The Lexus And The Olive Tree Ball Cap And The Browning

According to a BBC report from Sirte, the Libyan rebel who discovered Qaddafi, a kid named Mohammed al-Bibi, was wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap at the time. That's him in the photo, holding up a gold-plated Browning P-35 pistol that he took from Qaddafi. (An excellent pistol, by the way; I used to have one myself, but just in plain blued steel.)

There are surely more important things to say about the end of Qaddafi, but I'm kind of struck by the weird mashup of cultural artifacts in that photo: dusty peasant militiamen, designer sunglasses, American ball caps, and a pimped-out pistol made in Belgium. There is a story about globalization and consumption somewhere in there, twisted around a political narrative about oppression and post-colonial violence.

Qaddafi's Misty Watercolor Memories Of The Way They Were

I knew that Qaddafi was hopelessly smitten with ex-SecState Condoleezza Rice. See this post from 2009. He gave her presents, and gushed to Al Jazeera about his infatuation with her:

"I support my darling black African woman," he said. "I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders ... Leezza, Leezza, Leezza ... I love her very much. I admire her, and I'm proud of her, because she's a black woman of African origin."

Okay, we all loved Leezza. But that wasn't going to happen for him, so you would think that Qaddafi would forget her and move on. But, no.

Now that rebels have sacked Qaddafi's home and pawed through his photo albums, it turns out the poor fool has been carrying a torch for his Leezza, Leezza, Leezza all this time. Talk about misguided affection.

The thought of a lovestruck dictator mooning over photos of an old would-be girlfriend is simply embarassing.

As the Godfather would advise Qaddafi, "you can act like a man! (Slap!) Whatsa matter with you?"

Qaddafi's #1 Son Drops By Rixos Hotel, Talks To CNN

Saif Qaddafi was looking pretty good for someone who was reported by the Chairman of the Transitional National Council to have been captured by the rebels a day ago.

Posted one hour ago (around 8:30 tonight EDT, 11:30 PM Tripoli time) by a CNN correspondent:

Has The Qäddaferdämmerung Begun At Last?

Libyan news presenter Hala Masrati had a meltdown on the al-Libiyah television channel early this morning, Sunday August 21.



Source: Al Zajeera Live Blog.

"With this weapon, I either kill or die today, you will not take al-Libiyah channel. You won't take Jamahiriyah channel, Shababiyah channel, Tripoli or all of Libya, and even those without a weapon are willing to be a shield in order to protect their colleagues at this channel. We are willing to become martyrs."

The video is being run by various news outlets this morning, however, they report that it was originally posted by an unidentified social media source, so take that into account.

The news presenter, Hala Masrati, is a well-known Qaddafi loyalist of the over-the-top sort (google her), so I think the video is genuine.

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Qaddafi's Nurse Departs Before The Qäddaferdämmerung

The British press is all abuzz tonight with the news that Galyna Kolotnytska, the Ukrainian nurse who has been closely associated with Qaddafi for nine years, has chosen to leave Tripoli before the operatic climax of the old regime.

In other words, she won't be the Clara Petacci to his Mussolini. If Qaddafi ends up hanging upside down in a public square, he'll have to do it without his female companion. Wise choice.

Galyna Kolotnytska, one of four Ukrainian nurses said to dote on the dictator and by all accounts his favourite, returned to her native Ukraine in the early hours of Sunday morning on a plane that evacuated 122 Ukrainians.

Her daughter Tatyana, who lives just outside the Ukrainian capital Kiev, had previously said she was expecting her mother in the near future after talking to her on the phone last Friday.

"She spoke in a calm voice, asked us not to worry, and said she would be home soon," the daughter, a student, told a local newspaper.

A leaked US diplomatic cable last November described the 38-year-old divorced nurse, as a "voluptuous blonde" who traveled with Col Gaddafi everywhere.

"Gaddafi relies heavily on his long-time Ukrainian nurse, Galyna Kolotnytska, who has been described as a 'voluptuous blonde'," the cable said.

The British press uses the phrase "voluptuous blonde" a lot, doesn't it? By the way, I've seen the pictures, and I don't think either adjective is accurate.

There's more here, from The Guardian, and here, from The UK Sun.

Has Anyone Ever Seen Them Both In The Same Place?

There are rumors flying around that Qaddafi has fled Libya. Some say he's in Venezuela.

But check out these photos. Has anyone ever considered the possibility that Qaddafi has slipped away disguised as Bob Dylan on tour?


































Dylan is the one on the bottom (I think). I swear, if you just switched their hats, no one could tell the difference. The resemblance is so close, it almost makes me wonder whether the wily desert mad man has been living a second life in Minneapolis as an aged reclusive singer-songwriter.

The Man of Many Names Has a Website

His Arabic name is romanised as "Mu'ammar Al-Qadhafi," according to the U.S. Department of State, but other organizations tranliterate it in different ways. Many different ways. The U.S. Library of Congress lists 53 variations on the spelling of his name (see below).

But I have just discovered the true spelling direct from the clotheshorse's mouth. It turns out he is actually Brother Leader "Al Gathafi," and he has lots of weighty things to say at Al Gathafi Speaks.

Here are the spelling variations listed in the Library of Congress's Name Authority Record for the Brother Leader:

Gadhafi, Moammar
Kaddafi, Muammar
Qadhafi, Muammar
El Kadhafi, Moammar
Kadhafi, Moammar
Moammar Kadhafi
Gadafi, Muammar
Mu'ammar al-Qadafi
Moamer El Kazzafi
Moamar al-Gaddafi
Mu'ammar Al Qathafi
Mo'ammar el-Gadhafi
Muammar Kaddafi
Moamar El Kadhafi
Muammar al-Qadhafi
Mu'ammar al-Qadhdha
Qadafi, Mu'ammar
El Kazzafi, Moamer
Gaddafi, Moamar
Al Qathafi, Mu'ammar
Qadhdhai, Mu'ammar
Khaddafi, Muammar
Muammar al-Khaddafi
Mu'amar al-K'ad'afi
K'ad'afi, Mu'amar al-
Ghaddafy, Muammar
Ghadafi, Muammar
Ghaddafi, Muammar
Kaddafi, Muamar
Quathafi, Muammar
Gheddafi, Muammar
Muammar Ghaddafy
Muammar Ghadafi
Muammar Ghaddafi
Muamar Al-Kaddafi
Muammar Quathafi
Muammar Gheddafi
Khadafy, Moammar
Qudhafi, Moammar
Qathafi, Mu'Ammar el
El Qathafi, Mu'Ammar
Kadaffi, Momar
El Gaddafi, Moamar
Moamar el Gaddafi
Kazzafi, Moammar
Gheddafi, Muhammar
al-Qadhafi, Muammar
Muammar Al-Gathafi
Al-Gathafi, Muammar
Gathafi, Muammar
Kadhafi, Mouammar
Al Gathafi, M.

and finally,

Gathafi, M. Al

A New Leader for Africa and for Men's Fashions

Muammar Qaddafi has always been a fashion-forward kind of dictator, but from the looks of that ensemble he was wearing on the occasion of his installation as Chairman of the African Union, he's now taken Third World Leader Style to a whole new level.

That golden brocade man-dress he's wearing is stunning. And that wrap with the emerald brooch in the shape of Africa, that cap at exactly the right jaunty angle, and the killer sunglasses? It's all absolutely perfect.

Who other than Qaddafi could pull off that look? Nobody. He's left even President Hamid Karzai behind in his voguish dust.