Free Republic

As many as 145 whales have died after being found stranded on a remote beach in New Zealand, conservation officials said Monday. Two pods of pilot whales were discovered just over a mile apart on Mason Bay, Stewart Island, a sparsely populated island in the country's south. Authorities were first alerted to the mass stranding by a hiker Saturday evening. Half of the whales were already dead. The remaining animals were later euthanized, according to New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC). A Stewart Island operations manager for the DOC, Ren Leppens, said that the remote location and condition of the...

A top Chinese general will visit the United States this month and tour major U.S. bases as Washington seeks to improve relations and reduce the risk of conlict, offi

-- Immigration authorities raided the offices of a Southern California fencing company Wednesday, seizing boxes of documents and arresting 17 employees who are believed to be in the United States illegally. Golden State Fence Co. had rehired some of the 17 employees who were arrested despite previous warnings by federal authorities that they were ineligible to work, officials with the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau said in a press release. Authorities searched company offices in Riverside, where the company is based, and in Oceanside, about 35 miles north of San Diego. All 17 employees arrested were...

The linked source above provides the article and a link to a full-size image. Here's the smaller version: Here's a "where is it?" context map: and here are various images from Farewell Spit (apparently -- not absolutely certain in the case of the first two, but very likely). This appears to be one of the world's ultimate natural beaches. and finally, found on the page that provided the last image above, these "Pancake Rocks" are somewhere in the vicinity:

Ask President Bush To Make To Make The Mount Soledad Cross A National MonumentSave the historic cross from another ACLU-backed removal A 43-foot tall cross that was erected atop Mt. Soledad in San Diego, California 50 years ago to honor our nation’s veterans faces imminent removal unless we act now. An ACLU-backed atheist has waged a 15-year court battle to force removal of the famous cross. And a federal court has ordered the city of San Diego to remove it. However, one option remains. Federal law known as the Antiquities Act authorizes the President to designate landmarks and structures...