Pic:
There's a good chance that, without further volcanic activity, the island will be eroded by wave action and disappear. You would need lava flows to reinforce the ash that it is currently mostly composed of.
Showing posts with label islands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label islands. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Birth Of An Island
Via volcanic eruption near the Pacific nation of Tonga.
Pic:
There's a good chance that, without further volcanic activity, the island will be eroded by wave action and disappear. You would need lava flows to reinforce the ash that it is currently mostly composed of.
Pic:
There's a good chance that, without further volcanic activity, the island will be eroded by wave action and disappear. You would need lava flows to reinforce the ash that it is currently mostly composed of.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Man's Best Friend - - Marooned
And I mean "marooned" in its literal sense, as in abandoned on a desert island.
A casual act of cruelty can take a "village" of volunteers to mend. Take the case of a small beagle abandoned this fall on an Intracoastal Waterway island in New Hanover County. Jeannie Mintz, who is president of Saving Animals During Disasters, wrote about it.
Click the link to read the rest. The dog, a beagle, had been abandoned on a "spoil" island, i.e., an island made by dredging operations, and was starving. It took over a week to trap the dog, because it was so mistrusting of humans, an indication it had been abused. Now it's been adopted by a presumably loving owner.
A casual act of cruelty can take a "village" of volunteers to mend. Take the case of a small beagle abandoned this fall on an Intracoastal Waterway island in New Hanover County. Jeannie Mintz, who is president of Saving Animals During Disasters, wrote about it.
Click the link to read the rest. The dog, a beagle, had been abandoned on a "spoil" island, i.e., an island made by dredging operations, and was starving. It took over a week to trap the dog, because it was so mistrusting of humans, an indication it had been abused. Now it's been adopted by a presumably loving owner.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Treasure Blog: 16th Century Coin Hoard, Lindisfarne Isle
Found by a workman in a clay pot, which he threw in the back of his van and stuck in a corner of his garage. Eight years later, cleaning the pot, gold and silver coins cascaded out of it.
Pic:
One of the coins is a gold scudo stamped with the likeness of Pope Clement VII, famous for refusing to permit the divorce of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, which resulted in England breaking away from the Catholic Church. The coin is the first of its kind discovered in the world, the news report says, so presumably it's quite valuable.
Update: inadvertently identified that old English king as Henry VII vice Henry VIII. Thanks to ProudHillbilly for pointing it out.
Pic:
One of the coins is a gold scudo stamped with the likeness of Pope Clement VII, famous for refusing to permit the divorce of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, which resulted in England breaking away from the Catholic Church. The coin is the first of its kind discovered in the world, the news report says, so presumably it's quite valuable.
Update: inadvertently identified that old English king as Henry VII vice Henry VIII. Thanks to ProudHillbilly for pointing it out.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Other Than That It Was a Great Airplane
"The U.S. Navy gave it to the Marines. Pilots thought it was a sweet plane to fly, but noticed that the wheel struts sometimes broke, that the engine leaked oil, and that the guns sometimes didn't fire. And when they flew it against the nimble fighters of Japan, too often they didn't come back."
Some parts of a Brewster F2A Buffalo have been found in 10 feet of water in the lagoon at Midway Atoll.
The Buffalo is widely recognized as one of the worst airplanes to fly during WWII. There's only one left in existence, in a museum in Finland.
Pic:
Sort of short and fat, isn't it? I remember playing with model planes as a kid and the Buffalo was one of my favorites, for some reason.
Some parts of a Brewster F2A Buffalo have been found in 10 feet of water in the lagoon at Midway Atoll.
The Buffalo is widely recognized as one of the worst airplanes to fly during WWII. There's only one left in existence, in a museum in Finland.
Pic:
Sort of short and fat, isn't it? I remember playing with model planes as a kid and the Buffalo was one of my favorites, for some reason.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Just Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale...
...a tale of a fateful trip...
Ian Thompson, a veteran seaman in his 60s, and an unnamed Australian yachtsman have been missing since an emergency call was made to a relative from the yacht, Navillus, on Thursday night.
Air and sea search teams found the wreckage of the yacht, including an un-deployed life raft and the hull, near the island of Late, west of the Tongan island of Vava'u.
The yacht belonged to Mr Thompson, a dual Australian-British citizen who was reportedly on his way from the Caribbean to the coastal city of Bundaberg in Queensland, where he planned to live out a sailing-based retirement.
A rescue team will try to make it onto Late to conduct a thorough search. High sea swells have so far prevented the rescuers reaching the island, though the main landing points have been checked.
Mr Thompson, who has been living in Adelaide for 20 years, worked as a ship's captain and marine pilot, guiding large ships to dock.
Two men, all alone on a desert island...
Ian Thompson, a veteran seaman in his 60s, and an unnamed Australian yachtsman have been missing since an emergency call was made to a relative from the yacht, Navillus, on Thursday night.
Air and sea search teams found the wreckage of the yacht, including an un-deployed life raft and the hull, near the island of Late, west of the Tongan island of Vava'u.
The yacht belonged to Mr Thompson, a dual Australian-British citizen who was reportedly on his way from the Caribbean to the coastal city of Bundaberg in Queensland, where he planned to live out a sailing-based retirement.
A rescue team will try to make it onto Late to conduct a thorough search. High sea swells have so far prevented the rescuers reaching the island, though the main landing points have been checked.
Mr Thompson, who has been living in Adelaide for 20 years, worked as a ship's captain and marine pilot, guiding large ships to dock.
Two men, all alone on a desert island...
Monday, April 30, 2012
Headline of the Day
"Guam official: 60% of Marines will rotate."
I wonder if the rotating Marines will keep the island from capsizing?
And what if they rotate the wrong way? Widdershins instead of deosil? (clockwise vs. counter-clockwise, for you fans of modern parlance) Will the island capsize even faster if the Marines rotate in the wrong direction, sort of like righty-tighty, lefty-loosy?
I wonder if the rotating Marines will keep the island from capsizing?
And what if they rotate the wrong way? Widdershins instead of deosil? (clockwise vs. counter-clockwise, for you fans of modern parlance) Will the island capsize even faster if the Marines rotate in the wrong direction, sort of like righty-tighty, lefty-loosy?
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Meanwhile, On Sotobanari Island...
...a Japanese man has been living as a hermit, naked, for 20 years.
Click the link to see video and the story. He spends much of the time in the video scratching himself like an ape would. And, lest you think he's self-sufficient, let me make it clear: he's supported by funds from his brother, which allows him to journey to buy groceries once a week. Still, I'm sure he appreciates the solitude and comparative autonomy.
h/t Robert Langham.
Click the link to see video and the story. He spends much of the time in the video scratching himself like an ape would. And, lest you think he's self-sufficient, let me make it clear: he's supported by funds from his brother, which allows him to journey to buy groceries once a week. Still, I'm sure he appreciates the solitude and comparative autonomy.
h/t Robert Langham.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
What Has Lots of Snakes, Few Birds, and Might Tip Over?
Answer: Guam.
Apparently the island isn't stabilized yet, because it isn't ready to handle the weight of the Marines currently stationed on Okinawa.
Apparently the island isn't stabilized yet, because it isn't ready to handle the weight of the Marines currently stationed on Okinawa.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Where I Want To Live
If I ever found myself having to live in New York City, I think I could live happily here, as long as no one else was on the island with me.
North Brother Island, a former leper colony/quarantine island in the East River:
Click the link for some striking photos. I rather imagine this place will end up as some millionaire's playground.
North Brother Island, a former leper colony/quarantine island in the East River:
Click the link for some striking photos. I rather imagine this place will end up as some millionaire's playground.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Your Chance To Own Rat Island
Peace, Quiet and Solitude for Sale
This week, the Appraisal takes a boat ride to Rat Island, a privately owned patch of vacant land that will be auctioned on Sunday. Granted, it is on the small side (2.5 acres), and it lacks electricity, running water and the usual residential amenities. But it does offer privacy, quiet and marine views from a rocky outcropping near City Island in the Long Island Sound.
And here's a map:
View Larger Map
Could you imagine building your own James Bond Villain fortress out there?
And, speaking of rats, Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.
This week, the Appraisal takes a boat ride to Rat Island, a privately owned patch of vacant land that will be auctioned on Sunday. Granted, it is on the small side (2.5 acres), and it lacks electricity, running water and the usual residential amenities. But it does offer privacy, quiet and marine views from a rocky outcropping near City Island in the Long Island Sound.
And here's a map:
View Larger Map
Could you imagine building your own James Bond Villain fortress out there?
And, speaking of rats, Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Can I Hate These Particular Muslims?
A couple decided to renew their marriage vows in the Maldive Islands in the Indian Ocean, which is a Sunni Muslim country. An employee of the hotel they were staying at asked to give a "blessing" in the native Dhiveli language.
The blessing, which was taped and uploaded to YouTube, wasn't quite what the couple expected:
"You are swine. The children that you bear from this marriage will all be bastard swine. Your marriage is not a valid one," he intoned as the couple held up their hands in prayer, blissfully unaware of what was being said.
Dismissing them as pork-eating "infidels", the employee went on: "You are not the kind of people who can have a valid marriage. One of you is an infidel. The other too is an infidel and, we have reason to believe, an atheist who does not even believe in an infidel religion.
"You fornicate and make a lot of children. You drink and you eat pork. Most of the children that you have are marked with spots and blemishes."
Several other staff members were present at the ceremony but said nothing. One appeared to be stifling a laugh.
The "celebrant", identified as Hussein Didi, made reference to bestiality and "frequent fornication by homosexuals". Close inspection of the official-looking document in front of him reveals it to be a copy of the staff employment regulations.
The video was shot by hotel employees who can be heard sniggering in the background and debating whether or not the bride is wearing a bra. "Don't look at the breasts!" says one as the bride leans over in her white wedding gown to plant a coconut palm. "My beard has gone grey watching those things. I have seen so many of them now that I don't even want to look any more when I see them."
A similar situation existed in Morocco when I was living in Spain in the 1980's. USO tours to Tangiers had to warn tourists against buying a particular t-shirt featuring a camel and Arabic script, because the script translated to Infidels Suck! Idiots who get tattoos featuring Chinese or Japanese "Kanji" characters are also in danger from pranksters, even celebrities such as Britney Spears have been conned in such a manner.
The blessing, which was taped and uploaded to YouTube, wasn't quite what the couple expected:
"You are swine. The children that you bear from this marriage will all be bastard swine. Your marriage is not a valid one," he intoned as the couple held up their hands in prayer, blissfully unaware of what was being said.
Dismissing them as pork-eating "infidels", the employee went on: "You are not the kind of people who can have a valid marriage. One of you is an infidel. The other too is an infidel and, we have reason to believe, an atheist who does not even believe in an infidel religion.
"You fornicate and make a lot of children. You drink and you eat pork. Most of the children that you have are marked with spots and blemishes."
Several other staff members were present at the ceremony but said nothing. One appeared to be stifling a laugh.
The "celebrant", identified as Hussein Didi, made reference to bestiality and "frequent fornication by homosexuals". Close inspection of the official-looking document in front of him reveals it to be a copy of the staff employment regulations.
The video was shot by hotel employees who can be heard sniggering in the background and debating whether or not the bride is wearing a bra. "Don't look at the breasts!" says one as the bride leans over in her white wedding gown to plant a coconut palm. "My beard has gone grey watching those things. I have seen so many of them now that I don't even want to look any more when I see them."
A similar situation existed in Morocco when I was living in Spain in the 1980's. USO tours to Tangiers had to warn tourists against buying a particular t-shirt featuring a camel and Arabic script, because the script translated to Infidels Suck! Idiots who get tattoos featuring Chinese or Japanese "Kanji" characters are also in danger from pranksters, even celebrities such as Britney Spears have been conned in such a manner.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Home On the Island of Muck
Not as bad as it sounds, actually.
It's a small island off the west coast of Scotland, owned by the McEwan family. The McEwans are looking for a UK family with children to live there year-round. It's remote, with few amenities and even electricity is hard to come by.
Here's a pic:
The island is so free of crime that, not only do they not lock their doors, some of the doors don't even have locks.
And if you're a poet, think of all the words that rhyme with muck.
It's a small island off the west coast of Scotland, owned by the McEwan family. The McEwans are looking for a UK family with children to live there year-round. It's remote, with few amenities and even electricity is hard to come by.
Here's a pic:
The island is so free of crime that, not only do they not lock their doors, some of the doors don't even have locks.
And if you're a poet, think of all the words that rhyme with muck.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Monday, January 04, 2010
Alone On An Island - - And Paid For It
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I blogged Sunday about living on a desert island, but being required to pay for it.
How about instead living on a desert island and receiving a paycheck for doing so?
UK is looking for a wildlife warden to be caretaker on a remote island (Skomer Island)off the Pembrokeshire coast:
View Larger Map
It's being billed as the UK version of the "job of a lifetime" that was offered by the Queensland Tourism Board in Australia last year.
Here's a pic of the island in nice weather:
Skomer Island
Not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe, it's primitive as can be.
I blogged Sunday about living on a desert island, but being required to pay for it.
How about instead living on a desert island and receiving a paycheck for doing so?
UK is looking for a wildlife warden to be caretaker on a remote island (Skomer Island)off the Pembrokeshire coast:
View Larger Map
It's being billed as the UK version of the "job of a lifetime" that was offered by the Queensland Tourism Board in Australia last year.
Here's a pic of the island in nice weather:
Not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe, it's primitive as can be.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Alone On An Island - - For A Price
Good New York Times story about renting an island for a vacation.
Of course, there are places throughout the world where you could just disappear onto an island and rarely encounter humans, but it's getting more and more difficult. I've even thought of spending a few hours on a small island south of Wilmington, myself; it would only require hiring a boat to take us out (and return us to the mainland after a few hours, of course).
How about the rest of you? Ever want to play Robinson Crusoe, if only for a short period? If you have, how about relating your experiences?
Of course, there are places throughout the world where you could just disappear onto an island and rarely encounter humans, but it's getting more and more difficult. I've even thought of spending a few hours on a small island south of Wilmington, myself; it would only require hiring a boat to take us out (and return us to the mainland after a few hours, of course).
How about the rest of you? Ever want to play Robinson Crusoe, if only for a short period? If you have, how about relating your experiences?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Smith Island Cake?
Smith Island, a small island in the Chesapeake Bay accessible only by ferry, wants to become famous for its cakes.
The eastern state's official dessert is "certainly not low fat," acknowledged Kristen Manzo, manager of the Smith Island Baking Company. A 28-year-old native of Baltimore, Maryland, she moved to the isle after falling in love with the region.
Not for the faint of heart, the confection entails a generous stack of 10 layers of sponge cake, coated with thick frosting of sugar-sweetened cocoa, vanilla, condensed milk and melted butter. Different flavors are available, including peanut butter.
I remember reading about Smith Island in William Least Heat Moon's fine travel book Blue Highways. The Chesapeake Bay is one of the places I'd be looking for a deserted island for a hermit existence, if I ever seriously decided to chuck it all in and go hermit.
View Larger Map
The eastern state's official dessert is "certainly not low fat," acknowledged Kristen Manzo, manager of the Smith Island Baking Company. A 28-year-old native of Baltimore, Maryland, she moved to the isle after falling in love with the region.
Not for the faint of heart, the confection entails a generous stack of 10 layers of sponge cake, coated with thick frosting of sugar-sweetened cocoa, vanilla, condensed milk and melted butter. Different flavors are available, including peanut butter.
I remember reading about Smith Island in William Least Heat Moon's fine travel book Blue Highways. The Chesapeake Bay is one of the places I'd be looking for a deserted island for a hermit existence, if I ever seriously decided to chuck it all in and go hermit.
View Larger Map
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
If I'd Only Won The Lottery...
...I could have bought my own James Bond-style Villain's Fortress:
My very own man cave. Fortress of Solitude.
*sigh*
My very own man cave. Fortress of Solitude.
*sigh*
Monday, August 24, 2009
Can We Re-Stock It With...Um...Lesbians?
After two centuries of being infested with rats, Alaska's Rat Island, located in the Aleutian Islands, is now certified rat-free.
I guess it's going to be re-named The Island Formerly Known AsPrince Rat?
I guess it's going to be re-named The Island Formerly Known As
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