Blog Posts by Claudine Zap

Click image to see more photos. Etan Patz disappeared on May 25, 1979 (AP Photo/Stanley K. Patz)

In today's social-media world, it's hard to imagine: But in 1979, there was no coordinated effort of state or national law enforcement when a child went missing. Etan Patz, who disappeared 33 years ago on May 25, changed the way searches were conducted ever after.

The 6-year-old made national headlines when he disappeared on his way to the school bus, a two-block walk in New York City's Soho neighborhood. Patz's father, a professional photographer, made copies of Etan's picture and distributed them far and wide, raising the profile of the missing-person case.

In 1983, Ronald Reagan declared May 25, the day Etan Patz disappeared, as National Missing Children's Day. But in the 1980s, many kids spent their mornings slurping their cereal while staring at the faces of missing kids on the sides of milk cartons. Etan Patz was in the first group of photos sent out by the National Child Safety

Read More »

A fighter plane from World War II that crashed in the Sahara 70 years ago has been unearthed, and holds clues to a missing pilot.

The Telegraph reports that the intact American-made Curtiss Kittyhawk P-40, which had remained untouched since its crash landing in 1942, was discovered by a Polish oil company worker, Jakub Perka, who was exploring a remote region of the Western Desert in Egypt, about 200 miles from the nearest town.

It is believed that the airman, Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping, 24, initially survived the crash, because a parachute found at the scene looks to have been used as a makeshift shelter. But no trace of the body was found, leaving experts to believe the pilot walked away from the flight, then walked to his death in a hopeless attempt to find civilization.

A military historian, noting that there would be no reason on earth to have found the plane in the middle of the desert, hailed the find as " a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of

Read More »

President Obama's endorsement of gay marriage added to a flood of opinions on the issue.

The president came out in support of same-sex marriage, saying for the first time on Wednesday, "For me personally, it is important for me  to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."

Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, later praised the president on "The Rachel Maddow Show." "To have Barack Obama, the President of the United States, to say once and for all, I believe in equality of all citizens, I think it has a symbolic effect…it is a historic thing."

Fox News host Shep Smith, whose show aired at the time President Obama gave his support, delivered what many considered a shocking response from the conservative network: "The president of the United States, now in the 21st century."

Vice President Joe Biden got the ball rolling last Sunday, when, in response to a question about same-sex marriage, he said on NBC's "Meet the Press," "I am absolutely comfortable

Read More »

[Warning: Graphic video.]

Undercover video of a Platte County, Wyoming, pig farm shows workers kicking piglets like soccer balls, swinging sick piglets in circles by their hind legs, and striking mother pigs with their fists.

The shocking images from Wyoming Premium Farms were shot in secret by a worker with a hidden camera during the month of April for the Humane Society of the United States. The clip has led Tyson Foods to suspend its purchase of sows  from the facility exposed in the video, and for an investigation into alleged abuses to be launched by the local sheriff of Platte County.

There is no word of other companies who buy from the Wyoming farm making similar commitments.

A statement provided to Yahoo News from Tyson reads:

We've seen the video taken by the Humane Society of the United Stated (HSUS) at the Wyoming farm and are appalled by the mistreatment of the animals. We do not condone for any reason the animal handling that was shown.

Contrary to the impression left

Read More »

The four granite faces of American presidents on Mt. Rushmore could be on land that is returned to native tribes. At least, that is one of the recommendations from a United Nations Commission that some of Native American tribal lands be restored, including  the Black Hills of South Dakota, home to Mt. Rushmore.

James Anaya, a U.N. special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people, completed a fact-finding mission that will include the Black Hills suggestion as part of his assessment of the U.S. compliance with the  Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

According to the Associated Press:

The Black Hills, home to Mount Rushmore, are public land but are considered sacred by the Sioux tribes. The Sioux have refused to accept money awarded in a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision and have sought return of the land. The Black Hills and other lands were set aside for the Sioux in an 1868 treaty. But Congress passed a law in 1877 taking the land.

President Barack Obama endorsed the

Read More »

The buzziest moment during the first debate among Mexico's four candidates for president this Sunday happened before anyone had said a word.

At the debate's start, a curvy model wearing a form-fitting white dress with a revealing cutout showing off her generous cleavage, presented a box for candidates to draw papers that would determine who would go first.

The sultry mystery woman's momentary appearance stole the show. Julia Orayen, a model and former Playboy Playmate was acting as a Mexican Vanna White for the event. The stunning—and distracting--brunette appeared for all of 30 seconds, but it was long enough to set the twitterverse on fire, turning grown men into 13-year-old boys.

"The best was the girl in white with the cleavage at the beginning," came the comment from former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda, a New York University professor.

As Yahoo! Mexico's writer Miguel Ángel Castillo put it, "Decide for yourselves, but which presidential candidate can compete

Read More »

As France bids "adieu" to Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, supermodel-singer Carla Bruni, a new fascinating female steps into the role of France's "premiere dame." Here, some facts about Valerie Trierweiler.

1. The divorced mother of three is the companion of newly elected president Francois Hollande. This will make her the first unmarried "first lady" in France's history.

2. The 47-year-old has been a journalist for Paris Match magazine since 1989—and she refused to step down when she started dating Hollande, the presidential candidate she met while covering politics for her magazine.

3. The partner of Hollande, she no longer covers politics due to the conflict of interest. However, the reporter was enraged to find herself on the cover of Paris Match recently, which dished about her relationship with the socialist candidate. Ms. Trierweiler tweeted, "What a shock to find yourself on the front page of your own paper. I am angry to see the use of photos without my agreement and without

Read More »

Do not be alarmed, but the cannibal shrimp invasion has begun.

The influx of the jumbo-sized shrimp (which look more like a small lobster than the little pink crustaceans you see at the grocery store) has increased 10 times in the last year, according to a report from the U.S. Geological Survey—from 32 in 2010 to 331 in 2011. The shrimp-eating shrimp have been spotted in waters from North Carolina to Texas.

Tony Reisinger of the Texas Sea Grant Extension Service, told CNN that the tiger prawn "are cannibalistic as are other shrimp, but it's larger so it can consume the others."

The black-and-white-striped sea creatures have shown up in the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast coast and, unlike their bottom-feeding cousins, are big enough—up to 13 inches long and up to a quarter-pound—to gobble up smaller shrimp.

Researchers worry that the Asian cannibal species is preying on the smaller, native sea life, competing for resources and carrying disease.

The increase "is the first indication that

Read More »