Free Republic

Nicosia, Cyprus - On Monday, a movement known as FreeGaza.org held a press conference in Nicosia, Cyprus, in which a group of 40 people from around the world announced that they would board two small boats to travel by sea to Gaza to "break the siege" that Israel has placed upon Gaza. There was no acknowledgement that in June of 2007, the Hamas regime took over Gaza and formalized a total state of war against Israel with the aim of liberating all of Palestine and using Gaza as a stepping stone to recoup any and all land ruled by the...

Al Gore has a new boat and even it is green. The boat is docked at Hurricane Marina on Center Hill Lake in Smithville, about 70 miles east of Nashville. While it doesn't have solar panels yet, a spokesperson at Gore's office told News 2 they are scheduled to be installed Wednesday. The boat is named Bio-Solar One and has been called the "Toyota Prius of boats"...

More than 350 illegal immigrants landed in Italy on Saturday, a day after the Government extended a state of emergency in an effort to combat the problem, Italy's Ansa news agency said. Four boats carrying a total of 227 people were either picked up off the island of Lampedusa or reached land by themselves. Two Nigerian children on one of the boats died during the crossing, Ansa said. The bodies of the two children were thrown into the sea, their father told the crew of an Italian coast guard launch that rescued the group. He said his two-year-old son began...

Baptisms, Boaters Clashing In Soddy-Daisy by Jim Ashley posted July 19, 2008 Churches in Soddy-Daisy that plan to perform baptisms at public boat ramps will now have to first contact City Hall. That was the decision of the Soddy-Daisy Commission during its meeting this week. The unanimous decision was made following a report by Commissioner Geno Shipley, who said that on the Fourth of July, a local church held baptism services at a public boat ramp for about 40 people. And while the services were taking place, an individual with a boat to launch became impatient and went ahead and...

/begin my translation N. Koreans Going South by Boat: 6 times in this Month alone Only one out of ten wanting to return..."N. Korea beefing up shore surveillance" (Seoul=Yonhap News) Kim Kwi-geun = N. Koreans came down to the South by boat, 6 times in June alone, it has been disclosed. A government source said on June 26, "N. Korean people came into our territorial water 6 times in this month alone, both in West Sea(Yellow Sea) and East Sea(Sea of Japan.) This is highly unusual, and we are closely monitoring N. Korean reactions." He said, "In four of those...

Medieval boat found on Suffolk coast 25 June 2008 | 08:00 MARK LORD Rob Atfield of Suffolk County Council Archaeology department works on one of the pieces THE unearthing of a medieval boat on the north Suffolk coast is of “great national importance”, the archaeological team behind the discovery said last night. As reported in yesterday's EADT the remains were found during excavations at Sizewell in advance of the onshore works for the Greater Gabbard Wind Farm. The vessel, which was probably a small inshore fishing boat, was broken up sometime between the 12th and 14th Centuries and parts of...

Did Humans Colonize the World by Boat?Research suggests our ancestors traveled the oceans 70,000 years ago. by Heather Pringle Jon Erlandson shakes out what appears to be a miniature evergreen from a clear ziplock bag and holds it out for me to examine. As one of the world’s leading authorities on ancient seafaring, he has devoted much of his career to hunting down hard evidence of ancient human migrations, searching for something most archaeologists long thought a figment: Ice Age mariners. On this drizzly late-fall afternoon in a lab at the University of Oregon in Eugene, the 53-year-old Erlandson looks...

4/29/2008 - MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) -- Airmen from the 23rd Wing at Moody AFB performed a maritime rescue in the Gulf of Mexico April 25 that saved six lives. Moody Airmen responded by providing two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters from the 41st Rescue Squadron, a 71st RQS HC-130P King and pararescue assets from the 38th RQS. The wing received the support request from the Joint Personnel Recovery Center at Tyndall AFB, Fla., around 11 a.m. The request was in response to a report the Coast Guard received from the Eos, an 800-foot Panamanian-flagged tanker ship operating in...

Texan and super-conservative Bob Perry formally endorsed Brian Klock for the Texas Congressional seat in CD-22. A Republican candidate for the District 22 congressional seat will be getting a lot of attention today with a very unique campaign ad. klockforcongress.orgIt's yet to be seen just whether it's negative or in his favor. Now in the private sector, Brian Klock remains a commander in the US Navy Reserve. He's an underdog candidate trying to gain new ground. Later Monday, his campaign will unveil a billboard (pictured above) on the Southwest Freeway near Fountainview. It shows crosshairs trained on downtown Houston, it...

(AGI) - Agrigento, 11th January - The captain of an Italian fishing boat, Mariano Ruggiero, 46, has been taken into custody by the Carabinieri at Lampedusa (Agrigento) on the charge of murdering an illegal migrant. According to reports obtained last night, in the offshore waters around fifty miles south of the Pelagius Isles, a dinghy with around 60 migrants on board which was making the crossing from North Africa, crossed courses with an Italian fishing boat. One immigrant, probably of Somali origin, dived into the water and managed to reach the fishing boat, but the captain of the craft prevented...

The fastest eco boat on the planet will attempt to break the round the world speed record using fuel made from human fat. Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace, said the attempt to circumnavigate the globe would begin from Valencia in Spain on March 1 next year. Bethune and his wife mortgaged their house and sold everything they own to help make the project happen, while continuing to seek support from sponsors. Demonstrating further commitment to the cause, Bethune underwent liposuction and donated enough to produce 100ml of biofuel, while two other, larger volunteers also had the procedure,...

Swedish boaters may soon need to pass a 'driving test' before taking to the seas. Should a forthcoming government proposal gain acceptance the new requirement will apply to boats that are over seven metres long and/or have a top speed of at least ten knots. "Between 200,000 and 250,000 boat owners may need to take the driving test," said Lars Högdahl from the Ministry of Enterprise. A generous set of transitional rules may however soften the blow. Seasoned boaters with many years of documented experience will for example be eligible for a licence without needing to first pass a test....

SAN DIEGO: A 19-foot pleasure boat suspected of smuggling was found yesterday on U.S. Navy property just north of Point Loma. Officials believe the boat had been there at least a day. No one was on board when lifeguards searched it. City lifeguards received the report of a grounded vessel in the Sunset Cliffs area shortly after 12:30 p.m., said San Diego Lifeguard Service Lt. Andy Lerum. Lifeguards checked on it and ruled out the possibility that a person was in distress. Lerum said the vessel is registered to a Tijuana resident. He said that based on an initial investigation,...

About 20 Haitian migrants were killed when their boat capsized early Friday off the coast of Turks and Caicos. Another 78 were rescued and as many as 60 could still be missing, according to a police spokeswoman on the island. The U.S. Coast Guard, which assisted in the rescue, said a Turks and Caicos police boat towed the migrants' boat as it capsized, but authorities on the island denied that. Some of the bodies recovered appeared to have had limbs chewed off by sharks, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and reports from the island.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, April 24, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Dutch abortion boat has been granted government permission to perform abortions in international waters on women up to 7 weeks pregnant, despite a massive national and international outcry, the Times online reported earlier today. The boat has caused an uproar at home in the Netherlands and abroad. Condemned by governments and pro-life organizations as a propaganda tool for pro-abortion activists, the abortion boat has come under intense criticism for offering to perform abortions on women from countries where the procedure is illegal. Operated by Women on Waves, the abortion boat...

CHRISTMAS, Fla. -- A popular Central Florida tourist attraction faces fines this weekend after a tour boat filled with children and other riders began to take on water and sink in alligator-infested water. Officials said a boat at Jungle Adventures Nature Park in Christmas was carrying more than 12 people Saturday when it broke down during the tour. "All of the sudden, water started coming in through the rear and the guide told us to shift to the front, right side of the boat," rider Evangelo Mondo said. "We had gators out there. We were all very scared the water...

GENEVA (AFP) - A Swiss-made catamaran has become the first solar-powered boat to cross the Atlantic after reaching the French Caribbean island of Martinique, the boat's owners said. Sun21 reached Martinique's Le Marin harbour at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Friday, 63 days after leaving the Spanish port of Chipiona near Cadiz, the Transatlantic21 partnership said on its website. The 14 metre (46 feet) boat largely followed the historic route sailed by explorer Christopher Columbus on the first known maritime crossing of the Atlantic in the 15th century, making its last stopover in the Canary Islands. The catamaran covered the...

2,500-year-old boat coffin to reveal mysterious Chinese kingdom With abundant cultural relics, a boat-shaped coffin dating back nearly 2,500 years has unearthed recently in southwest China's Sichuan Province, giving expectation to reveal true history of a mysterious kingdom in the area. Located in a construction site in Feilong Village of Heshan Town in Pujiang County, the coffin was discovered on Dec. 5 by workers when they were conducting mud-digging 1.5 meters deep underground. The Pujiang County was part of the Shu Kingdom, which has kept mysterious because no written record about its history and culture left over in the past...

I found the above and thought that perhaps others here would like to share their opinions how the lives of four seagulls stack up against what else is going on in the rest of the world with Mr. Ragan (tragan@santacruzsentinel.com). For what it's worth here's my response to his article... Dear Mr. Ragan, Given what's going on in Iraq, why should four dead seagulls be of any consequence whatsoever? The story reads as if the lives of these birds equate to those of humans. I realize that there are many who believe they do (particularly in California), but those of...

The first powerboat to run entirely on biodiesel fuel -- a renewable, non-hazardous fuel made from plant and animal products including canola, soy and palm oils -- visited Boston this weekend as part of a worldwide promotional tour designed to raise awareness about alternative fuel sources. As part of the tour, the Earthrace boat will try to break the current powerboat record of 75 days for equatorial circumnavigation of the globe, aiming to complete its trip in less than 65 days. New Zealand-native Pete Bethune, who invested his life savings in this project, founded the Earthrace organization. Now the...

RIDGELAND, S.C. -- It's not terribly easy to parallel park an automobile on a lake. Now, John Giljam knows this to be as true as the highway is long, and for good reason: He's tried to park his car on a lake -- and on rivers, ponds, even the Intracoastal Waterway. Giljam, in fact, has practiced not only parking on water; he's become quite adept at turning sharply on it. (He no longer gets drenched in a curtain of spume when cornering, he'll have you know.) And he's mastered the art of steering clear of critters - geese, mostly, though...

GEORGETOWN - A shipwreck that could be the remains of a lost Confederate blockade runner, or possibly a vessel that predates the Civil War, was found Thursday near the entrance to Winyah Bay, researchers said. Divers from the Maritime Research Division of the S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology dove in about 13 feet of water and discovered a vessel that is about 90 feet long, with a wooden hull and a possible copper coating. The wreck could be the Sir Robert Peel, a blockade runner that was used by Confederate soldiers to get supplies to Georgetown during the Civil...

Boats collide during 'poker run'; 5 dead JUDI BOLAND Associated Press WILLIS, Okla. - Steve Dover was vacationing at Lake Texoma when he saw two speedboats boats take off for a poker competition. They never returned. Dover said he knew something had gone wrong when he saw the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other emergency vehicles. The boats collided during the High Roller Poker Run on Saturday. Four people died at the scene and two were flown to the hospital, where one later died, according to the patrol. "There was just floating debris," Dover said. "We've seen life vests, we've seen...

All sailors are not created equal. And in the purest sense of the word, the best-trained “sailors” in the world may well-be the U.S. Navy’s Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC). They are certainly some of the most skilled seaborne warriors in the U.S. Special Operations Command. Yet few outside of military circles have heard of them, and those who have, see them only as post-9/11 bluejackets driving fast boats in dangerous waters. They are much more.

The world's largest cruise ship -- Freedom of the Seas, which arrived this week in New York Harbor from Southampton, Britain Wielding a scissors, a woman who helped raise more than 400 foster children over 27 years snipped a ribbon to christen the world's largest cruise ship Friday while it docked near the Statue of Liberty. "I name this ship the 'Freedom of the Sea.' May God bless her, Royal Caribbean and all who sail upon her," 56-year-old Katherine Louise Calder said in the ceremony televised live on NBC's "Today." She then cut the ribbon to release a giant bottle...

One of Germany's crack new fuel-cell-powered submarines has set a world record with a two-week-long dive, the German Navy said Wednesday. The trip by the U212A-class sub with a crew of 27 from Eckernfoerde in Germany to Rota in Spain involved the longest period that any non-nuclear vessel had ever spent under water. The navy did not say what the previous record had been. US and Russian nuclear submarines can stay under water for longer. Germany, which has no nuclear weapons and no nuclear-powered ships, developed the high-tech hybrid-powered submarines to replace diesel-electric vessels that need to surface more often...

A 45- to 50-pound grass carp, more commonly known as flying Asian carp, was caught in the Lower St. Croix River earlier this month, fueling concern about several types of Asian carp that are making their way up the Mississippi River from southern states, the Pioneer Press is reporting. A commercial fisherman caught the carp April 7 near Prescott, Wis., Jay Rendall, invasive species program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, told the St. Paul paper. Grass carp are one of four species of Asian carp that were imported into the United States in the 1960s and '70s,...

The Navy's submarine force is in trouble. A shrinking number of boats is struggling to meet steady demand from regional commanders. Meanwhile, the cost of the only U.S. submarine currently in production, the super-high-tech Virginia-class attack boat, has risen to $2.3 billion apiece. At that price, the Navy can afford to buy only one per year. Do the math: since attack boats last only 30 years, building one boat per year means your fleet is eventually going to shrink to 30 boats from the current 55. Long-range plans call for 48 attack subs, so how is the Navy going to...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2006 – Speed and flexibility make a new military high-speed vessel especially valuable for shallow-water operations, a Defense Department official said. The experimental "Stiletto" is a shallow-water transport boat. More than 80 feet in length, the carbon-composite hull can move at more than 50 knots on the cushion of air its "M-hull" creates. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The "Stiletto," a shallow-water craft made of a tough, lightweight carbon composite material, offers a safer, more comfortable ride and is easily reconfigured to accommodate technological advances and the military's needs, said...

The notion that one must be anti-immigrant to oppose illegal immigration has endured for too long. Numerous readers have suggested that because I call for steps to reduce illegal immigration I must bear animus toward foreigners, especially Latinos. In fact I've long supported high levels of legal immigration to the United States and potential citizenship for all who arrive here. That position seems to me incompatible with racism and xenophobia. Another faction of my readers objects that large scale legal immigration itself is harmful to America. Their arguments aren't without merit. Legal immigration does hurt some native workers economically. A...

Two men seen taking pictures of the George Washington Bridge from an inflatable raft in the Hudson River yesterday afternoon were taken into custody by the police when they came ashore. The police said last night that no arrests had been made, but Sgt. Brian Mullen of the 34th Precinct said that charges against the men, who were not identified, were pending. One possible charge was unauthorized use of the raft in the wrong place, he said.

MANILA (Reuters) - Greenpeace said on Tuesday it will pay nearly $7,000 in damages after the environmental group's flagship, the Rainbow Warrior II, hit a coral reef at a world heritage site in the southern Philippines.

One week after several Vikings players held a lewd party on a Lake Minnetonka boat, two players were seen throwing trash in a dumpster at a construction site in Eden Prairie. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS obtained exclusive access to the trash - and the information it revealed. Bryant McKinnie and Mewelde Moore were seen throwing bags of trash in the dumpster. The eight bags contained what appeared to be remnants of a party, including aluminum tins of food, beer and champagne bottles, fireworks, disposable camera boxes, hallowed out cigars, something that looks like a marijuana bud, sexual and feminine hygiene products...

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie and cornerback Fred Smoot are on a list of Vikings with whom investigators are interested in talking to about a sex party on charter boats on Lake Minnetonka, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation said Friday. --snip-- One player on the list, running back Mewelde Moore, confirmed that he was on one boat but said he didn't see any sexual activity. The list also includes All-Pro defensive tackle Kevin Williams and other players who are starters or key reserves: tight end Jermaine Wiggins; running back Moe Williams; wide receivers Nate Burleson,...

What about my boat? If you think it's bad enough that the Internal Revenue Service collects your hard-earned tax dollars, imagine if an IRS agent prepared your income-tax returns, too. No, we're not joking. The concept, called "Return-Free" — where the IRS automatically prepares income-tax returns of those taxpayers with the simplest returns and then sends taxpayers the bill — is being considered by the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. One of several Republicans who opposes the concept calls it "flawed" and "dangerous to taxpayers." It "creates a conflict of interest by making the tax collector the tax...

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. -- Nineteen people were killed when a small tour boat carrying 47 people flipped over Sunday on a lake in upstate New York, the county sheriff told the Glens Falls Post-Star. Warren County Sheriff Larry Cleveland told the paper the Ethan Allen capsized when another tour boat passed near it and swamped it. The Ethan Allen sank, he said. The 40-foot, glass-enclosed tour boat flipped around 4 p.m. on Lake George about 50 miles north of Albany in the Adirondack Mountains.

sean penn carries in New orleans

MIDI - GOOD SHIP LOLLIPOP On Sean Penn's ship "Idiot"...he's in need of a new fix-it kit His camera crew...starts to sink and they don't know what to do On Sean Penn's ship "Idiot"...he has thrown a hissy fit His photo-op...suddenly has taken quite a ker-plop He used his red cup...nice red plastic cup To start scooping that water out The guy is a dolt...big dolt...of that there is not a doubt On Sean Penn's ship "Idiot"...he is taking a big ego hit It isn't cool...we laugh as he plays the fool On Sean Penn's ship "Idiot"...he is truly...

100 Missing After Boat Sinks in Pacific By ANDREW SELSKY, Associated Press Writer More than 100 people were feared dead after a boat laden with illegal immigrants capsized and sank in rough waters in the Pacific Ocean, officials said Wednesday after nine survivors clinging to a wooden box and buoys were rescued. Ecuadorean Navy Capt. Armando Elizalde told Colombian RCN television most of the 113 people aboard "sank with the boat." The disaster happened Friday night more than 100 miles off the coast of southwest Colombia. "The boat, with way too many people aboard, was unable to resist a strong...

ARCHEOLOGY: 8000 YEAR-OLD PIROGUE FOUND IN LAKE BRACCIANO (AGI) - Rome, Italy, Aug 1 - An 8,000 year-old pirogue was found in Lake Bracciano, in the area of the neolithic village La Marmotta. "It's an exceptional example of ancient ship engineering, which proves the advanced knowledge of the peoples who lived here in 6000 BC" say the archaeologists who made the discovery, of the Prehistoric Museum 'Luigi Pigorini' in ROme. More than 10m long, made out of a single oak trunk, the pirogue was still being made when it was abandoned for reasons we still don't know. It was found...

I have no information beyond the headline.

Two California entrepreneurs are developing an IT services business plan that reads like a CIO's paradise: sharply lower IT prices coupled with easy access to software and engineering outsourcing developers just a short boat ride away. It's the "Code Boat," a plan by David Cook and Roger Green, the founders of SeaCode. Their venture calls for staffing a cruise ship three miles off the Southern California coast with customer IT specialists and then making the ship available to IT headquarters staffers through a short water taxi ride. "We're getting a good reception," said Green, a veteran software developer and executive....

Boating enthusiasts, I need a bit of help. I saw a commercial for the new Evinrude E-Tec outboard motor on Sunday, and they advertised a web site where you could get a coupon for up to $1,000 off one of their new motors. I assumed that rather than writing down the web site I could simply go to the Evinrude/Bombardier web site and find it later, when looking it up was more convenient. After visiting the Evinrude web page I've discovered that I should have taken a moment to write down the web URL they advertised, because I cannot find...

New 'Kon-Tiki' expedition postponedNorwegian organizers of a new expedition in a replica of the late explorer Thor Heyerdahl's famed "Kon-Tiki" raft were supposed to cast off from Peru this spring. Now they're aiming for the spring of 2006 instead.The group of adventurers, which included a grandson of Heyerdahl, had high hopes for their so-called "Tangaroa Expedition," named after a Polynesian god of the sea. They planned to set off April 28, on a 101-day voyage across the Pacific.The tsunamis that hit Asia on December 26, however, doused those plans. Important sponsors decided to redirect funding grants to tsunami victims instead...

It's only appropriate that we Republicans - in the spirit of appreciation, graciousness, charity and comity - give thanks to those whose contributions were instrumental in securing control of both houses of Congress, a majority of governorships, a plurality of state legislatures, a clear majority of the popular vote (for the first time in 16 years) and, of course, the re-election of President George W. Bush.

Last Saturday night brought His Imperial Highness Prince Nguyen Phuc Buu Chanh of Vietnam, Regent of the Imperial Dynasty and President of the Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League, to Cornell. The Prince, a member of the Vietnamese imperial family gave a lecture, entitled "Revival of Vietnamese Culture: The Nguyen Dynasty," before a crowd of about 50 people. Maria Nguyen '05, vice president of the Cornell Vietnamese Association sang the American national anthem and then played the national anthem of South Vietnam. Aided by PowerPoint slides, Prince Buu Chanh then began his lecture speaking from a podium draped with the American flag...

Norwegian registered tugboat has run aground outside of Gotland in the Baltic Sea and rescue crews fear the vessel may sink. Swedish rescue crews said the tugboat "Nestor" was listing badly and had probably been driven aground by a storm powerful enough to loosen the grip of the ship's anchor. Five of the crew of six have been picked up by Swedish rescue services but one remains on board, reportedly trapped in a toilet. Extreme weather conditions have made rescue operations difficult. "According to the information we have received a man is trapped in a toilet and he cannot get...

ThankYouSwifties.com is now up and running. The purpose of the site is for you to leave the Swifties a note of thanks. The goal is to have all these thanks consolidated in one spot so they know how much we appreciate their dedication and resolve in helping to bring down John F'n Kerry. All FReepers are encouraged to visit and voice your gratitude to these brave heroes who have so spent so much of their time, money, and influence to sway this election. These gentlemen have, for the second time, protected this country from agression and deserve all the respect...

The Imperial Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam is politically pressuring the government of Vietnam to protect the liberty, religious rights of the Vietnamese people as well as the culture, traditions, languages of the Montagnards and Khmer Krom in Vietnam. (PRWEB) October 23, 2004 -- Today, Vietnam is experiencing a minor period of outward growth. Even the most dedicated Communists are abandoning old communist economic policies, which have proven to be ineffective and sometimes harmful. Capitalism is being introduced, with the Communist Party maintained only as a vehicle to exercise absolute control of the elite Party leaders over the common people. The...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A Vietnam veterans group that has spent $19.5 million attacking John Kerry's military record and character bought $500,000 in Minnesota TV advertising time on Friday for the presidential campaign's final three days. "We had some extra donations and figured that Minnesota would be a good place to put the money," said Chris LaCivita, a strategist for the Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth. Steven Schier, a Carleton College political scientist, said that "you wouldn't see an ad buy like this" if Minnesota were not "ground zero in the presidential race."