Free Republic

First picture comes from the link in the header. Others I found. Got inspired when I found an old National Geographic at the dentist's office. Click for larger size Speaking of NatGeo (half-size, click for full. Desktop download) Next two are the only size I could find; wow.

It's prime time and CNN's Ed Henry is standing on the white sand of Waikiki Beach, reporting live on President-elect Barack Obama's holiday vacation in Hawaii. With the volcanic mountain Diamond Head in the distance, Henry is flanked by palm trees, bikini-clad babes and surfer dudes...."No offense to the people of Crawford, Texas, but taking the presidential retreat from Crawford to Honolulu is change anyone can believe in," Henry says, borrowing a phrase from Obama's campaign.

SNIPPET: "The Indian beach resort of Goa, a major destination for Israeli backpackers and holidaymakers, is at risk of being struck by al-Qaida, a local politician warned over the weekend." SNIPPET: ""Today, Goa faces serious threat from terrorists and there were specific inputs that al-Qaida would target certain [tourist] installations in Goa. Goa has a coastline of 105 km., major sea ports and beaches," the state's chief secretary, J.P. Singh, wrote in a memo, according to Indian media." SNIPPET: "Dr. Ely Karmon, an expert on Islamist movements and terrorist organizations, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that Israelis should reconsider...

HUNTSVILLE, ONT. — ARTICLE SNIPPET: "On Friday, Aug. 8, a vehicle pulled into the Pow Wow parking lot and discharged six men, all dressed in what the locals would call "city clothes" - including dark slacks and leather-soled dress shoes. Without bothering to check with the office, they went down to the beach and began taking photographs of each other, each time with Deerhurst - including the cupola that rides over the main building - in the background." ARTICLE SNIPPET: "These six English-speaking men appeared to be of Middle-Eastern origin. But what really set them apart was their complete unfamiliarity...

Architecturally Awesome Sand Castles for Summer's End The best buildings sculpted from sand require the skills of an architect—sudden structural collapse is a significant risk—and the details depicted by some well-packed granules rival the most ornate towers and palaces you'd find on terra firma. Any of the examples here could be widely regarded as significant structures—if only they hadn't washed away hours after their completion. According to Ted Siebert's 1990 book, The Art of Sandcastling, "Seawater is an ideal bonding agent for a sand castle. As seawater in a sculpture evaporates, salt crystals remain, forming a thin crust over the...

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- A surfer in New Smyrna Beach was caught on tape kicking and paddling frantically after spotting a shark closing in on him a day after a boy was bitten in the same area. A TV news helicopter spotted the surfer paddling in the water unaware that a shark was nearby. Video showed the surfer eventually noticing the shark and then fleeing. He is seen kicking when the shark is near his feet. Just hours before the encounter, a 15- year-old was hospitalized after jumping on a shark. "It appears that he actually just put his...

<p>He said that police were called by four enraged Arabs who were sitting on the sand when Miss Palmer and fellow Briton Vince Acors began having sex in front of them on a sun lounger.</p>

Myrtle Beach officials: No more biker ralliesPosted on Wed, May. 28, 2008 MYRTLE BEACH — Furious and frustrated after the weekend shooting death of a 20-year-old Coastal Carolina University student, Myrtle Beach City Council members said Tuesday that they do not want motorcycle rallies in the city any more. A group of local ministers and a bike-rally event promoter spoke to the council at a morning workshop Tuesday and implored the city to help them "do something" about the behavior they witnessed during the past weekend. Other groups have complained to city officials in previous years after the Atlantic Beach...

Viking treasure found on Silloth beach By Sarah NewsteadLast updated 11:28, Thursday, 27 March 2008 TREASURE has been unearthed on a Silloth beach by a man out with a metal detector. Rare find: The silver Viking handle found at SillothCarlisle Coroners’ Court heard that a silver Viking jug handle discovered at Beckfoot could be over 2,000 years old. The court heard the handle, dating back from between the first and fourth centuries by the British Museum, is made mainly from silver and is in the form of a stylised snake’s head. North and West Cumbria Coroner, John Taylor, ruled yesterday...

I hesitate to tell this story because it is so terrifying it makes me shiver. Maureen and I were involved in a rescue incident yesterday. It was a gorgeous day, bright and clear, so we decided take the bike out for little spin along the beach. When we arrived at Jones Beach (Field 6) it was about time for our afternoon coffee. We parked the bike and went to the snack shop. Sitting out under the bright blue sky, with the surf pounding and the wind blowing through my scalp we sort of lost ourselves in the beauty of the...

Several beaches along the Jersey Shore were closed Sunday after medical waste and other trash started washing ashore, authorities said. The source of the waste _ which beachgoers said included syringes, tampon applicators, gauze and other debris _ was not immediately known, and there were no reports of injuries. Most of the waste was found on beaches and in the waters off Monmouth and Ocean counties, authorities said.

No Men Allowed: All-Female Beach Opens Sandy, Man-Free Coastline Stretches for 50 Miles on Italian Adriatic Coast On the Italian Adriatic coast, where romance reigns and beachcombers bask in the sun, the notorious Latin lover looks for his prey and he hunts his conquest with chat-up lines. The women are fed up. "We run away from Italian men," said Tiziana Andreoletti. "They're such a drag." And it happens all the time. Boy meets girl and boy annoys girl. So, the Italians have enacted an interesting solution to this problem. They have created a beach strictly for women. No men, children...

FOR Hein Severloh the ‘Longest Day’ meant nine hours constantly machine-gunning American soldiers as they attempted to land on Omaha Beach. One image still brings tears to his eyes. A young American had run from his landing craft and sought cover behind a concrete block. Severloh, then a young lance-corporal in the German army in Normandy, aimed his rifle at the GI. He fired and hit the enemy square in the forehead. The American’s helmet flew away and rolled into the sea, his chin sank to his chest and he collapsed dead on the beach. Tormented by the memory, Severloh...

<p>Arch Cape, Oregon) – The mysterious chunks of wood have shown up periodically over the last few decades, sticking out of the sand like doomed creatures trying to make their last, desperate escape from a dreadful fate beneath the rest of the world. They make momentary impressions on passersby, who have no clue to the real meaning of these muted witnesses to an age practically before Mankind. They are unintentional memorials to the grandiose forest that once stood here, now reduced to twisted, tortured shapes that scream silently from another epoch.</p>

Virginia Beach ripped as 'sanctuary' for illegalsApril 16, 2007 VIRGINIA BEACH (AP) -- The deaths of two teenagers whose car was hit by an illegal alien from Mexico has prompted some to portray Virginia Beach as a "sanctuary city" in which officials are lax in enforcing immigration laws. Alfredo Ramos has been charged with aggravated involuntary manslaughter in the March 30 deaths of Alison Kunhardt, 17, and Tessa Tranchant, 16. A car driven by Mr. Ramos slammed into the back of the teenagers' vehicle at a stoplight in Virginia Beach. Mr. Ramos had been convicted of three alcohol-related misdemeanor offenses...

Click to see larger. I can't grab images from this site, but there a lots of pictures here of the Stromboli effusive eruption (rather than the normal pattern of summit explosions): Stromboli's new lava flow in Feb./March 2007

Bones found near Indian BeachBuilders unearth remains, but excavation of site is unlikely By LATISHA R. GRAY 3-10-2007 latisha.gray@heraldtribune.comSTAFF PHOTO / DAN WAGNER Construction was halted on this waterfront property in Sarasota after human remains were found. SARASOTA -- The remains of what appears to be an American Indian have at least one local archeologist both excited and dismayed. Palmetto archaeologist Bill Burger said the rib, femur and vertebrae unearthed this month by construction workers building a luxury home along the bayfront could offer clues of a tribe from long gone. But it is impossible to determine just what else...

When a Sunrise family was pondering a four-night trip to Orlando in November, their travel agent at World Wide Cruises in Fort Lauderdale steered them to an appealing alternative: a seven-night Caribbean Princess cruise for less. Residential real estate isn't the only buyers' market these days: Prices for Caribbean cruises have seldom looked so good. A four-night stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge with park passes for two adults and two children added up to $2,519, compared with $2,389 for the cruise, World Wide said. Even newer ships such as Royal Caribbean International's ballyhooed Freedom of the Seas, which debuted last...

Beach hunt for lost Jacobite gold The gold was intended for Bonnie Prince Charlie Archaeologists hope to find missing French gold sent to Scotland to help fund a Jacobite Rebellion buried under a remote Highland beach. A portion of the money was believed to have been hidden at Arisaig, near Mallaig, in the 1700s. Neil Oliver is leading the hunt for the gold for a new BBC Two series called History Detectives. The money did not arrive in Scotland until after the Jacobites' defeat at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. It was intended to finance Charles Edward Stuart...

Elham Ghalia, 17, who lost her family in Gaza beachfront incident, discharged from Israeli hospital. Israel doesn't admit responsibility for shooting, but Palestinian Authority also refuses to finance rehabilitation Meital Yasur-Beit Or Published: 01.18.07, 21:44 Who is responsible for the fate and health of Elham Ghalia? The 17-year-old girl was wounded more than a year and-a-half ago in the Gaza beachfront bombing , and was discharged Thursday from Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel. But she doesn't have the possibility of going to rehabilitation as her doctors recommended. The Palestinians claimed that the Ghalia family was injured by an IDF...