping and murdering a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi was the most violent of all the attackers, police say.

A police spokesman said that the juvenile sexually abused his victim twice and ripped out her intestines with his bare hands.

Because of his age, he is the only one of the six who cannot be sentenced to death if found guilty. He will be tried in a juvenile court.

Five adults have been charged with rape and murder and police say they plan to push for the death penalty.

However, the maximum sentence the juvenile can receive under existing law is three years.

According to the Hindustan Times, the charges against the juvenile show he also suggested throwing her from the moving bus naked.
A police officer told the newspaper: "Of all the persons in the bus, two had engaged in the most barbarism - Ram Singh, the main accused in the case, and the juvenile.

Threat to every woman

"Both of them had subjected her to sexual abuse twice. Singh was the first to rape her, followed by the juvenile and then Akshay. Later when she lost consciousness, Singh and the juvenile raped her a second time."

The attack took place on 16 December and the victim died from her injuries on 29 December.

Police are awaiting tests that will prove the juvenile is too young to be tried in an adult court. At present the only evidence proving he is 17 is his school leaving certificate.



The victim's father has said that despite his age, he should be given the death penalty if found guilty.



He told the Economic Times that it was the youngest member of the gang that persuaded his daughter to board the bus. "The juvenile should be punished first. He was the one who lured my daughter into the bus and tortured her most mercilessly. He should be hanged like the other five accused.



"Imagine his brutality when he is 17. What a demon he would become once he is older. The government should reduce the juvenile age to 12 or 15 years. All the six accused should never be allowed to step out of the jail. They must be hanged. They are a threat to every woman on the street."

Santa Monica

But its ok to sleep in the parks and you cannot be removed.  The homeless fill the parks at night and they won't be charged.  So ... the disparate treatment is ok in Santa Monica.



Santa Monica Officials Consider Fining Fitness Instructors For Using Parks


January 3, 2013 12:03 AM

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — In a city where fitness is held at a premium, Santa Monica officials are considering a big fine on aerobics instructors who use public parks to teach.

City officials have discussed charging trainers a $100 annual fee and taking 15 percent of their gross revenue. They may also ban certain parks from being used for workout lessons.

Trainer Ruben Lawrence, of Hype Performance, said the fees would be a major blow to his livelihood. The Santa Monica native said he holds group training at several city parks.

“It would have us looking into moving to a different location. We would like to stay in Santa Monica, because that’s the city where we’re from and the community we would like to support,” Lawrence said.

In a city where physical fitness is held at a premium, Santa Monica officials are considering a big fine on aerobics instructors who use public parks.

City leaders said they’ve spent more than a year discussing the issue of using public space for commercial gain.

They’ve also received complaints from resident about the noise and that all the training equipment is damaging the grounds.

The issue is most apparent at Palisades Park, a spot popular with fitness buffs for the ocean views.

“The idea of shutting down group training in this park is appalling,” said Angela Parker, a trainer who runs Body Inspired Fitness.

Parker said she supports city regulation, even if it takes 10 percent of her revenue, but feels 15 percent and banning certain parks is a one-two punch to her business.

“We’re small, independently-owned businesses and, unfortunately, we would have to pass that percentage down to our clients,” Parker said.

That idea doesn’t sit well with Santa Monica resident Corinne Bennett. She said being outside and not locked to a gym membership motivates her to keep up with her workouts.

The City Council is expected to hear suggestions from a committee next month and then discuss the issue in March.

“We understand the city has to make changes to get involved, we would just like it to be fair to us, our clients and the people of Santa Monica,” Parker said.

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The problem continues.  You know what - people who allow people to be homeless in a park are racist.  People who allow people to be homeless wandering the streets are inhuman.  People who allow people to live in bushes and in parks are selfish and self-absorbed narcissists.

Okay.  I am slightly exaggerating.  Just slightly.

Pick them up, take them to somewhere they can get help.  It may be their right to be homeless but it is a violation of our rights to be fearful when crossing their space in a park.  It is an infringement upon our freedom to avoid parks and greenways because we are afraid - and those who argue against such action are also the same ones who avoid those parks!

California: Over 800 New Laws and Regulations ! Yeaaaa I feel so mucvh better off.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/dec/30/new-year-to-bring-876-new-laws-to-california/



http://timelines.latimes.com/new-state-laws-2013/?track=lanowpicks

Obama's Tax Cuts and Increases

And this will help us .... how?

Happy New Year and a New Start

We can always begin again, that's what each sunrise is ... a new beginning.  Every day.  And we should begin again, anew each day as if it is the best day, and the only day, and appreciate all we have been given, and especially the love of those closest to us.

We can all make resolutions, but how about new starts.  Resolve to restart our life each day with a passion to be better and enjoy what we have and each other.  Resolve to respect others and appreciate their insight and make 2013 exponentially better than 2012.