Clipmarks | Captivity Clips

Hungary's 'forgotten' war victims

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:07:37 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: Back in his living-room, Arpad's three-year-old granddaughter, Jofie, brings me wooden elephants and antelopes to admire and stands quietly listening to our conversation.

On the table, Arpad has arranged photographs that he took on his trips east in search of the lost Hungarians.

"Maybe that one is your dad," Jofie tells him, wanting so much to be helpful and pointing to a group of men who are holding a cross on a small hill in the city of Baltsi.

"That hill," says Arpad, "is made of human bones."

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The deportation in 1944 of thousands of Hungary's civilians to the Soviet Union, although on a similar scale to the deportation of its Jewish people to the death camps, receives little official attention in Hungary, as Nick Thorpe reports.

Arpad Kovari stands at the top of the steps at Nyiregyhaza railway station, nearly two metres tall, scanning the faces of the new arrivals from Budapest. He hides his disappointment well as I shake his hand.

He was hoping for a whole television crew, not a lone reporter, to listen to his tale of what he dares to call the Hungarian Holocaust: the deportation of some 600,000 Hungarians to Soviet labour camps after the Second World War and the death of at least 200,000 in captivity

His father was one of them.

Many graveyards

Nyiregyhaza is as rich in tombs as it is in apples. There are nine graveyards.

'Hill of human bones'

For 20 years, Arpad Kovari has been trying to persuade the Hungarian state to create a day of remembrance for the Hungarian Holocaust

Irish woman freed from hell in the Sudan

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:07:09 GMT

clipped by: Antara
clipper's remarks: How I wish Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout, trapped in a Somalian hell-hole, could say the same.

Clip Source: www.independent.ie

FREED aid worker Sharon Commins was embraced in a wave of love when she returned to the arms of her family early today.

Sharon Commins and her parents pictured shortly after she arrived at Baldonnell early today.

Last night the Commins family finally had their daughter Sharon back in their arms after 106 days in captivity in Sudan and they simply couldn’t contain their joy.

Asked what she wanted most, she said: “ Champagne, eggs Benedict and a bed that doesn’t smell like onions.”

And to sleep “for more than three minutes at a time”.

Scant details of her ordeal have already emerged, including mock executions, where the women were forced to kneel on the ground and shots were fired around them.

She also hinted that she and fellow victim – Ugandan Kawuki – were subjected to physical violence, but did not want to speak about individual incidents.

She did not know that they were set to be released until 15 minutes before they were put into a car and driven away.

Tags: sudan, terror, kidnapping, charity workers, ireland

Afghanistan Syndrome

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:54:21 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Asad and Tahir would be the first ones to die.

As the months dragged on, I grew to detest our captors. I saw the Haqqanis as a criminal gang masquerading as a pious religious movement. They described themselves as the true followers of Islam but displayed an astounding capacity for dishonesty and greed.

Whole thing. I hope Obama, Emanuel, Axelrod, Biden, Reid, Levin, Pelosi, etal, are paying attention. You know, between Filkins and Rohde, I’m starting to warm up to the Times a little. At least until the next al-Qaeda early warning system alert goes up. What’s going on … when even the AP’s Kabul bureau seems to be starting to get it?

* Though maybe not as far from Stockholm, New York, your town as some people would like to think. Yes, we’re still having this conversation in 2009.

Clip Source: www.julescrittenden.com

It’s a long way from Stockholm.* Pretty much he other side of the world. NYT scribbler David Rohde, “inside the Emirate,” on what happened to him in extended Taliban captivity:

During our time as hostages, I tried to reason with our captors. I told them we were journalists who had come to hear the Taliban’s side of the story. I told them that I had recently married and that Tahir and Asad had nine young children between them. I wept, hoping it would create sympathy, and begged them to release us. All of my efforts proved pointless.

Before the kidnapping, I viewed the organization as a form of “Al Qaeda lite,” a religiously motivated movement primarily focused on controlling Afghanistan.

Living side by side with the Haqqanis’ followers, I learned that the goal of the hard-line Taliban was far more ambitious.

They wanted to create a fundamentalist Islamic emirate with Al Qaeda that spanned the Muslim world.

At all times, an ugly truth hovered over the three of us.

Tags: afghanistan, media, obama, taliban hostage

Kidnap Victim Jaycee Dugard People Magazine Photo Revealed

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:05:05 GMT

clipped by: GossipandGab

Clip Source: snarkfood.com

Kidnap Victim Jaycee Dugard People Magazine Photo Revealed

Jaycee Dugard, who spent 18 years in captivity, is finally speaking out about her ordeal in the pages of People Magazine. The mag, which hits newstands on Friday, also features the first adult photo of Jaycee Dugard released since she was found.

Tags: news, law, crime, entertainment, jaycee dugard people magazine, jaycee dugard, jaycee dugard photo, people magazine, jaycee dugard people

Rape ordeal of heiress

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:05:33 GMT

clipped by: foxyarse
clipper's remarks: She told how within hours of being abducted in June 2002, she was taken to a secluded mountain campsite and made his polygamous 'wife' in a quickie ceremony.

'After that he proceeded to rape me,' said Miss Smart. She said Mitchell, who already had a wife, Wanda Eileen Barzee, showed her pornography and plied her with alcohol and drugs. Once, she tried to fight him off by biting him.

Miss Smart said Mitchell would rape her three or four times a day, almost every day. There was some respite, usually when Barzee became upset, but it never lasted.

Throughout her captivity, Miss Smart had to wear a white, anklelength robe, a head scarf and two veils across her face.

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Rape ordeal of heiress abducted by preacher and 'tied up with cable and attacked four times a day'

An heiress has told how she was raped three or four times a day for nine months after being abducted by a preacher.

Elizabeth Smart, 21, said she was kidnapped by Brian Mitchell at the age of 14 from her bedroom in the middle of the night.

He kept her tied up and threatened to kill her if she tried to escape back to her wealthy Mormon family.

Abducted: Elizabeth Smart, now 21, claims she was raped four times a day and tied with a cable by 'prophet' Brian David Mitchell, right

She did not have to see Mitchell as the 55-year- old had been removed from the courtroom in Salt Lake City, Utah, for disrupting proceedings by singing hymns.

The federal court is hearing the case to rule if Mitchell, who describes himself as a prophet, is mentally competent to stand trial.

The former street preacher has been behind bars since 2003, mostly in a mental hospital, but has twice been ruled unfit to stand trial.

Tags: rape ordeal of heiress

'Hello, this is Gilad'

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:40:16 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Addressing his parents and siblings, Gilad says: "I wish to send my well-wishes to my family and tell them that I love them and miss them greatly, and hope for the day I'll see them again. Dad, Yoel, and Hadas, do you remember the day you arrived at my base in the Golan Heights, on December 31, 2005? We toured around the base and you took a picture of me on a Merkava tank and on one of the old tanks at the entrance to the base. Later we went to a restaurant in one of the Druze villages and on the way we took pictures on the side of the road, against the backdrop of the snowy Hermon Mountain."

"I want to tell you that I feel well in medical terms, and that the Mujahidin from the al-Qassam Brigades are treating me excellently. Thank you very much and goodbye," Gilad concludes.

Gilad's parents, Noam and Aviva, watched the tape privately in their home earlier in the day, and later granted the Prime Minister's Office permission to publicize it.

Clip Source: www.ynetnews.com

After 1,195 days in captivity, Gilad Shalit was seen for the first time in a Hamas videotape released for publication Friday afternoon.

The roughly two-and-a-half minute video shows Gilad facing the camera. The captive soldier holds a newspaper from September 14th and appears to be in sound mental condition.

In the tape, Shalit says: "Hello, this is Gilad, son of Noam and Aviva Shalit, brother of Hadas and Yoel, who lives in Mitzpe Hila. My ID number is 397029. As you can see I am holding today's Falasteen newspaper published in Gaza. I read the newspaper in order to find information about myself, and in hopes of reading about information of my return home and my imminent release."

Gilad then continues: "I hope the current government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't waste this opportunity to reach an agreement and as a result, allow me to fulfill my dream and be released."

Tags: 1195 days in captivity, gilad shalits video, kidnapped by hamas, prime minister benjamin netanyahu, secure gilads release, video @site

1,000,000 spiders make golden silk for rare cloth

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:46:50 GMT

clipped by: Lexica
clipper's remarks: Wow. I wish I could see this. Hey, Spiritualmonkey, maybe we should go visit your folks... and go to the museum while we're there.

Clip Source: www.wired.com

A rare textile made from the silk of more than a million wild spiders goes on display today at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

To produce this unique golden cloth, 70 people spent four years collecting golden orb spiders from telephone poles in Madagascar, while another dozen workers carefully extracted about 80 feet of silk filament from each of the arachnids. The resulting 11-foot by 4-foot textile is the only large piece of cloth made from natural spider silk existing in the world today.

Researchers have long been intrigued by the unique properties of spider silk, which is stronger than steel or Kevlar but far more flexible, stretching up to 40 percent of its normal length without breaking. Unfortunately, spider silk is extremely hard to mass produce: Unlike silk worms, which are easy to raise in captivity, spiders have a habit of chomping off each other’s heads when housed together.

Tags: fabric, textiles, spiders, neat

Free Speech: Court Reverses $5 Million Ruling Against Gay, Jew, and Soldier-Hating Westboro Baptist

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:57:15 GMT

clipped by: jmatts78
clipper's remarks: They'll also target Jewish temples:

"The bigots will protest on Saturday in front of Congregation Beth Elohim on Eighth Avenue in Park Slope at 9:45 am, at Union Temple on Eastern Parkway in Prospect Heights at 10 am and the Kane Street Synagogue in Cobble Hill at 12:30 pm on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. On Wednesday, church spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper said the rallies were not anti-Jewish or anti-gay. 'How about we call it an ‘Obey your God’ rally?' she said. 'You Jews and gays have got to put away your false gods, your idols and your filthy way of life.' She added that 'God hates the disobedient.' ... 'We picked these weekends because these are the high holidays,' she said. 'You Jews broke the covenant with God. The beast is going to bring the nations to march upon Jerusalem. Your houses will be destroyed and your women ravaged. It’s going to make the Holocaust, the Babylonian captivity and the destruction of the Temple look like a tea party.

Clip Source: www.towleroad.com

A federal appeals court reversed a $5 million judgment (originally an $11 million judgment, which was reduced) against Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church, ruling that the church's protest outside the funeral of an Iraq veteran was free speech:

"The ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., held that the signs and writings of the Westboro Baptist Church, which included anti-gay and anti-military messages, are protected by the First Amendment. The Topeka-based congregation has protested at military funerals across the country."

Tags: bullshit

Sprill and Ritchie: Adventures in Time Game Download

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:07:57 GMT

clipped by: javasky
clipper's remarks: Sprill and Ritchie: Adventures in Time, Sprill and Ritchie: Adventures in Time Game, Sprill and Ritchie: Adventures in Time Download, Sprill and Ritchie: Adventures in Time Game Download, Sprill and Ritchie: Adventures in Time Game Free Download

Clip Source: www.dzjp365.cn

Sprill and Ritchie: Adventures in Time Game

Media Presence STOPS Japanese DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:43:56 GMT

clipped by: leevardi

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

Has Japan's Dolphin Slaughter Been Prevented?

Media presence in Taiji seems to be keeping the dolphin killers at bay -- for now.

A few weeks ago I wrote a review of the amazing film The Cove, which used a sting operation of experts to infiltrate a secret cove in the town of Taiji, Japan to show the world an incredible horror: In Taiji thousands of dolphins are captured and many of them sold to the lucrative world market that uses captive dolphins for tourism at either aquariums or swim-with-dolphins ventures. Making indentured servants of one of the most amazing wild creatures on our planet is sure crime enough, but it gets worse. The dolphins that are not sold into captivity are slaughtered for their meat, which is sometimes sold falsely as whale meat, since dolphins have often toxic levels of mercury in their bodies.

Gilad Shalit

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:05:42 GMT

clipped by: merrie

Clip Source: drybonesblog.blogspot.com

Today's cartoon was done in anger and born out of frustration.

Israel's handling of the kidnapping and the "negotiations" has been, and continues to be a disaster. Here in Israel we are bombarded with constant "coverage" of the kidnapped soldier story. Constant debate about how many convicted terrorists we'll have to release. Israel's government seems unable to deal with the situation with any strength or intelligence. The truth is that there is simply no proof that Gilad is still alive. And no reason to believe that, after handing over the terrorists, we will receive anything other than a corpse ...as we have in the past.

Meanwhile the captivity of Jonathan Pollard continues, shockingly, to be ignored by our "leadership".

Tags: gaza, gilad shalit, israel, jonathan pollard

10 Deadliest Sea Creatures

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:00:31 GMT

clipped by: celestialdancer
clipper's remarks: "Before we continue, a nod to venerable contenders that aren't on the list: killer whales (there are few confirmed attacks, accept by those in captivity), octopuses (yes, they've been known to attack), sea cucumbers (who'da thunk?) and piranhas (which actually live only in freshwater, and whose deadly attacks on people are pure myth)." Live Science

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

On land during the day, we humans rule. Or at least we're considered top predators, and with our feet on the ground, we're in our element.

In the sea, sans a boat, forget about it. We're too slow, too encumbered with gear, and often too stupid to be much more than prey. What's to worry about down there? Plenty!

Yes, this list is subjective, but it's based on research aimed at finding the creatures of the deep that conjure the most compelling combination of frightening personas, actual aggression and/or real pain or death to humans. More often than not, pain and death from sea creatures is avoidable, especially in the case of two on this list that inflict most of their damage in home aquariums and restaurants.

Captivity | captivity dictionary

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:04:28 GMT

clipped by: kamakanasantanaabreu
clipper's remarks: rendition, captivity definition, captivity rating, captivity book, hostel 2, captivity movie, breach, captivity dictionary, dead silence, cashback, daniel gillies, i know who killed me, captivity trailer, captivity torrent, control, elisha cuthbert, animal captivity, fracture, captivity review, define captivity, Captivity

Clip Source: www.milok.biz

Captivity | captivity dictionary

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Kidnapping Case: Investigators Search for Evidence on Series of Unsolved Murders

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:58:36 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Dugard's stepfather Carl Probyn told FOX News' Geraldo Rivera that his daughter, now 29, is fragile and said he did not think she had tried to escape the backyard compound during her captivity.

Probyn told FOX News that Jaycee is "an extremely good mother" and that his grandchildren were homeschooled by Garrido. He said the children, now 11 and 15, just found out that Jaycee was kidnapped.

"They thought he was their dad. They didn't know Jaycee was kidnapped. She told them two days ago."

Probyn says he's unsure if his daughter loved Garrido, but she "definitely was bonded to him after 18 years."

Police in Pittsburg, a Bay Area city near where the Garridos lived, have said they are investigating whether Phillip Garrido may be linked to several unsolved murders of prostitutes in the 1990s. Antioch police are also looking into unsolved cases but declined further details.

“We will take a close look at if there are any links to open cases,” Lee said,

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

ANTIOCH, Calif. — Armed with rakes, shovels and chain saws, about 20 officers on Sunday combed the backyard of a couple charged with kidnapping and raping Jaycee Lee Dugard and used cadaver dogs to search an adjoining property where neighbors say one of the suspects once served as a caretaker.

"We do consider it a crime scene," said Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department.

PHOTOS: Missing Girl Found 18 Years Later

Lee would not elaborate on what kind of evidence investigators were seeking or the nature of the possible crimes involving the second property. The link to the kidnapping case is that Phillip Garrido, the man charged with holding Dugard in captivity for 18 years in his own backyard, had access to the neighboring land when the house that sits on it was vacant three years ago.

VIDEO: Jaycee Lee Dugard's stepdad discusses her return

"She survived 18 years. If she tried to climb the fence every day, she wouldn't be here today," Probyn said.

Tags: jaycee lee dugard, kidnapped and held captive 18 years, phillip phillip garrido registered sex offender, raped and impregnated victim

Israeli President Calls Deal on Kidnapped Soldier 'Close'

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:35:42 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Asked about that decision, Peres told Fox News, “You’re right. It is a very difficult decision and it’s very painful. But, according to our set of values and to our way of life " the life of a single person is worth the whole world. We take care of every individual as though he would be the collective sum of many people.”

Peres also said Sunday that Israel will "reply immediately" if attacked by Hamas " one day after after Israel Air Force planes bombed a tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip in response to a Qassam rocket fired by Palestinian militants into an Israeli town early Saturday.

"They know immediately there will be retaliation," he said. "There is an unwritten game between us and them. They know if they won’t respect it, they will pay heavily.”

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Israeli President Shimon Peres said talks with Hamas to try to free kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit are continuing and that “the gap has narrowed.”

"We’re in the middle of negotiations… but we didn’t reach an agreement. And in that case, we wouldn’t want to endanger his life,” Peres said Sunday in an exclusive interview with FOX News.

Asked if he thought a prisoner exchange would happen soon, President Peres said, “I think there is a chance it will happen soon, but Hamas is not an organized group of people and what they say today – they may change tomorrow.”

Watch Bret Baier's interview Monday on Special Report at 6 p.m. ET.

Shalit was captured by Hamas in 2006. On Thursday, the Shalit family celebrated Gilad’s 23rd birthday — his third year in captivity.

German magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday that German mediators are involved in the talks, and that a new proposal includes Israel releasing more than 400 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit.

Tags: gilad shalit, kidnapped by hamas in 2006, simon peres to try and free kidnapped idf soldier