Merry Christmas everyone

Today’s picture is of my Christmas haul, Santa was pretty good to me this year.

Close up of the haul

3 Pullips: Aya, Happy Birthday Pullip 2 and Street
1 Dal: Sakura
1 each mini Pullip- Maritime and mini Dal- Pink Alice
1 Blythe: Punkaholic People
3 Anime Figures: Chobits Chii Figure by Lilics Limited Edition Version, Gurren Lagann Yoko Figure by Kotobukiya and Evangelion Rei 1/4 Scale by Aizu Project
1 DX Hot Toys Joker
Tekken 6 Special Edition with Joystick
Watchmen Complete Story Special Edition Blu-ray and Rorschach Figure
and a bunch of little Nadesico kits because I love me some Nadesico ^^;

Also not pictured here but I received enough gift cards to Denver Doll to pay off my Puki Pong Pong who is currently on layaway.

:goes back to trying to figure out how to assemble the Dora kitchen playset ^^; :

On the Dutch Wadden Sea island of Terschelling, near the harbour, there is this nice little coffee house called ‘Het Wakend Oog’ (The All-seeing Eye).  The purpose was to provide shelter for the local fishermen, when they had to watch their ships during the Southern storms, that had fallen dry on low tide (back then in 1680 when it was built, there was no harbour yet). The original building was made of timber that had washed ashore.

Later, in 1882, it was rebuilt in stone. It most probably also served as a masonic temple, or at least was intended as one, given the symbols of Freemasonry in and on the building, like the all-seeing eye, the square and compasses, and the two pyramids located on the highest part of the roof.

The Brandaris is a lighthouse on the Dutch Wadden Sea island Terschelling, in Friesland. The first Brandaris was built in 1323, but it was destroyed in 1570. The current tower was built in 1594.

It was my daily sight when I lived on Terschelling, where I graduated in 1984 from maritime college.

I just completed an intense all day course to complete my certification. I am ecstatic and ready to go to work. To all of the maritime industry, I am now certified. The course instructor was Captain Joe Ahlstrom of the New York Maritime Academy. Next semester will round out my Master’s Public Administration degree in the Maritime Institute at Old Dominion University. In addition to this certificate, I will be obtaining a certificate in Ports and Maritime Management from the institute as well.

Calling all port authorities, ship owners and shipping companies, now is your chance to grab a very well educated and enthusiastic individual with a keen interest in all things maritime. In a nutshell I’m blue water bound and ready to serve in a capacity that fulfills my desires and meets the needs of your organization. Contact me now!

Guided by the Compass

I was going through my redbubble photo folio looking at possibly cleaning up my folio for the new year and I feel that some great work has gone unnoticed, maybe this is because my folio has grown quite a bit throughout 2009.

You can see some of my unnoticed work by following the link: http://www.redbubble.com/people/eos20/journal/4333127-my-unnoticed-work

The Panamanian-flagged Danny F II capsized 11 miles (20km) off Tripoli after sending a distress signal.

At least 19 survivors from the vessel – sailing from Uruguay to the Syrian port of Tartous – have been picked up, officials said.

Lebanon has been hit by severe thunderstorms and flooding.

One of those saved was from the Philippines and another from Pakistan, a Lebanese rescue official said.

“They were very scared and cold when we pulled them out of the water,” he told AFP news agency.

“If the sea remains calm we hope to find more survivors, but if the storm kicks up again then they have little chance of surviving for more than an hour in the water,” he said.

All the livestock were presumed dead, he added.

A Lebanese military spokesman said the crew had time to don life jackets before the boat capsized.

The ship’s operator, Agencia Schandy, told AFP in Montevideo that the Danny F II had a crew of 76 and six passengers – four Uruguayans, one Brazilian and an Australian.

The ship had left Montevideo on 23 November with 10,224 sheep and 17,932 cattle, the company said.

International search

The ship’s crew are mostly from the Philippines and Pakistan but there is at least one Lebanese and one Syrian on board, a port official in Tripoli said.

Reports from Tripoli said ambulances had been seen rushing out of the port area to nearby hospitals.

Ships from the Lebanese navy and the UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon (Unifil) are conducting the search, along with a Lebanese civilian vessel.

“Three maritime task force ships – one Italian and two German – were dispatched about 10 nautical miles off the coast of Tripoli after the Lebanese navy received a distress call from a Panamanian-flagged ship,” Unifil spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP news agency.

A British military base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was also taking part in the rescue.

“We have scrambled one helicopter from 84 Squadron but because of the distance from (Akrotiri) base it will be operating out of Larnaca,” British Forces spokesman Stuart Bardsley said.

“The helicopter is not equipped to winch at night but we provide a searchlight facility to lead the boats where there are life rafts.”

The cargo ship issued a distress call on Thursday afternoon, but had sunk before a Lebanese navy ship reached the area, a Lebanese army officer said.

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Cunards Three Queens : A Celebration
New Orleans Class Cruisers (Shipcraft No.13)
Yamato Class Battleships (Shipcraft No.14)

Promote your Homepage at Marine Link Bid Directory – New Website!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all Mariners!

This is just opened new website for maritime link directory.
Place your URL link on the best position in new maritime link directory – www.marURL.com!

Top position will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Operation Div. of www.marURL.com
S E C

1876 - Light House and Buoys, U.S. Govt: B

Click the picture to see it full size.

View the full collection at clicksypics.com. To find out how these are created, go here.

Most print publications have experts picking NFL games every week. Pegasus News, however, is different, in that we have near-flawless methodology in picking teams that will actually win. Our panel of perfect prognosticators — Todd Maternowski and Mike Bullock — will bring the pain each and every week.

We can't take credit for our awesome picks, it's just in our DNA

As an added bonus, we have included three competing methodologies. The first is the return of “Mascot War,” in which we discuss which team’s actual moniker would win in a pitched battle to the death in the wild. Besides being easily the most controversial aspect of this feature, it will probably also be a constant source of embarrassment as our picks routinely show up.

The second and third methodologies are perhaps equally arcane and mysterious to the average NFL fan. There is the “Occult Pick,” in which our experts use the forbidden art of divination to predict each week’s winner; and “Fashion War,” in which Todd’s wife selects each victor based on the relative superiority of each team’s uniforms.

Most of these picks need no explanation: However, our panel has provided some commentary (footnotes and indexing to follow) for certain especially difficult-to-pick games.

Todd M: Buccaneer versus Seahawk — This week’s pitched battle to the death is the timeless, eons-old Battle of Maritime Supremacy between Buccaneer and his hated rival, Seahawk. At first glance, you might assume that the Buccaneer’s natural advantage in weaponry would make him an easy pick in a theoretical deathmatch with the Seahawk. At second glance, you might think that the Buccaneer’s access to cannons, telescopes and two opposable thumbs would be more than enough to overcome the Seahawks’ ability to take to the skies in aerial combat. And at third glance, you would most likely see a grinning Buccaneer, quickly moving on to his next challenge as he steps over the freshly-shot corpse of the pathetic Seahawk. Buccaneer over Seahawk

A recent article in the latest Maritime Executive addresses one solution to alleviating the strains on the existing road infrastructure and dependence on fuel; short sea shipping. Although public administrators and politicians agree that it is a significant part of the solution, monies have yet to be released. What is the reason for delaying programs and initiatives that will relieve the pressure? I sojourn in one of the major seaports on the east coast of the United States, where the term transportation is limited to asphalt and concrete highways. Read the article and see for yourself that short sea shipping (p. 50 in the hard copy) is a remedy that needs to be enacted yesterday.

Apparently it was a well-kept surprise to Dr. Joan M.E. Gaither that she, along with her extraordinary documentary story quilt, were the honorees at a spirited dedication ceremony this past Wednesday. The artist received various accolades, too many to enumerate, celebrating her Black Watermen of the Chesapeake quilt. Imagine being asked to show up for a “small” dedication ceremony to find a hundred friends, family, local students, community members, and other supporters there to tell you how much of an impact you have had on their lives. Music and poetry framed the ceremony, including a rendition of Ave Maria by Banneker-Douglass Museum’s own Gen Kaplan, winter and water-themed selections by Bates Middle School choir, and a capella spirituals. Oh yes, there were tears.

 Let me back up a little; when I say her quilt, what I mean is her vision, her expertise, and her talent. But Dr. Gaither did something remarkable: She shared all this with the community and allowed anyone who wished to add their story, their photos, and their stitches to the quilt. She is the first to say that this was a community project. This particular documentary story quilt, as there are quite a few more, tells the stories of African American men and women who spent their lives working the water of the Chesapeake: Their struggles, their triumphs, their families, their LOVE of the Bay. As Jeff Holland, Director of the Annapolis Maritime Museum said, “this is our history,” no matter who you are. If you live by the Bay, you will be touched by these stories.

If you haven’t seen the quilt yet, well, you have to wait until March when it returns to its home state – this piece is traveling! Its first stop is in Hartford, Connecticut then back to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture.

Reflecting on this past Wednesday, though, I can say what a great way to start the day! If you weren’t able to attend the dedication ceremony, check out some of my photos below. Then get in the car, and go to Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center in Annapolis to check out some of her other pieces while they’re still on exhibit!

– Aleithea W.

The Bates Middle School choir sings for the audience

Karen Rowe and Olivia Gray from the organization Quilt: Art to Mend the World (from my hometown, Riverale, MD!) lead the audience in a spiritual

Dr. Gaither stands in front of (only a small section!) of the Quilt

Mr. Ted Mack prepares to present Dr. Gaither with an accolade with the entire quilt in the background

A number of reports have appeared during the past week or so, telling of a new children’s game show based on a future robotic war, and entitled Mission 2110.

Location manager Stephen Burt has been reported as saying, “This is potentially an award-winning show. It is set in 2110 in a world where robots have taken over. The children who take part will be time travellers from 2010 and will battle the robots.” The game has been described as a cross between Crystal Maze and Doctor Who. There are to be 20 mission for the participants during the contest, with only one winner to be left at the conclusion.

The setting for the show will be two of the six Maersk container ships currently stored in cold lay-up in Loch Striven, and presently rendered surplus to requirements thanks to the worldwide downturn in trade caused by the recession. The loch has seen similar service over the past decades, as wordwide influences have rendered various cargo ships and tankers redundant, sometimes even before they have been completed, such is the time taken to build them in relation to market swings.

The action will take place within the massive holds of the ships, which are currently empty, and through the engine rooms, which are presently silent, as most of the engines have been laid-up to preserve them, awaiting re-activation when the vessels return to service.

Participants will live on board the ships for the three week duration, and Maersk Beaumont and Bentonville (see below) appear to be the chosen venues for the activities, which will see three robots, created by a London-based special effects team which has worked on Doctor Who, and the sets arriving during December.

They will not be on holiday for the duration, and will be expected to take part in the competition, and take their schoolwork with them, and complete 15 hours of tuition per week.

Filming is scheduled to take place between January and March of 2010, and the show will appear on CBBC beginning on April 21, 2010.

The raft containing the six Maersk ships is shown below, with the two chosen ships being the second from the left (Bentonville), and second from the right (Beaumont).

The six Maersk ship raft on Loch Striven, left to right, Maersk Brooklyn, Bentonville, Baltimore, Sealand Performance, Beaumont, and Boston

Setting: Lincoln Hall, Chicago. About 10:30ish, 15 minutes or so into Headlights‘ set, about a half hour after Maritime’s performance.

Mike Kinsella and his friend (who I unfortunately did not get the name of) sitting at the southern end of the bar. I pop up before I leave the show…

Me: Hey, it was really nice meeting you.

Mike Kinsella: Yeah man, you too. [shakes hand]

Me: Hey, I know this is a little odd, but I have to ask. I heard rumors Cap’n Jazz are getting back together… Is that true?

MK: I don’t know, are they getting back together?

MK’s friend: Well, what do you think? Do you think Cap’n Jazz should get back together, or should they leave it behind, keep it in the ground? What do you want Cap’n Jazz to do?

Me: [clearly flustered] I… umm… I think they should do whatever makes them happy.

MK: So, what makes me happy?

Me: Umm….

MK: You wrote the paper, so what makes me happy?

Me: I… um…

MK: So what was your conclusion?

Me: Well, I said the conclusion was… unknown.

And so it went… The rest was a bit of a jumble, and that beginning of me embarrassing myself in front of Kinsella and his friend isn’t word-for-word because its been a few hours and I clearly could have forgotten a word/sentence.

But, Kinsella’s a good sport for even dealing with my “hey, I’m some random fan, answer my every question!” trope I busted out. Kinsella and his friend were certainly very nice to me, and I wish I could have stayed and chatted longer.

But, whatever happens with the reunion rumors, I just hope the Cap’n Jazz guys actually make whatever decisions because they want to. But, considering the amassed discography that makes up the Cap’n Jazz family tree, it’s clear they’ve all been doing things the way they want to for some time. And that’s what makes them all continue to create strong, vital music today, with or without a Cap’n Jazz reunion.

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British Warships 1860-1906 : A Photographic Record
Building The Biggest : From Ironships to Cruise Liners
Classic Liners : SS France/Norway
Dictionary of Passenger Ship Disasters
Empire of the Seas : How the Navy Forged the Modern World
RMS Lusitania : The Ship & Her Record
Shipwright 2010 : The International Annual of Maritime History & Ship Modelmaking
Sinking of the Laconia and the U-Boat War
Struggle for the Middle Sea, Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean 1940-1945

By Kristi Ries

Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean officially begins on June 1 of each year, and lasts for nearly six tumultuous months before it comes to a close. On average, over 100 tropical storms form over the Atlantic.

Due to this high rate of activity, mariners have historically depended on warning flags displayed at their harbors and Coast Guard Stations to warn of approaching ocean storm systems.

In 2007, the U.S. Coast Guard re-established a Coastal Warning Display (Storm Flag) program at selected Coast Guard boat stations throughout the U.S to warn the public of approaching storm conditions. Coast Guard stations had participated in the National Weather Service’s official Coastal Warning Display program for over 100 years, along with yacht clubs and marinas, until it was discontinued in 1989. Today, experienced boaters can easily identify the meaning of such nautical flags, whose geometric shapes and colors represent the severity of impending weather conditions.

The flags serve to warn mariners of small craft advisories, gale warnings, storm warnings and hurricane warnings. And these flags are being used more often than ever. Scientists claim that rising air and water temperatures worldwide are creating more frequent and severe hurricanes.

A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds that have reached a constant speed of at least 74 miles per hour. The eye of such a storm is vast, usually measuring 20-30 miles wide, and can envelope more than 400 miles. Dangers of a hurricane include torrential rains, high winds and storm surges that leave major destruction in their wake. At sea, hurricanes can last for 2 weeks or more and can run a path across the entire length of the United States’ Eastern Seaboard before dissipating.

In addition to hurricane flags, there are also international maritime signal flags—one for each letter of the alphabet—that mariners can use to spell out messages or can be combined to form a code word. Boating enthusiasts and Atlantic coastline dwellers can breathe a sigh of relief this year, as the 2009 hurricane season ended uneventfully on November 30 with just three storms reaching destructive hurricane status instead of the average six.

Because love grows where my Rosemary goes And nobody knows like me
Garden: The Bee Buddy who did this row pieced a profusion of brightly colored flowers embellished with fun buttons. 

But there’s booze in the blender, And soon it will render That frozen concoction that helps me hang on
Food:  This lady (who also is a delightful neighbor) appliqued a beautiful bowl of fruit in her row.  She also added margarita glasses with wedges of citrus and umbrellas to complete the scene.  Oh so thirst-wuenching!

Our house, was our castle and our keep. Our house, in the middle of our street
Home:  In all the row-by-rows that I have done, the final row is always called home and hearth.  Obviously not much hearth time is needed in the summer but the cottage is too cute for words.  The 4 heart flowers represent what our family was doing at the time.  We were active-duty Army, sewing away at kids’ sporting events…

Straight out of Cape Cod, We’re keeping it real
Finally the rows all put together.  I had done several row quilts and wanted to come up with a different layout.  The Pentagon shape is an obvious homage to what brought us to the District in the first place.  The background is a hot pink background with many,many appliqued alligators.  I was trying to go with a somewhat preppy theme as summer and the pink& green combo go hand in hand for me.  I embroidered white diagonal lines and then hand-quilted it with kelly green thread to allude to an argyle theme.  

Minnesota Marine Art Museum

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum, located in Winona, Minnesota, is seeking an experienced, qualified candidate for the position of Executive Director. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and is directly responsible for managing an organization of committed staff and volunteers to accomplish the objectives of the Museum.
Responsibilities include business and operational planning, budgeting, marketing, fundraising and public relations. In addition, direction and guidance is provided to the board and staff committees for exhibit and educational planning, strategic marketing and public relations, and development.
The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent leadership, managerial, planning and administrative skills as well as strong interpersonal, communication, negotiation and problem solving skills. Proven leadership and experience in board relations, management, marketing and fund raising are also required. Previous experience in business or non-profit management is desirable. Bachelors degree required.
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum houses a world class collection of marine art, notable impressionist and Hudson River school artwork, a renowned local folk art collection, and exciting traveling collections. These collections are displayed in outstanding facilities in a community dedicated to growth in the arts.

Indian Ocean

“As Western countries became increasingly critical of the Sri Lankan Government’s handling of the war and human rights record, the Rajapaksa leadership cultivated ties with such countries as Burma, China, Iran, and Libya. The Chinese have invested billions of dollars in Sri Lanka through military loans, infrastructure loans, and port development, with none of the strings attached by Western nations. While the United States shares with the Indians and the Chinese a common interest in securing maritime trade routes through the Indian Ocean, the U.S. Government has invested relatively little in the economy or the security sector in Sri Lanka, instead focusing more on IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] and civil society. As a result, Sri Lanka has grown politically and economically isolated from the West,” states the US Senate report.

The report’s writers make a case for a shift in US policy by emphasizing the geostrategic importance of the island: “Sri Lanka is located at the nexus of crucial maritime trading routes in the Indian Ocean connecting Europe and the Middle East to China and the rest of Asia.

“[...]A more multifaceted U.S. strategy would capitalize on the economic, trade, and security aspects of the relationship. This approach in turn could catalyze much-needed political reforms that will ultimately help secure longer term U.S. strategic interests in the Indian Ocean. U.S. strategy should also invest in Sinhalese parts of the country, instead of just focusing aid on the Tamil-dominated North and East.”

About 80 percent of China’s oil passes through the waterways near Sri Lanka, most of India’s imports of oil pass through the Indian Ocean, and “three-quarters of all Japan’s oil needs pass through [the Straight of Hormuz],” one of the chokepoints into the region’s open seas.

Robert D. Kaplan has written a noted article in the Foreign Affairs journal indicating that “India’s and China’s great-power aspirations, as well as their quests for energy security, have compelled the two countries ‘to redirect their gazes from land to the seas,’ according to James Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara, associate professors of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College. And the very fact that they are focusing on their sea power indicates how much more self-confident they feel on land. And so a map of the Indian Ocean exposes the contours of power politics in the twenty-first century.” Furthermore, “Already the world’s preeminent energy and trade interstate seaway, the Indian Ocean will matter even more in the future. One reason is that India and China, major trading partners locked in an uncomfortable embrace, are entering into a dynamic great-power rivalry in these waters—a competition that the United States, although now a declining hegemon, can keep in check by using its navy to act as a sea-based balancer.”

India continues to secure its naval presence by increasing its surveillance capability. A new listening post has reportedly begun to operate in Madagascar, linked with two other similar listening posts off of India’s west coast. The system will allow for surveillance of navies in large swaths of ocean from Africa’s east coast to India’s west coast. New Delhi considers the security of these lanes as vital to its economic health. Asia Times reports that “most of India’s trade is by sea,” and that, “nearly 89% of India’s oil imports arrive by sea.”

Another report released by the US, this one by Naval Intelligence, reviews Iran’s naval history and strategy: “Iran uses its naval forces for political ends such as naval diplomacy and strategic messaging. Most of all, Iranian naval forces are equipped to defend against perceived external threats. Public statements by Iranian leaders indicate that they would consider closing or controlling the Strait of Hormuz if provoked, thereby cutting off almost 30 percent of the world’s oil supply.” The document is titled ‘Iran’s Naval Forces‘.

This work was part of an ongoing one year contract for Wilhelmsen Ships Service (Barwil) Saudi Arabia to be the nominated logistics partner for China Harbour Engineering Company Limited for the construction of the harbor at the Raz Az Zawr Port EPC Project. Raz Az Zawr is located 350 kilometers outside of the DammamPort and this particular shipment consisted of 50 trailers of pipe casings and tools. This is a considerable project requiring time sensitive customs clearance and delivery on an ongoing basis for multiple containers and break-bulk shipments where the consequences for delayed delivery are severe.

The Global Project Logistics Network (GPLN) is the premier non-exclusive professional projects logistics network of independent companies specializing in international projects movements by air, sea and land as well as specialized lifts and the special handling of oversized, out-of-gauge and heavy lift cargo.

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