TresSugar

Front Page: Bailout Goes to House Vote, Abducted Tourists Freed, Floods Kill 41 in Vietnam

CitizenSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:00:34 -0700

Bailout Goes to House Vote:
The US House will vote on the Wall Street bailout bill today. President Bush spoke this morning urging the House to pass the measure. He said, "I'm confident that this rescue plan, along with other measures taken by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve, will begin to restore strength and stability to America's financial system and overall economy." Both candidates cautiously support the measure.

Abducted Tourists Freed:
A group of Italian and German hostages, abducted 10 days ago in Egypt, have been freed and are on their way to a military base in Cairo. No ransom was paid though the German government had been negotiating with them. Few details are known about the conditions of their release, though the Egyptian defense minister said half of the captors had been "eliminated."
Floods Kill 41 in Vietnam:
Typhoon Hagupit has triggered flooding in Vietnam killing 41 and injuring 60 more according to disaster officials. The typhoon made landfall last week and has caused severe landslides in mountainous provinces. The damages so far have been estimated at $60 million. An additional typhoon in Taiwan has killed two and injured 58 as well as forcing the closing of schools and the financial market.

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Front Page: School Shooting in Finland, Iran President Blames Economy on War, Germany Bids for Hostages

CitizenSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:00:39 -0700

School Shooting in Finland:
Nine people have been killed and the gunman wounded after he opened fire at a vocational school in western Finland this morning. Chaos ensued after the hooded gunman entered the school and began firing with what appeared to be an automatic weapon. The superintendent of police says, ''The incident is over now." The gunman had posted video of himself on YouTube prior to the attack.

Iran President Blames Economy on War:
In New York for the opening of the UN, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today that the economic crisis could be blamed on global US military intervention and President Bush's "logic of force." He said, "The world economy can no longer tolerate the budgetary deficit and the financial pressures occurring from markets here in the United States." Bush says he's confident Congress will quickly pass a bailout bill.
Germany Bids for Hostages:
Germany continues efforts to free 11 foreign tourists kidnapped in Egypt on Friday. The kidnappers are holding five Germans, five Italians, and one Romanian tourist for a ransom of $15 million. Germany has formed a "crisis team" to deal with the situation as the kidnappers have threatened to kill the captives if any aircraft attempt to reach them.

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Front Page: Congress May Add Stimulus, South Africa's Mbeki Resigns, Militants Kidnap 155 in Afghanistan

CitizenSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:38 -0700

Congress May Add Stimulus:
Congress is likely to raise the cost of the $700 billion rescue deal by adding more economic stimulus for taxpayers, according to Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Barney Frank. The cost of the current plan could reach $1 trillion. Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd urged caution this morning and praised Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson as "the right man."

South Africa's Mbeki Resigns:
South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki resigned yesterday after his political party demanded that he step down. He gave a brief speech saying, “I would like to say that gloom and despondency have never defeated adversity. Trying times need courage and resilience.” Mbeki has been temporarily replaced by Kgalema Motlanthe.

Militants Kidnap 155 in Afghanistan:
Three buses carrying Afghan laborers were stopped by militants and all 155 people on board were kidnapped. No one has yet claimed responsibility and the Interior Ministry spokesman says, "What demand might they have from the government? They are poor and innocent laborers who are traveling far distances for work." Though kidnappings and ransoms are routine in Afghanistan, this instance is the first time militants have attempted to abduct and hold such a large group.

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Mexicans Afraid of Kidnapping Implant GPS Chip Under Skin

CitizenSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:15:39 -0700

It's not the plot of a movie, though it sure seems like one: wealthy Mexicans are implanting GPS chips under their skin as a means to protect themselves from the out-of control plague of kidnappings. Mexican President Felipe Calderón convened and emergency meeting yesterday to create a plan including 65 specific ways to stop the abductions.

This year alone, there have been 314 kidnappings, added to 700 last year. Calderon says, "The truth is we are all responsible. We must recognize the traditional way of combating crime has not been sufficient. We must act in a more coordinated and vigorous manner."

Sparked by the 40 percent between increase in kidnapping between 2004 and 2007 Mexicans, are seeking out a tiny chip that can be injected under their skin to protect them. To see how it works, read more.

Sales for the chip made by Xenga have grown 13 percent this year to more than 2,000 clients. The chip is the size of a grain of rice, is injected with a syringe, and sends a radio signal that allows a satellite to map the location of a person in trouble.

It's a solution to the crime problem, but not for the poor. The chips cost nearly $6,000 plus an annual fee of $2,000. Is Calderón right? Is the rash of crimes everyone's responsibility, or is the government to blame? How far should they go to keep citizens safe?

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Front Page: Austria Cellar Daughter Awake, China Drains Quake Lake, TV Crew Abducted

CitizenSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:00:24 -0700

Austria Cellar Daughter Awake: Kerstin Fritzl, the 19-year-old woman, and the oldest daughter kept in the cellar in Austria, has regained consciousness. Her illness in April tipped Austria's authorities to the incest scandal. Kerstin is the oldest of seven children fathered by Josef Fritzl, her grandfather, during the 24 years he kept his daughter Elisabeth in his cellar, captive while raping her repeatedly. Doctors say Kerstin still requires intensive medical care. Let out of the cellar because of her illness, Kerstin has been unconscious and in intensive care since then.

China Drains Quake Lake: China declared victory today over the brimming lake formed by landslides from the massive earthquake, threatening to flood downstream communities. Sichuan province's top official claimed a "decisive victory" over the potential crisis. A manmade channel caused the water to pour out and into the mostly evacuated town of Qinglian, a resident who remained in the area said. More than 250,000 people downstream had moved to high ground due to fear that the lake could breach its banks entirely. About 1.3 million people total live downstream.
Phillipine's TV Crew Captured: A TV news team from the Philippines’s largest network along with one of the country’s most famous journalists is believed to have been abducted by members of the militant group Abu Sayyaf. The journalist, a cameraman, and driver were on their way to meet with Abu Sayyaf when they were intercepted on Sunday by armed men in a province where Abu Sayyaf, which is fighting for a separate Muslim state in the southern Philippines, are known to operate. Abu Sayyaf is notorious for its kidnap-for-ransom activities and has terrorized Filipinos and foreigners alike. The militants have been blamed for several major terrorist attacks across the Philippines in recent years. The abductors have not yet made contact.

What Is Stockholm Syndrome?

TresSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:05:37 -0700

News this week that Jaycee Lee Dugard, 11 years old when she was abducted in 1991, was discovered living in her abductor's backyard, prompts reactions both of happiness and horror. Happiness that this poor young woman, raped and twice-impregnated by her abductor, is finally free. Horror when you think of what her life must have been like these past 18 years. How is she going to fare now that she’s been reunited with her family and will finally be able to see a doctor, and hopefully, a therapist? Clues about her mental state were revealed by her stepfather Carl Probyn after talking to Jaycee’s mother: "She told me that Jaycee feels really guilty for bonding with this guy. She has a real guilt trip."

We hear this counterintuitive detail in many cases where kidnap victims and people in abusive relationships feel sympathy for their captors/abusers, identifying with them and even bonding with them. Natascha Kampusch, the young woman who only three years ago escaped from the man who abducted her at age 10 and kept her in a windowless cellar for eight and a half years, was distraught after hearing that he had committed suicide. Some psychologists say that this sympathy is, in part, what keeps abused women so psychologically attached to their abusers.

Although it's probably impossible for most of us who have never been in such extreme situations to imagine that someone would have any positive feelings toward a person who abused them or imprisoned them, psychologists have a term for why it happens: Stockholm syndrome. To find out what this fascinating and disturbing psychological term means, read more.

Coined by Swedish psychiatrist and criminologist Nils Bejerot to explain why, in 1972, Swedish bank employees sympathized with the bank robbers who held them hostage for six days, Stockholm Syndrome can arise if the captor - in between his or her abuse - occasionally shows gestures of affection or concern, or gives them something they need. Experts say that what the victim doesn't consciously acknowledge is that these gestures tend to be self-serving, rather than genuine tokens of kindness.

Stockholm Syndrome became a household word in the '70s with the infamous Patty Hearst case. The millionaire heiress granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, Hearst was abducted at age 19 from her apartment in Berkeley, CA, by a fringe left-wing guerilla group that called themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army. During her captivity, according to Hearst, she was blindfolded and kept in a closet, occasionally taken out to be beaten or sexually assaulted. After a time, the brainwashed Hearst succumbed to Stockholm Syndrome, according to psychologists who examined her, and began to sympathize with the SLA's agenda of creating a fairer society. She helped them rob a bank and later even said positive things about them to the press.

After Hearst's arrest and trial, her lawyer told the jury that she should not be charged in the case as a person who was operating in a normal capacity, of her own free will. They didn't buy the diagnosis of Stockholm Syndrome, however, and Hearst served two years in prison until Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence in 1979.

It's terrifying to think about the convolutions our minds are capable of when survival is the goal. What do you think about Stockholm Syndrome - do you buy it as a diagnosis?

Japan's New First Lady Has Been Abducted by Aliens

TresSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Japan mixed things up this week by electing the opposition party for the first time in 50 years. Along with Prime Minister-elect Yukio Hatoyama, the country will welcome his eccentric wife Miyuki Hatoyama as their first lady. Here are some key facts to help you get to know more about the newest addition to the First Spouses Club.

Miyuki is a lifestyle guru, macrobiotics enthusiast, retired actress, and designer of such garments as a skirt she made from coffee sacks.
She says she was abducted by aliens 20 years ago and traveled to the planet Venus.
Miyuki also says she knew Tom Cruise in a previous life, when he was Japanese. She'd like to make a Hollywood movie with her old friend.
Then-married Miyuki met her husband in San Francisco, when he was studying at Stanford and she was working at a restaurant. Yukio said: "The average man chooses his mate from among unmarried women. I chose mine from among all women."

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to follow Mr. and Mrs. Hatoyama as they make their way on the international stage!

Headline: Wave of Abductions in Pakistan

LibertySugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:01:36 -0800

Yesterday, Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin, disappeared, and it is believed he was abducted. At the same time, masked gunman also kidnapped two technicians from Pakistan's Atomic Energy Agency, which is in charge of the country's nuclear development. These recent abductions are just the latest outcome of fierce fighting between pro-Taliban Islamist militants and government troops in northwest Pakistan.

Pakistani authorities will not confirm any details surrounding the disappearance of Ambassador Azizuddin. Afghan security forces speculate that his capture may be reprisal for the capture of top Taliban leader Mansoor Dadullah, who was was wounded and arrested by Pakistani forces on Monday as well. Some sources report that local Taliban leaders have claimed responsibility for the abduction of the Ambassador Azizuddin, and are willing to exchange the ambassador for Maansoor Dadullah.

It is still unclear whether the atomic technicians were kidnapped by members of a criminal gang, or the Islamic militants. But, the mountainous tribal region, close to the Afghan-Pakistan border, has a strong presence of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Source

Say What? Elizabeth Smart Doesn't Let Trials Hold Her Back

TresSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0700

"I have just never let it hold me back, and I have gone on to do everything, so far, that I have wanted to do, and I think that's so important. We all have our trials, and we all experience hard times, but I don't think we should ever let it disable us from what we want to do."

- Elizabeth Smart, the girl who was abducted from her bedroom when she was 14 and held captive and raped for nine months, explains that a determined spirit cannot be crushed. Elizabeth spoke yesterday at a panel about "Overcoming the Unimaginable" - something she has truly done.

Woman Held Captive For Eight Years as Child Gives First Interview

TresSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Three years after she escaped from a man who abducted her at age 10 and kept her in a basement for eight and a half years, Natascha Kampusch gave her first interview to British television. She talks about how she's doing; what she thinks about fellow Austrian Elisabeth Fritzl, who'd been held captive by her father and forced to have his children; and if she thinks such stories are particular to Austria.

Kampusch was walking home from school in 1998 when Wolfgang Priklopil abducted her. He kept her in a small, soundproof cellar underneath his garage that had no windows. Although he gave her books and music, and sometimes allowed her to go to his house upstairs, it was only when she was a teenager that she was allowed to go outside, sometimes even accompanying him on trips. It was while she was cleaning his car and he was distracted on his cell phone that she was able to finally escape from him. Upon seeing that Kampusch had escaped, he committed suicide by jumping in front of a train.

Asked if she thought that these cases of young girls being abducted and held captive were particular to Austria, she replied that although they happened everywhere, in the case of Austria, it was part of the effect of World War II. “At the time of national socialism," she says in the interview, "the suppression of women was propagated and authoritarian education was very important.”