Muammar Gaddafi killed after dawn blitz on Sirte:

Deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been killed during an NTC raid on his hometown of Sirte.

He was captured at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which Nato warplanes attacked, National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid said on Thursday. National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which Nato warplanes attacked. "He was also hit in his head," the official said. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."

A Libyan government fighter said earlier that Gaddafi was found fleeing from where he was "hiding in a hole" in Sirte, shouting "Don't shoot, don't shoot." Neither his capture nor death have yet been independently confirmed.  Nato said on Thursday it was checking reports of the capture of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and said they could take some time to confirm. "We are checking and assessing the situation," a Nato official said. "Clearly these are very significant developments, which will take time to confirm. If it is true, then this is truly a historic day for the people of Libya." -- Reuters

Can't say that I'll miss the bugger. This will make a lot of people happy. Can't help but think how this is the opposite when they got Bin Laden.

This happened last week, but it horrifies me:

July 21, 2009

A man has been set on fire after being shot by a police Taser gun in a remote WA Aboriginal community yesterday, police said.

The 36-year-old man has been airlifted to hospital in Perth after he was struck by the Taser, The Australian reported.

One police officer was also injured after being struck on the head with rocks thrown by an 18-year-old woman while trying to help the man.

The incident happened about midday yesterday when police responded to a complaint at a house in the community of Warburton. The man - who is known to police - ran from the front of the house towards the officers.

Police said the man was carrying a fuel container and a cigarette lighter.

One officer fired a Taser at the man after he failed to stop when ordered.

The man caught fire and the officer immediately threw him to the ground and smothered the fire with his bare hands, police said.

While doing so, the officer was allegedly struck on the head by rocks thrown by the young woman.

The man received burns to 20 per cent of his body and was airlifted to a Perth hospital last night, The Australian reported.

Police would not comment on the extent of the burn injuries.

The police officer received burns to his hands and a cut to the head which needed five stitches.

An internal police investigation has begun and inquiries are continuing to determine the full circumstances of the incident and the ignition source.

Odd stuff in the news today.

I was surprised to hear on the Today show this morning that a Massive fire forces evacuations in Nairobi. What surprised me was the plain unembellished statement that "Police used whips to beat back crowds trying to get a closer look at the blaze." Uh, OK, that seems unusual. I had visions of an Indiana Jones type scenario where a lone police officer holds back a dozen people until some goon turns up with a sword. The reality was probably much less exciting and at least they didn't use guns.

Did a little more digging just now and found

Kenya Police Club Protesters at Anti-Government Rally, in which "Police beat protesters with clubs and short whips." (1997); Kenyan sect strips and whips women over 'un-African' clothing  where "Followers of the Mungiki sect were shown on national television stripping naked and whipping six women in a Nairobi slum for "unAfrican" behaviour." (2000); and Kenyan police battle slum-dwellers, head found (2007) which said "Kenyan police used whips and tear-gas to battle slum-dwellers on Wednesday in a crackdown on the Mungiki criminal gang blamed for the latest macabre discovery of a severed and skinned head...".

Kenya sounds like a fun place doesn't it?  Mind you, I have some concerns about Police using tasers here in Australia. I wonder what the public responce would be if they used whips instead?

In other news, both South Australia and Victoria continue to suffer under the current heatwave. Things aren't so bad here in Barnsley today but even so I'm glad I'm not going out. What surprises me is that fact that Heatwave forces 60 rail service cancellations in Melbourne, and Adelaide had a record overnight temperature of 33°C. This is all because SA is suffering six consecutive days of 40-plus temps.

Coming from Perth, I have to wonder about how unprepared people seem to be. Cold water in the fridge, stay home and out of the sun are simple things if you can do them. Some tips (from the Brimbank City Council page) to prevent heat stress include: 

• Keep up your fluids – you need to drink more during hot weather, regardless of how active you are. Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink. Drink plenty of water or other cool, non-alcoholic fluids. Check with your doctor if you are on limited fluids or fluid pills. Avoid alcohol or drinks that contain lots of sugar. Don’t have extremely cold liquids, as they may cause stomach cramps. 
• Avoid exposure to heat – stay out of the sun as much as you can, 
• Protect yourself outside – if you must be outdoors, remember to protect yourself from the sun – ‘slip, slop, slap’ by covering exposed skin with lightweight clothes, using sunscreen and wearing a hat. 
• Limit physical activity – too much physical activity on a hot day can lead to heat stress. If you can, restrict activity to cooler parts of the day. 
• Don’t leave children or pets in cars – even on cool days, cars can heat up to dangerous temperatures very quickly. Children or pets that are left unattended in parked cars for even a few minutes are at risk of serious heat-related illnesses and possibly death. Never leave children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are left open a fraction.
• Take it easy – rest often and, whenever possible, stay indoors or in the shade.
• Stay cool – and keep air circulating around you. Use air-conditioning if possible. If you don’t have air-conditioning, consider visiting an air-conditioned shopping centre or public library. Take a cool shower, bath or sponge bath.
• Keep up your energy levels – eat regular, light meals.
• Watch out for others – check on older, sick or frail people who may need help coping with the heat (at least twice a day).

I  heard about this on TripleJ yesterday. From The Telegraph:

The parents of a New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii have been ordered to change her name because it risks making her the target of abuse and ridicule. 

A judge ruled that the nine-year-old girl, who is the subject of a custody fight, should be placed in the guardianship of the court until she is renamed.

A lawyer acting for the girl claimed she was so embarrassed by her name that she had kept it from her friends, insisting she should be known as "K" instead. She also feared that if it became public she would be mocked and teased.

The lawyer claimed the girl fully understood the absurdity of her name, unlike her parents who had not considered the implications when they named her.

Justice Robert Murfitt said the name clearly presented a social hurdle for the child.

"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap," he said.

He also voiced concern over other names given to New Zealand children, such as Violence, Midnight Chardonnay and Number 16 Bus Shelter.

A set of twins was named Benson and Hedges, after the cigarette brand and some children had been named after six-cylinder Ford cars. There has ever been a case of a child being named after the entire All Blacks side.

"Recently, for the first time in my experience as a Family Court judge, the name of a child described in text language has emerged," Mr Murfitt said.

In that case, a girl was named O.crnia, but in negotiations with the mother over a parenting order, the name was adjusted to Oceania.

New Zealand officials said they did have the power to block outlandish names.

Brian Clarke, the registrar general of Births, Deaths and Marriages, told the New Zealand Herald that the law did not allow names that would cause offence to a reasonable person, that are more than 100 characters or that include titles, military ranks, punctuation or numerals.

Names rejected by the office include Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit.

Mr Clarke said officials attempted talk to parents who proposed unusual names and convince them about the potential for embarrassment.

"Often when we explain the situation to parents we can agree on an acceptable name to register," he told the paper.

Australia is no stranger to silly names either. I've heard of people called "Crikey Moses", "Rainbow Gumleaf" and "Faith Hope Charity Savage".

Saw a couple of ABC News items that interested me today.

The first was about the importing of compressed air cars. It seems they have zero emissions, because there's no engine as such. What you have to do though, is get to a pumping station to "pump up". They quoted a range of 140km on a charge. 

It seems as well that these are being imported from overseas, though there's some company in Melbourne that's been developing the same sort of thing. The key problem (which apparently was the case in California when they had the electric cars) is having enough outlets available so that "filling up" (on compressed air) will be as convenient as going to a service station is now.

It sort of sounds like a good idea, though I can see why it wouldn't be popular with "the boys". There's a world of difference between a big V8 that's noisy and implies power, and something that for all I know, makes no noise at all! Also, I keep thinking of a Stainless Steel Rat novel I read years ago, where the police on another planet drive cars that were powered by a flywheel (they had to get it wound up at the start of the day)!

The other story was about the Hunter Valley farewells red rattler. These are the old commuter trains that go to and fro Maitland from Newcastle. Been on one, and I agree with the comment on the TV segment - noisy and uncomfortable. But, they are also a bit of local history, and they have been replaced (I hope) by something better.

As per the BBC News article:

A couple in New Zealand is planning to call their newborn son Superman after officials rejected their original choice of 4Real.

Pat and Sheena Wheaton have been frustrated by rules in New Zealand banning names that begin with a number.

Mum and Dad decided to call their son 4Real after seeing an ultrasound image of him. It was then they realised that their baby was "for real".

They are considering legal action to force officials to reverse the ruling.

Name game

The name might sound more like a comedian's catchphrase or a fruit juice, but the Wheatons were deadly serious.

Sadly for them, the authorities in New Zealand did not share their enthusiasm for the unusual - their choice was rejected by the country's registrar of births, deaths and marriages.

The rules state that first names starting with a number are not allowed.

The law also advises parents to avoid names that could cause their child to be teased or made fun of.

Undeterred, the Wheatons now plan to call their newborn son Superman, but have said they will refer to him as 4Real.

The baby's family argues that if people can be known as John Williams III, for example, then why can a number not be used at the beginning of a name?

Officials in New Zealand have been involved in similar disputes before.

In the past they have had to intervene to stop parents naming their offspring Satan and Adolf Hitler.

And just what happens when this poor kid goes to school, or... ...anywhere?

It's Moved!

(at long bloody last)