http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/travel-chat/ en-us Sat, 2 Jan 2010 05:55:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419358/posts The battle of Bannockburn was undoubtedly of one of the most spectacular battles of the Scottish Wars of Independence. Although the struggle against the English was to continue for some 13 years more, the Scottish victory was of enormous importance as it secured the future of the throne for Robert Bruce, King of Scots. To avoid confusion, at this point it should be noted that Robert Bruce, shown as a traitor in the film Braveheart, was no such thing. Never on any occasion did Bruce betray Wallace, since in actual fact, Wallace's support lay with the restoration of John Baliol... MacBRAVEHEART homepage http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419358/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 05:55:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419191/posts Ruins of a pre-Columbian city built before the rise of the Maya civilisation have been discovered in a remote region of eastern Honduras, the Institute of Anthropology and History says. The so-called City of Encounters, in the wilderness of Botaderos mountain about 120 miles northeast of the capital, includes vestiges of three rectangular plazas, various mounds and small stone-encrusted pillars. It appears to have been built in the pre-Classical or early Classical period between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D., said Mexican anthropologist Victor Heredia, an investigator for the institute. "It's a pre-Hispanic city, a complex site. It has a well-defined... Tiscali http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419191/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 22:32:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419144/posts The red canyons and parched planes surrounding the new Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid Memorial Museum might make you think you're in the Old West. But the electrical wiring and a searing altitude headache tell you this is not California circa 1900, but high-up the mountains in present day Bolivia. Here in the tiny town of San Vicente (population 800), the world's most famous outlaws are supposed to have been gunned down 101 years ago, days after robbing the payroll of a Bolivian mine. Offing the bandits would seem to have been sufficient revenge but area residents still think the... Time http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419144/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 21:05:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419116/posts A team of Greek marine archaeologists who have spent years conducting underwater excavations off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt have unearthed a giant granite threshold to a door that they believe was once the entrance to a magnificent mausoleum that Cleopatra VII, queen of the Egyptians, had built for herself shortly before her death. They believe the 15-tonne antiquity would have held a seven metre-high door so heavy that it would have prevented the queen from consoling her Roman lover before he died, reputedly in 30BC... Tzalas believes the discovery of the threshold sheds new light on an element... Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419116/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 20:23:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419065/posts Archaeologists are investigating a mystery Roman building underneath the Dewa Roman Experience premises in the city centre. They will tunnel through the brickwork and sandstone blocks above the Roman foundations of the secret building and into the void behind... Archaeologist Mike Emery said: "It's something substantial but we don't know that is. It has been suggested it might be Roman hospital but no-one quite knows. We will be literally tunnelling into the dark." The Dewa Roman Experience, popular for school visits, already features exposed archaeological trenches from 1991 including remnants of the Roman fortress, plus Saxon and medieval remains including... Chester Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419065/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 18:44:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418685/posts On numerous Internet forums, and some email lists, gun owners periodically report being hassled by police when pulled over for routine traffic infractions. . . . But often there is a common thread to these stories – the dorky gun owner brought up the gun thing all on her own! . . . The Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418685/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:59:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418382/posts You may have seen this morning that CNN picked up a story out of Fort Wayne, Ind., on a new salt being used to melt ice on roadways, in parking lots, and other places where snow and ice pose a hazard. The product, called Magic Salt, is a residue created during – and usually discarded after – the vodka distilling process. The salt is said to be environmentally friendly and more effective than the road salt and other melting products used by municipalities and businesses. Custom Lawn Scapes in North Syracuse is the only local dealer listed on Magic Salt's... syracuse.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418382/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:58:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418163/posts Did our Neolithic ancestors turn to agriculture so that they could be sure of a tipple? US Archaeologist Patrick McGovern thinks so. The expert on identifying traces of alcohol in prehistoric sites reckons the thirst for a brew was enough of an incentive to start growing crops... Here is how the story likely began -- a prehistoric human picked up some dropped fruit from the ground and popped it unsuspectingly into his or her mouth. The first effect was nothing more than an agreeably bittersweet flavor spreading across the palate. But as alcohol entered the bloodstream, the brain started sending... Der Spiegel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418163/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:14:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418158/posts Crammed into a single large gallery, the Penn Museum show -- filled with delicate cylinder seals and alabaster pots, and glittering strings of gold, carnelian and lapis lazuli beads -- is at once frustratingly old-fashioned and deliberately retro in its design. Musical selections from the expedition's record collection play in the background. The texts are well-written but long and somewhat dense. They are supplemented by archival and contemporary images of the site and computer terminals displaying the exhibition's Web site and other Web resources and offering visitors a chance to "live blog" about the show. Wall St Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418158/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:01:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418155/posts Experts are studying the first Mayan hieroglyphic script dealing with the life of a high priest, his blood sacrifices and acts of penance, Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said. The text consists of 260 glyphs carved into a series of seashell earrings and manta ray stingers found inside a burial urn. The urn, which also contained the remains of an important Maya priest, wrapped in bright red cloth, was uncovered during excavations 11 years ago in Comalcalco, in southeastern Tabasco state, the institute said in a statement. "It is the longest Maya hieroglyphic script ever found to... Yahoo! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418155/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:53:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417826/posts WAY OUT IN AUSTRALIA'S OUTBACK, where the lakes are salty and the beer is warm, men with big arms and funny hats cook kangaroo and crocodile. River races are run in bottomless boats by louts scurrying Flintstone-style over dry bedrock. One can easily grow jaded on the outback oddities, until arriving with a jolt in Coober Pedy, the underground town. Marlon Hodges, of Alice Springs, recalls passing through a decade ago. "It was right after they filmed the second Mad Max there. We stepped off the bus, and everyone in town had a huge mohawk. It was bizarre, all these... Gluckman.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417826/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:30:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417300/posts Interesting changes in Denver. Self http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417300/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:30:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417217/posts PICTURE GALLERY: Car Show Models These Girls Make A Living Posing In Front Of The World's Hottest Cars [Pics in URL] LATimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2417217/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:14:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416715/posts Just wonderin'.... traveling to the Caribbean in two weeks.... Self (somewhat) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416715/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:18:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416683/posts Can someone in congress summon the testicular fortitude to propose a law that requires that ALL front line TSA personnel be former military or former police? Also, all security for US airlines in any country in the world should be conducted by forementioned personnel at port of boarding. Result? Better security, jobs for men and women who have already paid a great debt to this country, one less venue for a-hole politicians (of both stripes) to funnel cash and favors to their cronies, among other benefits. Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416683/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:21:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416502/posts It's time to transfer the misery of flying on commercial airliners to the people who have caused it. I haven't thought this out completely...actually...not at all. But wouldn't be nice to drag out a few of the POS airliners that are resting in the Mojave desert boneyard and turn them into "Special airliners". They could be used to carry nothing but islamics. Perhaps one or two flights a day across each ocean and a couple of flights a day across the US to some of the major hubs. They could be flown by Islamic pilots, and passengers would be served... Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416502/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:52:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416420/posts The best sort of eastward expansion FOOD in EuropeÂ’s ex-communist countries has an undeservedly bad reputation: stodgy peasant fare ruined by the culinary commissars of the planned economy. Your columnist has long disagreed, but proof is needed. So, on a recent visit to a supermarket in Tallinn, EstoniaÂ’s capital, he set out to construct a winter picnic entirely from local ingredients. The basis was easy: black bread, pungent and tasty. It makes loaves from the west and south of Europe seem bland and boring. So into the shopping basket went four or five different varieties, with different features: seeds, rye,... The Economist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416420/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:55:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416144/posts Space Shuttle Spied En Route to Hubble—Photograph courtesy NASA/Thierry Legault Using a telescope with a special solar filter, photographer Thierry Legault captured the tiny silhouette of the space shuttle Atlantis crossing in front of the sun in May. The tightly cropped shot shows Atlantis in orbit--a day before the shuttle latched on to the Hubble Space Telescope so that astronauts could perform a series of spacewalks to repair and upgrade the iconic instrument. NatGeo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416144/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:41:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415746/posts Applications are due Jan. 9 for teams interested in participating in the sixth Global Scavenger Hunt. The "Amazing Race"-like competition takes 25 teams of two people each on an around-the-world adventure. Teams selected from the entries will not know which 10 countries they will be traveling to. The event starts April 9 somewhere on the West Coast and concludes May 1 somewhere on the East Coast. National Geographic has called the event "like 'Survivor', 'The Amazing Race' and the 'Eco-Challenge' all rolled into one, except with much more cultural interaction." Experiences include things such as swimming with baby elephants, learning... Oakland Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415746/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:34:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415737/posts One of Palm Beach's most famous residents was forced off a flight Saturday afternoon after the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office says she became belligerent and aggrevated towards other passengers, including children. Ivana Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump, was on Delta flight 2377 headed to New York when law enforcement says they had to physically remove her from the flight. According to the Sheriff's Department, the pilot told them he got a call of a disturbance in first class after the plane pushed back from the gate at Palm Beach International and was headed towards the runway. The pilot... wpbf.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415737/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:12:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415642/posts Hi All,I'm in need of some advice on a new car. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415642/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:04:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415421/posts It was a Christmas gift to Kenya this week when four northern white rhinos were relocated from the Czech Republic back to the wild in Laikipia. A Boeing 747 transported two males, Sudan, 37, and Suni, 30, and two females Najim, 20, and her offspring Fatu, 9, in containers specially equipped for the tw-tonne animals. They were then driven out of Nairobi to Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The relocation of the four rhinos — half the known population of the extremely rare animal left in the world — is seen as handing them a lifeline. Rhino experts believe that releasing the... Saturday Nation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415421/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:51:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415330/posts Air France - flight 447 - Rio to Paris - June 1, 2009 - crashed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. American Airlines - flight 587 - New York JFK to Santo Domingo - Nov. 12, 2001 - crashed in a Queens neighborhood. In my humble opinion, the above-mentioned flights had a terrorism component to them that has not yet been revealed and/or published. Thoughts? Self http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415330/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:20:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415284/posts In the words of Peaches and Herb, "Reunited and it feels so good!" On December 12, Gayl O'Donnell of Lake Wylie, South Carolina got the shock of her life when her veterinarian's office called and said they had her cat Sonny, reports the Citizen-Times. O'Donnell hadn't seen Sonny since he went missing in the late 1990s while in the care of O'Donnell's boyfriend -- a dozen years ago. “I was quiet for a minute,” O'Donnell tells the Citizen-Times. “They gave me the [microchip] number. I was in disbelief.” Indeed, it was the microchip that Sonny had been implanted with all... The Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2415284/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:27:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414846/posts New pictures of the ongoing eruption and destruction from Chaiten in southern Chile. More are at the header link. All pics are half-size; click for full-size. The growing dome Dome incandescence at twilight Blast zone View from the river (volcanic dome on the horizon) Photovolcanica http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414846/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:11:05 GMT