Snapped Shot

In case you missed it, Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo was kidnapped by the Taliban last week, and accused of being a spy. His captors claim that he and his associates entered the region illegally, and that lasers hidden in shampoo bottles were found in their possession.

How fortunate we are to see this morning that Jawa reports a videotape has been sent to La Repubblica containing a recording of a statement made by Mr. Mastrogiacomo. The paper released a still from the video, along with a transcript of his statement, which can be found at the Jawa link above. The Repubblica previously reported on another statement by the Taliban, which indicated that the thugs are looking for a prisoner exchange of some sort, in order to secure Daniele's release.

I don't see any word on the condition of his co-captors, but imagine that either a similar demand has been sent to the Afghani government to secure their release, or that they are considered a "package" deal by the Taliban thugs. In either case, I hope all of them will be released unharmed, and returned to their families.

It would appear that there is a distinct possibility that the kidnappers of BBC journalist Alan Johnston were aided by local Palestinian reporters whom he was working with. The same locals were also present at a number of other kidnappings, including the case involving Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni.

One is reminded of a certain ancient tale involving an alligator and a scorpion, for some odd reason.

My hopes are still for Mr. Johnson to be released swiftly, and for the perpetrators to be found and brought to justice.

Who woulda thunk it?

When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius's arch nemesis.

It should be noted that the Recorder hardly qualifies as being a "conservative" publication, so I guess that means blaming Chimpy Bushitler McHalliburton for this mess is out of the question. Time for all of you Pious owners to pony up and buy s'more "carbon credits," eh?

Remember our previous story about the "controversy" surrounding a small excavation near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem? It turns out, after the fact, that it isn't such a big deal after all. (h/t PajamasMedia)

Of course, UNESCO could very well be in on the Evil Zionist Conspiracy...



Previously: here, here, and here.

Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) has announced that he is officially an atheist. Of course, if you'll recall, Congressman Stark was also responsible for verbally abusing a constituent who had the audacity to question him in the form of a polite letter.

The American Humanist Association has certainly picked quite a mascot there...

Fox News just broke with an alert from Reuters that the U.S. Embassy in Algeria is warning of an "imminent" attack on Western flights, possibly to and from Algiers. I'm still looking for details, and will post them whenever I can find them.

(So far, no luck. I'm not seeing any travel advisories for Algeria yet, either. I'm not seeing anything on the FoxNews website either. C'mon, Fox--How about getting your facts straight before reporting the story? I mean, it's not like I enjoy looking delusional or anything, not that I'm the only one who is...)

11:15 EDT: Fox has repeated the alert, pegging the imminent attack on "extremists."

12:03 EDT: AFP article, via Pajamas Media.

Who knew that there was really a World Peace and Justice League? You get evil imperialist bonus points if you can correctly guess who their "dear leader" is before clicking the link.

If you're so inclined, feel free to read beyond the fold and check out the traditional Anti-US Anti-Imperialistic certainly non-jingoistic video production that's very illustrative of the "righteousness" of the League's cause. MANSE! Continue reading »

Apparently, this childhood taunt is a fitting depiction of European bureaucrats, who are busy trying to ban incandescent bulbs throughout the European Union. Of course, in typical Enviro-nazi fashion, the ban is being pushed without much of a valid reason. To wit:

• The "Compact Fluorescent" bulbs which the European Commission is pushing are no more efficient than incandescent ("standard") light bulbs over a long period of time
  
• "CF" bulbs can't be placed in enclosed light fixtures, microwaves, refrigerators, etc, which makes them somewhat of a hassle for homeowners
  
• The "non-steady" light put out by the "CF" bulbs takes longer to reach full strength, and after it does, it produces a flicker that is noticeable for a large portion of the population
  
• These "environmentally friendly" bulbs are manufactured using mercury vapours, which are already considered "environmentally unsafe" in a landfill, and thus requires an expensive recycling process
  
• It's been said that the life of a CF bulb is shortened significantly if it is switched on and off regularly, in the same manner as a "standard" incandescent bulb

Of course, if Europe wants to bankrupt itself in the name of some ill-defined and unreachable "principle," who am I to say that they should stop?

(h/t CAMERA Snapshots--no relation) Apparently, Alan Johnson, a correspondent for BBC in the Middle East, has been pulled from his car in Gaza City today and kidnapped by "Palestinians." No word yet on which faction is responsible or what their motivation is, but I suspect it's yet another bald money-grab, not that "Palestinians" are known for such things. With that in mind, I hope that the transaction is completed in short order, and Mr. Johnson is free to continue telling his stories safely soon thereafter.

Who knew that chinless ophthalmologists drove everyday cars?

Whadda ya know? It's Friday yet again, and it's looking an awful lot like last Friday. Considering how often this happens (and happens, and happens, and happens), I fail to see why anyone considers this to be "newsworthy" enough to continue sending photographers to cover them.


As usual, the rest of Friday's festivities follow below the fold! Continue reading »

Duh Alert! The article says it all:

Those who violate immigration laws more likely to violate other laws

Illegal alien amnesty [supporters] will probably come back with the argument that the large number of illegals in prison is due to the fact that they can't speak the language, can't understand the laws, so they are more likely to end up in prison. However, much of the crime that the incarcerated illegals committed is violent crime. One does not need to speak English to understand that murder, rape, theft, assault, and burglary are wrong.

Kim, step on up to the podium to collect your award!

There doesn't seem to be anything interesting on the wires today, so here's one from the Archive o' Dictators. Is the Li'l Kim Mania spreading to Japan too? I'm sure that some of the Blogosphere's finest (yuk yuk) are hoping for it!


(It sure does sound like certain other viruses, though... Conspiracy?)

With all the brouhaha coming out of South Korea over their proposed standards for the prevention of cruelty to robots, you've just got to wonder what people would think of this little beauty:


Update: Great minds think alike? Well, since Aussie Dave is the only "great mind" amongst the two of us, maybe not. Also, to answer Ace's request, I'd say this little contraption just might be a MACACA-BOT.