Free Republic

An encrypted letter from a correspondence with Mary, Queen of Scots. (BnF) A trio of codebreakers has accidentally stumbled upon a lost series of secret letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots in the years before her execution in 1587. The incredible, seven-year-long correspondence was encrypted so successfully, the documents were archived in an unmarked file and mistakenly placed in a part of France's national library involved with Italian affairs. When researchers randomly stumbled upon the 57 letters, however, it was clear none of them had anything to do with Italy. They were written in French and appeared to contain...

The aging Queen Mary could cost the city of Long Beach up to $175 million to preserve and maintain over the next 25 years but it could cost even more — up to $190 million — to recycle for scrap or sink into the ocean. Docked on the city’s shore since 1967, the former ocean liner has long been a challenge to operate. A 2017 study recommended that as much as $289 million worth of renovations and upgrades were needed to keep parts of the ship from flooding. According to documents filed recently in Bankruptcy Court, the Queen Mary needs...

....the city has designated $23 million for urgent repairs, and a plan to build entertainment around the ship would generate the tens of millions of dollars needed to do more repairs. “We know what we’re going to deal with, and we know our partner, Urban Commons, who’s going to be sharing in this investment with the city over the next 66 years that they said: ‘we’re in’,” Keisler added. Urban Commons sent a statement saying: “Our team is already in full swing making critical structural renovations and repairs to ensure the Queen Mary is well equipped for the next 80...

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The general manager running the legendary luxury-liner-turned-hotel RMS Queen Mary has sent a letter to staff and management of the ship’s numerous shops, telling them they have 30 days to vacate the ship to make room for newer retail shops. The letter, according to an article by the Long Beach Post, is reportedly from Queen Mary General Manager John Jenkins and advises the stunned workers and shop-owners that they have 30 days in which to close and leave, as the ship begins a consolidated retail agreement with a new company. The company, called Event Network, is...

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The Queen Mary will rendezvous with her sister ship Tuesday evening in the Long Beach harbor. The Queen Elizabeth II will tie up near its sister ship, the Queen Mary, around 6:30 p.m. The two vessels will exchange whistle blasts in a mutual salute at 7 p.m., followed by fireworks at 7:30 p.m. The last time these two ships were together was in 1967 during the Queen Mary’s final transatlantic voyage. That Queen Elizabeth was an earlier version of the present-day ship. The decks of the Queen Mary will be open to the public at no...

But now a new reason has emerged why the royals might be a particularly interesting subject, with the revelation that they used to dine on human flesh. Kate and Wills will hopefully not follow the cannibal traditions of their ancestors (PA) According to a new book on medicinal cannibalism, written by University of Durham academic Dr Richard Sugg, well-off and well-educated Brits used to eat human flesh, blood and bones as medicine. This practice apparently took place in other parts of Europe as well up until the end of the 18th century. While referring to the barbarity of cannibals in...

An 82-year-old Broadway producer and her 91-year-old husband were kicked off the Queen Mary 2 after getting into a heated argument with a fellow passenger at a black-tie dinner, according to a report in the New York Post. Gloria Sher and Frederick Evans reportedly got into a shouting match with a dining companion who, the couple claims, made an anti-Semitic remark. Sher said a fellow cruiser told her to shut up, and said, "There are too many Jews on board," the Post reported. Sher, who is Jewish, told the paper that she became angry, saying, "F**k you!" and "How dare...

FURTHER UPDATE TO FLASH WITH ADDED INFO ON LB CITY HALL FINANCIAL OUTCOME: At 11:54 a.m. today in an auction in a packed U.S. Bankruptcy courtroom in downtown Los Angeles, Save the Queen, LLC was awarded the contractual rights previously held by QSDI, including development rights to nearly 50 acres of prime property surrounding the Queen Mary for $43 million...the amount of its initial overbid without the need to bid further. The outcome came after initial bidder O & S Holdings tried and failed to have the Court disqualify Save the Queen (on grounds it failed to strictly comply with...

Two of the greatest ocean liners ever made meet in Long Beach, California Harbor today. I am speaking of the Queen Marys. A once in a lifetime event! Southern California Freepers who are there can post to this thread. If the mod approves, it may be made live.

Passengers on the luxury Queen Mary 2 cruise ship are threatening to mutiny after the ship set sail from Florida with a damaged propeller. They have said they will refuse to disembark when the ship reaches Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next week, to prevent it from continuing its journey. It has dropped three ports of call because it is running at reduced speed after the accident. Cunard Lines, which operates the ship, says it has offered compensation. On tow The world's largest liner is on a 38-day trip around South America. However it is running two days behind schedule,...

The Fourth of July fireworks display at the Queen Mary in Long Beach has been canceled this year because of a dispute over who should pay for police and fire protection, officials said Friday. The show, which was to mark its 22nd anniversary, has usually drawn tens of thousands of spectators to the retired luxury liner and the Long Beach shoreline. The display was called off after city officials asked the ship's operators to foot the bill for as much as $70,000 in police and fire protection, representatives for both sides said. Joseph Prevratil, president of the RMS Foundation, which...

A water-squirting tugboat salutes the Queen Mary 2, the largest luxury ocean liner ever constructed, as it arrives at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Monday, Jan. 26, 2004, following its first trans-Atlantic voyage from Southampton, England. The ship is to begin a series of Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale Jan. 31. (AP Photo/Cunard Line, Andy Newman) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040126/480/flan10201261320   Queen Mary 2 berths at Port Everglades after maiden voyage By JOHN PAIN Associated Press Posted January 26 2004, 7:44 AM EST PORT EVERGLADES -- The Queen Mary 2, the world's largest and most expensive cruise ship, completed its maiden trans-Atlantic...

URGENT - 15h44 - Dramatic accident in Saint-Nazaire At least eleven people died Saturday in the collapse of a footbridge of the giant steamer Queen Mary II, in construction with the shipyards of the port.

ALL THE PRO-RECALL CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR GIANT CROWD OF PRO- RECALL SUPPORTERS QUEEN MARY PARK – STUNNING WATERFRONT BACKDROP The big final push for the “YES on RECALL” grassroots campaign will begin with this “YES on RECALL” Victory Lap Rally. All of the pro-Recall candidates for Governor have been invited and you can bet that none of them will miss this giant event. We’ve timed it so the major Republican candidates can come down from the GOP Convention that will be taking place that same day in Los Angeles. * Feel free to bring lawn chairs, blankets, etc… * Remember...

RECALL HISTORY – SEPTEMBER 13TH – LONG BEACH Bring your children, lawn chairs and video cameras to the Queen Mary Special Events Park – Saturday, September 13, 2003. The “YES on RECALL” Victory Lap Rally will bring out all of the leading pro-recall candidates for governor, the recall leaders and thousands of recall supporters. For so many months our southern California supporters have been asking for a rally in the southland, so we decided to make our final grand push for the recall in your backyard! We want recall supporters from all over the state to show up with homemade...