It was a year this past Sunday, July 20th 2009, that Neda Soltan was brutally killed in the streets of Iran. And it was one year ago today that I wrote about her. I can’t believe that one entire year has gone by already. It feels like it was not so long ago when I first heard of Neda, the Angel of Iran.

Her death became a symbol of rebellion; her face, a symbol of hope. Her tragic death quickly went viral: Within just a few hours the rest of the world got to witness her last moments of life on Youtube. It was a vivid image, one so brutal, and yet so peaceful and innocent, that I like many others, will never forget.  

How ironic that her name, ‘Neda’ means ‘voice’ in Farsi. Neda was the ‘voice’ of Iran, and a symbol of rebellion and hope, then…and continues to be to this day.

And now one year later, on the anniversary of her death, we get to see the kind of girl that Neda was. What did she want in life? What did she believe in? What did she like to do? Why did she die?

I ask, ‘What has changed for women, for the people of Iran since Neda’s death?’

On July 20th, HBO aired ’For Neda’, as part of their Summer Documentary Series. I believe it is also airing this evening on HBO. I watched it on Youtube last night. For those of you who won’t be able to catch it on HBO, I am including the entire documentary here. I encourage you to watch it. It gives us a good peek into the life of Neda and the disturbing treatment of women in Iran. 

Filmmaker Antony Thomas’ look at the life of Neda Agha-Soltan, who was shot and killed during protests in Iran last summer, when footage of her death went viral. HBO’s synopsis says that the production was done “without official approval and at great risk, [as] Iranian journalist Saeed Kamali Dehghan worked secretly inside Iran to locate and film interviews with Neda’s family for the first time.” The network calls the film “a portrait of a young woman whose ordinary desires for personal freedom and self-expression were confined by living in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and notes that “[e]ven as a young girl, Neda strove to lead her life in opposition to the regime’s restrictive treatment of women”

I found this write on the Muslim Media Watch written by Diana that I thought you would also find interesting:

As I snuggled on the couch to watch HBO’s documentary on Neda Agha-Soltan, I knew this wasn’t the time for popcorn. The first images that splashed across the screen were Agha-Soltan’s infamous last moments, which haunted viewers around the world exactly a year ago. The tone of onlookers and loved ones was agonizing, screaming as they crowded around her body, placing their hands over the bullet hole in her chest. As blood began to gush from her mouth and nose, Agha-Soltan’s eyes remained open. It was only a few moments before she died, but the video burned a memory in the hearts of many that will perhaps last for years to come.

The images of Agha-Soltan’s last moments were perhaps the most impressing images of the brutality and violence that unfolded after last year’s Iranian elections. Cell phone cameras and digital cameras became the weapon of choice for many of Iran’s population. They wanted to show the world the injustice they were suffering at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

HBO’s documentary For Neda delves into the life of Agha-Soltan to answer the questions of who she was, what she stood for, and why she died. The documentary elicits the testimony of Agha-Soltan’s family and recognized names such as Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, and Dr. Ali Ansari, Professor of Iranian history at University of St. Andrews. The familiar voice of Shohreh Aghdashloo, an Iranian actress, narrates Agha-Soltan’s tale of courage. (Note: the trailer below contains explicit images of her death)

For Neda provides a limited understanding of the socio-political landscape of Iran and elicits only the testimony and experiences of those with a particular angle. The story of Neda Agha-Soltan was used here to paint a particular picture of Iran seen from the eyes of a certain kind of woman–a woman like Agha-Soltan.

For Iranian women who neither look like Agha-Soltan nor held the same desires or religious or political values as she, the documentary may be marginalizing. For Iranian women who are not like “any girl, anywhere,” it sends the message that their stories are not valued enough to be told and the injustices they face are not worthy of international attention. The diverse political and religious opinions of Iran’s population make it highly unlikely that any one woman could be the “face of the revolution.”

Agha-Soltan was described in the documentary as “a free spirit that is confined by a regime that does not value these qualities in a woman.” She is portrayed as an ordinary girl who loved to dance, listen to music, read books, and who wanted to be loved. Aghdashloo narrates, “In so many ways, any girl, anywhere, but this wasn’t anywhere, this was the Islamic republic of Iran, where even the clothes you wear have a political meaning.”

In between narrated commentary on the politics and status of women in Iran, the documentary gives a look into the life of Agha-Soltan through the testimony of her immediate family. Her story was used as platform to speak about the general status of women in Iran: Googoosh, a superstar who sought asylum outside Iran, and Rudi Bakhtiar of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran give their testimonies of living in Iran post-revolution. Both women offer the same perspective on the treatment of women in Iran and echo the same sentiments about the regime.

Nafisi posits that women seem to be irreligious as a result of the Iranian regime’s hijacking of religion, which translated into government control over women’s clothing. This was unbearable for Agha-Soltan, whose mother points out that she refused to wear the chador in school. There is only one picture shown of Agha-Soltan wearing hijab, perhaps to garner sympathy by reinforcing this sentiment that she was like any other woman and had to abide by Iran’s dress code.

I wondered if Agha-Soltan were pictured wearing the chador, would viewers feel as though they could identify with her? Would she have amassed such support? Or would she have been like many other women who died that year: forgotten? What about other women who were killed during this time? Why weren’t their names and images splashed all over the media and celebrated internationally?

In the days of protesting that followed the elections, Agha-Soltan was approached by three Basij women who said to her, “Dear, don’t come out looking so beautiful… do us a favor and don’t come out because Basiji men target beautiful girls and they will shoot you.”
These disturbingly ominous words, expressed that men, feeling threatened–in this case by a woman’s beauty–place the responsibility of the destruction of religious values on women and therefore attempt to make women invisible or disappear in order to preserve religion and culture.

On, June 20, 2009, this is what happened. However, the attempt to make Agha-Soltan disappear or to make her invisible was to no avail after the video of her death surfaced. Agha-Soltan, a girl like “any girl,” became a martyr. Activists and photojournalists like Reza Deghati went to task making “Neda masks.” They were distributed to over 100 capital cities around the world and were worn by protesters chanting, “We are Neda!”

The video of her death was one among many shocking videos; but unlike the other videos, the video of Agha-Soltan’s death were widely used to garner public sympathy. HBO’s documentary leaves the impression that Agha-Soltan became “the face of the revolution” mainly because she was like any girl anywhere. Through her death, she was able to focus international attention on the violence in Iran and elicit a response from international leaders.

However, Neda Agha-Soltan only represents one of the many faces of Iranian women and of the revolution. Had this been another face, a different Iranian woman, the international response and HBO’s documentary may have been very different.

Readers: I really enjoyed this documentary. Neda has been the symbol of Iran, to me. She was the face that I thought of whenever I heard from the girls in Iran…whenever they got the opportunity to blog me. Her death was the image that reminded me just how strong women are, just how much women can endure, in spite of their daily living conditions, in spite of being valued as half of a man.

The most ‘basic freedoms’ that we American women would never even think about, are daily restrictions women are forced to live by. Can you ever imagine calling ‘the ability to wear make-up how you please, or the clothing of your choice’ a ‘basic freedom’?

I have a new image that I now see when I think of women in Iran, and really any woman who is forced to be and act a certain way. And that image is of women freeing themselves from their hijab, exposing their beauty in all ways, smiling and celebrating their attainment as a whole human, equal to men. I hope to see that day soon.

Comments? Blog me.  

Zen Lill: I thought you would enjoy this little bit of fun. Got your message. I was out in the backyard enjoying the last few moments of summer solstice sunlight. Would love to hear what you come up with in your research. Keep us posted – thanks.

Peter: What I don’t understand is why you think I would prevent you from posting? Do you think I enjoy getting hell from my readers, accusing me of preventing them from commenting? Hell no. Even if I could prevent you from posting, which I can, why would I only to hear the wrath of readers such as yourself?  I’m not into self-infliction. The only thing I inflict upon myself is pleasure. :) Got it? So, that being said, your statement is a bit illogical don’t ya think? And the accusing gets very old.

Please don’t take this personally. This is meant to be a message to all of my readers who may, and do, think the same ridiculous thoughts. Although I seriously doubt this will be the end of it.

Hamilton: Perhaps you can think on it and get back to me? :) I will look forward to it. 

Oh…by the way, Peter, George and Simon: You will get more. 

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

               

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Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

 

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

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Good Morning!

I know many of you are expecting to see a photo of Zen Lill today, and you will.  She sent me 6 lovely photos to choose from, all pretty…ahem…focused, if I do say so myself, :) and honestly, I just couldn’t decide which one I liked the most to post. So I thought that I would have a little fun, and encourage you to join in. 

I decided that I would post all 6 photos and you be the judge of which one you like the best. I will post them in the order that I received them so that you know that I am not choosing to post them in any particular order myself.

I will post the first one today and post the remaining 5 at various times throughout my daily blogging. You, my loyal readers, can vote on your fave! Sound like fun? 

So without keeping you waiting, here’s ‘Number One’:

Readers: The voting is now open. The lines will only be open for the next 2 hours so get your votes in – the polls will close in 2 hours. Just kidding. At least I think I am, but who knows with this blog. :)

So…Blog this BABE. Let me know your thoughts…well at least let Zen Lill know. :) 

**********

B: Thank you for your open and honest comments about you and your family. I know that not all Islamic men feel that the women should be treated as second class citizens, and obviously you are one of them. Sending your girls away to France is good for them, but what about other women who can not find safety outside of their own country?

I realize your feelings also puts you in a tough position because you want to do what you can for the women in your life, and yet doing more threatens your life.

I know it is easy for me to say; I do not live in fear, but at some point, the men who feel as you do, need to stand up for and with the women, and fight for women’s rights along side of the women, even if it means possible death.  And encourage other like-minded men to do the same. It is one way that your country will move in the direction of change for women.

Women have to face this challenge everyday. They fear their lives everyday. Men who may feel as you do, in my opinion, should risk losing their lives too, for their wives, daughters, granddaughters, and the lives of women still yet to be born. 

I say the above statement lightly and with hesitation. As I said, you are in a tough position, because you have choice. The women have no choice. They do nothing or they do something, and the result is the same – they are abused, enslaved and fear death.  But you and other men like you, can choose to do something or nothing, and the results are very different. I can understand why you have feelings that disturb your breast.

My heart goes out to you and your family. And yes, you can count on me to continue to support women. 

Athena: Well said girl. I wish I had as much wisdom when I was your age. However, my worldly wisdom, told me that there was something more than just friendship between you and Homer, er…Philippe, and I guess I was right.  I love a girl who uses all of her assets…her brains and beauty. Don’t ever stop. :)

Hamilton: My pleasure. Thanks for taking a peek these past few months, and for commenting. Good question asked, and as a matter of fact I do. I was shopping the other day at Target looking for a few T-shirts that I wanted to creatively manipulate, and all I found were tees made in China. I didn’t buy them. I said to Doug when I got home that if I am going to be such a supporter of women, I have to be consistent and practice what I preach in all areas of my life. 

And the same goes for my Mac computer which I have had for over 5 years, and I got it from my old business partner. I don’t own an iphone, nor will I ever. I have had the same phone for almost as long. I am not saying that we need to stop buying products whose parts are made in China, but it would be good if we laid down some rules in regards to human rights, or we’ll take our business elsewhere. And we definitely need to have a consciousness about it, to make conscious decisions, and sadly many people don’t. 

I was at the Apple store the other night having my computer fixed, and the store, as always was packed with people. Are they aware that every electronic device they support leads to the plight of the Congo women? All because of the precious minerals that are used in computers and mined in the Congo. Unfortunately not. 

But the manufacturers aren’t innocent either. Do we really need a newly designed iphone or new mac computer every 6 months? No, but manufacturers, like yourself, are in the business  they are in to make money, and the more money the better. I am well aware that all it takes is a very small part in a computer to upgrade the computer, but that this specific part is not made to be replaceable. Therefore one needs to purchase an entire new computer. More minerals, more women dying.

We are a consumeristic society that feeds off of having the latest and greatest new electronic toys….all at the expense of women. And most of us aren’t even aware of it. While at the Apple store, I looked around at all the people excited about their new purchases. And all I thought about was that these people don’t even know what their new purchases are contributing to.

And my next thought was, ‘If they did would they care enough to make a difference?’ Would they stop buying or at least curb their desires? Or would they just stop for a moment, say, ‘How sad’, and then continue to consume at the insatiable rates that we do? It is the younger generation that is the biggest consumer and we need to enlighten them. 

So Hamilton, you are preaching to the choir. But I am so glad that  you asked. My question is: When will people’s lives be more important than the bottom line…more important than money? I hope that you will be inspired to move your business out of the Middle East.  I look forward to hearing from you again.

Glen: Now you bring tears to my eyes. Thank you. 

Qin: You’re very welcome. 

Igor: LOL – you and me both. 

Peace out beautiful people….

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

            

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

 

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

John Curley Photography

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

‘Just noticing’…

• …I get messages on Facebook and in my e-mail from men and women who want to talk to me…want to get to know me better.  I tell everyone the same thing: “Blog me.” Women seem to get it. The men? They don’t.

• …Why is it when Obama gets tough, the media says he’s going black. They mark him as just an angry back man. But when a white man get tough they’re just getting tough.  

• …That when the bombing of Baghdad began in August 2003, Bush said, “I think playing golf during a war sends the wrong signal.” Yet recorde show that he played golf for up to two months after the bombing. No one said anything to Bush; no one made remarks. And yet when Obama takes a day off to clear his mind and relax…play a game of golf, the media gets on his case big time. 

Again, I have to pause and make a comment. I am so disappointed in parts of the script of this movie. I think of how many young girls are watching and the messages that they are getting from these four girls that they so much want to emulate. Unfortunately it is the wrong message.

This movie had the opportunity to be so powerful for young women. It had the opportunity to show how women can be strong, seize their rightful and equal place in this world beside men, and expose the second class treatment of women in the Middle East.  Yet they chose to lead it into the direction that it is okay for women to be treated second class. It is okay for men to refuse to do business with a woman because a simple kiss in public is breaking the law, and yet on the other hand, it is okay that we as Americans do business with countries whose women are controlled, abused and enslaved by their men. Again, both instances are portrayed as okay, as long as it benefits him: Money in his pocket.  

Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda are girls girls through and through…they always have been. But the writer blew it when the girls didn’t do what I expected of them. Especially Samantha. Wouldn’t it have been more in character for Samantha to refuse to do business with the hotel owner (instead of him refusing her), knowing that women are considered second class citizens? 

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Samantha is now just discovering how women are treated in the Middle East. She wasn’t born yesterday – But now she has had the opportunity to see how women are treated firsthand by visiting Abu Dhabi and witnessing men’s behavior. Would you ever think that Samantha would accept such treatment towards women from men, not to mention do business with the likes of such men? Never.

There was a few other scenes in that movie that I ‘just noticed’ that were out of character and sent a disappointing message, but I’ll wait patiently to hear from you and see if what I noticed, you did too. :) Hint Hint: ‘The pool scene’, and ‘Designer clothing’.

Speaking of Patience…

Teddy: Luscious Zen Lill is on the way. Tomorrow I’ll make your day. :)

Jackie: I have barely made it to three years here; ten seems so far away. But thank you for your faith. I hope that I can have some sort of good influence in many ways via this blog.

Homer: I have travelled to your beloved country quite a few times, however I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Patras. Greece has a very special place in my heart, and for some reason love has always been a part of it. I travelled there with friends, when I was younger, and Doug asked me to marry him while we were visiting the island of Patmos.

And if I were single, you would not need to come to America – I could be easily wooed with the temptation of the beauty and heat of Greece alone; it is one of my most fave places to ‘just be’, and some day I will go back. :) So thank you for the open invite and the honorary membership in your Macedonia Society. How delightful.

In regards to my passions; I have many passions. And you’re correct; when I put my mind, and heart, into something, I am pretty relentless about getting it. I am not always successful but I do give it my all.  

Lastly, no apologies necessary -happy to give good wet dreams from afar. :) However, in regards to your little lie, what was the point? I am sure that you knew Athena would be reading. Busted, bad boy. And I hope you didn’t stand her up for lunch too. Note: Girls pay attention and take note how boys treat their girlfriends. So I’m ‘just noticing…’

Athena: Let’s face it, men lie, women lie, people lie. I’m not giving Homer an excuse – you seem like good friends. There was no reason for him to lie to you. (Are you reading Homer?) How was lunch? I hope you were not alone.(Are you reading Homer?)

Anyway Athena, I love your name. Athena – beautiful. I don’t know if that is your real name or your blog moniker, but somehow I bet you are quite the goddess, and all that goes along with that name. :)

Peace and love to both of you. I am aware of the recent economic crisis in Greece – I hope that your country is on its way to a better place for all. 

Readers: Anything you’re ‘just noticing’?  Blog this BABE. 

See everyone tomorrow. Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

                

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

 

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

John Curley Photography

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good Morning.

I write a lot about the atrocities that happen around the world. Many are about women. What I rarely write about is one with a good ending. Not because I want to focus on the plight of women, but because there is rarely a bad story with a good ending to write about. Here’s one that I found, thanks to the twittering of Ashton Kutcher:

A ROMANIAN man, who raped a teenager and forced her to work as a prostitute, after luring her into the UK with the promise of a better life, was found guilty on Friday 11 June at Southwark Crown Court of a string of offences. 28 year-old Cezar Livius Murariu was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of controlling prostitution for gain. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

During the trial, the court heard how 18-year-old “Natalya” was lured from her hometown in Northern Romania to the UK by Murariu, who claimed she could work legitimately and start a new life in London.

Natalya met Murariu in the summer of 2009 in Northern Romania. She socialised with him and they became friends, so he could gain her trust. In June 2009 Murariu invited her to the UK. He bought the bus ticket as a “gift” for her, and they travelled together from Romania to London.

Upon arrival he took her to a house in Hendon Way, north west London.

Just three days into the trip she was raped, by the man she had trusted. She was taken to a separate property in the same street, where Murariu grabbed her by the throat and raped her. She screamed as loudly as she could but was told to keep quiet or risk further violence. She was forced to have unprotected sex with Murariu. Natalya was still a virgin at the time of the assault.

Murariu forced her into prostitution, selling her body for sex to repay the debt for transporting her to the UK. She was threatened by Murariu; he insisted that if she did not perform sexual acts for money, he would lie to her family, claiming she was uncontrollable, working as a prostitute out of choice.

Her sexual services were offered to paying clients at £40 a time. She was not allowed to talk to clients, and would have to sleep with up to five men in any one day.

At 10:30hrs on 31 July 2009 officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s former Human Trafficking Team and Operation Golf – a joint investigation team with Romanian police – mounted a fast incident response to rescue the young woman.

The police rescued Natalya within 48 hours of being contacted by the family, who had raised the alarm that she was in trouble.
Natalya had managed to send text messages to her family, which they passed on to the Romanian officer on Operation Golf, to get help. The officer acted quickly, co-ordinating with colleagues in London.

Working with the family, officers instructed her to send over a number plate of a vehicle in the vicinity of where she was being held. This then helped pinpoint the location, so they could rescue her.

Two days later, Natalya was rescued from the local park, where she was made to exercise to keep in shape for their clients. Officers surrounded the park to secure the area, then rescued Natalya and took her to a safe location.

Officers said that she was visibly afraid when rescued from the scene and grateful that she had finally been saved. Natalya had a number of missed calls on her phone from Murariu, who had been frantically searching for her.

Murariu was later arrested by officers from the team, in the vicinity of the residence, actively searching for Natalya. 

DS Roddy Llewellyn from Operation Golf, said: “This vulnerable young European woman has been lured over to the UK, under the false promise of legitimate work and financial gain. She found herself being sold for sex. We work tirelessly both home and abroad to catch these criminals, to stop the exploitation of these young women.”

Judge HHJ Price told Murariu: “An aggravating feature of this case was the abuse of trust the victim. You are a highly controlling individual who represents a threat to this country.”

Readers: FYI: No, I am not a big fan of Kutcher. Although I do like that he dedicates a list on his blog strictly for ending slavery, where you can find twitters from different websites pertaining to ending slavery, that he is following. At least this is how I understand it. That in itself is a reason for me to follow him on twitter. 

My feelings are this: There are ‘decent’ men out there; this we know. They are in support of women. They don’t like the fact that women are treated as second class citizens or that women are truly slaves in some countries. They would never abuse a woman or ever even think of striking a woman.

But what are these good, so-called ‘decent’ men doing to prevent the atrocities from happening, the exploitation of young girls and women, and what are they doing to help end it? Are they doing something ‘decent’ in the form of taking some sort of action? Doing something ‘decent’ is taking the most honorable or appropriate course of action, even if is not necessarily in one’s own interests.

Kutcher has over 5 million followers on twitter. Unfortunately only a little over one thousand are following his ‘end slavery’ list. That is itself is very telling.  

************

Happy Monday everyone – Do me a favor and do something ‘decent’ for someone today. Thank you. 

Peace & Love: “Live it, Give it!”

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

xoxo michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

    

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Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

 

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

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All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

John Curley Photography

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Even though the saying ‘Women Rule’ has been overused, the world hasn’t quite grasped the meaning. 

I stumbled upon this quote from the Dalai Lama, when I was perusing Danielle Laporte’s Blog. Danielle had the good fortune of meeting with the Dalai Lama last year, amongst a small group of people, where they were so fortunate to ‘chat’ with him for about an hour.

I think His Holiness has quite a grasp on women.

“And you see, it does not matter whether you are Buddhist or Christian.” he went on. “Compassion lives in heart, beyond religion. Even me, Buddhist, I can say, you do not need Buddhism, just the compassion of the heart.”

“Women know this,” he went on. “Because, peace, peace is implicit in women. You put boys together, they make war. You put women together, they make peace.”

C’mon girls. It’s our time. Let’s band together like the boys okay? 

**********

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)

   

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

 

For archives dated before January 17, 2008 click on my Blogroll:

or click here: “A Day in the life of…”

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2010

John Curley Photography

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"