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"The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter." -- Qur'an 5:33 It looks as if these brothers' apparent support for the Christian Gbagbo over the Muslim Ouattara constituted "waging war against Allah and His Messenger." "Brothers crucified by Ouattara forces in Ivory Coast," from Barnabas Aid, June 8 (thanks...

FORCES loyal to president-elect Alassane Ouattara have advanced into Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan, as aid agencies said at least 800 people were killed in a massacre outside the city. The Republican Forces control more than 90 per cent of Abidjan, said militia spokesman Meite Sindou yesterday. Gunfire continued in the Plateau district, the site of the presidential palace. The Red Cross said the massacre took place in the western town of Duekoue as Mr Ouattara's troops moved towards Abidjan to try to oust incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo. Advertisement: Story continues below The massacre occurred on March 29 and is...

FYI for Freepers on the West Coast only... Possible Earthquake on the West Coast starting Saturday to the following Saturday.

Well, I'm slightly stumped. I lost the URL address where I found this (on Flickr - I just kept the URL for the picture itself). It's a nice sea arch, on the Island of Capri I think, but I'm not sure. So heck, if anyone can confirm that's where it's located, knock yourself out. Click for 2x. BONUS: I can't link to these in the grand tradition of the Geology Picture of the Week, but you can peruse them and save any of them that you like. Some of the lava lake surface pictures are very abstract. Nyiragongo lava lake,...

NEW ORLEANS -- A White House appointee says preserving a Gulf Coast ecosystem damaged by decades of erosion and months of crude oil that gushed from a deep-sea well off Louisiana will be an enormous undertaking, the "grandaddy" of restoration projects. "I have been involved in many ecosystem restoration projects, but this is the grandaddy of them all," said John Hankinson, a veteran of restoration projects in Florida. Hankinson was appointed in October as executive director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, a group that will recommend how to use the heavy fines likely to confront energy company...

Since I have not managed to post every single week this week, I'm trying to finish the year strong. Hope you agree. Click for full size. Cave of Crystals Arizona Butte "Library of Ages" (Montana de Oro State Park, California)

Since I missed last week, here's a few places around the world of interest. Kamchatka volcanoes from the International Space Station (click for 2x) Go here for an image identifying the peaks: Kamchatka volcanoes Salt pond at Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Baja California). Click for 10x! (Laguna Ojo de Liebre is the gray whale calving area biosphere reserve.) Salt Point State Park, California (Patrick Smith Photography). Click for 2x.

This one might be really easy, because I imagine if you've seen this one you wouldn't forget where it is. But that would mean somebody actually saw this (or at least a picture of it indicating where it is). Anyway, it's one of the most picturesque sea arches I've ever seen. The other arch (bottom 2 pictures) is located nearby. Click all for full-size.

I'll do this a bit differently; click the image and go to where you can click on a bigger version. Text accompanying the first: Etretat is well known for its cliffs, including a famous natural arch, which some call "The needle's eye." These cliffs and the beach next to them, attracted many artists (Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet). Étretat was the birthplace of Elie Halévy (1870-1937), philosopher and historian. In the French coast in the department of Seine-Maritime, Upper Normandy, are the spectacular cliffs of Etretat, only two hours from Paris by car. These are two views of the...

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and his family will vacation on Florida's Gulf Coast next month, the White House said Thursday. The Obamas are scheduled to travel to the coast on Aug. 14 and stay the weekend. More details about precisely where they would stay were to be released later, the White House said. Obama has made four trips to the Gulf region, including one overnight stay, since an underwater well began spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico in April. First lady Michelle Obama is making her second visit to the area on Friday.

I've always liked the rare and unique coastal waterfall. This one is Alamere Falls, on the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Norwegian coast (click for full size) Adriatic coast (click for full size) Another on the Adriatic, under moonlight

COVINGTON, La. (May 28) - BP's chief executive cautioned Friday that it will be two more days before anyone knows if the latest fix attempt will stop the oil spewing into the sea, and President Barack Obama arrived on the Gulf Coast to tell residents they are not alone in dealing with it. The spill has already become the worst in U.S. history, and there are no guarantees the so-called "top kill" being tried for the first time 5,000 feet underwater will work.

The Night Beat: Obama To Lousiana Coast? Apr 30 2010, 9:43 PM ET | Comment What matters tomorrow ... tonight. Read it and sleep. President Obama plans to visit the catastrophe zone off Lousiana's coast within the next 48 hours as SecDef Gates mobilizes the Lousiana National Guard and WH convenes a principal-level homeland security response meeting. Republicans begin to question speed of Obama's response. Hannity: "They did nothing for nine days." ... Why is this oil spill unlike other oil spills? Ecologist Willy Bramis notes that there's no ship hull here to limit the amount of oil that's spilled......

WHOA: Oil Spill May Be 5X Previous Estimates, And Could Pass Exxon Valdez TOMORROW Gus Lubin Apr. 30, 2010, 4:17 PM The Deepwater Horizon oil leak could be leaking at a rate of 25,000 barrels a day, five times yesterday's estimate. The leak rate is 25 times BP's initial estimate of 1,000 barrels per day. If the new numbers are correct, the Gulf of Mexico spill is will pass Exxon Valdez tomorrow. The 1989 spill involved 260,000 barrels of oil.[snip]

We should all know by now that the Obama administration’s plan to spend up to $200 million on civilian trials for terrorists is dangerous. It’s also wasteful. Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is a site perfectly suited to such trials—and detentions. If not there, then Adak, in the middle of the Aleutians would do just fine. The Washington Post shows us why that $200 million is also a waste of money. The U.S. Coast Guard should play an important role in our homeland security. After all, that was the stated reason for moving the Coast Guard out of the U.S. Transportation Department...

More than 50 oil tankers are anchored off Britain - pieces in a game in which the only winners are market speculators. The losers are the millions of British motorists paying over the odds for their petrol and diesel. After yesterday's report in the Daily Mail on how several so-called 'oil shark' tankers were moored near the Devon coast, dozens more vessels were revealed to be loitering off-shore. Some are carrying aircraft fuel or fuel for homes. Others are empty, waiting to be restocked before setting off around the globe. But according to industry experts, a significant number are 'oil...

3 great whites are ID’d off coastTags put on 2 sharks; some beaches closed By Meghan E. Irons Globe Staff / September 6, 2009 The fisherman had just one shot to mark the great white. Captain Bill Chaprales walked to the front of his 22-foot harpoon vessel, raised the 12-foot-long tagging pole, and threw it purposefully onto the back side of the enormous shark, which was 4 to 5 feet below the surface. Tagged. “He did it in one shot,’’ said state biologist Greg Skomal, whose team tagged two great whites yesterday. “We don’t swing the bat unless it’s a...

Just some striking and serene seashore shots. Bow Fiddle Rock, Scotland The rest of these were taken from Cave Rock on Sumner Beach, Christchurch, New Zealand. The last one shows what Cave Rock looks like; it's a Panoramio picture, so click for full-size.

Poll: Most coastal residents unprepared for hurricanesMay 2009 hurricane awareness poll results BY CURTIS MORGAN Hurricanes may flood entire cities, rip off roofs and level trees every year, but when it comes to overcoming public apathy, they're stunningly powerless. Two-thirds of residents in Florida and other coastal states feel no threat from storms. More than half would not evacuate in the face of a major storm unless ordered to do so. Nearly half don't even know whether their homeowner's insurance covers storm damage. Those are some of the key findings from a new poll released Thursday at Florida International University...

OC Family Grateful Editor: Saturday, April 25, 2009 was a beautiful day, and it was made even more wonderful by the outpouring of affection expressed toward Captain Robert S. Craig at his Beach Memorial Service. The Craig children and family appreciate all that was done to honor our “Pop,” a man so many in Ocean City have known and loved for so many years. The Beach Memorial was truly memorable and more special than we could have possibly imagined. We have many people to thank for their efforts in making it happen. We learned very quickly that organizing such an...

(At right) Flanked by friends and family members, a wreath is carried down the beach to be released into the ocean in memory of Craig, "founding father" of the Beach Patrol. Carrying the wreath is the current head of the organization, Capt. Butch Arbin, who is flanked by Craig's son, Robert Craig, and grandson, Christopher Craig. (Above) Sean Williams pushes a surf board, carrying the wreath and the ashes of Capt. Craig, toward a Coast Guard boat, which released the wreath farther from the shore.

News Release: April 8, 2009 Memorial Service planned to honor Captain Robert S. Craig Ocean City, MD – A memorial service for Captain Robert (Bob) S. Craig will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25 on the beach at North Division Street. Captain Craig passed away on Saturday, March 28 at the age of 90. Captain Craig joined the Ocean City Beach Patrol in 1935 and served as its captain from 1946 until retiring in 1987. Captain Craig is credited with building the Ocean City Beach Patrol into the professional organization it is known as today. When Captain Craig turned...

(April 3, 2009) The man who not only epitomized the Ocean City Beach Patrol, but also built it into a serious and professional organization, passed away Saturday. When Capt. Robert (Bob) S. Craig turned 90 last July, a competition, dinner and slide show honored him for his 52 years as a town employee and member of the Beach Patrol. Thousands knew Craig from his years guiding the Beach Patrol and taking it from a small, relatively unskilled group of young men to a large group of highly skilled young men and women. Capt. Butch Arbin, the current head of the...

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City lost a treasured icon this week when Captain Robert S. Craig, who shepherded the Beach Patrol through decades of change and inspired his young charges for half a century passed away at the age of 90. Captain Craig, as he was known for decades not only by the thousands of lifeguards who worked with him and for him but also by the countless millions of local residents and visitors to the resort area, passed away last Saturday at the Coastal Hospice in Salisbury at the age of 90. A former schoolteacher and coach, Captain Craig...

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.

Another shot from the talented Danny Burk: I wondered how Monument Cove looked to other photographers: Find the monument:

MUMBAI: M V Alpha, a ship which is suspected to have carried the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, was today found 112 km from here by the Coast Guard, officials said. A CG spokesman said that searches were being carried out on board the ship but declined to elaborate. The Coast Guard had launched two aircraft, choppers and its vessels after receiving information that the ship could have carried the terrorists from Gujarat to Mumbai.

I always post these to the Arts/Photography group, even though I check to see if they're in the Science group. I decided to emphasize art for a couple of weeks. So don't get bored with the pictures from this site. I won't. (Note: current events may influence my choices). Rock formations and sea surf at Dyrholaey, Iceland

9-12-08 watch for 48 hrs. 196 miles of the Oregon Coast 6.1 Gut feeling a plate needs to slip under the Cascadia.

The Gathering of Eagles, a patriotic organization dedicated to honoring our men and women in uniform and those who are honorable veterans, announces our latest event in honoring the graduates of the Coast Guard Academy by welcoming their families and supporters to their graduation ceremony on May 21, 2008. We will be in front of the entrance on Mohegan Ave, at the intersection of Williams and Mohegan from 7 AM to 1 PM that day, waving flags, carrying patriotic signs and singing patriotic songs in an effort to welcome the families to what is a most honored event; the graduation...

Biggest landslip in 100 years hits Jurassic coast Last Updated: 1:18PM BST 07/05/2008 Fossil-hunters were warned to keep away today after a landslide described as the "biggest in 100 years" destroyed 400 metres of a World Heritage coastline. Experts were assessing the damage along the Jurassic Coast between Lyme Regis and Charmouth in Dorset after the rock fall yesterday evening. The Lyme Regis Harbour Master's wife and several nearby residents alerted the Coastguard to the slide at around 8pm. Simon Palmer, Portland Coastguard watch assistant, said the cliff was still "rumbling" when rescuers left last night and there was more...

Folks, I want to invite all Freepers and Lurkers in good standing to attend the rally to welcome the families of the graduating cadets of the Coast Guard Academy on May 21, 2008. Vice President Dick Cheney will be the honored speaker.

I don't remember how I found this out, but I recently heard that one of the picturesque coastal stacks in the famous "12 Apostles" group on the Australian coast had fallen. So herewith are two pictures. The first is the classic view; the second is the new view with the missing stack. The 12 Apostles The 11 Apostles Actually, there may have been 12 Apostles awhile ago, but I don't think there are that many now. Here's a page about the national park there and another photo-documentation of the collapse. It sure looked solid in the first picture... Port Campbell...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2007 – The Joint Civilian Orientation Conference wrapped up its week-long trip Nov. 10 across the U.S. Pacific Command back in Hawaii with an overview of the U.S. Coast Guard, its missions and capabilities. Following an all-night flight from Japan aboard the C-17 that had served as the group’s shuttle from country to country, participants hit the ground running boarding U.S. Coast Guard cutters and talking to coast guardsmen from Honolulu’s 14th District. Responsible for more than 12 million square miles of the central Pacific Ocean -- an area more than two and a half times...

Coast villages to be sacrificed to the sea By Melissa Kite and Richard Gray Last Updated: 4:11am GMT 11/11/2007 Whole villages and swathes of agricultural land will be surrendered to the sea because the Government is unwilling to spend billions of pounds on flood defences. In pictures: Readers' pictures of the storm surge Ministers have admitted privately that they are preparing to evacuate settlements on the east coast within the next 30 years because it is not "cost effective" to save them. A Walcott place sign stands in sea water Thousands of acres of farmland will be allowed to flood,...

George Noorey talking with the author of The 100 Year Lie... ...Started with a discussion of harmful Chinese imports.

Dr. Geoffrey Simmons will discuss evolution, and evidence that the complexity of human anatomy could not have developed by chance.

'To my sons, £7m of Sardinian coast: to my daughters, a shack in the hills' By Malcolm Moore in Capo Spartivento, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 11:44pm GMT 30/12/2006 In the bay of Jews, on the southernmost tip of Sardinia, the water is azure, the sand is white, and a colony of flamingos wades in the shallows. Even in December, the temperature is a balmy 17 degrees and the sea is calm, sheltered from wind by the surrounding mountains. From the beach to the mountains, the land belongs to Pietrino Culurgioni, 90. A hotel that he built offers sweeping sea views,...

Eritrea aims to become the first country in the world to turn its entire coast into an environmentally protected zone to ensure balanced and sustainable development, officials said Tuesday. The Red Sea state intends to protect all of its 1,350-kilometer (837-mile) coastline, along with another 1,950-kilometers (1,209-miles) of coast around its more than 350 islands, according to a draft coastal policy document. "Eritrea will be the first country in the world to declare its entire coastline a protected area," said Dr Michael Pearson, an environment management specialist working with a group that has pushed the proposal. He and the Eritrea...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 — Four years after the Coast Guard began an effort to replace nearly its entire fleet of ships, planes and helicopters, the modernization program heralded as a model of government innovation is foundering. The initial venture — converting rusting 110-foot patrol boats, the workhorses of the Coast Guard, into more versatile 123-foot cutters — has been canceled after hull cracks and engine failures made the first eight boats unseaworthy. Plans to build a new class of 147-foot ships with an innovative hull have been halted after the design was found to be flawed. And the first completed...

Tsunamis Slap Hawaii, Calif. North Coast Thursday November 16, 2006 10:01 PM By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press Writer HONOLULU (AP) - Tsunamis generated by a major earthquake near Japan left behind little damage but offered a legitimate test of international warning systems. The waves, some measuring a few feet high, struck Hawaii shores Wednesday, slightly injuring one swimmer and temporarily flooding a harbor. A surge along California's northern coast destroyed two docks in Crescent City Harbor and damaged a third. The waves hit Hawaii about six hours after a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck north of Japan. Tsunami warnings were issued...

2 Moderate Quakes Strike Off Japan Coast Saturday October 14, 2006 1:01 AM TOKYO (AP) - Two moderate quakes struck off the coast of Japan early Saturday, including one that shook the Japanese capital, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A 5.3-magnitude quake struck off the east coast of Honshu island, about 65 miles southeast of Tokyo, the USGS said on its Web site. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the quake. There was also no threat of a tsunami, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said. Earlier Saturday, a larger, 6.3-magnitude quake struck off the disputed Kuril islands,...

Early humans followed the coast By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News Coastlines were rich in resources for early humans Learning how to live off the sea may have played a key role in the expansion of early humans around the globe. After leaving Africa, human groups probably followed coastal routes to the Americas and South-East Asia. Professor Jon Erlandson says the maritime capabilities of ancient humans have been greatly underestimated. He has found evidence that early peoples in California pursued a sophisticated seafaring lifestyle 10,000 years ago. Anthropologists have long regarded the exploitation of marine resources as a recent...

7/26/2006 - SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- Seth and Stephanie Parker held each other's hands and waited. As the plane touched down at 12:05 a.m. July 22 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, they smiled at each other and looked at their son. Four-day-old Stuart lay across from his parents on a medical cart surrounded by doctors, nurses and medical technicians. He was the newest patient for the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, or ECMO, team that was double- and triple-checking everything to ensure he was ready for the next leg of his journey. Shortly after his birth, doctors told the Parkers that...

If you haven't heard of this place before, join the club. I discovered it while looking for other waterfall pictures. Apparently you will never find a picture of someone frolicking beneath the cascade, because the beach is off-limits. With good reason, I think -- it's astonishing. Geologically speaking, McWay Falls is the only place on the California coast where a perennial (year-round) waterfall directly enters the ocean. It is located in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Picture 1: Close-up Picture 2: The full scene

'"No Southern man is complete without a tenure under military rule." That one sentence penned by author Pat Conroy in his best-selling novel The Lords of Discipline , is utter truth spoken to the heart of any Southern boy or man. It does not mean all Southern men serve, have served, or will serve their country. But it does mean that deep down in the well of the soul of the Southern American male there is a sense of duty and martial responsibility that cries out to be acted upon. I’ve chosen Southerners as an example, because I am Southern....

1 hour ago NEW LONDON, Conn. - A military jury sentenced a Coast Guard cadet to six months in prison and kicked him out of the service Wednesday for extorting sexual favors from a classmate. Cadet Webster M. Smith, the first student court-martialed in the academy's 130-year history, was acquitted of rape but had faced up to five years and seven months for extortion, sodomy, indecent assault and other charges. Defense attorneys for Smith, 23, of Houston, asked the jury to spare him jail time, saying the stigma of his conviction will follow him forever. He will not graduate from...

BOSTON — Three specially designed tugboats yank the hulking pale green liquefied natural gas tanker from its dock near Boston Harbor. More than 1,000 feet long, with an odd color and sets of pipes sticking out the top, it’s apparent that this is no ordinary ship. And with three Coast Guard boats, and four others from state, city and port authority law enforcement agencies surrounding it, this is no ordinary departure. Bringing up the rear is the Pendant, a 65-year-old, 65-foot-long ocean-going tugboat, and one of the oldest platforms in the service’s inventory that pulls double duty in the winter...