Friday, October 29, 2021

"Woman says 'very nice' cab driver propositioned her on frightening ride home"/ "Indian police shoot dead 4 men suspected of brutal rape and murder"



Nov. 7, 2016 "Woman says 'very nice' cab driver propositioned her on frightening ride home":


A 20-year-old Winnipeg woman is speaking out after what she describes as an unsettling proposition from a cab driver during a late-night ride over the weekend.
Patricia Nosal and her friends went to Johnny G's on Main Street for dinner after a night out Saturday.

The group parted ways and Nosal hopped in a Duffy's Taxi parked outside the restaurant and headed home around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. 
"My cab driver was very nice. He was very personable, he asked me what my preference in music was," Nosal said.
Things took a turn when the driver asked her a disturbing question, Nosal said.

"He turned to me and said, 'Would you like to make some extra money?'" Nosal said, adding she got the impression the driver was offering money for sex.

"I was like, 'You know what, I'm good, that's really not for me. I'm not that kind of person.'"
They eventually arrived at Nosal's home in the West End, but rather than stop and let her out, she said the driver asked her if she wanted to drive around a little longer and listen to music.

She agreed but says in hindsight it was "really naive" to stay in the car.

"Me being a couple of drinks in … he was like, 'Would you like to continue driving around and listen to music?' I was like, 'Yeah, sure, I'm down.' I didn't feel in any way, shape or form in danger."

After a few minutes of driving around the neighbourhood, Nosal said the driver pulled up at her home, where there was a second cab parked outside.

'What the hell is going on'

"But as soon as I got out of the cab, the passenger in the other cab … got out of the cab and he said, 'I hear you would like to make some money?'" Nosal said. 

"I just looked at my cab driver and I was like, 'I don't know what the hell is going on here, I don't know what you're trying to do but I am not interested.'"

Nosal said she called the cab company to complain as soon as she got inside her home but was surprised by the response she received.

"Essentially the operator told me he can't do anything about it, it's the weekend, so I shouldn't even bother wasting my time, I should just call back on Monday," she said.

Const. Rob Carver said police are investigating the case. He said Nosal's experience resembles a similar account from another woman.

Nosal said police told her when taking cabs it is wise to be in constant communication with a friend and make note of the cab number.

"I don't think you need to do that. I think it kind of goes without saying that you should be safe," she said. "I don't understand why we should be taking precautions for a service we are paying for to ensure our safety. I think it should be there already."

'Super frightening'

Nosal said the incident was "super frightening," as she feels that the drivers and the passenger in the second cab co-ordinated their arrivals at her home.

"The fact that he was sitting outside of my house is just super scary to me," she said. "It makes me wonder if when the cab driver was like, 'Oh let's go for a ride,' I think that perhaps he was just waiting for the other cab to get to my house because we were literally driving for two more minutes.'"

Duffy's Taxi apologized to Nosal in a statement on Monday, but claimed according to the drivers, what Nosal experienced was just a misunderstanding.

"What they've told me is that the driver who was waiting at your destination had a family emergency that required him to return home and could not complete the trip he was currently on. That driver called the driver of the taxi you were in and asked if they could meet at the end of his current fare to exchange the passenger," the statement reads. 

"Your driver explained to me that his comment about making extra money was him repeating what his friend, the other driver, who had called him had said in reference to the extra fare he would receive for completing that trip."

Nosal said she doesn't buy that explanation.

'So many what-ifs'

Nosal said she recognizes this isn't the first time women in Winnipeg have felt unsafe in cabs. She wants others to know that if it happened to her, it can happened to anyone.

"Nothing serious happened to me, but there's so many what-ifs. I'm so thankful my friends and I only had a few drinks and that we were [drinking responsibly]. But it happens sometimes where a young woman has too much to drink and she's essentially out of it. What if that were to happen? Would they have taken advantage of her?" Nosal said.

"I am still a little bit petrified because these people know where I live, and if I am putting their job in jeopardy, who knows what they'll do."

Nosal wants to see the ride-share service Uber allowed to operate in Winnipeg so that women have more options for getting around, especially late at night. Uber allows patrons to rate individual drivers — something Nosal considers a safeguard cab companies lack.

"With taxi companies you can't do that. You try to make a complaint ... and you're essentially disregarded and it's useless," she said.

"I would just like to hold taxi companies more accountable for the actions of their employees."

In a statement released to CBC News Monday, Ram Vallaru, manager of Duffy's Taxi, said the company is reviewing the incident.

"All accusations are taken seriously and disciplinary measures will be taken if appropriate," Vallaru said in a statement.

"It would be inappropriate for us to comment any further before we have a clear picture of the other night's events."




Beathoven 2 hours ago

I'm a man and twenty years ago when I was a musician, I was hitch hiking home after a gig after I had missed my last bus for home and I was propositioned ,I was shocked ,he looked like a banker or something ,he asked me nicely enough and I said to him thanks but no thanks and he promptly dropped me off on the side of the road, 

very weird it almost felt like he was making a business proposition or something, I actually later when I thought about it felt kind of sorry for him, imagine cruising the streets trying to pick someone up in the middle of the night he was lucky he didn't pickup the wrong person and get a beating, what a sad,s ad life for this man suspect, after that I never hitch hiked again.

Liam 30 minutes ago

Yea, I am a guy. After a night of drinking was waiting at the bus station. Some guy propositioned me. Offered me money to come back to a motel across the road with him. Offered in detail what he would do to me. But I said no and he left so no harm done.

I was at a bar in Nevada. It was slow, just me and some old lady (senior citizenish). She was drinking pretty hard. No one else around so we talked for awhile. Eventually she asked me back to her room. I declined so she offered me $100 to come back. Had to say no again.

Bottom line is that this stuff does not only happen with guys propositioning girls. It works the other way as well.

I do not have a problem with folks asking. As long as they take no for an answer, it is ok.

Tartan Titan3 hours ago

After that first unsettling question, not a smart decision to stay in the cab and drive around. Jeez.
She got off lucky.

VoiceOfTheWind59 minutes ago

"Nosal said police told her when taking cabs it is wise to be in constant communication with a friend and make note of the cab number".

"I don't think you need to do that. I think it kind of goes without saying that you should be safe," she said. "I don't understand why we should be taking precautions for a service we are paying for to ensure our safety. I think it should be there already."

Why are people here so naive? It's not just about what's right and fair. We should all be able to talk a cab, go for walk anywhere without feeling the need to be cautious of danger from others, but that's not our reality in this world. 

The reality is that danger is always waiting around any corner for us, and it's our duty to understand that and realize that life is not about what's fair, so we gotta do everything we can to protect ourselves

She's so right about how there shouldn't be any need to take extra precautions, but so wrong saying " I don't think you need to do that". Girl needs a reality check. Look at this world; it's ugly, and monsters are real.

And by the way, Uber has the same issues already, rating or no rating. But it's funny how cabbies were crying against Uber because of these issues. They failed to mention they have the same predators among their ranks


My opinion: There are like 127 comments right now. 

As soon as she got to the home, she should have gotten out of there fast and not stay in the cab and drive around longer. 

The cab driver looked at her and asked directly if she wanted to make some money.  The article didn't say anything about the cab driver talking to another driver on his Bluetooth.




Dec. 7, 2019 "Indian police shoot dead 4 men suspected of brutal rape and murder": Today I found this article by Zoe Tidman on Yahoo news:


Indian police shot dead four men suspected of brutally raping and murdering a woman, officials have said, with rights groups decrying the “extrajudicial” killings.

The men tried to escape while visiting the crime scenes for a reconstruction of events, according to Shreedharan, an official in the police commissioner’s office.

The suspects were shot after they attempted to grab a police officer’s firearm and run away, according to another police official who remained anonymous.

The men were accused of a premeditated attack on a 27-year-old veterinary student, who has not yet been named, in the outskirts of Hyderabad, in southern India.

They allegedly deflated the woman’s scooter tyres and waited for her nearby, before then approaching her under the pretence of offering help and attacking her.

They then gang raped and asphyxiated the woman, before dumping her body in a nearby underpass and setting it alight.

The burnt body was found last week by a passer-by and was reportedly so badly scorched that her family identified her using only a locket she was wearing.

The men have been identified as Mohammad Areef, Jollu Shiva, Jollu Naveen and Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu.

The high-profile case sparked protests across India.

About 300 people gathered at the crime scene in the town of Shadnagar, southwest of Hyderabad, to praise police for fatally shooting the suspects.

Some hugged officers and lifted them into the air chanting “long live police”, while others showered them with flowers.

The men were killed around 3.30am local time, according to Priya, a police sub-inspector in Hyderabad.

However, some people have criticised the police for having fatally shot the suspects.

Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, said: “The killings are a ploy to shut down our demand of accountability from governments, judiciary and police, and dignity and justice for women. We demand a thorough investigation into this.”

“Extrajudicial killings are not a solution to preventing rape,” said Avinash Kumar, executive director of Amnesty International India.

“In a modern and rights-respecting society, using extrajudicial executions to offer justice to victims of rape is not only unconstitutional, but circumvents the Indian legal system and sets a grossly-wrong precedent,” he said.

“An independent investigation is essential.”

The country has been in the spotlight for sexual violence against women in recent years after multiple high-profile rape cases, sometimes of young children.

This week, a woman was set on fire by men she accused of having raped her while on her way to court.

Over the summer, six men were convicted in the rape of an eight-year-old in Kashmir and an alleged victim died after setting herself on fire to protest alleged police inaction.

The 2012 gang rape of Jyoti Singh on a Delhi bus shocked the nation and sparked a tightening of the country’s laws around sexual assault.

There were almost 39,000 rape cases reported across India in 2016, according to the county’s National Crime Records Bureau.

There were mainly positive comments:

  • Great jobs police.
                                • Avatar
                                • Maneka Gandhi, a lawmaker from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said: “If you’re going to kill the accused before any due process of law has been followed, then what’s the point of having courts, law and police?”

                                •  Agreed, but whats the point of having law makers like you, if the laws you help pass take decades to take any affect when used for trials. In this day and age, things have to move quick and what has happened in this instance is completely alright. Its the judicial system made by people like you that has to catch up to the pace expected from it.

                              • https://ca.yahoo.com/news/indian-police-shoot-dead-4-085639740.html


                                My opinion: That is good news.  I feel like there was justice for rape victims.  Also there is a positive article about cops.

                                If men want to commit rape, this news story is the warning that they will be killed.


                                Oct. 16, 2021 "Riders watched as a woman was raped on a SEPTA train but no one called 911, police say": Today I found this article by Nicole Acevedo and Gemma DiCasimirro on Yahoo news.  After I read this I was angry, depressed, and in a bad mood.  That's why I decided to post these articles about sexual harassment and assault:



                                A 35-year-old man in Pennsylvania is facing rape and assault charges after a woman was sexually assaulted on board a public transit train Wednesday night as riders witnessed the attack but did not intervene, authorities said on Friday.

                                The woman was assaulted at around 11 p.m. while riding the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Market-Frankford line towards the town of Upper Darby.

                                "The assault was observed by a SEPTA employee, who called 911, enabling SEPTA officers to respond immediately and apprehend the suspect in the act," Andrew Busch, a SEPTA spokesperson, said in a statement.

                                SEPTA officers arrested the man, later identified as 35-year-old Fiston Ngoy, according to Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt.

                                Surveillance video captured the entirety of the assault, giving investigators enough evidence to charge Ngoy with rape and assault, Bernhardt told NBC Philadelphia.

                                The video also shows how riders, who also witnessed the attack, did nothing to help the woman being assaulted, according to Bernhardt

                                "It's disturbing," he said. "I'm shocked, I have no words for it. I just can't imagine seeing what you were seeing through your own eyes and seeing what this woman was going through that no one would step in and help her."

                                Investigators are also reviewing the videos in an effort to determine who was there and interview possible witnesses, Bernhardt added.

                                Bernhardt told NBC Philadelphia that he spoke to the woman on Friday and said she was doing okay after being taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries following the assault.

                                Upper Darby police continues leading the investigation into the rape with assistance from SEPTA Transit Police. Investigators are also urging anyone who witnessed the attack to contact the authorities.

                                SEPTA is also urging possible witnesses to contact the authorities.

                                "The rape that occurred on SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line Wednesday night (Oct. 13) was a horrendous criminal act," Busch said. "There were other people on the train who witnessed this horrific act, and it may have been stopped sooner if a rider called 911."

                                "SEPTA urges anyone who observes a crime being committed or any dangerous situation occurring to report it. Anyone witnessing an emergency should immediately call 911," he added.

                                Ngoy remains in jail unable to post bail, NBC Philadelphia reported.

                                Riders watched as a woman was raped on a SEPTA train but no one called 911, police say. (yahoo.com)

                                My opinion: This is terrible.  There was another article that I can't seem to find.  The woman was harassed for 40 min. before she was assaulted.

                                I wrote about this before: I have called security 3 times and 911 once because I saw fights going on.  

                                I don't know if there was cell reception at the train station.  

                                I remember years ago, I was reading in the Metro or 24 News.  This was in Edmonton, and how an East Indian guy saw 2 guys fighting on the LRT train.  He pressed the emergency button, and then later got off.  My memory is fuzzy, but I think a guy got stabbed.

                                Riders watched as a woman was raped on a SEPTA train but no one called 911, police say. (yahoo.com)

                                Oct. 28, 2021 The Exorcist sexual harassment scene: I found this video clip on Facebook.  Today the video was removed, but I really wanted to show it to you.  The title was "Don't bully a girl you don't know."  There are over 1000 comments that say things like: "Don't bully anyone."  I will describe it.

                                "This is from the TV show The Exorcist. This is a really good scene where the young woman Casey fights back and brutally attacks a guy who sexually harasses her.
                                I have seen a restaurant camera video where a guy grabs a waitresses's butt, and she grabs him by the neck and throws him against the wall."


                                Casey was possessed by a demon, and she had powers and incredible strength as she scratches a guy's chest until he bleeds.  She also breaks his jaw.  All the riders are scared, and run to the opposite side of the train.  Some hold out their phones to film, but the supernatural powers turn it off. 

                                The Exorcist (TV Series 2016–2018) - IMDb

                                I found it on YouTube:

                                Casey's train scene - YouTube


                                This week's theme is about sexual harassment:

                                "YouTuber Jake Paul Accused of Sexual Assault by TikTok Star Justine Paradise"/ "YouTuber Jake Paul faces second sexual misconduct allegation"


                                Tracy's blog: "YouTuber Jake Paul Accused of Sexual Assault by TikTok Star Justine Paradise"/ "YouTuber Jake Paul faces second sexual misconduct allegation" (badcb.blogspot.com)


                                "I am part of the problem" (Morgan Spurlock)/ "Singer Ryan Adams accused of inappropriate behaviour with aspiring musicians"


                                Tracy's blog: "I am part of the problem" (Morgan Spurlock)/ "Singer Ryan Adams accused of inappropriate behaviour with aspiring musicians" (badcb.blogspot.com)


                                My week:


                                Sat. Oct. 23, 2021 "Bulk buying, couponing and urban farming: 3 ways of fighting high food prices": Today I found this article by James Dunn on CBC news.  Here's an excerpt:

                                With food prices in Canada on the rise, some Canadians and community organizations say tactics to help cut the cost of their grocery bills are all the more essential.

                                Those tactics are being further tested by inflation, with food prices up 3.9 per cent from where it was a year ago.

                                Urban farming to save money 

                                Adwoa Toku says the best way she's found to cut her food costs is simply to grow her own.

                                This spring, Toku, 27, and her roommates planted a garden at their rental home just west of downtown Toronto. "I would say this is probably the healthiest I've been eating in my entire life — but also the cheapest as well."

                                Toku, who is vegan, works for a community farm in north Toronto, so she has a decent understanding of agriculture. But this year is the first time she's farmed for herself. 

                                Her crops included collard greens, herbs, peppers, tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries and callaloo, a fast-growing, tall, leafy green.

                                She and her roommates had such good harvests, Toku said, they shared food with friends, who then became inspired to start growing produce of their own — even on balconies. Toku says all of them wanted to save money on food after seeing her cut her grocery bills down to as low as $20 a week during the summer.

                                Growing food makes it possible for Toku to live in the city, pay her bills, keep up student-loan payments and even save some money, she said.

                                "I could be hungry, right," said Toku, adding she is now not worried "about lacking in food or lacking anywhere else."

                                Bulk buying, couponing and urban farming: 3 ways of fighting high food prices | CBC News

                                Club 2 Connect Meetup: Night of Murder online: I was to go to L's outdoor party, but it was cold and raining, so it was cancelled.  I attended this event instead:

                                "Unleash your inner Detective. Challenge yourself? What's the motive? Who is the Murderer? Be the detective and solve the murder.

                                Join us for a who-done-it murder mystery event.

                                Tired of Edmonton's & Area Crazy Covid Situation? The Walls Closing in? Need an escape?

                                Want to socialize? Need some intelligent conversation and a bit of a challenge?

                                Join in this week's Murder challenge. Are you the Best Sleuth? First to get the Murderer. Brag all week about your detective prowess!

                                Join us for a night of connecting and fun. Safely from your home. Un-Suck the restrictions by escaping to solve a murder. Come out to Club2Connect's Night of Murder, your virtual mystery detective Social Club. (Singles, Couples and Families welcome - minimal visual effects)

                                "Doors" open at 7 PM (virtual event is open)
                                Chat till 7:30
                                Mystery begins -- no acting required -- just Observe, Think, Share
                                We chat 3+ times throughout the event to share clues, point to suspect and motives, and often who might die next.

                                We start with some early questions to prime your detective mind. What did you see? Who was that? Take notes, Choose your suspects. Discuss your suspect with the other Detectives on the case. Who will solve the murder/s first? Your detective will see the events unfold by watching a selected TV murder episode or movie."

                                Night of Murder. Detective, you're needed. Murder is afoot. Solve the mystery. , Sat, Oct 30, 2021, 7:00 PM | Meetup

                                Club2Connect (Edmonton, AB) | Meetup

                                My opinion: I don't know what to expect.  This is an online Meetup, so I leave the Zoom room anytime.  It turns out we watched an episode of the British TV show Midsomer Murders episode "The House in the Woods" about a house that is supposedly haunted.

                                There are a few breaks where we guess who will be killed next and who is the murderer.  We can say our opinions on the chat.  I virtually met 5 people.

                                I thought this Meetup and TV show was average.  This reminds me of the days when I used to watch Castle with my sister and we make our comments during the commercial breaks.

                                Sun. Oct. 24, 2021 L's moving away/ birthday party: This was rescheduled to the next day.  I met up with L and her friend C at C's place.

                                We had a bonfire.  I bought 4 small pieces and 2 big pieces of firewood.  I have a lot of firewood to spare.  This took quite awhile to get the fire going by burning lint and old cardboard to start the firing.  We burned 4 pieces in a few hours.

                                I left the 2 big pieces for C so he could have another fire on another day.  C has tattoos and piercings.  We did talk about TV and movies like how he likes horror and I like action.  We talked about the sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick and he wrote stories that turned into movies like Minority Report and Next.  We're now Facebook friends.

                                Firewood: If you guys want some firewood for your bonfire or fireplace, you can call or email me for some.

                                Mon. Oct. 25, 2021 Halloween and Christmas polls: On Leger opinion polls:

                                Which do you like more?  

                                Halloween: 20%

                                Christmas: 80%

                                I voted for Christmas.

                                Have you started Christmas shopping yet?

                                Yes: 25%

                                No. : 75%

                                I voted no, but then again my family and I don't exchange presents at Christmas.

                                "Spanx underwear boss gifts all employees first class tickets and $10,000": Today I found this article by Marie Claire Dorking on Yahoo news:


                                Spanx employees are currently celebrating as the company's founder has recently gifted staff two first class tickets to anywhere in the world, as well as $10,000 (approx £7262) spending money. 

                                In order to mark Spanx being valued at $1.2 billion after investment firm Blackstone snapped up a majority stake in the company, the brand's founder, Sara Blakely, decided to share the wealth with her team. 

                                During a party to celebrate the valuation update, she told all her employees that they would be getting two first class tickets to anywhere they wanted in the world plus $10,000 to spend while they are there.

                                And with more than 500 staff, this is no small gesture. 

                                She continued: "If you go on a trip you might want to go out to a really nice dinner, you might want to go out to a really nice hotel, and so with everybody's two first-class tickets to anywhere in the world you are each getting $10,000."

                                In a now viral video shared to social media, staff members' reactions were also shown, with some cheering while others cried happy tears.

                                “I’m going on a honeymoon with my fiancé to Bora Bora!” one employee said.

                                Spanx’s $1.2 billion valuation is a world away from the company's humble beginnings when Blakely started it in 2000, kicking off with just $5,000 in savings.

                                Continuing to address the room she said: “This is a very big moment for each and every one of you, and I want to also toast the women that came before me and all of the women in the world who have not had this opportunity. 

                                "So at a moment like this, I think of my mom and my grandmother and their lack of options and all the women that came before them.”

                                My opinion: Sarah Blakely is a really nice and generous boss.  I work at my 1st restaurant job which is a big company with a few hundred people.  We have like 50% off discounts on meals, or free food in the staff room.  We get a big Christmas party every year with great buffet food and draws to win good prizes.

                                There are summer parties like big pancake breakfasts and Halloween parties, all with good food.

                                When I worked at the Soup place, my bosses were nice and take us all out (8-10) workers in July for the anniversary of the restaurant.  On Christmas, there was a party at a restaurant.

                                Oct. 26, 201 4400: I watched the pilot today.  The pilot was mediocre and I was in a low mood afterwards.  I'm never watch this show again.

                                4400 (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDb