This is a really interesting story. Hate to see such a ship go down, not to mention the loss of life.
I am curious how the decision was made to make the run to St. Petersburg, FL in the face of that approaching storm.
There will be an investigation to be sure.
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. -- Coast Guard Vice Adm. Robert Parker, Operational Commander for the Atlantic Area, told "Good Morning America's" George Stephanopoulos Monday morning that a replica of the famous sailing ship the HMS Bounty had sunk and two crewmembers were unaccounted for.
The Coast Guard in Portsmouth initially received a call from the owner of the 180-foot, three- mast, tall ship late Sunday evening, saying she had lost communication with the vessel's 16-member crew. It was previously reported to be a 17-person crew.
An air crew from Elizabeth City, N.C., sent out an HC-130 Hercules aircraft to establish communications with the Bounty's crew. The vessel was taking on two feet of water an hour and had no propulsion before it sank approximately 90 miles southeast of Hatteras N.C., Monday.
Parker said the 16 crewmembers abandoned ship into canopied, rubber life rafts with about 10 feet of water on board.
Two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., rescued 14 people from life rafts in winds of 40 mph and 18-foot Atlantic Ocean seas.
FULL STORY
This is an interesting video of that ship during another storm.
The United States has a Republican form of Government. We vote for our Representatives. We been doing that for a long time.
UN Affiliate Will Monitor U.S. Elections
The upcoming presidential elections will be observed by election monitors from countries that have their own issues with democracy.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a group that has observed U.S. elections since 2002, is sending dozens of monitors from around the world to monitor the presidential and congressional elections in the United States this November.
As CNS News reports, 12 of those monitors come from countries that Freedom House ranks "not free," specifically Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and six come from countries ranked "partly free."
FULL STORY
Can't say our electoral history has been all pure and simple. That is a fact. But then I am talking history, something we learned here as we strive to fulfill the preamble to our Constitution,
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union
Well, some of us just don't like foreigners poking their noses in our business. A great thing here is we have Texas.
Texas sparks international row with election observers
Texas authorities have threatened to arrest international election observers, prompting a furious response from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
“The threat of criminal sanctions against [international] observers is unacceptable,” Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said in a statement. “The United States, like all countries in the OSCE, has an obligation to invite ODIHR observers to observe its elections.”
FULL STORY
How in the heck did my country come to this?
I mean really.
Our government mandates we put corn ethanol into our gas tanks, even though it is more expensive than gasoline. Meanwhile domestically producing record amounts of gasoline.
All along gas prices at the pump climbed to, and remain unquestionably expensive.
Then to read an article which touch on a fact which we all should be cognizant of.
U.S. May Overtake Saudi Arabia As World’s Top Oil Producer
NEW YORK (AP) -
U.S. oil output is surging so fast that the United States could soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest producer.
Driven by high prices and new drilling methods, U.S. production of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons is on track to rise 7 percent this year to an average of 10.9 million barrels per day. This will be the fourth straight year of crude increases and the biggest single-year gain since 1951
The Energy Department forecasts that U.S. production of crude and other liquid hydrocarbons, which includes biofuels, will average 11.4 million barrels per day next year. That would be a record for the U.S. and just below Saudi Arabia's output of 11.6 million barrels. Citibank forecasts U.S. production could reach 13 million to 15 million barrels per day by 2020, helping to make North America "the new Middle East."
CNS NEWS
The Coast Guard in Portsmouth initially received a call from the owner of the 180-foot, three- mast, tall ship late Sunday evening, saying she had lost communication with the vessel's 16-member crew. It was previously reported to be a 17-person crew.
