Menzies

Interesting. Now I need to go look at how they get from Northern or Western Russia across the the Bering Strait. Never realized that could be done! ==================== AP Interview: CG admiral asks for Arctic resources By MARK THIESSEN, AP NORTHERN ALASKA -The ice-choked reaches of the northern Arctic Ocean aren't widely perceived as an international shipping route. But global warming is bringing vast change, and Russia, for one, is making an aggressive push to establish top of the world sea lanes. This year, a Russian ship carrying up to 90,000 metric tons of gas condensate sailed across the Arctic and through the Bering Strait to the Far East. Last year, a Russian ship went the other way, leaving from South Korea with industrial parts. Russia plans up to eight such trips next year, using oil-type tankers with reinforced hulls to break through the ice. All of which calls for more U.S. Coast Guard facilities and equipment in the far north to secure U.S. claims and prepare for increased human activity, according to Rear Admiral Christopher C. Colvin, who is in charge of all Coast Guard operations in Alaska and surrounding waters. "We have to have presence up there to protect our claims for the future, sovereignty claims, extended continental shelf claims," Colvin told The Associated Press in a wide-ranging interview conducted aboard a C-130 on a lumbering flight to the Arctic Ocean. The advent of Russian shipping across the Arctic is of particular concern to Alaska and the U.S. because "there's one way in and out of the Arctic Ocean for over half the world, and that's the Bering Strait," Colvin said. The 56-mile wide strait lies between northwestern Alaska and Siberia, separating the North American and Asian continents and connecting the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean. "The Bering Strait will end up becoming a significant marine highway in the future, and we're seeing it with Russia, the way they are promoting this maritime transportation route above Russia right now, today." Warming has facilitated such travel. The National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado reported last month that Arctic sea ice coverage was recorded at a summer low of 1.84 million square miles. It said sea ice melted to the third-lowest level since satellite monitoring began in 1979. More open water is something Colvin's veteran icebreaker captains confirm. They're also concerned about the state of their fleet. The Coast Guard has three icebreakers, of which only one the Healy is operational. The two other icebreakers, the Polar Sea and the Polar Star "are broken right now," Colvin said. Both are docked in Seattle, with the Polar Sea expected back in service next June. The Polar Star isn't expected back until 2013. Help could be on the way. A bill that awaits President Obama's signature would have the government conduct a 90-day review of the icebreaker fleet, looking at possibly renovating the current fleet and building new icebreakers. Colvin said it's imperative the Coast Guard has icebreakers operating in the Arctic, and not only to have a presence there to protect U.S. claims. "We need to have U.S. vessels with U.S. scientists operating in the U.S. Arctic, conducting research," he said. Such research was the basis for last week's flight to the Arctic Ocean, deploying two buoys to collect information from both ice floes and the open ocean. However, the buoys in the University of Washington project failed. The first was not deployed after a malfunction aboard the C-130, and the other did not transmit data after it was dropped out the back of the plane and fluttered to the open water via a parachute. Icebreakers aren't the only need for the Coast Guard. It also needs operations in northern Alaska since the closest base is in Kodiak, about 1,000 miles to the south. "What I'd like to see someday is a hangar in Barrow," he said of the nation's northernmost city. It would have to be large enough to house a Coast Guard C-130 and perhaps H60 helicopters. He bases that need on an incident in October 2008 when the Coast Guard flew one of the cargo planes to the North Pole. They had to stop on the way back in Barrow, and left the airplane outside overnight. Arctic temperatures caused the seals on the propellers to freeze, forcing a four-day delay to fly mechanics to Barrow to change out all the seals. "That just doesn't work. We really need a structure that we can put our C-130s in to protect them when we come up here and operate," he said. Adventurers going to the opening Arctic are another reality for the Coast Guard. Two years ago, seven people went to the Arctic, including two people who had to be rescued while trying to kayak across the Bering Straight. This year, 18 thrillseekers ventured north. Future rescues are a certainty as more people venture to the Arctic. "I'm sure people will say, 'Why are we going to waste U.S. government money on a rescue?'" Colvin said. "But you know, that's our responsibility, our requirements to rescue anybody that does get in distress." This month, Shell Oil said it has applied for one exploration well in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's north coast and will seek a permit for a second. While Colvin said he is always concerned about a possible oil spill, he's not as wary about oil exploratory operations in the summer months in open Arctic water. "Open water, summer months, 24 hours of daylight, shallow water, that's been done successfully throughout the world, I'm not particularly concerned about that," he said. "Where I become concerned is year-round production in the winter months up in the Arctic," Colvin said, adding more science, research and information is needed before moving forward.

Then we need to work out why the ICW is in-shore! Does "in-shore" really mean inside the shore!!

I was wondering! For a recreational fisherman to be doing that regularly you would have to own a gas business!!

Looks like you won't have to limit yourself to Airtran anymore. In flight wireless won't do you much good. Actually mostly fly Continental. I am a regular on the 6:05 out of Jax. Means a 4am start though and by 4pm my behind is dragging!

Did it - family/worklife is the only reason I would leave. Travelling 50% of the time now, and boy does it get real old!

Ok. So what would be your minimum equipment for a 50-mile near-shore trip? Again, assuming a boat and sea conditions appropriate for the trip. How often do you go out that far. If regularly I would invest in a EPIRB. If once or twice a year you can rent them from BoatUS. If 100 miles regularly then self-inflating life-raft and upgraded PFD with flashing lights.

Not sure that's true re boating distance. I always believed that if you were within sight of land it was inshore, out of sight of land, offshore.

To post pics in this part of the forum?

Congrats on the win. After a 0-5 start I at least didn't embarress myself too much!

Now Boldin may ne frickin' going to jail! You guys just tell me who the team you support are playing and I'll draft their star player. They'll have a broken neck by the end of the first quarter!

WOW. First McNabb. Then Gore. Now Leon Washington. It's a worse jinks than being on the cover of Madden!

Your guns,. Then you can pop her and have all three.

Gonna get whipped again this week. I have 5 guys on byes and had to pick up some mediocre players to make do. I have even had to leave Frank Gore in there even though he isn't playing this Sunday.

Crazy - I scored 124 points. Second highest score in the league, and lost!

Oh man, I got McNabb!

A hippie gets onto a bus and sits next to a nun in the front seat. The hippie looks over and asks the nun if she would have sex with him. The nun, surprised by the question, politely declines and gets off at the next stop. When the bus starts again, the bus driver says to the hippie, "If you want, I can tell you how you can get that nun to have sex with you." The hippie of course says that he'd love to know, so the bus driver tells him that every Tuesday evening at midnight the nun goes to the cemetery to pray to the lord. "If you went dressed in robes and some glowing powder," says the bus driver, "You could tell her you were God and command her to have sex with you." The hippie decides to try this out. That Tuesday, he goes to the cemetery and waits for the nun. Right on schedule, the nun shows up. While she's in the middle of praying, the hippie walks out from hiding, in robes and glowing with a mask of god. "I am God, I have heard your prayers and I will answer them but you must have sex with me first," he says. The nun agrees but asks for a##l sex so she might keep her virginity. The hippie agrees to this and quickly sets about having sex with the nun. After the hippie finishes, he rips off his mask and shouts out, "Ha ha, I'm the hippie! " The nun replies by whipping off her mask and shouting, "Ha ha, I'm the bus driver!"

Paddy was working out back with his chainsaw when he accidentally cut off all 10 of his fingers. He went to the emergency room in Cork 's hospital. The doctor looked at Paddy and said, 'Lets be avin' da fingers and I'll see what oi can do'. Paddy said, 'Oi haven't got da fingers.' 'Whadda ya mean you haven't got da fingers? Lord Tunderin' Jesus, it's 2009! We's got microsurgery and all kinds of incredible techniques. I could have put em back on and made you like new!' 'Why didn't ya bring da fingers?!?' And Paddy said, ' How da fock was I 'spose to pick them up !!!

In

Did it feel like this?

You know the hog will be moving right?

That would be THE Original Hard Rock Cafe, right by Hyde Corner! OK, here are some of the lesser known spots.... Make sure to do the London Dungeon. And for God's sake DO NOT leave London without visiting the Natural History and the Victoria and Albert Museums. Do some of the pubs on Fleet Street -where the newspapers were printed and the pubs catered to the famous writers. Best pubs in the city. Go to Convent Garden. Just sit in Trafalgar Square. don't do anything, just sit there and maybe wander up to the National Art. Eat a Chinese meal in Soho. Do NOT go to Greenwich. The Cutty Sark was burned to the gunnels and is being rebuilt under cover. The Gypsy Moth has been taken off because Sir Francis is thinking of redoing the circumnavigation. If you want to straddle the meridian, then fine. But that and a lot of musty naval history is all that is left down there!

Reminds me of the man who walked into a sporting goods store in Dublin. The sales clerk asks if he could help him. "I'm looking for a baseball bat." says the guy. "Now would that be for a wedding or a funeral?" replies the sales clerk.

Hey Auguste, temps will be 104 here today with a heat index of 115. You sure?

Are Internet forums like a mobile phone service - you can only have one and have to switch?

Check out Palm Coast, lots of canal homes at very very reasonable prices.