Free Republic 3rd Qtr 2024 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $69,010
85%  
Woo hoo!! And we're now over 85%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

Outdoors (General/Chat)

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • Thousands of flying foxes fall from sky after being ‘boiled alive’ in sweltering Australia heatwave

    01/08/2018 10:46:43 AM PST · by Red Badger · 73 replies
    www.thesun.co.uk ^ | Updated: 8th January 2018, 12:44 pm | By Sam Webb
    THOUSANDS of flying foxes died in an Australian heatwave so severe it has melted tarmac. The animals fell from the trees as they were boiled alive in temperatures exceeding 40C in Campbelltown in New South Wales. Animal welfare volunteers battled to save the lives of the hundreds of babies and some adults in distress but the death toll is believed to be in the thousands. A spokesman from the charity Help Save the Wildlife and Bushlands in Campbelltown said: "The efforts of our volunteers yesterday was both heroic and heartbreaking. "In extremely trying conditions they worked tirelessly to provide sub-cutaneous...
  • Thief dumps $1.3 million vodka bottle at construction site

    01/07/2018 3:53:31 PM PST · by Extremely Extreme Extremist · 12 replies
    ABC 7 CHICAGO ^ | 07 JANUARY 2018 | ABC 7 CHICAGO
    COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- The world's most expensive bottle of vodka was stolen, only to be found empty at a construction site. Police in Copenhagen said the gaudy bottle was stolen from a bar, and is worth $1.3 million. The gold and silver bottle features a diamond-encrusted cap, but somehow, the thief missed these embellishments completely.
  • Celebrating wings National Bird Day reminds locals to conserve nature

    01/07/2018 4:33:00 AM PST · by SandRat · 26 replies
    Sierra Vista Herald ^ | Lauren Renteria
    SIERRA VISTA — Every year, millions of birds pass through southeastern Arizona as part of a yearly migration pattern. From warblers to hummingbirds, these feathery critters are one of the many aspects of nature that sets southern Arizona, and Cochise County in particular, apart. That’s why, this National Bird Day — celebrated today — local bird enthusiasts want locals to offer up ways to remember feathered friends. National Bird Day is observed by millions of people all over the country, according to the Avian Welfare Coalition, an organization dedicated to the ethical treatment of captive birds. The national day of...
  • Is It Safe to Skate on Icy Ponds?

    01/06/2018 6:20:14 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 64 replies
    NBC12 ^ | Friday, January 5th 2018 | Andrew Freiden
    Have you seen this video of a guy skating on Fountain Lake in Byrd Park? Megan Wise and I decided to check for ourselves if it was safe to walk on the ice in Central Virginia. I emailed Jeremy Hoffman at the Science Museum to pick his brain: This is a picture of Dr. Hoffman doing something very important. He pointed us to Minnesota - they know their ice there! While ice is never 100 percent safe, we now had a goal - to see if we could find ice 4-5 inches thick on Fountain Lake in Byrd Park. Although...
  • 14-year-old in coma after being burned while roasting marshmallows

    01/05/2018 4:51:22 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 79 replies
    KFOR ^ | K. QUERRY | JANUARY 5, 2018
    A teenager in Florida is in a medically induced coma following a horrifying accident on New Year’s Eve. Authorities tell WFOR that 14-year-old Layne Chesney suffered third-degree burns across most of her body while roasting marshmallows at a friend’s house. “My daughter has sustained burns over 95 percent of her body,” Leigh Chesney, Layne’s mother, told WFOR. “She has suffered a lot of disfiguring injuries. Family members say Layne was roasting marshmallows at a friend’s house to make s’mores. “When the flames went out, one of the children or her, I do not know the complete story, accidentally or purposefully,...
  • Eagles' Carson Wentz fires back at criticism over 'hunting buddy' dog

    01/03/2018 1:11:44 PM PST · by Daffynition · 92 replies
    FoxNews ^ | 1.3.2018 | Fox 29 Philadelphia
    Before his season was ended by a knee injury, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was making news for his playmaking ability. Tuesday, the MVP candidate made headlines with his response to a Twitter user who was critical of a hunting photo he posted to wish one of his dogs a happy birthday.
  • Photographer Captures Stunning Arctic Wildlife | Short Film Showcase [9:15 minutes]

    12/31/2017 12:02:28 PM PST · by beaversmom · 18 replies
    Nat Geo via You Tube ^ | April 9, 2016 | National Geographic
    Nice short film I discovered very early this morning before I drifted off to sleep. Watch if you need to destress, start the new year off right, or just enjoy nature. Warning: It will make you feel "chilly", but it does warm the heart. Video Link
  • Niagara Falls is a frozen winter wonderland right now (PHOTOS)

    12/31/2017 5:25:33 AM PST · by Daffynition · 57 replies
    DailyHive ^ | Dec 27, 2017 | Ainsley Smith
    While most of Ontario is under an extreme cold alert, the effects have resulted in some pretty incredible photo opportunities. Especially at Niagara Falls, which currently looks like a frozen winter wonderland. As of this morning [12/27], it felt like -19°C in Niagara, which has helped transform Niagara Falls into a frozen spectacle.
  • Shark Attacks Surfer In Marin County (Point Reyes)

    12/30/2017 5:11:55 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 9 replies
    Mill Valley Patch ^ | Dec 30, 2017
    National Park Service officials were telling people that the water in the area is off limits.A surfer was bitten on the foot by a shark today near the mouth of Drakes Estero, an estuary off the coast of Marin County. As of 3:48 p.m., National Park Service officials were telling people that the water in the area is off limits until further notice. No other information was immediately available.
  • Nepal bans blind people and double amputees from climbing Everest

    12/30/2017 4:21:30 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 55 replies
    The Guardian ^ | Sat 30 Dec ‘17 | Michael Safi
    Tourist board criticised for new regulations, which also prohibit solo ascents with the aim of reducing the number of accidentsSolo climbers, blind people and double amputees have been banned from climbing Everest under new rules the Nepalese tourism ministry believes will reduce the number of deaths on the mountain. The changes have provoked criticism from the US ambassador to Nepal and a former Gurkha soldier planning to scale the peak after losing both legs in Afghanistan. The new rules have been under discussion for a month and were implemented this week, Nepalese officials told the Himalayan Times. British cancer patient...
  • Gold Rush Goes Underwater! Inside Discovery's New Spin-Off Series Starring Dakota Fred

    12/30/2017 12:58:37 PM PST · by Eddie01 · 29 replies
    People TV Watch ^ | December 13, 2017 | EMILY STROHM
    Gold Rush fans are used to miners going to great lengths to strike it rich, but in Discovery’s latest spin-off show, White Water, “Dakota Fred” Hurt and his son Dustin are headed deep beneath the water’s surface. In the new reality series, which premieres in January, the father son duo return to McKinley Creek, Alaska, where they’ve enlisted a team of intrepid divers, mountaineers and bush mechanics to search for gold deep in one of Alaska’s wildest creeks. Gold Rush: White Water premieres Jan. 19 at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery.
  • Sea Stars Make a Comeback After Mysterious 'Goo' Disease Killed Millions

    12/28/2017 5:29:22 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 37 replies
    LiveScience ^ | December 28, 2017 | Laura Geggel
    For the past four years, a mysterious syndrome has been killing millions of sea stars along the West Coast, turning the five-armed critters into piles of goo. But now, the sea stars appear to be making a comeback, according to news reports. In Southern California and elsewhere, the palm-size sea stars are showing up in record numbers, compared with the past few years, The Orange County Register reportedon Tuesday (Dec. 26). "They are coming back, big time," Darryl Deleske, an aquarist for the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, told The Orange County Register. "It’s a huge difference … A...
  • Korea dog meat campaigners accused of barking up wrong tree

    12/27/2017 8:50:01 AM PST · by Red Badger · 26 replies
    AFP ^ | 12/27/2017 | Staff
    Barking at their rescuers, labradors, beagles and mongrels desperately scrambled out of rusty cages in South Korea: saved from the dinner plate by a deal with dog-meat farmer Kim Young-Hwan. In the face of falling demand, Kim agreed to close his establishment in exchange for compensation from US-based Humane Society International (HSI). The dogs are bound for a new life in adoptive homes in the West. He is the 10th canine-meat farmer to accept such an offer in three years. The exact sums are confidential, but each deal requires hundreds of thousands of dollars once adoption costs are included. "This...
  • Erie, Pennsylvania, Smashes State Snowfall Record With Over 50 Inches of Snow Since Christmas Eve

    12/26/2017 1:37:47 PM PST · by daniel1212 · 19 replies
    The Weather Channel ^ | Dec 26 2017 01:30 PM | Jonathan Erdman
    A stationary lake-effect snowband off Lake Erie dumped an incredible 34 inches of snow at Erie Airport on Christmas Day alone, quadrupling their previous record snowiest Christmas Day - 8.1 inches in 2002 - as well as smashing their all-time snowiest single day on record by over a foot - 20 inches on Nov. 11, 1956. That heavy snow continued into Tuesday, bringing their storm total since 7 p.m. EST Christmas Eve to an incredible 56.5 inches of snow - just over 4.5 feet - in 42 hours. This prolific event shattered all previous multi-day snowfall records in Erie dating...
  • Massad Ayoob’s 10 Commandments Of Concealed Carry

    12/24/2017 7:59:45 AM PST · by Strac6 · 64 replies
    Daily Caller ^ | Massad Ayoob
    COMMANDMENT I: If You Choose To Carry, Always Carry As Much As Possible Hollywood actors get to see the script beforehand, and nothing is fired at them but blanks. You don’t have either luxury. Criminals attack people in times and places where they don’t think the victims will be prepared for them. It’s what they do. The only way to be prepared to ward off such predators is to always be prepared: i.e., to be routinely armed and constantly ready to respond to deadly threats against you and those who count on you for protection. It’s not about convenience; it’s...
  • Feds Keep Proposed Minnesota Copper Mine Plan Alive

    12/22/2017 8:55:46 PM PST · by ButThreeLeftsDo · 15 replies
    KSTP.com ^ | 112/22/17 | AP
    The Trump administration has resurrected an effort to build the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. Last December, the Obama administration declined to renew the long-standing leases that the company needs for the underground mine it wants to build near Ely. But an in opinion published Friday, a top attorney at the U.S. Interior Department concluded the Bureau of Land Management erred last year when it concluded that BLM had the power to grant or deny the lease renewals. Minnesota Public Radio News reports the reversal means the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service must reconsider Twin Metals'...
  • See Big Sur's Fiery Light Tunnel Before it's Gone

    12/22/2017 6:43:44 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 12 replies
    KSBW ^ | Dec 21, 2017
    Crowds flock to Pfeiffer Beach in weeks leading up to, following Winter SolsticePhotographers chase it. Beachgoers are baffled by it. And at sunset, for just a few weeks in mid-winter, it cuts a fiery path across the undulating waves off the Big Sur coastline. The orange glowing light that peeks through the Keyhole Arch on Pfeiffer Beach does not have a name. Photographers describe the fleeting phenomenon in adjectives: mystical, otherworldly, ethereal. Camera-toting crowds flock to the beach in the weeks preceding and following the Winter Solstice, on December 21 in Northern California, when the sun sets and rises at...
  • Long Range TRICK SHOT - STANDING Position! - Crazy TINY Target

    12/22/2017 1:18:17 PM PST · by real saxophonist · 27 replies
    YouTube ^ | 21 Dec 17 | Kirsten Joy Weiss
    Long Range TRICK SHOT - STANDING Position! - Crazy TINY Target
  • Malaga Christmas Lights

    12/22/2017 5:15:12 AM PST · by Oshkalaboomboom · 20 replies
    Vanity ^ | Dec 22, 2017 | Oshkalaboomboom
    We live in Spain and yesterday we decided to spend the night in Malaga, about an hour from our house, so we watch their Christmas light displays. Besides the usual electric Christmas trees They have one large section of a neighborhood made up to look like a Cathedral. It's huge. Unlike the USA, Spaniards aren't afraid to put religious symbols on public property. The inside of the street cathedral had "stained glass windows" with nativity scenes. Even the traffic roundabouts have Nativity scenes in the middle. This is all through the town, which is why you can make a night...
  • More than 100 new species discovered in Mekong region

    12/21/2017 8:48:04 AM PST · by Red Badger · 31 replies
    www.pakistantoday.com.pk ^ | 12/21/2017 | Staff
    BANGKOK: A Vietnamese ‘crocodile lizard’ and a Thai turtle found on sale in a local market are among more than 100 new species discovered in the ecologically diverse but threatened Mekong region last year, researchers said. The Southeast Asian countries flanking the Mekong river, which snakes down from the Tibetan plateau to the South China Sea, are among the most biodiverse in the world. Each year scientists announce scores of new species discovered in the region, which includes Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. But there are fears that many more species could die out before they are found in...