Free Republic

A $40 million engineering structure belonging to Iran's South Pars gas field, which was to be used in offshore platforms, sank into the Gulf as it was being installed, media said on Wednesday, as reported by AFP. The equipment was built by Maritime Industrial Company (SADRA), an affiliate of the industrial wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, over a 30-month period." An investigation is under way," SADRA's managing director Mehdi Etesami told the ISNA news agency, without elaborating. The incident occurred Monday night as the 1,850-tonne jacket developed for South Pars Phase 13 sank to a depth of 80 meters (264...

The first of this year’s Freedom Flotilla 2 ships set sail for confrontation with Israel's navy Wednesday, the Associated Press reports. A French ship called 'Dignity' decided to skip the rendezvous with the other vessels participating in the Gazaflotilla on Saturday and opted to sail directly for Gazainstead. Flotilla organizers, maintaining 'operational security,' refused to officially confirm the ship is approaching the region. Jordanian activists earlier this week said they purchased an additional ship for $805,000 to represent the Arab world after the infamous IHH sponsored Mavi Marmara was refused sailing permits by Turkey's government. During the 2010 flotilla self-described...

On a recent Friday morning, a line of bathing-suit clad students stood beside a campus swimming pool, waiting to jump in. They had come to persuade the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill they were worthy of a college degree — which they were not, in UNC's eyes, until they could swim 50 yards and tread water for five minutes.For many, it was an annoying inconvenience, for others a moment of pride in conquering their fear of water. But the scene also was a small slice of collegiate history. This was the last swim test day at one of...