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One of the great things about being a nature lover is that your powers of observation seem to improve. While others are walking by, oblivious to the activities going on all around them, naturalists notice the creatures and the behaviors, especially if they are out of the ordinary. Such was the case on March 24, 2012, a sunny Saturday morning, when Ginger Morneau, her husband Ken, and brother Lou Baker were walking along the Ogden Point Breakwater in Victoria, BC. The breakwater is a favourite spot for locals and visitors, reaching out about a half mile from the waterfront south...

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama often discussed his mother's struggle with cancer. Ann Dunham spent the months before her death in 1995, Obama said, fighting with insurance companies that sought to deny her the coverage she needed to pay for treatment. "I remember in the last month of her life, she wasn't thinking about how to get well, she wasn't thinking about coming to terms with her own mortality, she was thinking about whether or not insurance was going to cover the medical bills and whether our family would be bankrupt as a consequence," Obama said in September...

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – The international powers stepped up their battle with Iran over its nuclear program Wednesday with the UN Security Council ready to pass a tough fourth round of sanctions. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened to suspend nuclear negotiations in response to what US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said would be "the most significant sanctions that Iran has ever faced." The US-drafted sanctions resolution, co-sponsored by Britain and France with the backing of Russia and China, would expand an arms embargo, target Iran's banking sector and ban the country from sensitive activities like uranium mining. It would...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Fugitive filmmaker Roman Polanski was hit by fresh sex crime allegations Friday by a British actress who claimed the director "forced himself" upon her just after her 16th birthday. Polanski, who is fighting extradition to the United States to face sentencing in his 1978 child sex case, was accused by actress Charlotte Lewis, 42, of abusing her at his apartment in Paris nearly 30 years ago. In a press conference at the Beverly Hills offices of attorney Gloria Allred, Lewis said she was speaking out to counter suggestions from Polanski's legal team that his earlier case...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Treasury officials and regulators are weighing a fresh round of bailouts for banks that were deemed too risky to qualify for earlier aid. Representatives from the Treasury Department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and House Financial Services Committee discussed the plan by phone Thursday, said California Bankers Association Chairman Dan Doyle, who was on the call. Small community banks are struggling as commercial real estate and other loans go sour. Officials and industry representatives are considering how to get money to those banks, Doyle said Friday.

I saw the Father in the Garden with Jesus and the Father had a shofar in his left hand . My sons and daughters of Zion ( hebrews 12:23 )it is time to unite as one with me The Father for we are advancing inward to penetrate the last strongholds . See them in the center for we have them surrounded , yet many within this circle that have resisted me and my will " Jesus " shall soon be inialted OR come into this very army I have formed as My Bride and soon there shall be a great...

(IsraelNN.com) Less than a week after the deadly terrorist assault in Mumbai, a Chabad House elsewhere in India received a threatening note from Muslim fundamentalists. According to a report on Israel TV's Channel 1, the Chabad House in Pune, India, has received a letter threatening to "wipe out the Chabad House and the Jews and Israelis.... The CIA and Mossad will not be able to save you." Although hate mail sent to Jewish institutions is not unusual, the timing has led Israeli security services to recommend heightened alert levels and increased protective measures at the Pune outreach center. A representative...

We know Urban Outfitters sometimes makes shirts with stupid sayings, but this one really takes the cake - The mega-chain had to halt sales of a certain new tee after pretty much everybody reacted in outrage. The shirt features a Palestinian boy (which can be deduced by the Palestinian flag and map of Palestinian territories next to him), crouched, holding a large gun with a couple friends behind him doing the same, with the word "Victimized" beneath him, and "Fresh Jive" above him (the shirt was actually designed by Fresh Jive, a company out of LA), and a white dove...

BERKELEY _ He called himself Fresh, but a group called Students Against Hippies in Trees said his routine for protesting various university policies was getting stale. Seventeen days after protester Michael Schuck _ aka Fresh _ climbed into an oak just north of Sather Gate on the University of California, Berkeley campus, tree-sit opponents mobbed the tree Friday calling for Schuck to follow the rules for public discourse and get out of the tree. The 23-year-old Schuck finally did come down and was cited by police for illegally lodging and trespassing and released, a university spokesman said Friday. He said...

Windmill With A Twist Can Provide Fresh Water From Seawater DirectlyThe first prototype has been built and is already working at a location near the A13 motorway near Delft. This prototype is to be dismantled and transported to Curaçao the first week of March. There the concept will be tested on seawater. (Credit: Image courtesy of Delft University of Technology) ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2008) — A traditional windmill which drives a pump: that is the simple concept behind the combination of windmill/reverse osmosis developed by the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in The Netherlands. In this case, it involves...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2006-- President Bush said today he’s counting on new Defense Secretary Robert Gates to bring a fresh perspective to the Pentagon, and he vowed to continue ensuring U.S. troops have what they need to accomplish their mission. Speaking to reporters at a White House news conference, the president said Gates will be “an important voice in the Iraq strategy review that’s under way.” Gates arrived in Iraq today to meet with deployed U.S. military leaders and troops and Iraqi leaders and to assess the situation on the ground. Bush said he considers the views of commanders...

A contractor representative talks with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officers about training requirements to operate and maintain the equipment on one of five skimmer tanks at the Nasiriyah Water Treatment Plant. [ARMY PHOTO BY JAMES BULLINGER ] NASIRIYAH — Construction of a new multi-million dollar water treatment plant here means fresh water for more than 500,000 residents. It also means a variety of new jobs, ranging from laborers to skilled engineers.The plant serves the Dhi Qar communities of Nasiriyah, Suq Ash Sheuk, al-Diwaya, al-Shatra and al-Gharraf., and is a “world-class facility and the largest water treatment facility in Iraq,”...

10/24/2006 - PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- More than 1,900 Afghan students at the Rohka District K-12 School now have fresh, clean water available at their school, thanks to the efforts of provincial officials and their partnership with coalition forces here. Panjshir Director of Education Riza Rizai, Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team members and school officials dedicated the well in a ceremony held in front of hundreds of students, faculty, local residents and guests in the schoolyard Oct. 21. The $25,000 well project was funded by the Commander's Emergency Response Program. Though the project was not a large-scale undertaking, the team...

A new analysis of 50 years of changes in freshwater inputs to the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic may help shed light on what's behind the recently observed freshening of the North Atlantic Ocean. In a report, published in the August 25, 2006 issue of the journal, Science, MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) senior scientist Bruce J. Peterson and his colleagues describe a first-of-its-kind effort to create a big-picture view of hydrologic trends in the Arctic. Their analysis reveals that freshwater increases from Arctic Ocean sources appear to be highly linked to a fresher North Atlantic. "The high-latitude freshwater cycle is...

Islamists in fresh Mogadishu push The Islamists made rapid advances in June Heavy fighting has broken out in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The Islamic Courts militia, which controls most of the city, is attempting to take a southern area held by warlord Abdi Qeybdid. At least seven people were killed and 16 wounded as fighters exchanged mortar, rocket and machine-gun fire. The militia ousted most warlords from the capital in June, in an effort to restore order. It has been accused of al-Qaeda links - which it denies. BBC regional analyst Martin Plaut says the battle under way in Mogadishu...

Starshade brings fresh hope in search for alien life By Roger Highfield, Science Editor (Filed: 06/07/2006) The quest to find Earth-like planets where alien life may thrive is boosted today by a professor who has unveiled plans for a gigantic, daisy-shaped space shield. Although large planets, similar to Jupiter, have already been spotted outside our solar system, the orbiting shield should allow astronomers to make out much smaller and more habitable planets. Such so-called "Goldilocks planets" would be close enough to their neighbouring star so as to be not too hot and not too cold to support life. The daisy...

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq (Army News Service, April 19, 2006) – The Iraqi residents of Airport Village, located near Baghdad’s International Airport, can now safely drink local water thanks to the completion of the Airport Village Water Tower and Pipeline project. The tower and pipeline were built by Al Fulq Ltd. Co., the firm awarded the contract for construction of the project, with the help of village resident workers and funded by the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid program. Coalition Forces coordinated funding for the project at the request of the village leadership, said 1st Lt. Emily Siegert, civil military...

Millions Get First Tap Water in Eight Years Iraqi workers completed repairs to two water treatment plants in south Baghdad. By Norris Jones Gulf Region Central District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 18, 2005 — Despite insurgent activity, Iraqi workers completed repairs to two water treatment plants in south Baghdad after nearly four months of work. Due to their skill and bravery, an estimated one million Baghdad residents will benefit from the renovations that continued regardless of insurgent attacks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Central (GRC), provided oversight for the restoration project. Local...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Jan. 13, 2006) -- The Marine Corps is a cornucopia of people. It's an array of black, white, brown, red and yellow, and its varied folk practice a plethora of religions. In the last year, two recruits, who happen to be brothers, came separately from perhaps the Corps' most uncommon origin - the Amish Order. "It's a very small world within the Amish community," said Pvt. Abner A. Miller, Platoon 1152. "Usually it's a 20-mile circle. We go as far as the horse and buggy take us." Miller grew up in a sheltered environment....

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2005 – Retired Navy Rear Adm. Greg Slavonic was visiting wounded coalition soldiers in Baghdad's International Zone hospital last year when he started a conversation with a badly wounded soldier. That day, the soldier was being prepared for evacuation to Germany to receive critical medical care. "There was no doubt his rehab was going to take months," Slavonic recalled. As medical staff continued to ready the soldier for his flight out of Iraq, the soldier looked at Slavonic and said "'Sir, I want to go back to my unit and my buddies. The job's not done here,...

Major E. is our man at Camp Victory in Baghdad. Today he writes to comment on the attack on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, heading his report "Bombs in Baghdad -- Spectacularly Ineffective": ****************** "By now, I am sure that many of your readers have seen the eye-catching video of multiple vehicle bombs detonating in front of a Baghdad hotel. Since it is being broadcast all over the airwaves, I just wanted to remind readers that even though it was an apparent public relations success for the terrorists, the attack was a failure in military terms. The number of terrorists...

Extremists face fresh wave of expulsions By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor (Filed: 16/08/2005) Charles Clarke yesterday signalled a fresh wave of expulsions and exclusions of extremist Islamists once the Government has concluded its review of the law later this month. The Home Secretary visited Scotland Yard for a briefing on the terrorism threat and issued a warning that another strike in London could not be ruled out. "We remain worried," Mr Clarke said, though he conceded that there was no specific intelligence about the existence of a third cell of bombers. "It would be ridiculous to assume a further...

Scientists seek fresh chance to dig up Stonehenge's secrets Robin McKie, science editor Sunday July 24, 2005 The Observer (UK) Stonehenge has always mystified. Julius Caesar thought it was the work of druids, medieval scholars believed it was the handiwork of Merlin, while local folk tales simply blamed the devil. Now scientists are demanding a full-scale research programme be launched to update our knowledge of the monument and discover precisely who built it and its burial barrow graves. This is the key recommendation of Stonehenge: an Archaeological Research Framework, edited by Timothy Darvill of Bournemouth University, soon to be published...

Two Britons reported dead in resort atrocity as tourists flee Egypt fearing fresh wave of attacks By Hugh Miles in Sharm el-Sheikh and Colin Freeman (Filed: 24/07/2005) Hundreds of British tourists fled Egypt last night, fearing fresh terrorist attacks after three bombs ripped through the popular Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Hospital officials said that two Britons were among 88 dead, though last night the Foreign Office confirmed only that two men were missing. The market place in Sharm el-Sheikh after the blast A further eight Britons were among the 120 wounded, including a 14-year-old girl and a 30-year-old...

MPs to get fresh vote on right to fight off burglars By Melissa Kite, Deputy Political Editor (Filed: 12/06/2005) A revived attempt to win for householders the right to use greater force against intruders is to be launched in Parliament within weeks. Anne McIntosh, a Conservative shadow foreign office minister, unveiled plans to introduce a Householder Protection Bill after she came near to the top of the ballot for private members' legislation. Anne McIntosh The Bill will re-balance the law in favour of homeowners, enabling them to take stronger measures to defend themselves without fear of prosecution. It will carry...

If the state of California, like many of its citizens, sent Christmas letters with its greeting cards, here's what they might say this year: Dear Friends, What a glorious, hopeful feeling there was under the Capitol dome as this year began! Gray Davis was gone. Enough said about that. We were just getting to know our new governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Far from an empty-headed bodybuilder and actor, he was turning out to be a savvy politician with a quick grasp of issues. On top of that, the "action governor" had a style as swashbuckling as his movie characters. That's why...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) took a fresh jab at US President George W. Bush (news - web sites), in a clear sign that world opinion was still far from making peace with the war in Iraq (news - web sites). Annan opened this year's annual debate of world leaders at the United Nations (news - web sites) by critising Bush's plan to deliver democracy to Iraq through force in a pointed speech aimed at underlining the importance of the rule of law. "Those who seek to bestow legitimacy must themselves embody...

Scientists exploring the deep sea in the Gulf of Mexico have discovered seeps that resemble a paved road. Seeps are places where oil and other hydrocarbons bubble up from under the seabed. But these seeps, discovered by researchers with Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, are covered in asphalt. The seeps were found along salt domes that lie about two miles down in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Deep sea cameras revealed about 20 salt domes that had collapsed or broken apart. Along the edges were large patches of asphalt, or hardened tar. Scientists photographed them and took samples;...

Mahathir retires with fresh attack on Jews By Phil Reeves, Asia Correspondent 31 October 2003 The Prime Minister of Malaysia compared Israel's treatment of the Palestinians with the Holocaust and accused the United States of forcing slaves to convert to Christianity in his final hours in office yesterday. Mahathir Mohammad, 77, who retires today after 22 years, brought prosperity to his nation. But this had already been overshadowed by an outcry over his pronouncement that "Jews rule the world by proxy" by getting "others to fight and die for them". He reignited the row yesterday by saying: "Jews must never...

Fears of fresh 'sniper' spree A full-scale investigation aims to quell residents' fears Fears are mounting in West Virginia that a gunman may be copying the sniper attacks which sparked panic in the Washington area last year. State police have joined forces with federal agents and other government teams to mount a full and immediate investigation to quell residents' fears that a serial killer is on the loose. Preliminary findings after three people were killed in Kanawha County last week show they were all shot in the head or neck at more than 30 metres away with a rifle bearing...

US warns of fresh Saudi attacks The United States has warned that new terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia may be "imminent". It announced it was closing its embassy in Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran from Wednesday, saying it had credible information about attacks planned against unspecified targets. No decision has yet been made as to when the offices may reopen, but it would not be before Sunday, a message on the US embassy's website said. The announcement follows a warning on Monday from Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington, who says he fears a major attack is imminent in...

Hoon to send fresh troops to Iraq By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 01/05/2003) Britain is sending another brigade of troops to Iraq to relieve some of those involved in the invasion and to take part in the post-war stabilisation force, the Government announced yesterday. British forces are so stretched that nearly a quarter of the replacements sent to Iraq will have to be reservists. Some of the regular troops who are being pulled out will have to be sent back again within weeks while others already there have been told that their tour of duty is being extended. Admiral...

Fresh troops to target Saddam's home town as hunt continues By John Lichfield 10 April 2003 Even before fighting ends in Baghdad, American forces are turning their attention to Tikrit, 110 miles to the north – Saddam Hussein's home town and the likely last bastion of resistance of his regime. Despite Kurdish claims yesterday that President Saddam has escaped from the capital to take refuge in the town, some US commanders suggested that they were in no hurry to surround or capture Tikrit. Air attacks were reported yesterday on Republican Guard units in and around the town but US military...

Judge's ruling leaves troubled Miss World facing fresh crisis By Matt Born and Tom Leonard (Filed: 07/12/2002) The troubled Miss World beauty pageant faced a fresh crisis yesterday when the assets of the company behind the contest were frozen by order of the High Court. After hundreds died in riots in Nigeria, prompting the event's hasty relocation to London, organisers of the contest tried to leave their troubles behind. But yesterday a Nigerian businesswoman was granted an injunction following claims that she was owed £500,000 by Miss World Holdings after underwriting a gala dinner for the contest in central London....

Tuesday, 26 November, 2002, 12:45 GMTFresh evidence of 'eclipse wind' The eclipse caused weather disturbances. By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor Researchers have confirmed the existence of a so-called "eclipse wind," often reported anecdotally during a solar eclipse. The finding comes from what they say is the most comprehensive set of weather measurements made during a solar eclipse: British scientists say they detected two significant events. The 11 August 1999 eclipse, visible over Britain, Europe and the Middle East, produced detectable atmospheric pressure fluctuations as well as the so-called "eclipse wind." The fleeting eclipse affected wind patterns...

Sunday, 24 November, 2002, 22:33 GMT Fresh clashes in southern Jordan Reports from Jordan say at least one person has been killed and several others injured, during renewed clashes in the southern town of Maan. Violence erupted following a dispute between residents and police, witnesses and officials said. Anger is thundering in Maan The authorities are reported to have imposed a curfew on the town and sent in reinforcements. It is not yet known whether the latest violence is linked to fighting between Islamists and the army earlier this month, during a military operation against an Islamic group. Firefight There...

Fresh arrests in swoop on Bali bomber's village By Kathy Marks in Sydney 10 November 2002 Indonesian police swooped on the home village of one of the Bali bombers yesterday, raiding houses and arresting the principal of an Islamic boarding school suspected of links with the terrorist attack. Police said they were searching for at least two brothers of an Indonesian man, Amrozi, who has confessed to being field commander of the team that planted three bombs at nightclubs in the beach resort of Kuta last month. Amrozi, 40, a motorcycle mechanic, was arrested on Tuesday in the village of...

U.S and Afghan Forces Launch Fresh Hunt in South Wed Aug 21, 8:04 AM ET KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan said on Wednesday that U.S. troops and local forces had launched a fresh operation against suspected Taliban and al Qaeda bases around the southeastern city of Khost. Defense Minister Mohammad Fahim said he believed former Taliban leader Mullah Omar was still alive and that Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden , accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks in the United States, was "probably" alive too. "The joint operation against suspect (Taliban) individuals and al Qaeda in Khost province is based on...

If you care about coffee, you should meet David Griswold, a young man whose Portland-based businesses are dedicated to bringing you the best of this beverage, while directly contributing to the welfare of the folks who pick the beans. Griswolds success with his coffee import business, Sustainable Harvest, has subsidized his Roast Your Own Coffee internet marketing enterprise. The latter, at http://www.roastyourown.com, encourages customers to buy some of the world's best beans and roast them at home for the ultimate experience. You just haven't experienced the best that coffee can be, unless you roast, grind and brew your own, Griswold...