Free Republic

SAN DIEGO - The family that drew national attention when they were rescued at sea off their sailboat, Rebel Heart, in April is finally setting the record straight. Charlotte and Eric Kaufman and their two daughters were about 1,000 miles west of Cabo San Lucas in the Sea of Cortez when 1-year old Lyra became sick. That was when their adventure of a lifetime turned into a nightmare. It began with a fever, then a rash and then Lyra became lethargic. That was when the couple used their satellite cell phone to call a doctor. He advised them to begin...

GOOGLE has unveiled one of the greatest toys ever - a virtual glass elevator that lets you fly around the world. Made by a few of the engineers in their spare time, the Liquid Galaxy project is an interactive booth with wraparound LCD screens. “With the Liquid Galaxy, we could fly through the Grand Canyon, leap into low-Earth orbit, and come back down to perch on the Great Pyramid of Giza without even breaking a sweat,” said creator Jason Holt. The screens show synchronised views from Google Earth and you can use a six-axis mouse to move your way through...

Many people believe you couldn't have found a more conservative, religious and docile town in America than Greeley in 1949. There were many churches, and no bars or liquor stores allowed in town. But a six-month stay here in Greeley by an Egyptian student in 1949 made him so angry that he wrote books to express his anti-American diatribe. His name was Sayyid Qutb (SIGH-yid KUH tahb) and he became one of the founders of Islamic terrorism. Television specials, literary magazines, stories in major newspapers, thousands of blogs and now a new book have noted Greeley's influence on the man...

SALINA, Kan. - First by balloon, now by plane, Steve Fossett is once again a 'round-the-world record holder. The millionaire adventurer on Thursday became the first person to fly around the world alone without stopping or refueling, touching down in central Kansas after a 67-hour, 23,000-mile journey that appeared endangered at times by a troubled fuel system. Fossett, who failed five times before successfully circumnavigating the globe solo in a balloon, needed just one try to make the trip in a plane. He holds many other records as a balloonist, pilot and sailor. Fossett's GlobalFlyer, designed by the same engineer...

(CNN) -- Pilot Steve Fossett has become the first person to fly solo nonstop round-the-world. His plane, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, touched down Thursday afternoon in Salina, Kansas, more than 66 hours after he lifted off from the same spot.

Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett took off Monday night on his attempt to become the first person to complete a solo trip around the world in an airplane without making a single stop. Fossett, the first person to circle the globe solo in a balloon, launched his GlobalFlyer from the Salina Municipal Airport shortly before 7 p.m., beginning a 66-hour journey by climbing northeast into a darkening sky. Hundreds of spectators, braving a bitterly cold wind, gathered along the two-mile runway to watch the takeoff. Fossett hoped to return to Salina on Thursday morning. The 23,000-mile flight had already been postponed...

SALINA, Kan. - Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett was the first person to circle the globe solo in a hot-air balloon. Now, he wants to make the trip in a single-engine airplane without stopping — another aviation first. Fossett, 60, hoped to take off in his GlobalFlyer on Monday afternoon at Salina Municipal Airport and land there again about 66 hours later. The 23,000-mile flight had already been postponed several times because of shifting jet stream patterns or weather at Salina. "I'm a bit nervous about takeoff," said Fossett, who has logged about 30 hours in the jet-powered aircraft. "I will...

QX NOTE: Since mentioning the below in a very sparse thread, a well known FREEPER has reported a similar dream. Another FREEPER, who probably knows more than many of the rest of us put togehter, said it was . . . my words . . . compatible with other . . . data. I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW MANY OTHER FREEPERS HAVE HAD SUCH DREAMS AND/OR VISIONS. PLEASE FREEPMAIL THEM OR POST THEM ON THIS THREAD. If you FREEPMAIL them, please let me know if I can post them anonymously on this thread. Blessings, QX --------------------- The AP List...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appears as royalty in his latest film role, but the character is no Prince Charming. He's the sultan of swingers. Just months after facing allegations during his campaign of groping women, Schwarzenegger does a star turn in a reprise of "Around the World in 80 Days" as a polygamous prince whose oversized ego is nearly matched by his desire for women. As the lusty Prince Hapi, Schwarzenegger is on the screen for only about five minutes, decked out in robes, baubles and kinky shoulder-length hair. But it's long enough for the prince to...

Balloonist faces fire on final leg 07/03/2002 Associated Press BROKEN HILL, Australia - After an uneventful flight around the world, a loose burner hose fitting on Steve Fossett's Spirit of Freedom balloon started a fire Wednesday, forcing the American adventurer to climb out of his capsule in the middle of the Australian night to put it out. "Even though the RTW ('round the world) is completed, I really nervous until I can get this balloon on the ground," Fossett wrote in an e-mail to his mission control staff in St. Louis. AP Steve Fossett's balloon approaches the south Australian...