A tragic love story - Mark and Katherine Lavoie

    

Mark and Katherine Lavoie

Dover, New Hampshire.  This is a sad story about true love - a woman with bi-polar and her soulmate.  

Although it's unclear what actually happened on Tuesday morning, Katherine Lavoie's distraught husband Mark rang 911 and she was taken to hospital and hooked up to a respirator, her worse nightmare.

She was so afraid of ending up on life support, she wrote a living will which stated that under no circumstances, should be kept alive by artificial means.  But her doctor said that when a case involves depression, they couldn't honour her wishes.

So 50 year old Mark Lavoie walked into the private room of the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital where she lay in the critical care ward, and shot them both.

He said it was his fault for calling 911.

He didn't have to shoot himself, the courts may have been sympathetic, but his mind was made up.

Swedish flag banned at Swedish primary school

This article is translated from Swedish to English due to huge interest from foreign readers around the world.

25.12.2014

The students at the Swedish elementary school Söndrumsskolan got a public message from the school principal saying that all use of the swedish flag is prohibited. – We want to make sure the students do not offend anyone using the flag, principal Hans Åkerman told Nyheter Idag.

The elementary school “Söndrumsskolan” is located in Halmstad, south Sweden. The school has previously attracted media attention when the school management ordered a graffiti painting on one of the school walls by artist Carolina Falkholt. The painting visualize the spreading of naked women’s legs wearing fishnet stockings. This attracted strong criticism from local politician Håkan Wallin (FP). Now a new infected debate flared up at the school when the school administration has issued new rules on how to use the Swedish flag.

Swedish flag is prohibited

A masquerade, where a student painted his face in the Swedish flag colors and even used a toy gun, has provoked reactions from the school board on Söndrumsskolan (Söndrum School). Principals Hans Åkerlund and Maria Rüter has now informed about the new rules for school activities.

The rules communicated from the two principals states that the Swedish flag is banned for use with the exception of public ‘flag days’ in the calendar, such as the swedish National Day, and in the event of international exchange with foreign students. Any other use of the Swedish flag is prohibited. When ‘Nyheter Idag’ spoke to principal Hans Åkerlund he explains the idea behind the new rules.

He claims that using the flag in a wrong manner could offend students. However, when asked, principal Åkerman says there have not been any previous problems at the school where anyone felt offended by the Swedish flag, nor did the student have any bad intentions with his swedish flag face painting.

– The rules are a preventive measure, Åkerlund says in telephone when we speak with him.

Critics claim Sweden suffers from “political correctness”

The original story, dated 23:rd December, sparked debate on social forums in Sweden. Critics claim that this is typical behaviour of anxious employees working within the public sector, where decision-making can easily go wrong. On twitter, some people claimed this story was related to Islam or muslims, but there is nothing that provides support for that theory.

Still, it wasn't clear who the principal thought might be offended by the Swedish flag. When we spoke to him, he meant that students from different backgrounds might get offended, without clarify it more than that.

The written rules state that using the Swedish flag in a wrong manner could constitute the crime ‘hate speech’. When asked about this, principal Åkerlund explained that ‘students with foreign background could get offended if they see someone wearing a Swedish flag, especially together with a toy gun’.

Did Ukraine shoot down Malaysian Airlines MH17?

Russia now says they have a secret witness which proves that it was Ukraine and not pro-Russian rebels who shot down Malaysian Airlines MH17. 

A man who was at an airfield in the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk has come forward prepared to give evidence that he saw a Ukrainian military Sukhoi-25 jet take off on 17 July with air to air rockets and return without them.

Here is the interview in full.

"Where were you July 17, 2014, the day when the Malaysian Boeing was shot down?" 

"I was on the territory of Ukraine in Dnepropetrovsk, in Aviatorskoe village. There's a common airport there. Fighters and helicopters were based there. The planes would regularly go on sorties, Su-25 fighter jets would bomb Donetsk and Luhansk."

Did the planes fly operationally every day?"

"They did, every day."

"Why do you suggest that these planes could be related to the crash of the Boeing?" 

"For several reasons. Out of eight planes that were based there, only two were outfitted with air-to-air missiles. The missiles were mounted on those two planes."

"Why? Were there battles in the air?"

"No, the missiles were mounted on the aircraft to cover them up in the air, just in case. Basically, the planes were armed with ammunition for ground operations, such as unguided missiles and bombs."

"Tell us about July 17th."

"The planes were flying regularly that day. They were flying the whole day, since early morning. In the afternoon, about an hour before the Boeing was shot down, three strike fighters took off for a mission. I do not remember the time exactly. One of the aircraft was equipped with such missiles. It was a Su-25."

"Did you personally see that?"

"Yes, I did." 

"Where was your observation point?"

"On the territory. I won't say specifically."

"Did you have a chance to see what was being suspended to the pylons of the aircraft? Could you be confused between air-to-air and ground-to-air missiles?"

 "No, I could not mix them up. They vary in size, fin assembly, colouration and the guiding head. It is very easy to identify them. In general, after a while, only one plane returned, two others were shot down, somewhere in the east of Ukraine, so I was told. One plane returned, on which those missiles were suspended."

"Did it return without the missiles?"

"Without missiles. The pilot was very scared."

"Are you familiar with that pilot, have you ever seen him?" 

"Yes."

"Can you say what his name is?"

"His last name is Voloshin." 

"Was he alone in the plane?'

"Yes, he was. The aircraft is designed for one person."

"Do you know his name?"

"Vladislav, I think. I can not say for sure. He's a captain."

"So Captain Voloshin returned. Next?"

"He returned without ammunition."

"The missiles were gone?"

"Yes." 

"So the plane returned from a mission, you were not aware about the crash of the Boeing yet, but you were somehow surprised with the absence of air-to-air missiles.. How come?"

"Those missiles are not included in the basic ammunition. They can be suspended on a plane following a special order. As a rule, they tried not to fly aircraft with those missiles, because one cannot move such missiles in the air just like that. It's possible to hang only two such missiles on this plane. They have never been used before. They had been decommissioned. However, a week before the crash of the Boeing, the use of those missiles was urgently extended. The missiles had not been used for many years."

"Why?"

"Their resource expired. They are of the Soviet production."

"Did they hang them on the plane that day?"

"They were all the time with those missiles."

"But they did not fly?"

"They tried not to, as every flight reduces resource. Yet, the plane took off that day."

"And it returned without them?"

"Yes. As long as I know the pilot a little ... it is quite possible that when two aircraft were shot down before his eyes, he simply showed a frightened, inadequate reaction. He could launch the missiles at the Boeing out of fright or for revenge. Maybe, he took it for some other combat aircraft."

"Were they the missiles with homing heads?"

"Yes."

"Do they search for the target themselves?"

"No. It is the pilot who sets the target. Then he launches a missile, and it flies to the target."

"What else do you remember from that day? What did the pilot say?"

"The phrase that he said when he was taken off the plane: "Wrong plane." And in the evening, there was a phrase that he said answering a question from another pilot, who asked Voloshin: "What happened to the plane?" To which he replied: "The plane was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Was the pilot serving there for long? How old is he?"

"Voloshin is about 30 years. His unit is based in Nikolaev. They were sent to Dnepropetrovsk. Before that, he had been to Chuguev, near Kharkov. They were  bombing Donetsk and Luhansk during all that time. And, according to a serviceman from the unit in Nikolaev, they still continue to do it."

"Did the pilots have good combat experience?"

"Those who were there they were experienced. The Nikolaev unit was the best unit in Ukraine in 2013, I think."

"Did Pilots try to discuss the story of the Boeing?"

"All attempts to discuss it would be immediately suppressed. The pilots, they would interact with each other, and they were so ... proud."

"What happened to this pilot, Captain Voloshin, after they learned about the Boeing?"

'They continued the sorties. The pilots were the same."

"Let's try to simulate events. How could they develop? Three aircraft flew on a combat mission. They found themselves in the zone, in which the passenger Boeing was flying. Two aircraft were shot down. Captain Voloshin got nervous and scared, and perhaps he took the Boeing for a combat aircraft?"

"Maybe. The distance was large, so he could not see what kind of plane it was exactly."

"From what distance can those missiles be launched?" 

"From about 3-5 km, they can set a target." 

"What about the speed difference between a combat aircraft and a Boeing?

"It doesn't matter: a missile has a pretty good speed. A plane can - at its maximum altitude of 7,000 meters - easy fix the target. The flight range of the missile is more than 10 kilometers."

"At what distance does this missile explode? Can it hit a target and then explode? 

"It can, depending on the modification. It can literally fly into the body and it can also explode at a distance of 500 meters."

"We worked at the crash site of the Boeing and noticed that fragments hit the body of the aircraft in a very concentrated way. It looked like it exploded just two meters away from the Boeing." 

"There is such a missile, it explodes like shrapnel."

"Ukraine stated that they had no sorties that day. We checked various sources on the downed aircraft. Ukraine denies that its warplanes were flying that day."

"I know about it. Ukraine also said that those two aircraft were shot down on December 16, not on December 17. They repeatedly changed the date. But in fact, sorties would be conducted daily. I saw it myself. There were sorties made even during the time of the truce, however, less often."

"What weapons were there on the aircraft at your airport? Were phosphorous bombs used or incendiary mixtures? The Ukrainian artillery was using them actively on the ground."

"I did not see phosphorous bombs. They used volume-detonating bombs, though."

"Are they banned?"

"Yes, they are. The bomb was designed for Afghanistan. It was banned under some convention, I do not remember exactly which one. The bomb scorches everything out."

"Were they mounted on aircraft and then used in combat action?"

"Yes. There were also banned cluster bombs. An aviation cluster bomb, depending on the size, can strike very large targets. To completely destroy a stadium, one bomb is enough."

"Why were they using such weapons?"

"They were following orders. Whose orders exactly remains unclear."

"Was the main purpose of such weapons - intimidation?"

"No - maximum destruction of manpower." 

"Why did you go to Russia and decide to tell us about it? You're not the only witness!"

"The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine intimidated all. People can be beaten for every careless word, or jailed for any insignificant suspicion of being sympathetic to Russia or to the militia. I was against the "anti-terrorist operation" from the start. I do not agree with the policy of the Ukrainian administration. A civil war is a wrong way to go. Killing your own people is not normal. I do not want to stay in Ukraine to be involved in all that."

Pravda.Ru

British paedophile Douglas Slade

A rich British paedophile, out on bail for sexually abusing children at Amsic Elementary School in Angeles City, is still paying children from the same school around $4 (Australian) for sex acts and photos.

His name is Douglas Slade 73, who once said "If you want to have sex with children, don't bottle it up - just do it!"

But there's a reason why sex charges against him are regularly dropped - he donates a lot of money to the school and gives money to the parents of his victims to drop the charges.  During an ITV documentary in 1995, he boasted about how easy it was to stay clear of the law by bribing prosecutors.

His new home overlooks the school for boys 8 to 12 years old and they line up outside his house, hoping to be invited in for 150 pesos.  He comes out and picks the ones he wants.  Little girls are also keen to be included but so far, he only want the boys.

In the 1970s, Slade made headlines as a founder of the Paedophile Information Exchange and also headed a group called Paedophile Action Liberation who wanted to legalise child sex.  

In July this year, Slade was arrested when he sent his laptop for repairs and the technician found images of naked children believed to be from the school opposite his home and reported him to the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation.  But he had no fear of the law.  His lawyer said the images were stolen and he walked out on bail.

Children from poor countries are so vulnerable and the Philippines is paedophile heaven for deviates like Slade.

Paedophilia is now a well-established world-wide underground business which seems to be growing, and parents everywhere have to hold their children closer than ever.

Islamic fanatic takes hostages in Sydney cafe

Our state politicians - those people who are supposed to keep us safe - have let us down badly. They are directly responsible for the death of two innocents who were killed when a Muslim fanatic took hostages at a Sydney cafe on Monday.  They wrote the bail laws that allowed madmen like Sheik Haron to walk the streets of Sydney.

When it was all over, a petition with 40,000 signatures surfaced, calling for immediate changes but the government said we have to wait until the end of January 2015 before it takes affect.

Man Haron Manis 50, was born in Iran as Manteghi Bourjerdi and came to Australia in 1996 as a refugee.  He wrote hate mail to relatives of fallen Australian soldiers who served in Afghanistan and was a serious sexual predator.  He used taxpayer's money to try and get his conviction overturned and took it all the way to the High Court, but last Friday his appeal was denied.

Monis, who called himself Sheik Haron, was charged with helping his live-in girlfriend Amirah Droudis murder his ex-wife and set her body alight in a stairwell last year and two months ago, he was charged with over 40 sexual offences.  So it's fair to say his past was finally catching up with him.

On 12 December 2013, Magistrate Darryl Pearce gave Haron and Amirah bail at Penrith Local Court.  On 26 May 2014, bail was given by Magistrate Joan Baptie at Parramatta Local Court under the same bail conditions given by Magistrate Pearce.

All Monis had to do was surrender his passport, report to a police and promise not to go near witnesses in the upcoming murder trial. But even more bizarre - his girlfriend - charged with the actual murder, also got bail and is still walking around Sydney as free as a bird.


But will these new laws be tough enough? For serious offences, the onus will be on the accused to "show cause" why their detention is not justified.  I don't see how this hollow statement will not be easily manipulated by clever lawyers.

"Islam is the religion of peace, that's why Muslims fight against the terrorism of America and its allies" Monis tweeted recently.  

His facebook page, which was shut down during the siege, had 14,754 "likes" so there are plenty more still out there just like him.

Muslim father prays for death of PM's daughters

The father of an Australian girl who went to a private Anglican school and enjoyed a typical Aussie lifestyle until she met her husband, is planning to sue the Australian government.

Amira

His daughter Amira 22, went to Syria to be with her husband Tyler Perry, also known as Yusef Ali whom she married in 2013.

Her body was found shot and dismembered beside her husband's in a house in Aleppo, three weeks after she left Australia.

According to Mohamed Karroum, Australian authorities are to blame for his daughter's death because they allowed radical Islamic recruiters into the country and they also 'allowed her to leave.'

But that's not all.

Mohamed Karroum also said "I'm praying to the Lord every day, Tony Abbott, please Lord, let him lose one of his daughters, either in sickness or in accident or something, please Lord."

He is now looking for a lawyer to help him take the federal government to court.

Here is just another example of why Muslims in Australia are so unpopular.

Uber - the new taxi experience

Uber drivers use their own private vehicles as unlicensed taxis to collect passengers who have hailed a cab using Uber's smartphone app.

From Uber website

The idea is simple.  With UberPool, you share a ride and split the cost with another person who just happens to be requesting a ride along a similar route.  The beauty though, is that you still get Uber-style on-demand convenience and reliability:  just push the button like before and get a car in five minutes.  When we find a match, we notify you of your co-rider's first name.  Even if we don't find an UberPool match for you, we'll give you a discount on your ride.

Complaints about Sydney and Melbourne's taxis are on the rise, largely because 25 per cent of accepted bookings don't result in a pick-up, particularly if you are on a major road or only need a short ride.

Passengers love Uber because they are reliable and the fleet of black Holden Caprice, Audi and Mercedes vehicles are classy.  Drivers love Uber because they fill in their quiet time with extra work to boost their revenue. 

And it's true, getting a taxi when you need one is sometimes hard work, especially if the driver isn't interested in going your way, which happens all the time.  So there's no doubt that Uber is taking Sydney and Melbourne by storm, its quick, convenient and cheap.

But there's a problem. Because it's become so popular so quickly, there hasn't been enough time to screen drivers properly so ladies, there's a possibility you could get a creep who fancies his chances. 

On November 16, a Chicago woman was allegedly raped by a driver who asked her to sit in the front because he wasn't familiar with the area.

Also in November, Uber suspended operations in the state of Nevada after a judge granted the state's request to block the company.  They argued successfully that drivers' ability to use their personal cars to carry paid passengers goes against the rights of the taxi companies.

A London woman was offered $31 Uber credit after her driver allegedly "asked me if I wanted him to go down on me."  He was sacked but no further action was taken.

India has banned Uber in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad after a driver confessed to raping his passenger.

Graham Fell with his vintage Cadillac works for Uber

Back in Australia, traditional taxi drivers like Harry Katsiabanis of Taxi Link in Melbourne paid around $300,000 for his taxi plate and he's understandably worried and upset.  Eighty infringement notices have now been issued to Uber X drivers in Victoria and $130,000 in fines and Uber has simply paid the lot.

And Uber has deep pockets.  In just five years, they have emerged in 50 countries and 250 cities with big backers like Google and it's latest valuation is around $49 billion.

The battle has only just begun.  Yesterday, after an undercover investigation, the Victorian Taxi Commission launched court action against 12 Uber drivers. 

And now everyone is waiting to see what happens.